ARTICA: LOVE FOOL

Lots of people came to Artica in costumes that had varying degrees of sophistication. We think the best was Phil here, wearing an outfit made by him and his friends. It's a riff on a jester's suit, topped by a hat that said Love Fool on the  side. He was friendly, even charming. If you look carefully, you can see a camera on the right side of his staff. It is a tiny Fujifilm Instax, sort of a mini Polaroid instant camera. He took a couple of pictures of our family and gave them to my granddaughter.              

ARTICA: RAISING OUR LADY

The center point of Artica every year is the tall wooden effigy known as Our Lady of Artica. The design is always similar. It takes a lot of engineering and carpentry skill to design and erect. When we arrived Saturday afternoon it was lying flat on its back, the head not yet attached. The top picture shows it being hoisted into place, a cable hooked to its chest and the other end on the tow hitch of a Jeep. 

The second picture is late Sunday afternoon. When it is fully dark, a crew in fireproof suits puts the torch to it and the crowd goes wild. We will get to that.            

ARTICA: AS YOU LIKE IT

 

When I saw this person from a way off I thought she had an infection in her right eye. Up close, it turns out she has red eye liner and a red contact lens on the right, with blue on the left. I wish I had gotten a full length shot so I could show you her red vinyl over-the-knee boots with buckles on the sides from top to bottom, all mounted on three inch heels and soles.               

ARTICA!

October in St. Louis brings the return of Artica, https://articastl.com/, one of my favorite local events. Hap Philips, with his late wife, Nita Turnage, got this going I don't know how many year ago. He is our guiding star. Anyone who wants to create art of any kind is welcome. Everyone who wants to come is welcome. It's free, funded by contributions and grants. One of the policies is that no money changes hands. (BYOB and BYOF.) There is so much to see and hear and do. Check back for more.            

STL DPB LEAVING ITALY - TUSCAN LANDSCAPE

A last picture from Tuscany, taken from the hilltop of Montepulciano. The light wasn't great, I admit, but you get what you get. Vineyards and olive groves cover much of the valley. 

Lots of local events starting this weekend, which we should see starting Sunday.