Antifreeze

From the Loop Ice Carnival. There were many ice sculptures up and down Delmar Boulevard, several of them about alcoholic beverages.

Of course, the bottle itself it ice. Is a super frozen shot of vodka what you need to warm up in our recent frigid weather? I've read that drinking alcohol is a really bad idea in the cold. It causes the blood vessels around your skin and muscles to dilate, radiating heat away from your body.     

Ice In The Missisippi

Phone cam shot taken from my office window a few minutes ago. We usually see a little ice in the river during the winter but not like this. The low here overnight was -4 F / -20 C. Up in Chicago, it was -25 F / - 32 C. It's not that far, about 300 miles or 482 km northeast.

We expect spring-like weather for the weekend.

April Is The Cruelest Month

So said St. Louis native T. S. Elliott in the opening line of his monumental poem, The Waste Land. This city hasn't seen snow on Easter since 1940. It was in the forecast yesterday but what we got was ice, rice grain-sized particles covering everything. This is the scene just outside of chez Crowe late yesterday afternoon. The daffodils have been defeated, while my daughter's and wife's cars became encased.          

Land's End

Kind of looks like that but it it's just another point on a map in the Midwest. Again, the Missouri is on the right with all the ice carrying into the stream on the Mississippi from the left. There were a couple of photographers with tripods. I don't see why it was needed unless they were trying to shoot panoramas. The scene was blindingly bright.

The river levels are very low. This area is under water some of the year.         

Madeleine Monday (Color Sense)

If she were a little bigger Ellie could have been a riverside beacon along the Missouri. She is generally allowed to pick out her own clothes, subject to the occasional veto from mom.  Hence her Nepalese leopard hat (from the organization at the bottom of the sidebar), flowered sunglasses, her grandmother's crimson scarf, pink jacket, purple pants and blue-and-orange boots. (Yet she says green is her favorite color.) Oh, and note Old Lambie clutched in the left hand.         

Ice Water

Yesterday was clear and very cold (for us). The family took a ride to the state park at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. The point on the right is literally the tip of land between the two. The view is roughly to the southeast. All the ice is coming in from the Missouri, on the right. 

The Mississippi, on the left, is clear for a reason. The site is just below the massive lock and dam at Alton, Illinois. Ice backs up behind it and only clear water flows through. There hasn't been enough time and space for it to re-freeze. The drop in elevation downstream is so gradual that there are no locks all the way from St. Louis to New Orleans.             

Brrrr

We have not been above freezing since before Christmas and there have been several nights sub-zero Fahrenheit (that's -18 C. Why this country does not convert to metric is beyond me.). That's unusual for here. In these pictures, freezing condensate pours off the top of the Federal Reserve Bank next to my office building (maybe they have to keep the money chilled) and ice flows throughout the Mississippi.

As I look out my office window this afternoon, there are chunks of ice in the river from bank to bank. If time and weather permit tomorrow, I may walk out onto Eads Bridge (rear of second photo) or even drive up to the confluence of the Missouri and the Mississippi. It's not that far away but the route is very indirect because of the shape of the rivers. And I've been trying to find the last time the river froze solid here. Hard to be sure but I think it was 1936.       

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.             

Cold Snap

The family had dinner Sunday night at one of our favorite restaurants, Nathalie's in the Central West End. The temperature had dropped to the low teens F (around -10 C). We entered the courtyard and found this fountain. It has a beautiful Belle Époque look (as does the restaurant's interior design) but someone forgot the water valve. Hope the pipes didn't burst.                          

It's Thursday And There's An Arch In There Somewhere

It's really cold again. Not bad by the standards of people further north but I'm tired of it. This too shall pass. Soon, please.                           

Ice In The River

We have had a few mild days but it's back in the freezer next week.  These are barges on the Mississippi, pushing through ice.

Mrs. C's surgery went very well. I'm sure she will be dancing at our son's wedding in June.              

Ice On The Mississippi

Although it hasn't frozen solid here in more than a century, the Mississippi gets churning ice flows during a cold snap. The water comes from the north, after all. 

This was taken from my new office window. Beautiful old Eads Bridge is on the right, while the shadow of its arches covers the river and its banks. The water level is very low.