In My Collection Of Things I’ve Run Across
I forget where I found this. On the edge of a town not much bigger than this egg as I recall. Kansas I think; maybe Nebraska. I don’t think I was on a main highway – so on one of my travels along lesser known roads … or more likely, a once main road faded into obscurity along with the towns it passes through when newer highways were built that bypassed the bottleneck towns.
But those are the places where such things still exist.
World’s Largest Hand-Painted Czech Egg, a notable roadside attraction located in Wilson, Kansas.
Thanks for the reminder. Looking at a map, I must have been following old US40; can’t think of any other particular reason I’d have passed through. Interesting things can be found on those old roads
Next time you’re through KS on old US-36, about 10 miles W of Washington is County Road 26, Follow it N and E to Mahaska, then go a mile W and a mile N to the 6th Principal Meridian Marker. That’s the Initial Point for the survey of NE-KS and parts of CO, SD and WY. There’s a huge monument, BUT………….the monument is NOT at the Initial Point…the actual Point is under a manhole cover in the middle of the road, right on the KS-NE border……underneath ( it is said) is the original piece of red sandstone that the surveyors sharpened to a point….hence the name Initial Point.
Thanks for the tip. That’s the type of place I’d go out of my way to see. Don’t know why – just something miswired in me. We have an IP here in Idaho as well. Out on the Snake River plain south of Boise. Funny thing: It’s not far off 43:00:00N/116:00:00W but that spot wasn’t selected – but it is the highest point around and was probably off the old road from Silver City to Idaho City – major gold camps in the day when Boise City didn’t really exist.
There are two in IL
3rd has a marker in the middle of US-51 near Decatur, the 4th WAS on the west bank of the IL river across from Beardstown UNTIL the river changed course
Have you looked for (and I hope found) any of the Tri-State markers where three states come together ? ( IL has 5 but they’re all underwater !! )
https://highpointers.org/us-tripoint-guide/
New Year’s Resolutions
Did anyone on this site made new year’s resolutions and, if so, have they been stuck to?
My own resolutions were two:
1) progressing slowly, was to read more books. I am re-reading A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold, classic a book for nature lovers.
Next on my list to re-read is The Leopard, by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. The most famous quote from the book (and there are many) is: “If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.”
The book has been reduced by many to that one sentence, the so called Lampedusa Principle, suggesting we all have in us a deep impulse to adapt so as to survive. I am re-reading it because my father, who died 9 years ago this week, told me I should. He said go to the book when you are older and it will reveal layers you never noticed or appreciated on the first reading and it will leave you more moved than ever by its messages.
I have other books on my list, none are new publications. Has anyone suggestions for good newly published books?
2) my second resolution was to join a gym and learn how properly to lift weights. That promise to myself is progressing well because, contrary to what I thought, I’m loving it. It provides a sort of instant gratification and improvements show themselves quickly.
Being on a farm, movement and hard physical work are part of daily life but focused attention on specific muscles to keep you not only strong but well balanced is something quite different. The last thing I want to do is trip and fall. I guess I am also adapting to survive.
I gave up chocolate for Lent so that big old Easter Egg photo reminds of what I have to look forward to.
“The Leopard” appears to have been originally published in 1911.
It can be downloaded for free in pdf format from the archive here:
https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.126017
Good to know. Tnx for the tip.
Here’s a book I read and loved not long ago..”Theo of Golden”.
Well now, there appears to have been some changes to the egg since that pik was taken. Probably for the better.
Have a look:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/worlds-largest-czech-egg
Someone removed the sign