’25 Jul-Aug Kansas City and Newton Kansas

You might remember when Bill retired his goal was that in his first year of retirement he would see a game in every MLB stadium, and he did! Mindy and Kim put together a massive birthday celebration for Bill’s 70th – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with a delightful baseball theme. It’s the pre-game show/tail gate party tonight, a real Kansas City BBQ at Bill’s house in Kansas City (specifically Overland Park, KS).

A map of Bill’s journey around the MLB stadiums.

Following are some of the guests scattered around this beautiful home.

I’m nuts for the covered balcony off the main floor.

The main floor living room, dining room, and kitchen.

Gathered at the dining table.

All the kids in the downstairs family room.

Bill did the BBQ, up at 4am to finish by 5pm – so many delicious ribs, my favorite, and a yummy 13 hour brisket.

Sorry about the glare!

Desserts!

And Gifts mostly carrying on the baseball theme.

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Some pictures from KIM!

Oh you guys, they rented a commodious private lounge, totally fitted out with couches, tables and chairs, with a TV and a bar and a buffet, and Air Conditioning. Air Conditioning! It was 100 degrees outside, and 100% humidity, but I was grinning like a fool enjoying the Air Conditioned lounge.

We were suite 2 in the Frank White Lounge. Who is Frank White? MLB tells us he played his entire career with the Kansas City Royals, Second Baseman 1973-1990. “Playing the game with unmatched style and grace, White became one of the greatest second basemen in baseball history. He was a two-time Royals Player of the Year and a five-time All-Star. He was the first American League second baseman to ever collect eight Gold Gloves. Renowned for defensive excellence, White was a complete player. He hit .545 in the 1980 American League Championship Series to win MVP honors, and he batted cleanup and led all players with six RBI in the 1985 World Series. White finished his career second on the Royals all-time list in games played (2,324), at bats (7,859), and hits (2,006).”

You get a couple rows of seats and counter space outside the Lounge if you want to bring up your body temperature for a while. I’d last a few minutes and then sigh that I could retreat to Air Conditioning!

And the crowd went wild!

Seventh Inning Stretch

Bob-went to high school with Cheryl. Jason-Johnnie’s son-in-law. Bob-food mobile at church. Jerry-Bill and Cheryl met Jerry and Laurie on their first trip to Europe. Bill-Our Guest of Honor! Steve-husband of Cheryl’s teaching partner. Bob-husband of Cheryl’s college roommate. Victor-Kansas neighbors who they’ve stayed in touch with for 25 years. Ross-Kim’s husband. John-works with Bill in the food ministry. Laura-Johnnie’s daughter. Doris-married to Bob. Travis-Bill’s sister Kim’s son. Mindy-Bill’s daughter. Lydia-friend from Florida. Joe-friend from the old neighborhood. Julie-Kansas friends who now live in Nashville. Me. Kim-Bill’s sister. Debbie-goes with John and friends from church. Sybil-friends from Kansas. Annette-goes with Joe from the old neighborhood. Janet-Cheryl’s college roommate who goes with Bob. Cathy-Cheryl’s teaching partner for years. Johnnie-Bill’s girlfriend. Kim-Bill’s other daughter. Raleigh-Lydia’s daughter. Gracie-Jerry’s granddaughter. Addison-Bill’s granddaughter.

And the game was followed by fireworks and a Flo Rida concert. While the fireworks were booming away the sky was producing ‘ceiling to floor’ lightening strikes, so huge I thought I’d better get out of there before the deluge…which never came. But I did miss the Grand Finale and the concert.

This is the last scheduled event of Bill’s Baseball Birthday Bash. I missed taking pictures at the height of the festivities but it was a tasty and delightful opportunity for everyone to say their last Happy Birthdays and Fond Farewells.

The above view is driving out of Bill’s development. You can see the slightly rolling hills and all the trees. As I drove west to visit Chris and Dave in Newton Kansas, you can see how the landscape becomes much more flat and dry and it’s where the corn is as high as an elephants eye.

Mindy, Addison, and I enjoyed a delightful afternoon at the Nelson-Atkins Museum. Here are a few pictures of their trademark Shuttlecocks, designed by husband-and-wife artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, they were installed in 1994 and have been refurbished a few times since then. There are four, three on one side of the building and one on the opposite side. They are strategically placed across the museum grounds, suggesting a giant game of badminton where the neoclassical museum building acts as the net and the lawns as the playing field.

In honor of the theme of the weekend, a baseball picture.

Their highlight exhibition was called Survival of the Fittest. It was quite good, pictures of wildlife in conflict, survival and all, from the Rijksmuseum Twenthe and the National Museum of Wildlife Art.

What we have here is The Keeper of the Plains, created by Dave’s step-father Blackbear Bosin. Here’s the amazon link to the book Dave wrote about Blackbear Bosin: Keeper of the Indian Spirit. And here’s an extensive wikipedia article about all things Blackbear Bosin.

Below is the Mid-American All-Indian Museum, where Dave’s contributions of art, money, and time are legion.

The family tree. Dave lived with Blackbear from around the age of eight, is the only remaining of his generation, and is entrusted with the the copyright for the image of The Keeper of the Plains.

Janis came by for a visit which was lovely. Below is a recent selfie and beside it Janis, Sharon, and Chris in Kauai in 2010.

Some buildings on our tour of Newton.

The Barbie House!

We went into Wichita to admire a string of local establishments including lunch here where we ordered all the highlights – crumbly burger, onion rings, garlic salad (1/2 cole slaw 1/2 grated garlic) and icy root beer in an icy mug.

We were too late for a tour, too bad too. This is the Frank Lloyd Wright Allen House.

Summer in the mid-west, tomatoes and corn.

For dinner we went to another legendary local spot.

Chris was a high school vice-principle for something like 20+ years in one of the two high school in Newton KS (population less than 20,000). So wherever she goes in Newton and the surrounding towns, someone recognizes her saying “Oh Mrs Simmonds! You did so much for me, getting me out of high school!!”

For example our server below said she was such a goof-off in high school she’s glad Mrs Simmonds doesn’t remember her…

At one point the sky opened, like buckets were dumping, 3 1/2 inches in less than an hour. You can see a model of The Keeper in the back against the tool shed.

Farewell to Chris and Dave’s 20×40 foot backyard pool. This is a very big pool and the cover is entirely automatic.

And here’s the dog Lucy, a real charmer and a go-go girl.

I started out for Salina (pronounced Sah-LIE-na). Here they pronounce the river the Ar-KAN-zes and they pronounce the state AR-ken-saw. Plenty of other words have unknowable pronunciations.

Here are a couple snaps in Salina. Sunflowers are a thing in both Kansas and Missiouri.

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Next stop, the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene.

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Here’s Ike and Mamie, and my family – my mother, father, older sister, and me. And that’s my dad, the very image of IKE although you can see it more prominently in his younger days.

Let’s go on a brewery tour! It was great fun.

I think you can tell by now that I was wearing down!