St. Louis and the Dinosaurs

I wonder if that's anything like St. George and the dragon?

T. Rex is sneaking around behind the pine needles...

T. Rex's constant foe and companion, Triceratops, looks like he's found some tar pits. Actually the black strips are black plastic that's come up from under the gravel. Seems like Triceratops is compacting the garbage, though.

Tyrannosaurus Rex is looking bright and cheery against the grey morning sky.

Perhaps instead of sparring, he's about to suggest they go out for biscuits and gravy just this once.

I had to run around a bit but eventually the Science Museum opened and I went in to do some quick exploring, preferably the areas I hadn't done too much before on the other side of the complex. The Science Museum extends over the highway to another building, so there's usually quite a bit to explore if you have the time. Even the walkway is worth a few moments to stop and look down at the cars speeding by, and there are radar guns to point at them to see just how fast they are zipping past. So I glanced over the stuff I'd seen numerous times (though I can always make a whole day disappear at a science museum) and played with some of the newer things, and stayed a little while in the medical section.

Even met a nice fellow just hanging around.

There was a lady there too, but she was very transparent. She obviously felt boxed in.

Actually I was pleased and surprised the shots came out. Digital cameras Are neat.

I poked about in other areas, upstairs and down. There was a paleontology section and nearby, a large animatronic dinosaur display. It's one thing to stumble on a few staid dinosaurs in the park; it's another when they move and roar at you inside the building. The exhibit was fun to watch just for people's reactions to it...

I watched the real scientist

working with the fossils, went into the strange pressure-sealed room, gave the gift shop one or two goings-over, and finally pulled myself away. But not before getting a few parting shots of the robot lizards up close and personal.

The pterodactyl kept pretty much to himself, though. No one wants to mess with T. Rex.

Meet Me In St. Louis

I'd survived the storm but was starting to get a bit tired. All the same, I wanted to have some fun, and a nice place to have some fun is in St. Louis. There are a few places yet in the general area I'd like to explore some day, but weather was still a concern at the moment, so I wasn't sure where to go in regards to being interesting while not bound to cake my shoes with mud...I wanted to get a few shots of the arch with my digital camera, but I wasn't in the right lane and it wasn't such a big deal that I wanted to turn around. So I went into Missouri, over the Mississippi River early in the morning, passing the arch and heading towards Forest Park. Usually I go to the zoo and the science museum and the day is over, so I was debating about doing something different. I considered going to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, but I wasn't sure it was open at the time. So I went to the park and drove around to a different area. There was a sort of welcome center and café in one area, so I parked and walked to that. Many joggers and runners were about; apparently there was even some organized event going on, judging from tables of food and signs and joggers milling around. Anyway I went into the center and looked around, used the facilities and collected an assortment of brochures and maps and sat down to look them over. There were some cool science things, but also some immediately useful info. Turned out the Botanical Gardens were free or cheap at a certain time, if I wanted to go then; but also there were several museums in the park I'd never been to, that were free as well. Since it kept threatening rain, that was an appealing option. I decided I'd do whatever was open, wherever I was closest to at any given time.

So I wandered back out and started walking to see what was in the vicinity. That seemed to be a pond with a gazebo. The weather was spitty so I wasn't sure how far to go--at first I just kept near the little lake and tested taking pictures in the grey light.

Here's a weeping willow and clusters of other flora.

The park gazebo...well, bandstand actually, I guess. Nice echoing reflection.

Flowers were planted all about...

On the other side of a large patch of rose bushes was the Municipal Theatre. At the time I didn't know that...all I could see were a lot of colorful flags and banners. But later I walked around and discovered it was a fancy place for actors to do some board stomping. Or trodding.

Facial farding. Other emotive operations...

Then I walked back by the bandstand and around the pond, and decided to see if the Science Museum was open yet. Or anything else. Unfortunately it was still too early for most things, just...so I walked behind the Science Museum to greet my old pals, the dinosaurs. I don't know how long they've been at it there, but I think they must have gotten some fresh paint at some point. They looked a little different. Of course, I don't think the tree had fallen on them before. And I tried to get different angles of them, so they'd look slightly more realistic. Eek, what you find while walking in a Missouri forest!! Tyrannosaurs and triceratopseseses!