Conversing

Adam looks a bit skeptical about what Howard is telling him.

Waiting

This is May 1974 so I believe we are dressed for Susan and Lee's rehearsal dinner. I remember it as a fun evening so I'm thinking the glum looks are because we're tired of waiting for the photo to be taken. Probably waiting for Steve. But we all look lovely.

Laptop Vending

Now you can even get a laptop from a vending machine. At the Monticello library you have this option for two hours.

Wall on the Move

The "Walking Wall" is moving across Rockhill Road and onto the grounds of The Nelson-Atkins Museum. In March, artist Andy Goldworthy and his team began the wall across the street (see below) and returned this month to move it onto the Nelson grounds and up to the entrance of the Bloch Building. It will block Rockhill a few more days before it's fully onto the grounds. It will keep moving until November when it becomes a permanent installation. Art takes all forms.

Storm Aftermath

This fairy garden took a hit from the storm – arbor down, fairies down, doorway down.

Big Art, Mini Golf

The Nelson-Atkins Museum opened a mini golf course yesterday that will continue through the summer on the south lawn. Called Art Course, it's an artist-designed, mini-golf experience. Each hole on the 9-hole course presents a work of art in the museum’s collection with the idea that is brings some of the art outside.

Reflecting Rain

We stopped by Union Station just as the rain arrived so our view of the exhibit Reflecting Motion was limited. I thought it might be lit but it appears to be something you should experience in sunshine. It's described as "offering a spectacular shimmering display of contemporary art innovation." I shall return to see if that is true.

Giants of the Garden

At last I have the correct bulbs. I saw these globemaster alliums at a garden tour but the last couple of years I've planted allium bulbs in the fall that turned out not to be these giants. They are 2 feet tall with blooms almost 10 inches across.

Happy Birthday, Gussie!

Hayden with great-grandmother Gussie in 1981. Gussie would have been 131 yesterday (born on May 22, 1888). She always called Hayden her little nun because Topeka had a Catholic high school named Hayden High School.

Waiting for Recess

Lowell watched the rain while we waited to see if we could go outside. Didn't happen. She was dressed for Tutu Tuesday. You can't have a bad day in a tutu.

Preserving Wedding Dresses

Artist Amanda Moore paints portraits of wedding dresses to help you preserve the memories of your dress without having to take it out of the special preservation packing. I met her at her studio at the Interurban Arthouse in Overland Park on Third Friday. Fascinating.

Ringing in the Morning

Another successful season of Bell Choir culminated yesterday under the direction of Hayden. We have a few guys you can't see off to the right.

Third Friday Vibes

Third Fridays in downtown Overland Park never disappoint. We listened to JJ Johnson and The Old School Players at Vinyl Renaissance, East Indian dancers Hemavathi Sharma and Suryanarayana Murthy at the Interurban Arthouse (as well as art), small musical ensembles on the street and many canine friends (it was also Dog's Night Out).

Budding Artist

Such a pleasure to see Lowell's handiwork at her school art show. You'll note her hands and feet make the flowers. You can she how she has matured since she made her melted snowman.

Stained Glass Repair

The stained glass window over the altar at Colonial needs to be repaired because the right horizontal cross in the window was bowing inward. Below you can see the temporary design filling the hole. Waiting to hear how many people comment on why we are going with a new design. It is actually being restored so no one will know work was done.

First Commencement

Stacy's 6th grade graduation at Somerset School in 1991 was our first commencement as parents.

Kansas City Houses

Michael Kathrens,  author of a book about impressive houses in Kansas City from 1885-1938, spoke at a program of the Historic Kansas City Foundation. Fascinating subject but the presentation was great.

Little Imp

I got to babysit the adorable Adam.

Three Moms

This Mother's Day was extra special with Stacy and Hayden celebrating their first Mother's Day as moms.

Whimsical Time

The clock tower outside Children's Mercy Hospital. When I worked for Small Business Monthly I interviewed the creators, Dimensional Innovations. They've done some fascinating projects.

Treating Our Waste

The Tomahawk Creek Wastewater Treatment in Leawood is being rebuilt to the tune of $350 million. The original plant, built in 1955, was too small for the demands of Johnson County property owners. Begun last fall, it's expected to be completed in 2021. It's adjacent to Leawood City Park and even required the installation of a traffic light on Mission Rd. to handle the number of workers coming in and out of the project. It is a massive project but has tight security so the best I could do was this, shot through the fence.

Musical Interlude

Lowell loves to sit on Howard's lap and play piano with him.

Happy Mother's Day

Celebrating my mom in 1982.

Birthday Flowers

A delightful surprise from a dear friend.

Extraordinary Illumination

The candle started as a tulip shape and expanded to this. And it played Happy Birthday. Thanks to Stacy and Joey for the novel illumination on my cake.

Invigorating the Church

We had a delightful group of young people complete the confirmation process yesterday. We need the young voices and ideas.

Birthday Wishes

Adam, Lowell and Finn helped me celebrate last night since everybody works on my birthday. Couldn't get them all in the same photo though.

Llloopi

This whimsical art is in Leawood City Park. The city commissioned Kansas City artist Nate Fors to create it.  Fors, who loves puns and word play, scrambled the word "lollipop" to come up with the title of the work. His design reflects his love of music and large record collection. The sculpture has a 40-foot pole representing the spindle of a record player and seven 56-inch metal disks to resemble old vinyl 45rpm records.   

Vending Cars

Carvana has opened this eight-story "car vending machine" near 29th and Southwest Blvd. Looks cool. Anyone who buys a used car through Carvana will be able to pick up the car as soon as the next day. Apparently a Carvana customer would arrive at the vending machine and receive an oversized branded coin. After the customer drops it in the slot, the car descends down the tower and arrives in a delivery bay to take home. If you don't like this idea, you can have your car delivered to your home.

Read more here: https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/development/article208154029.html#storylink=cpy

My Hippie Roots

Celebrating my birthday in 1973. I embraced the hippie clothes of the '70s.

Day to Night

Photographer Stephen Wilkes was the presenter at National Geographic Live, talking about his Day to Night series.