My Favorite Things

Linda Burton posting from Topeka, Kansas – “I played golf.” That was Ryan’s answer to my question “What did you do today?” It was 5 PM and he was just getting the restaurant open; the hotel’s complimentary hot wings were bubbling over the sterno flame; the afternoon crowd was drifting in and conversations were beginning to take shape. I asked about the golf courses in the area and he ticked them off on his fingers, Cypress Ridge, Lake Shawnee, Forbes, the private courses too. “Golf is still my favorite thing,” he said. “and I started playing when I was seven. This is a great place for golfing.” Favorite things. A list was coming together in my mind; Lee and James had told me their favorite thing in Topeka was drag racing; two young men, both named John, said theirs was hiking. John and John and dog Aztec were standing at the back of my car in the parking lot at Cedar Crest the day I toured the Governor’s Mansion; they’d just finished their hike on the property’s trail. We swapped stories; they wanted to hear about the Journey; I wanted to hear about Topeka. One John had moved from Michigan; the dog-owning John was born here; both enthusiastically endorsed life in Topeka, telling me the names of their favorite trails and their favorite fishing spots. Lee and James had spotted my car in a parking lot too; they were working at Old Prairie Town the day I visited there. They happily posed for pictures as I answered their questions about the Journey and they answered mine about Topeka; James told me the Heartland Race Track had the fastest drag strip in the world. “It’s what Topeka is known for,” he said. “I’ll be there Saturday night,” Lee added. “It’s my favorite thing to do.” » read more