Kansas' best kept secret

Today, I saw God in the Kansan sky. In that fearless wind that gets caught in the trees. A Rose color blanket on barefoot grass. Bursting plums. Melting ice cubes. Damp hair against sticky skin. Pretzels shared with a four year old. Heart-grasping folk music, taming the heat and blending with train whistles; heaven is like this.

For some reason, Sundays are often hard days for me. It's never one particular reason. Thankfully, today was not one of those days. I am delightful to find myself at the end of this day content.

After my "birthday lunch" with friends, I headed out to Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine, Kansas with the Sharps for the arboretum's Tree House Concert featuring Darrell Scott.

This is how every Sunday afternoon should be.

Bartlett Arboretum is so lush and surprising, not at all like the Kansas that I've come to know. The company was delightful, despite fussy babies. The entertainment was beyond incredible.  It filled my heart with joy to stretch out on that blanket, shaded by towering trees, surrounded by company, drinking in that quick guitar picking'. (My favorite part was when Darrell Scott started singing Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues while a nearby train rolled by. Awesome).

Yes, today I had enough gumption to wear my hat

I judge my summer's level of goodness by the number of outdoor events I attend. This started during my first summer in Asheville, NC when my parents and I hit up so many outdoor concerts (that were also free). So the standard has been set very high. I never expected to find similar things out here on the plains. But I have been proven wrong.

Kansas is full of surprises and Bartlett Arboretum has to be one of the best kept ones of this region. I will definitely be back in the fall for more of this Sunday goodness.