Happy List, Week 18

Happy List, Week 18

1. Visiting a soon-to-be-reborn or soon-to-be-lost part of Missouri History: the Goldenrod Showboat. A couldn't miss it opportunity and grateful for it.

2. Pedometer. Because it recorded again the feat of 14+ miles in one day = very hurt-y feet.

3. Big Day is over. We have one REALLY big day at work, and it was last Friday, and it is OVER.

4. Brunch. Haven't gone to brunch for awhile and had never been to Bevo Mill for it. Pretty tasty!

5. Rainy days. Make me happy as long as I don't have to walk in them. Thunder is a bonus!

6. Weekend off. I'd gone *mumble mumble* days without a day off, and it was nice to finally have days off. Still didn't get laundry done... or groceries... but I did relax a little.

7. Slow down time. It's on the horizon - when my job slows down enough to breathe and work on only ONE show at once.  I can see it, I just can't quite reach it!

8. Good shoes. On a 14+ mile day, I don't wear the pretty shoes, I wear the trusty ones - nice sneakers. And they treated me as nicely as a 14+ mile day could.

9. Advil. It is the wonder drug when you've walked your legs off.

10. Good colleagues. I couldn't have done it without them and they know who they are. Thank you.

(Almost forgot! I swear I'll stop being behind on this blog soon...)

17/52 - Photo Project 2014

In Week 17, I had an amazing opportunity to explore a piece of St. Louis history. The Goldenrod Showboat is on the National Register of Historic Places, a US National Historic Landmark but yet she sits in "dry dock", rotting away.  She's had quite the history - built in 1909, suffered a devastating fire in 1962 and was fully restored to her popular glory in 1965. Moored at the St Louis riverfront, she stayed there until 1989 when she was moved to St. Charles. St. Charles renovated her again and continued to operate as a dinner theatre until 2001. The City Council sold her in 2002 and has been deteriorating ever since.

We had the opportunity to tour the boat and take pictures, in hope to help get the word out to save this historic boat. I certainly hope it gets saved, but there's certainly a ton of work that needs to go into it. It was literally abandoned without warning, so there's still dirty dishes in the sink, for example. The hull was damaged in 2001 due to low river levels and was never fixed. Parts of the boat are in remarkably wonderful shape and it's definitely stopped in time, in places. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, it's definitely plausible that it can get saved - but it'll take some serious work and serious money.

Now that I'm done being wordy, here's the winner of the week:

It's the chandelier in the entry, viewed from below, showcasing the vintage tin ceiling:

Close second:

For the rest, check them out here.

For more on the showboat, check them out here.

15/52 - 16/52 - Photo Project 2014

Well, well, well.. I hate to break it to you, but I have NOT failed on this project. I'm just severely behind on posting! Work has been super busy lately.. which leaves me pretty exhausted when I get home. Importing, sorting through and post-processing photos have not happened quickly.

That being said, in the last two weeks, I've had some good photo opportunities:

• Week 15 had a beautifully pink sunset and my first spring trip to MoBot. 
• Week 16 had skyline photo ops, plus MoBot macro shots and the fallen Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

So you see… lots to choose from:

Here's Week 15's winner:

Runner up:

Week 16:

Runners up:

Week 17 has been shot and processed but not uploaded… guess what? I'm behind on that too. Today, I get to Flood with my PF friends so that'll be good fun! Someday, I will catch up. Promise!

Happy List, Week 17

Happy List, Week 17

1. Multi-tasking Brain. I'm grateful to have it because right now my job, by nature, requires me to be up-to-date on 3 current shows, prepping at least two, one of which is large in size.

2. Camera time. I had camera time Friday night (unexpectedly), Saturday morning (planned) and a day off on Sunday (for the most part).

3. Days off. This last stretch was 15 days-in-a-row (two show weekends in a row), plus this is the month with the BIG fundraiser. I'm looking forward to summer… :) I love my job, but my job slows down a bit in the summer...

4. Easter Eggs. I dyed them for the first time in my adult life. After enduring minor ridicule on FB for an innocent question, they turned out well. Next time, I'm doing the whole dozen!

5. Getting a shot I always wanted. A locale that I've been dreaming of unexpectedly collapsed and was partially demolished. I went over there to get a shot from the street, but ended up getting the shot I truly desired with permission. You never know until you asked.

6. Photo Flood. I haven't had a chance to meet up with this group lately due to work and the leader's amusing ability to program floods on days I have shows. (In all fairness, it's not done on purpose - I've had LOTS of shows lately).

7. Friends. I've had time to spend with friends recently and it has been good for the soul. Plus, good food was eaten.

8. Sybergs wings. These will end up on here EVERYTIME I have them, they're that good (to me).

9. BARcelona Tapas. I haven't been there in awhile, but I went recently and it was just as good as I remembered.

10. Seoul Taco. Why not make the last three items about food. Gogi bowl with bulgogi. YUM!

Hey, would you look at that? 10!

Happy List, Week 16

Happy List, Week 16

1. Camera time. I snuck in some camera time Saturday morning before work. Beautiful sun, small crowds (in the beginning) and abundant water droplets (probably from the sprinkler system).

2. Water droplets. Still an obsession. My default lanes is technically a macro but I must come back with my 100mm macro lens. So much better.

3. L.A. & C. E. One of my be sties is in town with her kiddo. He's grown so much in that time and it's wonderful to see them both again in person!

4. Korean Chicken Wings. A recipe from childhood that was recently resurrected by my parents. I was invited over for dinner. KCW + brown rice = yummy dinner.

5. Sushi time with RP & KD. Spur of the moment sushi time with friends post-work. Delicious!

It's still the busy season at work, so it's harder to find me time and it is the me time that usually leads to list items.

Happy List, Week 15

Happy List, Week 15

1. Exhibit. Learning that a piece got accepted into a citywide photo contest that opens in June and is up all summer!

2. Recovery Day off. i.e. the day off you take between when you get back from a trip and go back to work in order to get all personal ducks back in a row. I may have taken it 3 days late, but I took it.

3. Lucky. My parents were lucky. A tornado hit in our area less than a mile away from where they live. Many houses in their neighborhood received damage, theirs did not.

4. Pippin. Her cuddles are the best when the day has been stressful. And she knows when to cuddle and when to be crazy.

5. Being home. I like travel, but I like being home too…

That's it. The list may be small, but the items are big.

13/52 & 14/52 - Photo Project 2014

I didn't forget to TAKE photos those weeks, but I'm just super behind in posting.

Here's the choice from Week 13 - there were lots and lots to choose from:

I really almost wanted to go with an urban decay pictures because I love them so much… but this fountain was unique and beautiful.

Week 14 very nearly didn't happen. I saw this ghost sign when I was picking up my piece from the exhibition down at Soulard Art Market. There this was, plain as day. Hiding in plain sight.

All right, no more being behind! That's a promise!

Fort Worth - Historic Buildings/Urban Decay

You know me and urban decay. I love it - because oftentimes the building in decay has a story. And it needs to be told.

I spotted this gem on the way back from the dinner with MQ and got really excited. I had spotted the neighboring building from afar but hadn't yet ventured over there to check it out. After being up unexpectedly early on Sunday, I decided to take a walk.

First, is this beauty:

This is the Texas and Pacific Railway Passenger terminal. Designed by Wyatt C Hedrick in1931, it was 12 stories of offices and an Art Deco station. The last train stopped in 1967 and saved from demolition in 1980s. In 1999, the lobby was restored because it was going to be used as a depot for a commuter rail. In 2003, the office floors were converted into lofts and reopened in 2006. From best I could tell, the restored lobby is now used for special events. I wish I had been able to take a closer look at the restored interior, but since it was a residential building, I did not want to ask.

Between this and the next building of interest was this classic Post Office. Here it is, bathed in warm morning light:

But this is the gem… the one I was so dang excited about. This is the "adjoining" Texas and Pacific Warehouse. "Adjoining" if you count being separated by a block that is occupied by the Post Office. This is also designed by Wyatt Hedirck. This was primarily intended as a warehouse/showroom, office space and storage. Unlike its counterpart, it did not receive the renovation attention and has sat vacant, probably since the 1960s. According to an urban exploration page, it had a brief life as a haunted house and a paintball location but is now fairly sealed up on the ground floor. Most of the windows are busted out, apparently the basement is full of water and another article suggest there is a tree growing on the roof.

Here's just a few images of the outside before I get to my favorite things - windows and doors:

Isn't it a beauty? It's such a shame that this building has been left to rot. Why not restore it into office buildings? That being said, it is still beautiful in its decline. There were 48 bays, still with doors intact. They made for beautiful pictures:

Windows:

So happy. But I would be happier if it restored to glory. I imagined this is what the Cotton Belt Rail Depot (in St Louis) might've looked like in its heyday.

It was a very satisfying way to end my exploration in Fort Worth.

Fort Worth - Fountains

If you know me well, you know that I love water. I must've been a fish or some other thing that lived in or enjoyed the water in a past life. One thing that I love is a waterfall. Exciting when it is natural but just as cool when it is man-made. Right next door to my hotel (and the convention center) is a HUGE water garden called, well, the Fort Worth Water Garden. It was glorious. It has THREE different types of fountains. This garden is 4.3 acres of gloriousness built in 1974.

The first is what they call the Active Pool. it also seems like the biggest. You can actually climb all the way to the bottom (I never did).

The second is the Quiet Pool. The water literally quietly spills over and slides straight down walls. It's exceedingly peaceful.

The third was broken the first day I was there, but it was fixed quickly. It's called the Aerated Pool and it is literally high pressure sprinklers. When I was photographing it during the daytime, I thought I saw lighting underneath and I was right. It swirled all the way through the rainbow. I experimented with shutter speed a little with this one. It's lovely, no? Two of the lights didn't want to cooperate the entire time but I think I managed to miss most of those.

Isn't this glorious? It was perfect! But what is even better is the discovery that will be the center focus of tomorrow's post. I'm very excited about that one. Stay tuned!

Fort Worth - Downtown

Fort Worth's downtown proper is quite intimate by my standards. I can traverse it relatively quickly and the blocks are smaller than I was expecting. To me, it seems like a decent blend of older, historic buildings that were built with decorative enhancements and modern high-rises. Later on in the conference, I learned that a tornado had whipped through downtown 14 years ago and I really couldn't see any major signs of the damage.

One can say I "Flooded" downtown Fort Worth twice over the six day period while I sought fresh air and enjoyed my brief walks very much.

When I was scouting hotels, I discovered this building on Google Maps and wanted to find it immediately. It actually found me, sort of. I spotted it on the way back from dinner with a colleague.

 

It was built in the early 1900s and has recently been renovated. I'm all for reviving historic vacant buildings!

Isn't the detail gorgeous?

I'm too tired and brain-full to do much in depth research on these buildings but at a quick glance, all the historical, older buildings seem to have thriving tenants in them.

I found some other buildings on the other side of downtown, but I'm saving those for Day 4.

Day 3 includes a very cool water garden that was right in-between the two buildings I spent most of my time in! Me + water = happy Ann. I don't necessarily have to be swimming in it to be happy.