Kansas gives you wiiings

It was dusk as we stopped for gas and admired a line of sleeping trucks.  They rumbled, idled, and snored, pressing warmth into the air while we pumped our gas, searched for cola gummis (unsuccessfully), and watched a fishbowl full of caricatures cross paths in front of the truck stop.

We were headed on to Lawrence where we hoped to meet our cousin Christi and to see Jayhawk territory at Kansas University.  David had visited Lawrence a few months prior for his Graduate interview with KU.  At the time, we were both very disappointed that things would not work out for his top choice school, but soon after we felt we were better suited for academic pursuits in the mountains than in the plains. 

By dark, we had descended on the college town, weary and hungry.  David took Amy to dinner.  He chose a former haunt from his interview trip, Free State brewery and restaurant.  A warm beer-cheese soup, a sandwich, and microbrewed beers capped their long haul to Lawrence.  Free State prides itself in being the first legal brewery in Kansas, 100 years since the prohibition.  That’s right, Free State’s long brewing history began in 1989 and they are still making proud brews!  The brewery is on the main strip in Lawrence, which has many historic brick buildings with high ceilings and deep floor plans.

On our way back to the car from dinner, we found thousands of lithe, winged creatures clinging to cars.  They swarmed on lights, over cars, and covered entire store front windows.  We (David) began to fear them because David believed they might be mosquitoes.  It is worth noting that David is extremely well-liked by mosquitoes. 

We discovered that they were especially drawn to the color white, and had covered our car.  Quickly piling in, David fully expected to be covered in welts the next day.  As the car was brought to speed, we watched their feeble feet peel off our windshield as we sped to the hotel. We expected to find refuge at the hotel, but instead were met with even larger swarms of the winged devils.  The parking lot was infested.  We held our breath to get to the registration desk. We thought we were finally free of our bloodsucking foes.  To our dismay, we found them along the lobby ceiling, and even piling up in corners and light shades.

“Do you know what kind of bugs these are?” David asked the desk clerk, shifting nervously.

The clerk replied that he didn’t know, but mentioned the hotel’s proximity to the river, and that the hotel could not prevent the occasional river bugs. 

Amy took two Chupa Chups from a glass bowl on the desk.

We took the keys and rushed the bags into our room.  It was still hot and humid outside, but Amy suited up in long pants and long sleeves to grab the rest of the bags so David could preserve his blood count.  When she returned in a sweat, the laptop was open on the bed and David had already combed Wikipedia and Google Images to determine that the insects were not mosquitoes, but instead, were midges.  Midges, though ugly, are harmless. Their population had just exploded on account of a day or so of rain.   The hotel room was quite comfy, well maintained, and there were no midges to be found inside!

After a good-night's rest, we opened the drapes to a view of the river and washed up for a morning of play with our cousin Christi.

The morning lobby, midge free!