BLUE ARCHES

 

A long-time reader of this blog complained politely that she was tired of gloomy, high contrast monochrome infrared images. The original IR images are very magenta. It’s not hard to manipulate them into dramatic B&Ws, but there is also a way to make otherworldly color pictures. I used to do it more often but it’s complicated and I don’t remember the process well. Maybe I’ll post one of the old ones tomorrow. For now, arches from the World’s Fair Pavilion in an icy blue.

I am so out of material. It’s cold and wet today and miserable for outdoor shooting. I’ll scramble.             

QUESTA ABAJO

 

Um, maybe some mixed metaphors or loose associations. Our trips to Argentina over the years have made me a big fan of Carlos Gardel, sort of the Elvis Presley of tango, the king of the genre.  One of my favorite songs, performed with such intensity, is Questa Abajo, or, roughly, down the hill. It works here. You could tumble roughly and dangerously down the stairs and terraces from the World’s Fair Pavilion. You could walk smoothly down the stairs.              

WE USED TO BE SOMEBODY

Okay, significant software messing around here but it fits the image. A long time ago, St. Louis was the fourth largest city in the US, after New York, Philadelphia and Chicago. I won't go into what happened since, but in 1904 we had a World's Fair (Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis) and the second modern Olympics after Athens. This is one of the few remaining buildings, known to us as the World's Fair Pavilion. It is well restored and you can rent it for events.          

1904 LEFTOVER INFRARED

Before I say anything about today's picture, I'll note that our region got between 10 and 12 inches / 25.4 - 30.5 cm of rain yesterday. That blew away the old record set in 1915 and, in fact, was much more than the average rainfall for July and August combined. Some areas had severe damage while others were unharmed. My home and neighborhood had soggy lawns but nothing more.

Anyway, this is another IR in Forest Park on a recent very hot day. We call the building at the upper left the World's Fair Pavilion, a leftover from the 1904 international exposition. (And we had the Olympics that year, too. We used to be somebody.) The slope ends at a multi-terraced fountain, waterfall and pool that kids love.                    

ARCHITECTURE QUIZ

This is the same building we've seen the last two days that we call the World's Fair Pavilion. I thought it was built for the 1904 World's Fair but I was wrong. That happened in 1909 using proceeds from the fair, with a major renovation in 1998. (Once a century should do it.) It is open on the sides and can be rented for events. I've been to a political rally and wedding reception there. When I was an undergrad the Grateful Dead showed up one afternoon when they were in town and played for free.

I'm not sure how to describe the architecture. Looks vaguely Spanish to me but I can't find anything online with specific information.               

 

STONE BILLIARDS

These concrete spheres are visible in the background of yesterday's photo. They serve as bollards, the now-common barriers meant to prevent people from driving vehicles into places they shouldn't go to do things they shouldn't do. The view reminds me of some astronomical diagrams.                    

WINTER LIGHT

It has gotten quite cold here by our standards. Days are short but it gives us light llke golden hour most of the day. This is one of the two buildings in our major park left from the 1904 World's Fair. We had the Olympics the same year. We used to be somebody.              

PANDEMIC IN SPRINGTIME - SOLOIST

There is another good sized hill in Forest Park known as Government Hill. It leads up to what we call the World's Fair Pavilion. It was actually built five years before the 1904 Exposition (think of Meet Me In St. Louis, Louis). Quite striking and worth a look here, https://flic.kr/p/qZqnVq.  

Anyway, this man was sitting by himself playing his banjo beneath the pavilion. He was near a grove of trees that muffled the sound. As we approached, passed by and walked away, it felt like passing through a soft cloud of music.                

SISYPHUS

The Greek myth was the first thing I thought of when I saw this stone turtle. It never makes any progress pushing its heavy ball across the patio of the World's Fair Pavilion in Forest Park and never gets to rest. There has to be a metaphor in there somewhere.      

QUIET IN FOREST PARK

A gray Thanksgiving morning in nearly empty Forest Park. Taken inside the World's Fair Pavilion, a popular event venue with a sweeping view of the park. It was not, however, built for the 1904 World's Fair, but in 1909 with proceeds from the fair.            

The World's Fair Pavillion

This post could also be titled "Filler." I got nothing new. Too much work and extra things to do around the house that Mrs. C normally covers. Her recovery from her knee replacement is coming along well but it's still a slow, difficult process. 

So anyway, these are two panos of one of the two buildings left in Forest Park from the 1904 World's Fair, the other being the Art Museum. Hard to tell here since the pano technique and wide angle lens create distortion on the sides, but this is at the top of a rather grand hill. There are a lot of wedding receptions here. When I was in college, the Grateful Dead showed up on Sunday afternoons and played here for free a few times after regular theater shows. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear . . . 

Today is one of the year's main photo ops in The Lou, the big Mardi Gras parade. Pix of crazy people on the march starting tomorrow.