Rainy Night with the St. Louligans

Last night (13 April), I was at World Wide Technology Soccer Park (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/SOCCERPARK) for Saint Louis FC's (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) USL Championship (https://www.uslsoccer.com/usl-championship) match against Birmingham Legion FC (https://www.bhmlegion.com/). The night started at the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) tailgate in the parking lot. I enjoyed a burger with sides, along with a Schlafly (http://www.schlafly.com/) Ale d'Or. Money was raised this night for Crisis Nursery Saint Louis (https://www.crisisnurserykids.org/).

Also there were my Mehlville High School (https://mehlvillehigh.mehlvilleschooldistrict.com/) classmates and friends Paul Trelford and Tom Mantych. They had tickets in a different section of the game, but wanted to check out a St. Louligans tailgate. We talked, catching up on things, and I told them about how these tailgates operate. Paul and Tom both enjoyed their time there, and I thanked them for coming just before the march into Toyota Stadium for the match.

We marched into the stadium under a cloudy sky, which opened up with rain as the match went on. Saint Louis FC fell behind 1-0 in the first half, then leveled it early in the second half. Birmingham scored two goals to take a 3-1 lead late in the match. Saint Louis FC got one back from a penalty kick, but it wasn't enough. Birmingham Legion ran out 3-2 winners, ending Saint Louis FC's unbeaten streak to start the season. However, Saint Louis remains atop the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship. They go on the road to Pittsburgh Riverhounds this Saturday.

Later.

Volunteering Double Header

Yesterday morning (6 April) found me at Benton Park (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/parks/parks/browse-parks/view-park.cfm?parkID=17&parkName=Benton%20Park) in south St. Louis. There, I joined other Enterprise Holdings (https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/index.html) employees and Forest ReLeaf of Missouri (http://moreleaf.org/) to plant trees in the neighborhood. This was done in cooperation with the City of St. Louis' Forestry Division (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/parks/forestry/).

After a breakfast of doughnuts and fruit, we split up into five teams and began going to our areas to plant tree--including dogwood, oak, and red bud--in the green strips between the streets and sidewalks. My group of about ten went north of Benton Park. In about three hours, we were able to plant about 50 trees. I had not planted a tree in years, but after a short course by the Forest ReLeaf people, my fellow volunteers and I were able to dig holes and plant the trees. Forest ReLeaf loaned us the shovels and pickaxes we used, and provided the tree saplings they had grown on their CommuniTree Nursery at Creve Coeur Lake Park (http://moreleaf.org/learn/nursery-tours/). Forestry Division personnel brought the saplings and mulch over to the planting sites.

I did have a bit of a mishap well into this shift, as my belt broke and my pants sagged. I was able to use my rain jacket threaded through my pants' belt loops as an improvised belt and it was good enough for the rest of the shift.

After the trees were planted, we went back to Benton Park for box lunches from Subway (https://www.subway.com/en-US) and the thanks of Enterprise and Forest ReLeaf for our efforts. I was certainly happy and proud to have taken part. I trust the residents will appreciate the new trees on their streets, especially when the trees grow towards full size.

After this stint, I headed towards Pattonville High School (https://phs.psdr3.org/) in Maryland Heights. After stopovers at a Target (https://www.target.com/) in Brentwood for a new belt and a library to change my shoes and pants, I arrived at the high school in the early afternoon. Pattonville was hosting a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineers, and Mathematics) event aimed at school children and their teachers. The Missouri Aviation Historical Society, or MOAHS (https://moavhist.org/) had a table there with information on the group, and on the upcoming Spirit of St. Louis Air Show and STEM Expo (http://spirit-airshow.com/) this September. Joe Gurney from the Society asked me to relieve him that afternoon, as he had to leave for another event, so I agreed. In addition to promoting MOAHS, I also promoted the Gateway Chapter of the International Plastic Modelers' Society (https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home). I brought in some models and IPMS/Gateway flyers for the table, and there were a few visitors who showed interest in our club and picked up our flyers.

Most visitors had left by the time I arrived on site, but I stayed until mid-afternoon when the other groups were starting to pack up. One of the fair's organizers thanked me and my groups for coming, and I gave her an IPMS/Gateway flyer.

It was quite a busy, yet fulfilling day for me.

Later.

Rain, Cold, Wind---and a Saint Louis FC Win

It was cloudy and with a bit of rain falling when I went to World Wide Technology Soccer Park (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/SOCCERPARK) last Saturday morning (30 March). The St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) had set up their tailgate prior to that day's USL Championship (https://www.uslsoccer.com/usl-championship) match between Saint Louis FC (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) and Charlotte Independence (https://www.charlotteindependence.com/).

I enjoyed two cups of Ale d'Or from Schlafly (http://www.schlafly.com/) and some servings of chili prepared by several St. Louligans members. The chili sure hit the spot this day.

About 30 minutes from kickoff, the St. Louligans marched from the parking lot to Toyota Stadium for the match. The weather got worse, as it rained, the temperatures dipped to around 34 degrees F (1 degrees C). Plus, the wind picked up to around 15 mph (24.1 kmh). This weather appeared to have cut down on the crowd, including in our section, but we who were there stayed put and cheered on the home side.

We were rewarded in the 5th minute, when Kyle Grieg headed Bradley Kamdem Fewo's cross into the Charlotte goal. This was all the scoring, as Saint Louis FC ran out 1-0 winners. This was their third win in the first four matches, and Saint Louis now stands atop the Eastern Conference.

Most players were too cold to stay much after the match to serenade us St. Louligans as usual. (I don't blame them!) A few did join us for the Man of the Match ceremony, and we St. Louligans did sing the victory song the players normally sang to us.

I was wet, cold, and stiff in my legs when the match ended, and it was a long, slow walk back to my car. Still, it was a good feeling to see Saint Louis FC start off this season so well.

I came home to change clothes and get warm. I rested at home this past weekend, taking time yesterday to work on and file my income taxes. Glad to get my taxes out of the way for another year.

Later.

St. Louis vs Tampa Bay Sports Doubleheader

Yesterday (23 March) began for me at Toyota Stadium of World Wide Technology Soccer Park (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/SOCCERPARK) in Fenton. I went to the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/) tailgate in the parking lot, where I enjoyed a bratwurst with sauerkraut washed down with beer.

We marched into the stadium for the USL Championship (https://www.uslsoccer.com/usl-championship) match between Saint Louis FC (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) and Tampa Bay Rowdies. Saint Louis scored in the 26th minute to take the lead; however, Tampa Bay equalized from the penalty spot in 50 minutes later. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, and the two teams stood atop the Eastern Conference table. (Tampa Bay is ahead on goal difference.) It was disappointing to settle for a draw when we had a win in our grasp; however, having 7 of a possible 9 points after the first three matches of the season is good going.

After the match, I came home to rest, then headed for the Enterprise Center (http://www.enterprisecenter.com/) in downtown St. Louis for a NHL (https://www.nhl.com/) game between the St. Louis Blues (https://www.nhl.com/blues) and the Tampa Bay Lightning. My brothers bought me a ticket for Christmas, and I finally got around to redeeming it this month. After shopping in a souvenir store and getting a soda from a food stand, I made my way to my seat in a corner of the lower deck.

It was quite a game, with the Blues taking a 3-0 lead in the first period, scoring these goals in a 1 minute 15 second span against a team that had the NHL's best record. Tampa Bay came back with two goals early in the second period, then the Blues got one back in mid-period to lead 4-2 after two periods. The Lightning scored late in the third period to make it 4-3, but an apparent tying goal late in the game was waived off after the Blues challenged the call, citing a Tampa Bay player being offside before the goal was scored. Thus, the Blues held on to win the game, 4-3. They are now close to clinching a playoff spot with seven games to go over the next two weeks.

I was one very happy man among many when I walked out of the Enterprise Center after the game. I think my brothers did me very good with their Christmas gift for me.

Later.