Jeez, it was hot in Kansas, and, of course, the AC in the van is broken.  Still, even at 105 degrees or so, this was a really nice weekend--at Botanica--the botanical gardens in Wichita, the Bank Concerts in Winfield (that's right, in a working bank--not one of those new strip mall variety banks either--right in front of somebody desk--it was Saturday night and the bank wasn't open for banking business...) and at the Birdhouse Concert series at the Manhattan Arts Center.

Manhattan's an interesting town.  They've done something we've never really seen before, instead of building the mall at the edge of town and killing downtown, they built the mall at the edge of downtown.  Yes, there are plenty of towns with all those typical mall-type stores in a downtown setting, but this is your typical suburban looking mall and parking lot type structure right there at the end of Main St.  One minute you're walking down the street, the next, you're in the mall.  It seems to look better from some angles than from others and we have no idea how its working out because we didn't spend any time there even though it might have been a good place to spend a 105 degree day.