However, we had been looking forward to today because we had made plans to stay with friends Ruth had met years ago at a dowsing convention, and had kept in touch with since. They live on a farm near Johnson, NE, in the southeast corner of the state. They are Joe and Marta Smith.
We left Kearney and stopped in Lincoln to get some provisions. Then headed southeast, away from the big city and the interstate. We traveled on two-lane state and county roads for the rest of the day. Ruth noted we were seeing signs one only sees on two-lane roads. This one says, "NO PASSING ZONE:"
We had traveled back into territory that had trees, and the terrain was rolling hills:
Before long, we turned onto Joe and Marta's street, "730 Road." It is what is called an "all weather road:"
We arrived at Joe and Marta's home and got a great welcome from them, their Cocker Spaniel, Sugar, and their "20-or-so cats." This is their home, which has had various rooms added since it was first constructed in the 1800s:
Once the car was unloaded, Joe took us on a tour of his workshop. It is in his barn and is very extensive, covering three different rooms. Joe is very skilled at making things:
After the tour, which included a look at a tractor Joe had built and many other projects, Ruth took Marta to look at a field that had a crop in it we didn't recognize. It turned out to be soy beans -- a very common crop in this area. The fact they were brown and still on the plant threw us, more evidence of the earlier snows.
Marta cooked a delightful supper for us all -- pork roast, baked potatoes, green beans and stewed apples. It was the best meal we had had since leaving home weeks ago, and the only home cooked one. Delicious!
We had to have a picture of this very generous couple. They are a lot of fun:
Bedtime came fairly early for us, sort of in keeping with being on a farm....
