St. Louis Daily Photo

AT THE ST. LOU FRINGE - THE MOVEMENT(S)

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Dance, drama and a bit of comedy. That Untitled Project spoke to friendship, community organizing, standing up for your needs against political indifference and just having fun.

AT THE ST. LOU FRINGE - EMPTY NIGHT

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:14:16 +0000

The scene is near an Indian village. An impoverished farmer and a proud tigress search for food for their starving children. His land has been taken for a pittance by rich industrialists. Her forest hunting grounds have greatly shrunk due to commercial development. Both have been injured in their search. The themes involve social, economic and environmental justice.

WOMEN OF THE FRINGE (BUT NOT ALL OF THEM)

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Two powerful performances by women at the Fringe. Above, Toni Finch presents a cabaret act on a theme, this year the 80s Golden Girls TV show, called Thank You For Being A Friend. It is about the lives, loves and bonds of women over 50. Poignant is not a good enough word.

Below, a show called Shedding Skin. The performer does not provide her name. She is a graceful and strong dancer, appearing on stage in skin tight, neutral colored garments, which appear to bind and restrain her. They seem to cause anguish. She slowly, gracefully, removes one piece at a time until she is completely naked. The transition appears painful but ends in liberation, as if she has revealed her true inner self. Strong stuff.

THE ST. LOU FRINGE BEGINS

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:38:39 +0000

The St. Lou Fringe began its six day run last night. I'm the president of the board and house photographer. I'll shoot about 22 shows in the course of the week and editing is a big job. This one is called "Dave Derose Can't Finish A Script." A writer has lots of ideas but he can't seem to bring any to a conclusion. A group of actors played out very funny and poignant fragments.

STL DPB ON THE FARM - GREEN MACHINE

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 05:01:00 +0000

More heavy equipment on the Kruse family farm, and once again, I do not know what it's for. The green and yellow color scheme says that it is made by John Deere, and it looks good in the late afternoon light.

The St. Louis Fringe Festival starts tonight and runs through Sunday. I have 22 shows on my calendar to shoot, and that's not nearly all of them. We'll be seeing lots of theatrical photography for a while.

STL DPB ON THE FARM

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 05:01:00 +0000

What's a dazzling urbanite like you doing in a rustic setting like this?

- Blazing Saddles

Okay, that's a pretty broad exaggeration, but it's one of my favorite movie lines. The scene is just behind the house on the farm where my wife grew up. I'd be lying if I said I knew what the machine on the right did, except the spout on the side puts corn kernels into some kind of hopper. The corn isn't quite as high as an elephant's eye, as the old song has it, but it's getting there.

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - OUR FARMHAND

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Out on the prairie in rural Kansas, where Mrs. C grew up. There was a semi-annual reunion of the descendants of her great-grandfather, Jurgen Kruse, German immigrant, Civil War soldier (which got his citizenship) and farmer. Granddaughter Ellie came along. She was bored with all the old people sitting around and yakking. My brother-in-law, who now owns the farm with his wife, took the kid out to the pasture to feed hay to the cattle. Big fun.

CITY DAILY PHOTO AUGUST THEME - PURPLE

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Purple skies and purple paint at the Fourth of July carnival in Webster Groves, the town where I live. City Daily Photo members from around the world drape themselves in the royal color at https://citydailyphoto.org/2026/07/23/august-gallery-purple/ .

STL DPB ON THE ROAD- KANSAS CITY LEGOLAND

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

On our way out to Kansas farmland for Mrs. C's semi-annual family get together. We always spend a night in Missouri's other major city on the way. Granddaughter Ellie is with us and wanted to stop at Legoland. We don't have one in St. Louis. She thinks she may be getting too old for it.

BABIE BIRDIES

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

We have had doves using a nest under the eaves of our porch, which I think was built a few years ago by robins. They hatched a pair of eggs in late spring (https://tinyurl.com/4rjcmzny). Doves can have more than one clutch of eggs in a season and two more little ones showed up recently. They have been out of the nest for a couple of days. I think this is one of the parents and a chick waiting for dinner.

Over to Kansas City today, then out to the farm for a family event.

SOUTH BROADWAY ATHLETIC CLUB

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

I drive by this place occasionally and it has always seemed mysterious. Plain facade of a building on the edge of the Soulard neighborhood, near the huge Anheuser-Busch brewery. So I looked up the website, https://www.sbacstl.org/, and it is stranger than I thought. Not my hangout.

WATER GATE

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

A gate in the flood wall along the Mississippi, part of the graffiti-permitted Paint Louis section. The river lies just beyond the trees. I've never seen this gate closed, but then I wouldn't drive by if the water was that high.

AMTRAK AMERICA

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Yeah, we have some passenger rail service in this country. I wish we had a lot more, like Europe or Japan. We have good memories of being whisked from Avignon to Paris on the TGV, or Tokyo to Kyoto on the Shinkansen. Our town has service to Kansas City and Chicago. It takes a little longer than driving but is so much more comfortable. Looking forward to October when we go from Prague to Vienna to Budapest by train.

AIR FORCE NONE

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

I occasionally drive by a strange sort-of junk yard, a full city block surrounded by a tall chain link fence. It is full of the remains of military aircraft. The inventory slowly changes. I don't know where it comes or where it goes. The place contains a truck repair shop and, according to what is available online, the owner says he wants to preserve history.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Down and out philosophy in my favorite post-industrial ruins near the Arch and the Mississippi. Doesn't leave any room for reassessment, growth, the unforeseen or bad choices. For your Philosophy 101 exam, discuss and critique.

THE RAPTURE

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Railroad engineers snatched out of their cabs? Scary. For those unfamiliar with the particularly American theological concept, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture .

TOWER TEE AND TARGET

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Mid-town St. Louis, as urban as it gets around here. It doesn't seem like a good location for a huge golf driving range but there it is, doing enough business to have been around several years. The Target is a mini store compared to the usual suburban iterations, set in the ground floor of a new apartment complex. It is all mid-way between St. Louis University's main campus and the south/medical campus. BTW, looking generally east on Chouteau from Grand.

4014

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

That's Big Boy's engine number for the Union Pacific Railroad. This was as close as I could get with my longest lens when it was at St. Louis Union Station Saturday. The thing exudes power.

BIG BOY

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Got it. Big Boy, discussed yesterday, left downtown St. Louis and passed through the suburb where I live, Webster Groves, on its way out of town. Lots of room. It is hard to get a sense of scale of this thing unless you look at it broadside.

TRAIN TIME

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

During World War II, the Union Pacific Railroad built a group of enormous locomotives to move material, known as Big Boys. Only one of them, Number 4014, is still operational. https://www.up.com/about-us/history/steam/big-boy-4014 Every few years the company trots it out for a coast to coast tour, stopping in St. Louis yesterday. The viewing area was so poorly laid out that no one could get beyond the front of the unit and the crush of people was intolerable. This other engine, with its semiquincentennial theme, had plenty of room.

Big Boy will pass close to our home this morning on its way to Kansas City so I will see if I can get a better shot.

NEW STREET ART

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Seen while stopped at a traffic light. I assume this is a utility or telecom box. I'll stop by to see the finished product.

REHAB OPPORTUNITY

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

South of the Arch and hard by the Mississippi sits and old industrial area, mostly vacant now. There were well-advanced plans for a multi-use redevelopment using some of the buildings in the background. Something over a year ago intense fire swept through the structures with the now-blank windows. The future is unknown.

BLACK DIAMONDS

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Noted on my way out of Soulard Market after the Bastille Day stuff. It was getting late on Saturday afternoon and things were beginning to wind down. Black Diamond is an odd name for watermelon (sounds like it would hurt to bite into it) but they are dark.

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

The mock Bastille Day festivities began and ended outside our historic Soulard Farmers Market, https://tinyurl.com/2s4xmfu8, established in 1779. The current building opened in 1929. Vendors sell all kinds of foods down the four long arms, with unusual shops in the center. I assume the sign is to draw attention, but does Spider Man shop here?

LE JOUR DE BOIRE EST ARRIVÉ

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 05:01:00 +0000

As has been noted in these pages, St. Louis loves an excuse to drink in public. As the mob followed the king and queen on Soulard Bastille Day, many had bottles or cans in hand. Some of those too unsteady to walk the route rode golf carts, voiturettes de golf, flying le tricolore.