Corn dogs are a staple of American carnivals and state fairs. (I've only been to one state fair but it was Texas so it was a hoot.) This comestible is a hot dog pierced by a stick, rolled in mozzarella cheese, coated in corn meal and deep fried. I guarantee you there are no corn dogs in Korea, unless Kim Jong Il arranged for clandestine imports to serve his delicate palate. Patrons of the Festival of Nations didn't care.
That's simply how this group bills itself, or at least how they were listed on the program. Like most places in the U.S., they have plenty of countrymen here. I like the complex rhythms.
There is a lot going on here over our Labor Day long weekend. (There is some irony that we have one.) Daytime high temps are still hovering around 38 C / 100 F, maybe a bit lower by Monday. I'm not going to attempt the colorful Japanese Festival at the Botanical Garden since it is crushingly crowded. There are pro bicycle races, always great to shoot, but will they go forward in the heat? And we have Paint Louis, according to Guinness the longest graffiti wall in the world. Should get some of that.
We didn't see a lot of performers at the Festival of Nations because we didn't stay that long (too crowded, too hot). This performer is identified on the program only as Prasanna Kasthuri but he has a website, https://prasannakasthuri.com/. The DJ-MC described him as a virtuoso of Northern Indian classical dance. He told the audience that this was about or dedicated to the god Ganesha.
The St. Louis International Institute has a big festival in one of our parks over the last weekend in August. There are performances of music and dance from all over the world, with food to match. Usually lots to photograph but it has gotten so crowded over the years we went early on the first day and left by early afternoon. The weather doesn't help. Not quite as bad as Europe, but about 38 C / 100 F every day this week.
Travel does good things to you. It makes you understand that your life and place are unique but not special. I think this is my very best picture, Mt. Everest, taken from base camp on the Tibetan side. Most climbers start in Nepal, but there is a rough road here from the north making access easier. I had bad altitude sickness. The overlook is at about 5,200 meters, 17,000 feet. Two people from our group had to pull me up the last little hill, but I wasn't going to miss the shot. Our guide said it was almost never this clear.
A last image (for now) from the HYBOCOZO exhibit at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The caption is the name of this piece. The building on the left is the mausoleum of Henry Shaw, the 19th Century philanthropist who founded the place.
Tomorrow is City Daily Photo's monthly theme day, on the subject of travel. I'll be posting what I think is the best photo of my career.
