DRAGON, DON’T EAT THE KIDS!

A Chinese dragon threatens some children at the Red Lantern Night Market. All in fun but the girl on the right looks a bit concerned.

Trip coming up, big flow of new images.                          

A TOP SALESPERSON

How could a buyer resist? This charming young woman was at a tent at the Red Lantern Night Market selling jewelry. The only jewelry I own is my wedding ring so I kept my credit card in my wallet and picked up my lens. She gave me a great deal.                   

GOOD KARMA HYDRATION

It was a typical St. Louis July evening at the Red Lantern Night Market, hot and humid. Time for some hydration with blessings. The dress suggests to me that the figure is female, not the big guy. When I zoom in on the beverage container I see lettering that says Las Vega… S? N? Either one would be interesting.                         

 

JAPANESE CUTE

 

At the Red Lantern Night Market. I don’t think there is a people on earth who do cute as intensely as the Japanese. You could leave the market with more J Cute stuff than could fit in your car (nobody goes by public transport here), and some people might eagerly do so.                             

RED LANTERN NIGHT MARKET

There is an event in St. Louis’ Central West End neighborhood that’s been going on for two or three years called the Red Lantern Night Market. We hadn’t heard about it before but it was featured in the local newspaper and our public radio station (we just increased our contribution, for reasons Americans will understand). All of our East Asian communities came together for a party in a narrow street lined with tents of vendors and throngs of visitors. There was a lion dance and lots more.                  

A STAR IS BORN

 

St. Louis has lots of theater companies. Perhaps the most notable is the St. Louis Repertory Theater, that has been around for decades. They have a summer program for kids called Camp Rep. Granddaughter Ellie finished her session yesterday with the big group show. She says she wants to be an actress. We wish her fulfillment for her dreams but she has lots of other talents.                      

FROM AN AIRPLANE MANUFACTURER

Ever heard of a car manufacturer named Viosin? They made airplanes in France from 1905 to 1946. The company dabbled in automobiles and created this model in 1936. Its lines reflect the company’s main business. That hood ornament, however, could tear someone open.     

ALFA PREDITOR

Another from the Roaring exhibition. This is a 1930 Alfa Romeo racing car. Depending on the engine option, it was capable of 103-110 mph / 168-177 kph. No roll bar or seat belts, let alone air bags. Why bother with headlights? I wonder about the injury or fatality rate of the drivers.               

FINE ART AND A 1928 CITRÖEN

I’m sticking with some of the wonderful cars at the art museum’s Roaring show until something better comes along. This is a 1928 Citroën, repainted by the contemporary Dutch artist, Bernadette Ramaekers. It is said to be in the style of Sonia Delaunay. Some of the visitors around me pronouced the name of the make as sih-TRONE. We don’t have umlauts in English. 

FILLES DE LA RÉVOLUTION

 

I don’t think these people are genuine daughters of the revolution, nor do I believe those beverages are rose de Provence. The outfits are un peu stereotypical. Nevertheless, as I have noted, St. Louis loves an excuse to drink in public and what could be a better end to the party than a decapitation (even if fake)?                   

ALLONS ENFANTS!

Happy Bastille Day to our French Friends! St. Louis was founded by French explorers and one of our historic neighborhoods, Soulard, was established by a French couple of the same name. It has an annual tongue-in-cheek celebration of the event with Louis and Marie Antoinette being chased by the mob very slowly through the district, stopping at the several bars. It ends with a mock execution.

Note the sign in the upper left. Some of the mob rode through the streets on golf carts.          

ROARING

Yesterday, we went to a show at the Saint Louis Art Museum called Roaring: Art, Fashion, and the Automobile in France, 1918–1939. There was a stunning combination of cars and clothing. This is a 1939 Buggati, a wedding present for the Shah of Iran and his Egyptian bride for their nuptials in Cairo (hence the Arabic numerals). The reflections on the fenders are from the skylights in the ceiling.

And happy birthday to Mrs. C (b. 1944 and going strong).

                     

THE LONELINESS OF THE CARNEY

The people who work the carnivals must have a lonely existence. Rootless, traveling from town to town, probably without family. They can’t make much money and it’s seasonal work. If there are no customers at the game they are running, there is little to do but stare through the night at the bright colored lights. Or maybe notice a photographer.                         

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Most of us have those “Hey, mister, take my/our picture!” moments.These kids at the carnival were Webster Groves High School students. Well, they aren’t all white. Very clean cut. If you went 5 or 10 miles west, similar kids’ clothes, or at least the shoes, would be a couple of notches more expensive. 5 or 10 miles northeast and the look would be - what’s the right word these days? - urban.                         

PINK SNEAKERS

When I was a kid (50s-60s), sneakers were Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars in black or white. That’s it. By 1989, my then 9 year-old son became the fashion sensation of Paris by wearing Chucks in mismatched colors, one red, one green. (Yes, we were there on the bicentennial, and it was really weird watching the festivities on TV in our hotel). Now, anything goes. When I go to the gym the footwear has more colors than the spectrum of The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine.                   

CRICKET SKILLS

There was a group of young South Asian men at one of the arcade games at the carnival. Off to the right of the frame were shelves of empty glass beer bottles, spaced somewhat apart. Players got three baseballs for their money and were awarded a prize if they could break one or more bottles. This contestant broke one. I showed him this picture and told him he was the best fast bowler in Webster Groves.             

I WANTED TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE

Brassy color, harsh lights and dark skies made me wonder what one of the carnival images would look like in black and white. I think it’s interesting.                  

SOME OF THESE ACTUALLY WORKED OUT

Despite my camera technical problems, some of the July 4 fireworks photos worked out pretty well. There are lots of references online about how to shoot fireworks but the general idea is to shoot in raw, manual focus a little back from infinity, low ISO, f8 or 11-ish, and use bulb shutter control to open the lens as the pop starts and close it as the lights fade. I had to turn off the camera manually but I got lucky.                       

SERENDIPITY

I figured out what was wrong with my camera settings. Many Fujifilm cameras like mine have all sorts of retro manual controls. They can give the photographer complete conmand of the details but they can be complicated. Turned out that there was a dial set one place off that I couldn’t see in the dark. But exposure and focus mistakes can lead to interesting results. This looks organic to me, like some kind of spore.                   

BOOM

In addition to the carnival, Webster Groves has its own Fourth of July fireworks show. There is a recipe for photographing fireworks but my camera was giving me a hard time. The Bulb shutter speed setting wouldn’t work and kept setting the time for 30 seconds. I had to turn the camera off manually but still got a couple of usable shots.                   

EMPTY CALORIES

But oh so good. Don’t tell our Health Secretary Kennedy, who will tell anyone who will listen to him (which no one should - he’s a wacko), that sugar is poison. But my father, who spent his career in the sugar industry, would say it’s all just fine. This is, of course, a snack stand at Webster Grove’s Fourth of July carnival.                      

CARNIVAL

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, Independence Day, the American national holiday. Although there is much to mourn this year, celebrations take place across the country. I live in Webster Groves, one of St. Louis’ older (by our standards), inner suburbs. It is a vibrant community with a big holiday carnival. Not in the New Orleans / Rio sense, but more like what they call a fun fair in Britain and Ireland. It opened last night, a don’t-miss for our granddaughter. 

There are lots more pictures from the Pride Fest parade at https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobcrowe/albums/72177720327261352, and I’ll probably have more still in the album.                 

McPRIDE

McDonald’s employees in the Pride Fest parade. No Ronald, though. That may be a trademark too far. The two characters here are occasionally seen in promotional materials and are called, I think, The Hamburglar and Grimace.                                        

CITY DAILY PHOTO JULY THEME - BUBBLES

Who doesn’t like a big blow of bubbles? This small truck comes to all sorts of outdoor events in St. Louis. Kids love it. I love it. City Daily Photo members around the world show us ephemeral spheres at https://citydailyphoto.org/category/theme-days/ .                     

PRIDE FEST

It was going on around the world (even in Budapest!). This weekend, our brothers and sisters of all persuasions threw themselves a party, including here in St. Louis . Now, this photographer is as straight as the shortest distance between two points, but I believe that all of us are simply what we are.                    

ALL FLIGHTS CANCELED

This is just behind the view in yesterday’s picture. The river is high for this time of year. A heliport on a barge sits in the Mississippi. You can take a sightseeing flight around the Arch and the city. The helicopter must have fled to safety before the big storms blew through, which you can now see moving out. No more flights today.                        

SO HOT IT BUCKLED THE PAVEMENT

Everyone here knows that the eastern half of the U.S. has been in the oven for the last week. It has buckled the pavement is some places. This is the street under the Arch along the Mississippi, which was perfectly flat. The city has patched the biggest gaps. It would look more dramatic with sharper shadows but some big thunderstorms just rolled through, dramatically dropping the temperature.                        

ANOTHER TINTYPE

When the streets are too hot to go out, it’s good to have some inventory in the archives. Here’s another shot from the Tintype app, https://hipstamatic.app/app/tintype . The view is under the viaduct that carries Interstates 44 and 55 into downtown.                  

TRAPPED

Haven’t been out on the street in several days. It’s just too hot. So, one more from the City Museum. There is a dome on top of the roof topped by a 24 foot / 7.3 meter praying mantis. Slinky-like tubes for kids to climb through are all around. This boy looks like he might become lunch.                 

WIZARDS

The City Museum has a collection of vintage pinball machines. For a small additional charge, you can play as long as you like. I like to think I was pretty good at this in my youth. A friend and I were almost late for our last law school exam because, if memory serves, we had 23 free games racked up on our favorite machine. When I tried again the day this picture was taken, I was just awful. Skills decline.               

WOULD YOU ENTER?

Another detail at the City Museum. The neon sign may have been part of an old amusement park but it sends a mixed message about what may lie beyond.                   

QUEEN OF THE NILE

But not the Mississippi. Time to move on. I’ve got a few images from a recent trip to the City Museum with the wonderful grandkid. One of the things I really like there is the collection of old architectural artifacts. This was probably on the facade of a building but I didn’t look for the explanation.           

SENIOR OPINION

Some of the senior members of the St. Louis community take a break from the heat and humidity at the No Kings rally. No way to get him out the door until the 2026 mid-term elections.                      

FREE SPEECH

Another image from No Kings. There is a case to be made about the effect of private equity on the public good, although it is controversial. I’ve been running  pictures from the protest for a week and it would be nice to have something new. However, after a relatively cool and wet spring, we are now into the oven big time. Close to 100 F / 37-38 C on Saturday and Sunday. What can I shoot from my car?                     

PLACE NAMES

To be determined by geographers and cartographers, not politicians. I note that both Google and Apple Maps have caved on this. Shame.               

PRIORITIES

The No Kings demonstration brought out people of all ages, from geezers like me to this sweet kid. What is more deserving of funding?              

LOSERS AND SUCKERS

In 2018, Donald Trump canceled a visit to the American World War I cemetery outside Paris. It was raining, and he claimed his helicopter could not fly there and the Secret Service would not drive him. Both statements were false; there are indications that the rain would have messed his hair. The visit wasn’t worth it to him, as he characterized the fallen soldiers as suckers and losers. Trump denied making the statements but they were witnessed, including the retired four star Marine general who was then his chief of staff. Several veterans at the No Trump rally still take offense.                 

VISION

I am so proud of this woman, out at the demonstration with perhaps her son helping her, expressing her conscience. Hard to see at this resolution, but her shirt has a face known to most Americans, Smokey the Bear (only you can prevent forest fires or, more recently, only you can prevent fascist liars). The bear wears mirrored sunglasses, reflecting the desert in one lens and mountains in the other. The word RESIST is  written across the hat. Hooray for her.            

ACCORDING TO MARK TWAIN

Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.

Another image from the No Kings demonstration in downtown St. Louis. It was scheduled to go from 2 to 5. I got there at 1:30 as a brief shower broke out. By 2:45 Kiener Plaza was very crowded, my old creaky spine was wearing out and I was soaked in perspiration. I left but people continued to stream in. Only the next day did I learn that thousands more arrived and began a march many blocks long along the adjacent main avenue. I missed it but it’s a consequence of getting old.

And by the way, Mr. Twain, it doesn’t.                      

 

 

NO KINGS

There were at least six No Kings rallies around the metro area yesterday but the big one was downtown. I got there early and Kiener Plaza was already busy. By 40 minutes after the official starting time it was so crowded I could hardly get a clear shot, yet people were still streaming in. As of late Saturday night I have not seen an estimate of the number of people but it must have been well over a thousand. More to come.                 

QUEEN OF THE ROLLER DERBY

Possibly a last pic from Circus Flora, pending what happens at today's No Kings demonstration in downtown St. Louis. It’s hard to see at this resolution, but there is a sturdy strap around the man’s neck that wraps low on the back of the woman’s head. I was able to use a fast shutter speed to freeze this but just looking at it was a blur. 

This afternoon should be interesting.                   

NO NET

America’s first family of acrobats and aerialists, The Flying Wallendas, joins Circus Flora every June. The act included both a generation older and younger than what we see here. Rough estimate is that these three were +/- 30 feet / 10 meters off the floor, with nothing but their skill to protect them.

I need to do at least one more day of circus images. There are No Kings rallies planned in every city in the U.S. on Saturday, and I plan to cover the one in downtown St. Louis.                   

DOGS AND FRISBEES

One of the reasons we go to Circus Flora year after year is because granddaughter Ellie loves animals (particularly her somewhat indolent tabby cat, Gizmo). Whether it’s dogs, horses, goats, rabbits or you name it, she loves them all. I’ve seen dogs catching frisbees before, but never with such choreographed precision.                        

 

FREE DIVER

That’s what the image makes me think of, someone floating through the deep blue without a mask and tank. She performed a ballet in three dimensions, emphasizing the vertical.                    

ARC SEGMENTS

The circle, gentle arc and lines in this picture make me think of high school geometry class. Of course, this is a bit more interesting and, by definition, there weren’t any girls in my boy’s Catholic school.                           

LEVITATION

Or close to it. I can’t imagine the strength, balance and coordination (not qualities I am known for) it takes to do this. At some point the performer was straight up on his hands with his legs perpendicular to his spine. Stunning.                   

THE CIRCUS IS IN TOWN

One of the nice things about St. Louis is that we have our own resident circus company, Circus Flora. Last night was opening night. Dad and all four grandparents took Ellie the kid, who can’t get enough of this stuff. One of the acts was this young group of tumblers and acrobats known as the St. Louis Archers. More to come.                   

A TINTYPE

I needed a bit of filler  before a major photo event later today (the circus is in town). A year ago I learned about a $1 iPhone camera app called TinType. It produces images reminiscent of 19th Century low resolution snaps with striking effect. I go out and shoot with it once in a while. You can just see the Arch in the haze.               

STRING BAND

Another act getting ready for Artica in October. This “string band” has a name, which I didn’t write down and don’t member. If someone who sees this knows, let me know and I will edit the post. They played a variety of bluegrass-y and country-ish music, with some humor thrown in. Note the seldom-seen bass guitar.

By the way, I have my late brother-in-law’s banjo, which I can’t possibly play. If anyone would like it, let me know.