Showing posts with label The Armory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Armory. Show all posts

18 February 2024

The Week with Julie: Valentine's Day at the Zoo; CITY Season Kickoff at the Armory

Valentine's Day this year fell on a Wednesday (14 February)--my off day from work. Julie took that day off from her work and together we went to the Saint Louis Zoo. Before we left her apartment, I gave her a fresh long stem rose and a large, heart-shaped collection of artificial red roses in a lollipop configuration. Julie loved both items.

Arriving at the Zoo, we walked among several areas that we didn't get a chance to see the last time we were there this past November. We walked through the Herpetarium and the Primate Trails, then visited Big Cat Country. It was a pleasant day for a visit and some Zoo animals were outdoors for us to enjoy.



Next, Julie and I went to the Bird House and Bird Garden to see some some feathered creatures on display. 



We then walked over to see some gazelles before entering the Cypress Swamp in the 1904 Bird Cage.



After that, Julie and I entered a theater to see The Polar Express 4D Experience. It was an edited version of the movie The Polar Express, a movie based on a children's book set at Christmastime. We used the borrowed 4D glasses to fully enjoy the experience. It was very entertaining.

Julie and I then went through The Wild and Lakeside Crossing before leaving to return to her apartment. It was a fun way for us to spend Valentine's Day together.



Yesterday (17 February), we went to the Armory for St. Louis CITY SC's Season Kickoff event for season ticket holders. When Julie and I arrived, Fleur de Noise and STL Santos were leading the various chants during the matches. There were many fans in attendance at this event. Some played the games at the Armory--Julie and I tried cornhole--and others enjoyed refreshments from the bars and restaurant. CITY sold souvenirs, including the new Confluence Kit--a white away shirt with CITY Red trim. Some kids did a bit of training under the CITY Futures program. The various supporter groups had information and merchandise tables set up: St. Louligans, St. Louis City Punks, STL Santos, Fleur de Noise, No Goal Patrol, and No Nap City Ultras.






Early that afternoon, after a DJ played some music and two team officials spoke about the upcoming season, the players and head coach Bradley Carnell came on stage. Carnell thanked the supporters who came this day and said the team was ready to go into the new season starting this coming week. Several of the players, lead by goalkeeper and captain Roman Burki, also addressed the crowd.




After the speeches were made, Julie and I hung out at the Armory for a while before we returned to my car to leave. We had to wait about an hour to leave the parking lot, due to traffic congestion on the side street leading to the facility. Otherwise, it was a great time we had at this event. Julie and I are looking forward to CITY's new season, which starts with a CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Houton Dynamo Tuesday night and the Major League Soccer season opener Saturday night against Real Salt Lake. Both matches will be at CITYPARK. 

Two great dates this past week with my sweetheart Julie. 

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

St. Louis City Punks: Saint Louis City Punks
No Nap City Ultras: HOME (nonapcityultras.com)
CONCACAF Champions Cup: Concacaf Champions Cup


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Location: Mehlville, MO, USA

08 November 2023

Weekend: Scale Models in Columbia; Sunday with Julie

Early Saturday morning (4 November), Don Will came over to my house from his residence in Carlyle, Illinois. He then rode with me to Marion Morris' house in Maplewood. The three of us, and two more from IPMS/Gateway, rode in Morris' minivan to David H. Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri. This school was the venue for TigerCon, the annual model contest and swap meet put on by IPMS/Central Missouri Scale Modelers. Besides the five of us who rode together, seven other Gateway members made the trip to Columbia.

After paying the registration fee, I entered my two aircraft models in the contest. The MiG-19 and the Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis" were two models I had built some years ago, but not entered in a contest. I realistically didn't consider them serious award contenders, but I at least wanted to have some models to enter.






I spent time shopping among the vendors, entering the raffle, admiring the other contest models, and chatting with fellow scale modelers I know. The vast majority of attendees came from around Missouri. I bought a book and kit from a vendor and won two aircraft kits in the raffle.

Late in the morning, I joined with other contest judges for a meeting with catered lunch that featured brisket and barbecue pulled pork. It was tasty and I headed a team judging armor and figures. There were some tough calls to make in judging the categories, such was the quality of models entered in this show.

Four of my Gateway chapter mates won contest awards. The biggest was by Jim Triola, whose 1:200 scale Bismarck won its ships category, Best of Ships, People's Choice Award, and Best of Show. 


After the show, most of us went to a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Columbia for dinner. It was a special meal, for this was the last show that Jim Victor would attend with us. He is moving out of state in a few weeks. It was a most satisfying meal with club mates before we returned home. After arriving at Morris' house, I drove Will to my house so he could return to his vehicle to go home to Carlyle.

Early Sunday afternoon, I picked up Julie from her apartment and drove us to Zenhorse, an equine rehabilitation facility in Marthasville, Missouri. It was hosting a photos with Santa event. Julie and I had photos taken there last year, so we decided to do it again. My friend Kit Maxwell, who runs Zenhorse, was dressed as Mrs. Claus, with her son as a Victorian gentleman and her husband as Santa.

Julie and I sat in a sleigh, flanked by Santa and Mrs. Clause. A horse from the facility was dressed as a reindeer. Michelle Huelsman from Unbridled Focus Photography took the pictures, as she did last year. I am looking forward to seeing the pictures come out in the coming days.

After the photos, Julie and I retired to a barn for hot chocolate and cookies. We also got caught up with Kit in our lives.

Then, it was on to the Armory for Julie and I. We were attending a watch party for St. Louis CITY SC's MLS Cup playoff match at Sporting Kansas City. This was game two of the best of three first round series, and CITY needed to win after Sporting's 4-1 win at CITYPARK one week before to stay alive.

Julie had never been to the Armory before and was impressed with the facility. There was a great crowd of CITY supporters on hand to watch the game projected on the big screen. St. Louis City Punks, Fleur de Noise, and STL Santos co-hosted the watch party.


Despite our best efforts at the party and CITY's on the pitch, Sporting won the match 2-1 to take the series. A disappointing end to the season for sure, but it should not take away from such a great inaugural season in MLS for CITY. The better team won this playoff series, but nobody can take away the regular season Western Conference championship for our side.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

David H. Hickman High School: Hickman High School / Homepage (cpsk12.org)
IPMS/Central Missouri Scale Modelers: Central Missouri Scale Modelers (cmsm-ipms.org)
St. Louis City Punks: SLCP Home (slcitypunks.com)
Fleur de Noise: Fleur De Noise


 



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Location: Mehlville, MO, USA
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