Are you ready for Christmas?

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This is one of my favorite scenes at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. Every Christmas season they decorate the grounds for an event called the “Garden Glow.” As always this is an extravaganza of sights and sounds. You can follow the trails around the grounds for one amazing holiday scene after another. In front of the Climatron the reflecting pools are filled with glowing displays that flash to the sounds of the “Home Alone” and Trans-Siberian Orchestra soundtracks. I never realized how good these recordings were until I visited the Garden Glow.

This little display is hidden in a doorway of the gatehouse to the original property. This is a reminder to take your time and inspect things from various angles when photographing a subject.

Winter at Pagoda Circle

On a snow day, Forest Park is an interesting place to explore. Everything looks different, the water is a little calmer and the ducks are hunkering down on the lakes.

Snowy bridge

Suspension Bridge

The lines of the foot bridge in Forest Park always make it an interesting subject. We have been receiving a lot of snow over the past few days so I headed over to the park to see if there were any interesting shots. Down, at my feet were  bunch of geese honking at me (you can see them in the previous post). The low clouds took any interesting contrast out of the sky but over all, I took some interesting photos.

Geese

Suspension Bridge

With snow predicted, I thought it might be a good day to go out to Forest Park and see if there was anything to photograph. The geese and ducks seemed to be settled in due to the bad weather but the big white goose seemed intent on following me as  walked along the shore.

This is a nice area in the park as it is between the Grand Basin and Boathouse restaurant. The suspension footbridge always makes a nice backdrop or subject.

Henry Shaw Home

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Henry Shaw inhabited the west wing of this house, which boasts ceilings over 12 feet high downstairs and over 15 feet high upstairs. Authentic deep moldings and ornate woodwork are unique to the original structure. The east side was the servants’ wing in Shaw’s time. The house has undergone many changes over the years. In 1890, the east side was completely rebuilt, and running water and gas service were added. Electricity was added in 1912 and a stucco exterior was applied in 1918.

After 100 years of use as a private home, school, dormitory, and office building, the house underwent meticulous renovation. Furniture and materials once belonging to Shaw were located and returned. It opened to the public in 1953. Tower Grove House was rededicated on October 29, 2005 after another period of extensive restoration. The house has been restored to reflect Shaw’s original country home. Many of the 19th century furnishings belonged to Shaw; others are of the same era.

See more Christmas photos and more form the Missouri Botanical Garden: https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Missouri-Botanical-Garden/i-GrL5ZPS

 

Garden Glow

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The Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis goes all out during the Christmas season with lights, sound and displays. This is a display of lights synchronized to Christmas music with the Climatron in the background. Much of the background music is from the movie “Home Alone” which sets a very memorable Christmas scene.

Christmas Lights

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This is fun building on the grounds of the Missouri Botanical Gardens. This gatehouse was constructed in 1895 in accordance with Henry Shaw’s will, which provided a residence for the groundskeeper of the mausoleum, museum building, and surrounding area. During the the Christmas season it is worth exploring to find some hidden displays.

Kirkwood Station

The Kirkwood station is a busy place with families traveling to meet with friends and family for the holidays.

This photo was something of a surprise. When this was taken, the sun was down and it was dark outside. Three exposures were taken, one under exposed, one over exposed and one at standard exposure. These were combined with this result. For more information on this technique, see my HDR Tutorial.

The Duck Hunter

Over & Under

A rural scene in St. Charles County. This area along the Mississippi River is lined with duck clubs where avid hunters come out in the Fall to try their hand at bagging a few Mallards. Here the hunter is arranging his decoys. Notice his blind is right in hes back yard.

Christmas at the Governor’s Mansion

The Christmas Season has arrived at the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City, Missouri. This front parlor has three Christmas Trees and other decorations. The 148 year old building is as much a museum as a residence for the Governor.

The mansion’s first occupant was Benjamin Gratz Brown who was elected in 1872. This and the State Capitol next door bring the visitor beautiful architecture, paintings, murals and other works of art.