An Adventure in Lawrence, Kansas

This past weekend Lily and I visited my Aunt Ardy in Lawrence, Kansas.  Aunt Ardy is an artist in every sense of the word.  She is a sculptress and jewelry maker, a writer and singer of music, and every single thing she does exudes creativity.  Our visit was prompted by the marriage of her daughter, Zoey. 

Here's Aunt Ardy with Lily in the front yard.  She made the metal archway over the sidewalk as well as several other metal sculptures that adorn her yard. 

Below is another picture of my Aunt Ardy with my mom.  They are beautiful sisters, aren't they?  This was taken in the living room of Aunt Ardy's 1887 Lawrence home, just three blocks from the main drag of this lively little town.

Ardy's significant other, Walter, has a quintessential Kansas farm about 15 miles outside of Lawrence.  He invited us over for a BBQ dinner one night while we were there and Lily had an absolute ball.  She adored Walt and his cat, Rooney.  Here she is (below) imposing herself on said cat who darted away quickly after this picture was taken!!

And here's a little collage of our time at the farm.  I followed Lily around for about five minutes just snapping away as she explored.  She laid on the hammock, hugged the cat, slapped at the tall grasses etc.  What fun for a toddler!!

And she absolutely loved Walt!!  During dinner she refused to sit on my lap, insisting on being on Walt's lap instead and eating half of his food.  Speaking of food, the BBQ dinner was superb!!  Much of the produce came from Walt's farm and/or Aunt Ardy's garden, and Aunt Ardy made a fantastic cole slaw with shredded cabbage and carrots, as well as diced onions, banana peppers, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and mayonnaise!  I am definitely going to try this recipe myself soon!!

As Aunt Ardy's house is not exactly child-proof, Lily and I spent a lot of time wandering around Lawrence, enjoying window shopping, street musicians, farmers markets, parks, etc.  Here she is on an old-fashioned merry-go-round on the street.  I didn't even need to purchase a ride since she thought just sitting on the stationary horses was fantastic :).

And finally, here's a pic of my Aunt Ardy in the vintage swimsuit she refurbished for our outing to the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City.  My cousin and her husband had decided to have an unconventional wedding.  Instead of a fussy reception, they opted for a potluck at the water park for all their friends and family! 

Oh, and if you're wondering how I achieved the collage pics or the tints on some of the photos, I used two iPhone apps - Instagram (free) and Diptic ($1.99). 

And now back to the reality of unpacking etc.  Have a wonderful day, friends!!