St. Louis Brick

5/12/10

Back Yard

I do a yard share with the vegetable garden in the back of the yard. Nine neighbors invest 35.00 and get to share the bounty. This year I've planted snow peas, beets, various broccoli (including Violet, Cheddar, and plain old white), peppers, zucchini, and cucumbers. The zucchini is growing in the front yard to prevent cross pollination with the cucumbers.

Hosta and fern bed

South view of The Veranda

Hosta, iris, and a potted elephant ear

Another hosta bed. I'm waiting on the calidiums, elephants ears, and canna.

Hosta, iris and peppers.

Part of the vegetable garden:

Snow peas and beets. These were elevated because of losing crops to the rabbits. They are on top of cinder blocks on a piece of left over concrete board and the pea pods look quite healthy thanks to the rain and contributions from the floor of my neighbor's chicken coop.

This is a tomato arbor that I made a couple of months ago. There's 18 Early Girl tomato plants on either side. Not pictured is the rest of the vegetable garden which includes 24 pepper plants and even more tomatoes. BTW, I draped and secure netting around the tomato plants. Buy it it a fabric store: 72 inches width and it can be bought for less than a dollar a yard on sale.

One of three Japanese maples in my yard. I raised this one from a seedling.

Stone steps through the iris and hosta beds.
This area used to be all bed but when Beau's friend visited they didn't have leg room so I opened the area. Now Beau and his freinds run around the veranda in large circles.

The Veranda.
Tim calls it the Tea House. I don't drink tea, it makes me hurl.

Back porch

5/11/10

Chicken Coop Tour this Saturday May 15th

Take the free tour!
Hosted by my fabulous neighbor and erstwhile contractor, Gary Pey or Gray Pet as I inadvertently typo his name.

"Don't forget to mark your calendars for the Couped Up chicken coop tour! It's May 15th, 10:00 AM . We'll meet at the GOH Center at Juniata and Bent. I could really use some more hosts. So far including myself, I only have three. One is in Webster Groves, but he is an architect and might have an interesting looking coop"

Poster designed by Tyler Pey.

5/6/10

St. Louis Brick Confidential

Last week I was staring at the bricks on the wall of my former grade school here in TGS and thinking again about doing paintings based on bricks.

Stretching canvas over a frame is tedious work. It occurred to me to collaborate with another painter which was initially exciting: we would share the concept, supplies, and work so I called another painter I know and left a message before leaving for a day of errands.

Once on the road I had second thoughts.
A male painter collaborating with a woman? I already sensed the answer and wondered if he'd recall that we've been in shows together.

Female artists just don't have any credibility in the art world and their/our work is undervalued. I'm convinced the only reason any of my work sold - and it did sell - is because my name is Christian.

The Painter returned my call and was intrigued with the concept but balked at collaborating: If you give me the materials I'll do my own paintings.

Yeah.

The Monte Christo

These magnificent bricks slay me with their rough finish and subtle range of hue. The original mortar was finger tooled into the crevices.

I showed this photo to Tim over lunch and he announced it was the best cornice in the neighborhood.

These photos are of the Monte Christo apartment building near Wyoming and s Grand in TGE.

4/26/10

Storm Damage

Damage to the stone wall in McDonald Park:

Just spoke with the Parks Commissioner who is rounding up engineers as I type!

The storm also deposited about 4,000 maple tree seeds on my front yard and steps and an equal amount in Marti's garden. I swear I pulled 300 maple tree saplings out of the garden last year.
After the first storm ended on Saturday I was driving east of 44 and drove under a huge rainbow.

4/25/10

Digging a Foundation

Located in TGS, this hole was created last week. Click on the title to see the plans.

Some of the soil slipped during yesterday's rain storm:

4/19/10

There's goes the Neighborhood

Ouch!
On my block so I now walk west.

4/17/10

Stone steps - River Des Peres

4/3/10

Homage to Felix Hoenikker

3/25/10

Outrageous Brickwork

I spotted this dreamy little house in the Southampton neighborhood. Click to enlarge the photos. The bricks were laid on an angle creating a 'perforated' look.
January and Goethe.

3/14/10

Gas Tank remediation on Morgan Ford

A few days ago I noticed the gas tanks at Morgan Ford and Oleatha were being removed. I stopped to talk with some of the worker's who told me the removal was 'financed by Obama's stimulus package.'

An environmental scientist was on site and said his job was to test the soil
for contamination. The huge hole was about 15 feet deep. Every few feet of digging the work would stop and he'd take a sample from the bucket. He'd put it in a zip lock bag and let it sit to let any gas evaporate. Then he inserted a probe for a reading. When the soil stops testing clean they stop digging and removed the soil to be taken off site to be 'cleaned'.
The probe:

The hole is filling filled with the white gravel on the right side.

2/24/10

Joe goes to Haiti

One of our Tower Grove South neighbors is currently in Haiti volunteering with the Relief Effort. You can read his blog by clicking on the title of this post.