Rainbows on the prairie

What is life like on the prairie? Well, under the right conditions it is like this:



About two months ago I rented a nice house a few miles outside Lawrence, Kansas. My original goal was to bike into town a few days every week. However, I'm leery of biking alone down rolling country roads so I bought myself a cheap little car. It gets me to and from Lawrence.

My fun new activity is Capoeira. It keeps me in shape and is something new and exciting for me to do. In order to support the Capoeira, I started up a local meetup. Yeah, at the extreme end of things you see some crazy acrobatics but for most people its the chance to have fun and get in shape. I should post some video online of my antics at Capoeira.

I'm also doing a bit of cooking. The kitchen in our house is really nice and I'm practicing my old culinary skills. My hope is to do a cook-off or a food camp with local friends at some point. Or maybe just relax and just cook for fun.

I tried a ballroom dance class in the area but was not happy with the quality of instruction. Also, that each class we learned a whole new dance form meant that you never really got comfortable with a single method. That said, I did learn some nice steps and hope to do them at a conference and found I really enjoy salsa.

The food here is generally cheap and good. Especially when it comes to core produce and meats. Getting some of the edgier ingredients means paying coastal prices or more. Fish and seafood seems to be hit or miss. I've heard the barbecue is outstanding but haven't been to any of the really notable places.

Life is a lot cheaper here. The dollar stretches amazingly far. My monthly rent on a really big house is a third of the cost of my mortgage or much less than what I was paying for a room in Arlington, Virginia. That means I do a few more of the things I really enjoy and also be able to save at a good rate.