River Traffic

Despite the low water huge barges continue to ply the Mississippi. The most likely cargo is grain or coal. I have no idea how anyone can steer these giants in the river's currents.

Comments on my colleague's blogs may be light over the next few days. Way too many things to do. Then, around Saturday, my world goes completely slack (in the best possible way).         

Another Set Of Golden Arches

When someone talks about Golden Arches in this country the reference is usually to McDonald's. (Yuck.)  At the river's edge in The Lou we're talking about Eads Bridge. It's complex. The levee goes under the front arches, the street through the next two (second and third from the right in this picture), and then an elevated train trestle through the last. Just off the left of the frame the track enters a tunnel under the Arch grounds.

Eads Bridge is 140 years old and needs continuing maintenance. The entire underside is covered with scaffolding these days. 

By the way, for those of you who liked Sunday's post, the photo below shows there are other ways to get from St. Louis to the moon. Taken from my office window late yesterday afternoon.

       

A Whole New Level

The weather has gotten much warmer in the last several days. No more ice in the Mississippi. The piles of snow are almost all gone, flushing the streets with melt-water.

Eads Bridge had its usual gold glow in Saturday's late afternoon sun. The standing water on Sullivan Boulevard reflects the bridge, making it look like there is another world below.  

Madeleine Monday

A junior partner? Madeleine makes a visit to my new office. Unfortunately, she is not tall enough to be admitted to the bar.

        

Lunar Landing

Seen while walking along the Mississippi yesterday afternoon.         

Emigration

Sez here in yesterday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch that some locals are gonna estabish human life on Mars! Well, maybe. Anyway, don't think there will be enough of them to make the local traffic any better.  But think about the fun when they set up the first baseball stadium and someone wearing a red hat hits a home run 945 feet. That's a winner, as the beloved late Cardinals' broadcaster Jack Buck would say.

If you have a keen interest in interplanetary travel or nothing better to do, you can read the whole story here.     

Let's Go

. . . shoot some new pictures. I am so out of material. The week hasn't been conducive to hitting the streets.

So, another shot from the window of the new office. The right side is the five star Four Seasons Hotel and Lumiere Place Casino. You can go see a show! On the left is the new Stan Musial Bridge across the Mississippi. It will open next month.

I have no idea how they do the light effects on the top and left side of the hotel. During the day it looks like a bland brick cockscomb. (The architecture is, frankly, pretty dull.) Maybe there are LEDs on the brick. They can display anything. This one promotes the local hockey team, the St. Louis Blues.         

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.