This sculpture stands at the fork of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers in my hometown of Wichita, KS. It was constructed by Kiowa-Comanche artist Blackbear Bosin and was erected in 1974. It is 13.4 meters high and constructed of Cor-Ten steel. It was removed at one point several years ago and the park area in which it stands was greatly improved. There is a bridge from either side of the river, better lighting and landscaping was added, as well as a ceremonial ring of fire which is lit at night. I just missed getting the fire by a couple hours, I managed to show up during the time change and it was cold, so I opted not to stick around and wait for the fire lighting. I will go back another day for those.

Surrounding the base of the statue are several displays which describe the local tribes that used to inhabit the area. There are hidden speakers which play soothing Native American flute music. Visiting this location, I always feel at peace. It is serene. It is ethereal. It is beautiful.

The bridges across the river to visit the park and look up from the base of the statue were fun to grab snaps of “bits and pieces” photography. Bits and Pieces is taking pictures of part of something, not the whole.

There is beauty in the details.

These rivers that flow through Wichita, flow through me. My grandmother lived in a house that backed up to the river when I was little. We fished, paddled a canoe, and my brother pushed me in once and I cut my foot between my toes on something sharp in its muddy bottom. I would ride my horse to the river and swim him through the deep parts and we would ride splashing through the water where it was shallow. My high school sat near the edge of it. My first house as an adult was 2 blocks from its banks. I took my boys bike riding on the path that followed its edge. The Keeper and the river are sentimental.

While in town I visited another old friend from my childhood. Wichita is home to a lot of art. There are several life-sized statues around town made of chrome auto bumpers by artist John Kearney. This one is my favorite. It sits outside what used to be the 1st National Bank (I think?) but is now called the Ruffin Building. As a child, when we went downtown and visited this building, I always wanted to pet the horse. He’s a trusty steed and sadly his age is starting to show in his rust eaten chrome.

I went back to visit the Keeper of the Plains the following morning as he greeted the sunrise. I hope you enjoy these pictures of a couple of my favorite things. Below is the gallery of all the pictures taken that evening and the following day. Enjoy!