Too Early

In front of chez Crowe last night. It's not even the middle of November. We have winter, of course, and may get a couple of very cold snaps, but we don't get a lot of snow. A white Christmas is rare. Wasn't quite ready for this.

People in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and New England may stop laughing at me now. However, I had occasion to speak to someone in Maine on the phone a couple of days ago. They hadn't had any yet.

Cammo

Back home at last. I was sitting on our front steps yesterday afternoon while Ellie was doing something we will see tomorrow. A monarch butterfly flitted by and settled in the fallen leaves. We don't get many of these in our area. If I hadn't noticed it in the air I probably would not have seen it among the browns and oranges.          

CORRECTION: Mrs. C, the house lepidopterist, botanist and grammarian, looked this up and informs me that this is not a monarch butterfly. It's called a comma, oddly enough. I'd be a mess without her.

We Didn't Get The Eclipse In North America

But we did get this. Rise of the mid-summer full moon, Webster Groves, Missouri, 27 July 2018, about 8:50 PM.

Macedonian Wine

I am really low on material but last night brought an opportunity. There is a hot restaurant in our town, Webster Groves, that's been open about a year. It's called Olive + Oak. We've never gone because you have to book about two weeks ahead and, frankly, it's a bit expensive for our trying-to-retire budget. But my staff gave me a gift certificate for Christmas so off we went last night.

It was a delight. No space here for a full review but there was an unusual treat. The wine list had a page of "no one would ever buy this" bottles at reasonable prices. Absolutely unknown stuff. The owner is also a qualified sommelier and gave us guidance. We ended up with this Macedonian red. Just terrific. Ever drink wine made from kratosija or vranec grapes?         

Could It Be?

Local news outlets say that St. Louis last had a white Christmas in 2010. 2016 was foggy, misty and dark (but I liked it). We got the first snowfall of the season in the early hours of Saturday and may get a bit more today. The weather should stay cold enough to keep some of it. So maybe this year?

Ellie woke up yesterday, looked outside and squealed with delight. In no time she was outside making snow angels. According to the family botanist (not me, since I grew up in the concrete jungle) the plant just below is called heavenly bamboo. Doesn't look like that to me but I love the berries. Ellie deigned to pose before it. Lastly, chez Crowe with extra white accents.       

Supermoon Over Webster Groves

Mrs. C sent me a text as I was driving home Sunday that the moon had risen over the clouds. I got off the highway in Webster Groves, the suburb where we live, and pulled into a parking lot with an unobstructed view. Not crystal clear but better than when I was on the riverfront. A dark telephone pole gives a little accent.     

Madeleine Monday: Fire Chief

Madeleine wanted to do everything at the Christ Lutheran Church anniversary festival. The municipality brought over a fire truck and police car for the kids and their parents to check out. Our tyke is ready to drive the big red truck away, even though she may not be able to see over the dashboard, let alone reach the pedals. Note that she insisted on putting her seat belt by herself.

Webster Groves is a nice place to live. We are an older, inner ring suburb of the city proper with lots of community services, many restaurants, good schools, and a wide variety of architecture. The area's main opera company and the repertory theater are in town, playing in a theater on the campus of Webster University. Our home is 11 miles from my office, a straight shot down the Interstate. The Crowe family has lived here for something between 25 and 30 years. When I was a kid riding the New York subway I would never have dreamed I'd end up here but no regrets at all.     

Peace Love Bubbles

Christ Lutheran Church in Webster Groves, the suburb where I live, is celebrating its 120th anniversary. Mrs. C  has been a member for many years. They put on a community party yesterday. It was a delight for the children (certainly including Madeleine, more about which tomorrow).

One of the biggest hits was the Bubble Bus, a van equipped with several generators and a young man who was an expert in forming big chains of spheres with sticks and nets. I've seen them around before. It's hard to explain the fascination but the kids just love it.       

Beacon

Taken a few days ago during the ice storm but the subject is unrelated. Mrs. C keeps a hummingbird feeder on the front porch. The birds are gone for the season but no reason to bother taking it down. The jar is red glass and I simply lined it up in front of a street lamp.          

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

That's what Mr. Rogers said to us, day after day.  But beauty is varied in its qualities and experience. There are people who would consider this scene bleak, others who might find an intricate, quiet charm. The ice appears to be ready to pull down some of the trees but, fortunately, the utility lines are underground. This is my street, a telephoto look from just below my front steps.       

Under The Ice

 

There was a nice coating on the foliage in front of our house Saturday morning. As the day went on the temperature crept just over freezing as a liquid drizzle fell. The ground was relatively warm so the streets were fine. The rest of the day was simply gray, chilly and damp.

There's another wave rolling in early Sunday morning. Temps a couple of degrees below 32/0 (your choice) with freezing rain starting again in the small hours. Probably a quarter of an inch/.6 cm of ice. We'll see.

So, this is today's theme song.

And thanks to our friend William in Ottawa for the tip about Yaktrax! I have complete trust in a Canadian's advice about how to walk in ice and snow.             

It's Been Worse

Television weather reporters in the U.S. love to whip the masses into hysteria: disaster is approaching us! Buy out everything in the supermarket now, hunker down deep in the core of your home, don't dare venture outside, and whatever you do, don't stop watching this station for up-to-the-minute developments!  And then, more often than not, it ain't so bad.

And so it was here on Friday. There was freezing drizzle most of the day but the highways and arterial roads were well maintained and quite passable. Some residential streets were icy. I closed our office to be on the safe side. But I went out yesterday morning looking for crampons and the major streets were fine. Unfortunately, Walmart was sold out, Lowe's doesn't carry them and REI didn't open for another hour.

There was some buildup by dark. The top picture is my car. Our garage door is broken so we've been parking in the street. The second shot is the street just beside my house. There was little traffic but what passed by had plenty of traction.           

Madeleine Monday

Born to be wild, in some sense or other. This is a reason being a grandparent is worthwhile.        

Madeleine Monday

We seem to be over the grab-the-camera-and-look-at-myself phase for the moment. So, whether she is accepting the essential oneness of all things, out on an adventure or just being a tired little girl late in the game, Madeleine returns to these pages.                 

The Monster That Ate My Front Yard

The local electric company has been doing some ominous work in the street in front of our house. It's a condominium (although it doesn't look like one) so no requirement to contact us individually. Mrs. C called me at work Friday afternoon - we have no water service! This complicated bit of machinery cut through the water main that serves our house and some of our neighbors. (Chez nous is at the left of the top picture).

The crew found a way to bypass the problem by early evening, cheerfully telling us "you're off your water meter. Use as much as you want!" They also tore up most of the roots of the tree in the top picture so that will have to be pulled out. And, um, they didn't cover that hole very securely.

Worse things can happen around here. We get violent thunderstorms, ice and heavy wet snow that topple large trees,  bashing in people's roofs and crushing cars. Always look on the bright side of life.                 

 

Along The Midway

Another late post and stretching the July 4 material a bit. Too much on my plate. I got nothing new so I'll see what I can scrounge up over the weekend.                

Pared Down

One thing that people love about fireworks is the brilliant color. But strip that away and you get designs with abstract beauty, still carrying graphic power.

Unfortunately, no photograph can convey the boom, the concussion that hits you in the chest and shakes your body. Maybe we'll get that four or five versions of Photoshop down the line.                      

Let The Good Times Roll

Three views of the ferris wheel at Webster Groves' Fourth of July carnival. The new ones are covered with ever-changing LEDs, not the incandescent bulbs I remember as a child. Subtle lighting changes between the second and third images.

It occurred to me that I had no idea why they call them ferris wheels. Why, after George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., of course. (There was another one before him?)  The first one was in Chicago at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.                

In Context

Yesterday's post had photos of the fireworks set against only the black sky. This set keeps the carnival attractions in the frame to provide a sense of scale. Admittedly, the camera is always pointing in about the same direction but you get the idea.

Something I like about these pyrotechnics is their simplicity and spare design. That, of course, was swept away during the finale, which we will come to.. Still more shots to edit of the carnival itself and maybe the parade. And I'm experimenting with some fireworks shots in black and white. That could be quite dramatic.