LaurenandLloyd.com

where our wasted time becomes your wasted time

seward

Places to see Reinhold Marxhausen’s art in and around Seward

by 3 Comments

This post is currently a work in progress, and I would welcome additions or corrections in the comments below. If you have actual pictures of any of these, please send them to me. I’ll try to get a map together after we get the list nailed down. Oh, and I’m very open to anyone who wants to rewrite any of these descriptions.

  • Grain Elevators of Seward County. Cattle Bank, on the courthouse square in Seward has a collection of about 20 watercolor paintings that they commissioned Marxhausen to do in the late 1900s. (The quickest way to get someone to give you the correct information on the internet isn’t to ask a question; it is to post incorrect information and wait for them to correct you.) They are hung in a conference room upstairs, and the person at the information desk has always been willing to open it when I’ve asked.
  • There’s a very nice mural at Jones Band on the Southwest corner of the courthouse square in Seward. The very large and fascinating burnt wood and tile mural can be seen in the West entrance to the bank.
  • Holy Spirit / Open Book, On Concordia University’s campus, there is a large art installation to the West of Link Library that you can see as you drive past Weller Hall. 1959
  • Are the carved brick benches that were in the basement of Weller Hall still there? I’m 90% sure I saw a picture of Marxhausen and someone else working on them.
  • Note: I’m not sure what the Marxhausen Gallery in Jessie Hall (to the South of Weller) has on display. As I recall, it is just a little bit as you go into the gallery (which typically displays student or faculty work, but occasionally shows items from their permanent collection).
  • The Center for Liturgical Arts is located due South of Concordia University and stands on the location of the Marxhausen residence. The front door of the center is the original burnt wood front door of the Reinhold and Dor ris’ house. Well worth stopping to see. The Marxhausen Studio is on the South side of the property and has been restored to once again be a working art studio (video of the studio when Marx used it). The Center also has several of Marxhausen’s works on display. They would be happy to show them to you.
  • The entire side of the ??? building on the South West corner of the courthouse square is a huge painted mural by Marxhausen with the text from his friend, Pulitzer Prize winner, Ted Kooser. It was restored about 20 years ago, but could probably use some TLC again.
  • At St. John Lutheran Church, the altar, pulpit, and baptismal fonts are ceramic tile mosaics created by Marxhausen. He also did the communion cross which is generally on the altar during communion services. I also think he did the processional crosses and the stained glass windows, but I could be wrong about that.
  • The Law offices next to Red Path Gallery on the Seward courthouse square have about 20 Marxhausen pieces on display in the front window. I rotate them when I remember and can get back to Seward before they close. While you’re there, why don’t you stop by Red Path Gallery, have a drink, look at the art, and ask them why they don’t have a little Marxhausen display.
  • St. John has a fairly extensive collection. It is not housed in a state that is really fit for viewing, but if you’re in Seward, drop me a line, and we can probably arrange for you to see it. You can also view about 70% of the pieces online.

Have I missed anything? Do you have any corrections or additions? Just rewrites to make this sound better? Links to photos? Please add them in the comments.

Sam and Rachel

by 3 Comments

I don’t know if we’ve said this on the website already, but my cousin Sam and his family (Rachel, Anna & Gracen) are coming to Seward. Sam accepted a call to be the 6th grade home room and social studies teacher at St. John. They were up this week to look for a house.

I don’t know that we actually found a house for them, but there are definitely some possibilities. I went with them on most of the house hunting, because I was (a)voiding driving in to Lincoln to work on school stuff and (b)eginning to get some pain free motion back into my neck after the ocean slammed me into the beach in Maui.

It was interesting to look at houses with Sam and Rachel, because they were interested in having a nice sized yard for kids and dogs and I was thinking, “This yard is too big, look at all that mowing.” I don’t think they found their dream house, but they saw a few houses that would work for them.

The housing market in Seward is pretty good right now, so houses that are “desirable” (whatever that means) don’t stay on the market for very long. Sam and the realtor they chose seemed to hit it off, and by the end of the second day of looking they were sharing notes on what they thought various properties were really worth. It was surprising to me that they were pretty much in agreement after 2 days.

Claude (our realtor when we bought our house, may he rest in peace) were pretty much on the same wavelength too, but we had been looking for a house for a year and a half by that time. Claude showed us pretty much every house that was for sale in Seward over a 3 week period, figured out what we were looking for and then left us alone until there was a house that he thought we would be interested in. He was the perfect realtor for us.

After about 6 months I Claude and I were on the same wavelength too as far as what houses in Seward are generally going to sell for. Sam must be more of a real estate mogul than I am.

I Heart Chinese Food

by 5 Comments

So, when I got home today, Lauren called and said that she (and by that she meant we) needed to make a quick trip to Wal*Mart. I knew how long those take, so I grabbed a gift certificate to Dragon Palace (best Chinese food within 25 miles) and met her at the car.

Our trip to Wal*Mart went more-or-less as planned, except that I whipped out my trusty phone in the middle of the produce aisle and phoned in a take-out order. Lauren was driving, and there was no parking so she dropped me off out front and circled the block (here, I’m just guessing).

Walking into Dragon Palace right in front of me was a gang of 3 high school boys. Once they got into the restaurant they met a 4th high school boy who greeted them, one after the other, with a big hug. When he got to the last one, I said, “uhum?”

And I got a big hug too.

Also, the Chinese food was delicious.

Doppelganger

by 12 Comments

Did I ever tell you I was immortal?

Once long ago (I can’t remember when) I was with someone who was looking through the 1974 Concordia yearbook and someone (I can’t remember who) said, “Lauren! It’s you!”

Lo and behold, there I was.

Be yourself. The best, cutest, quietest version of yourself. Remember to wear lip gloss. Name that song.

Well, Bernita Thaete was there, and sure enough, she looked just like me. It was enough of a coincidence that somehow…… (I don’t remember how)…. I came to be in possession of said yearbook. (Honestly, I don’t think I stole it from anyone, but I don’t know how come I still have it. Library sale? Let’s go with that.) It was fun to show people that I had gone to college in the early 70’s.

Anyway, fast forward to this past weekend where I was at a social event (stressful for hermit-like me) and I went to get my ‘salad*’ from the kitchen before Lloyd and I left. There was a nice lady who asked me my name.

Lauren: “I’m Lauren.”

Lady: “I’m Bernita.”

Lauren: “What?!?” (Struggle to remain calm.) “Um, did you go to Concordia??”

Well, sure enough – she did, and it was her. I told her the whole story. Her hair is shorter now and she is a wonderfully nice lady who didn’t try to edge away from my obvious craziness.

Thank you, Bernita. I’m glad we got to be the same person for a little while.

*Seriously, anything that involves Cool Whip, strawberries and a cup of sugar should be a dessert. A delicious, delicious dessert.

Letter to the Editor (almost)

by 13 Comments

Here’s the letter I almost sent to the Seward County Independent last week:

There exists between Seward and Lincoln an uncomfortable difference that we often ignore in polite company. After all, sometimes when faced with a disturbing idea, it is easier to simply pretend that it doesn’t exist than to face it head on. I am writing, of course, about the Icee Gap.

Currently, the city of Lincoln enjoys a luxurious person to Icee machine ratio of approximately 2500 to 1. Not so in Seward. Just a few short years ago our own person to Icee ratio was a comfortable 2750 to 1, certainly nothing to sneeze at by any standard. But for the last few years we have been reduced, first to a miserly 6000 to 1 ratio, and within the last few weeks we are simple out of luck. Adrift with no recourse but to head East.

Those who live in Lincoln can purchase these tasty frozen confections at pizza parlors, gas stations, fast food restaurants, grocery stores and theaters. We here in Seward have none of these options and are the poorer for it.

I do not simply mean poorer in the gastronomic sense, though we are certainly that as well. We are poorer economically. I know that when I fill my tank up with gas once a week I should be doing it here in Seward. But I hear the siren song of the Icee and I can not help but open my wallet further to the East.

I will not name any names, but I can buy my groceries anywhere. Everyday low prices were nice, but I came for the Icee. I will happily buy elsewhere if another grocer were to take up the slack.

And we have many fine eating establishments in Seward, but a few years ago I found myself gravitating toward that restaurant where the difference was real. They still serve good food, but now I have one less reason to pick them out from the crowd.

This is an unprecedented opportunity for some merchant in Seward. You could own the only Icee* machine in an over 1890 square mile area (seriously, do the math). And, while you might not become rich from the sales of these frozen bits of heaven, you will put your business one notch higher on many people’s lists. And you will be at the top of mine.

Lloyd Sommerer

*While I have a preference for the Icee, I have no fight with those who prefer either the Slushie or the Slurpee, and would gladly enjoy either.

Luckily, I found out that the Casey’s South of Seward has a “Frozen Drink” machine with cola, blue & red flavors. We now stop there after the Wal*marts on Sunday. Don’t give me too much grief about the letter. This is only a first draft, and would have received more editing if this had been an actual Icee emergency.

Oh, and I’m not at all sure that I like Slurpees. I was just trying to build a frozen drink coalition.