more waiting room time

Kansas Spine Hospital ~ waiting room

. . . sketching while my husband underwent yet another medical procedure for back pain. Not sure it actually did any good yet, but hoping for improvement. Sketching does help fill the waiting time.

Kansas Spine Hospital

 

Yesterday Bill had a repeat procedure to ease severe back pain. Both the doctor and the nurses agree that this will only provide short-term relief  (a bit over one month). Unfortunately, our insurance company will not pay for the correct procedure (that will provide long-term relief) until he has undergone this particular injection twice. Stupid insurance companies.

The newly built hospital is all curves, chrome, and glass -- I wanted to catch the sunlight's patterns in this sketch. The level of care here is top quality -- he was treated very well by all.

breakfast treat

breakfast treat, a photo by vickylw on Flickr.

Since I was driving to Wichita anyway to buy a few groceries, it seemed like a good time to treat myself to a chicken biscuit and a sketch. And stand up for freedom of speech.

North High School, Wichita, KS, a photo by vickylw on Flickr.

I have always loved the Art Deco design of the high school my parents went to. Much more attractive than the larger East High that Bill and I attended. Built in 1929, it has tile insets & panels, a terra cotta roof, and sculptures of Native Americans and American bison. The same local architect, Glen H. Thomas, later designed a nearby bridge to match, which was featured in American Bungalow magazine.

Arriving too early for last week's watercolor class (which meets in a church nearby), I parked on a side street and did a quick sketch of the tower and part of the building -- now hidden by maturing trees. I added color later at home.



Before leaving for class, I also did a quick sketch of Jack's Hamburgers shown on the left page, a walk-up eatery across the street from the high school which has been there continually since my parents' school days. I remember Mom taking me here as a child -- the first place I had sprinkles on my ice cream cone!

random bits

(63) running errrands, a photo by vickylw on Flickr.

Bill took a personal day Friday and we ran errands for his current woodworking projects. I sketched a bit here and there from the car at the various places --- no planning or thought went into this spread. I had planned on adding the industrial area behind the sign, but two trucks drove up and blocked my view completely.

Winter has finally arrived in a serious way. Very cold and blustery out there. Which made the green sprigs of grass popping up behind the gas meter seem totally out of place.

The Spice Merchant, Wichita, KS

(54) urban sketch - The Spice Merchant, a photo by vickylw on Flickr.

I went here yesterday to buy some tea . . . . I ended up picking up a few more items, including a blueberry-filled chocolate bar from Germany. Yum!

This old Spanish-style building was built in 1909 to house the Mentholatum Company's headquarters and factory. (Mentholatum was invented in Wichita in 1894.) Sometime later, after the company left Wichita, Louise Brooks, a former silent film star, ran a dance studio here.

Now it is home to The Spice Merchant, a gourmet coffee roaster --- even though I don't like drinking coffee, I always love the aromas when they are roasting! And it's a great place to find unique tea blends, spices, and cooking stuff.