Jesse James didn't sleep in the red brick building above, but he did rob it when it was a bank. Now it's a cafe and bed & breakfast, where I'm spending two nights in Baxter Springs, Ks.
I've gone from immaculate Victoriana last night to bare boards tonight, and I love the dramatic contrast. These are the steps I faced with my luggage. I laughed, and then I climbed.
As usual with every bed & breakfast in which I stay, I'm the only lodger. Is it me?
My room. Free wifi and a lot of history. Big windows, bare wood floors, echoing halls.
My view. The mural is of a cattle drive.Click photos to enlarge.
32 comments:
Hope you don't have any "incidents" at high noon. What an interesting trip you're having! Jesse James. Wow.
Lake effect snow event is forecast here. :-( This just seems like a reeeeaaaallllyyyyy long winter.
Happy halfway to Friday.
Amazing! The greasy-spoon on the first floor of this "joirnt" puts on tablecloths at night and turns into a Cafe.
It's cool being the only overnight guest. I've got my door open and I'm playing my music loud for the ghosts in all the empty rooms down that long hallway.
Strange thing. The owner put me up in a room that she called the most popular, but I noticed that she looked skeptical when she said it, and in fact, she then muttered, "I don't know why." I've peeked in all the other rooms and they're all nicer than this one. Much nicer. But I like this one the best, too. I think it's the positioning of one big window that lets in a lot of light.
This place would be a GREAT setting for a horror story. Maybe the room with more light would be the evil room. Cackle. It lures unsuspecting guests in by looking cheerful. bwah ha ha.
Sleep well.
Hi, bono. A "snow event" should only be something like sledding, or building a Snow Event Man.
I'm very close to the town where the brothel madame and her son killed a bunch of miners for their $$ and dumped the bodies down abandoned wells. And not all that far to the north there was a mother and son who, well, I'll tell you after you eat.
Interesting part of the state, this.
So I'm of course wondering if they asked you the question they previewed on whatever that link was I gave you. I always want to know if cheating pays :)
That mural looks cool. But not as cool as the chocolate from the last place.
Is this near where the In Cold Blood murders happened? I've never read it.
Eep, Mary, I totally forgot to examine that link more closely. I'll see if I can find it again. :)
Nope, not anywhere near the In Cold Blood town. We have multiple murderous towns.
I agree. Even the worst chocolate beats even the best mural. Thomas Hart Benton holds no candle to truffles. Ditto Diego Rivera.
Watch out for the ghosts, Nancy! It looks like an interesting place. But what is it with that part of the state and mother/son liasons?
boran2, it may or may not be reassuring when I tell you that I looked up the second mom-son combo and discovered it wasn't just them, it was the whole family. Families are close in Kansas. :D
Sounds like a fun place, Nancy! At the very least, interesting. ::g::
Another crazy day @ the mimes and I'm home late...again. No writing this week which is making me nuts.
::clings to you all for sanity::
Neato and LOL Nancy ... sounds like you're getting some awesome inspiration. Love the photos ... :D
Wow Nancy -- The ONLY guest (shudder)
You know, I think I'm with KB on this - I'd be a bit creeped out about being the only guest.
Oh, and before I forget - a bit of contest pimping. If you are a fan of the TV show Supernatural, stop by my blog before the end of the month and enter the contest for a signed copy (signed by moi) of the new BenBella Smart Pop Anthology, IN THE HUNT: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural. Just came out/is coming out and I have an essay in there.
I had loads of fun getting to write about fannish things and get paid to do so!!
Congrats, Maria! Sorry about the lack of writing time, tho. And sorry about winter, bono....they were talking tornados here, but they seem to have scooted north instead - to Farf's part of the world, unfortunately.
I think it'd be cool to be the only guest - you could pretend you lived in a realllyyyy big house! How fun to stay in places that someone else is paying for...and thanks for bringing us with you!
Night all - still trying to finish my WIP tonight, so I'd better scoot myself.
I love it when you love my photos, Olivia. :)
Maria, cling to us all you want, girl. We won't let go!
katiebird: boo! Hee. Well, I am now in a different room, the only one thought to have a ghost. I had to move 'cause of a weird smell. I think the ghost wants me in this room. . .
Maria, sometime would you do either:
a. a guest post about fannish writing,
or
b. a q&a about it? I'll ask, or somebody else will, and you'll answer?
Not now--you're swamped with work and writing. But maybe some time?
It really did feel that way at the b&b last night, Beth, cause it really was a big old house. This feels more like staying in the hotel in the shining. :D
Ok-ay, so now maybe I'm changing my thinking about being there alone...the Shining, sheesh.
Didn't someone I know write a short story once about people disappearing, one by one, when they were sent out to find a certain girl? Oh wait, that was a lonely house, not a lonely hotel... :-)
Trust a mystery writer to end up changing rooms in an empty hotel because of a weird smell...I bet you're scribbling notes already!
lol, Beth. Yes, a certain mystery writer did that.
I'm getting verrryyy sleeepppyyyy. . .
If you don't hear from
Very funny, Nancy...
Nancy?
Nancy?
:-)
Night, sleeping beauty! May the smell gods only send rosy scents your way tonight.
Or chocolate ones...
Nancy, I'd love to do a post - answering questions would be the best!
I'm up late again (damned insomnia) but I'm *writing* - a couple of out-of-order scenes that wouldn't shut up in my head, so obviously, I had to write them down. ::g::
Catch you all in the daylight...maybe...heh...
Wow, you folks were really chatty last night.
Don't watch the show, Maria but it's way cool to be in any anthology about it. (Not an anthology but I do love The Physics of the Buffyverse).
We had some snow too, bono, but it's not enough to be called an event ... unless the event was something like teenager gets a pimple.
Morning all.
::yawns loudly::
Morning, gang!
Andi, thanks! I was tickled when I got the opportunity to submit essay ideas. I was totally reminded of one of the suggestions by Nancy's post title. My version was "Get Your Kicks on Route 666" - the subject was to be how the show's about the All American Road Trip...with a twist.
I *adore* writing meta about fannish things (Nancy can attest to my Buffy essays I used to write)--in fact, as part of my query to BenBella, I had to submit a writing sample. I whipped out my "Why I love Spike" piece, cleaned it up and sent it to them. ::g::
Off to the mimes shortly, need to start early today, despite the post-3:00 a.m. sleep. Insomnia: hates it, I do, precious. However, last night, I got 4500+ words written. Guess there's a silver lining after all!
Maria, you are making the rest of us look bad! (Well, maybe not Far.) Keep dong it.
It's just like reading a travel book; I know what Kansas looks like now!
We once booked into a hotel in Rothesay (Scotland): busy, busy, lots of people in country & western gear. Different, we thought, and went for a walk. When we got back, they'd vamoosed and we were the only guests. And yes, it was definitely spooky. But excellent service at dinner!
(PS be glad you're thousands of miles away, my germs are back and I'm coughing my head off. Roll on spring!)
Morning all, chasing the end of the book back to human in a week or two.
That barron hallway... even my daughter said it was spooky!
Hey, she spoke to her English Arts teacher about you. Said you were in our Circle of Peace.
She made us very proud. The same teacher called her after class and thanked her for being so cool. Turns out they were to get in groups for some writing exercise and the color guard generally stick together it seems... but this one girl is always left alone and is overweight and from what Danni gathers may be getting special education help and home problems... So Danni went over and told he she could join her and two others. One girl who is a bit of a ... ahem... snothead, got all curly lipped and mouthy and Danni stood up to her. "Why did you have to do that?" she griped, so Danni said something to the effect that it was the right thing to do. She stood up for the girl and stood up to a "teammate". I'm doing the Snoopy dance of joy and pride.
But... I still think that hallway is cuhhhhreeepy.
Cripes, that wasn't a typo or oversight. Barron/Barren. :)
Yeah, Maria's making me look bad too. Haven't got much writing in all week. 'Course, when the dam(n) breaks, I might not be able to do much else for a while. No pressure… yet.
Nancy, I'm guessing you're by yourself in these places because it's the dead of winter & nobody is travelling or vacationing in Kansas this time of year. They're all busy killing each other or other weird things… seems like KS was born in violence (John Brown, etc.) and has a reputation to uphold. ;-)
The mimes are at home today. Windy as all get-out, outside. Yesterday evening, the same storm missed DD and then me by several miles each. We were texting about it, I was looking at radar and giving her status reports. She said at one point, "I may be texting f-bombs soon," but didn't.
November 5-8, 2009, Donald Maass writing workshop/retreat, Seattle, Wa
Whoa! You're going to be in Seattle? I could swing up there and see you!!!
Odd. I noticed on the top photograph of the Little Brick Inn that on the streetlight there appears to be a siren. Is that for the Tornado Warnings?
Here we have so many darn cameras on every intersection, but oddly they can't be used in court for accidents... so what are they there for? Anyways... tin foil hat on lap...
One night I was coming thru one of the many camera'd interesections and the guy behind me must've triggered the red light camera and all of a sudden I was blinded by lights going off. At first we thought it was lightning. Almost caused an accident.
A reprieve here. Lake effect event hasn't occurred - yet. Warning/watch still on until 4 PM tomorrow. Only coating of snow currently. More app'ts. today, no workie. :-D
It sounds like you're getting great material for future books. Getting paid to do it, icing on the cake. (I think I'll skip that part of the state when I finally visit Kansas someday. My eyebrows have been up to my hairline reading about all the murders. Yikes.)
Happy day before Friday!
Janet, Yes that's one of the ways they announce tornado warnings. The police also drive through the neighborhoods with sirens blaring.
The test the sirens once a month and they are LOUD.
Throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline, somebody's drifting away.
Too many new kids.
Unlike the melting witch, I'm drowning in students.
Came home to brew coffee and return for last class.
Head dips below the waves.
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