A banner year for flocks. Sun, heat, lots of moisture all make for happy sun flowers .... not to be confused with sunflowers. These are next to the patio. I used to have just pink and white... but somewhere along the way nature took it's course and a merger occurred... above and below are Merger Flocks.
Alright.... this (above) isn't a flock... but it was pretty so it got photographed. I wanted to do a lot more images but I was starting to melt....
My niece Rachel married her long-time boyfriend Trevor yesterday at Maywood Baptist Church. A great wedding and a wonderful couple. Above is one shot from that day and, below, (finally I can post them :) ) some images from Rachel's bridal portrait session at Kauffman Gardens.
Above, the image Rachel chose for her portrait which was placed on an easel by the cake table.
My two most recent pageant photo subjects competed last weekend in the Miss American Coed Pageant in St. Louis. Amber, above, won Miss Photogenic (yea me) in the Miss Missouri Teen Division. And Taya, below, in only her second pageant ever was 1st Runner Up in the Sweetheart Division. She also won Miss Photogenic and Best Hair, Best Smile, Best Gown, Best Interview and the Spirit of America Award. 
Congratulations to both girls on their success.... they are both extremely nice in front and not in front of the camera.... also, congratulations to their coach Lorenzo who has more winners than any other coach in the midwest.....
I headed down to 9th and Baltimore where the Cosby Hotel is facing its demise. Fortunately no work has started yet so I was able to preserve for posterity some views of the 139 year old building. The west side where another structure abutted the Cosby is the worst... obviously when that building was demolished nothing was done to secure the now exposed walls. But, frankly, the rest of the building doesn't look that bad when you consider it has been totally neglected.
The south side or back of the hotel.
This is the wall that was exposed when the adjacent building was torn down... you can see the obvious care with which it was treated. (sarcasm)
Above on the southside missing window frame... seems to be sitting inside...
The front, or north facade, with modern crap in the distance.
Newly renovated buildings are right behind the Cosby....
Above, detail of front facade... not too hard to tell where "modernization" took place.
Blinds are still in most of the windows.
Above and below.... the radiators for each room are visible through the windows.
Above.... right at the corner of 9th and Baltimore. Below that same corner.... view looking southwest.
To my untrained eye this building looks remarkably robust for one that's on the chopping block. But then my preservation agenda is a lot different from those in power.
Surprisingly you can still rent office or condo space.... I imagine you could get a really good deal.
View looking northwest showing other RENOVATED buildings of similar age.
The alley way between the Cosby and the LaRue Building.
Cosby foreground, New York Life Building in the background...
Surprisingly all of the wood is peeling horribly... something one would expect codes to notice LONG before demolition was ordered. What exactly does that agency do when it's not destroying our architectural history?
Above the east facade. Frankly... I visited and photographed this building two years ago and it looked the same.
Above the west side of the building.... you can plainly see where another structure used to be.
Having had NO response to emails sent to official kc... I would like to note that the City that Works doesn't do so after 10am on Friday. Please, please, please... politicians ask me for a donation... I have some things to say to you.
Saw the head of Neighborhoods and Communities (I love city department titles that don't tell you a dang thing) last night explaining why the Cosby Hotel HAS to come down. Of course I don't believe him... but how convenient is it that when your department is totally ineffective at preservation by enforcement of codes early on that you can cover up your own incompetence by tearing a building down. 
