1982 Lincoln, Nebraska (8/26/1982)

Thursday, August 26, 1982

Finally went to sleep at 1:30 and up at 9:00. Apparently Kathy slipped and did a split in the bathroom, but because of her long legs, her feet stopped at the door and wall at only a 90 degree angle! We stopped at a stained glass window shop. Then we used one of our coupons to get breakfast at Burger King, just making the cutoff before lunch. Ate while on the road, following Interstate 35, leapfrogging with a car full of businessmen and passing wheat fields. Joined US 81 continuing north into Nebraska, and had a detour taking us out of our way along US 136 West, north on NE 5, and back east on NE 4 to US 81. We passed cattle, cornfields, and some funny grain that looked like corn, except the tuft on top was in a pine cone shape rather than a tassel. It was generally shorter than cornstalks and had no ears. The tufts were brownish red to black. We found a stray plant by the side of the road and I got out to cut off the tuft. We later learned from Karen’s neighbor that it was milo, used to feed livestock.

We turned east on I 80, zooming into Lincoln, NE. Exited at West O Street and entered Lincoln over the smelly railroad yards and industrial area. It was a big Midwestern town with mission bums lying on the benches. We passed through downtown and turned right on S 42^nd Street into a residential area of nice small houses. Number 727 belonged to our P.T. classmate Karen Knortz. A Chevy flatbed truck was in the driveway with a rowboat on a trailer hitched to it. We rang the doorbell; no answer. We knocked, and a slim and trim Karen answered. She showed us around the house where much of the work was done by Karen and her housemate, Barb. Karen’s new hobbies are photography, and making picture frames and birdhouses. And fishing. The backyard was beautiful.

We had arrived at 15:45 and Karen had just gotten home herself, although we were expected at 15:00. She is working four days a week now at a hospital with a sports medicine clinic, and is teaching and taking classes, gives lectures, fishes, does research at the hospital, etc. As busy as ever.

For dinner, we took Karen out to the steakhouse of her choice. We drove out to Denton, NE and took a gravel road to a nondescript building. Inside it had linoleum tables and booths, a jukebox, and a bar. We each ordered the Denton 10 ounce sirloin steak, which was delicious, being corn-fed beef. Karen had fries, and Kathy and I had baked potatoes, and we shared fried mushrooms. A great meal for only a total of $24! Karen told the waitress we came all the way from New York for the steak!

Outside she howdied a neighbor and asked what the hell this here thing was. That’s how we learned about the milo. We returned to Karen’s house, passing the State penitentiary and the tallest grain elevator in the world. Really big! We passed the zoo and a nicely landscaped park. Back at the house we talked, looked at Karen’s photo albums, met Barb, and went to bed. When we put the cats out, we saw an opossum eating the cat food. So we saw a live opossum instead of always a dead one!

Next: St Louis and Louisville.