We were determined to keep active to the extent possible. Before the wheel chair was absolutely necessary, we headed to Jamesport, Missouri, Amish Territory, to stay at the Country Colonial B&B. There were folks dressed in the appropriate garb, using horse and buggy transportation throughout the small town. As is the case with most B&B’s, the rooms were upstairs. Mary Ann was still able to do stairs at that time. The room we stayed in had a fairly accessible bathroom. The room was small and stuffed full of things. The beds were always a challenge since they were very high. Getting in and out could be a struggle. There was always a little apprehension that she might roll on to the floor. Gratefully, in all our visits to B&B’s that apprehension was never realized.
The owner had a brand new wife from Russia. She spoke very little English. She served a very elaborate breakfast using multiple silver serving containers, each made expressly for what it contained. There were muffins and pastries and boiled eggs and poached eggs and waffles and fruit, sausage and bacon. I can’t remember all that she served, but it was many times what the two of us could eat. When we were there, they were setting up for a mystery dinner that would be served there the next evening — clues placed all around the various rooms.
The evening before that lavish breakfast we were driven in a horse and buggy on a tour through the area, hearing about the various businesses and farms run by the Amish population in the area. We happened to be there on a day of the week that the shops were closed, so we didn’ t get to see inside many places, but it was still very interesting. There was one shop open when we left town. It was filled with baked goods, jams and jellies.
On another occasion we stayed at Ehrsam Place Bed and Breakfast in Enterprise, Kansas, near Abilene. That B&B is now closed and has again become a private home. There were artifacts and art work throughout the downstairs and upstairs. Our room was huge, with a four poster bed, a sitting area and a balcony. The property was filled with beautiful gardens. There was a path that led away into a wooded area and looped around to the edge of the town. As always, the breakfast was lavish. The owner joined us at table since it was just the two of us there at that time.
We were there at a very hot time, so unusual for a summer in Kansas! In spite of the heat, we rode the Abilene & Smokey Valley Excursion Train. Poor Mary Ann practically melted, but we rode the ten mile round trip. We still enjoyed time we spent in Enterprise. We decided that the trip would be better done at a cooler time.
Then there was the Laurel Brooke Farm near Weston, Missouri. It is seven miles outside of town, in farm territory. The views are expansive, especially from the back deck. There is a vineyard next door. The B&B sits on 40 acres of land with a Pecan Grove and Orchard on their property. By the time we made that trip, Mary Ann needed the wheel chair. This was one of the very few B&B’s that have handicapped accessible rooms available. The rooms were in a restored barn, with the dining area and souvenir store were on the first floor, along with our room. The breakfast was good, not up to the standards of the other B&B’s but still very good.
We headed in to Weston to visit some of the shops. It is there that Mary Ann got what we called her Quilty Jacket. It was her favorite from then on. The shops were not easy to negotiate, but we did the best we could. We ate at a restaurant that was laid out so that the diners could interact with the Chef. He was noted for being very good. We agreed with that assessment after the meal.
Actually, our first B&B visit was in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. It was The Grand Central Hotel, an old hotel that had been remodeled to serve as a Bed and Breakfast. The Hotel has a very nice restaurant that also serves the public. The breakfast included with the room was again very substantial.
There is a stately old County Courthouse there, but it was inaccessible to Mary Ann’s wheelchair, so we just looked at it from the outside. Our favorite spot there was a shop with a large loom in the main area. The owner used old denim to make all sorts of things. There were lots of rugs and placemats. We brought back from there a stack of placemats and went back another time to get coasters made the same way.
The town sits in the middle of what is called the Flint Hills, rolling hills of prairie grass. While it is private land with only a small space actually governmentally owned, the coalition of private owners and those concerned with the preservation of this only piece of natural prairie left in the nation, are keeping it protected from development.
The Flint hills’ grasses have roots that go fifteen to eighteen feet deep. They survived the onslaught of millions of hungry buffalo in earlier years. Now cattle graze on large parts of the Flint Hills. A part of the prairie is burned each year to remove sprouted foreign seeds that birds have brought in.
Cottonwood Falls is the place to be in early spring when the burning begins. There is a beautiful lake just outside of town. We drove around it, stopped for a while for me to climb some of the hills by the lake, and just enjoyed the scenery.
In spite of the limitations put on Mary Ann by the Parkinson’s we were able to carve out a good quality of life by making those short trips to continue to add to our memories. The most spectacular Bed and Breakfast is one about which I have written more than once. Since it was our last trip, just last October, I will write about it after writing about some of our other attempts at living fully and meaningfully during the Parkinson’s years.
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The Caregiver Calling 