Power House And Moonrise 1

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This, ladies and gentlemen, was St. Louis' first major source of electricity, the Ashley Street Power House. It was built between 1902 and 1904 and is still in use today. It provided the juice for the 1904 World's Fair. (Did you know we had the Olympics the same year?) It's a wonderful piece of Edwardian architecture and strange enough that you might expect to see it in a Terry Gilliam movie. The rising moon looks like it was burped out of one of the smokestacks.

Another but very different view of the same objects tomorrow.

What Surplus?

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Not balance of payments. We have a big deficit there. Same for the federal budget. On the other hand, we have an enormous excess of questionable things to eat. The country has a big surplus of burgers, fries, chips, cola with high fructose corn syrup, Ding Dongs, Cap'n Crunch, corn dogs, Cheesy Poofs, chicken wings, fried pies, cheap pizza, pancakes 'n' butter, Velveeta and baloney. And you can super size that. One could go on.

I wonder what's inside. Maybe nothing. Couldn't tell if this building was abandoned or not.

This was found on an empty stretch of North Broadway in the quiet of Stupid Bowl Sunday. Dinner at Aya Sofia was terrific and we certainly recommend it. And I hear New York won the game. Olivier is happy, although I bet he was up most of the night in front of a television.

Sans Égale

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A little digital razzmatazz on a picture of a derelict warehouse. It's not far north of the Arch, where the Laclede's Landing entertainment district yields yields to the old industrial barrens along what's called the North Riverfront. If you were to look at it in person you'd find it's not nearly this bright.

LAST CALL FOR THE STUPID BOWL PARTY: haven't heard from any enlightened spirits about joining our annual outing and boycott. Our attitude toward the event is well-expressed in Joe Nocera's column in yesterday's New York Times. If anyone has a last-minute impulse, meet us about 6:30 at the Turkish restaurant Aya Sophia on Chippewa, just inside the city limits and near Ted Drewes. I don't think we need a reservation.

Forest Park In A Warm WInter

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It's been a freakishly warm winter in much of the U.S. Many days have felt more like spring. My wife's daffodils are 3 or 4 cm tall and they shouldn't do that until April. There is plenty of time for things to change but I hear that at the present pace this will be the warmest winter since records have been kept in this country.

Forest Park, our great green space, can take on a silver-white gleam in hard cold. Not this year. It looks more like the springtime described in e. e. cummings' poem In Just as mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. No one really expects that to last, though.

Bikers For America

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There were an awful lot of motorcycles at the veterans parade last weekend. Nearly all of them were Harley Davidsons, machines that have become a cult in this country. Think back to Peter Fonda in Easy Rider. There seems to be a certain style that goes with riding one, albeit with variations. Almost all the drivers wore black leather outer clothing. Some were well tailored and clean cut. Others looked tattered and tough, favoring bandanas tied around their heads and lots of facial hair.

Speaking of the Fonda family, look closely at the bottom picture. The patch on the rider's right hip says "Jane Fonda American Traitor Bitch." Sheesh, let it go. The Vietnam War was more than 40 years ago. And, um, people can sincerely hold different viewpoints, right?

Apologies for not leaving any comments yesterday. Long day at work (they all are) and then spent the evening doing something different. I am a participant in a long-term study of personality and its effects on aging at the psychology department at Washington University, one of the country's most prestigious centers of higher education. (Recall that I went to that other university across town.) Every year or two they have me over for three hours of interviews and testing. I hope I skew the bell shaped curve.

Thursday Arch Series

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Another one from the veterans welcome home parade. I tried putting a little fill flash on the people in the foreground shadows. However, I forgot that the word on the back of the officer's jacket is reflectorized. You really can't tell in daylight. So watch out. No lawlessness or disorder allowed on Market Street. Flag waving is okay.

City Daily Monthly Theme Day: Animals

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Hmm. What kind of animal would you associate with St. Louis? A baseball cardinal or football ram? Perhaps the pigeons in Kiener Plaza or a weasel sucking up real estate redevelopment tax credits.

For us locals the choice is clear: the Anheuser-Busch team of huge Clydesdale horses pulling an old-fasioned Budweiser beer wagon. They have been around for many decades and appear at all sorts of public events. And they're always accompanied by a dalmatian sitting by the wagon drivers. What's more, they seem to have a broad sense of humor and enjoy a good horse laugh.

The first three pictures could have been exposed better. Wicked backlight.

You can view the animal traits of all the City Daily Photo members participating in theme day by clicking here.