My beautiful city

I was awoken from my daytime slumber, after only a few hours of shut eye.
Here's why:

The roofers had to repair problems they left more than a year ago, and showed up unannounced to make the improvements. Great. Wonderful. I'm glad it's getting fixed. But now I can't sleep.
Soooo.... Off for overpriced coffee with Brad, in the hour or so we had left, before the kids would be done with school/preschool.
There, I got inspired, and started snapping photos:



The Brad went to get the kids, and I spent the next 90 minutes walking around downtown, snapping photos. It was the first time since getting the digital camera -- and the first time in I don't know HOW long -- that I went out, just to shoot. Looking for fun angles. Looking for interesting architecture. Looking for interesting elements of life. I took a ton of pictures. Here's just a sample.



I love that our downtown is full of sculpture and art:


One of the sculptures is a tribute to a 1958 sit in at a Wichita soda fountain. Long denied its true right as the first lunch counter sit-in to protest racial segregation, it has now finally got its credit. The detail is incredible.


As like any large city -- there is progress and peril, new and old, broken out and brand new.

As we got closer to the bus station, more people, more poverty, even among beauty. Below is a park where the homeless hang out. It is beautiful, filled with fountains, a pond, old street lamps, beautiful plants. If I were homeless I'd want to hang out there too.


This sculpture inspires me:

The title: Life is a Dance of Balance


I took so many more pictures. I don't even think I've posted my favorite ones here. But its an idea. It was a blast. I had a great time. I was exhausted by the time I had to return to my night shift that night... walking all around town, on 4 hours sleep... but it was worth it.
Oh, but did I mention it was really windy? Most of the time my hair was straight across my face -- I'm not sure how I even saw to take pictures.