Serpent Mound, Ohio

 Back in a remote corner of the eastern hill country of Ohio is a the Serpent Mound. The earth works represent a giant serpent with an egg in its mouth.  The mounds are less than eye height, so the scale is completely different than what I was expecting. We were told by the ranger that the mounds had been reconstructed. 

St. Louis Arch from across the river

 Across the Mississippi river from the St. Louis arch is the Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park. Getting there is a tad harrowing. It requires navigating through a post apocalyptic landscape of burned out cars and gutted buildings.  At the edge of the park is an elevated platform that allows an unobstructed view of the arch from the east side of the river. What is nice from this side of the river is that you have a clear view of downtown St. Louis. Unfortunately there is a powerline obstructing the view, but it isn't too noticeable.

   

A mass shooting in my old home town

 You may not have heard about this, but last Sunday there was a mass shooting in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of my old hometown Cincinnati. None of the majors networks seemed to covered it. The only reason I even know about it, is a single national report, I can't remember where. Please read the article at the link to the Cincinnati Enquirer website (link here) for the details. I especially recommend the embedded video of the mayor's press conference. 

St. Louis Arch at Night

 

This is one of those instances where the cell phone ended up being the better camera. I tried to capture this scene with a crop sensor sony, but could never get a decent image. First cell phone attempt was a keeper. 

The texture on the left side of the arch is exaggerated by the evening light. During the day it is barely noticeable. The shape of the arch is a catenary, which is the same shape a hanging chain makes. 

Room with a view of the Arch

 The St. Louis Arch, that is. On our recent road trip to Ohio to attend my family reunion, we decided to splurge and book a hotel room overlooking the arch. Having never seen the arch in person, my husband was quite impressed. I'd seen it, and travelled up to the top, as a child. With my reduced vision, I was having difficulty seeing the arch, so I tried my special goggles and was able to see it!  

In the next post we will share some photos taken of the arch at night.