Not St. Louis but meaningful to me. This picture was taken some years ago on Miyajima Island, Japan. If I understood correctly, the whole island is both a Buddhist temple and Shinto shrine. We found this on a path through the woods. The little animals give it an asleep in a manger feel.
STL has a couple of annual events that come in twos, a big, official one involving a mass parade downtown and a smaller celebration that's more fun in one of the neighborhoods. St. Patrick's Day is one. The other is Pride Fest. There is a huge thing in the city center (I was out of town for this year's) and a smaller, more informal affair in Tower Grove Park. Everybody is friendly, the crowds aren't onerous, and people are happy to talk and be photographed.
I learned that this macaw was cared for at a wild bird shelter. Its handler said that it doesn't talk but will bite if provoked (note taken). She also said that it was found during a bust at a drug house. How it got there is anyone's guess.
This is the musician who was playing the pipes in yesterday's post, now seen under his left elbow. I'm puzzled about the instrument he is playing here, with ten strings and a tiny body. A mandolin usually has eight strings and a somewhat bigger body. A ukulele has a small guitar-shaped body and four strings. So what's this? The performer got some power with it along with his voice. I'd be happy to update this if any astute reader can fill us in.
There are lots of kinds of Latin American music, much of it associated with dance forms. I'm most familiar with tango after being sucked in on our trips to Argentina and study after we returned. Still, there is a lot I don't know much about. The lead singer announced that the band was playing a cumbia, not something I could identify. We here in North America think of pipes like these as being from the Andes. Obviously, more to learn.
More merch on sale at the Hispanic Festival. It's a little puzzling. The colors remind me of bees but the expression isn't particularly threatening. The shape and number resemble a postage stamp but they haven't cost 33 cents in the U.S. in a long time. No idea about Mexico or other Latin countries. I didn't see any buyers but someone might want to make a statement.
