Sometimes words cannot encompass an experience that appears before you. It is only possible to open the eyes and become part of what is happening.
We are traveling tomorrow. Mrs. C and I will be away for 10 days with a significant change of scene. I think we'll have a preview.
From certain angles the flags we saw yesterday seem go on and on. It is fitting to honor those who gave their lives for all of us, although we may disagree with their commanders' intentions. What saddens and frightens me is how many of our countrymen are willing to violate what I thought the flag stood for and create a de facto dictatorship of the minority.
There is an event on Art Hill this week called Flags of Valor, https://flagsofvalorstl.com/. More than 7,000 American flags have been planted in orderly military rows, one for each member of the armed forces who died in the line of duty since September 11, 2001. It is overwhelming and this shows only a small part. A lot of people were there on a sunny Friday afternoon.
No American who was old enough at the time can forget where they were when they heard the news. I don't.
A wide view of some of the flood wall at Paint Louis. The Mississippi lies a short distance behind. This is freshly painted - you can see one of the artists in the left background - but I have no idea what it means. Not the first time that has happened to me with a painting. I just like the color and scope of the scene.
A large section of the Paint Louis mural wall. The times we live in may be the inspiration for the work.
The artist dangling from the ladder at the far right makes me queasy. It was interesting to see how ladder design has changes for improved safety.
Back to Paint Louis. I may need to use pictures from there until we arrive in Seattle next week. (We were going to arrive in Prague today but that went down the drain.) Lots of colorful things to look at so no problem.
The wall faces roughly west so on a sunny day it becomes brilliant in late afternoon light. Of course, dramatic shadows, too.
Back at the Japanese Festival. The show these sumo wrestlers put on is always a big hit. Perhaps it is in part due to their inhuman scale but their speed, flexibility and strength is awesome. One of them demonstrated doing sitting splits with the legs almost straight out to the sides. It's an entry level requirement. And the whole thing is over in a matter of seconds - all you have to do is throw your opponent to the ground or push him out of the ring.
It's interesting that neither of these champions is Japanese (although the one in the background is). The one in front is Egyptian and the other is American.
