Today, the screw top of the bottled water came loose in my handbag and drowned the new camera. Had to make a brief stop on freeway KS10 to pour the water out of the handbag. Giggles and plenty of swearing aside, it was RIP for the camera. The camera on the mobile handset survived the minor flood, but it attained an unexpected dreamy quality.
Lawrence was the destination today. This is a college town some 45 miles west of Overland Park, dominated by the University of Kansas. The high street, Massachusetts Street, has a variety of individual shops catering to the student population: new age, new age, and new age. Thank goodness there were few signs of the ubiquitous chain stores, so prevalent in Overland Park and Leawood. There was even a shop selling things British.
Lunch was at Milton's Cafe, bustling with young and old having their Sunday lunch. Takeaway today is this tag line from Mark Twain, quoted on the business card of a fellow diner, a print graphic designer who has chosen to settle in the liberal heartland of a conservative Kansas -
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."
Check out her website at http://www.debstavin.com/index.html to see some vibrant images taken during her trip to India.
Then it is on to the Spencer Museum of Art at Kansas University. A poster exhibition on peace, social justice and environment was on and there were some thought provoking and conscience pricking images, including a bath tub filled with red water entitled Israel and Palestine. This one is striking and shocking with equal measure -
To end on a different note, the sculpture below is entitled "Collection". I invite you to tell me what you see....
