Gee But It's Great To Be Back Home

Is this what being back in St. Louis does to you?

Actually, I got back out on the streets yesterday for the annual Idiotarod, a fundraiser for Operation Food Search. The joke is a reference to the Iditarod, the great Alaskan dog sled race that also started yesterday. Groups of five run around downtown with decorated grocery carts, pretending they are the dogs, driver and sled. The themes and costumes are outlandish.

High spirits were all around. As I have observed before, St. Louis loves an excuse to drink in the morning. The ladies in the last picture crossed my path several times on the zig zag course, plying me with alcohol at every turn:

Sir, would you take our picture? Sure. My name is Bob. (ALL of the 20-somethings called me sir until I told them to stop.) Great! Would you like a beer? No, but thanks. How about some of this? What is it? Grape juice and vodka! Kinda early in the day for me. Maybe after 5. Then have a shot of Captain Morgan! And so on and so on.

Who gets the reference in the fourth picture? The woman is playing a male character. Hint: (s)he is carrying a towel.

Lots more of this in the coming days.

Spike Out Hunger: Party

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Although the Spike Out Hunger volleyball tournament supported a good cause, a lot of the reason for young people to turn out was to party with their friends. Looked like everybody had a good time. We geezers, though, know a little more about protecting your skin.

Spike Out Hunger: The Falling And The Fallen

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Part of the concept of beach volleyball, at least for young competitors, seems to be to hurl your body into the sand with as much force as possible. I used to like to play in sand when I was a kid but I mostly, you know, just sat there. And who likes sand in their underwear? These people, apparently.

Spike Out Hunger: The Teams

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Team Waste Management, Inc. (someone has to do it)

Team Awesome

Team I Don't Know Who They Are (iPhone Narcissus)

The Huddle

The Spectators

Spike Out Hunger

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Operation Food Search is a St. Louis area food bank that distributes food free of charge to the poor and hungry. I've done some volunteer photography for them before at The Idiotarod (see here, here and here). Yesterday they put on Spike Out Hunger, a beach volleyball tournament and fundraiser in which teams of people much younger than I competed for prizes, took dives in the dirt, worked on their sunburns (much to the dismay of the world's dermatologists) and consumed free booze. Well, it was included in the entry fee. I got shots for the blog and, yes, free booze. More about that in a day or two.

The venue was Wave Taco, a quarter city block on the edge of downtown that contains a lot of sand, a fully stocked bar and light food, all for warm weather socializing by those who have something to show off.