come fly[in] with me

what is it about airplanes that is so awe inspiring?

yesterday afternoon, a group of friends and i decided to head to benton, kansas to check out the the stearman field fly-in. within seconds of arriving, we were acting like kids running around checking out the airplanes, and mesmerized by "touch and goes".

does it have something to do with growing up in wichita? with our city being the "air capital" of the world, most of us were taught aircraft was the lifeline of our community. is it the idea and feeling of freedom flight creates. no roads, no traffic, just the endless sky? could it be because our state is so "terrain challenged", flight is the only opportunity for us to look down on ourselves in a new perspective?

kansas might not have miles of coastlines, but our state is filled with limitless skies and endless horizons. like a city by a bay, our sky is our ocean. just as people along beaches can spend hours staring out at the sea, we've all grown up staring at the sky, watching clouds pass, storms roll by, sunsets paint the sky, and starry nights appear. airplanes are the vessels of the mid-west allowing us to interact with this ocean of a sky. an ocean, amazing us one night, and terrifying us the next. an ocean providing jobs and fueling our economy. an ocean allowing us to travel anywhere in the world. an ocean, at times making you feel so insignificant, yet giving you such a sense of community.

splendor in the [blue]grass

i absolutely love the spontaneity summer seems to bring. a friend told me at noon that "old crow medicine show" would be playing thursday night, i bought a ticket a few minutes later, and by 8 i was enjoying some great bluegrass. now, i wouldn't rank bluegrass at the top of my musical taste, but this was one of the best live shows i've ever seen. between the energy, the songs, the tempo, and the dancing, it almost had me wanting to learn how to play the banjo...

almost...

i think i'll just stick to guitar pickin'....

maybe i'll try the harmonica.

a river [sorta] runs through it

we don't have mountains, or a coast line, but one amazing assets wichita has is the fact there is a river running right down the middle of the city. now a kansas river isn't necessarily the most romantic object in nature, but it's ours, it's the arkansas river. (literally pronounce AR-KAN-ZAZ). in the past few years efforts have been made to improve the river front, it's really starting to take shape. in the latest phase, the broadview hotel has renovated and changed it's front entrance to face the river. with improvments to the river bank as well as the hotel's outside space, the riverwalk is becoming a very enjoyable space.

this year wichita's own river festival not only changed dates but also moved the activities to the actual river! i'm not sure how many people noticed the it, but for a few weeks it was great to see the city of wichita embrace, enjoy, and occupy the arkansas river front.