Even More Fall

I just can't resist these colors. Can you tell it's my favorite season?

Most from Ward Meade Park yesterday...

More Pretty Fall

...and a duck.

Hicks Block

Hicks Block, the oldest apartment complex in Topeka, built 1888-89 and still standing. I think people do still live in these apartments.

There are some beautiful interior views here (by Topeka photographer Carol Yoho). I hope they still look this good inside; the place was sold in 2005 at auction.

Weird, A Little

The name, the building, the location...all together make this place just seem a little weird to me.

Topeka Has Lola's Has Poetry

Poetry reading at Lola's Saturday evening, Joe Harrington and Cyrus Console.



Dennis Etzel, the driving force behind Top City Poetry and a poet and teacher himself, introduces the two readers.





Joe Harrington, poet and professor of English at the University of Kansas. A bit more of his work is here.


Cyrus Console, poet, Topekan, KU student.



Part of the crowd watching Cyrus read.

It was a lot more interesting than it looks here, I promise. Please check the Top City Poetry blog for announcements regarding upcoming readings. The next one will be on Saturday, November 22, and will feature three poets--Brian Daldorph, Carl Tillona and Israel Wasserstein. Come enjoy!

More October Farmer's Market

I haven't been able to get to the Farmer's Market much this year (I work most Saturday mornings), and one of the last times I tried it, I got rained out before getting any pictures. But yesterday I was very successful and delighted to find the market full of sun and people and colors. Click for the larger views for full effect.



Pumpkins and watermelon and customers.




Gorgeous gourds at Rees Fruit Farms stand.




Heavenly honey from Country Creek Honey in Meriden (OK, that's only almost Topeka, but I bought some and it is good).




Herbs for your health and culinary delight, forgot to note the name of the herb growers.




Not everything there is produce, of course. These colorful rag rugs are from Rodecap Rugs. Machine washable.




Albo Glass Studio and Ebb & Flow Arts shared a booth.




All the blown glass is from Albo Glass Studio, owned by Doug Sheafor.




The fused glass is by Laura Engelhardt, Ebb & Flow Arts.





The pictures don't do these beautiful pendants justice.





Larry O'Hara of 5 O's Sweet Kettle Corn working the big kettle. I should note that Larry and I used to be co-workers, and he's apparently still as ornery as he ever was.






And finally, flowers. Amazing mums! These are all the glorious blazing colors of fall.

October Farmer's Market

I don't remember which vegetable stand this was, but aren't they lovely? I'll be posting more market pics, and something else, later today or tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Ooops...they did it again

And I think I'm through with this series. Probably.

Friday, 10/10/08, it fell another $.10/gal at the first station I shot a pic of but I'm not taking any more. Maybe if it drops down to $1.50/gal. Maybe then.

Another edit: It fell down to $2.39/gal at this station before beginning to climb back up. The lines of cars trying to get in and out of there were absolutely insane!

Believe It Or Not!

Yes, and it's terrible to think of gas just below $3.00/gallon as "cheap."

Changes

The yellows and oranges and bronzes and reds and burgundies are overtaking the palette of greens...some pictures from Gage Park this afternoon.

The oaks and maples haven't really gotten started yet, though.

Butterfly Milkweed (by Greg W.)

Maybe the brightest of the summer wildflowers around Topeka--I love seeing a field of these joyous blooms, and as the name indicates, the butterflies love them too. The adult butterflies feed on the nectar, and the Monarch butterfly caterpillars eat the leaves and make themselves unappetizing to critters who want them for lunch.

I like that.

Coneflower (by Greg W.)

Another nice flower picture, thanks, Greg! This is what I call a coneflower. Not being a botanist except in the most amateur of ways, I can't say exactly what sort, but it's a wonderful summer sight.

Monarda (by Greg W.)

Monarda, known to me as "bee balm." A mid-to-late summer bloomer in this part of the world. It attracts bees, butterflies, and sometimes even hummingbirds. If I make a wildflower garden, I'll certainly plant some. We need to help out our pollinators!

Cow Slobbers (by Greg W.)

Greg assures me this lovely spiderwort plant is also known as "Cow Slobbers." I'm not even sure I want to know why...

Though not currently in bloom here, it does grow in abundance around Topeka and blooms in the spring and early summer. I have a bit in my yard.

Cow Slobbers.

Sunset Sunflower

Waiting for the moon to rise, I saw this sunflower illuminated by the sunset it was facing. It's very fierce.

Harvest Moon

Partway up on Burnett's Mound--couldn't climb clear to the top. I have loved these big orange Harvest Moons ever since childhood, and this was a spectacularly pretty one.

Still Seeking Contributors

Just a reminder: my intent in creating this blog was to provide a place to show pictures of Topeka--not just my own, but contributed by anyone who wants to participate. If you have pictures you want to share, please contact me via email at k.l.holmes13 at gmail.com. If you have a Blogspot account (which is free, by the way), I can set it up so you can author posts here and post your own pics anytime. If you don't want to do that, you can email pictures to me and I'll post them under your name. Copyright remains with the artist.

Edit to add: Thanks, Greg W., for the beautiful wildflower pictures from around the Topeka area. I'll be adding more of them later.

Anyone else? You know you want to...

Lola's Neon on a Drippy Day

Lola's, Fleming Place at 10th & Gage, where I spend probably too much of my somewhat free time, and where I interact and discourse with people of like mind, unlike mind, and hardly any mind at all.

We all love it.

Since the rain won't quit, I'll picture it

OK, it's been raining in Topeka every single day for what, a week? Except for three days ago, when it was nice and cool and sunny, and I had to go to Lawrence that day. I got a good picture there, but it's not from Topeka so I won't lie and post it here.

So, this is my day in Topeka.

George!

This is George.

George drinks coffee nearly every day at Lola's Cafe Espresso when he's not running off to California, Alaska, or other parts of the world. He also volunteers at Topeka-Shawnee County Public Library, goes to weekly meetings of a writer's club at Barnes & Noble, is active in the UUFT, and takes classes at Washburn University.

George studied for the ministry but spent most of his "working" days as a teacher.

George is a writer, an artist, a storyteller, a poet, an actor, and a very entertaining personality and friend.

He's one of Topeka's treasures.

Topeka Has Poetry!

Not all the poets on this list are from Topeka, but sometimes some of them are. For updates on the readings organized by Top City Poetry, go to their website, Top City Poetry. Please check that site before coming, as dates do occasionally change.

And do come and enjoy! I'll be at as many of these as possible myself.