Dragon Fruit

This is a red pitahaya, a dragon fruit. I thought it looked interesting so I bought one. The inside is a lot like a kiwi. This one didn't have much flavor so maybe it wasn't ripe. Trying to keep an open mind about new (to me) food. Supposed to have "extreme health benefits."

Pensive

Here's Stacy as a two-year-old as we get ready to celebrate her birthday on Saturday.

Home of the Season

Opportunities to be the neighborhood star are more limited now because you get to keep the designation for the season, not just for a month. Of course, that also means you can't just put all your effort into one month, since it would be embarrassing to win and then let your yard fade with the sign still stuck in your yard. Oh, the pressure.

On the Move

The Kansas City Young Matrons clubhouse at 51st and Oak will soon be lifted and moved onto the UMKC campus at 52nd and Cherry to make way for a student health center, a parking garage and retail. The move was negotiated with the developers to save the historic building. My introduction to the tiny clubhouse, built in 1938, came when Stacy and Hayden participated in piano recitals there. Below, Stacy is playing her piece.

Two Seasons

Pictured here are winter and summer, two of the four seasons as represented by 15-foot-tall metal and fiberglass heads by American artist Philip Haas on the lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum. There is also spring and fall. The sculptures will be on display through mid-October. Very cool.

Gardens in the Crossroads

Just down the hill from the Kauffman Center and up the hill from Southwest Blvd you can find community gardens with a lovely chartreuse storage shed.

A Kansas City Tradition

We enjoyed burgers, chili cheese tater tots and pie at Town-Topic on Broadway. They have about 10 stools to sit at the counter and a very narrow space behind the counter for the employees. After passing it for so many years it seemed time to experience it.

Owl Watch

I found this guy standing guard on the roof at work. I'm wondering if he and the netting are trying to keep the relentless pigeons out of our air cooling system.

Four Corners

Scott, Ingrid, Susan, Cindy and I at Four Corners in 1968 where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah come together. Not sure why Ingrid is standing so oddly but probably because she's actually on the corner and the rest of us are distributed among other states.

Summer Profusion

Golden Light

I was part of the sell-out crowd at the Royals last night. Who would expect a full house on a Monday night? The Royals made a valiant effort but couldn't find a win. The pitching was off and Ventura was so slow that it was almost 11:00 before the game ended, which would have been OK had they won.

Holy Moses!

The VBS at Colonial put on a musical, Holy Moses, yesterday at church. It was the culmination of the week of VBS. Highly entertaining. The youth (back row) helped keep it moving with the kids providing the chorus.

Wall Scrapbook

Howard delivered furniture to this house at Weatherby Lake. This is the wall along the sidewalk leading to the front door. The current owners are planning to tear the house down but want to incorporate this somehow. Apparently the previous owners just collected things over the years and nailed them to the house.

Not A Sign of the Times

This is not a sign you see often these days, if ever.

Salesmanship with a Taste of Longing

These youngsters were supposed to be selling at the Preschool's bake sale but they spent a lot of time checking out what they would like to eat. They did prepare the food but I guess it looks better when it's wrapped. (They were having a water sports day, hence the apparel.)

Enjoying the Night Life

I think it's interesting that Dad's holding a cigarette, being as his asthma would make smoking a bad idea. In honor of Mom and Dad's anniversary on July 21, 1946.

Colorful Visitor

Who wouldn't want to look out and see this guy in the garden? He was greeting at Pinstripes in Overland Park.

Pink Zazzle

I love the name of this plant but also the tiny stars on the bloom.

A Field of Summer

This patch of coreopsis just personifies summer with its bright yellow blooms.

What Every Store Needs

The centerpiece of the new Scheels sporting goods store in Overland Park is an operating ferris wheel. You can ride is for $1.

Colorful Music

I found another piano. This one is in the Prairie Village Shops.

Outdoor Decor

I've been seeing a lot of this lately when driving through Mission Hills on my way to work. Used to happen when girls were named to cheerleading squads, etc. Not sure what has brought on this surge.

Star Quality

Scott and Dad hanging out in front of the Star in 1971. Lots of activity behind them.

Garden Splendor

Many of my lilies bloomed while I was gone but this beauty opened after the rain.

Farming on a Piano

One of the pianos from the Pianos on Parade is at the Merriam Farmers Market. It is decorated with a farm scene by artist Lisa McElwee. Everyone is invited to sit down and play.

Pyro City

What I really wanted to take a photo of was the inside with the cart loads of goods people were buying but thought someone might object. Not sure where they were planning to shoot all of it but someone was going to get hurt. We bought a couple of tanks, turtles and chickens to shoot at Frances' house in KCK. Overland Park made it clear that they have a no tolerance policy for fireworks.

Bursting in Air

Happy 4th Celebration.

Flags 4 Freedom

Happy 4th of July! Hundreds of flags on display at the Merriam Marketplace.

Cats on the Curb

I don't know what this means in construction/street lingo. I shall have to wait to see what they change.

Happy 4th of July

Hayden and Stacy in 1986.

Dwarfed

The fireplace in The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite is built on a grand scale. As you can see by how I can walk into it. 

A bit of trivia: Built in 1927, the hotel was used as a hospital by the Navy during World War II. It was initially intended for neuro-psychiatric rehabilitation, "with the idea that shell-shocked patients would respond well to the peaceful setting of an isolated scenic facility. But instead they found the towering cliffs caused many to become claustrophobic and the isolation left their disturbed idle minds preoccupied with the very memories the Navy hoped to erase." Eventually it became a more traditional rehabilitation facility until the end of the war. Apparently the Navy was a godsend to the hotel as it was struggling to stay open during the depression.

The Ahwahnee Hotel's Grand Lounge transformed into the U.S. Navy's Ward A.