We’re traveling to Pratt this morning. It’s around 200 miles, or about 378,234 telephone polls to our destination. The Kansas people are proud of their big horizons. No trees or mountains to get in the way of their beautiful sunrises. Driving out here is like being on a boat out in the vast ocean, except it’s brown grass instead of blue water. Big silos grace the sky like ships.
Every so often the rolling hills and fields turn completely brown with cattle. There’s a distinct smell that means different things to different people. We’re in cow country, for sure!
We hate to rub it in for all our Northwest friends, but it’s winter, and there’s lots of sun here! In fact, today is 53 degrees and for the past few days we’ve been out taking walks. We wear sunglasses in the car, and have our visors down. My face is sunburned! I probably shouldn’t speak too soon… Mother Nature may quickly change her mind!
Following the yellow-brick road, route 56, we decided to stop in Dodge City, “Gun Smoke” country. We saw lots of interesting western buildings with businesses having a definite Mexican flair. Apparently, their presence here is historic, because some of the older buildings are Mission-style.
It was tricky “Getting outta Dodge.” Really! Maybe they arrange their roadway exits that way on purpose.
We just drove through what was Greensburg, Kansas. The devastating tornado that hit this town was on the news worldwide about a year ago. It was astonishing! All we saw was rubble, piles of rocks, and trees with all their limbs pruned off from the wind. There were only a few sporadic brick buildings that had survived. A banner read, “ Thank You, Worldwide.”
We’re almost to Pratt now. This is the city, which took in all those refugees from Greensburg. I like these people already.
At one point today, we were only 50 miles from Liberty, Kansas. That was Dorothy’s home in the “The Wizard Of OZ.” I want to watch that movie again now. Kansas has its own special feel, and we’re into it. We even have a dog like Toto at home. (sniff!)
Yes! We’ve got Internet here! We just got in a review from one of our concerts in Colorado. We were touched. Here it is… we thought we’d share it with you:
Concert Review of SALLY HARMON and
Frank Gruner
Performed Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at the Delta Center for the
Performing Arts and Education
by Charlie Huff
Dear friends of family-centered performing arts, it seems that each time I sit down to write up a review of the previous evening's DMCCA concert performance, I am lost for sufficient superlatives to describe the unique beauty or inspiration or just pure fun that was brought to our stage by the artists and entertainers who travel to Delta at the invitation of the Association. And it was no exception once again with last night's (5th of Feb.) piano concert performed by Sally Harmon and her husband, Frank Gruner, who accompanied her on the bass guitar for a number of her selections.
I suppose I could best describe this concert as one of pure delight and inspiration--a simply joyfully fun experience. Sally's masterful skills at the keyboard had their beginnings at the tender age of 3 on a child's toy piano (which she included in the performance of one of her own compositions for that purpose). And she plays today with a childlike enthusiasm of that little girl who had just discovered the joy of making music at a piano.
The beautiful and lively music combined with her uniquely enthusiastic delivery made for one of the most enjoyable concert experiences I, personally, and a great majority of our audience--by their own post-concert comments--have ever had.
I suppose I could give you some biographical and professional history of Sally and Frank, each who were professionals in the music and entertainment business before meeting and marrying. However, suffice it to say that their amusing love story and some 24 years of marriage have produced a great team and years of beautiful music which have surely brought enjoyment and inspiration to many through their personal performance tours and their 22 CD's and a concert DVD.
It was our privilege as members and friends of the Delta-Montrose Community Concert Association to hear them live in concert last night. Once again, it seems I must say I am truly sorry if you were unable to be there. Indeed you missed a great evening!
We don’t get that many reviews, for some reason. This one really got us, though. We don’t spend a lot of time with newspapers, TV stations, or the like. Sometimes we just luck out when someone’s being nice. At least this tells you that we’re really DOING this tour!
Tonight went well. We played in a Community College in their auditorium, while at the same time there was a big basketball game going on in their sports arena. Yamaha piano. Because I have one at home and I record on them, it’s a super comfortable situation.
There were two women, Annette and Pat, who had traveled all the way from Dallas, Texas to be there tonight! What a cheering section we had! The announcer gave them the microphone before we started, and they told their story of how and why they started following us. Wow! When I finally walked out on stage I hoped we could live up to all they had said about Frank and me. I floated through the first half, buoyant because they had read all of the blog, and gotten everyone in their office reading it, too!
We’re in a focused mode now. It’s almost midnight, and we have to get up by 6:00AM and drive 200 miles, (that’s 2,465 Telephone polls), then play a Matinee at 2:00PM in Concordia, Kansas. I’d better turn in. Pillow top mattress. That will help. Wish us luck!
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