Dust in the Wind....

I'm from Kansas. Not originally, it isn't where I was born, but from the time I was 8, until I was 25, my family lived in various parts of the state. Kansas is home. When travelling to visit family, all we have to do is cross over the state border and I breathe easier.

I spent my last half of grade school and most of middle school living in a small town in central Kansas. This is the co-op at the end of main street.

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After that, we moved way out to the Outback. We lived there during high school and my first year of college. And since I was horribly homesick that first year of college, I would drive home every 3 weeks, an 8 hour trip one-way across the state. And on my way home, I would stop and peer through the wooden fence at this:

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I can't even tell you how many pictures of Kansas sunsets I have. Or how many times I marvelled at the flat, treeless beauty of the state once you get past Kinsley on Highway 50.

And though I spent college just a few blocks from an AMC 30, I still pine for the old, one-screen theater where I saw most my movies in the summer on Tuesday nights for half price tickets, and 50 cent popcorn and pop! I know, it would sound much more romantic to say "where I saw my first movie" but I saw my first move 1.5 hrs from home, in the city, on a friend's birthday. 7 Years In Tibet. Yep, I never went to a theater until that movie was released.

And I was so hooked. The movies were magical for me. They still are. Which is why I love that my first date with Mr. Curly was to see American Outlaws. It was a great date. After the movie he told me about his grandpa, and we talked about John Wayne. Coincidentally, my last date with Mr. Curly was to see True Grit and afterwards we talked about his grandpa and John Wayne....

Somethings never change, and I'm glad they don't.

But, still, no matter how much I enjoyed my dates with Mr. Curly at the AMC, this theater will always hold a special place in my heart. Just like Kansas does.

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Oh - and if you're looking for a great book on Kansas, read Flyover People by Cheryl Unruh (a childhood friend of my mom's!)

Post title from Kansas.