Yard Critters

The summer has been extremely busy (and hot!), and my area of the country is in a severe drought. We are thankfully getting some rain right now, but they said we would need over 19 inches of rain in a month to get caught up with where we should be. We are under Stage 2 Mandatory Water Restrictions, and are to conserve at home and only water outside on Thursdays and Sundays. We don't have an irrigation system, so that isn't a problem for us, but I do miss being able to wash the car.

A couple of guys in the neighborhood are offering free guitar lessons, so I had my Yamaha classical guitar restrung and have been attending the classes, which are held every other Monday. I practice every day and have built up calluses on my fingertips, but I just can't seem to get the stretch in my fingers to make certain chords. I used to play a bit 40 some years ago, and I don't remember that being a problem in the past. I am getting a little frustrated with it. A friend has a smaller guitar, so I'm going to try it to see if that makes a difference. Another friend has a ukulele, and I messed around with that a bit. I am kind of interested in trying a uke if the smaller guitar doesn't pan out.

We have had a lot of creature activity in both the front and back yards recently. It is so fun to see all the birds, butterflies and lizards around. But recently we were visited by a toad, which was cool. We also had six deer grazing out back, which is highly unusual. Fortunately they were not picking on my plants, but were instead eating the scrub stuff that grows on the hillside. All this action is one of the reasons we wanted to live here, particularly with the lot we were able to get.

yard critters

The Gateway City

St. Louis Arch

Following our Kentucky and Indiana stops, we drove the remaining three hours to St. Louis. Even after all these years, it remains a thrill to catch sight of the Arch as you cross the Mississippi River into Missouri.

The main purpose of our trip was to attend the 30th Anniversary celebration of SWT Design, the company Jim founded with Ted Spaid and Susan Trautman in 1995. What an accomplishment!

But the trip also gave us an opportunity to catch up with friends and family while we were in the area. We were able to see my sister's family, which was great, and Jim got in a bit of motorcycle riding with his friend.

While he was off the first day, I met a girlfriend at the Sophia Sach's Butterfly House. It was a pretty hot day so neither one of us wanted to go on a long walk outside. While the butterfly house is on the warm side, at least you are in the shade. It was great to sit and chat while the butterflies flitted around us. We grabbed lunch after that. 

Butterfly House

The next day while Jim rode, I picked up another friend and she and I went to the Missouri Botanical Garden. I have been to many gardens in my travels around the world, but I have yet to find one that is as wonderful as the one in St. Louis. It is easy to navigate while offering a different visual and sensory experience around every corner. As this particular friend is also a photographer, we were in perfect sync stopping to photograph the flowers and insects around us. When we were finished, we went to the Trainwreck Saloon for lunch. This restaurant is owned by a gal that I worked with at the American Cancer Society from 1980-1982. In all the times I have eaten there, she has never been around. But that Wednesday was my lucky day as Chris was in! We had the best time catching up, and since my lunch friend graduated from the same high school as Chris, they had things to talk about as well.

Missouri Botanical Garden

On Thursday Jim and I spent the day together since the party was later that afternoon. We first went to the St. Louis Zoo. Again, I've gone to a lot of zoos in my lifetime, and none of them compare to this zoo. And it is FREE to get in! SWT Design has done a bit of work in the zoo, so in addition to enjoying the animals it was fun to check up on the progress/maturation of some of their work. The nice, hot day necessitated a stop at Ted Drewes for some frozen custard - always a highlight of a visit to St. Louis.

St. Louis Zoo

That afternoon was the SWT celebration garden party. While it was hot, it was wonderful to catch up with staff members and clients. I don't think Jim and Ted ever anticipated what their dream would one day become. It's a huge milestone to make 30 years in the design field, and to know that their projects have made and are making a lasting impression not only in St. Louis but throughout the country.

Friday was our last day and we began it by playing pickleball in a nearby park with Jim's riding buddy, who has been playing even longer than me. Then the three of us had a late breakfast, and the guys dropped me off at the hotel so they could go pick up the motorcycle trailer. For a few months Jim's motorcycle has been garaged in St. Louis. But it is time for the annual inspection and licensing, so we needed to get it back to Charlotte. It seemed easiest to trailer it back so Jim wouldn't have to make that long bike trip on his own.

Saturday morning we left St. Louis as the sun was rising and made the thirteen hour drive back home. The trailer added time to the trip as we had to stop more often for gas, and be a little more cautious when driving through the mountains. So we saw the sun rise and the sun set, but made it safely back here.

sunrise, sunset

 

Morpho Mania

Even though I am a long time member of the Missouri Botanical Garden, I have never gone to the Butterfly House in March for Morpho Mania. The Butterfly House floods their conservatory with thousands of Blue Morpho butterflies for this event in an effort to educate visitors about the important role butterflies play in nature. Jim and I visited there today, and I have to say it was an amazing sight. This type of butterfly is brown when the wings are closed and you only see the blue when it is flying or has its wings open. It was very difficult to try and capture them with a still camera as they are mostly in flight. I was happy that I brought my pocket camcorder along as I was able to videotape them more successfully than photograph them.

Unlike the Orchid Show yesterday at the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Butterfly House was not overly crowded. We were able to take our time going through and photograph to our hearts content without being in the way of other people. (Or having them get in our way.) I always forget how hot and humid it gets inside the conservatory. It took quite a while before my camera lens would quit fogging up from the change in temperature.

 

I did not realize that the Butterfly House was the recipient of one of the butterfly sculptures from the Wings in the City fundraiser that was held a couple of years ago in St. Louis. This is probably one of the prettiest sculptures, and I love how the artist reproduced the Butterfly House on the sculpture.

I'll leave you with one of the Blue Morphos sounding the alarm at the Butterfly House.