GUSTAV WAS HERE

 

March, 1973: I was a broke law student who went to a bar on St. Patrick’s Day with my roommate, having only pocket change between us. The crowd literally pushed me into a young woman whom I found attractive. One thing led to another and I asked her out on a first date. It wasn’t the norm at the time, but we went to the St. Louis Symphony (cheapest seats) and heard Mahler’s First Symphony, one of my favorites. 52 years later, we are hearing it again today at the SLSO.    

The Mahler Ballroom in our Central West End, https://www.mahlerballroom.com/, was a dance academy and center of St, Louis society in the early 20th Century. It has been beautifully restored and is now an event space.             

STYLE HOUSE

 

St. Louis STyLe House, on funky Cherokee Street, where you can buy all things St. Louis-y. I have a coffee cup from there, designed in the colors and typeface of municipal trucks, used as a pen holder.                                      

POLITICAL OPINION

 

Seen along the route to my granddaughter’s school. The vehicle never moves. Note the license plate. Personalized plates are cheap in Missouri. Interpret as you will.                         

SOMEBODY FIND A WARMING SHELTER

 

Saint Louis, King Louis IX of France, and his steed look like they need more than a horse blanket.The statue, seen here a number of times over the years, is called The Apotheosis of Saint Louis, standing in front of the art museum and overlooking Art Hill.                 

STILL...

 

Well, it was as cold as expected yesterday and I still didn’t feel like getting out. So, back into the archives. But the real news in this country is the big storm along the Gulf coast. (And it’s still the Gulf of Mexico, no matter what someone says.) Record-breaking snow in New Orleans. New Orleans! Many streets are lined with palm trees. This stuff is an inconvenience for us, but it’s shattering for them.                

COLD WATER

 

We are having the coldest weather we’ve had in years. The forecast high is for today 9 F / -13 C. No trash talk from people in Minnesota, etc. We are on about the same parallel as Madrid and Rome, and these days we are more accustomed to record high temperatures. This is an old picture taken from a walkway over the center of the Mississippi. We are not far downstream from the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. The ice all comes from the Missouri, which flows freely. The Mississippi is damed nearby, preventing the formation of ice.                              

ONDER WINS!

People from other countries are amazed at American lawyer advertising. (As an American lawyer, I am, too.) The state authorities that grant our licenses used to consider it undignified, uncouth. Some decades ago our Supreme Court declared that it is protected free speech. Almost all of the many billboards are for plaintiff personal injury firms. That’s where the big money is.

What I really like about this image, though, Is the rhythmic parade of concrete railroad trestle supports, colorfully splashed with graffiti and receding into the background. 

May need to dip into the archives for a bit. It’s been unusually cold for unusually long by our standards, and it’s about to get colder. This old guy ain’t wandering around  outside.