“Drums!” she said in broken two-year-old English. “Drums on the hill!” She looked way up the hill, past the fountain and multiple of sets of stairs, to the pavilion far at the top. From the heights, the warm sound of conga drums wafted down to us and lightly made itself known. Curious. Why would there be drums on a Sunday night, here in the middle of Forest Park? Beyond the ever-changing lights of the fountain, two friends walked and took pictures in the dark. The summer air was now Continue Reading
An Autumn Ritual
The sun was shining on the Mississippi as we headed upriver along the bluffs above Alton, Illinois. The oppressive St. Louis summer was winding down and the first notes of fall were in the air. A touch of cool through the open car windows hinted at Halloween, leaf piles and hot cider without coming right out and stating it. It was apple picking time. An hour north of St. Louis in the highlands above the little river town of Grafton, Illinois, is Eckert’s orchard. Replete with red barn and a Continue Reading