Old wagon

This old wagon, complete with arrows and missing a wheel, is seen while walking along the path from Old Cowtown's nice, new and modern entrance building.

Great Egret

I'm not sure of the actual name for this bird. It was down by the river, and was very quiet and slow moving, as if trying to not be noticed. As I got too close to try to get a photo, it took flight. Later it was back, again walking very slowly, and quietly. It was a fun bird to watch. It had an amusing strut as if it was trying to "walk like an egyptian", but much slower than Steve Martin's strut. Does anyone know what kind of bird this is? I'm thinking it's a crane. I don't see many like this one in Wichita.

Boy and bird

When I look at this boy and bird, I think of Abe and his beautiful bird photos. Have any of you ever had a bird perch on your finger?

Mother and child

This statue is found outside the entry (and exit) to Botanica - Wichita's Botanical Garden. I imagine some mothers leave Botanica, carrying a tired child to the car after an afternoon spent walking amongst the flowers and butterflies. Can anyone relate to this pose? I think they both look ready for a nap, and the child has a headstart, over mom.

1887

This second photo of the Eaton Hotel shows a date on the building, of 1887. When built it was called the Carey Hotel, later it was purchased and renamed The Eaton. In it's early days it was among the grandest of hotels in the midwest. It's also an historical site where Carrie Nation and some of her followers "busted up the bar" inside this hotel, in effort to shut it down. She had began her efforts to close down liquor establisments with the help of the law, but later took matters (and a hatchet) into her own hands. She would swing the hatchet (and throw objects) at fixtures, paintings, mirrors, glassware, etc - trying to cause enough damage to force the bars, or saloon, to close.

Alcohol was big business and was growing throughout America. Saloons would find ways to entice new customers to come in and drink. If interested in reading more about Carrie Nation, click here: http://www.kshs.org/cool2/hammer.htm

Eaton Hotel

Light

The other night we had an electical storm, and power went out in parts of the city. Had to light the old kerosene lamp. Also, had a flashlight - which is positioned in this photo directly behind the lamp, shining through the pretty blue oil. I was having fun staging the photo with two forms of light. By morning, electicity had been restored.

One room schoolhouse

This is the one room schoolhouse in Old Cowtown. It's where the school desk photo was taken. Back in the days when one room schools dotted the American country, children of all grades and ages attended school together. School has come a long ways from the days when all grades and ages were taught by a common teacher. Notice the bell tower on top? Inside the school is an open closet area where children would hang their coats and hats, and also in that area is a rope which could be pulled to ring the school bell. I imagine it was rang at the beginning of school, and also when recess (outdoor play) was over. Centered near the back of the school was a large wood burning stove for keeping warm in the winter. Also, notice the wooden sidewalks? Just think some of our own family members - parents, grandparents and further back may of attended a school such as this. From what I've read, these schools began being replaced by larger schools as early as the 1930's, but some in rural areas lasted into the 1960's. Many have now disappeared, but this one is well protected in it's Old Cowtown living museum setting. This photo shows nicely when clicked on to enlarge.

Barnstormin'

Wichita is not only known as a cowtown from the early cattle drives. It's also known as "The air capital of the world". Many major aircraft manufacturing companies got their start here. Because of Wichita's airplane history, it's not uncommon to see unusual airplanes like this one. Each having their own theme. This one is called "Barnstormin'" and is located near the entrance of the parking lot for Old Cowtown.

School desks

This was taken inside the one room schoolhouse at Old Cowtown. These desks have a hole cut out in them for a bottle of ink to be placed in (for their old fashioned "inkless" pen).... and individual chalkboards were sometimes used in place of paper, when learning to write. You can see one of the chalkboards on the desk to the right of the photo. Walking through Old Cowtown is like being on the set of Gunsmoke, or Little House on the Prairie, only it's not a movie set - it's historical buildings showing what life was like in the newly forming city of Wichita, during the years of 1865 to 1880. Remember Wichita began as a settlement along the Arkansas River, as a place where cattle drives would stop overnight, giving the cowboys and cattle a place to eat, drink and rest. Thus, the name of this living museum being - Old "COW"town.

Pond (where sign was posted)

It was just peaceful waters, surrounded by greenery. No wildlife swimming in it. Guess they couldn't read the sign.

Pond sign

This was a humorous "No swimming" sign posted at a pretty little pond in the park. While bringing a smile to the readers face, this sign makes it clear that ducks can swim, and people can watch . Tomorrow, I'll show a photo of the pond.

Fountain fun

Taken from beneath a magnificent old oak tree, that casts cool shade on hot days. The view is of the fountains at a public park where children have fun playing in the water. I especially like the lighting around this fountain area. In the middle of the fountain area (which has lots of water spouts) there is a large geiser. Sometimes it doesn't appear to be there, because one kid, or another, is sitting on it. There are lots of smiles around this area.

Petunias

Rock climbing

This rock climbing tower had been upright for climbing, but when ready to leave, it was mechanically lowered onto the truck bed. This picture was snapped as it was halfway down. Kansans have things like this instead of mountains and cliffs. Not nearly as pretty, but fun.

Theme Day - Breakfast

I'm a day late on theme day - but have photographed today's breakfast. Normally I just have a bowl of cereal and glass of ice water. But today, for show I've added whole wheat toast, fresh cantaloupe, and a hard boiled egg. The bowl of cereal barely shows in the upper left hand corner. Today it was Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds.

And now, on with the show

I wonder how many times that famous movie phrase has been spoken in this wonderful old movie theater. This is the Orpheum Theater, it was built in downtown Wichita at a cost of $750,000.00 and opened in 1922. I attended the new release of Mary Poppins with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, at this theater (1964). It was great fun just being in this theater, they don't make 'em like this anymore. I don't remember the cost of seeing the movie, but I do remember they gave a discount to students, seems like it cost about 50 cents. Popcorn was probably about 10 cents and it wasn't uncommon to see some being tossed towards the ground level seats from kids having fun in the balcony.
There came a time when, the Orpheum sat empty and unattended, becoming run down. Eventually a group of Wichitans decided to renovate it, and bring it back to life. If you are interested in old movie theaters, there's an excellent website about it, just look for the link in my sidebar titled Orpheum Theater. The website has an online video telling history of this old building - and the renovation (it's really interesting). The video shows pictures of the inside, plus there are articles and photos that can be viewed, and listings of upcoming performances and shows.

Sunflower

Palace of the Plains

In it's early days, this building was sometimes referred to as "The Palace of the Plains". It was completed in 1892 at a cost of $71,000. It served as Wichita's City Hall and included space for; regular offices, a jail, police and fire departments, courtrooms, offices for the board of education, and a large city library. In 1975 a new City Hall building was built, and this building then became the home of Wichita's Sedgwick County Historical Museum.

Canadian Geese

Canadian Geese, coming close to see if I've come to offer food.

Neon Lights

Waterfall

This water park has lots of interactive water play structures, water slides, a lazy river intertube float area, shallow pool for little ones, and a lap pool for swimming. It's a great place for kids of all ages to keep cool off on a hot summer day.

Butterfly house

Yesterday's photo was taken in the butterfly house at Botanica. Here children and adults can visit during stages from cacoon to butterfly. On the other end of this "house" is a small wooden hut where the cacoons are kept safe from harm. Once the butterflies come out, they fly around in this safe haven full of flowers. It's fun to walk through with butterflies flying all around. And, you all are right, it's hard to get a butterfly to pose! I just got lucky on that last shot.

Butterfly - Cone Flower

Hot & Spicy

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many peppers would Peter Piper pick? (say that really fast!)Taken at Botanica: this patch of peppers was about 7 feet long and 3 feet wide, a vibrant display of yellows, oranges, reds, and green. This was pretty and impressive.

Kaleidascope - View 2

This is the view from the other scope on the floral kaleidascope. I think it's even prettier than the last one. I chose to show the other view first, because it was easier to see the leaves & petals of the flowers (June 21st post). In this view - if a person didn't know they were looking at flowers, they'd have no idea.

Floral Kaleidascope

On Colorado's blog, I've seen a Flower Shower.

On Photowannabe's blog, I've seen a Flower Bed.

This is Botanica's Floral Kaleidascope.

It's the one from which yesterday's photo was taken. There's a step stool in front of it for children to stand on, in order to be tall enough to look through the scope. The large circular part of this (the part with the scopes on it) can be manually moved to revolve around the potted flowers, and the actual scopes can be turned (making the patterns change in motion). There are two scopes - one on each side, both offering different patterns. Tomorrow, I'll show you the view through the other scope, I think it's neater than yesterdays. Have you ever seen one of these?

I'm excited to be added to Gerald England's listings, and to the CDPB portal. I believe I've found a great group to blog with.

Kaleidoscope - View 1

Kaleidoscopic view taken with the lens of my camera held against the lens of the kaleidoscope, at Botanica. Had no idea if this would turn out, but was delighted to see - it did! Come back tomorrow and I'll show you what the actual kaleidoscope looks like from a distance. I think it's ingenious and appropriate for Botanica to offer this fun (and different) view of flowers. Do you see the leaves?... and petals?

Girl reading book

This was taken at Botanica, Wichita's botanical gardens. Weather was hot, and it was taking a toll on the flowers and plants, but this girl (another statue) has a shady spot to read her book in.

Woman and child

Another statue in downtown Wichita - this is a woman with one arm around a child, and the other one pointing as if she's saying "look!" I took the shot from behind in hopes of seeing what she was pointing at. Not sure if it's something about the building across the street, or if there's another piece of public art perched on the traffic pole above them. One of the traffic poles does have a duck perched (bolted down) on it. Some of the small pieces are in such cute and unsuspecting places. It's not uncommon to see real people pointing and saying "Look, there's another one!"

City cow

If you could see this complete scene - you'd see a life size cow standing beside this calf. It's fun for kids to climb on (if it's not too hot) and sit on. As you can imagine if the weather is hot, so are the statues. A bit of history: In the late 1800's, Texas cattlemen drove their Longhorn steer up the Chisholm Trail to Abilene. There was a settlement around a trading post, alongside the Arkansas river, that provided a stop on the way. That settlement grew to become Wichita, Kansas. A cow town.

Boy pushing car

Here's a little boy pushing his car along the downtown streetscape. Notice the small fountains of water behind the back tires, and the turtle in the background near the building. This car is neat in the fact that small children can have a seat in it and pretend like they are driving while their "statue friend" gives them a push. When you were young, did you have a car similiar to this one? I did, and I used my feet to push the pedals under the hood, to make it go. Now a days, riding toys like this one, are battery operated and go with the push of a button. The new styles make for less exercise - but still fun for the kids.

Dog with bird

After passing the statue, (photo posted yesterday of the Fox and Ducks) the next statue seen along the walk is this one. I'm not sure if it's a fox or not, and am unsure if the bird is a duck or a partridge (there's not a pear tree in sight!). What do you all think? Is it a dog or a fox, and what kind of bird does it look like to you?

Dog watching birds

Here's a newspaper stand, with ducks perched on top of it, and a hungry fox watching.
Come back tomorrow to see the rest of this scene. You may also notice in this picture all the wet little footprints which show where happy children were also enjoying this public art.

Blue Angels

It was hard to snap a picture of the fast flying Blue Angels! I got a lot of pictures of the empty sky because the planes zoomed past so fast. But, this one gives an idea of the spectacular air show going on this weekend. These planes can sneak quietly up from behind (no idea they are coming), and all of the sudden the roar of their jet engines is heard overhead, and it's LOUD. They are very impressive planes, with precision pilots. In one of their stunts, two Blue Angels fly straight towards each other (fast) and just before they would crash, each turns on their side, and they pass each other. It's an awesome show. Weather today, was clear skies and VERY HOT sunshine, too hot to truly enjoy the day. Took a break from the public art pics, to post a pic of today's air show, but there are more to come. Come back tomorrow to see the fox watching the ducks.

Lunch Counter

Seeing this lunch counter scene, reminded me of when the Woolworth department store use to be at this same location, and had a lunch counter in it. In searching the web about this, I find a more historical story is behind it. It depicts a lunch counter sit in that occurred in Wichita during the 1960's, where a couple of black youth would come often and sit, while waiting patiently and couragously to be served. From what I read, their efforts paid off for them, and for the owner of the business who eventually said something along the lines of "Serve them, we are losing money!" Hard to believe those days were not that long ago. Just think, now at this lunch counter - people sit and 'wait to be served" unless, of course, they bring their own lunch. I'd hate to bite into a bronze hambuger and fries. In this picture - there is also a boy playing on a scooter.

I have some more sculptures to show and will be posting them - one a day, until I'm through them. The next one will be a 2 day post, as it has a before and after to it.

Music Man

These delightful downtown statues were funded by a $500,000 grant from the DeVore Foundation to renovate the downtown area. Here's another man whom can always be found in Downtown Wichita, along Douglas street. He's bolted down, too, along with a stool for sitting on, his guitar case, and a little dog.

The sculpter's name is Georgia Gerber, and the style is referred to as “public art" since it motivates people to interact with the life size statues of people & animals. The park shown in this picture is referred to as a pocket park, because it's so small. It's not much bigger than what's shown in this picture.

What song do you imagine him to be singing to the little dog?

Barefoot Business Man

Here is the barefoot business man, whom the briefcase and shoes, belong to. All are bolted down. This man reminds me that professionalism and relaxation can be shared traits. As cars go passing by, this man sooths his bare feet while reading the newspaper. This is one of several bronze sculptures in Downtown Wichita along Douglas Street. They range in size from as small as a chipmunk - to as large as a soda shop scene.

Cooling off

Yesterday, I showed you some shoes and a briefcase. Here's a picture of some of the feet that belong to some of those shoes. It was a hot day, and the kids had fun playing barefoot in these little fountains of cool, clear, water.

Briefcase & Shoes

When one drives, they see many things. But, when walking, they see more. I've driven down Douglas street in downtown Wichita, many times, and seen the man this briefcase and shoes belong to. (the other shoes belong to Wichita children). I never realized the barefoot man had a breifcase & shoes though, until today. What a neat surprise, of added detail to a statue. This picture is one of a set of three, come back tomorrow and the next day, for the full picture.

Party

Sunscreen , Mosquito spray, Pop, & Balloons contribute to a child's birthday party at a neighborhood park.

Chair

Light

Such a simple picture, taken while playing around with the camera, but there's something about it that intrigues me. Sometimes it reminds me of a UFO, or a huge eye, but it's merely one of the last things I see before ending my day, and drifting off to sleep.

River

This is a view of the Big Arkansas River, that flows through Wichita. Notice the bike path on the left. Want to go for a ride? We can cross the bridge and come back on the other side. The river is a nice place for exercise and fresh air. It's common to see Wichitans walking, jogging or bicycling along the river bank.

Fireworks

Wichita had a rainy Independence Day, but the evening fireworks display went on. Here's a shot from a distance, taken after dark, from a parking garage rooftop, and through the rain. Imagine a loud boom, and you'll have the full effect. I love this holiday, the colors that light up the sky are beautiful (reds, blues, greens, pinks, white, gold, etc), especially at the grand finale when several are set off all together. Lots of loud booms, ewwwws & awwwwws from spectators & wide eyed children. Many turned out in spite of the rain, some with umbrellas, some without. This holiday comes once a year, always on July 4th, in commerative celebration of America's first Independence Day (July 4, 1776). We are still a young country, only about 231 years old.

Bluetail Fly

Ponytails

Bridge

This picture was taken from under one of the two walking bridges that cross over the Arkansas Rivers. This bridge crosses over the Big Arkansas, the other (not in picture) over the Little Arkansas. Where the bridges meet, which is also where the two rivers meet and become one, is near where the Keeper of the Plains statue stands. You can see the Keeper of the Plains to the left of the picture. It looks dwarfed in comparison to the bridge, but that's an illusion caused by the distance of the shot. Wouldn't it be fun to walk upside down under a bridge like this one?

Gate

Would you open the gate, or walk around it?

Ladybug

What a nice suprise - as I zoomed in to enlarge a picture of flowers, I spotted a spotted bug . Ladybugs are loved by children. Do you recall any Ladybug poems? I remember one that went something like this....

Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home

Your house is on fire

and your children may burn.

Where is that Ladybug they call Nan,

She's fast asleep under the frying pan.

What were your favorite bugs when you were young?