181/365: Peace Out

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Downtown St. Louis 365 is going on sabbatical for a while. I need more time for other things. My intention is to post occasionally when I have a picture that's worth it. The St. Louis Daily Photo juggernaut continues. So for now, peace and joy, and keep your feet cool during the hot months.

The Thursday Arch Series has a military twist on St. Louis Daily Photo.

180/365: I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke

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Possibly a street person, maybe just someone hanging out in the Old Post Office Plaza. He's got one good arm to lift a bottle of Coca Cola.

I am suspending Downtown St. Louis 365 for a while after tomorrow's post. Made it to half a year. It gets little traffic, some of the work is below the standard I want and it's taking more time than I anticipated. My summer will be very busy at work. I may bring it back in the future or post intermittently. If anyone would like to persuade me to do otherwise, let me know.

Street portraits of unusual people on St. Louis Daily Photo.

179/3365: Analysis

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Analysis: breaking things down into their component parts, looking for structure and patterns to achieve a deeper understanding. Could be Freudian, Jungian, philosophical or political. In this case I think it's chemical. Check the lettering of the top line. Evidently, no expense was spared in the development of this facility.

St. Louis Daily Photo is definitely out of the closet.

178/365: Watch Out, Guys. They're All Lawyers

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This looks like it might have been taken by our friend Steffe.

Sauce Magazine, the local weekly newspaper and website for foodies, has an annual tasting and pouring at this time of year in a blessedly air-conditioned venue. This year it was at the swanky Four Seasons Hotel north of the Arch. There were yummy tidbits from some of the best local area restaurants (this is a wonderful city for eating) and samples from regional wineries. Yes, Missouri makes wine and some of it is pretty good.

The group attending the event in the iPhone picture above might get the attention of young men on the prowl. Be careful, guys, they are all lawyers. I can vouch for it - the one on the left works for me. Behave yourselves. You don't want to be slapped with a writ.

St. Louis Daily Photo does gentle combat.

177/365: Street Combat

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We couldn't imagine this in the relative safety of America but there are plenty of places in this world where you could round a bend in the road and walk right into it. Be grateful.

These Marines rode up to the edge of the Mississippi in inflatable Zodiac boats, jumped into the water and waded ashore with automatic weapons at the ready. Makes me want to watch Mary Poppins or something.

There are daredevils on St. Louis Daily Photo.

176/365: Drop On In

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At the beginning of the Marines' mock assault yesterday, six men jumped out of a helicopter and - what's the right term? - used paragliders to float down to the lawn under the Arch. The announcer said they do this with great precision and are able to land on a 10 square meter target. As Muhammad Ali used to say, float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

175/365: Fast Way Out

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As I mentioned today on St. Louis Daily Photo, these pictures stir up memories of images from the Vietnam War. The circumstances are utterly different, but this one makes me think of the last helicopter leaving the roof of the American embassy in Saigon at the end of the conflict, No one is firing on the Arch grounds, though.

St. Louis Daily Photo has a big, mean copter coming out of the sun.