Just as I was taking this photo from under a bridge, a young person with me, was tossing a dirt clod into the water. Splash! This is not the same bridge in yesterday's photograph. Wichita has a lot of bridges.
The John Mack Bridge
The left side is identical to the right side, but the angle of the photo doesn't show it. This is my favorite bridge in Wichita. It was built in 1931. If you would like to read a little history on it, click here http://members.cox.net/wichitahpa/johnmack.html This link also shows another photo of it.
I love the big concrete rainbow arches - there are 8 of them on each side. If I would of taken this photo from the other end of the bridge, you would see a cold white coating of snow on the arches. But, from the end I photographed - the snow was already melting, giving the bridge a wet look.
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“Final Call” a life-size bronze statue of a firefighter discovering the helmet of a comrade amid fire debris 
Wichita is located in the flat lands of central Kansas - and so I jokingly say "this is our only mountain". Gander Mtn. offers a wide selection of items for: hunting, fishing, camping, outdoor recreation, clothing and footwear, and even gunsmith services. They even have some household furnishings - things such as a camouflauge sofa, or pillows shaped like fish. Whether, looking for sporting goods, or just browsing, it's a nice place to spend time (or money!). In looking at their website, I see there are a lot of these stores in the eastern United States, and the furthest one to the west is in Colorado. www.gandermountain.com/storelocator/ I'll label this photo under buildings, and city art, due to the deer statue in the forefront. Enlarging this photo shows much more detail in the deer statues, and look in the seat of the camoflauge 4 wheeler, what do you see?
A view of some of the buildings in downtown Wichita. 
This is the photo, that the header for this blog was cropped from.
This is Wichita's only castle, it was built in 1886-1888. Its has had several owners over the years, and is now a Bed and Breakfast. If you'd like to see inside, or read about this historical building, click here castleinnriverside
This red bridge is for walking, and riding bicycles, across the river. It connects bicycle paths on each side of the river. In the background (towards the end of the bridge) are the colored totems that encircle an intersection, and are lit in various colors each evening. This photo was taken in the daytime, while they were off.
This building has lots of milk, and dairy products. The cow over the entrance has been there for many years. This use to be Steffen's Ice and Ice Cream Co., and is now Hiland Dairy Foods. Its not uncommon to see large dairy trucks pulling up to this building, bringing milk from local dairy farms processing, packaging (bottled), and distribution to grocery stores. They have a website, with some history, and recipes: hilanddairy Elarging the photo gives a better view of the cow, and the decor of the building.
Here he's hanging a cast iron dutch oven over the campfire. I wonder what's inside. 
The chuckwagon in yesterday's photo was to the right of this scene. Here, the cook is stoking the campfire, to get it good and hot. 
This tire swing hangs from a branch in the big old tree. It looks like there is a lot of room for it to swing to and fro. This photo was taken in a Wichita neighborhood, not at Botanica. But, now I'm wondering why Botanica doesn't have a nice tree swing somewhere in their gardens for children to play on.
This trusting butterfly brought a moment of delight to a child, and then flew away. 
Since looking at Wichita through the lens of my camera, I'm seeing (and learning) things about this city that I wouldn't normally pay attention to. I've been noticing a lot of the old buildings in downtown Wichita have names on them. This nice old yellow building, has the name James R. Mead on it. Who was he?, I wondered. And, with the help of Google.com, I find out he was an early pioneer, and trader. He was well aquainted with the Indians of the area, and he contributed a great deal to the early development of Wichita and the midwestern Plains. If interested in reading about him - click here James R. Mead, there is also a photo of him.
At first when looking at this old building, I noticed the tattered and torn window blinds and imagined they have weathered many years of hot summer sunshine. These old blinds, drew my attention away from the building itself. But, as I continued to look at them, I decided I like the character, and age effect, they add. Do you see the name on the building, and the tattered and torn window shades? Enlarge the photo for a better view of the center window. I also see a couple of snowflakes on one of the windows - do you see them? If buildings could talk, I bet this one would have some interesting (and maybe some tattered and torn) stories to tell.
While driving through North Riverside Park, I noticed this nice old stone shelter. It can be reserved for parties, reunions, weddings, etc. I like the building's red terra cotta roof, and the wrap around porch. The area is nicely landscaped, the building is air conditioned and has room for up to 50 people.
This is Exploration Place Playground. If you enlarge this photo, you may be able to see the sculpture from yesterday's photo, and also the one posted a while back, Global caress. And, can you also see the park bench that's shaped like a crocodile?
These two young ladies, are found in the children's playground at Exploration place. The older girl is reading a book to the younger one. If you remember the photo called Global Caress, it was also located in this playground.
As I snapped this photo in Old Town, a bicycle rider zoomed by, so he is included. In the background is The River City Brewing Company - and Loft 150. Places to eat, drink and be merry.
Wichita use to have a lot of red brick roads. I don't see many anymore, but they are still to be found in the Old Town district, where they add to the quaint atmosphere of the old warehouse buildings, that line these streets. It was a good move on the part of whoever came up with the idea to bring life, and business, back to this long vacated area of the city. This photo is kind of dark, due to the shade - please enlarge it for a better view. Does your city have red brick roads? Can you imagine the time spent to place the bricks?
This photo shows the big open area where the Farm and Art Market takes place on Saturday mornings, in the summer. And, the building directly ahead is the old Keen Kutter building, its been renovated into an upscale hotel, which is appropriately named Hotel at Old Town
Wichita is home to several Museums, the one pictured here is called Museum Of World Treasures Some other museums found in Wichita, are.... Kansas African American Museum ~ Kansas Aviation Museum ~ Kansas Firefighters Museum ~ Museum of Ancient Art ~ Old Cowtown Museum ~ Ulrich Museum Of Art ~ Wichita Art Museum ~ Wichita-Sedgwick County Museum ~ Great Plains Transportation Museum
Of the museums you've been to, which one is your favorite, and what city is it located in?
My favorite is Wool-a-roc in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
I'm risking boring you with a repeat of yesterday's photo, this time a frontal view. Do you see what I see? There is another tired child in the background - resting on the steps of the Museum of World Treasures - which is located in Wichita's Old Town Marketplace District.
This photo was taken in Old Town Marketplace - an area of old warehouse buildings that had long been vacant and run down. Many of the big old buildings have been renovated, and now have businesses in them. It's a nice old town place to wander around, in Wichita, whether shopping or simply strolling. In Old Town, there are; restuarants, pubs, gift shops, a museum, movie theater, hotels, water fountain for kids to play in, and more. On Saturday mornings, during the summer - there is an outdoor, farm and art market. I imagine many who walk in and out of the shops, end up feeling worn out like the mother and child seen here. Notice the shoe by the mothers foot, her feet must be tired. See the plaque in front of this statue? It reads: After Shopping, and is dated 1979. It goes on to state - Made possible by City of Wichita Public Art Advisory Board - Project Beauty, Inc.
Blue ball floating in the blue water of a swimming pool. I like the simplicity of this blue on blue photo, and it reminds me of the old Bobby Vinton song - Blue on blue, heartache on heartache.....
This is a view of the Keeper of the Plains bridge, at night. It's such a pretty and peaceful stroll, over the calm and quiet river flowing below.
This was taken at the Keeper of the Plains Plaza. I liked the combination of: the dark night, bright light, and intricate spider web. As I looked at this web - I thought to myself - what an authentic Halloween decoration! At this time of year, it's common to see fake spider webs stretched across porches and yards, but this was a "real" treat!
This photo was taken below the tree, full of birds, in yesterday's photo. The wheelchair emblem indicates this parking stall is for handicapped, only - but the spots indicate (to me) it's "for the birds". I had been standing nearby, looking up and taking photos. When I looked down - I walked away feeling lucky.
The other evening, I came across a scene that looked like it was right out of the old Alfred Hitchcok movie titled "The Birds". I have no idea what kind of birds these are, but they are quite noisy. The trees were covered with them, so was an area of the parking lot, and the telephone wires! It was a site to see, and this photo doesn't do it justice, but my camera (or I) aren't very good at taking low light - distant shots. If you enlarge the pic you will see how the trees are practically outlined by birds. This is not seen all over Wichita, I've mostly noticed it out west of the city. This was taken at Lowe's Home Improvement store's parking lot. Customers getting in and out of their cars - looked at the large amount of noisy and active birds in awe. A worker there, told me that these birds roost in the area each evening, and when the sun comes up the next morning, they leave. Tomorrow, I'll show you what they leave behind.
Tonight, as I left the house at about 8:15pm, I noticed the moon, perfectly round and brilliantly bright, against the black sky. This photo goes well with Halloween, a holiday celebrated on October 31st. Full moons are often seen in Halloween decorations - usually with a witch or bats flying in front of them. Wichita's little ghosts and goblins are going to have lots of natural light to guide their way as they go "trick or treating" soon.
I was trying to capture the wind in this photo. 
This sign states the rules and information for visitors to the Keeper of the Plains Plaza.
This shady "tropical" path is in the Sedgwick County Zoo, near the Orangutang and Chimpanzee exhibits. It's a nice area to walk through - and quite a contrast to the Kansas Prairie shown in the previous two photos. It's nice to be able to experience the change of scenery provided by the Zoo. It's like going to far away places, in just a short drive.
Here's another photo, this one was taken on our way back to Wichita. 
This is a roadside scene - taken from a moving vehicle while leaving Wichita. Most of Kansas is a flat state, full of agriculture. The main crop is wheat, but there are others, too. Along the way, we passed various fields of: sunflowers, soybeans, maize, cotton, alfalfa, wheat, and more. We saw cattle pastures, and nice ranch homes. Fields are divided by fencing and tree rows. When seen from the air - Kansas resembles a patchwork quilt.
I like this reflection photo. It was taken in the upstairs lobby of the Wichita Art Museum, what a highly polished floor they have! Besides the various forms of art on display at this great museum - it also offers hands on creative activities for children, where they can cut, paste, color, make chalk impressions, do puppet shows, read books, and more. If you are interested in Art and Art Museums, and would like to know more about the Wichita Art Museum, click on the link. It takes you to their history page, and from there, you can click on WAM Home to go to their home page. http://wichitaartmuseum.org/wamInfo.html By the way - I'm back, and would like to express a special "thank you" to my blogging assistant for keeping daily photos posted in my absence.
Wichita is not without crime - and this is a photo of the jail. 
Previously this month, you may of seen this walkway posted. This is a shot of the same walk way - and, shows the parking garage that it's attached to. The angle only shows the walkway crossing over one street, but it turns and crosses a second street at the intersection, as well. Guess that makes it a "double crosser".
This shot was taken in a downtown Wichita "pocket park", and shows a round table for the downtowners to sit and rest, while viewing and enjoying the park, or their lunch - or both. Also in the background of the picture is the lunch counter statue, which I've posted about in a past entry.
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