Saturday, March 13, 2010

Get Me Some String And A Doorknob

At Kelly's birthday party last night everyone decided that my Grand Niece Taylor needed assistance with baby tooth removal... her Aunt Rachel was the first to try. (No children were harmed in the making of this post...)
Pulling, twisting, tugging (no it didn't hurt according to Taylor) did not succeed in dislodging the offending fang.
Taylor decided to try herself.

Which ultimately resulted in frustration and minor meltdown which was attended by a flock of family females, Grandma Di, Mom Donna who is pregnant with Muffy, and Aunt Rachel.
Recovery was quick and complete.
Whereupon tooth tugging continued.
Yeah, I know, kinda gross.
Evening long attempts were not successful. However, late into the Hyper- newsroom, the tooth did come out this morning before breakfast with a gentle tug by Donna Mom... who is still pregnant with Muffy.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Extra Special Birthday

My daughter is 21 today (March 10th). She's home on spring break this week from Saint Louis University where she's double majoring in Anthropology and Spanish. Congratulations Kelly.... Love Ya Kid.

Monday, March 8, 2010

The Many Faces of J

At first glance this shoot may not seem to have a Northeast connection... other than me... but "J" grew up over here and went to Don Bosco High School. She now models and is attending school to become a pastry chef.




















Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Playhouse In The Attic

These pictures were taken prior to the Museum's closing for renovation. I'm grateful to Christopher Leitch the Historic House Director for the Museum for allowing me to go through one last time to photograph the exhibits. He was also kind enough to show my daughter Kelly and I the third floor, attic and roof. Below is a shot from the roof looking down at the front gate on Gladstone Boulevard.... this is four stories up and we are looking toward the south.Below... in the attic is a full-sized playhouse that R.A. Long built for his grandchildren.... this really is adult scale and the attic is tall enough to house it. Word from the grandchildren though is they thought it was a little creepy.
Below.... a dormer and the furniture elevator that could be used to winch up items from the third floor for storage.
It's operated by hand power.....

Above... closeup of one of the copper sheathed dormer windows that are so prominent on the roofline.
Original wallpaper on the ceiling of the attic.
Prior to the removal of all the exhibits for the renovation the attic was used as storage space for old exhibit materials, posters and all sorts of things.
Note the steel beams holding up the roof.

Above.... heading up stairs to the roof.
The view north (above) showing the Natural History Hall.... now being restored as the carriage house it originally was... new windows and doors and the hall entrance addition has been removed.
Above... looking southeast. The large stone house in the foreground originally sat where Corinthian Hall is now and was moved at R.A. Longs expense to help create a space for his home. To the left and rear of that home is Melrose Methodist Church founded by Nathan Scarritt in the 1880s... still going strong.
Wider shot still looking southeast.
The Steven's House.... 1902... now totally restored.
Again looking north over the rooftop of the servants quarters.

Northwesterly view out over Kessler Park and Cliff Drive.
Looking due West.
Excellent view of the KC skyline... not nearly as populated by tall buildings in 1910.


Looking east above and west below.

Above the neighborhood.... Scarritt Renaissance... large stone church in the middle is the old Eastminster Presbyterian Church... structure beyond it is St. Anthony's formerly Assumption Catholic Church.
Heading back down the iron staircase. In a future post I'll show pictures of the third floor before what was left of the exhibits was removed including scenes from the igloo room.