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Thursday, December 14, 2023

Celebrating the Christmas Season in St. Charles

Christmas on historic Main Street in St. Charles Missouri is always a wonderful way to spend some time. The shops are all decorated for the holidays, and it is very festive looking. On this post I will tell you about the festival that is the highlight of the holiday on Main Street and give you a photographic tour of the area with photos I took on a beautiful December morning.

Main Street Decked out for the Holidays.

Storefront with Merchandise Displayed on Sidewalk

The photo above shows one of the creative ways the storeowner uses his merchandise to add to the festive decorations.

Windows and Doorways

The decorating of store windows and entrances adds to the festival atmosphere.

Store Windows are Decorated with Merchandise

Christmas Traditions

Christmas Traditions is an annual festival held each year from Thanksgiving until Christmas. It is a very exciting time for young and old alike. Each Friday evening through Sunday evening you will find a host of storybook characters walking around Main Street. Characters like the Sugar Plum Fairy, Jack Frost and Santa's from many lands are all handing out trading cards. My granddaughters loved to try to collect all the cards when they were younger and came to visit.

At noon on Saturdays and Sundays all of the characters follow Santa and Mrs. Claus on a parade down Main Street, while children both young and old line the streets to watch. When not in the parade Santa can be found in the railroad station where you can get your photo taken with Santa.

Other traditions include carolers walking the streets and singing carols and vendors selling things like roasted chestnuts and hot Wassil.

Children can send a letter to Santa and drop it in the special mailbox.

Decorations Galore

Wreaths are found everywhere on buildings, windows and doorways.

This big tree and the red sleigh in front of it is a favorite place to stop and have take a photo of your group.

I hoped you enjoyed seeing one of the ways we celebrate the holidays in my area.

A few years ago, I wrote about Main Street St Charles with an emphasis on the history of the area. You can find it at this link. Photographing Christmas in Historic St. Charles.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Thursday, September 28, 2023

Visit Missouri-Review of Faust Park

Butterfly House

There are many interesting parks in the St. Louis metro area and I enjoy visiting them. On a beautiful September morning I toured parts of Faust Park with a photography group that I mentor. Faust Park is located in Chesterfield, Missouri which is in St. Louis County. On this visit we spent our time in the historical village, but on other occasions I have visited some of the many features of the park. It is complete with a playground, picnic areas, walking paths, a lake and so much more. In this post I will give you some of the highlights of the park and share my photos with you.

History of Faust Park

The land that is now Faust Park was originally owned by Frederick Bates who was the 2nd governor of the state of Missouri. In 1819 Bates built an estate on the property and called it Thornhill. That building still stands and is open for the public to see what life was like in the 1800 and 1900's.

In 1968 Leicester Busch Faust acquired 100 acres of the land and opened it to the public as a park. By 1995 the park area had doubled in size.

St. Louis Carousel

The St. Louis Carousel was built in the 1920's and for years it delighted visitors to the Forest Park area. It was in an amusement park called the Highlands. In 1963 when there was a fire at the Highlands forcing it to close, the carousel was moved to Faust Park. Today it is housed in a building at Faust Park and is a delight for kids of all ages. I have taken all four of my granddaughters there at different times and they always enjoyed riding the majestic horses.

Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House

In 1998 the Butterfly House opened in Faust Park. This beautiful building, which is pictured at the beginning of this post, houses a wonderful collection of butterflies. I worked for several years as a volunteer at the house and I was able to guide the public as they toured the Butterfly House. I learned a lot about butterflies and various insects and enjoyed photographing the butterflies. Here is a link to some of my photos and an article on photographing butterflies.

Photographing Butterflies

Historic Village

The historic village at Faust Park consists of a collection of nineteenth century St. Louis County homes and buildings. They all were in danger of being demolished and were rescued and moved to the village at Faust Park by the St. Louis County Parks Department. The buildings date from about 1840 to 1900. You can read more information about the village at Faust Park Historic Village

There was not a formal tour going on the day we visited so we wandered through the village taking photos and enjoying the historic buildings. As we approached one of the houses a worker for the parks department offered to give our group a tour of that home. It was the Davis House, and we were able to go inside on the main floor where she gave us a bit of information about the house. Here is a photo I took of the outside and one of the front parlor.

Below you will see a photo I took of the 1800's General Store.

There were several other homes in the village. Here are three of them. You will note that each is a completely different style from the others.

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Thursday, August 24, 2023

Reviewing Quail Ridge Park - Visit Missouri

Gazebo at Quail Ridge Park

I love exploring new parks and the St. Charles County Park system has a lot to offer. On a beautiful day in mid-August, I was able to explore Quail Ridge Park with a photography group. We had a great time exploring the park and taking a lot of nature photography.

Quail Ridge Park

Quail Ridge Park is located in Wentzville Missouri at 560 Interstate Drive. Although it is only about 20 minutes from my house it is a park I had never visited before. This park has many trails that can be used to explore the park. There are over seven miles of both paved and natural trails throughout the park.

The park features fishing lakes, ponds, playgrounds and shelters. It also has a wonderful dog park where you can unleash your dog and let them run. The park has an eighteen-hole disc golf course and is also home to the National Horseshoe Pitchers Hall of Fame.

Lodge and Gazebo

My group met in the parking lot of the lodge and then proceeded down the paved path for a walk around one of the lakes.

Lodge at Quail Ridge

The lodge, pictured above, is a rustic cedar banquet facility that is often used for weddings and other events. It will hold 180 people. The gazebo, which is pictured in the opening photo is the first stop on the path leading down from the lodge. One of the photographers that was with our group said it is a popular place for the bride and groom to have their photo taken for the wedding.

Walking the Paved Trail

From the lodge there is a paved trail that curves around past the gazebo, and then around the lake. It was a beautiful day, and we took a leisurely stroll along this path stopping to take photos along the way. Here are some of the photos I took.

Path Around Lake

Fishing Lake

Blossoms, Butterflies and Moths

As we walked along the path, we stopped to photograph the wildflowers and butterflies that made their homes in the woods around the lake. I also captured a moth on a wildflower across the path from the lake.

Missouri Wildflower

Lavender Wildflower

Swallowtail Butterflies

Butterflies

Flower on Edge of Prairie

Moth on Blossom

Purple Wildflower

Learn More About Missouri Butterflies and Wildflowers

Here are a couple of books where you can learn more about butterflies and wildflowers.

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Thursday, July 27, 2023

Photographing Wildflowers in Missouri

Purple Coneflower

I love wildflowers and, in the spring and summer, they are abundant in Missouri. It makes photographing them so very easy, I can find them in parks, along the sides of roads, on my neighborhood walks and even in my own yard. When I am planning to go out specifically to take photographs, I usually bring my Sony mirrorless camera along with a 55-200 zoom lens. It makes it easy to take pictures at a distance and also to zoom in for closer shots. When I am taking my dog for walks in the neighborhood, I always have my iPhone handy, and I find that it takes great shots of the wildflowers I find in the neighborhood and at our park.

The photo at the beginning of this article was taken at O'Day Park in O'Fallon, Missouri. It is a purple coneflower, that is very popular in my area in the summer months. It is one of my favorite wildflowers. I took my granddaughters to the park and brought along my Sony to capture the wildflowers that were in abundance.

O'Day Park Wildflowers

O'Day Park is a 57-acre park in O'Fallon that features a lodge, playground, camping and miles of paths and trails throughout the park. Near the playground area, I discovered a paved trail that had lots of beautiful wildflowers along the sides. They were in full bloom during our visit, and I was able to capture several different types of Missouri wildflowers. Here are some of my favorite shots.

Plains Coreopsis

Rough Blazing Star

Queen Anne's Lace

Purple Coneflower with Bee

Around the Neighborhood

The photos in this section were all taken on my walks in my neighborhood. They were all taken with my iPhone.

Trumpet Vine

Purple Coneflower and Golden Alexander

Lance Leaf Coreopsis

In My Yard

As I was looking at lists of Missouri wildflowers online, I noticed that many of the flowers in my flower beds are considered wildflowers. I know that all of them were started with a single clump given to me by and friend and all have spread like crazy. They make a colorful bordered on the side of my house.

Primrose

Wild Geranium

Bottle Brush Blazing

Black-eyed Susan

Learn More about Wildflowers

There are many books to give you tips on photographing wildflowers. Here is one I found on Amazon.

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Visit Missouri-Explore St. Louis - The Muny

Bandstand across from Muny

The St. Louis Municipal Opera, commonly called The Muny has been operating in Forest Park for more than 100 years. It is America's oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre and is a real treasure for the residents and visitors to the St. Louis area.

I have enjoyed many a delightful summer's evening watching Broadway style musicals at The Muny. This year, I had the pleasure of introducing my youngest two granddaughters to The Muny when I took them to see a production of Beauty and the Beast. They were delighted with the show, and it was wonderful to be able to watch it with them.

We arrived at The Muny about two hours before the show started and enjoyed a picnic supper at one of the many picnic areas surrounding the Muny. While enjoying our meal we were entertained by some of the pre-show entertainment. On this evening there was a storyteller who delighted the children with stories and songs. On other visits to The Muny I have enjoyed performances by some of the dance troops and singing groups before the show begins. When it was about 30 minutes before the show we entered the outdoor theatre and made our way to our seats. With time to spare we decided to get some ice cream from the refreshment stands to enjoy while we waited for the show to begin. Here are Kate and Emily waiting for the show to start.

The production of Beauty and the Beast was wonderful, and the girls were on the edge of their seats the entire time.

History of the Muny

About the time of the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis the dreams of a permanent outdoor musical theatre were formed. It was 1916 before this dream was finally realized. At that time a site was pick on a hillside in Forest Park between two large oak trees. The first production held their was As You Like It. It was picked to observe the 300th year anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. The production was seen by crowds of over 8000 per night and everyone was delighted. This was the beginning of the 105 year history of The Muny.

Today the theatre has 10,800 seats. The last nine rows (1456) are free seats and the rest of the seats are reserve tickets, with prices rising as you get closer to the stage. The theater is built as an amphitheater and gently slopes downhill towards the stage at the bottom.

It is a true cultural treasure of St. Louis that has been enjoyed by residents and visitors over the decades.

More Reviews on Forest Park in St. Louis

I have written several other reviews on Forest Park venues. Here are a few of my favorites.

Forest Park in the Fall

Forest Park and the Jewel Box

Find out more about The Muny

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Thursday, October 27, 2022

Discover St. Charles in the Fall

One of my favorite places to visit, is a town that is only a few miles away from me. It is historic St. Charles Mo. It has a very vibrant Main Street that attracts visitors all year long. I have written about this area several times in the past and I will include those links later in this article. Today I want to review with you some of the photographs I took on a beautiful fall day in October 2022. First of all, here is a photo I took telling a little bit about the history of the area.

Main Street in the Fall

Main street is a wonderful area with cobblestone streets and sidewalks and lots of delightful little shops and restaurants. In the fall the shopkeepers do a wonderful job of decorating for the season. We saw lots of pumpkin displays, colorful leaves and some very imaginative displays. Here are a couple of the photos I took on Main Street.

Halloween Decorations and Activities

Halloween is a fun time on Main Street. There are a variety of activities for all ages and the shopkeepers have some wonderful displays for the holiday.

haunted history trail sign in St Charles, MO

You can click on the QR code in the above photo to find out about the Legends & Lanterns tours that take place on Main Street.

hay-stuffed skeleton scarecrows sitting on haybales

These fun characters are motion activated and you can hear them talk and sing when you pass by. Below you see some of the decorations around the gazebo, which is a gathering place in the middle of Main Street.

The Riverfront Area

A block down from Main Street is the Missouri river. This area has a wonderful park that provides some great trails and walks along the river. There is an old train station, and you can see some train cars on the tracks.