Free Romancing the Roads by Gerry Hempel Davis Page B

apples and natural fresh seasonings cooked slowly in spring water. Duane remembered the delicious applesauce, and when his mother gave him the recipe, he checked to see if there was anything on the market similar to his grandmother’s chunky concoction. He found nothing comparable, and so, the production of Grandma Hoerner’s old-fashioned applesauce began in 1987 and led to the development of all sorts of high-quality organic sauces, jams, toppings, dry mixes, and condiments. Obviously a thriving business in the middle of what many would call nowhere, Grandma Hoerner’s products are available online if “nowhere” isn’t on your travel itinerary.
    Lawrence (Population Approximately 65,000)
    At first this seemed like a relatively small city until I started to drive around and learned how much is actually in Lawrence, home to the University of Kansas. One of the main thoroughfares is Massachusetts Avenue , where I came upon several interesting shops.
    Saffees Gallery of Fashions
    911 Massachusetts Ave.
    785-843-6375
    What a delightful shop, with attractive apparel and very friendly people. I learned that Saffees is a family-owned business, and there are four Saffees in Missouri, the “mother store” (as they call it) being in Jefferson City. Although I didn’t buy anything, they seemed happy that I stopped by.
    At Saffees I was told about another shop, which turned out to be another great discovery:
    Lasting Impressions Consignment Store
    711 W. Twenty-third St.
    785-749-5122
    This shop has lots of well-displayed and -priced merchandize.
    Back on I-70—the temperature was 97 degrees with strong winds—I came across a bad accident in which a large tractor trailer had flipped. Its back was off in a field, and the red cab was turned over. You can’t help but wonder how, on such a big, wide-open road, this could have happened. Perhaps the driver fell asleep, or maybe it was the wind. Not a pleasant sight!
    Salina
    This is a small, “real” American city, with clean streets and large houses, “considered the crossroads of America” since it’s where I-35 and I-70 meet. One of my competitors has stated that “there is nothing there” in Salina. Hogwash!
    Endiron Estate B&B
    100 S. College Ave.
    785-452-9300
    www.endiron.com
    The creative name derives from the fact that this big, wonderful house is at the end of Iron Street. I was delighted to see the setting sun give the big, neocolonial-style structure with its quarry-face limestone (native to Kansas) a glow—a limestone glow. I would spend the night here, and I was more than curious. I was greeted by a young, petite woman, Debra Redman, who was obviously no stranger to exercise. We began chatting as if we had known each other for more than just a few minutes. She then showed me around her B&B, with the admonition “I still have a lot to do” on the place. What I saw, however, was fantastic: inlaid floors, including a center hall with a large, inlaid starburst design in the center; leaded windows; oak moldings; and Prairie Movement designs throughout the big old house, actually a former bible college. As I checked for updates, I discovered that Debra Redman has done a lot because the city of Salina and the Heritage Commission presented her with an award in recognition of her preservation and work on the Endiron Estate. I look forward to congratulating her in person and seeing all that she has done to Salina’s only B&B.
    Debra’s neighbor, David Petty, owned the store in town.
    Martha and David
    108 S. Santa Fe Ave.
    785-827-9990
    Debra insisted on calling David to have him reopen the store just for little old me (it was after hours). He happily obliged. I felt like a rock star, having such attention. His fantastic establishment is actually several stores in one, with fashions on one side and gourmet items on the other. I enjoyed purchasing several items. This savvy, creative businessman expanded the store, but I now learn that he recently retired. The new