FEARLESS AUDREY

 

Granddaughter Audrey, 8, concedes nothing to her father, Andy, when it comes to adventurousness. She is zooming down the zip line with arms outstretched, having no need to hold the cable. After this run she did it again.        

ZIP

One of the overpriced but fun attractions at Union Station is what they call the ropes course. You strap and buckle into a harness, click into a overhead guide channel, and off you go, up to three levels above the floor.

Ellie has been just dying to do this. She is too big for the kiddie course but not big enough for the main event without an adult. Neither of her parents have been comfortable with the heights. My creaky spine and joints are of no use. Son Andy, flying through the zip line section, was the perfect guide. We don't know how he got his athletic ability. Certainly not from his parents.           

STL DPB BACK HOME - THE ELLIE AND AUDREY SHOW

Back in The Lou. Son Andy and granddaughter Audrey came down from Michigan for the weekend. Ellie, 10, and Audrey, 8, couldn't be closer. We spent much of Sunday at St. Louis Union Station. It hasn't had trains for years. These days it is a nice hotel and entertainment center. After some fun that we will come to later, we had lunch at at a place simply called The Soda Fountain. It has bad diner food and outrageous desserts (some with alcohol, if that's of interest). The two girls could barely finish this between them.             

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - TÊTE À TÊTE

Las Vegas has lots of great places to eat, if you have the price of admission. Here, two elegant young women dine at Mon Ami Gabi in the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. It describes itself as a typical French bistro. I'm certain a similar meal would be cheaper in Paris.

Lots going on here this weekend. Son Andy and granddaughter Audrey are in from Michigan. She and STL granddaughter Ellie are good friends. Sure to be pictures to follow.           

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - FAKE

The city built on illusion, fantasy, greed, mass taste and a little bit of sleaze. More than a little in the case of the building in the center. We don't enjoy Las Vegas, except as something to gawk at and a location of a wide variety of interesting restaurants. I''m proud to say we did not put a single dollar in a slot machine. It's just where we need to stop on our way in and out of Death Valley.            

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - HŌNTO?

Some years ago, Mrs. C and I took several months of Japanese lessons before a trip to that country. It often happened that our sensei would ask me a question, I'd bungle the answer, and she would look at me sternly and say hōnto? REALLY?

That was the first thought that came to mind when I saw this digital billboard while walking along the Las Vegas Strip. I'd say I'm pretty skeptical but not cynical. Tic Tok sparks good? Gimme a break. Love the stomping boot in the upper right.

           

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - A LAST VIEW OF DEATH VALLEY

Probably. Still at Mesquite Flat Dunes. I think this is one of my better pictures from the trip. You can be your own editor but not your own critic. See what you think.              

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THOSE DUNES

Still at Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley with a point of view pulled back from yesterday's photo. It looks like a romantic 19th Century landscape of the Old West (or that's how it strikes me). The range on the rights is inappropriately called the Grapevine Mountains.

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FRANK HERBERT

Another image from the Mesquite Sand Dunes. The two small figures in the center and right center give some sense of scale, although the sand continues well beyond this ridge. And how far away are the mountains?

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - ARTIST'S PALETTE

There is a road off Death Valley's main highway known as Artist's Drive. It is another wonderful work fo engineering blasted through the tortuous curves of rock. The main feature is this formation called Artist's Palette. We read that the reasons for this splash of color are geologically and chemically unclear. Looks cool, though. Note the two tiny people in the lower right for scale.            

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - LONESOME COWBOY

Just kidding. It's another tourist standing on a ridge at Zabriskie Point, taking pictures with his phone.             

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - DANTE'S VIEW

 

Late post today. Our Internet wasn't working when we got home from the airport last night and I just figured  it out. Dante's View is a point on a mountain top 5,575 ft / 1,699 M above sea level, overlooking Badwater Basin, which is below sea level. The rest of Death Valley sweeps away to the north. The road to the top is an engineering marvel. However, nothing tells you which of the three books of the Divine Comedy you are looking over.

So, great to be home. It's 4 F / -15.5 C.                  

STL DPBON THE ROAD - A MEMORY FROM ZABRISKIE POINT

We've been to Death Valley maybe four or five times over the last 40 years. As I've mentioned, it's one of our favorite places. A memory comes back of a long-ago visit to Zabriskie Point. There is a broad, flat rock to the left of the frame. We saw what we thought was a German film crew endlessly setting up, with Mel Brooks and Alan King off to the side, goofing around and amusing themselves. One of my few close-up star sightings.           

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - ZABRISKIE POINT

It's odd to think of a handful of places in Death Valley's majesty as particularly famous, but Zabriskie Point is near the top. A rock promontory sits amidst these mysterious flows, overlooking the head of equally famous Golden Canyon (which we used to - deliberate past tense - be able to climb to). I know little about geology, but the black caps are lava. You could find out about it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabriskie_Point .

It is also the name of an artsy movie that came out when I was an undergrad. The film was a commercial flop but all us 20 year-olds. loved it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabriskie_Point_(film) 

                 

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - THE QUIET AND THE SPACE

 

One of the things we like so much about Death Valley is the silence and the enormous sense of space. It's not busy during the week and you can drive a long way before seeing another car. The distances between main sites are tens of miles apart. Whether driving or walking through, you may have a sense of being a tiny observer in a vast universe.

Those of you who know us personally are aware that the last couple of years, and particularly the last couple of months, have been difficult for our family. Our last stop on Tuesday was the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. The western skies were cloudy as we approached. I was pessimistic about the light but as we walked out into the sand the clouds parted. I don't need any jackpots when we get back to Las Vegas. I got all I want here. Our rental car has Apple Play and I have a lot of music on my phone. I put on some Chopin as we drove back to Furnace Creek and, in all the space and quiet, a sense of peace fell over me.           

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - GOOD ADVICE

The desert tour continues. This is one of the youngest features in Death Valley National Park, Ubehebe Crater. Rising magma caused underground aquifers to seethe with steam, leading to a volcanic explosion. Geologists think it happened about 2,000 years ago, scattering lava over a wide area. If interested, see http://tinyurl.com/48dtbtyr .               

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - DEATH VALLEY

There is no better place we know in the US to clear out your head than Death Valley. It's two hours drive from Las Vegas and, outside of the central village, you might as well be on another planet (with your fellow tourists). This is Badwater Basin, 282 feet / 85.5 meters below sea level, the lowest point in this country. (I'm talking geography, not politics or history.)    

The mountain range in the background and the one behind me are slowly spreading apart as this section of the valley continues to sink. Springs that originate in the mountains drift toward here and evaporate, leaving a crackling salt crust.          

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - MUNCH LIKE AN EGYPTIAN

Hello from one of the most absurd cities in the world, Las Vegas, Nevada. I dunno, maybe Dubai is up there but I've never been. Blew in late Saturday afternoon, had a great dinner at a Taiwanse restaurant, and then sacked out in this place. We are not Vegas people, but it is our way-station on the way to our real destination.

https://youtu.be/ur6pMt5KA_w?si=avIrxgHei2Ejltvr

IN NEED OF A WARM HAT

It's finally getting quite cold here, although it's much worse further north. 18th Century wigs just aren't enough to keep the brain warm. Woolfie should get someone to make a run to REI for him.

Today is a travel day, with an major change of scene by tonight. Hope to have something to show Sunday morning.                

BOATHOUSE

Turn around from the view in yesterday's post, take a few steps across the road and you come to this. There is a series of waterways through the northwest quarter of Forest Park that eventually lead to the Grand Lagoon below the art museum.The boathouse rents paddle boats, kayaks and paddle boards. There is also a decent restaurant. Hard to see in this deliberately soft image but there are still paddle boats in the water in January. Business was poor.              

WE USED TO BE SOMEBODY

Okay, significant software messing around here but it fits the image. A long time ago, St. Louis was the fourth largest city in the US, after New York, Philadelphia and Chicago. I won't go into what happened since, but in 1904 we had a World's Fair (Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis) and the second modern Olympics after Athens. This is one of the few remaining buildings, known to us as the World's Fair Pavilion. It is well restored and you can rent it for events.          

THERE'S A REASON FOR IT

This is the bottom of Art Hill, the long slope that's the place to go sledding in this town. The body of water at the bottom is known as the Grand Lagoon. When we got heavy snows (it happened), the paved path would be covered and the reckless could - and did - fly straight into the water (and it's more than a meter drop). Eventually, the park put a line of hay bales at the bottom. Now it's spaced bales with that orange net stretch stuff.

Forest Park lies between our two major universities, St. Louis U. and Washington U. When I was an undergrad at SLU, we used to swipe plastic trays from the cafeteria to use as minimal sleds if there was a big dump. Kids would zoom out of control and occasionally someone would shoot off the end. I saw it happen.                  

DO THE BEST WITH WHAT YOU'VE GOT

There is a cold drizzle falling as I write this Monday evening but temperatures are cleanly above freezing. Any snow cover is gone, although a few decaying snowmen remain. Art Hill, the long slope below the art museum, was patchy over the weekend but bare now. Children will try their sleds on anything available.             

STRIPES AND CURVES

A crosswalk in Forest Park, leading to a walking trail through the trees. Sometimes we just have to be satisfied with patchy, sloppy snow.          

WE FINALLY GOT SOME

I have not looked up the statistics but it seems like we get a lot less snow than we did years ago, and what we get doesn't last as long. We got a little Friday night and Saturday morning, enough to cover the grass, but the temperature was just above freezing. Still, families brought the kids to Art Hill, the long slope below our art museum. It's STL's premier sledding venue.      

THAT'S US

 

Downtown St. Louis, looking west from the top of the Arch. I worked there for my whole career, 47 years. Not so big but not insignificant. It's not doing so well post-pandemic but there are reasons for hope. Neither mountains or tornadoes on the horizon. 

We note that this is the third anniversary of the insurrection that attempted to crush our democracy. May we persevere.             

MORE ARCH, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I GOT

I've been taking pictures of the big wicket for ages and it's hard to find something fresh. This one has some sense of scale.

Need to get out on the street, for whatever there is to shoot in January. I got my back worked on this week at the mighty Washington University Medical Center so I should be more mobile. We'll see what there is to see.     

THURSDAY ARCH SERIES

We often take granddaughter Ellie out for some activity on Saturday, and happily there are plenty in our area. Last weekend she wanted to visit the Arch and ride the tram to the top. It was perfectly clear and the winter sun was low. From the observation deck at 640 feet / 192 meters, the shadow of the monument cast a sharp line across the levee and onto the Mississippi. Note the north leg of the Arch in the lower left.                

MONSTERS OF THE DEEP

Around the corner from the view in yesterday's photo, the ground floor of the City Museum has an area that looks like a bizarre undersea realm. There are tails and teeth and a giant whale mouth to crawl into. Small openings lead into a maze of tunnels on this level and up into the ceiling. Kids can disappear, so now the staff writes their adult's phone number on the child's wristband. It comes in handy.                

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

The main stairway leading up from the lobby into the many wonders of the City Museum. The balustrade is made of industrial rollers, each painted differently. But then there are other marvels on the ground level and even in the basement. One of the many, many slides is in the top background.        

CITY DAILY PHOTO JANUARY THEME - PICTURE OF THE YEAR

From a post in November, looking up at the sunset sky from within the spiral of Richard Serra's monumental steel sculpture, Joe. It is located in the courtyard shared by the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and our Contemporary Art Museum. Not to everyone's taste but it's my favorite of the year.

And so to 2024. May the people of Gaza, Israel, Ukraine--and you--find peace. May Trump go away forever and may the skies be clear for the total eclipse in April. May artificial intelligence not become overlord and may Twitter/X fold. May we have enough water and shelter from the heat. May we learn our lessons, so many lessons.