Ruskin, Nebraska

Leaving Red Cloud, we drove east on highway 136, the southernmost east west route running along edge of the state just above the Kansas border, it was getting late in the day and after wasting too much time doing photographically unproductive things like drinking some great sumatra coffee at Schnert's bakery in McCook, we found ourselves with little time to waste on the last leg of our journey from Red Cloud to Auburn where we were going to see Jackie's cousins and to attend Chase's graduation.  That said, we only had the time to stop for a few minutes in Beatrice, a place Jackie's cousins used to like to visit, and in Ruskin, because it had a nice sign.  Beatrice was too big to get a handle on in a short time, but Ruskin was just right.  There was so much more to see.  Wish I had a bit more time there, but there wasn't.  So much to regret, so much to be thankful for, so many reasons to return next spring, so much....

                                                                                                                   

Unfortunately, the recently published list of post offices to be closed in  2011 includes this beauty in Ruskin.  They know not what they do.  The threads of any semblance of unity in this country are unravelling as we speak and they want to save money by closing down post offices.  How about just ending one or two of the mindless wars we are presently involved in.

Addendum, 7/27/12:
As you might have noticed, the skies in the pictures vary.  The ones with the great clouds are from last year.  The ones with the harsh cloudless sky are this year.  I did get back!!!  Looking back at last years pictures, I didn't know how lucky I was in terms of sky and weather.  This year was good, but much harder.  Cloudless skies, overcast days, rain, many great, productive days.  When you are only there for a few weeks, you need to be lucky.  During our stay, and to an even more pronounced degree since we left, the temps are consistently in the high 90's and for the past 6 or 7 weeks from early mid June till now, there has been no rain.  Considered to be the worst drought in recent recorded history.  An  almost complete disaster throughout the midwest.

                                                                      Pablo