ROLLING ON THE RIVER

The family did something a little different on Saturday. We took a ride on one of the riverboats, not just the usual two hour, here's how boring it looks outside of downtown trips, but a five hour journey through the first lock on the Mississippi, which is north of here, up to the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri. (The grade is so flat from here to New Orleans, dropping 450 feet / 137 meters over a wiggly course of 1,278 miles / 2,056 kilometers, that there is no need for  locks.)

The boat makes a pretense of being a stern wheeler for old-timey effect. When it got into the lock and had to so some fine maneuvering, it was obvious that there were propellers underneath. 

The day was gray and drizzly so outdoor photography was not at its best. There are still some other images worth a look.            

BEGONE, SATAN

Well, uh, this was just the last good photo from the Renaissance Festival. The man, who was running the swing-the-big-hammer-and-ring-the-bell amusement, probably doesn't know a thing about karma. 

We spent much of Saturday on a long and unusual boat ride on the Mississippi River. Images to follow.  

THE DECLINE AND FALL OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION

Every generation thinks that its children and grandchildren are degenerate and will bring about the collapse of all accomplishments of the past. That hasn't happened so far, although the older people in charge now might actually accomplish it. Still, the power to openly and massively express contempt for what has gone before has bloomed in the last 50 years. It's the doing of my generation. (I was at Woodstock, etc., etc.) 

And now we have this. I'm sure they are perfectly nice young people behind the shirts but, virus or not, we're not inviting them to dinner.          

FAIRYLAND

There is always a back area at the Renaissance Festival known as the Fairy Village with lots of variations on that theme. There are usually people in costumes who take on the role but the scale was reduced this year for obvious reasons. As I approached this figure I thought it might be someone who coated herself in gray and stood still as a statue, like the street performers you see in Leicester Square or Times Square. We wandered the area for some time but saw not a twitch. I assume it was a mannequin.             

CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY FOR OCTOBER - RESPONSE TO COVID-19

This photo is about six months old, taken when shutdowns and quarantines were really beginning to bite. This young man set up shop next to the great statue of St. Louis in Forest Park, a natural meeting place, without a mask. I am sorry to say that many people hare do not follow health officials' advice. Whenever I pass through the park on a nice Saturday, I see many wedding parties at the usual photo stops, clumped together and no one wearing masks.

The incidence of infection is moderate in St. Louis City and County. It's much worse in the outlying areas, where local hospitals are overwhelmed and sending patients here.