Thursday Arch Series

The view from my office window, taken yesterday on a foggy morning. Just a phone cam.

I love my view. I've looked at this for more then 20 years, photographing it over and over. Sadly, I'll lose it soon. Times change and the firm is moving at the end of the year. I will have a better view of the Mississippi, Eads Bridge, and the new bridge across the river. But it won't be the same.                 

Red Sea

Running low on material and I've been terrible on commenting on my friends' posts. New dimensions in overwork, or unfortunately, as St. Louisan Yogi Berra put it, deja vu all over again. So we got a couple of shots of the crimson mob entering Busch Stadium. The crowds are always enthusiastic, sometimes to the point of wackiness.                      

Not The Best Day For St. Louis

Defeat in the fifth game of the World Series. The Cardinals offense hit the snooze button as they lost to the Red Sox 3 - 1. The match returns to Boston on Wednesday. Our team would have to win both of the two final games to gain the championship, a very tough assignment.

So today we have some strange-ish baseball images. Top, a TV camera's monitor near our seats with a glowering Boston pitcher. Below, a girl whose mother gave me permission to photograph, but between us we could not get to smile. 

Last, there has been a blimp floating over the stadium for the last few days, surreal enough by itself. It had cameras for aerial shots and LED ads for Direct TV. I didn't catch the context of this sequence. Interpret it any way you want. As Archibald MacLeish said, a poem should not mean, but be.          

Win Some, Lose Some / Madeleine Monday

Bad night at Busch Stadium yesterday, as Boston defeated St. Louis 4 - 2. Everyone wearing red felt deflated when a rookie pinch runner was picked off first with two out in the bottom of the ninth and the Cardinals threatening.

So better to show the family, Brian, Emily and Madeleine, the Rally Baby. Her streak ended.           

World Series Game 3 - Cardinals Win

The Cardinals won Game 3 of the World Series on a bizarre play in the bottom of the ninth. Americans have all heard about it by now. My international readers would have a hard time understanding it. We'll take whatever we can get. The Cards are up 2 games to 1 in the best-of-seven contest. 

Carolyn, Emily, Brian, Madeleine the Rally Baby and I are going to Game 4 tonight. Hope I can get something posted. Gotta be at a business meeting 7:30 Monday morning.         

The Big Show

St. Louis is beginning to boil with excitement. The baseball World Series resumes here tonight after a split of the first two games between the Boston Red Sox and our beloved Cardinals in Massachusetts. Souvenir stands and the first few scalpers are popping up in the streets around Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals won the championship in 2011 and 2006. We made the Series in 2004 but got blasted by Boston. Considering that there are 30 teams in Major League Baseball, that's quite a record. The family is going to the game tomorrow night, including Madeleine, the rally baby.

It may be a bit arrogant to call the U.S. baseball championship the World Series. The game is played to a high standard in Japan, Korea, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and other countries. Why, there is even a baseball field in Evry, France, although I cannot attest to the quality of play.            

Condiment

The wicked root. Madison County, Illinois, across the Mississippi from the north side of St. Louis, claims to be the horseradish capital of the world. Something about the terroir and the large German population in the area. Think about that name, horseradish. Like, um, road apples?

Found on the near north side.         

         

Thursday Arch Series

I got the day of the week right this time. It's always been my opinion that the Arch was placed on the banks of the Mississippi by the same aliens who created the monolith in the opening scenes of Kubrick's 2001. 

Been bad about visiting my friends blogs and leaving comments this week. Just too, too, much work. Things will turn around.                 

Concert For Kathmandu Kids - Around The Room

Just a bit more from last weekend's fundraiser for the Mitrata Nepal Foundation. There was a good crowd at The Old Rock House, a bar and music venue near downtown. Above, the leaders of Joia and Christine Schutz, the president of the foundation. Below, part of the Nepalese contingent at the party and, finally, fun on the dance floor during the final jam with Dawn Weber, her band and Joia.        

Concert For Kathmandu Kids- Joia

The other main act at the Mitrata Nepal Foundation's fundraiser was Joia. I can only describe it as a percussion orchestra. Their performances aren't just jam sessions, although they can be at times. The group has set pieces of incredible rhythmic complexity and drive. It's impossible to sit still in their presence.

Click any of the videos on their home page for a sample. It's good for what ails you.            

Concert For Kathmandu Kids - Dawn Weber

One of the headliners at the Mitrata Nepal Foundation fundraiser was the remarkable Dawn Weber, trumpeter, singer, composer and arranger. She plays jazz, funk, classical, Latin and more. She filled the stage with personality and music. Locals, if you have the chance you must hear her play. There are some music clips on her website - click the link on her name.        

Madeleine Monday

My younger child is 33 so there is a lot I've forgotten about developmental milestones. For instance, babies don't know how to smile right away. Ms. M will be nine weeks tomorrow and she's got this all figured out now. So much more expressive.         

Concert For Kathmandu Kids

Long-time readers know that my wife and I support the Mitrata Nepal Foundation (see bottom of right sidebar), which provides a loving home, education, health care and nutrition in Kathmandu. We've visited there and met the young woman we sponsor. Contributions are very, very well spent.

Last night was the Concert For Kathmandu Kids, an annual event. I was the house photographer. The headliners were the amazing Dawn Weber, above, and The Lou's supercharged percussion ensemble, Joia. I got a ton of good pix but it's really late as I write this. More to come.

Right After The Last One

Yesterday's, today's (and maybe tomorrow's) pictures were taken on a September afternoon. I was walking around under the Arch shooting hand-held HDRs, some of them with a Lensbaby. This view is from the top of the stairs in Friday's post with the shadow of the Arch running down. If you look carefully you can see the shadow out over the river and hooking left.

AND THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS CRUSHED LOS ANGELES 9 - 0 LAST NIGHT TO WIN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP. The Cardinals now advance to the World Series against either Boston or Detroit. The Series will be here Saturday, Sunday and perhaps Monday of next week. I hope to get to one and possibly two of the games. 

The Cardinals are a remarkable franchise. There are 30 teams in Major League Baseball. Our's has reached the World Series 4 of the last 10 and 2 of the last 3 years.

 

       

That Occasional Arch Series

Back in the day I used to post an Arch picture every Thursday. After six and a half years of this blog it's hard to see it in new ways. Once in a while something gets my eye. This is the grand staircase that goes to from the monument to the Mississippi River. It was taken in late afternoon with the sun behind and to the left of the camera. And it's an HDR.         

The Opposite Of What I Do

I don't have any  current St. Louis material so I'm staying with Chicago for a bit.

These pictures were taken on or just off Mies van der Rohe Way (remember, less is more!), the small street that runs in front of Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. In the first shot, Carolyn and Andy puzzle over a poster for the featured photography exhibition. These are not words I live by. The show was about images made after long, intense planning. The picture in the poster is supposed to be a BMW noise-supression testing room, although it's fake. Each of those sound-absoribing bars are just curled paper, precisely arranged and then thrown away. A bit too heady for me.

The bottom picture was taken a quarter-block away. It shows the spiral ramp into the Hancock Building and its light fixtures. I just  liked the abstraction and rhythm.      

On The CTA

Chicago has a pretty good public transit system. The CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) trains run in a hub and spoke pattern, in and out of the the famous Loop downtown. Mrs. C and I are supporters of public transportation but it was a bit of a schlepp to get from our hotel on Michigan Avenue back to the Loop and out again to O'Hare Airport.

Most of the system is elevated above ground (hence The L) but there are parts underground. The first shot was taken at the Blue Line stop at Lake Street. Several stops later I got the second shot on my phone of two of the runners.

Bottom, what Jon Stewart on The Daily Show calls your moment of zen. Red Line, Chicago Avenue stop.        

Alliance For A Healthier Generation

Many runners in marathons affiliate themselves with a charity. Even though son Andy, the tower in the first picture, wasn't able to run we met up with his team, the Alliance For A Healthier Generation. Its cause is to fight childhood obesity, a serious problem in this country. Andy raised a significant amount of money. (You can add to it if you want.)

We were standing at the halfway point of the race, looking for members of the team running by. As I took the top picture Andy spotted one of them and pointed. I whipped around and, with the exposure set for bright sunlight, took the bottom picture in the shade. The photo has been sandblasted in Photoshop.

By the way, that's Mrs. C in the on the right of the first photo..                      
         

2013 Chicago Marathon

Although we were disappointed that our son had to withdraw from the Chicago Marathon it's still quite a spectacle. There were more than 40,000 runners and innumerable spectators.

Back home now. What a difference in the energy of that city and this one. Well, the traffic, too.