Father Christmas

St. Charles, Missouri, is an old 18th Century river town and trading post. Main Street, which runs along the Missouri River has been nicely restored, and is the sight of many Christmas activities. Diane and I drove over there from St. Louis for dinner in one of their many unique restaurants. While walking down the street we ran into Father Christmas. The jolly man was giving directions, answering question and posing for photos.

If you are in the area, this is a great place to visit during the holidays.

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Empty Bandstand

The Nathan Frank Bandstand on a cold winter day. We had a brief snow but not enough cold weather to freeze Pagoda Lake. A snowy day is a great time to visit Forest Park with the geese and ducks still swimming around and sledders on Art Hill. The park is only a few miles from my home, so it is easy to get there in this type of weather and it is always worth the trip. Places to photograph are the bandstand, areas around Post Dispatch Lake and the Grand Basin.

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Winter Sets In

Suspension Bridge

Winter is setting in in Forest Park and St. Louis. This is one my favorite areas in the park with the suspension foot bridge and ducks, geese and egrets hanging around. Just east of the park’s Grand Basin, this was the site of the St. Louis World’s Fair, 120 years ago.

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Star Bird

One more of the Henry Shaw Home at the Missouri Botanical Garden. This image is called Architectural Projection Mapping which projects images on a building aligned with the building’s features. The Garden holds a “Garden Glow” event every year and this is from this year. If you are in the area, get tickets and enjoy more than 2 Million Christmas lights and fantastic displays.

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During special events at the Missouri Botanical Garden, they like to project images like this, set to music. This is called Architectural Projection Mapping which projects images on a building aligned with the building’s features. This is from this year’s Garden Glow.
Built in 1849, Tower Grove House is Garden founder Henry Shaw’s restored country residence. Today, staff and volunteers encourage visitors to take a step back in time to learn more about the people who made the Garden grow.
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Getting ready for Christmas at the Botanical Garden

A nice way to start the season is to visit Missouri Botanical Garden’s Garden Glow. A walk through the park gives you scene after scene of the upcoming holiday. See the Climatron with its reflecting pools, walk through Henry Shaws home, see the beautifully decorated gatehouse and endless holiday lights. The grandkids love the train display.

Here the reflecting pools are filled with Christmas Trees in front of the Climatron.

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Ally Mill

Alley Mill

Ally Mill is an impressive Grist Mill in Souther Missouri. The mill, built in 1894, is said to be one of the most photographed in the world. Alley Spring which used to power the mill is one of largest fresh water springs in the state and remains 57 degrees year round. The deep dark blue hue of the water can be attributed to the mineral content from dissolved dolomite bedstone.

This historic grist mill is located in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways near Eminence, Shannon County, Missouri.

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Hodgson Water Mill

Know as the most photographed Mill in Missouri, Hodgson Mill is nicely preserved. The Mill is located 17 miles northeast of Gainesville on Hwy. 181 in the Sycamore area.

The first mill on the site on Bryant Creek was built by William Holeman in 1861. Alva Hodgson bought the mill in 1884. The original burned and Hodgson built a new one in 1894 and, in 1898, his brother George Hodgson became operator and part owner of the mill. After a grocery store that stood near the mill burned in the “50’s”, Charles T. Aid purchased the mill and it became know as the Aid-Hodgson Mill, remaining in production until 1977.
The mill was built over a spring that is reported to produce 28,900,000 gallons of water a day. This water stays a constant 58 degrees year round.
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Exploring Grist Mills in Missouri

For the next few photos, I am going to focus on old grist mills in Missouri. However, this is sort of a faux grist mill since it was recently built and never served as a mill. This is the entry way to Big Cedar Lodge’s Dogwood Canyon a stunning valley with beautiful waterfalls on both sides. The mill serves as a restaurant and gift shop.
Here is the other side of the mill:

Indian Cliff Falls

A bonus photo of the waterfall behind the mill:

The park offers miles of hiking along a river that goes back into the canyon.

Dogwood Canyon is in the Southwest section of Missouri at: 2038 State Hwy 86, Lampe, MO 65681

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St. Louis Art Hill: A Fall Marvel

A favorite fall scene. This is an area known as Art Hill in St. Louis’s Forest park. In the background is the Art Museum looking over Art Hill which is lined by these trees. Like clockwork, every fall these trees turn a bright red. In the distance is the statue of St. Louis on his horse.

The St. Louis Art Museum’s Main Building was created for the 1904 World’s Fair. Then called the Palace of Fine Arts, the building was situated next to a massive temporary structure called Festival Hall. Like much of what was built for the fair, the tall, domed building of Festival Hall was never meant to be permanent. It was made from wood and staff—a mixture of plaster, cement, glycerin, and dextrin that gave the appearance of stone. This approach to construction had two benefits: an extremely ornate exterior and easy demolition. 

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