Kampai!

Next topic: the Japanese Festival at Missouri Botanical Garden, um, just two weeks ago. At the opening ceremony the Consul General of Japan in Chicago, Toshiyuki Iwado, Mayor Francis Slay and other dignitaries broke open a cask of sake and passed samples to VIPs (which did not include your faithful photographer). There is no L sound in Japanese and, to the constant amusement of those who speak European languages, even the most educated struggle with it. Consul Iwado, whose English was otherwise flawless, offered his congradruations and invited guests to have a sip from their wooden grasses.

Then they passed some snorts to the entertainers. Nothing better than taiko drummers sloshed on rice wine. I think of the bottom pic as the Three Graces.                    

Thursday Arch Series, With Political Extra

Long lens shot down Market Street over the parade in the gloom last Saturday. Note the Santa Claus with a green hat in the lower left. There are many more shots of the weekend's parades on Flickr here, with more still to come as I have time to edit.

Mayors everywhere show up at big events like this, of course. That's Mayor Francis Slay, about to start an unprecedented fourth term, pictured below. The man on the left facing away from the camera is St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley.

It just occurred to me that tomorrow is this blog's sixth anniversary. Wonder what I can come up with.       

St. Louis Central Library Reopening: Ceremony

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It's a public event so there had to be speeches by dignitaries and officials. Among those present were Mayor Francis Slay (above center). library executive director Walter McGuire (above right and bottom photo), Alderwoman Phyllis Young, whose ward includes downtown, Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed (fourth picture, right center) and alderman Freeman Bosley, who has been on the board longer than anyone can remember (fourth picture, right).

McGuire mentioned that when the library first opened in 1912, the speeches went on for three hours. Attention spans are shorter these days.

We go inside tomorrow.

Who's In Charge

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Another shot from the Park Pacific of a notable downtown building, this time City Hall. Unfortunately, it was taken through a window, not from the rooftop terrace. The building has considerable architectural interest. Its inspiration was Paris' Hôtel de Ville, although ours is rather less grand. (The two cities are easily distinguished.) The interior is impressive, especially the rotunda. Really need to go shoot there some time but the building is only open on weekdays. That's hard for my overloaded schedule.

Below is Mayor Francis Slay. He's been running the show for eleven years and is likely to get another term. I've taken his photo on a number of occasions but I think he's still a little puzzled about who this older guy is in the suit with the big camera. He's always gracious and well-respected in most quarters. (He's a politician - can't please everybody.)

Mayor Slay and Chief Isom

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Local dignitaries attended the municipal Christmas tree lighting on Friday night. Above and to the left is Mayor Francis Slay, now finishing his second four-year term. He is a lawyer (isn't everyone in America?) and a graduate of my alma mater, St. Louis University (motto: We're almost as good as Washington U.). Downtown enjoyed a renaissance during his administration (I've been working there for 34 years and, believe me, it needed the defribrilator paddles). Unfortunately, that has stopped dead in the current real estate bust. Some of his policies have been controversial but no polititian escapes that in this town's racially polarized politics.

On the right is newly-appointed Chief of Police Daniel Isom. His predicessor was given the bum's rush when it got around that his daughter was driving hot cars towed and impounded by the cops. We have great hopes for Chief Isom. He is young and full of ideas. He has a Ph. D. in criminology and criminal justice, a masters in public administration and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. Can your police chief say that?

I'm happy with the way these portraits turned out, considering that it was night and I was shooting hand-held with flash. Got a bit of a boost, though, from the TV lights.

WHAT'S TONIGHT'S SPECIAL EVENT: the annual big board of directors meeting and dinner of the Eastern Missouri Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. I am a member of the board, which is appropriate for two reasons: I represent people who are disabled with arthritis and I have rheumatoid arthritis myself (well-controlled with these new whiz-bang "biologic" therapies). I get to hang out with rheumatologists and have my funds raised.

TOMORROW: oh, I don't know. How about a cheap but dramatic HDR shot of sunset over railroad tracks?

Fifty-9

Another snap from the staging area of the PrideFest parade a week ago. This 1959 Chevrolet convertible was the car that Mayor Francis Slay, pictured below, rode in.

TOMORROW: words of wisdom