TICK TOCK TAVERN

They are a shrinking breed but there are still neighborhood bars in St. Louis. The Tick Tock Tavern is in the Tower Grove East neighborhood, not a high traffic location. Cash only, no more food than bar snacks, just local and regional beer (although that includes Anheuser Busch products). Frequent musical entertainment. You can go there because you want to have a drink and talk to someone, or sit in a corner by yourself yet not be alone.         

JUST WHAT IS A TINY TOTEM?

I suppose you could ask Lohr or one of the other ancient Articans. They (the totems, not necessarily the Articans) tend to be short, eclectic assemblages, on wheels with something to pull them. And bizarre. Don't forget bizarre. But it's not absolutely necessary to have one of these. One marcher carried an armload of plush toy pigs.

Yesterday was a blogging day off due to the inconvenience of surgery. I had an inguinal hernia, not a major problem (yet) but it had to be addressed. The procedure took an hour and required general anesthesia. Sleep is sometimes called le petit mort but anesthesia is a much better metaphor. And it's not like a sliding switch: you are and then you are not. And then, quite remarkably, you are again - small scale resurection. 

They sent me home with a jar of narcotic pain medication, predicting I'd use it like popcorn. Haven't needed a single one. Great job by my surgeon, Dr. Omar Guerra, and his team.       

NOW, WHERE WAS I?

There are still Tiny Totem photos to get through. These are right in front of or approaching the Tick Tock Tavern.  We will finish the series with that.

The birdman we saw recently has put his regalia to rest for a bit. It shows birds who hunt for a living, nothing like our pretty local cardinals and jays. The bar has a policy of no raptors inside. Other people ambled across the street with a collection of toy plush pigs.          

Articans On The Street

Lohr crosses Magnolia with the quintessential Tiny Totem in tow, headed for the Tick Tock Tavern.

I don't know who the other two people are although I see them at Artica events, particularly the man in the last picture. He always shows up. I should go out of my way to introduce myself and learn something about what looks like an interesting life.               

Madeleine Monday

Get 'em while they're young. Junior Articans made up much of the parade and Ellie had a great time. In lieu of a tiny totem she decorated her scooter with some help from mom. I just wish we didn't have that mid-day hard light.         

Teeny Tiny Totem Parade To The Tick Tock Tavern

It's that time of year again. My friends at Artica conduct their early spring ritual, the Teeny Tiny Totem Parade to the Tick Tock Tavern. What, you ask?

Artica rejoices in creating art in all of its many forms. If it is a little weird, so much the better. Tiny Totems are small rolling or hand-held objects, whimsical sculpture that makes a viewer pause. Costumes are in order, if you like. Our head guy, D. Lohr Barclay, kind of looks like Sergeant Pepper in the second picture. And then there is the pan-avian marcher.

Everyone assembles in Tower Grove Park, walk down busy Grand Boulevard to Wyoming Avenue, cross the street, walk back up to Magnolia and The Tick Tock Tavern (more about which later), which is next door to Steve's Hotdogs (more about which later). The neighbors have no idea what to make of it. A good time was had by all.

    

Strange People

One  of the things I like about Artica people is that they are unafraid to be different. They don't do it to shock, just to be expressive. And a nicer bunch of people you will never meet.

Totems On The Go

The dictionary built into my computer defines totem as a natural object or animal that is believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and that is adopted by it as an emblem. My friends from Artica seem to apply the definition loosely. I like the concept, though. The little devices and the parade shake up the people who see them.