home town

I graduated from a class of thirteen with a high school total of around 65. I went to school in the building you see above, only it didn't have those window air-conditioning units when I was young!! 

Main Street in Almena was actually cobblestones, believe it or not. I remember my Dad doing repairs to water lines and having to replace cobbles more than once.

The grain elevator. I worked there after my senior year of high school before I went to college. I worked in that teeny tiny building in the front, the office.

Prairie Dog Creek

From the hill by the Almena water tower. I thought there was more to see. ;0

I took this photo because the girls were fascinated by barbed wire.

We actually lived two miles outside of Almena, on a dirt road that was muddy and was no place for me to take the little Ford Fusion that I rented for the trip (one car makes situations like this a bit harder but mostly, having one car hasn't been too bad). We probably didn't miss much. The house and barn have been gone for years. The shelter-belt still stands but otherwise, there isn't much to see where I grew up.

The tree you see above is right at the curve near the turn off to our house. I always loved the shape of the tree. Whatever type of tree it is it is very slow growing. It is definitely bigger than I remember but considering it has been twenty years, it isn't that much bigger!

I am not done. This tree was missed by the tornado that went near our house and through some of our old neighbors' places. I have some pictures and thoughts to share about that too. :)