I started Sunday with Mass at St. Therese Parish with Anola. We went to the 8:00 Mass which is listed as traditional rather than the upbeat and lively gospel Mass at 9:30. This would have been the Mass we would have gone to normally but there was a lot going on this Sunday. Anola used to be in the gospel choir but with two novels published and a third in the works, she got too busy...not so much with researching and writing since she has been doing that all her life. But with promoting the already published books. After a quick breakfast at Panera's in Brookside, she went on to the holiday sale to help Mary and I went to
Kauffman Gardens to see what photos were there for the taking. At first, you think that a December garden is a pretty uninteresting place but a little patience and time reveal a marvelous world of forms, shapes, and with the right light sparkling highlights.
You can see more images in my Picasa album featuring the Kauffman Gardens.
As I was finishing up, I got a call from Oren Pickett, the son of my Dad's brother, Uncle Buddy. I had contacted him via email and suggested we get together. We had a nice time getting caught up with news about our respective families. He is retired--as is his wife, Christa--but is keeping busy with some wonderful work. He is heavily involved with
Johnson County Christmas Bureau. This organization provides holiday assistance to low income families in Johnson County KS. This country contains some of the wealthiest communities in the United States but also contains some extremely low income families. He has been involved for over ten years. He also works in the gift shop of the MLS team--
SportingKC-- during game days and enjoys helping that team increase its presence in Kansas City. Add to that his work with
Heart to Heart and you have someone who is putting his retirement to use helping others.
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| One of the figures of Plaza Fountain with tower in background. |
After that nice visit, I went down to
Cristo Rey High School where the Holly Holly Holly Day Craft and Art Show was being held. Louisa was there with Mary and we visiting for the remaining hours of the sale and then helped get everything packed up and into Bob's car. Happily enough, there were many fewer items to pack up since it was a very successful sale for Mary. We decided to meet a bit later for dinner and so I went back down to the Plaza to try some shots I had been thinking of. The new image at the top of the trip blog is one but here is another. Since the main fountain--depicting the four major rivers of the world--is shut down for the winter, I was able to get into it and capture some images of the sculpture with reduced flash settings and the lights on the buildings in the background.
You can see more of these photos in the updated Plaza album.
Then it was on to eat with Louisa, Bob, and Mary at Chipotle's on the Plaza. Mary was exhausted but energized by her weekend. We told stories of the family--some old ones and some new ones--as we always do. Mary and Bob will be hosting the Kansas City Christmas dinner after taking a year off last year. The theme this year is Beer, Brats, and Bingo or something like that; three B words any way. These gatherings are always far from your traditional Christmas celebrations.
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| Mike and Leslie with their Aunt Ruth |
I got back to Mom's apartment around 7:30 only to find that she was not home yet. No matter, I just got busy with processing photos and such. By 9:15 I though I should call my cousin Mike Sciolaro just to make sure they had picked her up for the dance event and that she wasn't missing. I called and got Leslie who confirmed that they had Mom and also that they were having a great time back at their house. They all showed up at Mom's a bit later and we all got to visit. Leslie along with their son Kyle had performed in the event. It is good that they include their Aunt Ruth since it is something she really enjoys and is so different from her usual routine. Next visit, I resolve to spend more time with Mike and Leslie and get to see their "second home."
You can see more photos at the updated Kansas City album.
I started Sunday with Mass at St. Therese Parish with Anola. We went to the 8:00 Mass which is listed as traditional rather than the upbeat and lively gospel Mass at 9:30. This would have been the Mass we would have gone to normally but there was a lot going on this Sunday. Anola used to be in the gospel choir but with two novels published and a third in the works, she got too busy...not so much with researching and writing since she has been doing that all her life. But with promoting the already published books. After a quick breakfast at Panera's in Brookside, she went on to the holiday sale to help Mary and I went to Kauffman Gardens to see what photos were there for the taking. At first, you think that a December garden is a pretty uninteresting place but a little patience and time reveal a marvelous world of forms, shapes, and with the right light sparkling highlights.
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