Lilacs

I have added pictures of the lilacs that were in bloom in my yard recently. I am only adding these pictures now because it took time to decide which pictures stand out. Lilacs, I discovered, are more difficult to capture than magnolia blossoms because of their smaller size. Typically, the lilacs where I live bloom later in the spring. This year is exceptional because of how much further ahead the plants and flowers are in their development compared to an average year. If you should decide that you want to see these pictures blown up a little, click on one and then zoom in by clicking on 150% or 200%.

A Kind of Birthday Celebration

Here at the frontier, there are falling leaves.
Although my neighbors are all barbarians,
and you, you are a thousand miles away,
there are always two cups on my table.

My order from CafePress came today. I made these cups as a kind of celebration for this blog's six years of existence. They are available from CafePress if anyone else should decide to order one. They are not priced for me to make any money off of them in case you are wondering.

This poem placed above appears in John Fowles' The Magus. I don't think of my neighbors as barbarians, but you can find two cups of tea here awaiting your arrival. The door to this cafe is always open.

Another View of the Missouri River

These pictures appearing below present another view of the Missouri River in Parkville, Missouri. Notice that no fences disturb one's view of the river. Although there were temporary fences in place at English Landing Park when I was there a week ago, a couple of weeks before the official re-opening, no one was paying attention to these restrictions. The residents and visitors wanted to enjoy the park because of the spring weather, regardless of what the city desired.

Although I don't know how Parkville avoids legal responsibility when someone falls into the river and drowns, for example, because of the absence of fences along the river, I think that the visitors to both English Landing Park and Landing Park in Leavenworth need to be held responsible for their actions without the city imposing restrictions on how one enjoys the river. I am all for more personal responsibility in our lives.

These pictures can be best enjoyed if one zooms to, say, 150 or 200%, after clicking on any one picture.

Digging out From the Flood

Landing Park, a park located alongside the Missouri River, has recently re-opened. It closed in late June of last year because of the approaching flood water. The river eventually covered the entire park and remained above flood stage for several months. Once the water receded, the city had to consult with the Army Corps of Engineers to determine what to do with the silt left behind, some of which is visible in these pictures. It will take several more months before the city gets the grass to come back alongside the pathway and before the remaining park benches are re-installed.

This park, before it flooded and remained closed for about nine months, was one of my favorite places to walk. If the Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh had emigrated here as a young man, say, after the publication of The Great Hunger, his statue would be located alongside the Missouri River instead of at the Grand Canal in Dublin. I don't know which place is more picturesque, only having spent one damp evening in Dublin when I was a teenager.

Although not likely, if I were to open a restaurant, I think I would place it alongside the Missouri River. It would need to be located on a bluff high enough to avoid any flood water, of course. That's assuming that people would be interested in eating the food that I prepare most often--rice concoction, aka broccoli bake, mild chili, barbeque ribs baked in the oven, and Irish stew. My wife imagines the creation of a glass walkway that would make it possible to walk out over the river. Sitting out on the desk on a summer evening, after the cicadas had stopped their nightly refrain, and while hearing the water driven south by the current, would be a great way to relax with friends. The idea is far more pleasant than actually creating the experience.