Thursday Arch Series

Ominous skies. This was taken last Saturday. We expect another inch or two of rain today.

There is a striking series of photographs of some flooded areas on the local newspaper's website here and here.              

Flotsam

This is the edge of the Mississippi last Saturday afternoon. The river level is normally much lower. The old cobblestone levee, now underwater, is used for parking. These days driftwood floats downstream and washes up on the shore.

That was then. We had torrents of rain for the rest of the weekend. I had some business in Illinois yesterday and as I drove back to this side I could see that the water level was well over the base of the flagpoles in the upper right of the top photo. Maybe a 3 or 4 meter rise in three days.

The major highways that approach St. Louis from the south and southwest are closed due to flooding. Tuesday was sunny but at least 3 inches / 7.5 cm of rain are predicted for today and tomorrow. We may float away.      

Jet fighters overhead! 3 videos

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The Independence Day flyover!
Today Israel Air Force plane flew for two hours, all across the country.
I climbed the high hill in Meitar's center to get the best view and be closest to the aircraft.
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These jets demonstrated  mid-air refueling.

A bird and a child's kite got into this clip of some fighter jets.

I think these are our new F-35 Stealth fighters.
They were shown to the public for the first time today.
The Times of Israel writes this:

Israel is the first country outside the United States to receive the state-of-the-art F-35, which is manufactured by Lockheed Martin. In total, the country is planning to purchase 50 of the fifth-generation stealth aircraft, known in Israel as the “Adir,” or “mighty one,” and has thus far received five of them.

You can see clear photos of them in that article.
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And now tonight, we end our happy 69th Independence Day and start our 70th year as a State, thanks, in great part, to the planes and pilots we saw today.
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Impressionism By Windshield

In the old, run-down industrial area south of the Arch during last weekend's downpour.  I was in my car, water streaming across the windshield. Auto focus was out of the question and manual focus was approximate. If Monet painted modern ruins... Well, he did lots of train stations. Not too different.        

On Jewish feasting

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Patriotic blue and white marshmallows!
A limited edition especially for Israel's Independence Day (starting tonight) and also for the upcoming Lag BaOmer holiday when kids gather around bonfires.  

City Daily Photo bloggers are posting their favorite "Let's eat!" photo today for Theme Day. 

If you say "let's eat" to an American Jew, what comes to mind is the old joke: 
How can you explain most Jewish holidays?  Simple:  They tried to kill us; we won; let's eat. 

Think of the history and the feasting that go with Chanuka, Purim, Pesach, and Independence Day, for example.   True, eh? 
Today we are in the very somber and painful Remembrance Day when we think about the many thousands we have lost to wars and terrorism, and tonight we must transition into the fireworks, happiness, and barbecues of our 69th Independence Day.
The bitter and the sweet. 
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