Abilene Off The Beaten Path

As mentioned in previous entry, Bob proved to be a hospitable host. In this photo, he is explaining to Nancy how leaves and flowers from their own gardens are layed into the wet clay (dug from the surrounding countryside), then how the pieces are colored with metals such as salt, rust, manganese, cobalt, etc. before being fired in the kiln.

(For additional photo, see entry under shopping.)

OK - it's not that far off of the beaten path, but it's outside of the city limits and partially hidden by the trees and gardens. This was our second surprising discover in Abilene (after the Lebold Mansion.) We met Inga and Bob Bow at their studio/gallery on a Sunday morning, and Bob graciously showed us around, discussing their craft and giving us a lot of insight into how they create these beautiful works.

The Tietjens Center for the Performing Arts looks a bit like a castle. It is a place to see plays and concerts. It is on 3rd street just a little west of the Fashion Museum and Sports Hall of Fame. Visit www.gptf.org for a schedule of plays to be performed.

The Fashion Museum is across the street from the Sports Hall of Fame. I thought that was good planning because husbands can look at sports while wives can look at fashion. Admission is $3 and it is located at corner of 3rd and Broadway in this neat looking old building.

When we were at the Dickenson County Heritage Center they were having a quilt contest. Women from all over had taken beautiful quilts there. As paying visitors we were given a score card to vote for our favorite quilt. Quilts are passed down as family heirlooms. If you see a handmade quilt it is some thing special.

State of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame is a short distance north of the visitor center at 213 N. Broadway in the old down town. Every sports fan should stop here. It costs $3 to get in but for a true sports fan it is worth it.

The statue is of Dwight Eisenhower as a boy in the town where he grew up. Some things in Abilene have not changed much since Dwight Eisenhower's youth. The city has preserved much of it's proud heritage.

Here is a beautiful quilt created by sewing thousands of tiny squares of cloth together. It depicts the state flower of Kansas, the sunflower. In pioneer days quilting was a way to use up scraps of cloth cut from clothes that had been worn out. It was a way to use some thing again. It took a lot of labor to make a quilt and it was often a project several women would meet and work on together.