The River In The Rain - And Other Stuff

Gray, drab day.  Went to Kaw Point to see the skyline in the rain.   Light rain above, heavy rain below.

     High buildings and low clouds.  Below, the whole area at Kaw Point is covered in mud from the high water levels this summer.. slick going. 

Above, the General Ashburn, twin screw towboat built in 1981.  105 feet long, 30 feet wide. 

Below, low clouds over the river looking north. 

 Above, train running along the levee.  This is below Quality Hill. Below, trains and cranes. 

 Below, one last shot after I decided I was wet enough. 

In August Light The Flowers Shine

                                       From Loose Park.  Mostly the Rose Garden.

Hummers, Robins, And Flowers

I make several trips each year to Kauffman Memorial Gardens.  The array of flowers is ever-changing and the birds and insects plentiful.   Above, a hummingbird taking a shower in the spray of the sprinkler.  Only difficulty is tripods are not allowed in the Garden (understandably) so handholding the camera and lens is the order of the day.

                                      Below, Princess the Garden Guard Cat alert and on duty.

Historic Northeast Homes - Volume 14 - 2821 Independence Boulevard

In 1895 Cattle Baron A.W. Byers moved from Texas to Kansas City and built his new home along with many other wealthy people on Independence Boulevard.    It was constructed in the Long, Croysdale, and Vaughn Subdivision. Above, as the mansion looks today.  Below, the Byers Mansion in 1940.  The house on the left in this image was soon to become C.H Blackman and Son Funeral Home.

 Above.  2821, arrow, is next to a vacant lot with two houses to the east and then the Independence Boulevard Christian Church (IBCC)  constructed in 1905 with help from R.A. Long, lumber baron, who also built what is now the Kansas City Museum.  Below, after 1910 the house next to the church was moved by Long to the other side of 2821 where it is today.  The church's Sunday School building was then constructed on the site. The Byers family attended IBCC along with R.A.Long.

Mrs. A.W. Byers later sold the home to Jerry Mangan, a contractor, who used it in many fashions including renting it out to the Universal Institue, a correspondence business school which had 24 workers in the structure.  Catherine Mangan sold the home in 1986 and it has three owners since. The current owners, Cynthia and Johnny, are restoring this gem and have turned it into a bed and breakfast.

https://abnb.me/5vwz2XmAAY

   or    https://www.facebook.com/byersmansion.kc

 The three-story Victorian has 8 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 fireplaces and has retained almost all of its features including mahogany floors, intricate cherry wood and pocket doors.  Cynthia and Johnny bought the home two years ago.

If you'll note in the 1940 Tax photo, there is a porch roof on the east side (left) which is missing today. Due to a failure to maintain the building, the roof collapsed (below). This was well before Cynthia and Johnny owned it. 

The new owners have some of the structure and plan on restoring the side porch in the future. They                      live on the third floor.

Front entry on left which has a "B" etched into the glass for Byers.  

 All of the light fixtures in the home were fitted with both gas and electric when it was constructed.

                                                 All the original pocket doors are intact.

 Above. The original ice box... looking in from the porch on the house... the other side opens into the kitchen area. Below, butlers pantry.    Some of the tubes and other devices for staff communication still exist.

Butler's pantry above. 

                                                         Original bathroom fixtures above.

                                 More original fixtures including a wrap-around shower, below.

                   Above and below.  You can really see both the electrical lights and the gas lights.

                                                      Above, first floor bathroom .