If Walls Could Talk

Below Cliff Drive you can still find remnants of structures that pre-date the creation of North Terrace Park now Kessler Park. A lot of large stone walls remain, foundations of other buildings, even the remains of streets. This is a small sample of what exists... after the bush honeysuckle drop their leaves I'll venture forth to get more photos.
Above, old foundation, below, who knows. I'm gonna go with Aztec.

This large wall seemingly has no purpose that I can see.... may have been intended for erosion control.... but, in lieu of knowing for sure, I'm going to, once again, go with Aztec.

Red In Red Out

In the Spring my Japanese Maple heralds the seasonal change with a bright red hue.... in fall, as it prepares for Winter slumber, it does the same... flora optimism.



I have a hard maple that was particularly pretty this year... almost missed it completely.
All shots with the Nikon D3 and either 14-24mm or the 70-300mm at 1000 or 2000 ASA (because I was too lazy to get the tripod out of the car). Levels adjustment and sharpening in Camera Raw but no color enhancement. All shots with exposure compensation of +1.

What A Difference A Day Makes....

The 110-year-old Colonnade above familiar to all who grew up or now live in Northeast KC. It's getting some much needed TLC from neighborhood residents and KC Parks and Recreation. Below... a TINY part of the trash and brush cleared off the hill behind the structure.

Above... before the clearing... below.... after the clearing. 20 neighborhood folks helped along with a crew of 7 from Parks and Rec...

Below... the view now from Cliff Drive.

The view up (south). Below, some branches and brush remain to be picked up by Parks and Rec Monday. Chainsaws, pruning sheers, and elbow grease used in large amounts.
All the stumps of the invasive bush honeysuckle and scrub trees were coated with a chemical which moves down to the roots so we don't have to do this again....There's still more work to do. More brush clearing, graffiti removal and stair restoration... but a huge beginning has been made. We WILL reclaim our neighborhood.

Hyper Storms Onto Card

UPDATE: The cards are also available online: http://www.friendsofkansascitymuseum.org/support/giftshop.htmThe Kansas City Museum has release it's Christmas Card for 2010 and Hyper is proud to have one of his images of Corinthian Hall on the cover. Top is the cover and below is the back. The inside is blank for any message you might want to write. The cards are available for sale in the Museum's visitor's center. My power was off--as was most of the city's--and I really left to take pictures just because the car would be warm.
Thanks to Christopher and Andrew and the whole crew at the Museum for the honor and their friendship. http://www.unionstation.org/KansasCityMuseum/

Cliffhanger 2010

More than 1300 people participated in the 2010 Cliffhanger race/walk along Cliff Drive Sunday morning....another record. Gladstone Boulevard was packed with cars and folks as the starting point for the race was the east entrance to the Drive.
This post is a sample of the pix I took..... all of them can be seen at: http://gallery.me.com/dremley#100059&bgcolor=black&view=grid


Above...sheep or dog? Below one of the teams including, left to right, Brendan Rhyne, Scott and Laura Wagner, Michael Bushnell 4th from left who is also the Publisher of the Northeast News and loves to be called "Mongo" and Elizabeth Hodges.


Above the race begins.... below the first of the runners....



Above, Amanda, ten-times more energetic than Hyper...local Mom, Wife, Business Woman and point person for Scarritt on spooky stuff.


Above Jennifer.... Scarritt Renaissance Board Member and KCPD loyalist... :)

Lots of critters.....




Leslie ... new resident of Scarritt ...



Above new School Board Member Crispin Rea who, below, showed Hyper the winning form he planned on displaying when he finished......

Above, wagon load and, far left, secretive, anonymous Editor of the Northeast News (Emily).



Above.. race leader heads for the finish line about 600 meters to go...

Although the race was a week later than last year, the trees still put on a colorful display and Parks and Rec did an excellent job of cleaning up the Drive. Kudos to Kevin Evans and his crews.

Above, Jessica from Pendleton Heights.....who cooks a mean hearty stew.....


Above my neighbor Tim and his sons Ciaren and Aiden... his wife Mel was helping organize the run.


Above, Malenda...beautification expert (true) ..
Above... the last curve before the finish... below...Amy....
Below.... "Mongo" still standing.... finished in fine form...


Above, Wagner Squared... I expected Laura to sprint ... but she was kind to Scott.

Finishes produce smiles and below... the runners/walkers headed to Gladstone School for Chris Cakes and results.....
Congratulations to Susan Robinette and her crew for yet another great race.... no extra charge for the awesome weather... it's always like this in Northeast.