Ghost Rider

I like this car for its clean lines and sense of forward motion. Parking it mostly under a tree highlights the aggressive nose. 

Road trip to Kansas City today for a family event tomorrow. It's supposed to be outdoors. 104 F / 40 C here today, 105 F / 40.5 C tomorrow. Only slightly better in KC. We can bake here or bake there. I wonder if the venue will have to be moved.   

The Heat

.

It was 105 F / 40.5 C Wednesday afternoon when I took this picture in Citygarden. I've heard that this has been the hottest single month in St. Louis since records have been kept. People often emphasize orange and red when depicting heat in a photograph. I went with black and white to reflect how literally burned out we feel.

Sure, there are much hotter cities in the U.S. - Phoenix, Las Vegas and more - but this is freakish for us here in the heartland, especially so with months of no rain. And while we go through this, much of Europe is cold and very wet. There are more extremes.

So I will flee the Midwest. There probably won't be any comments today as I frantically try to clean my desk and pack for a week. Probably no post tomorrow unless I find something fascinating at O'Hare during my layover. Maybe something Sunday from Portland, Maine - could be my breakfast with the one and only Birdman. ETA at camera camp is Sunday afternoon.

The Weather In St. Louis

.

That's what it feels like around here, day after day after day. We were offered tickets to the Cardinals game this afternoon against the arch-rival (no pun intended) Chicago Cubs, but who wants to sit in a stupor watching players in a stupor when the temperature is 101F/38C? There have been a few very small, isolated thunderstorms but we haven't had any significant rain in three months. By contrast, the high temperature today will be 77F/25C in the town in Maine I'm heading for. Can't wait.

This mask was for sale at the Pagan Picnic. I don't know why you'd wear it unless you got a part in The Rite of Spring or were playing The Rolling Stones' Their Satanic Majesties Request really loud. Actually, if you played either one really loud you would tick off one set of neighbors or the other.

Cool Sound, Hot Day

.A member of the East St. Louis High School band plays on the grounds of the new overlook opposite the Arch. The photo was edited to emphasize the heat. It sure has been hot and very humid here. Welcome to summer in The Lou. Come Monday we'll be somewhere cooler, more about which soon.