EVEN HERE IN WEBSTER GROVES

I live in what is sometimes called a leafy suburb, Webster Groves. Just two miles outside the city limits of St. Louis proper, it is green, comfortable and convenient, a mix of working class to upper middle class but leaning toward the prosperous. And old, by local standards, meaning that it was established in the late 19th Century. 

There have been rallies and marches throughout the metro area in the last week. (Remember that Ferguson is also a suburb of STL.) One was organized in a Webster park by young people who grew up here and went through the school system. Most of them were black but there was also a young Jewish man, the son of immigrants, who described himself as "one of about 2 1/2 Jews in Webster High."  Over and over, they told horrifying stories that most white people don't know, repeatedly asking what we are going to do. Therein lies individual responsibility.         

NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE

A statue of justice in front of one of the downtown courthouses. That's not just shadow - it is dirty and wet. How will we, as a nation, clean it?         

WHERE TO NOW?

An iconic logo that comes from the baseball team, seen in a rainy plaza downtown. STL is our abbreviation for our town. It's the airport code. Here, the bright color seems to be vanishing in the mist. Now where for us? No one knows. In the short term, I worry that the packed crowds from all the demonstrations - social distancing be damned - may lead to a surge in Covid-19 cases. In the medium term, I worry about the would-be dictator and his henchmen.       

TODAY'S STARTING LINEUP IS - NOBODY

Helicopter view down into Busch Stadium, where the St. Louis Cardinals play. In a normal year, we would be a third of the way through the season. Something may start in July before empty stadiums. The leagues and divisions may be re-arranged so that teams only play others closest to them, minimizing travel. How the players will be protected on the field, in the dugout and in the locker room is uncertain. It is all being negotiated between the owners and players. I guess they will make what money they can from TV and the Internet.

Although I'm pretty put off by the crass commercialization of professional sports I still like baseball. I played it a a boy and spent happy hours in the cheap seats in Yankee Stadium (there used to be some). What did SImon and Garfunkle sing? Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio, our  nation turns its lonely eyes to you...                   

THURSDAY ARCH SERIES

And now for something completely different. The helicopter that carried Ellie and me is about even with the top of the Arch. Color and tone could be better but the scene is heavily backlit. We rarely get to see the shadow of the monument in a recognizable form but it looks like you could pick up two handles, peeling back the ground. (What's under downtown St. Louis? Do we really want to know?)

This was the third time in my 70 years I've been in a helicopter. It is mildy scary but a lot of fun.