We found this on the side of the house when letting the dogs out tonight. We had some really heavy storms roll through this afternoon. Can they build these things that fast or can these webs survive heavy rain? You can click the pictures to enlarge them.
Once I took a few pictures he pulled his legs in and went motionless.
It was on this day, August 10, in 1821 that the state of Missouri was admitted to the Union. Missouri is called the “Show Me State,” a motto dating back to the 1890s and a speech where Congressman Willard Vandiver declared: “I come from a country that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I’m from Missouri, and you have got to show me.”
For the past several decades, the mean center of the population of the United States has been in Missouri.
Missouri is the center of America in other ways, too: St. Louis, Missouri, is considered the farthest west of America’s Eastern cities, and Kansas City, Missouri, is thought of as the farthest east of America’s Cities of the West. In the past, Missouri was a Southern state; now it’s generally thought of as a Midwestern state.
It’s what’s called a “bellwether state” in politics. Missouri has voted for every winning U.S. presidential candidate since 1904, with just two exceptions: the 1956 election and the 2008 election.
Missouri was settled by German brewers and has always had among the most lenient drinking laws in the nation. When Prohibition fever swept the rest of the nation, Missouri never enacted statewide prohibition. State law specifically bans arrests for public intoxication. Open containers of alcohol are permitted in moving vehicles (passengers can drink).
Missourians count among their ranks: Mark Twain, Langston Hughes, T.S. Eliot, Sara Teasdale, Tennessee Williams, William S. Burroughs, William Least Heat Moon, Joseph Pulitzer, J. William Fulbright, Walt Disney, Walter Cronkite, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Jesse James.
Thanks Mike F
One of the players in our mud volleyball tournament today.
Hooters girls relaxing at the pool before their first game.
One of the players in our mud volleyball tournament today.
Hooters girls relaxing at the pool before their first game.
We’re having a heat wave in the Gateway City. I had to run some errands today and my vehicle thermometer, which has been pretty accurate, displayed 106°F this afternoon.
The weather guy on the radio warned the listeners to “stay inside with air-conditioning if possible”. Is that really necessary to tell us that? Is there some moron who’s just sitting outside listening to the radio and thinks, “Oh, crap, I better go inside.”
World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) rolls out this Saturday night, June 19th here in St. Louis.
The purpose of the ride:
Participants are encouraged to go “as bare as they dare,” though nudity is by no means necessary. You’re welcome to come fully clothed, covered in body paint, in your underwear, in a crazy costume… last year, we had a pretty good mix of the above.
I should probably go out and cover this event.
I should go down and cover this event.
Our ride yesterday took us through the area south of St. Louis MO. We rode about 180 miles through, Jefferson County, St. Louis County, Iron County, and St. Fancois County. We traveled almost exclusively two-lane roads. Missouri does have some nice scenic by-ways. Especially scenic on this trip were highways FF and MM and W. There was one other road, but I can’t remember what it was.
We stopped and ate at The Family Steakhouse in Potosi MO: Sunday buffet for $7.95 Food wasn’t bad, but there were no beets on the salad bar. (That’s how I define a salad bar. A good salad bar has beets). 🙂
The temp was in the low to mid 90’s and it wasn’t bad as long as you were moving. If you stopped it got hot quick.
Showers were forecast for the afternoon, but we didn’t experience any. Our riding buddies from Wentzville MO weren’t so lucky, They were five miles from home when they got soaked. The storms were short and they got home wet but OK.
The ushers in the right-field bleachers have this thing where they place American flags in the flower garden on top of the right-field wall (In front of the bleachers) to honor those who have served the United States and who are now serving the country in the armed forces. The same usher places the flags before each game and removes them after the game until the Cardinals lose. As long as the Cardinals win the game, that same usher will place the flags at the next game. When the Cardinals lose then another usher has the honor of placing the flags the following game and will continue until the team loses again.
Here are a couple more pictures I took today.
Cy Young award winning pitcher Chris Carpenter warming up before Sunday’s 6–0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Carpenter is 4–0 on the season. The first place Cardinals have a record of 17 wins and 8 losses so far this season.
