April 2011

Down on the Farm
Wichita, Kansas
2011

This is the farm at Wichita’s Cowtown. It’s easy to tell a real working farm (which was what this was before it was moved to Cowtown) as opposed to one of the hobby farms you see a lot of these days. The hobby farms have huge houses and a smattering of token outbuildings. On a real farm you have to look hard sometimes to see the house in amongst all the huge barns and accessory buildings it takes to make a real go at agriculture.

The Gesture (Celebration)
Wichita, Kansas
2011

Another addition to my series on gestures in sculpture and paintings. I could just as well have called this one The Smoking Gun the way that jet contrail lines up with the end of the cowboy’s gun. I wish I could take credit for that quirky result but I was totally concentrating on getting a decent angle on the sculpture and didn’t even pay attention to the sky. (The sculpture by the way is a copy of Frederick Remington’s Coming Through the Rye.)

Walking It Off
Wichita, Kansas
2011

Some kids getting fired up for a tour of the Wichita Art Museum.

Patriot’s Dream #17
I-70, Kansas
2011

Like most people (except terrorists I suppose) I abhor terrorism. But this display of anti-terrorist “patriotism” really bothers me. Note the additional flag emblem and the “In god we trust” phrase on the license tag. (It’s a little hard to see as the photo was taken one-handed through the windshield of my car at speeds I probably shouldn’t have been taking photos at.) Apparently this person’s god is a vengeful god. Maybe it’s all those vengeful gods out there that are responsible for a lot terrorism in the first place.

Year-Round Fireworks
Wyoming/Colorado Border
2011

The sign on the door said “Open Year-Round.” I’m not sure which year they were talking about–it looked like it had been closed up for some time. Even in business-friendly Wyoming entrepreneurship seems fraught with risk.

Wienies and Things
Rock River, Wyoming
2011

A low budget fast-food joint. I didn’t taste the fare so can’t vouch for the franchise potential, but the start-up costs appear minimal and the look is eye-catching (even got me to take a color photo for a change).

Cafe General Repairs
Medicine Bow, Wyoming
2011

For a shuttered and abandoned building, this one sure had a neat, growing-old-gracefully, appearance. I like the well-defined shapes and the texture the angled sun gives to the concrete block walls.

Snowfence Jesus
Medicine Bow, Wyoming
2011

This snowfence has seen better days, and the way the wind was blowing when I took this, even Jesus was wise to seek shelter behind that bush.

Patriot’s Dream #16
State Highway #220, Wyoming
2011

Took this photo of what I guess you could call a ghost-rider a couple of days ago out in Marlboro Country somewhere.

Blue Skies and Tailwinds
State Highway 487, Wyoming
2011

After bucking too many gray winter skies and headwinds in the last few months (both literally and metaphorically) it’s nice to finally experience some blue skies and tailwinds (both literally and metaphorically). It probably takes someone with Kansas roots to think of photographing such a flat, empty landscape when there are so many mountains around. I find them very soothing, at least in the right dosage. We’ll see if I get my fill by the time I finish my visit to Wichita.

Here’s a song about going with the wind, courtesy of the Irish band The Pogues. If you need a little help translating from Irish english, the lyrics can be found here.