Individual Style

Most of the people in last weekend's parades were wearing blends of green, white and orange. Not me - not my colors. But even if you chose the traditional tones, you could stand out by riding a unicycle with flawless posture. (That's the Missouri Botanical Garden float.) Or, you could throw off marching band discipline, turn your face to the sky and assault the heavens with your booming.        

Back On The Street, In Green

Finally, back out shooting on the street! With the help of my rollator I walked more than a mile, something that hasn't happened in a long time. Mrs. C, Ellie and I headed downtown for the city's major St. Patrick's Day parade. It's a big deal here and I lived to tell the tale. Lots more to come.

But wait, there's more! There is a smaller, more intimate and crazier parade today in our picturesquely named Dogtown neighborhood. It is always held on the 17th, regardless of the day of the week. I'll try to make it.         

Keep St. Louis Freaky

We are not the most beautiful or prosperous or exciting city. Our seemingly endless, tedious suburbs appear to go on forever. But something I cherish is that St. Louis has a strong and durable core of weirdness. There are many cities that don't. Vive la différence. 

These are some examples I found last Saturday. It is wonderful that Yogi Bear is surrounded by small children, superheros and has a police escort. In some sense, St. Louis is the perfect size. We are big enough to have this strange community and small enough that normal people can afford to live here. Even though I started life as a snobby New Yorker, I'm glad chance set me down here.                    

I Shot The Sheriff

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... with a Canon 7D and a big honkin' telephoto lens. We don't have the Wyatt Earp kind of sheriff here. The St. Louis sheriff's department is responsible for courtroom security and prisoner transportation. This being America, there's a lot of that business around.

I once met the law partner of the then-incumbent Sheriff of Nottingham. Now there's a claim to fame.

Downtown St. Louis 365 is displaying its colors today.

Immunity From Prosecution

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The perfect shirt to wear to a rowdy public event. I wonder if it does any good. Seems to me that if I wore a shirt that said "I'm A Lawyer - Don't Mess With Me" the only probable reaction is that someone would try to pick my pocket. I do have a tee shirt with a quote from Diane Arbus on the back: One of the risks of appearing in public is the likelihood of being photographed. It's my favorite.

It occurs to me that next Tuesday, March 22, is the fourth anniversary of this project. Suggestions about how to mark the event are welcome.

Bikers have taken over Downtown St. Louis 365 today.

Thursday Arch Series

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Happy St. Patrick's Day to my fellow members of the Irish diaspora and to the Irish people themselves. There are a couple of Arch-ish pictures from last weekend's parade. The red car in the bottom picture promotes a local pop music radio station that styles itself The Arch.

You see the words Erin Go Bragh almost everywhere the day is celebrated. The phrase doesn't mean much of anything by itself. It's a few steps of corruption from an expression in the Irish language. There is an interesting discussion here. My cousins living in Ireland all speak the native language. It is a compulsory subject in school. They love to speak it when they are in England - confuses the hell out of the Brits.

Downtown St. Louis 365 celebrates St. Patrick's Day with a wee dram.

Religious Significance of St. Patrick's Day

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St. Patrick's Day was originally a religious observance, a saint's feast day on the Roman Catholic calendar. Then it became more political, the national day of Ireland. It crossed the Atlantic with the Irish diaspora, including my father's family. In this country, it became an occasion for enormous parades and prodigious bouts of drinking. Still, if you looked carefully, there were still signs of Christian sentiment along the parade route.

Today's post on Downtown St. Louis 365 discusses American currency and aphorisms.

The Drinkin' O' The Green

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This town has a huge St. Patrick's Day Parade on the Saturday before the actual date. Along with the surprisingly big Mardi Gras here (which, unfortunately, I missed last week), it marks the beginning of spring public drinking season. We were out last night witnessing some rustic chivalry, it's late Saturday as I write this and more details will have to wait to tomorrow. The series will continue through the week.

More coverage of the Working Families Rally today on Downtown St. Louis 365.

Hook, Ladder and Flag

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As I've shown before, the St. Louis Fire Department goes to public events with two gigantic hook and ladder trucks and suspends an enormous flag from their cranes. This shot is from the St. Patrick's Day parade. I like it because almost all that shows of the flag is the swooping red and white stripes.

WHAT'S THE WORD? 1. Ahhhhh. I was exploring new dimensions in overwork this past week. It's over and next week isn't so bad. Might actually get some shooting in today. 2. Woo hoo! Three of my pictures were accepted for the next group show at the Soulard Art Market gallery. Never had my stuff in a gallery for sale before. They've all been on the blog: this one (top photo), this one and this one (top photo). 3. Oh oh! Mrs. C.'s mew hip replacement popped out of the socket last night. I'm actually writing this in a hospital ER (with free WiFi - how considerate). They just popped it back in and we'll be home in a while.

Saturday Morning Note: our patient is fine. The doctors waited until the short-lasting anesthesia wore off and then sent us home. Thank heavens we're among the Americans who have health insurance.

TOMORROW: to be determined but, as I said, I hope to shoot some new stuff today.

Irish Wisdom

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Happy St. Patrick's Day. Many countries may find this a curious holiday but it's a big deal in this part of the Irish diaspora (which includes me). At least in the US, it has a strong association with alcohol consumption. Well, on my visits to Ireland I haven't met many who would turn away a wee nip. (By the way, when in Dublin, stop by Crowe's Pub in Ballsbridge and say hi to the owner, David Crowe, for me.) Now, where's the Guiness?

This is one of a zillion pictures I took around St. Louis' parade. More in coming days.

WHAT ST. LOUIS IS DRINKING TODAY: green Budweiser. WHAT I'LL BE DRINKING THIS WEEKEND, ON THE ROAD AGAIN: a Sazerac.

TOMORROW: the current portraits of St. Louis artists series ends with Scott Beatty, submariner and sculptor.

The Agonizing Wait

A necessary evil at any public event. I think the man at the front of the line has been waiting a long time, has consumed too much green beer and is about to explode or lose all hope. By my my count, there are 15 people in line. Let's hope they all have strong pelvic muscles.

Below: faces in the crowd at the parade.

TOMORROW: SAINT LOUIS DAILY PHOTO'S FIRST ANNIVERSARY

COPS - In St. Louis

No doubts about where you are or who they are. If you are driving through St. Louis and you see one of these with flashing red and blue lights pulling up behind you, you better pull over 'cause you are busted.

These gentlemen were doing the rolling thunder thing in the St. Patrick's Day parade. Some parade watchers, seated near me on the court house steps, appreciated the review.
TOMORROW: Patriotism on Market

St. Patrick's Day: Corned Beef, Cabbage, Guiness and Gratuitous Cuteness

More from Saturday's St. Patrick's day parade. It had it all, from Humvees with machine gun mounts to fuzzy puppies. Who can resist? No one, not even me. Think about what it will do to my hit count today.

As I mentioned, I spent yesterday at a photography seminar with Frans Lanting. He and several collaborators have developed an amazing interactive web site about the history of life itself, illustrated with his superb images. Check out www.lifethroughtime.com.

TOMORROW: COPS - In St. Louis