Minneapolis

Saturday the 3rd, a great day in Minneapolis.
We began with a wonderful morning at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, a fantastic museum with a huge Asian collection and some fabulous gallery spaces. Below I'm contemplating Yasumasa Morimura as Frida. Love. Our next stop was the delectable veggie Chinese restaurant Evergreen for take-out. We then met up with our friend Mike, a fellow IUC veteran, and spent the afternoon walking the Uptown neighborhood and the nearby lakes. After meeting up with his wife, we enjoyed a tasty meal downtown and drinks in the evening. So nice to see old friends!

On the road again...

Labor Day weekend, headed north on I-35 to Minneapolis for a long weekend trip. While not the most eventful drive through Missouri and Iowa, the sunflowers were in full bloom all along the highway making for some beautiful late summer Midwestern scenery.

September!

Since the end of August/beginning of September, things have been super hectic with work around here, so I'm behind on the daily photos. I've still been snapping, but haven't had the chance to post as frequently. In any case, September started on a regular Thursday with a common summer activity- backyard evening hoops.

Expressive Typography

One interesting thing about teaching my Text and Image course in the Graphic Design building is seeing the student projects that adorn the public spaces of the hall. In particular, the 31st of August had some interesting expressive typography projects that reinforced our class discussion on semiotics.

Calligraphy

Preparing my Wednesday lecture, thinking about Chinese Calligraphy and Zhao Zhiquian's Couplet of 1867.

Monday sunset

Passing through the Plaza on the way home.

Waldo Fountain

Last weekend of August, possibly the last chance to go play in the Waldo fountain.

Local Hiking

Hiking out at the edge of the metro on a warm Saturday afternoon.

Antennas Up @ the Nerman

Another free Friday concert at the Nerman, this time Antennas Up.

New Bag

I finally got around to replacing my old computer bag. Over the course of last spring the handles began to fray, something which a friend told me was a sign I was working too hard, and which my adviser said was a sign that I was too busy to shop for a new one. I think both were/are true. After a long summer of not needing to cart my laptop around (I taught in a full media room for the summer term), I'm back to the necessary lugging of books/papers/grading/laptop, but at least I have a nice new internet-purchased bag to shuffle through it with me.

Back to KCAI

First session of teaching night class for fall term at KCAI- Text and Image in East Asian Art History :)

Sunrise after the storm

A beautiful Tuesday morning commute.

Bento

Lunch at my desk on the first day of the fall term.

Veggie garden

My own veggie garden as it recovers from the July heat wave- in the upcoming weeks (barring any weather disasters) we should have eggplants, tons of cherry tomatoes, a fair amount of sweet green and red peppers, and gobs of jalepenos and habaneros. Hard to believe that my tomato plants are almost as tall as me!

Summer sweet corn

Fresh and local, the taste of summer sweet corn immediately after it's harvested and before the sugars turn is like nothing else, especially when grilled for a few minutes and dabbed with a hint of butter.

Friday evening in the garden

After a few busy weeks of family visits, it was lovely to have Friday evening to relax at home in the garden.

Truly...

Thursday August 18. A beautiful day, lunch with a friend, a celebrity spotting (saw Katie Perry on the Plaza- hilarious), and a lot of work done. Truly bliss.

Company

We hosted dear friends for a simple Wednesday night dinner, and they were kind enough to bring beverages and fresh cut flowers. So sweet!

Nerman again....

... this time I was at the Nerman on my own to view Leo Villareal in depth.

The last summer fun book

The last summer fun book that I got in was The Wordy Shipmates by the ever hilarious and well-researched Sarah Vowell, who you may know from her frequent appearances on the Daily Show. The book recounted the saga of the Puritans and the Massachusetts Bay Colony, about whom much false information exists. Vowell does a fantastic job of keeping the topic light-hearted while providing great information and a realistic perspective on the founders of our nation.

Zoo again

Another Sunday at the zoo, this time with the other set of grandparents. Little man got up close to the gorillas, I love this guy's chill pose.

Roxy Paine

A Saturday morning visit to the Nelson-Atkins with Joe's family, we strolled the Sculpture Garden to view the new Roxy Paine, so striking!

Friday night

Relaxing at home after dinner out with the other side of the family, who were in town for the weekend.

Hibachi

Using our Groupon for Nikko, a hibachi-style Japanese restaurant out in the 'burbs. When I was a kid the t.v. commercials for Benihanna always drew me in, but it was I'm sure too expensive to take a kiddo, particularly a picky eater like myself. So, this was a childhood wish fulfilled. It was fun and kinda cheesy- the chef told jokes and tossed bites into our mouths. A good time, but probably something I don't need to do again soon.

Summer Tomatoes

As I've said many times, one of the best parts of summer in the Midwest is the bounty of produce, especially summer tomatoes. The July heat wave made it difficult to grow tomatoes, but our local farmers manage to do what I can not, and the result was a fantastic Wednesday evening dinner. We combined heirloom tomatoes, garlic, basil, and fresh mozzerella over pasta with a glass of red wine, and a small loaf of fresh bread for the perfect patio meal.

The Nerman

A Tuesday morning trip to the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

Morning Glories

An invasive plant, but beautiful nonetheless.

Kansas City Zoo

A trip to the zoo! I'm so happy that zoos are now focused on conservation and creating somewhat natural habitats for the animals, rather than the icky cages and exhibits of the mid-twentieth century. The KC zoo is pretty neat- we particularly enjoyed the polar bear, the lions, the hippos, and the baboons on a hot day, walking around the vast grounds in Swope Park.

Roasterie Tour!

With my family in town we spent a lot of the weekend doing fun touristy things, like the Roasterie Roasting Tour on Saturday morning. This free tour informs visitors about coffee roasting, buying, trade, and history, as well as how to properly slurp coffee to get the most of your taste. Also- free coffee samples!

The Well

Out for drinks late on a Friday night, we walked over to The Well. This is a place that I wouldn't consider going into during the winter (read: frat-boy lame-sauce crowd), but the rooftop bar is so lovely on a warm summer evening, torches going, drink in hand, watching the hilariousness that is Waldo, that it doesn't matter who the other patrons are.

Grading

Thursday the 4th of August- the heat wave broke! A high of only 91! I took the opportunity to sit out on the terrace at the Roasterie Cafe, enjoying the weather and finishing up grading for my summer school course. Work bliss.

Coleus

I've posted a lot of photos of the flowers in my garden this year, but some credit needs to go to the potted coleus that have graced our front porch throughout the July and August heat wave. Their foliage is reminiscent of a lush tropical look, and they have grown to be quite large in the height of summer.

Sunflowers and extreme heat

Tuesday August 2- the high temperature was 109. The all-time temperature record for Kansas City is 113, so we were close, but missed the mark by a few degrees. Even the sunflowers weren't happy with such heat.

Rosemary Olive Oil Focaccia

Fresh from the oven, best enjoyed hot and with a glass of wine. This was my first attempt at focaccia; it was surprisingly easy to bake from scratch, and with heavenly results.

Indian Creek Trail

Despite continuing into the third week of suffocating temperatures, we took a walk on the Indian Creek Trail in south KC on the last Sunday morning of July. Hard to believe that just beyond the trees is the city....

Black-eyed Susans

Dinner on the Plaza

Friday night out!

Sayonara, Lara!

Lara and the Strawberry Chiffon Cake I baked to celebrate/mourn her departure from Kansas City and KU. So sad to see you go!

The Hill

As summer school winds down, the view from near KU's Watson Library, looking south across the valley. Wednesday the 27th was my last day of teaching Eastern Civ, as Thursday was review day and Friday the final exam.

Sunflowers

One of the few plants that thrives in an extended heat wave and dry spell...

Summer reading continues...

On Monday the 26th I finished the next book on my summer fun reading list, My Korean Deli: Risking it All For a Convenience Store. This was a great summer read (thanks NPR!)- fast to get through, witty, and a nice commentary on humanity, despite some bumps along the way. Highly recommended!

Jules Olitski at the Kemper

July 24 was yet another day of heat warnings and high temperatures, so we spent part of the afternoon at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, viewing the current exhibition of paintings by Jules Olitski.

Le Bon Vivant

Saturday evening, relaxing in the garden.

Bela Fleck and the Original Flecktones

Friday night at the Crossroads, Bela Fleck and the Original Flecktones!!

Yum.

Too hot to cook, we got take out salads from Ingredient on the Plaza, and the sparkles on this beautiful Carrot Cake Cupcake were too good to pass up. Yum!

Workin'

As the first deadline for my summer freelance project approaches, the pile of books on my desk grows taller....

Hibiscus

Nihon ryori

Monday night simple homemade Japanese dinner. From the top- Sake, Salad with Soy Ginger Vinaigrette, Japanese Pickles, Zaru Soba (cold soba noodles topped with nori (toasted seaweed) and dipped in soy-based sauce), and Stir-fried Tofu and Veggies. おいしかった！

Hot afternoon on the Plaza

July 17, the heat wave continues....

Meow

Lounging in the sun on my desk....