tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89590499783267552382024-03-14T04:19:07.290-05:00St. Louis: Through My EyesA photographic, historical tour of St. Louis, Missouri with the occasional jaunt into the woods.Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-59358121707842840422012-08-18T15:43:00.000-05:002012-08-18T15:43:50.693-05:00Rivers CollideTwo of North America's largest rivers dance and merge just north of St. Louis, Missouri. The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers are responsible for draining around 2/3 of the water that falls on the continental United States. This very specific point, which can easily be identified on any map is just north of St. Louis and the subject of today's family field trip.<br />
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My oldest daughter when down to the very tip of the land to put her right hand in the Missouri River and her left hand in the Mississippi River. I told her she can one day stump her children by asking them where on the map can she put both hands in both rivers at the same time? I remember a similar question my father asked me when he told me he jumped across the Mississippi River. Of course, looking at the river in St. Louis at the time, I thought he was pulling my leg. Later, he told me he was fishing in Minnesota at the headwaters. My daughter will likely have similar fun someday.<br />
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One last shot of the river markers and medallion marking the joining of the two mighty rivers.<br />
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<br />Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com6Jones-Confluence Point State Park, West Alton, MO 63386, USA38.8361644 -90.126101338.8114274 -90.165583300000009 38.8609014 -90.0866193tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-27494733923998370822012-01-05T09:06:00.000-06:002012-01-05T09:11:53.914-06:00Joplin, MO as of January 1st..Most people in the United States have probably heard of the tornado that devastated the southwestern Missouri town of Joplin. The EF-5 (largest measurable), mile wide tornado ripped through the heart of the city leaving unprecedented damage and killing 135+. Living in the midwest (and growing up in SE Kansas), tornadoes are a part of our lives, but this kind of damage is on a scale few of us can relate to. The gut-wrenching stories I've heard over the past 8 months would make Superman, or even Lex Luther, come to tears. I've heard of a man in Home Depot found holding his two girls' hands in rubble about 20 feet from the doors and safety. I've heard of a man desperately holding the leg of his son as the child was sucked through the sunroof of his car...never to be found again. The terror people suffered in that 5 minutes is unbearable to think of. Below, are some pictures I took while driving back to St. Louis from holiday travels. At the end, however, will be a positive note and recommendation to all that read this.<br />
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This is 6+ months later. I can't imagine what it looked like in May. This is almost "cleaned up."<br />
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You can see the rebuilding has begun. However, the landscape is forever marred. Large trees and a subdivision full of homes used to sit here. Most of these homes don't have basements because Joplin is an old mining town largely built on top of a network of tunnels. How "Tornado Alley" homes don't have basements is still beyond me....but a lot of them are just built on concrete slabs waiting for a tornado to sweep them, and their owners, away.<br />
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A south-facing image of St. John's hospital, one of the hardest hit buildings in the city. A very close friend of mine lives in Joplin. His wife works Labor & Delivery at one of the bigger hospitals in town. I couldn't remember which one. On the day of the tornado, I frantically tried to get in touch with my friend to see if both he and his wife and children were ok. After the images of this hospital hit local television airwaves, I remember my panic when I couldn't get through all the jammed phone lines...wondering if his wife was home or working a shift. A day later, he emailed me to tell me he and his family were fine. His wife works in the other hospital, which was untouched. Their home was never in danger. However, his little brother lost everything. His home and car were completely destroyed that day, but at least his brother lived through the disaster.<br />
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The months following the tornado have seen an amazing community pull together. There is a sense of pride and patriotism ringing through the town as people are getting back to work and as the rebuilding continues. However, the landscape will not follow suit as quickly. In the distance you see homes that received glancing blows from the twister. Standing in the center of the tornado's bullseye, it was very easy to see the scale of the damage....how wide the path of destruction was. Those homes are over a quarter mile away and I am standing closer to them than the homes behind me.<br />
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Driving through the destruction zone brought me to this fireplace. The only thing remaining from a home directly hit. Another friend told me a story of her mother living in Joplin. Tornadoes often take relatively straight paths, but bounce and skip up and down along that path. If the tornado had taken a straight path this time, it would have destroyed her mother's house and likely killed her mom. Instead, the tornado wobbled a bit to the north, right around the house. I later found out the best friend of her mother was in the wobbled path and didn't survive. They lived a couple of blocks from each other. <br />
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This home was lucky enough to have a crawl space (sort of a basement). In the crawl space, I found a couple of leftover toys and some technological gadgets like a mouse and flash drive. Tornadoes are funny things; they can move cars and take your house but leave a computer mouse and your fireplace. Actually, there is no way to know if the toys or mouse even belonged to this home. They could have been carried in from miles away. If you look behind the left side of the fireplace, you can see just how far away the unaffected homes are....easily over half a mile away. Everything from those houses to the houses in the distance of the picture with the American flag was completely swept away. Only a random chimney here or swingset there remained. I also found sheet metal still stuck over 20 feet off the ground tangled in a treetop. Imagine the winds it takes to get metal the size of a car's hood 20+ feet off the ground and wrapped around the top of a tree?<br />
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Now to something more positive. If you watch television, you have likely heard of or seen the show Extreme Home Makeover. The cast and crew had recently been in Joplin, where they rebuilt SEVEN houses for the community. Each home is completely different, which is amazing these days. And, they were all built from scratch in five days. Hundreds of people....scratch that.....thousands of people showed up to volunteer for the project, and hundreds were turned away because it was logistically impossible to organize a group that large. I didn't know of the show, or the homes' locations at the time I drove through town, but I've seen a video of the new neighborhood. This episode will be a "must watch" for anyone interested by this blog post and is set to air on January 20th. But even after that, you won't be able to grasp the scope of this catastrophe unless you drive to Joplin and stand in the center of it all for yourself. It will truly blow your mind away...no pun intended.<br />
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If you made it this far, thank you. And, please do me the favor of sharing this with people you know that may be interested in reading it. The more we get the word out, the faster Joplin starts it's new life. The people there deserve any help we can provide.Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-48673290275951388752012-01-03T08:10:00.001-06:002012-01-03T08:11:41.073-06:00The Mother Road in black and white<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A couple of quick conversions from our trip through Galena, KS along historic Route 66.</div>
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Route 66 in downtown Galena, KS.</div>
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Retired fire engine serving as memorabilia to Route 66's busier days.</div>Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-33778043608985597072011-12-30T12:07:00.002-06:002011-12-30T12:07:36.568-06:00The Mother Road in Kansas..The Christmas lights will come, but sometimes you find yourself off the beaten path. On the way back from out of town, we found ourselves searching for a new way home...to stave off boredom of a road I've traveled over 40 times.<div>
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I like Route66 stuff these days as the iconic Mother Road starts to really disappear. Travelling through 8 states from Chicago to LA, Route66 only touches the state of Kansas for 13 miles...by far the shortest route through any of the states. We jumped on the road near Galena, KS and sauntered along the historic pavement through Joplin, MO and back to Interstate 44.</div>
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Entering Galena, KS along Main Street...</div>
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As you cruise down Main Street (low and slow), you will find a corner Kan-o-Tex gas station on the right.</div>
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This gas station was bought by four women intent on restoring the Mother Road to glory in Kansas. If that sounds a little like the Disney-Pixar movie "Cars," well, you would be correct. This town provides a lot of the inspiration for the movie, including Mater the tow truck. The movie creators, while driving Route66, found this station and the tow truck sitting on the corner. They fell in love with the idea and Tow-Mater was born! Also inspiring pieces from the movie were some of the buildings in downtown Galena, the worn out road, and the advertising painted on the sides of the brick buildings.</div>
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The corner of Route66 is now called "4 Women on the Route." The future plans are to restore four buildings at the intersection into a Bed and Breakfast, gas station, souvenir shop and diner, and a farmer's market. The recent economy has slowed things down, and the stores have limited hours in the winter season, so I was unable to talk to anyone and see how the idea is working out.</div>
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Other characters from the movie that have made appearances here are Red the fire truck, Lightning McQueen the red mustang, and Sarge the WWII era green jeep. Only Mater and Red were there at the time of our visit. However, this is a place I'm sure I will stop through again in a busier season.</div>
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I don't know when the gas prices were last at 29 and 31 cents per gallon, but these old pumps show a glimpse of days gone by, too.</div>
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If you ever get a chance to travel any part of Route66, I recommend you take the time to do so. A quickly vanishing and deteriorating road, this was a huge slice of Americana between WWII and the completion of the interstate highway system, although Route66 has been around since and before the 1920s. Many of the once thriving businesses are just shells scattered along the roadside reminding us of a simpler time. Almost any stretch, especially through the state of Missouri, is well worth the added time to your drive.</div>
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One more piece of trivia for you: Kansas was the first state to pave it's entire portion of Route66 in 1929.</div>Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-11400045543836008052011-12-24T17:19:00.001-06:002011-12-24T17:19:09.874-06:00Santa found my tree..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night....Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-39068214933144560972011-12-23T09:08:00.000-06:002011-12-23T09:08:12.827-06:00Santa's Getting Ready..A little last minute relaxing before the big night of work.<br />
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My favorite part is the smoke/steam. This actually took a bit of work to get the smoke to show up correctly.<br />
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Tomorrow, and over Christmas, I plan to take a break.....like I've been regular lately anyway. I travel to see family, and with small kids, the holiday can get nutso pretty fast. I plan to make a few bigger posts showing you some of the best places to see Christmas lights around St. Louis. Not the "popular" spots where you have to pay by the car....you can find those on your own. I'm talking about the more intimate spots you find while driving around. Look for those, intermittently, in the coming days.Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-24201129803655750232011-12-22T10:30:00.003-06:002011-12-22T10:30:51.914-06:00Winter's coming..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, there's no snow yet. But, I thought I'd start getting in the winter mood by posting a couple of wintry photos.Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-72899185524810531972011-12-21T08:59:00.001-06:002011-12-21T08:59:53.634-06:00Budding Musician..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just outside Busch Stadium this summer sat a man writing music for his saxophone on the street corner. I liked his music. I liked his hair. He seemed like a nice enough guy so we dropped some change in his bucket as we passed by. Of course, I couldn't resist taking a picture as we left.Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-50934721461682449932011-12-19T10:04:00.000-06:002011-12-19T10:05:14.429-06:00Monday Mystery...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Where in St. Louis am I?</div>
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This week should be a pretty easy one. But, I'm also looking for the event which takes me to this monument every year. It's fairly unique to St. Louis, although other cities do the same types of things throughout their years, too.<br />
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<a href="http://throughmyeyes-choppography.blogspot.com/2011/12/monday-mystery_12.html" target="_blank">Last week's Monday Mystery</a> was indeed taken at Crown Candy Kitchen in the Old North Neighborhood of St. Louis. If you've ever seen Man vs. Food on the Discovery Channel, you may have seen the episode where Adam (the show's host) tries to take on the milkshake challenge. I think he had to finish 6 malts in a certain time period. (If anyone knows the exact challenge, feel free to put it in the comments.) Of course, it's one of the few challenges he couldn't complete. This place is known for it's rich malts, candy store, old fashioned fountain sodas, and BLTs....great sandwiches. Easy enough to google if you are in the St. Louis area. But, one word of due diligence, weekdays during the day are best....night is not recommended because of the neighborhood. The daytime is filled with business lunches and plenty of people roaming the street corner. Here are a couple more shots from Crown Candy Kitchen.<br />
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Waiting outside with my mother, wife, and kids.<br />
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Store window around the corner from the front door. It's definitely a St. Louis landmark.<br />
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Happy Monday!Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-36390679163186913352011-12-16T11:45:00.000-06:002011-12-16T11:45:03.507-06:00Santa is a Cardinal!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Of course, here in St. Louis, we are dedicated Cardinals fans. However, once in awhile a Chicago transplant tries to make his presence known. I was taking pictures for our church's Breakfast with Santa when a friend of mine brought his family up to have their picture taken. Now, my friend is a Cubs' fan...to his detriment. And, he made the typical request of placing the cap on Santa's head. Of course, we obliged. But, I had to get a closer shot of just Santa, looking disgusted, with the hat on his head. I think the expression alone tells you that.....even Santa prefers the Cardinals!!Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-6663400454140250962011-12-15T12:00:00.000-06:002011-12-15T12:00:00.239-06:00Dear Santa...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-7594812519992071442011-12-14T12:00:00.000-06:002011-12-14T12:00:01.221-06:00Higher Power..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today's image came from Forever Oak Hill Cemetery in Kirkwood, MO. Walking through a cemetery on Halloween may be creepy, but at other times of year it can be very peaceful and almost therapeutic. Taking notice on how those left behind grieve tends to make you think of how you are living your life currently. Would your loved ones honor you with flowers? Would they even visit? Humans are interesting creatures, especially in how they deal with death.<br />
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This particular monument caught my eye. I liked it's simplicity very much.<br />
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And, sometimes you find out just how tough it was to have children back just 100 to 200 years ago.<br />
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This little guy only made it one day. He is laid to rest in a very small neighborhood cemetery on Eddie and Park Road near the suburbs of Crestwood and Sunset Hills. I have no idea which stones belonged to his parents, but most of these folks passed in the mid-1800s. The names "Eddie" and "Park" must have been prominent landowners out here during that time. Sad stuff that kind of makes you appreciate modern medicine and the fact that we no longer need to have 8 kids just to see 3 to adulthood.<br />
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That's what I draw from cemeteries. What about you?Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-17769417366028761582011-12-13T15:29:00.000-06:002011-12-13T15:29:20.549-06:00Christmas Photos..Work in progress, but "bokeh" is really fun to play with this time of year. Shortly stated, bokeh is "pleasing, intentional blur." You see it most in portraits or sports photography when the background is rendered out of focus completely. Christmas lights are really fun to play with in this manner.<br />
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I'm sure I'll play with more this time of year.Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-84017261509021933632011-12-12T08:20:00.000-06:002011-12-12T08:20:35.785-06:00The Monday Mystery..Where in St. Louis am I?<br />
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This week is a little harder to guess, even for the locals.<br />
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<a href="http://throughmyeyes-choppography.blogspot.com/2011/12/monday-mystery.html" target="_blank">Last week</a>, was The Ruins in Tower Grove Park. That place is a HUGELY popular backdrop for area weddings. If you find yourself there between May and October on a Saturday afternoon, you will be lucky to identify the rocky structure. People are practically climbing on each other to get a picture taken all over the rocks.<br />
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These "rocks" are arranged pretty nicely, but it wasn't always this way. These are actually "the ruins" of the old Lindell Hotel from 1867. I can't remember if the hotel burned to the ground (I think so), or if it was just demolished in time. Either way, Henry Shaw had the large stones carted out to Tower Grove Park and placed around the pond commissioned for the miniature sailboating hobby that was extremely popular around the turn of the century.<br />
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Truly a man before his time, Henry Shaw was quite famous for recycling old stonework from around town and using it throughout the park. The Magnolia Street entrance gates are columns from The Old Courthouse. The balusters surrounding the pond containing The Ruins are from the top of another old building that was being razed downtown. Several other examples randomly appear around the park. As time goes, I will try and chronicle what I learn. The more I learn about the park, the more it, and Henry Shaw, fascinates me.Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-38009969421322376292011-12-09T08:06:00.001-06:002011-12-09T08:14:40.259-06:00Jail Time?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My youngest's Cub Scout pack toured a police station last week as part of a GoSeeIt requirement. If you could have heard the questions they asked, you would quickly understand why little boys love the game Cops and Robbers. They came up with every scenario possible to throw a guy in the slammer.</div>
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Here, Sgt. LeClerc (also one of the boy's father) shows the scouts who is on duty today and which car they are going to be driving.<br />
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This is how a police car works. Lights on, siren going, and boys just getting past being startled by the sound. You can't see them, but a bit of a warning to you.....police cars in the U.S. are starting to put cameras around the light bar that scan cars as they drive by. These cameras can quickly read your license plate, enter you in the computer, and run your background....as the officer drives down the road. Good luck with expired plates or a hidden warrant!<br />
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What do you do when the boys start to act up? You give them "the lockdown" treatment. As officer LeClerc shows them the key, they start to throw themselves at the mercy of the police. My own son came out screaming....."free at last!" The boys were in there for no more than 2 minutes....lol.Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-48885391978279557452011-12-08T08:10:00.001-06:002011-12-08T08:11:06.882-06:00Hang In There, Santa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Santa clings to the gutter after apparently slipping on the roof of a St. Louis home.Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-18755891251694751822011-12-07T08:54:00.001-06:002011-12-07T09:15:22.617-06:00Shopping...and a Little Rant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is what bored photographers do when their kids shop at school for their parent's Christmas gifts. They start taking pictures of rather simple things and start goofing with depth of fields, maybe angles, anything to make a snapshot anything but a snapshot. Either way, here are a few things my kids saw at the school "Holiday Sale." I put that in quotes because we all know it's a Christmas sale, but the schools have to remove the religious aspect of it to avoid pissing one or two people off.</div>
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It's my opinion that words don't hurt. Wish me a Happy Hanukkah. I don't care. I'll say Merry Christmas. This is the United States of America where you should be free from religious persecution. Persecution can be defined as: "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">The unlawful coercion of another's liberty or his unlawful punishment." </span>You have your religion, and I have mine. No reason we should be so easily offended. </div>
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I'll leave you with one of my favorite movie quotes that sums up my belief very well from the movie Roadhouse with Patrick Swayze. As he explains to his bouncers he wants them to be nice, one of them spouts off, "Well, what if someone calls my Momma a whore?" Swayze retorts, "Is she?" I also believe my favorite author, John C. Maxwell, says that words don't cause pain if we don't accept them as truth. If you wish me happiness through your religion, I will gladly accept the happiness and smile. In no way will it offend me that you didn't use MY terminology. It just isn't a big deal.</div>
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Well, occasionally, you will get a little rant out of me. I'm done now...lol. Here are my bored pictures from the other day.</div>
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<br />Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-78536900653403654212011-12-06T09:30:00.001-06:002011-12-06T09:34:53.769-06:00St. Nick's Day..Tradition is to put out your shoe the night of December 5th so St. Nicholas (whom I thought was Santa Claus....what a double dip) can bring small gifts of candy to the children while they sleep. My kids got some good stuff here...<br />
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But, zooming out to include the parents' shoes, too, you will find I scored big time this year. A whole case of Chip's Ahoy....my favorite cookie.<br />
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Seems I may have to rethink this whole St. Nick's Day thing. That or the wife is getting really, really smart in changing my opinion for me......Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-77910820538029102042011-12-05T09:03:00.001-06:002011-12-05T09:17:48.470-06:00Monday MysteryWhere in St. Louis am I?<br />
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Last week's <a href="http://throughmyeyes-choppography.blogspot.com/2011/11/monday-mystery_28.html" target="_blank">Monday Mystery</a> is indeed the Colossus ferris wheel at Six Flags over Mid-America. About 20 minutes west of downtown St. Louis on Interstate 44, Colossus stands 18 stories high (~180 feet). It is currently the tallest ferris wheel in any amusement park. At night, Colossus puts on a light show with over 2200 lights and can easily be seen by drivers on the old Route 66 (I-44) as they pass. On a clear day, a rider at the top of Colossus can see 20 miles of Ozark skyline, a ride well worth the visit.Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-44285542399648422172011-12-03T16:32:00.001-06:002011-12-03T16:35:58.479-06:00Ancient Air Conditioning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This weekend's image comes from the historic neighborhood of Soulard in south St. Louis. The Soulard neighborhood may be known for it's attached homes in long rows, but after the Civil War, some of the wealthier citizens built free standing town houses...some approaching mansion proportions. One such house was built by Dr. Franz Arzt at 2322 S. 12th Street in 1876. It was way ahead of its time because of it's built-in system of natural air conditioning which consisted of groups of flues with vents in floors and ceilings. This provided for efficient air circulation which created cool air currents in the house during the heat of summer. Of course, today, the house needs a little work.Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-58704899407476045602011-12-02T07:00:00.000-06:002011-12-02T07:00:08.546-06:00Sunset on The Mother RoadStaying with the Route 66 theme I suddenly found myself immersed in, here is a picture of last night's sunset as I was driving home from a Cub Scout meeting.<br />
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Known in my neighborhood as Watson Road, this was once the main drag of Route 66 as it left the city of St. Louis. There are still a few motels standing, but most things from that era have been demolished and turned into strip malls, big box stores, urgent care centers, and other forms of "progress" that you can find in any decent sized, sterile city. I miss the days when towns had personalities....Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-31128973591765412282011-12-01T07:30:00.000-06:002011-12-01T07:30:04.766-06:00From the beginning..Here is a shot of Chain of Rocks, again, but from Route 66's entry point into Missouri. The Route 66 sign lies exactly on the state line between Illinois and Missouri. My kids and I...and the dog....went up one evening when mom had to work late. Not an artsy photo, just a quick snap...eyes closed and all...lol. It was getting dark, as you can see, and this isn't the best area of the city to be running around after night falls.<br />
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<br />Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-92122536527329719132011-11-30T06:30:00.000-06:002011-11-30T06:30:02.164-06:00Chain of Rocks<br />
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An old car sits on the deck of the old Chain of Rocks Bridge along Route 66 just north of downtown St. Louis, MO, at sunset.<br />
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Built to carry traffic across the Mississippi River and around the downtown bustle of St. Louis, MO, this bridge was the primary crossing along Route 66. A 22 degree bend in the center of the 5,353 foot span posed a continual navigational challenge for automobiles. The bend was originally designed to allow southbound riverboats to align themselves with the current, slide between the bridge’s piers, and avoid the midstream water intake towers that supply St. Louis with fresh water….quite the engineering feat for 1929.<br />
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Chain of Rocks earned it’s name from the rocky rapids that made this stretch of the Mississippi River extremely dangerous to travel. A low water dam has since been built to provide adequate depth for river traffic with the rocky shoal only partially visible, today, in low water periods.<br />
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The bend in the bridge, however, proved too be too much of an imposition for road traffic, and the bridge was permanently closed in 1967. The bridge feel into disrepair, and also became the location for several murders. Today, though, the Chain of Rocks Bridge is only open to foot and bicycle traffic thanks to the renovation of the area by a national trailway company’s efforts to preserve the site. It now serves as a monument to both modern engineering and The Mother Road, Route 66, and sits on the National Register of Historic Places.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">(above text copied from my Flickr posting of the same picture)</span><br />Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-9439919347073006292011-11-29T08:12:00.001-06:002011-11-29T21:17:39.498-06:00Weekly Birding..Week 2 of <a href="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/" target="_blank">ProjectFeederwatch</a> is done for me. I wanted to include my counts here instead of on my other blog....with the week's better pictures. The process is simple in case anyone is interested in getting involved.<br />
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11/27-28...hi - 42F...lo - 28...Wx - cloudy, with rain/snow pellet showers, and a little wind.<br />
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7 Cardinals, 7 House Finches, 8 Goldfinches, 4 Chickadees, 12 Eurasian Tree Sparrows (only found near St. Louis in North America), 1 House Sparrow, 3 Downy Woodpeckers, 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 9 Mourning Doves, 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 2 White-breasted Nuthatches, 2 Dark-eyed Juncos, 1 Mockingbird, 1 Carolina Wren, 1 Blue Jay, 3 Tufted Titmice, 1 Northern Flicker<br />
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And, now for a couple images I took during the 2 day period...<br />
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Carolina Chickadee</div>
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Female House Finch</div>
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Northern Cardinal</div>Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8959049978326755238.post-46625790330693346732011-11-28T06:30:00.000-06:002011-11-28T06:30:00.760-06:00Monday Mystery..Where in St. Louis am I?<br />
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Yes,<a href="http://throughmyeyes-choppography.blogspot.com/2011/11/monday-mystery_21.html" target="_blank"> last week's shot</a> was of the geodesic dome in Missouri's Botanical Gardens. Named "The Climatron," it is the first geodesic dome to be used as a conservatory. A geodesic dome is a spherical, or partially spherical, shell based on a network of great circles. The geodesics intersect to form triangular, sometimes hexagonal or octagonal, elements which distribute the stress of the structure in a more balanced fashion. Perhaps, the most famous geodesic dome is Spaceship Earth in Disney World's Epcot Center. A conservatory is a large, glass greenhouse. The Climatron has no interior support and no columns from floor to ceiling. It rises 70 feet, has 1.3 million cubic feet of volume, and encloses over 24,000 square feet (more than half an acre).<br />
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Controlling a tropical rainforest's theme, The Climatron's temperatures range from 64F to 85F with an average humidity of 85%. It houses more than 2,800 plants and more than 1,400 individual species. Several species of birds also call The Climatron home.<br />
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While I continue to try and take a worthy picture of the structure itself, here are a couple shots I'm proud of that you can find when you go inside...<br />
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Enjoy your Monday. Again, where is the picture at the top from?Choppographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394821363256161145noreply@blogger.com1