Sandy--Kansas

This is Sandy. She was rounding up kids and parents at church recently (between services, of course) encouraging everyone to participate in our church's "Great Pumpkin" here pretty soon. She's a sweetie. Brave, too.

Kansas Family--Heart of America

"The family that rides bikes together in the Heart of America stays together."

I took this photo last November (note the trees) and remember what a great day it was. I walked about eight miles that afternoon on a walk/bike path. Anyway, I spied this hearty, handsome, hat-covered family coming and managed to get my camera clicking just in the nick of time.

I don't know their names, but this 1/1000 of a second was the best part of the walk. I like this photo.

Pack--Colorado

Pack and I grew up in Douglas, Arizona. And like a lot of pals, as soon as they gave us that diploma, we hurried off to the rat race. Natcherly, we lost track of each other easy enough. But thanks to Facebook, we have discovered each other again. I discovered that he wears mucho bueno hats all the time. I also discovered that Pack (not his real name) has a happy and beautiful family. I’m sure that’s because his roots are in Arizona.

Here he is blasting away in a major shooting competition. I wanna play. But look at that plastic ID badge hooked to the back of his hat. The Old West is spinning in its grave!

I guess somebody bought him a razor blade. But they'll never get to his great hats. His name is not really Pack, but don’t we all go a little eccentric when we leave Arizona?

The Tin Man's Brother-in-Law--Kansas

Tin Man has a brother-in-law? Well, hey, here we are in Kansas, noted for its big farms and big families. I just figured...and anyway it'll make a fine story for my little grandkids.

You can click the picture to see better detail.



Please visit me in Pancake Flats, too. Thank you.

Carol--Kansas

When I went through the door, there she was, greeting people. I've seen her there before in a few other hats, but never had a chance to take her picture. But last Saturday morning I turned right around, went back to the pickup for my camera.

"Oh, I love hats," she said. "Got all kinds of 'em. I even make my own for special occasions like Valentine's and St. Patrick's."

Carol had on all kinds of green stuff. Hat, beads, jacket--a lot of stuff. But her hat, made with her own hands, was the best of all.

Cat in the Hats--Kansas

Now here's a cat that would inspire the poetry in all of us. Except Dr. Seuss did it first.

Friends of the Bride—Florida

Bram (Cool name, too)
Bram is a friend of the bride. He told me, “My mom and her have been friends forever. Like, for 15 years or something.” Bram’s mom told me that he insisted on going out shopping for his Fedora just for Heather’s wedding. He done good.



Vernell
I sorta took a liking to Vernell. “If I’m going to stand out in a crowd, then I want everyone to really see me,” she told me.
I said, “Well, I think an orange hat will do it every time.”
"That's why my hair is orange, too,” she said. She proudly told me that she’s six-foot-four.



Sunshine
Sunshine was the evening’s entertainer. And a great one he was, too! That man can entertain! He wore more than one hat during the course of the evening. He is also an employee of the bride.


Sunshine rocking the house.


Sunshine dancing.


Sunshine singing a love song.


In the picture below, Vernell really is the tall one; Sunshine was sitting in her lap. They worked the entertainment together.

Tristan—Colorado

Some photos are timeless. This one of Tristan will bring out the cutest comments from all of us for years and years to come. What a charmer!



And ain’t that the coolest hat? Tristan’s mom took this photo on an unusually warm Thanksgiving day, not long before the turkey was served. Do you suppose that's where Tristan was headed with all that cute determination?

The Lanigans—Chicago (for a wedding)

Heather is my Great Niece. Her daughter Zoe is my...my...my...well, she’s my other great niece. That tall dude in the back is the great husband/dad, Brian. They were all in Chicago with us recently when my sister got married. When the rehearsal was over, they packed themselves in appropriate winter clothing—including cool hats—before heading for the hotel swimming pool.


Okay. Now can you guess who Zoe looks like? And can you guess who has the coolest hat? Hint: the hat is red. Shall we vote Zoe into the "Junior Red Hat Society?"

Our Conductor--Amtrak from Chicago

We recently took a delightful train trip to Chicago and back.

What's a train trip without a Conductor? What's a Conductor without a really cool hat? I'd like one of those.