Hello there and a Happy 4th of July to those of you in the US! Since it's a holiday weekend here, we headed off on a little day trip yesterday. We drove out to visit Bart's Mom and then took her to a teeny little town with the cutest little bakery/bistro for lunch. In honor of the 4th of July, I thought maybe you'd enjoy some pictures of a little bit of Americana......
Here are my two boys in the car at the start of our day.
Riley doesn't go on car rides very often but he sure does love them. We took his kennel along on this one, so that we could leave him at "Grammy's" house while we went to eat since the little restaurant was quite a ways away. Didn't want our sweet boy to have to stay in the car while we ate since it's been so hot here lately. As it turned out, it wasn't so hot as much as it was rainy. But regardless, he got to hang out on his doggy bed in the back end of the Murano. Doesn't he look so happy to be able to lay there and see out the front windows the whole way to Grammy's? Ha.
So the teeny town we went to is Barnes, Kansas -- population, 140. That's people. 140 people. That's it. *smile* There's not much in Barnes, Kansas but what IS there is sooooo quaint and charming. Here -- let me show you! First stop was the restaurant -- Our Daily Bread. This is the front of the bistro and while it may not look like much on the outside, there are lots of things to love about this little gem.
There is so much beauty in old hardware and architecture and such. Just look at that beautiful old door handle. The sign on the window says, "Our door is over 100 years old. It's a little stubborn so push the latch down hard." Heeeee. Cute.
(You can click on any of these photos to view them larger)
Inside the restaurant, I couldn't help but take a picture of the gorgeous tin ceiling tiles. LOVE them.
Their menu changes daily but they serve yummy down-home cooking. This was my lasagna w/a side of cottage cheese and a roll. Because they also have a bakery in the front part of the restaurant, we can't leave without buying some treats to bring home too. These ladies KNOW baked goodies. I can personally vouch for the peanut butter cookies as well as the snickerdoodles. One word......YUM! And not only are they tasty, but they're super affordable too! The cookies are a whopping 50 cents each! They also make pies, breads and other baked treats and they told us they ship too, just in case you'd like to try them out.
When we left the restaurant, we wandered around town a bit -- and by that, I mean that we walked up and down this one teensy little street. And by that, I mean that I mean that we didn't go farther than the length of one block. That's where all the "action" was! Ha. How adorable is that little antiques shop right next door to Our Daily Bread?! Ack.....so stinkin' cute! It was closed so I can't tell you what all was inside.
And the barber shop next door to that?? See the little barber poll by the door?!
Right next door to the barber shop is a tiny little jewel of a park that couldn't be cuter. I believe it's now maintained by volunteers but it's been there since the 1930's. Love the pretty light posts in the park.
The park also has one of these......a band shell (the smallest one in Kansas). COOL, right? Can't you just envision a band set up there in the 1940's, playing music to a small crowd hanging out in the park?
Love that the light posts aren't all the same.
When we left the park, we headed right across the street. See that building on the right, at the far end of the street? That's where we were headed -- Barnes Mercantile. Before we can get there though, we have to walk past the teensy little {adorable!} post office (front building on the left) and some other garage type building. Maybe it was once the fire department?? Not sure.
We're getting closer and I'm getting more and more excited. This building was originally built in 1895 and the store was opened as an actual "mercantile" however now, they sell antiques, collectibles and such.
Goodness, I just love old buildings like this.
There were just so many great little details in the designs of buildings 100 years ago. Just look at the little "1895" stone that was built right in to the pretty arch in between the two front doors.
Heading in the door, we had to stop and take a picture of the steps too....
Love the details on these old metal steps.....the writing, the diamond pattern, the tread lines. Not sure if they are original to the building but they sure are old......which makes me just love them. We didn't end up buying anything at the Mercantile, but we had a great time browsing thru the antiques and such. It was a great little visit to Barnes. When we left there, we decided to make a quick little drive thru another tiny town -- Waterville, Kansas.
I just love exploring little old towns. Have I ever told you that?
Look at this beauty that we found in Waterville!! Ahhh.......I could so live in a house like this! Granted, I'd have to freshen up the coat of paint and trim some bushes back around that gorgeous little front porch, but I just LOVE all of the pretty details in sweet old houses like this one. Can't you imagine sitting out on that balcony above the porch and reading a good book while keeping an eye on the neighborhood? :)
And look what was just up the street from the pretty yellow house! The Weaver Hotel. Don't pictures like this one make you wonder what this place was like back in it's hay-day? I always wonder things like that. What was it like when you stepped inside those front doors? Was (is?) there a great old wooden front desk to greet customers wishing to rent a room? Did people ever stand out on the balcony? What's inside that bay window at the back of the hotel? These are the things I wonder. I'd LOVE to explore the inside of this little hotel. Swoon.
Ok, so in all my wondering as I typed this paragraph, I thought I'd just go look to see if there was a website for the "hotel" (since the Mercantile and Our Daily Bread both have websites), not knowing what the hotel is being used for today. What I found is that it's a hotel again!!!! Here's what the website says on their home page:
"Travelers on the Central Branch Union Pacific Railroad in Kansas found a landmark stop in Waterville at the track-side Weaver Hotel. For decades, the Weaver was the travel, tourism and social hub of this region and of the Central Branch west of Atchison. Built in 1905, the Weaver Hotel sits directly across the street from the railroad tracks. Passengers waited for their train in the front parlor of the hotel, found lodging upstairs, ate in the dining room, and stepped across the street for performances in the Opera House. Railroad crews also stayed at the Weaver; first the workers building the railroad further west, and then the regular train crews. In the early years, drummers (traveling salesmen) arrived on the train and stayed at the Weaver Hotel. The impressive Weaver Building and “cosmopolitan” establishment was known as the “Pride of the Central Line”. The Weaver Hotel is a landmark of railroad history, and symbol of the partnership between local commerce and the transportation industry. It came into being because of the railroad and lives again as a railroad history preserved in Waterville. After sitting quietly empty for years, the Waterville Preservation Society purchased the building and set out to save a piece of the community’s history. With the help of two grants and the hard work of many concerned citizens, the Weaver Hotel has been given a new face-lift inside and out and is ready for your visit. The facility hosts 10 lodging rooms, 2 party rooms, a visitor center with gift shop, and a 4-floor elevator. The entire facility is handicapped accessible."
How cool is that?!! Who knew? Geez.....I love the internet. And I love Google. Anyway, how fun would it be to go stay at the Weaver Hotel? I'd love to see the inside!
As the hotel website says, this pretty building -- the Waterville Opera House -- is directly across the street. They apparently do some kind of summer theater there now. Wait.....let me go google it. Be right back....
Ok, this building was built in 1903 at the cost of $8,000 and is now used as a theater for community and school productions. So there you have it. :) But still, don't you wonder what it would have been like to live in that pretty yellow house and walk up the street to the opera house to see a production back in, say, 1910??? What would you have worn? How many seats are inside? Is it pretty? Happy sigh.....
I hope you've enjoyed this small town tour.......a touch of Americana as we celebrate this wonderful nation of ours and the freedoms that we're fortunate enough to have. I'd also like to thank each of our military families......whether you're serving in the military or you have a loved one who is, thank you for the sacrifices that you have made and continue to make for each of us here in our great nation.
God bless America.
Whether you're reading this from the US or any other country, I wish you a wonderful weekend, what's left of it, and a great start to your week!
We're off to spend some time with my family tonight -- so excited to see the "littles" again! Bart is off work tomorrow so I have no idea what we'll end up doing with our day, but I'm sure some fun will work it's way into the mix!
Take care, Dearies,
