La Riviere

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One of the best things about our new Citygarden is that when I'm out of new pix to post I can always go there and get something interesting. It's a block and a half from my office. Aristide Maillol's La Riviere is one of the works in the garden I keep coming back to. Click the link to listen to the audio clips about the works and sculptors recently added to Citygarden's web site.

A very nice invitation came my way yesterday. A few of you know that I have rheumatoid arthritis that affects my hands. The Milliken Hand Institute at Washington University School of Medicine does ingenious work keeping my fingers straight. I was over there yesterday getting my brace adjusted. They have recently painted the suite and have lots of blank wall space. The staff knows about my photography addiction and invited me to shoot a series of hand pictures to decorate the place. This could be a lot of fun.

And another 15 minutes of fame: the web site for Fodor's Travel Guides had a photo contest this summer for pix of Argentina. You could upload up to five. There were a lot of entries. I got an email yesterday that they gave two of mine honorable mention. Not in the top three places, but getting two selected was nice. I get four Fodor's travel books as a prize. The winners will be on their web site about September 15 but you can see mine now here and here.

Thursday Arch Series

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Half steel, half sky. The bright curved streak on the north leg of the Arch is the reflection of the south leg on a sunny summer day.


There is a new Arch photo
today on GATEWAY.

Don't think there will be an Arch picture next Thursday. The day is the start of a great adventure.

Last Stop

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St. Louis Union Station is now a luxury hotel, a group of restaurants and a failing tourist mall. In its day it was one of the great railroad junctions of North America. As such, it had to have a place for travelers to stay. Here's the former entrance to the Terminal Hotel. Sure, railroad stations and airports have terminals but this sounds so much like terminal disease or "terminate with extreme prejudice" (remember that phrase in Apocalypse Now?). The Terminal Hotel sounds like the roach motel - you check in but you don't check out. It's the end of the line.

TOMORROW: Thursday Arch Series and a new Arch photo on GATEWAY.

Geppetto's Hammer, Again

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I hope it doesn't seem like I'm just recycling material but the more I look at it the more fascinated I become with Kindly Geppetto in Citygarden. It's made to look like the simplest toy or cartoon but there is something terribly malevolent about it. The wood carver is actually about to whack the hell out of his creation. Pinocchio aspired to become a real boy. He ain't gonna make it in this version of the tale.

Hip Hop, At A Distance

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This was shot at the same performance in Kiener Plaza as my August 15 post. I was sitting at the top of the little amphitheater facing the stage. The waterfall behind it invites people to splash on the steps, much like the shallow pool in Citygarden in yesterday's post. That's just so nice. Kansas City has way more fountains that St. Louis (or almost anywhere this side of Rome). It's one of the things that makes it a very pleasant place, but you can't play in them. Advantage, St. Louis.

Due to time pressure, brain freeze and, probably, the dog eating my homework, I haven't participated in theme day for a couple of months. The September theme day photo was bagged yesterday, with some help from props obtained at a fast food restaurant. So come have a look a week from tomorrow.

In The Good Old Summertime (Citygarden)

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I wonder if the people who planned Citygarden foresaw how parts of it would be used as a public swimming pool for children. The authorities clearly don't object, so perhaps this was part of the plan. It's one of the many reasons the place has become an instant hit with St. Louisans.

Portraits of St. Louis Artists: Jane Martin

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I'm in Chicago on business so that's the reason for few comments on your blogs today. I'm actually working. Please believe me.

This is Jane Martin (click the link to see more of her work), one of the artists at the Soulard Art Market cooperative, where I've shown some photos. Martin had some of her paintings on display at Tomatofest. That's where this was taken. She was in a little covered tent thing on a bright day and the light was gorgeous (with the help of some fill flash). And what happy blue eyes. That's the joy of street portraiture.