West Bottoms, May 12th

 Love the West Bottoms.  It's hard to spoil decay.  Many textures and surprises.  Cloudy mostly.  

 All shots taken with the Nikon D800  (which is the most amazing camera I've ever owned) with either the 24-70mm or 14-24mm lens.   Exposures mostly ISO 100.  F5.6 for the most part.

Gardens on a Monday

Had a few minutes before visiting the Kansas City Young Matron's today so I stopped by Kauffman Gardens. Always something new. Perfect weather.
All these were taken with the Nikon D3 and 24-70mm lens, ASA200, F16, multiple shots sandwiched.


Lots of new flowers and benches in the "greenhouse"... didn't see Crazy the Cat though, hope she's alright.



The roses are already underway... about two weeks early I think.... but I'll leave that guess to the experts.

Lone Tree At Reservoir

From the archives.... bored after a winter snow in February of 1993 I went looking for images.. Drove by the old city reservoir and saw this shot.... which was totally monochromatic.

Drove home and got the view camera and set up for this shot. Took two exposures, unrecorded. Toyo View 180mm lens, T-Max 400 4x5 sheet film. Taken around 3pm with low hanging clouds. Fence is now overgrown and this tree is long gone. I still love film and the simple shots. There is a Pepsi can on the fence toward the right which I desperately wanted to get rid of... but didn't want to track in the snow to do it. I could remove it digitally, but it's a part of history now..... in many ways things were a lot slower just that short time ago.

A Cinematic Pendleton Heights

Apocalipservice

And thus it was written in the time of the waning dragon by Tuz the Mayan, "When the contrails meet in the west in the pyramid of the setting Sun God Turkemangal and the House of the Night Sun Dinarkus is half visible in the eastern sky, the end times begin when all mankind will become God dust and devolve into lint bunnies under the cot of Megoth the Pharisee. Know ye by these signs that your fate is sealed for it is written on the Calendar of the 5, 321st year that these things shall happen and The End will Begin in Pendleton Heights." Thus spake the Tuz.

Fountain Ice

The Concourse Fountain here in Historic Northeast remains on year-round. It produces some spectacular mounds of ice in a short amount of time. Here are some scenes from today.

Prescription Only

I have come to believe that hammers and saws, not unlike sudafed, should be prescription only. You would have to have one from an architect and one from an historian.

Pendleton Heights Holiday Homes Tour 2011 Part 1

The Fifth Annual Pendleton Heights Holiday Homes Tour was held Saturday and despite blustery weather hundreds of visitors viewed 6 spectacular homes. Above and below Nick Triano has converted this two-family apartment built in 1924 to a single family, three bedroom, two and one half bath home. I love the openness and the stylish decorations.






Above and below fellow photog Nicole Cawlfield's home on Garfield is quintessential arts and crafts with lots of original features including the ceiling fixture in the dining room. The home is 106 years old and has some hot lights in her studio that I covet. :)

Above and below, Stephen Rowe and Jeana Poertner call this 1902 Victorian/Craftsman home. Its first resident was David M. Jay the president of Jay and Smith Hat Company. The home has all of its natural woodwork, pocket doors, decorative fretwork and an original wooden seat built into the main staircase.

All of these pix were taken with the Nikon D3 and 14-24mm lens. Most are multiple exposures merged into one using Photoshop and other software. I think the homeowners did a great job of decorating this year....... tomorrow, the other three homes on the tour.