Chilled Art

The art museum through bare winter trees on a damp, chilly day. The cold might have begun to affect my vision. The artworks were safe in the climate-controlled interior. Wonder what they did to protect them when the museum was built more than a century ago.    

             

Who Knew?

I certainly didn't. This a new banner. I don't know if it refers to this particular building or the city. Lots of old commercial structures around downtown have been converted to loft apartments but not this one, It's mostly vacant.

Still, The Lou is a hotbed of chess. The recent challenger for the world championship is from here. The St. Louis Chess Club, located in a pretty tony neighborhood, houses the world chess hall of fame.

Late post today. I've had a really bad cold. Good excuse to sneak out early.

        

New House of Representatives Takes Office Tomorrow

Go get 'em. The information is out there. As Bob Dylan said, you don't need a weatherman to know which was the wind blows.

This t rex has been a fixture in Forest Park for years. Time to let it lose.  

2018 Photos of the Year

It's time to review our year's work and pick a favorite. Being greedy, I can't limit myself to just one. There could be lots more but these are my favorites. People notice that I shy away from pretty pictures. There are some in my portfolio but what interests me is the ironic, the street, the theater and personalities. So...

TIE FOR FIRST PLACE 

         

Night walk in a forest near Monteverde, Costa Rica. How the guide found this tiny lizard I cannot say. Lit by only a flashlight.

A scene from a play called Pain during the St. Louis Fringe Festival . Actually, this is my favorite but I thought it would put people off if I placed it first.

THIRD PLACE

Fourth of July fireworks at the Arch.

ELLIE 

Utter concentration while building a Lego tower. At the Magic House, our area's children's science museum.

STL LOCAL

Autumn in Forest Park. Okay, I guess this qualifies as a pretty picture.


BEST ARCH PICTURE

First published just a few fays ago.

THEATER

The irrepressible Lola van Ella at the St. Louis Fringe's fundraiser Act Your Pants Off.

TRAVEL

Specials at Ricky's Cafe, Hanover, Kansas.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, taken from the north shore of the bay.

Part of The  Heidelberg Project, Detroit. Look it up!

A happy new year and good shooting to all our City Daily Photo colleagues. Take a look at of our members' best work here. It's starting to go up.

Year End, STL

The end of another trip around the sun in our river city. My family is all here in reasonable shape, although I had some significant health issues. Nothing, though, that I couldn't overcome with our gold-plated Medicare supplemental insurance. That's great, given that we have the worst, most expensive, inefficient and profit-centered healthcare in the industrialized world. I got to watch my granddaughter Ellie continue to grow into a a poised, intelligent young woman. I'll meet my first grandson in a few months. Mrs. C and I are approaching the 45th tick with no regrets at all. We feel secure, at least for the moment. (Wheel of fortune and all that.) I began to slip out of my practice, which turned out to be 44 years of tragicomedy.

And then I think about the recent past and near future, like the horror in the White House. Just by following the trail, I feel almost certain that the Russians are blackmailing him. But with the forces of (relative) light about to control the House, his own personal hell may be about to break lose. I'm sickened by the rigorous, willful destruction of the planet, alienation of our best allies and relentless kicks in the teeth to working people. Maybe, I hope, that will change.

And beyond? People who try to seriously predict the future are always wrong. There are far too many variables and those unknown unknowns. Nevertheless, I see no reason for optimism. There is a triad at work here: mass climate disruptions (sure hope some technical Lone Ranger rides over the hill to our rescue); the rapid strides in artificial intelligence such as Google's AlphaZero which can analyze complex situations and teach itself how to overcome problems, something that may far surpass our own intellectual capacity; and genetic engineering with CRISPR - CAS3 modification of living things. What role will remain for us? I know this a downer but you really should read up on this stuff.

This blog's header advertises the occasional rant. I've occasionally been criticized for writing almost none. I guess this qualifies.

. . . but ol' man river, he just keeps rolling along.