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!