Eye Candy

My daily walking route sets before me a veritable feast for the eyes, which I feel compelled to share with you all.  Yes, of course, the effort to document this meant I couldn't keep my usual pace, but I was more than willing to sacrifice a little caloric burn for your pleasure and entertainment.  So, please, sit back, relax, and pretend to be entertained.

First of all, the variety and beauty of the architecture is breathtaking:

In spite of its rather dismal appearance, this Farmer's Club is a hopping dancehall (and middle-aged meat market) every Tuesday and Friday night.  

Then there's the government school where great feats of education take place...such as 7th grade Math students who can design an eco-friendly zoo space in which all the little animals would thrive and be happy.  I did NOT make that up, folks.

Does anyone rollerskate anymore?  There's actually a skating rink in my neighborhood...just down from the bowling alley.  Heh-heh.  We're high-class here in SoCo.  I always think it would be fun to have the church kids over for a skate party.  Today's young people are big into retro, right?  And rollerskating is definitely retro. Did ya'll locals even know this place existed?

Ah, yes.  What neighborhood would be complete without a doggy hospital?  I've been in this place 1 too many times...and therein I was denigrated for allowing my children's cockapoo to become 3 lbs overweight.  Hmph!

Then there's little gem: who in St. Louis hasn't heard of Becky's Carpet & Tile?  All I can say is that at least her commercials are more artistic than her building!

Even though these buildings are fascinating, my favorite sites along the walking path are the car parts.  I've seen entire bumpers twisted almost beyond recognition, remnants of shattered windshields, and whole tires.  I'm usually thankful that the accidents which produce this roadside clutter never seem to happen while I'm out walking.  All I found today, in the way of car parts, was this little pile of taillights and duct tape:

My trail is also strewn with abundant evidence of man's vices: 

And then there are these.  I don't even want to think about it...

But maybe I should use those to pick up and discard the carcasses I find:

I did happen to find one lovely and productive item today:

Which was, ironically, lying directly in front of this:

Could it be a sign from God (or Papa Joel) that I should switch banks? 

And finally, here is some eye-pleasing evidence of our poverty-stricken, wretched, declining economy: taxpayer-funded projects.  There are 3 of them on my 3-mile route.  But hey, without them, I would be denied my right to convenient access to a port-a-potty every mile!

One can only hope that, in the end, these projects improve the overall aesthetic of the neighborhood.  In the meantime:

I hope ya'll have appreciated sharing the beauty of my morning stroll.  It's easy to see why I can't wait to get up and go see this anew every morning, isn't it?