basstbn's VirtualTourist Home Page

Sorry, VT Friends, I've not been doing much to update my travel pages recently. Combination of reasons: primarily, I've devoted considerably more time to my interest in photography, and placing those images on my flickr.com site; and - my recent travel has been devoted to off-the-beaten track places in my area which seem to be of little interest to most VT'ers who consider a remote village in Europe to be exotic, but not a remote village in Kansas.

Early in my life, I learned the joys of travel from my mother. She had a curiosity about places, history, and nature. Even on our Sunday drives in the country (this was Kansas in the 50's), she would name the native wildflowers and birds as we passed by. And she made it a point to know some history about the locale visited.

In 1964, I enlisted in the Air Force as a musician, which gave me just what I wanted - a chance to travel. My first year was spent in New England, then stationed in Spain for three years, performing all over Spain and in other parts of Europe and North Africa, as well. Fortunately, I was able to really experience the countries I visited, as we stayed in hotels, ate in local restaurants, drank in local bars - very little time was spent on military establishments.

After returning to the US, I received a music education degree from the University of Kansas in 1972, and after several years as a high school band and orchestra director, became a family man, travel was still a part of my life. My sales duties with a medical equipment firm took me all over the country. In September of 2007, I retired from my position with a publisher of church music and drama located in Kansas City, Missouri.

Best of all though have been the family vacation trips. Two daughters, one a day care provider for small children, and the other, a fifth grade teacher, have gained an appreciation for seeing the world and other cultures. A milestone was reached in July, 2001, when I crossed the river from Minnesota into Fargo, North Dakota - and recorded my 48th US state visit!! Only Hawaii and Alaska to go...

Besides the 49th and 50th US states, the places really high on my travel dream list are Tuscany, La Cinque Terre, Scotland (home of many of my ancestors), New Zealand, the maritime provinces of Canada, and the Greek Isles.

My favorite cities, though not in order, are Sevilla; Luzern; Victoria British Columbia; Charleston, South Carolina; London, Venice, Salzburg, and Kansas City.

However, many of my most pleasant travel experiences have been in smaller towns or away from cities and towns altogether. Favorites: The drive through the Cimmaron River Canyon in northern New Mexico; the rugged coast of Oregon; in and around Pitkin, Colorado; Jaca, Spain; Park Rapids, Minnesota; Hall en Tyrol, Austria; the Flint Hills of Kansas; Mountain View, Arkansas; Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona, Charlevoix, Michigan, Sedan, Kansa - well you get the picture.

I am currently concentrating on taking a number of day and weekend trips around the Kansas City area and especially throughout the state of Kansas. I have always had a fondness for my home state, even though it might not rate as a tourist destination for many. Recently, an organization called the Kansas Explorers Club was brought to my attention, and I quickly joined that group. Its goal is to help Kansans and visitors alike to "See Kansas with New Eyes." I invite other VTers with Kansas connections to join this group.

My co-traveler across borders and through life. We have been married since 1975, and have two lovely and talented daughters. Nancy was born in California and raised in the Oklahoma panhandle and then southwestern Kansas on wheat farms. She is an outstanding pianist and this spring retired after 40th year of teaching music to elementary school students. What a woman!

Melody is a seven year old bi-blue Shetland Sheepdog, adopted from the Sheltie Shack Rescue Shelter on August 14, 2004. She was previously used as breeding stock. Her last owner allowed her to get a sunburn, then cut her damaged hair short, but now she looks like a Sheltie again! Shelties are loving and devoted dogs, and Melody is just that after becoming accustomed to her new surroundings in the city. Her favorite activities include walks in the park, visiting with human friends at the Black Dog Coffeehouse, and snuggling on the couch with Nancy.

Our first grandchild, born December, 2006 to daughter Allison and her husband Kyle.

Allison is our oldest daughter, a fifth grade teacher in a neighboring school district. Her husband, Kyle, is an Oregon transplant and works for Farmers Insurance.

Our youngest daughter, Elizabeth, with her husband Jonathan. Elizabeth is a child-care worker, Jonathan a sound and lighting technician for one of the midwest's largest production companies.

Note - Our daughters are married to cousins, making the two guys cousins and brothers-in-law. Sounds kind of like an Arkansas hill-thing, right?