A Day In Kansas

Well we've been in Kansas now for a week and a half. I've been working for an energy company called Crusader. They own oil fields in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado. I'm working in a field in Walsh, Colorado. It's a small town about an hour and forty minutes from Sara's parents. I took the camera to work with me today.

The sunrise here is beautiful. Unfortunately this picture doesn't do it justice.

The jack rabbits here are as large as a dog.
This is a slag tank. When we pump water out of the well it usually contains lots of oil. These tanks stink and are covered in slimy oil. They have to put nets overs them to keep animals out.
This is the company truck I get to drive around in all day. It's pretty nice but it only gets about 15 mpg. Not exactly fuel efficient...but I guess they are an oil company.
This is me.
Pumping unit.
I guess the sign is giving us, the driver a heads up for when the train does derail.
The clouds here are spectacular, and the roads are extremely straight.
I think this is a chicken hawk, but I couldn't see his tail so I'm not sure.
This is Hank, Sara's brother's dog. He LOVES to herd things: guineas, chickens, cats, goats, and even Daisy.
Here is Daisy trying hard no to look at me so I can take a good picture.
I surprised Thaddeus.
Dick's deer skull.
The sunset, thus concluding my Saturday in Kansas.
P.S. Sara and I are having an argument over the spelling of Sun, is it capitalized? comment with your answers!

In Memory of Bubba

As all of you know we lost our dog while we were traveling. This is just a tribute to his life.
Here is Bubba when he was only 6 months old.

Bubba showing off his favorite trick of carrying as many things in his mouth at once.
Happy Bubba
I am not sure what he is thinking here.
Bubba charming my heart with those eyes.
Bubba's proud stance.
Bubba's 'you better pet me more' snarl.
The family chillin' on the couch. Thaddeus and Bubba are back to back.
His final resting spot.

Good Bye South America--for now anyways

After over 315 hours on buses, traveling through 6 different countries, experiencing food poisoning, being held up at gunpoint, and most importantly meeting 100's of people and learning 1000's of new things, we have finished this trip through South America. It has been an amazing trip. We are so sad to leave, but at the same time so excited to return to the states and see our family and friends. Here are a few pictures from our last week in Colombia.
The sunsetting over the bay in Taganga, Colombia. Nick was able to go scuba diving here.
The beautiful streets of Cartagena. The center of this city is just an amazing history lesson. They have kept it nicely restored so we were able to wonder through the cobblestone streets with the bright buildings and huge balconies surrounding us. It is really nice!!!
The Pedro Claver Convent. This is where the monk Claver preached to the slaves.
This is Claver himself!!!
Claver's room and bed.
I have not figured out what the signficance of this lady is, but she is very important here.
The inner city is surrounded by this wall they built in the 1600´s to protect them from pirate attacks!!!
An entrance into the wall.
Another pretty street.
This is a huge fort called Castillo San Felipe.
The fort had a maze of tunnels in it, which were pretty creepy. At one point the lights went out and we were stopped in our tracks in total darkness! They had tiny little cells where they must have held prisoners.
The Colombian flag flying over the fort.
A cannon on the fort.
Us
The view of the new city from the top of the fort.

This is the clock tower. It was the main entrance into the city. The plaza was used to trade slaves.