Light beer?

Our road trip to northeast Kansas and Nebraska was a lovely random journey, where we had only a few fixed points and the rest of the adventure was determined by roadside markers. (Alcove Springs? Homestead Museum? Oohh that looks like a cool building, let's go look!)

Infusion Brewery in Benson, Nebraska was one of our planned destinations. It had perfectly ordinary fixtures in the restrooms, but we couldn't resist getting this shot of the light over the sinks. By the way, the Vanilla Bean Blonde Ale and Grahamber Ale were incredible! 

Not your college kegger

First of all, I did not take these pictures. Robert bears the credit/blame here. Two weeks ago, he came dashing out of the men's room at BottleRocket Brewing in Seward, NE with this image of a repurposed keg. He assured me that stainless steel is perfectly good urinal material - I mean, isn't that what they use for bedpans? 

To complete the look, they added other repurposed materials for the sinks. The women's restroom just had the sinks. I particularly like the way they used the taps 

Watery humor

These were taken at the Aquarium in Jenks, Oklahoma. I am sure that both the coasts are littered with bars and other public areas with similar signs, and the Aquarium is the only place for hundreds of miles where this would make any sense. And even so it is a stretch (life underwater has nothing to do with either gulls or buoys) but I am sure someone at the aquarium was just dying to do this. 

Tulsa time

Robert must do an internal eyeroll when I return from a restroom when we are traveling, especially if I have that look on my face.

This came from the Philbrook Museum in the Brady Arts District of Tulsa. A bit of shameless self-promotion for the art museum, but I think it is brilliant, and it made me smile!

The Eleanor

My grandmother bought the property where this outhouse was planted back in Kingman County Kansas. None of the girl cousins (who knows about the rowdy boy cousins?) were brave enough to check to see if it it was in a functional location, and generally gave the thing a wide berth.

Just about a year ago, we were saying goodbye to the place, and share our memories. The farm has not been in the family for generations, although dozens of grandkids remember it fondly. Grandma had sold her previous farm about a mile away to one son and moved to this one in 1959ish. The house was pretty decrepit and they soon tore it down and replaced it with an all-electric wonder, plus a hangar, and Quonset style machine shed, Said shed is  where Grandma and Uncle Martin lived while the house was built.

There were plenty of outbuildings to explore including a root cellar and this outhouse. No one is sure how old it is, but I suspect it dates to the Depression. In my sketchy recall of US history, I believe that they were affectionately known as Eleanors in honor of the First Lady.

It was still full of the cobwebs, and promise of splinters, dirt, spider and worse, and so we gave it one final look and parting (snap)shot and said goodbye.

A good sign

We all need this kind of reminder from time to time.

Thanks to the Peach and Green restaurant in downtown Chicago

The knees have it

Earlier this past summer Robert and I spotted unusual graphics for restrooms in Norway. These two very similar signs were spotted in our favorite breakfast restaurant in downtown Chicago, doing that familiar dance. You gotta smile!