STL DPB IN MADRID - ZAPATERIA

A shoe store just off Plaza Mayor in Madrid, closed for the night.             

STL DPB IN MADRID - THE PRADO FROM THE OUTSIDE

We have good news and we have bad news: photography is not allowed in the galleries of the vast Prado Museum. That's it, both sides of the issue. Photo junkies like me get antsy if we can't press the shutter button at will. On the other hand, the policy forces people to put down their phones and actually look at the art. How refreshing.

The collection of European painting is stunning but the crowd control could be better. The line at security was terrible, maybe an hour long, but because we had pre-booked with a senior discount they let us cut the line. We had also purchased a 90 minute tour of masterpieces in English, which revealed so much we would not notice on our own. Five hours was all our old bodies could take but you could spend days there.

             

STL DPB IN MADRID - GRAN VIA METRO

We spent part of Wednesday at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. It's an enormous place based on the collection of a very rich German-Spanish couple that grew and grew, and was eventually sold to the Spanish state. It isn't well known in the U.S. We could only cover a small part of it before our aged joints and muscles said enough.

After a leisurely lunch in the museum's cafe, we took a walk through some of Madrid's great public spaces. The Gran Via is hard to characterize, maybe something like London's Regent Street, full of grand buildings but longer and more varied, The metro stop gives a nod to Paris' art deco system.

Tomorrow we confront The Prado.          

STL DPB IN MADRID - I GOT RHYTHM

We like this city. It has beautiful architecture and fabulous food (but you better like ham). It's clean. The people are delightful, without exception. Taxi drivers and restaurant servers are complimentary when I try to communicate in my limited Spanish (I guess not many Americans try). And, at the current exchange rate, it's very affordable for us. Y'all come.

Two activities on Tuesday. We took a bus tour to the historic city of Toledo, where these old bodies hiked up and down hills for hours. More about that later. In the evening, we went to a fancy dinner and flamenco show at Corral de la Moreria, which is supposed to be one of the top places, but what do I know. Well, this guy from Missouri thought it was drop-dead spectacular, heart-pounding and riveting. We've been to some excellent tango dinner shows in Buenos Aires, where the passion is on a slow burn. Flamenco is white-hot, with the fire of el sol español.

 

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, OR TO KNICK-KNACKS

More from the El Rastro Sunday market. It's not that big, certainly not compared to Portobello Road in London or Feria San Telmo in Buenos Aires, but it's fun and colorful. Even old guy vendors can keep rockin' on while they peddle their wares.                  

 

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MADRID

Shooters everywhere. This was found in the weekly El Rastro flea market in the neighborhood where we are staying. From what we have seen in our brief time here, the city is handsome with old buildings well-preserved. The streets are thronged with people out for a typically late Spanish Sunday lunch. Everyone has been friendly. The hotel where we are staying is a little gem. Glad we came.         

IN CHICAGO - NEXT STOP

BYE TO THE LOU FOR NOW

A last look at tulips in Tower Grove Park before getting back in the air tomorrow. The route is St. Louis - Chicago - Madrid. We have lots of activities booked and the weather there sounds simply gorgeous.              

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

During our walk around Washington University, my sister wanted to stop by Graham Chapel. The university has Methodist and Episcopal roots, but the chapel has been without affiliation for a long time. Mary Beth recalled that there were no classes at 11 AM on Wednesday and that there was always an interesting speaker here at that time. She recalled hearing Jane Fonda addressing the students during the Vietnam War.           

WASH U

I left NY/NJ and came to St. Louis University in 1967 (I know - OMG). I was the oldest of four so when I ended up about a thousand miles away my mother thought her children hated her. Two years later, my sister, Mary Beth Crowe, Ph.D., enrolled at Washington University across town. Then mom was sure her children hated her, but the younger two stayed in the northeast. Wash U, as we call it, is much more prestigious than my place and is generally considered one of the top 10 or 20 universities in this country. She was always a more serious student than me.

When the family was here last weekend, my sister wanted to go for a memory walk. This is Brookings Hall, the old main administration building. The campus is gorgeous. St. Louis U isn't bad (look what became of me) but we've always felt a bit inferior.

Posts for the next few days may be hit and miss until we get to Madrid on Sunday.

        

THE KIDS

As mentioned, we had family and friends come from all over for our daughter Emily's memorial service last Saturday. Of course, our son, Andy, and his family came down from Michigan. So these are all three of our grandchildren: upper left, Ellie, the local, 10; cousin Audrey, 8; and wild guy grandson Atlas, 5, in an unusual moment of repose, at the bottom. 

These cousins are tight friends, particularly the girls. Sometimes Atlas tries to bust up their activities. I have no Idea how Audrey learned to go bug-eyed on one side and cross the other eye to the middle. Who knows how many likes could get on Facebook or Instagram? Not that her parents would ever allow it.             

NOW QUIETER

What do you do after a half century, when the joints are getting creaky? We went to brunch at our favorite French restaurant. The staff got wind of the occasion and gave us the most exquisite chocolate mousse at the end of our meal.

So now, briefly, back in the routine. I might as well mention it at this point: our daughter, Ellie's mother, died just before the end of the year after, as they say, a long illness. We waited to have the memorial service until winter weather and Easter had passed. It took place on Saturday and was quite beautiful. Family and friends came from coast to coast. Now, life continues for the rest of us. But Carolyn and i wanted to do something to mark our occasion. We arrive in Madrid on Sunday.                      

GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY

A long time ago - everything is a long time ago now -  I was in my middle year of law school. It was St. Patrick's Day and I had only change in my pocket. My roommate and I decided we could not sit at home despite our lack of funds. There was a bar near the university that had cheap beer and pinball machines. It was crushingly crowded and I was literally pushed into the other person in this picture. I grew up in an apartment in New York. She grew up on a farm in Kansas. We were married 50 years ago today. It worked. It really did.

And the adventures we have had. Some people want to sit on a beach in Cancun or buy trophies in luxury shops. Not us. We went to Tibet, here at Everest base camp at 5,200 meters / 17,000 feet. And Tierra del Fuego and Fairbanks and Bangkok and Alice Springs and Cairo. And Paris, over and over again. Wow, did I luck out. She's the best.                

SKYGAZER

The sky was getting dark early Monday afternoon (I have not edited the color of the sky in this photo). Granddaughter Ellie, clutching her beloved cloth lambie, stared at the sky with rapture. When totality arrived she let out a whoop. She may remember the day for the rest of her life.

I need to take a break from the blog for a few days to attend to some family matters.                 

AMERICAN ECLIPSE WATCHING

The truck stop where we pulled in for eclipse viewing. One after another, drivers of big tractor-trailers pulled in to watch the show. Several more arrived after I took the top picture. As soon as totality passed they were back on the road. The western view had the necessary emblems - McDonald's, the American flag and British Petroleum.               

FAILURE - AND SUCCESS

We scouted traffic online before heading out yesterday morning. Traffic on the Interstate running south from St. Louis appeared to be in gridlock. We decided to head east into Illinois, stopping at a large truck stop parking lot about 55 miles / 88 km away. Plenty of room. I set up the tripod and got lots of ordinary photos of the moon gradually covering the sun.

Just after I took this shot the plate that connects the camera to tripod's ball head decided to come loose. It was the critical moment. I couldn't get it tightened fast enough to get the eclipse filter off the lens for totality. No images of it at all. So I put the camera aside and just looked. I saw the diamond ring effect. The sky was less black than seven years ago, more like sapphire. The wind calmed considerably but the temperature didn't seem to drop that much. Instead of making images, I had the experience.

Most important of all, my granddaughter, Ellie, was spellbound. It was the most fascinating experience of her young life.                     

FINGERS CROSSED

It is a privilege to see a total eclipse once in a lifetime; we have two in our part of the world in seven years, This picture was taken in 2017. Our family plans to drive about an hour and a half southeast of St. Louis today to get close to the center of totality. The forecast looks good but there are no guarantees. Report tomorrow.                         

SAY CHEESE

Nothing wrong with phone cameras these days. Under the right circumstances you can get some very good images. Most of us have heard the saying that the best camera is the one you have with you. Nevertheless, I'd rather have my Fujifilm at my side.

Getting everything ready for the eclipse run tomorrow. The weather looks great. St. Louis will get 98-99% totality but not good enough. We will drive about an hour and a half southeast, where totality will last four minutes. Got my -20 stop solar lens filter. Hope we can find a space.                 

[in Just-]

By e e cummings

 

in Just-

spring          when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame balloonman

whistles          far          and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far          and             wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's

spring

and

         the

                  goat-footed

balloonMan          whistles

far

and

wee

FAMILY PICTURES

 

Spring is looking pretty good here so far. Tulip beds are all over Tower Grove Park. One area contains fake ruins with a pond and fountain. It is a popular place for individual, family and wedding photography. I was sitting on a bench at some distance with a long lens and couldn't resist this.             

SNIFF

You might think this sculpture at Laumeier was rather obvious - a well-ventilated cabin in the woods, open to every kind of olfactory experience. Those of us with a young person in the household hooked on the book and TV series A Series of Unfortunate Events (like me), might immediately think of the Lucky Smells Saw Mill. You would have to read the explanation, https://www.laumeiersculpturepark.org/tea-makipaa , to find out that it's about dogs. Yeah, I get it, but you would never guess on your own.

OUT OF THE WOODS

Doe, a deer, a female deer?. Not exactly. The photo doesn't show anything for scale, but this is a fiberglass piece in Laumeier Sculpture Park, 12 feet / 3.6 meters high. I'm tall, but I could walk under the belly. It is another invention of Tony Tasset, the sculptor who created the eye in Sunday's post. https://www.laumeiersculpturepark.org/tony-tasset-2015  Good thing it's a herbivore. Except it's fake.              

KIDS VS ART

Back at Laumeier Sculpture Park with Ellie's school field trip. What might be going through their heads? The statue is more-or-less classical, with propeller blades or oars or thick cricket bats sprouting from odd locations. The boy on the right just wants a selfie. Ellie, to the left, looks like she has had all she wants. The next boy is far more interested in his phone (sigh). Appreciation takes time. I'll keep working on our kid.             

CITY DAILY PHOTO APRIL THEME - MEDICINE

A tiny bit of the mighty Washington University Medical Center and School of Medicine, including Barnes Jewish Hospital. I've gone in for repairs now and then. It is one of America's top tier medical schools and research facilities and just huge, covering (my best guess) 20 city blocks. And it's never finished. There is constant construction and expansion every time I drive by.

See how other City Daily members take the cure at https://citydailyphoto.org/2024/03/25/april-gallery-medicine/ .

MADELEINE MONDAY ON SUNDAY

 

 

 

Monday is April 1, City Daily Photo theme day, so we have to juggle the schedule a bit. Yesterday morning Ellie's school had a field trip to Laumeier Sculpture Park. I went along. It is a 72 acre / 29 hectare wonderland, or I think so. Ellie and a classmate are standing in front of one of its iconic works, but there is much more to experience down the side paths through the woods.            

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - OLD HIPPIES

Well, so much for scouting out eclipse viewing sites. My car had a nail in one of its tires and I couldn't drive any distance until it was fixed. By then it was too late to hit the road.

So back to Costa Rica. I mentioned that we took a drive to Playa Grande, just north of Tamarindo but 45 minutes away because there is no bridge across the estuary. At the end of the road sits The Grateful Hotel and Sugaree's Bar and Grill, sort of a 60s-70s fantasy for old Deadheads. The restaurant is a decent lunch stop. Was our trip long and strange? Eh, not so much.                

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - TROPICAL BOUNTY

At the Feria Tamarindo again. We see this produce vendor every time we visit and the bounty seems never-ending. We rarely buy something since we go out to dinner almost every night.

As most North Americans know, there will be a total eclipse on Monday, April 8, running from southwest Mexico to Texas, parts of the U.S. Midwest, northern New England and then the Canadian Maritimes. St. Louis will be close to but not quite in the path of totality. I expect to spend much of today driving around looking for someplace right down central that might not be too crowded (thinking Walmart parking lot or similar). I'll keep my eyes open for images, too.          

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - THE JOYS OF AIR TRAVEL

Home, barely. Our flight from Costa Rica to Dallas-Ft. Worth was quite late, our favorite airline put our inbound and outbound gates as far apart as possible and we made our flight to St. Louis with six minutes to spare (yeah, I know, first world problems). There  is a people mover train that takes you between terminals at DFW. When we sat down I saw four empty mini bottles of Tanqueray gin on the opposite seat, the kind you might get on an airplane. There is a story behind this, but I'm too tired to figure it out.              

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - ¡HAY COCODRILOS!

Playa Grande is a long, wide stretch of beach, much less developed, across an estuary from Tamarindo. You can take a boat ride on it to view the wonderful variety of birds and other wildlife. We've done it a few times, but not this trip. However, you don't want to let your arm drag along in the water beside the boat. 

Home late tonight. Probably need to go with Costa Rica photos for a bit.

                

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - STILL LIFE (EAT YOUR VEGETABLES)

From the Feria Tamarindo, the twice-weekly outdoor market. We are approaching the end of the dry season here so these peppers must have been irrigated, or perhaps grown in a greenhouse. It has been hot and very humid and, we are told, about to get hotter. After that, the roads and hillsides will be awash.              

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - TROPICAL FASHION

A vendor's stall at the twice-weekly Feria Tamarindo street market. Every kind of local food, clothing and crafts are on offer. I, personally, wouldn't be caught dead in any of this stuff. When I'm shooting on the street I tend to wear black or soft blues and greys to blend in. Around here, that might make me stand out.              

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - NIGHT IN TAMARINDO

We've been coming to this town regularly for maybe a dozen years. Every time we see more development and more crowds. This building wasn't here, or maybe was still under construction, at our last visit. Fortunately, we stay a distance out of the center where commercial development is restricted.             

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - SUNSET BEHIND BARS

I have taken innumerable ordinary photos of the sunset during our many visits to Playa Langosta. Some are pretty but don't have much creativity. Yesterday, though, something new caught my eye. There is a public path to the beach along one part of the ocean-side lawn, which is protected by a tall metal fence. The lowering sun fell between the bars and the complex tree branches. Opens to different interpretations.              

SAINT LOUIS DAILY PHOTO'S 17TH ANNIVERSARY

What on earth got into me? Not exactly fourscore and seven years ago, but 6,107 posts are not trivial. It's kept me occupied. Although we will be in Costa Rica for a while longer, I thought I'd post a nice picture of the Saint Louis Art museum at dusk to mark the occasion.

We are still in Costa Rica, of course. My cross-cultural challenge yesterday was trying to read a Spanish-only menu in an Indian tandoori restaurant.              

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - SO HERE WE ARE AGAIN

We are, in a way, creatures of habit. Year after year we return to this beautiful condo on Playa Langosta, just outside of Tamarindo in the northwest of Costa Rica. I didn't have a chance to shoot anything new today so here's a IR taken on the beach a couple of years ago.

The area may be getting overdeveloped. We've been coming here for at least a dozen years and we've never had traffic from the airport like today. The regional airport is so jammed that there aren't enough gates and some  passengers have to descend stairs to the tarmac. We noticed many new furniture stores, which means that there are lots of new houses and condos. The main drag of Tamarindo was choked at dinnertime, when I was going to the supermarket. Langosta, where a road runs out of town and ends at an estuary, is much quieter. I hope it stays that way.              

STL DPB EN ROUTE, DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS

Off again on our umteenth trip to Costa Rica. The immigration agents smile when they see all those stamps in our passports. We fly American, overnighting in a hub to get a mid-morning flight down. This time it's at the enormous Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport. The people here are not shy about their culture.               

JEEPS, BEER, SHAMROCKS AND DUCKS

One group in the St. Patrick's Day parade was a fleet of Jeeps in odd paint jobs with a row of small rubber ducks at the bottom of the windshield. The overall effect was a rolling party with plenty of CO2 emissions.

It got cold again here this week. Travel days today and tomorrow. By Wednesday afternoon we will be in some serious heat at what has become our home from home..                  

GETTING A HEAD START

I've been shooting our St. Patrick's Day for years and have often mentioned the amount of alcohol sloshing around ante meridian. More than once, I've noted that St. Louis loves an excuse to drink in public. In the hi res version of this pic, you can see that the bottles between the two men are vodka and Bloody Mary mix. Reminds me of a picture I took at the parade 15 years ago (see below).

I accidentally shot this picture at f 9, probably my arthritic fingers knocking the aperture ring on the lens. The background was much too busy so I tried Photoshop's new Blur Background tool. I think I overdid it.

                     

HO, HO, HUH?

St. Patrick's Day in St. Louis. The parade on the Saturday before the date is a really big deal. The weather yesterday was simply perfect and the crowd was huge. I worked the staging area, which was enough for my creaky spine. This thing was odd but the joke was obvious. 

Granddaughter Ellie walked with the Clark School of Irish Dance, more about which later. Travel day Tuesday and then a change of theme.            

SPRINGTIME CARPET

Not a lot blooming in our botanical garden yet - it's still officially winter - but since real winter is becoming just a memory there are early signs of spring. I'm no horticulturalist; my native ground covering was cement and asphalt so I can't identify the violet ground covering here. Still, with the hard shadow of a tree not yet in leaf, the pattern got my attention.       

Our huge St. Patrick's Day parade is today. Granddaughter Ellie is marching so I'll be there with my camera as long as my back holds out.

SPRING IN THE MIDWEST

I intended to go to shoot some of our 314 Day events yesterday. Nature intervened. We've had a mild winter and very early spring. Here in the Midwest that means it's time for violent thunderstorms and some tornadoes. When I was getting ready to leave in the afternoon my phone began to blare severe weather warnings and the radar looked ominous. A blast drove through soon thereafter, ripping off a large part of the tree in the foreground onto our front steps, seconds before Mrs. C was about to walk in the door. This was followed by a strange orange sunset over our street.            

NOT AT ALL BOTANICAL

When I got to the botanical garden on Monday, I took a seat in the cafe and ordered some lunch. It is in the new-ish main entry and visitors center.  These windows face south and do a good job of filtering the sun while bringing in plenty of light. But it's just so rectilinear, in contrast to all the plant life outside.

Today, 3/14 in American date notation, is Pi Day in some parts of the world. Around here it's just plain 314 Day, that being the telephone area code for the center of our region. I think there will be something to photograph on the theme.              

WATER AND GEOMETRY

Yesterday was unseasonably warm (what else is new). I went to our wonderful botanical garden for a walk with my camera. Despite the very warm winter, there was not yet much blooming. The garden has a large geodesic dome known as the Climatron, with four distinct climactic zones controlled by complex air systems, so I went inside. The sky was blue, the water reflected the sky and the aquaculture was happy.                    

IT WILL BE OUR LITTLE SECRET

Another odd wall painting in Cantado Mexican restaurant. The women's shirts resemble Cardinals baseball uniforms, appropriate since the stadium is across the street. I'm not sure what the number 13 on the earring means, other that it was the uniform number of a popular player who retired a couple of years ago. The place serves excellent margaritas in jars such as the one pictured.

The woman on the left seems to be whispering something. Does she have inside information about the team's chances this year with the season starting later this month? The Cardinals finished last in 2023 so they can't get any worse.        

MADELEINE MONDAY

Always looking for something to do to entertain the kid. A few times a year the St. Louis Symphony will play the score to a screening of a popular movie. Even a top tier orchestra like ours needs to hustle up extra ways to pay the bills. Ellie loved it, but I don't think she was attuned to the nuances of the performance.                 

DID AL CAPONE EVER VISIT MEXICO?

Mixed messages and images. We took the kid to the symphony yesterday for a screening of Encanto with a live score. She loved it. Afterward, we went to dinner at a new Mexican restaurant downtown called Cantado. STL has a large number of Mexican restaurants that basically serve the same slop. This one was a real cut above. The decor, however, was decidedly non-Mexican, more like comic book-graffiti-trippy. A good day all around.                 

MAKE MONEY BUT PLEASE KEEP IT HERE

A sign put up by a local booster organization on an abandoned building near the Mississippi. It is clearly visible from an elevated highway seen at the top. They want you to start a business, make a lot of money, but then DO NOT take it to another city. It's happened. Baby, please don't go.