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TREKKING THE C.W.E.
In Saint Louis, CWE stands for CENTRAL WEST END which is a historic part of the city where the elite (people and pets) meet to eat, shop and just people watch on sunny weekend days. Here is photographic mosaic I shot on Saturday when I was out with a couple of friends. You can click on the little images to view a larger version and read my commentary.
Our Saturday matinée movie was STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS. 
Tourists always welcome in Saint Louis. And it’s a great place for a budget vacation.
THE TOTAL PICTURE!
On occasion, after I’ve posted a photo to the Weekly Photo Challenge, I will occasionally supply a little background on the photo I’ve submitted or about the other photos I was considering submitting. Today I would like to submit the entire ESCAPE photo. You might want to click on it to see the larger size.
THE TOTAL PICTURE — GOOSE ON THE LOOSE!
ENJOY!
Weekly Photo Challenge: ESCAPE!
In a new post created specifically for this challenge, share a picture that means ESCAPE to you.
Ready, Set, Run … GEESE ON THE LOOSE!
PHOTO/STORY CHALLENGE – YOU ARE YOUR MAILBOX
THE PHOTO/STORY CHALLENGE – Write a brief story and illustrate it with up to twelve related photographs.
Alas, the poor person who delivers your mail … stuck with a motto that isn’t even a motto of the US Postal Service. “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” It sounds great, but it was just a whim of an architect who needed an inscription to decorate the New York City post office building that he had designed. The quote was actually a variation of a comment written by the Greek historian, Herodotus of Halicarnassus to describe the Persian mounted mail couriers of 500 B.C. So, unless the person who delivers your mail is of Greek or Persian decent and riding a horse, the motto really doesn’t apply.
All things considered, being a mail delivery person is not a happy lot. They really don’t even have a job title these days. Back when I was a kid they were known as a Mailman in the US or the British variation Postman. That title really didn’t work when women began delivering mail, and so the title of Letter Carrier started being used.
Actually I think the title of POSTAL COURIER would sound more romantic. Unfortunately the word POSTAL has a somewhat negative history.
Anyway, to get down to the PHOTO/STORY CHALLENGE at hand by introducing letter carrier Marvin Mailman makes a game of imagining what his postal patrons are like by the mailboxes they own.
SPECIAL DELIVERIES w/MARVIN MAILMAN
Mr. Hotrod is the eternal drive-in soda jerk who never really grew up. He also never tinkered or even owned a hot rod. He now leases an Acura Luxury Sedan with all the extra features.
E. J. McBucks still has the first dollar he ever inherited. It’s probably entombed in the brickwork of his mailbox.
Marty McFly has never eaten a fish that hasn’t come out of a can. He does like drowning worms.
Sigrid Agentmam is not to be messed with … her ultra secure mail depository even has a secret electronic pass code that is changed on a weekly basis.
Auntie Macassar still drapes all her plastic covered overstuffed furniture with little crocheted doilies to keep them from being soiled.
Mr. Mauler does not get mail deliveries, he has a dog that eats letter carriers for lunch.
Mr and Mrs Avian have a P.O. Box, their rustic mailbox is now the home of a family of Eurasian Tree Sparrows.
Mr. M. Bibber replaces his generic mailbox on a semi-weekly basis following his semi-weekly poker parties.
Mr. S. Bagel still has the same mailbox that his father put up 55-years ago. Either he’s a tightwad who never dusts his mailbox, or he is totally inept as a household handyman.
What’s your mail delivered to …
DAILY CALENDAR CHALLENGE #134 – MAY 14, 2013
#1 THE ORIGAMI CALENDAR CHALLENGE – THE INSIDE OUT BOAT
I really thought this was going to be a hard fold — they usually are when to have to turn the finished piece inside out to produce the desire end result.
But this one wasn’t bad. Of course, the finished product isn’t very impressive from the bottom view. 
But the inside is really posh!
#2 THE MENSA PUZZLE CALENDAR – I BEFORE E EXCEPT WITH THIS PUZZLE
Trust me, #5 is not Mount Rushmore.
MOST IMPRESSIVE SIGHT OF THE DAY
Mother Nature - Sculptress
MLLE. RENEE CELEBRATES HER FIFTH!
By everyone’s guesstimate, Mlle. Renee was probably born in early May of 2008. So, Renee and I decided that we would celebrate her birthday each year on Mother’s Day. And even though neither Renee or I know who or what her mother is/was, all things considered, that is a rather cool day on which to be born. And Renee really did love her mom. Anyway, today we celebrated! But I’ll let her tell you about that.
I was so excited about my birthday today I just couldn’t sleep. Would you believe it, I’m actually five today, and you know what that means in human years? That’s right, the big three five, which means from now on numbers don’t count for birthdays. The first thing I did was to go in and wake Rob up. He grumbled something about sleeping in, but after I shook the bed a dozen or more times he got up and opened the door so I could go out and run around and check the grounds for intruders like rabbits … and snakes. I hate snakes even more than Rob does. But I’m not afraid to pick them up like he is! I pick them up with my teeth and shake them silly … or until they stop wiggling around. There were no intruders, so I went back in the house and jumped into bed with him. He won’t say anything, but I think he likes when I snuggle next to his legs and warm his legs on chilly mornings like today. After a while the radio started playing music and it was time for Rob to get up and make breakfast. He gave me dry IAMS, and made flaky layer biscuits for himself. I gave him the mean on man stare, and he finally gave in and removed a couple of layers of his biscuit … spread a little butter on them … and put them on top of the IAMS. I really didn’t want the layers of the biscuit, but how else was I going to get the butter. I licked the butter of the biscuit layers, and when I saw him watching me I ate the layers, too. The IAMS can wait until I get hungry later.
After breakfast it was PRESENT TIME. I don’t know why he wraps things up … he knows I’ll only rip the paper up and he’ll bitch about cleaning up the mess on the floor. But the present was too cool to rule! It was a snazzy new, and totally fashionable nylon necklace of red, pink and purple. I ❤ it totally! It goes so well with my hair.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t cover the dent in my neck all the time. That happened when I was just a little pup before I was rescued by HSMO. They picked me up on the street and discovered a tight rope collar had embedded itself into my neck. I was kind of skinny, too. So after the nice ladies gave me something to eat, the doctors waited until I dozed off and while I was sleeping they surgically removed the old rope that was growing into my neck. They wrapped it up with medicine I didn’t like, but when I got well and healthy after a few months they let Rob take me home with him.
You can still see where my neck was hurt, but my new necklace will cover that up most times. So I’ll never take it off!. It has three cool charms on it that jingle-jangle when Rob takes me for walks. One charm is a golden bone engraved with my name. Another says I’ve had all my shots and vaccinations. And the last I’m a natural-born doggie of West Walnut Manor.
And that’s not all! Rob also made me some special treats!
They’re carob chip, peanut butter and oatmeal cookies. Carob is sort of like chocolate, but isn’t. Rob says chocolate is bad for me, but he eats it all the time. So that’s why he made me these special cookies.
Smells good!
Tastes even better!
Even the crumbs are good.
Don’t know why Rob won’t eat any of them.
Oh, well, just more for me!
This has been my best birthday yet!
OTHER PATTERNS THAT CAUGHT MY EYE
While searching for a photo that meant PATTERNS to me today, here are the other pictures I shot …
Variations on a lily theme
PRICKLY BALL
PROMENADE
Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern
In a new post specifically created for this challenge, share a picture which means PATTERN to you!
DAILY CALENDAR CHALLENGE #128 – MAY 8, 2013
#1 THE ORIGAMI CALENDAR CHALLENGE – TISSUE HOLDER
I don’t judge ‘em, I just fold ‘em!
I’m quite sure that it could be utilized to hold a stick of chewing gum, too.
#2 THE MENSA PUZZLE CALENDAR – FOUR CONSONANTS
Would anyone care to figure the odds of solving this puzzle?
Well, hopefully I’m not the first to be stumped when it came to solving this puzzle. I could blame it on the fact that I spent most of Wednesday doing laundry and trying to get all of the grass mowed before the rains were supposed to begin again at 7 p.m. — the rain failed to arrive on schedule and I failed to solve the puzzle. The missing letters in each word were C, F, M AND T. I haven’t tried inserting them in any of the words yet.
THREE THINGS FOUND GROWING IN MY BACK YARD TODAY
WHAT’S IN YOUR BACK YARD?
... a somewhat unknown or perhaps imaginary actor, writer, director, producer, photographer, friend, brother, uncle and all round good fellow that you really should get to know because he lives with that most glamorous fourpaw Mademoiselle Renee. (Mlle. Renee for short)
