St Louis #1

First full weekend in St Louis.  The weather was supposed to be cloudy with possible rain.  So I decided that I would leave Jane for few hours and head downtown.  I found a website that said they did 2 hr walking tours of the city for $5 - no reservations.  Just show up at the Old Courthouse - west entrance.  That sounded like a good overview of the city and architecture.  I drove downtown and found parking in a garage between the Old Courthouse and Busch Stadium.  $15 parking.  Sheesh.  I gotta find a better way - maybe public transport?? Only I don't have all day, since I have to get back to Jane.   Traffic was not bad at all!  Especially considering there was a Cardinals game starting - and I discovered that there was a huge parade going on - never did figure out what the parade was for though.

However, due to the huge, long parade - lots of the streets were closed off and the tour guides never materialized.  According to one of the staff rangers at The Old Courthouse, the tour was pretty "loosy goosey" anyway.  Great.  That'll teach me to watch what I find on the internet. So.... I hung out for a bit on the steps of the Old Courthouse and watched the parade a bit.  Tons and tons of marching bands, cars of all ages, makes and models, the odd float - but mostly marching bands.  The guys in front of me were ecstatic to see the band from their alma mater, UAPB (University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff - thank god for the sign on the banner).  They were all decked out in the black and gold school colors; yelling at the band, snapping pictures and video.  Their enthusiasm made me smile.  It's probably terrible of me to admit, because I know it involves a lot of time, effort, skill, etc, but parades just bore the heck out of me now.  I used to love them.  But after about 20 minutes I was stir crazy.  So I decided to play tourist for a bit.

Construction of the Old Courthouse  was finished in 1862.  It was the site of the historical Dred Scott trial in 1846- in which slaves Dred and Harriet Scott sued Irene Emerson, the widow of their owner, for their freedom.  The case went all the way to the Supreme Court where it was eventually denied.  Mrs. Emerson later married Calvin C. Chaffee a northern congressman opposed to slavery.  He gave the Scotts to his old friends, the Blow family, who gave them their freedom in 1857.  According to the U.S. National Parks brochure, it was "one of the most important cases ever tried in the United States....these trials were the beginning of a complicated series of events which culminated in a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1857 and hastened the start of the Civil War".  Abraham Lincoln followed the case.

The Old Courthouse is beautiful - the inside of the rotunda (my picture doesn't do it justice) has myriad paintings and sculptures.  There are exhibits on slavery, the Dred Scott trial, the crusade for women's rights, and a history of St Louis throughout the years.  Very informative and free to the public as part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.  Outside views of the courthouse are impressive and from a small distance you can see that it is framed beneath the arch.

St Louis is bordered by several rivers (Mississipi, Missouri, Meramac) making it easy to see how it sprang up from being an important trading port.  After the great fire of 1849, the architecture of St Louis turned to stone and brick buildings and cast iron.  You can still see many buildings downtown with beautiful cast iron work.

Upon leaving the Old Courthouse, I took a walk through City Garden and enjoyed the greenery, the fountains and the sculpture there.  Take a look at the link provided for a better description.  Great, whimsical fun place to find in the middle of a bustling city!!  How wonderful!  Passed lots of Cardinals fans in full regalia heading to the game.  And then decided to follow the sounds of music and the sight of white tents on the street several blocks away.   Here I found the Taste of St Louis happening on Market Street.  I decided to wander in for lunch.  Grass fed beef sliders (from a local rancher), Southern Comfort and coke (SoCo is actually from New Orleans) and St Louis original Gooey Butter Cake for dessert!  Yum!  Live music, artisans booths, wine tasting... lots of fun.  For those wondering, Gooey Butter Cake is almost like a flourless cake/brownie.  Its a St Louis original recipe - very sugary and buttery!

Okay, tourist time is up for the day.  I had to get back to feed Jane lunch.  And since the day turned out to be sunny and warmish, I decided to take her to a local park.  We found one 10 minutes away.  While we didn't get to walk very far (Jane is still learning that walking means walk - not exploring every foot!) Jane had an absolute blast playing in the grass, chasing crickets, leaves, chewing sticks and trying to greet every single jogger, walker, biker and skater that came by.  She made quite a few friends along the way - all human ones for now as her vaccines are finished yet!  We spent about an hour there and by the time we got to the car she was staggeringly tired!

Not too bad for a day of whimsical tourism!  I like that term.  Maybe that should be the new title for my blog!  What do you think?
Jules

AKC Dog Museum

Who knew there even was an AKC dog museum?  It exists on South Mason Road in St Louis in Queeny Park. According to the brochure, it "boasts the country's largest collection of art, artifacts, and literature on man's best friend".  Among the special exhibits are: "Sled Dogs: Exploration and Endurance"; St Louis canine corps; "The Art Show at The Dog Show" - past winners of the art show at the Wichita Kennel Club show held since 1987; a unique collection of matchbook covers featuring dogs; as well as paintings, sculptures and artifacts of dogs from 16th century to present.

Since this was my first day off in St Louis, and needed to also get Jane out of the room for the cleaning service, we decided this was a perfect time to visit the museum.  It resides in Queeny Park (the original house (which is part of the museum) and grounds were donated by the people who founded the Monsanto Corporation).  It made me wonder what they would think of the corporation today.  To me, the name Monsanto brings up images of the "evil corporate giant"; suing small farmers over genetic corn and wheat rights (when it was their genetically modified pollen that floated into the small farmers field); providing mountains of processed food to the public, etc.  The original owners were apparently more philanthropically minded as they donated a lot to charity in the Saint Louis area.

Jane was well received at the museum.  She didn't care for the grey, drippy day outside and was glad to go back indoors.  Well mannered, housebroken dogs are allowed into the museum.  Since she is only 11 weeks old, they graciously allowed Jane to come in as well after I assured them I intended to carry her around anyway.  She is certainly neither house broken nor good on a leash! Yet!  They thought she was cute and adorable and the museum staff cooed over her.  The lady in the gift store even held her for me while I browsed.  Jane's favorite part of the museum was the statues and sculptures.  Those were the only thing she really perked up for and stared at hard.  Mostly she was content to sigh and snooze in my arms.

One of the most interesting exhibits was "Dog Collars From Sterling Silver to Iron Spikes".  It was amazing to see some of the huge heavy collars.  I told Jane she should be glad we'd progressed to the light nylon stuff she is wearing!  Some were beautiful and decorative while a few others were little more than links of metal spikes worn by guard dogs or hunting dogs.  I will borrow here from an article that the museum hands out to everyone:

Throughout the centuries dog collars have been reflections of both society and history, serving as symbols of status and as a means of restraint, protection or identification.  Although collars today very from the simple to the decorative, early collars were designed for the specific purpose of protection.  Archaeological evidence indicates that early man devised wide circles of metal, sometimes lined with leather, to shield both his own vulnerable throat and that of his canine companion from the attacks of predators.  Representations of dogs wearing collars in Middle Eastern and Egyptian art, in fact, show the broad leather bands usually associated with hunting dogs.

In contrast to collars constructed for protection, some early surviving collars are the beaded and tasselled necklets found on the mummified remains of ancient Egyptian lapdogs.  Later the Greeks and Romans lavished gold and coral collars on their household pets, while guard dogs wore sturdy iron bands with sharp spikes.  The Pekingese and Shih Tzu, considered sacred in the palaces of China, wore lavish collars from which hung tassels identifying the dog's status in royal court.

In Europe, from the Middle Ages on into the 19th century, collars made of precious metals and studded with jewels adorned the pampered pets of kings and the wealthy, while simpler ones identified the prized possessions of commoner folk.  It was not unusual to find the name of an owner engraved on a collar to ensure the identification of their property, similar in purpose to our modern day practice of using identification tags.  Spiked collars continued to protect hunting and guard dogs from enemies -- both animal and human.

Because of their beauty and value -- and perhaps because they were lasting reminders of beloved pets -- dog collars have been saved and collected throughout the centuries.  Most of the collars belonging to The Dog Museum date from the 19th and 20th centuries and were made by unknown artists and craftsmen.  They vary from an elegant sterling silver collar with a padlock once belonging to the Duke of Lancaster's mastiff to a plain copper band closed with a leather buckle.  Many examples of spiked collars are also on show.

The AKC Dog Museum is a neat little place - well worth the $5 admission fee.  If you're ever in St Louis, make an effort to visit.  Jane and I will probably head back on a sunny day to explore some of the trails in Queeny park.  At the moment, she's exhausted from a morning of museum touring and is snoozing away!

Welcome to St Louis

Drove to St Louis, Missouri for my next work assignment.  I drove out from South Carolina, through Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri.  I stopped overnight in Paducah, Kentucky and got the chance to see the National Quilt Museum.  $11 got me in to see the most amazing works of fiber art I've ever seen.  Taking photos was not allowed, but even if it was, they would not do these quilts justice.  The stitching, designs, colors and textures were incredible and breathtaking.  If you ever go near that area, take the time to stop in.  Passing into Illinois, I also drove by Metropolis,  home of Superman!  Unfortunately I couldn't stop in at the museum there with Jane in the car.  But it was fun to drive by!

The latter part of Kentucky and the southern part of Illinois that I drove through were mostly trees, scrub and flat farmland.  Definitely entering the midwest.  It reminded me of the time I lived in Kansas.  Flat land for miles and miles - even driving into the outskirts of St Louis.  Then I rounded a corner of I-64 and saw the arch!

I'm staying at the Staybridge Suites in a one bedroom suite (pseudo-apartment).  It's pretty nice with lots of amenities (fitness room, free breakfast).  There's lots of grassy areas where Jane can play and walk.  I met today with her new dog sitter, Kritter Kare 4 U.  Bill will be taking her out twice a day for me, since I'll be working 10 hour days.  With travel time - I'll be gone 11-12 hours a day.  That's too long to leave a 10 wk old puppy to herself.  So Bill will give there companionship and potty breaks she needs.

Tomorrow I start work at Barnes Jewish Hospital in the outpatient clinic.  I made a dry run today and it took about 20 minutes to get there (14 miles).  But I know I'll have to allow more time for traffic.  The campus is beautiful and huge!  It was rainy today, so the pictures don't do it justice completely.  It's supposed to be the biggest hospital in Missouri.  It's surrounded by various colleges and universities.   I'm hoping that this will be a good place to work.

New travel partner

I haven't posted in a while.  Been busy looking for my next job and then filling out paperwork, negotiating contract and faxing paperwork for the new job.  And... I have a new travel partner.  I really, really missed having the company of a dog.  And I found a new puppy.  Tuxedo Jane is a Frenchton (1/2 French Bulldog and 1/2 Boston Terrier).  She's 9 weeks old.  And I'm already in love with her.  She's fearless, and loves best of all to sleep.  She'll be under 20 lbs full grown, so a good apartment size dog.  And she's so even tempered that I think I've found my therapy dog.  She loves people and other dogs.

At Pet Village, my friends pet shop in Rock Hill, SC, we had the opportunity to be part of an elementary school class trip with 22 four year olds.  She had a blast being passed around and hugged and petted.  A good start for a future therapy dog.

So, on this coming Thursday, Jane and I will set out in the Kia Soul to travel to St. Louis, MO for the next 3 months.  I'll be working in the outpatient clinic at Barnes Jewish Hospital.  So our next adventure begins...