Here I am in Pawtucket, RI. I stopped at Dunkin Donuts. “I’d like a small cup of coffee, regular, please.” The cashier stared at me for a minute, and then gestured to the bagged coffee. “No,” I said, “a cup.” She stared at me again, then picked up a cup from the stack and held it up. I nodded. In a heavy accent, Portuguese, I think, she asked how many. “One, please.” She picked up a to go lid with a questioning gesture. I nodded. She rang up $0.20 and pushed the empty cup across to me. I looked around. Maybe I was supposed to fill it myself. But twenty cents? “I want a cup of coffee,” I said. Another woman came over. “She wants a cup of coffee,” she told the other woman. “Cream and sugar?” I nodded. “Two dollars. “ Good thing I had exact change. I kinda wanted a donut, but I was exhausted.
In an attempt to promote bicycle culture in town, this young man from the library was trying to find the commissioners. They had planned to ride around town. I helped him find his way to city hall. I thought he was the ice cream man. No ice cream in that lovely red box. Just swag to promote bicycle culture.
Just a part of the University of Kansas’ presence in the Earth Day Parade. Gotta love these landlocked prairie dwellers. Giulia, Giovanni, and Jackie paraded to support Cordley Elementary’s farm to table project. Local farmers donate fresh produce to the school’s cafeteria. A chilly, early Saturday, Giovanni?A little chilly for April 20, but Lawrence still parades on.
Note the festive costumes and smiles on the faces of these Sorbonne students as they head to the Palais de Justice in support of the striking workers. The workers are protesting the move to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. Students demonstrate because they realize that if the aging workers stay in their jobs longer, there will be no room for them in the workplace. France loves a good demonstration. In Chambery, I didn't get a photo of the youths with hoods and scarves to hide their faces as they clashed with police at the train station. They were breaking windows in the station, and I was unnerved, frightened, and angry that I couldn't get a train to Milan. Quite a contrast to the festive Paris demonstrators.
Memorial to the Briton, Nicholas Winton, the saviour of 669 Jewish children from former Czechoslovakia. It is located in Prague Main railway station, where more than 15,000 children were transported to concentration camps. It was installed on September 1, 2009. The sculptor Flor Kent, is from Venezuela, and she trained as a dental surgeon. Check out more about her here: http://www.artbust.com/artbuy/FKent/index.html. The girl in this piece is a life cast of a grand daughter of one of the rescued children. The UK press has named Winton the British "Schindler."
It was raining buckets when we left Lawrence Saturday morning to attend the Symphony in the Flint Hills. Thankfully, no rain in sight when we arrived at Bazaar deep in those expansive Flint Hills. An estimated 7.500 enthusiastic fans were in attendance.
Cheryl Unruh of Flyover People Daily News blog fame is pictured here with Dave Leiker who has an excellent collection of photographs on Flyover People. Check them out at: http://www.flyoverpeople.net. Two very talented and just down-home folk.
Yesterday afternoon, I was shocked as another rock similar in size to this one went speeding down our road on a front loader. The two rocks were dug up by the county road crew as they worked on the road about 3 years ago. Many neighbors lusted after these rocks, but no one had the equipment to move them. Ownership of the rocks was in question because they were on the right of way. They are adjacent to our neighbor to the north's property, and his daughter claimed they were hers. After three years, the rocks were still there, so another neighbor who had coveted the rocks mentioned it to a friend who had acquired a front loader, and he took it upon himself to liberate one of the rocks and deliver it to her. It wasn't long before the neighbor who claimed the rock discovered it was gone. An investigation was launched. The location of the rock was revealed. Angry shouts. This is a long story. The rock is to be returned to its former place. This sign appeared by the remaining rock this morning. The front loader has a hydraulic leak, so the rock still sits where it was delivered yesterday. More neighborhood drama to follow.
Two Eye Workshop 