On Friday, we loaded up the Pilot and hit the road for Santa Fe. In looking at MapQuest and consulting a coworker who had lived in Southwestern Kansas, we decided to drive to Wichita and than take a Route 54 to Tucumcari, New Mexico. We made it to Liberal, Kansas the first day, which also happened to be the epicenter the 2007 pheasant hunting season. We were only able to get a room because minutes before someone had called and cancelled. The pillows were pink (to calm down the hunters?) and there was a dog wandering the hallway at 2:00AM, but the night was otherwise uneventful.
The next day, before getting on our way, we decided to visit Liberal, Kansas’ biggest tourist destination: Dorothy’s House and the Land of Oz (www.sewardcountymuseum.com).
At some point in the 80’s, Liberal figured out that no one else had claimed to be the home of Dorothy, Aunt Em, and Uncle Henry, so they found a 1907 farmhouse, 5,000 sq. foot Morton Building, and renamed a street “Yellow Brick Road”. We appeared promptly at 9:00 and were given a tour by a teenager dressed as Dorothy, right down to the ruby red slippers.
The house was interesting in that the linoleum was similar to what we used to have in our home and the Land of Oz was a giant diorama faithful to the movie, right down to our Dorothy singing “Over the Rainbow”. Then on to Santa Fe. By the time we arrived, most everyone else was already in town. It was great to see family and introduce Molly, but sad that this was the reason. The house on Camino San Patricio was Grandma’s house, but obviously felt like something was missing. Sunday, we spent the day going through papers and discussing the history of the family (and swimming). Santa Fe also has a Dunkin Donuts.
Monday was the visitation and rosary at the funeral home. Between the family only visitation and the rosary, we all had a big dinner at Castro’s Restaurant. The rosary was an interesting ritual, but it was very touching to see Grandma’s community of friends and family come out and honor her.
The funeral was Tuesday morning at Grandma’s church, Saint John Catholic Church. Again, it was filled with Grandma’s friends, supporters, and random people who’s lives she touched. I was surprised by the way the family was included in the service which culminated with us holding hands and surrounding the casket (not a dry eye).
The internment was at Santa Fe National Cemetery which included another small private service for the family. However, because it is the National Cemetery, we didn’t actually get to view the burial site. Then back to Saint John’s for a reception hosted by the staff and volunteers of the soup kitchen. The head chef of the kitchen was one of those individuals that was inspired by Grandma. He told story after story about Grandma, including how she would still show up to volunteer at least once a week up until about six months ago (when she was finally diagnosed). The rest of the day was spent catching up with family and reminiscing.
On Wednesday, we were back on the road to Iowa. Again, we made it only as far as Liberal, but this time we were not as lucky with a room. Calling the Holiday Inn Express, our only option was the $130 per night, Wizard of Oz suite. Had we been in Chicago, $130 would have been a steal, but this was Liberal. We finally found one non-chain hotel/motel. We payed a little extra to stay in the hotel side.
One highlight, both coming and going, was eating in Pratt, Kansas. Pratt, home of the Miss Kansas contest, has a little 50’s style diner that Molly loved. We stopped on the way out because it was getting late and only other options were national chains. On the way back, it was a Molly’s insistence.
If you ever find yourself hungry and in Pratt, Kansas, we recommend Hart's Route 54 Diner. If you are in Santa Fe, we can now recommend Casto’s or the Saint John Catholic Church soup kitchen.
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