DAS BEVO

Change of scene. There is a Facebook-based group here (with similar ones in other cities) called Photo Flood St. Louis. It is led by two excellent local photographers who will pick a neighborhood, gather all interested camera buffs and flood the area with shutter clicks.

I don't get out with them much but I did yesterday. The flood was in what we call the Bevo area on the city's south side. The center is what locals call the Bevo Mill, now marketed as Das Bevo. It was founded in 1917 by Augustus Busch, Sr., the old man of Anheuser-Busch, as a way station between his country estate and the huge brewery closer to the city center. In recent years it became a German restaurant, was closed for a time and then extensively restored as an event space and biergarten. 

More around the neighborhood in coming days.

DOWN CENTRAL

This area is what our botanical garden calls its central axis. The whole place has irregular, meandering areas but this is, so to speak, the backbone. There are two reflecting pools of equal length, the second not visible here due to foreshortening. They hold works by the Swedish sculptor Carl Milles, who also has a large group of figures in a major fountain downtown. At the rear is the Climatron, designed by Buckminster Fuller. It contains four distinct climate zones, separated by a complex system of barriers and air controls.                      

SQUARING THE CIRCLE

We have a lot of brick construction in this area because of extensive clay deposits. This wall surrounds an area in our botanical garden called the boxwood garden. It looks like low hedgerows, trimmed to reveal spiraling paths and flower beds. The peek-a-boo effect makes you want to go inside to see it all.             

NEW NEIGHBOR

There has been a bird nest wedged for some years between a downspout and the eaves of our porch. It has survived winter after winter and each spring a pair of birds freshen it up and reuse it. They are often different species and this year I think it's robins (but what do I know). The mother (I assume) sat on the eggs with breaks to get food. Now there are three hatchlings, growing with amazing speed, poking themselves out while waiting for dinner.

I took this through a less-than-clean window with bad lighting. Still, we enjoy seeing their progress day to day. The nest is somewhat hidden, protecting the chicks from the neighborhood hawks.             

MEMORIES OF KYOTO

I love the Japanese section of our botanical garden. Here and there we find areas of geometrically raked white pebbles, reminiscent of zen gardens, particularly in Kyoto. I have had the privilege of visiting that city during cherry blossom season. Although those blossoms were all gone by the time of this visit, the memories were strong.         

ASSEMBLING CHIHULY

Our botanical garden has a number of events throughout the year to generate interest and revenue. This weekend they have Chinese cultural days, which, unfortunately, I won't get to because of schedule conflicts. But in a couple of weeks a show of the glass works of Dale Chihuly will open. Installation work was beginning during my recent visit. His art is enormously popular. On the other hand, when I once asked an artist I admire about Chihuly's work, his response was "too easy." I get it.                 

JUNO WAVES HELLO

Our botanical garden was founded in 1859 by a native Englishman, Henry Shaw, a very successful businessman and amateur horticulturalist who made St. Louis his home. Locals still often refer to the place as Shaw's Garden. His home and adjacent private garden have been preserved and restored. I do not know why he chose to place a statue of Juno in the middle of it, but she can do the Windsor Wave with the best of the royals.