The Cosmosphere In Hutchinson, Kansas Part II

 

The Cosmosphere In Hutchinson, Kansas

    Kansas continues to surprise. Hutchinson, Kansas is a small town (pop. 40,006) that, since 1887, has been the site of one of the world's largest salt mines (and the only salt mine in the U.S, that tourists can visit - like, go 650 feet underground and visit via the Strataca salt mine museum). It is also home to the Kansas State Fair (the 2024 edition of which will be held September 6th through 15th) and the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Men's Basketball Tournament (2024's tourney was held March 20th through March 30th- congrats to the Barton Community College Cougars of Great Bend, Kansas on winning their first ever NJCAA Men's BBall championship this year).

   All of the above is fairly remarkable for a town of only forty thousand to boast, but by far the most remarkable thing (IMHO) is the Cosmosphere Aerospace Museum.

   The Cosmosphere (formerly known as the Kansas Cosmosphere - don't know why they dropped "Kansas" from the name) is home to over 13,000 artifacts from both the United States and Russian spaceflight programs, with a emphasis on the cold war era space race. This represents the largest assemblage of items from both the US and Russian (primarily the USSR era) space programs. Quite the accomplishment for a small town in the heart of Kansas.

   Over the past 62 years, the Cosmosphere grew from a small planetarium opened in 1962 on the Kansas state fairgrounds to the artifact and history packed Costco-sized building it is today. The place is massive, and massively interesting. To see more artifacts from the Russian program you'd have to go to Moscow, and to see more artifacts from the United States program you'd have to go the National Air & Space museum in Washington, D.C. 

   In this post I'll show the exterior of the Cosmosphere and a few items seen in the lobby, then I'll follow with a few posts of items in the rooms that are more focused on the early years of the space race.

         Last Steps on the Moon, Bronze Sculpture of Astronaut Eugene Cernan by Garland Weeks

To Fly, Bronze sculpture, Mike Livingston

           Large stained-glass window featuring the Kansas State Motto (and Vitruvian Man homage)

Parry & Advance

 The click-bait scrounging maggot

Asked the young sports star

Who had just played a game for the ages

In a heart-breaking loss 

A loaded question pertaining to an off field incident

The answer to which

The click-bait scrounging maggot hoped

Would garner the maggot's online profile

Internet fame and acclaim

The young sports star, however

Mature beyond the physical years

Calmly replied that the game that just ended

Though a heated battle

Was an invigorating and inspirational match

Which would be an impetus to work even harder

Conversational Tidbit Heard Outside The Gym This Morning

   Walking through the parking lot to the gym this morning and I passed two older women smoking cigarettes. I've seen these two women smoking in the defacto smoking area frequently over the years, and it always gets me thinking, A) Why are they bothering to go to the gym? and B) Why is there a smoking area for the gym?

   Today I overheard one of them saying she was looking forward to an appointment she had with her Gyno - the last part I heard as I was fading from earshot was "It's just about the only chance I have of spreading my legs for a man anymore."

   I probably burned every calorie I ate for breakfast trying to stifle my laughter. 

Getting Creative With Concrete In Kansas

   Concrete, as anyone in the construction business knows, is just about the most useful material available. It is by far the most used building material on the planet - ton for ton its use worldwide outweighs the use of aluminum, wood, steel and plastic - by nearly double. 

   That is primarily due to it's amazing property of being both incredibly easy to manipulate in it's liquid state, and incredibly strong when it cures to a solid state. When it is joined with reinforcing materials such as rebar or fiberglass, both it's tensile strength and durability are greatly increased.

   Concrete was developed thousands of years ago in diverse areas of the world - most people are aware of what the ancient Romans were able to build using concrete (aqueducts, collesiums, huge unreinforced domes, etc.) as well as what the ancient Greeks and Egyptians created with concrete, but concrete was also used by the ancient Syrians and even the Mayans.

   However, the modern era of concrete use didn't start until both French and British builders started developing new ways to make use of the material. The work of British engineer John Smeaton (with his use of hydraulic lime to make concrete), British bricklayer and inventor Joseph Aspdin (with the production of Portland cement) and French gardener and inventor Joseph Monier (with his development of reinforced concrete), really got the concrete ball rolling and lead to it becoming the second most-used substance on earth (the first is water).

   The plasticity of concrete is legendary, but it's use as an artistic medium is often overlooked. Except in Kansas, that is. Specifically in the small town of Burton (pop. 861).

   Burton, Kansas is where you will find Yoder's Ornamental Concrete. In the spring of 1983 Ivan and Polly Yoder started making concrete statues. Within that first year the business grew considerably, and before the end of the 1980's they had several employees and now, 40-plus years later, the business is still going strong.

   Of course, I had to take a few photos of their very large selection of unique statuary.

   Many more of their products can be seen at www.yodersornamentalconcrete.com, or you can pay them a visit in Burton - they are open 7 days a week.

   Just be sure to bring a big truck and a couple of strong friends if you do decide on a visit - these concrete creations are pretty heavy!

 

The World Does Not Remonstrate

He sat on the edge of the bench that faced toward the ocean 

Baffled

Perplexed

Confused

"How," he muttered to himself, "could the world not treat me better?"

His eyes almost glazed over as the thought crossed his mind

That the world really did not know who he was

Did not really care what level of treatment he deserved

And certainly did not seem bothered by his predicament

If the world was a sentient being

And was too blind to see what was going on

Then there was only one course of action he could take

Total and complete damnation of the world, without quarter

Contempt, indifference, callous insouciance

That was all it would get from here on out

The world, for it's part

Took no notice

Memorial Day In America, 2024

 

Sculptures & Statues Seen In El Dorado, Kansas

Regularly Irregular

 You may feel irregular at times

It's fairly common to feel out of sorts, a misfit

Or even worse

Especially when you consider that the world itself

Is quite irregular

I would venture a guess

(based upon years of experience)

That feeling irregular

Is about the only regular thing about life

The WAM (Wichita Art Museum) Jayne Milburn Sculpture Garden

                                     Windscreens, Weathered Steel, Created by Vicki Scouri Siteworks

                                                 Sophie, Bronze, Created by Tom Hochstetler

                               Extended Land Form, Cor-Ten Steel, Created by Richard Hunt

                                            Cluster IV, Cor-Ten Steel, Created by Ernest Shaw

                            Three-Part Marble White, Carrara Marble, Created by Stanley Boxer

                                       Kaephae-Aekyad #2, Steel, Created by Douglas Abdell

                                                   Yantra, Steel, Created by Isaac Witkin

                                          Knife Man, Bronze, Created by John Silk Deckard

   Pulse Field, Anodized Aluminum, Galvanized Steel, Stainless Steel, Photovoltaic Panels, Solid State Electronics, & LEDs, Created by Derek Porter (note: this installation is best seen at night, natch)

                                        Water-Melon, Painted Cast Iron, Created by Unknown

                                Spectre of Ancient Pathways, Bronze, Created by Steve Kestrel

                                        Untitled Dango, Stoneware, Created by Jun Kaneko