St. Louis Daily Photo

SANTA HAS HIS SLEIGH

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

But here, in suburban St. Louis, the Easter Bunny tools around in a Ford Mustang convertible. I wonder how many eggs fit in the small trunk.

SUPER POWERS

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

Sometimes I feel near despair for my country, allowing this incoherent, childish egotist to run things. I have hope that our November congressional elections will bring a strong tidal change but fear that the process and results may be suppressed. As it happens, we will visit Hungary late this month. It will be interesting to see how things feel there.

It should be a pretty Easter weekend in St. Louis but I'm not very mobile. Thursday's nerve root ablation can't come soon enough.

WE DID IT IN THE 1940S

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

According to Merriam-Webster:

Fascism : a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and by forcible suppression of opposition

Sound about right? Again, from the No Kings rally. Don't know what I'll do over the Easter weekend since my mobility isn't very good.

NOT MY PROBLEM

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

I didn't listen to the president's speech last night - I wanted to get some decent sleep. Everything I needed to know was on the news this morning. Here's something that struck me. Although the U.S. and Israel started the war and Iran's closing the Straight of Hormuz was an obvious consequence, Trump thinks it's the rest of the world's problem to reopen it. Not ours. We spilled all the candy but somebody else has to pick it up.

CITY DAILY PHOTO APRIL THEME - ENTERTAINMENT

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

What do you like to see, hear and do when you go out for an evening of fun - or choose to stay at home? Our choices of entertainment in today's society seem limitless. As the house photographer for the St. Louis Fringe, I have an obvious place to look for an example but a huge amount to choose from. These girls from a high school on the edge of the area performed a spin on A Midsummer Night's Dream called A Tale of Puck. Now that was entertaining.

FREE BURRITO

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

Catholic Worker is a long-established left wing Catholic organization based in New York City. When I was in high school and had the run of the city by subway I think I ended up at some event there. A contingent of them was at No Kings Saturday, with this man calling out "Free burritos! Don't march hungry!" They gave a neatly foil wrapped snack to anyone in need. I guess that was part of their point.

MUG SHOT

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

I think I will leave the commentary to you, gentle reader. He does like his face and name on absolutely everything possible. Think of the opportunities.

NO KINGS

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

The third No Kings demonstrations took place across America yesterday. There were 50 scheduled in Missouri, with a big one in downtown St. Louis. Mrs. C and I went, and an absolutely perfect day brought out a big crowd. No estimates yet of numbers. The mass of people marched 2 miles / 3 km down a main thoroughfare to the baseball stadium, where a game was about to end. My spine didn't carry me that far.

PLAY BALL!

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

It's opening weekend of the baseball season in the U.S. When I was young, I was interested in all kinds of sports, like most American boys. Over time, I have become bored with most of it, particularly our version of football, which I despise for its gratuitous violence and crass spectacle. There is still a soft spot, though, for baseball. I spent a bunch of my youth in the cheap seats in Yankee Stadium (two versions back). Thursday was opening day for our beloved Cardinals, who squeezed out a come-from-behind 9 - 7 victory over Tampa Bay.

We are going to try to get to the No Kings rally today with my rollator, camera and help from Mrs. C.

SPRING, REALLY?

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Fake ruins in Tower Grove Park, a 19th Century Romantic fantasy. No flowers around here yet, maybe because St. Louis can't figure out what season it is. When I shot this yesterday afternoon, the temperature was 94 F / 34.4 C. This morning as I write this, it is 40 F / 4.4 C. Not normal.

BUDS

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Another early sign of the season. I have to confess that this is from the archives. The arthritis at the bottom of my spine has gotten a lot worse and I'm not walking well. There is a pain management procedure scheduled for April 9 that has helped in the past, but until then it will be either old stuff or whatever I can shoot from my car (sitting is okay).

DAFFODILS IN FOREST PARK

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000

First signs on a gray day. The trees are confused. Our temperatures have been zooming up and down, summer hot one day and need a coat on the next. It has not been as extreme as some parts of the country but many plants don’t know which way to go.

FIRST BUDS IN DRIZZLE

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

Long, tedious drive home yesterday from Kansas City, with an awful lot of construction on I 70. So, I thought I'd post something spring-like from Forest Park.

LIVE FREE OR DIE

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

I think the motto dates to our revolutionary war, and is also seen on the license plates of the State of New Hampshire. If the guns and bullets aren't enough, the place also sells cigars. And if you don't have the courage to go in and check out the wares, there is a liquor store immediately to the left.

Found in Shawnee, Kansas, in suburban Kansas City where we are staying. Home today.

STL DPB'S 19TH ANNIVERSARY

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

Today is St. Louis Daily Photo's 19th anniversary, having first appeared on March 22, 2007. 6,831 posts to date. Hooda thunk. Most of the pictures are from St. Louis, but there are others from Tibet to Patagonia. So how much longer?

in Just-

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

in Just-

spring when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame balloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far and wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's

spring

and

the

goat-footed

balloonMan whistles

far

and

wee

e e cummings

TOWARD THE END OF THE DAY

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

A photography teacher once told me that outdoor light was good enough to shoot if the angle of the top of an object to the tip of its shadow was at least 45 degrees. That's surely the case here, winding up our trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. We question when or if we will be back. We're getting old and physical activities are becoming a challenge. The arthritis in my lumbar spine is worse, and I needed a bunch of airport wheelchairs last weekend. Having a super duper pain management procedure that has helped before, but it's not for three weeks.

So I need to search for something new. Suburban Kansas City this weekend for a family event.

LAS CARRETERAS NICARAGUENSES Y EL ARBOL DE LA BASURA

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

I mentioned that I would show something about Nicaraguan roads, generally better than Costa Rica although CR is much more prosperous. All Chinese foreign aid. (Someone still believes in soft power.) What's notable is the tree-like thing in the center. They are all over the place, maybe 15 meters tall, brightly colored and splashed with LEDs at night. The government calls the design Tree of Life. The locals call it Tree of Garbage. Chinese designed and manufactured, but built at great cost to the Nicaraguan state. What could the money have done for education or health care?

NOT IN THE SCRABBLE DICTIONARY

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

We rent a mid-size SUV when we go to Costa Rica. Although the roads have improved a lot over the years, it's never a bad idea to have all wheel drive. However, when we arrived at the agency hours late, they didn't have what we booked. They offered an "upgrade", this behemoth. I didn't like it. I mean, the thing had mood lighting on the inside that changed when you played music. The name is like all those mysterious Chinese products you see on Amazon. Someone puts a bunch of Roman consonants and vowels in a box, shakes it, and sets out any short string that is pronounceable in a European language. I half-expected someone to say "bless you!" after I said the name.

GOOD FOR WHATEVER AILS YOU

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

Got a problem? Any problem? This is the place to come. Pharmacies in Costa Rica work more like those in Europe than in the U.S. No giant chains like Walgreen's or CVS here. They tend to be tiny and independent. You have to talk to the pharmacist about your muscle pain or diarrhea, and they will you tell you what to take. No vast selection of over the counter stuff like here. This one, though, seems to eliminate any need for a physician.

MIRADOR DE CATARINA

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:54:00 +0000

One of the stops on the Nicaragua tour was El Mirador de Catarina, located in the town of the same name. The view is of the extinct Apoyo volcano, whose caldera is filled with water to the depth of 200 meters. I didn't know the snack quesillos. Turns out there are varieties across Latin America, both sweet and savory. The Nicaraguan version is a thick corn tortilla, soft cheese, pickled onion and a sauce. I might have tried one but the stand was closed.

STOP; OR I VISIT HOUSTON FOR THE FIRST TIME (SORT OF)

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 06:01:00 +0000

A nicer than average house in Granada, Nicaragua. No light coming in from the front. Windows traditionally face an interior courtyard.

We have not had a good flying experience on this trip. As I mentioned, both our STL - DFW and DFW - LIR segments were four hours late. Not too much inconvenience, as we had planned to overnight at DFW anyway. On Saturday, our inbound plane to Liberia was on time. However, The Liberia CR airport is so far over capacity in high season that the plane had to wait a long time for a gate to open, so much so that the pilots timed out and can't fly all the way to Dallas. So we are landing in Houston to get another crew. Customs and immigration there, then on to Dallas, where we will miss the last flight to STL of the night.

Never been to Houston. We've visited Kathmandu, El Calafate, Alice Springs and X'ían, but never America's fourth largest city. I could do without.

HAVE A BLESSED RIDE

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 12:44:00 +0000

An autorickshaw or tuk-tuk, if you will, in the old colonial town of Granada, Nicaragua. I think that's Our Lady of Guadalupe on the back, along with a sticker of a hostile, science fiction-y face. Vaya con Dios.

HAULAGE

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 06:01:00 +0000

I've done some reading about Nicaragua since our visit Tuesday. Its GDP per capita in 2024 was US$ 2,600 per year, second poorest in the western hemisphere after Haiti. There are trucks and vans, but horse drawn carts are common.

It is striking, though, that Nicaragua's main roads are clearly better than Costa Rica's. Chinese foreign aid, according to our guide. I'll find an illustration.

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - STREET SCENE

noreply@blogger.com (Bob Crowe) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 06:01:00 +0000

We spent a lot of time on the road Tuesday driving north from the Costa Rican border into Nicaragua. This is the southern town of Rivas. Some general impressions: Nicaragua is notably poorer than CR. The houses are mostly smaller and in rough shape. The cars are older and more beat up, and there are fewer of them. Lots of horse-drawn carts. In more populous areas, there are many autorickshaws, like you see in parts of Asia. Busses and some trucks are as festively painted and religiously decorated as in India. Few if any modern strip centers that are now common in CR. Many fewer supermarkets; our guide said they are too expensive and people prefer to buy from local roadside vendors. Flags are everywhere, with more of Daniel Ortega's Sandinista National Liberation Front than the national flag.

The day was exhausting and we took yesterday off. More of this to come.