Loading Up Old Blue: A Celebratory Westward Run to Wamego
There is a certain thrill in hitching Old Blue up to Sundancer for a westward pull. Feeling the hitch settle home with a solid clunk signals the start of another adventure. Old Blue is my F-150, gray at the fenders and proud of every mile. Sundancer is our travel trailer, our little home with wheels under it. When the two of them couple up in the driveway, I know the road is calling, and we are about to answer.
This run carries us westward, and it sets us down in Wamego, Kansas, my dear wife’s hometown. It’s going to be a multifaceted celebration. We’ll be hunkered down at the acreage owned by my nephew, Lee, and his wife, Anita. And, of course, our loyal pup-pup, Anna Mae, will be along for the ride.
First, it’s not all fun and games. The trip is partly business. I have meetings to keep for my job with Stratovation Group. I have learned over the last couple of years that work and adventure can share the road. A couple meetings in nearby towns, a few phone and video calls and a remote keyboard cranking out client work. I love the technology that makes it possible to mix the main pleasures of my life.
The side gig in this case is an author event about my latest novel, The Ghosts of Gumbo Flats. It’s the stand-alone sequel to Jawbone Holler, and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is opening its hall so I can read from it and talk through how it came to be. I always get a little insecure about these events. Why in the world would anybody want to show up to hear me rattle on? Then it’s like I shift into extravert mode and all goes well. My two related books, as well as my co-authored book, West Bottoms, all live in a world of challenge met by resilience. I will have copies of all three books on hand.
More about the town. Wamego is a great place to visit, home of the Oz Museum and more cool stuff. In addition to my beloved hometown of Troy, I have adopted Wamego in spirit. Like most small towns, the people are friendly. They remember your name like you grew up there. They ask about life, and you can tell they care. I am honored that my friends at this little church, and maybe a few from nearby Manahttan, or as I always call it, Manhappiness, will be on hand for the event. But, then again, I have found all this to be true about my native state in general.
While I’m in Wamego, our country will also be marking its 250th birthday, and Wamego knows how to mark a milestone. If you have never seen this little town’s Fourth of July fireworks, clear your calendar now. Folks drive in from across the state to watch the sky over Wamego catch fire. The booms roll off the banks of the Kaw River and nearby Flint Hills and rattle your chest, and children sit on shoulders with their mouths hanging open. For two and a half centuries this country has been a pretty successful experiment driven by hope, faith and spirit and Wamego is a great place to mark that occasion.
Kansas is also where my next book lives. I am deep into a new manuscript that marks a bit of a turn for me. This one leaves the nineteenth century behind. It is a modern-day suspense thriller set in the wide, lonesome reaches of Western Kansas, where the horizon runs forever but trouble still has plenty of room to hide. While I have never lived “out there,” I have experienced it plenty of times. I have an ongoing friendly debate with my Stratovation Group colleague Jeff Caldwell about the virtues of eastern vs. western Kansas. So far, there is not a clear winner.
To top this little Wamego adventure off, there will be gumbo served at the book event. Using a chicken and sausage recipe that I know is tasty, I will have a couple pots of gumbo at the church, simmering for those brave enough to splash on a couple dashes of hot sauce and partake.
The mid-afternoon event is: Saturday, June 27, three to five in the afternoon, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 700 Lincoln in Wamego. Free and open to all. I will have Old Blue parked out front and a seat saved for you inside.
If you want to buy a copy of the book ahead of time, you can do that through my author website: www.macethornton.com
