A peek at my morning in the Shaw Neighborhood...

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, 

but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” 

~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross 

5 St. Louis Weekend Happenings - Labor Day 2019

Labor Day Weekend 2019 is almost here, and what's not to love? It's a chance to slow down and appreciate our "laborers". The kids are off of school, most adults have the long weekend to play, and it is the last "hurrah" before we charge into the cooler weather and slower pace of Fall.

Labor Day Weekend, particularly in St Louis, is always full of amazing family-friendly activities. If you want to get out, hit the city, and do something other than enjoy the last weekend of pool season... the possibilities are endless.

Need help planning your long holiday weekend? Besides a busy game weekend for the Cardinals versus the Reds and Giants, the Great Godfrey Corn Maze, and extended hours at the St. Louis Zoo, below are 5 of my favorite St. Louis Labor Day 2019 activities...

Labor Day Parade
September 2nd at 9AM

Thousands of local union members will march through downtown St. Louis for the annual Labor Day Parade. An awesome way to kick off the weekend and show your pride /support our local workers.  There will be local bands, drill teams, and a ton of action!

The parade begins at 15th and Olive. It then makes its way down Tucker Street, past St. Louis City Hall and west on Market Street to 15th Street.  Food and celebration follows at Chestnut and Market!

More info: http://www.stlclc.org/2019-labor-day-parade-information/


The Japanese Festival at the Botanical Garden
August 31- September 2

Each Labor Day weekend, the Missouri Botanical Garden hosts one of the largest and oldest Japanese Festivals in North America. In addition to taking in the beauty of the Botanical Gardens, visitors can enjoy Japanese music, art, dance, food, and entertainment including Origami demonstrations, a traditional tea ceremony, and live Sumo wrestling.

Tickets to the festival are $16 for adults, $8 for members,  and $5 for non- member children and and free for children Garden members.

More info: http://events.missouribotanicalgarden.org/Japanese_Festival

St. Louis Greek Festival in the Central West End

August 30-September 2 
Corner of Forest Park and Kingshighway

If you love authentic Greek food, and who doesn't, than a visit to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is in order for you this weekend for their 102nd Annual festival. Enjoy music, dancing and some of the best Greek food you'll find anywhere. Be sure to utilize the free parking in the BJC Parking Garage.

More Info: http://www.opastl.com/

Big Muddy Blues Festival on Laclede's Landing
August 31, 2pm-11pm

The 24th Annual Big Muddy Blues Festival is a free, outdoor music festival featuring local and nationally known Blues artists that hosts over 30,000 people annually. 50+ musicians perform on three outdoor stages set up throughout the cobble stoned streets of the Landing, 3 indoor stages, and two events at the National Blues Museum featuring tributes to Albert King and Tommy Bankhead. Dozens of local restaurants provide food and drink, and the music is the best around! Amazing way to support our local talent.

More info: http://bigmuddybluesfestival.com

Fall Art Fair at Queeny Park
August 30-September 1

$5.00 admission

Friday:  5pm - 9pm
Saturday: 10am - 6pm.
Sunday: 11am - 4pm.

All within the climate-controlled comfort of the Greensfelder Recreation Center, and with more than 130 juried artists from 20+ states... the Art Fair at Queeny Park is one of the most reputable, longest-running art fairs in the bi-state region.

More info: http://www.artfairatqueenypark.com/ 

Event flyer with a $1 coupon for admission: 
https://www.artfairatqueenypark.com/coupon.html

Just for Fun: Artistic view at everyday life

Do you have a favorite search hashtag on Instagram? Mine is, hands down, #nenonenyardfollies as it is a collection of the simple pleasures I have adored most living in our home over the years. Nothing beats the seasonal ebb and flow of Mama Nature in our neighborhood and yard. 🌱🌸🍂❄️

I celebrate my love for this in my latest home project for our cozy family room with a little help from Walgreens...  

... a wood print collage grid of my favorites, creating a micro-journey through the seasons in Casa de Nenonen. I firmly believe you that should surround yourself by things that make you feel good in your home! This wall makes me smile every time I look at it and serves as a daily reminder to stop and smell the roses!💞

TIP: Walgreens is hyperlinked above.  I used the 12x12 square print and an amazing coupon code that took off 50%.

Follow me on Instagram HERE.

Morning Scene from Aloe Plaza- "The Meeting Of the Waters" fountain

The beauty is always in the details...

I have always been slightly obsessed with the faces of the "The Meeting of the Waters” fountain in front of Union Station, depicting the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers (and their tributaries).  

Artist Carl Milles, circa 1939.

See this lovely in front of Union Station in the 1800 block of Market Street in Downtown St. Louis.  

TIP:  To see the actual confluence of the Mighty Miss and the Missouri, visit this local "Hidden Gem" that I recently featured.  The viewing area sits at the very back end of the conservation area!

See more of my St. Louis Hidden Gems HERE.

Sunken Cities at the Saint Louis Art Museum

Over the weekend, the Nenonens snuck off to the Saint Louis Art Museum for the new Sunken Cities exhibit...

Highly recommend, St. Louis! Forest Park has been kissed with lovely Spring and the recovered artifacts? Truly fascinating!

The exhibit runs until September 9, 2018.  Learn more here:
http://www.slam.org/exhibitions/sunkencities.php

St. Louis Hidden Gem: Capitalist Pig BBQ

Steve and I went out for an innocent lunch and ended up in the slammer 👀... 

Please send bail money, or at least extra napkins! Ha Ha.  

I love and adore a repurposed space, and Capitalist Pig doesn't disappoint.  The 3rd District Police Station, across the street from the Anheuser Busch World HQ, opened up in 1937 and served the 16 surrounding neighborhoods until it was decommissioned in the 1990's.... 

This 19,000 sqft building was eventually purchased by retired Police Officer, Ron Buechele, and transformed in to a restaurant, art gallery, event space, and private residential space.

Enter Capitalist Pig BBQ, where the aesthetic is as cool as the locally-sourced cuisine is tasty.  ...

They haven't done much to alter the space, which honestly, is what I appreciated the most. Most of the building is as it was, including the abundance of marble known as "St. Genevieve Golden Vein". This ootlitic limestone was only produced from Saint Genevieve, Missouri quarries in the early 1900's and is known worldwide for its quality and beauty...

You place your order at (what once-was) the sergeant's desk, encased by marble...

Steve and I chose to dine in the short term holding cells. This is where prisoners were held while being processed...

I am not going to lie, having never been to jail myself (I swear), I found lunch in the minty green jail cell quite amusing...

And quite delicious...

If you have never ventured to Capitalist Pig, I highly recommend it!  From the Pork Belly BLT (I think the best BLT I have ever eaten) and the ribs to the huge corn muffins, homemade pickles, mac and cheese, and beans... it was a fun and phenomenal foodie adventure in a VERY cool architectural space.

From jail intake to discharge, it was pure awesome.  St.Louis- do yourself a HUGE favor and check them out!  ❤️

NITTY GRITTY:

The Capitalist Pig

#2727 South 12th (Across from visitor parking at Anheuser Busch)

St. Louis, MO 63118

Open: Wed-Sun, 11-3pm

Web: https://www.capitalistpigbbq.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCapitalistPig
Twitter:https://twitter.com/CapitalistPig

 See my other St. Louis Hidden Gems HERE.

The Late-Summer Scene at the Missouri Botanical Garden...

Paul Cezanne said "Art is a harmony parallel to nature." One of my favorite aspects of the Missouri Botanical Garden is the beautiful relationship and play between the landscape and art installations in every nook and cranny of this city gem.  

While every season in the garden is lovely and special in its own way, the full maturity of late-summer provides a magnificent backdrop for the sculptures with lush volume and spectacular color.  

Steve and I snuck away for a long-overdue morning stroll this week.  A peek...

The century old stone spring house over Redbud Springs...

After my fun adventure a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't wait to head back for further Laumeier Sculpture Park exploration! A quiet early morning hike in the outlying wooded trails led me to...

...the 100+ year old spring house built by Joseph Griesedieck (founder of Falstaff Beer) over Red Bud Springs. Pre-airconditioning, land owners lucky enough to have a natural spring often built these shady shelters around the mouth of the spring to create a cool summer oasis for their family. While the icy cold natural spring has now bypassed the stone house by about 20 feet, my pup still enjoyed a swim and a drink! 

Too cool, literally. 😊 

"Holocaust Revisted" house in Ballwin

I have read about this Ballwin property for years but have never encountered it in person...

I stumbled upon it during showings this afternoon and I must say... it is indeed an interesting case study of the rights of a property owner versus the city they reside in. This former HS art teacher transformed his home into a piece that he named "The Holocaust Revisited" as a Holocaust remembrance. He has been fined and jailed for his work, yet the piece continues to grow. 

The traditional 2-story next door (bottom right photo) shows the dichotomy between the artist's home and the traditional West County suburban neighborhood around it.

Read more about the property HERE.

Hidden Gem: Laumeier Art Hike and the Hedenkamp Estate

Taking advantage of the tiny window between my oldest's final day of high school and graduation...


... I stole a couple of hours from my work schedule to sneak off to Laumeier Sculpture Park with he and the pup.  

Few people know that the main grounds of Laumeier are surrounded by miles of gorgeous wooded trails with hidden art installations scattered throughout.  Besides being a shady spot to escape for a workout on a warm day... the element of surprise is oh-too-fun.  You never know what you will bump in to.  It is like one big treasure hunt!

The most intriguing spot on the Art Walk Trail for me?

Hands down, Pool Complex: Orchard Valley, 1983–85 by artist, MARY MISS (AMERICAN, BORN 1944). The NE edge of Laumeier Park contains the remaining artifacts of an old neighboring estate that was known as "Orchard Valley".

The ultimate architectural graveyard!

Per the Henry Shaw Ozark Corridor website, this area was once a cow pasture and stock pond. In the early 19th century, the Hedenkamp Family built a sizable house and converted the existing natural spring pond into a stone and concrete swimming pool. An article titled "Old Pond Converted Into A Delightful Swimming Pool" was published in the August 4, 1934 edition of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat highlighted the project.

I scoured the Internet for a photo of the pool during its heyday.  While I found numerous references to soirees and events held there, no photos found. 

While the house is long gone, some foundation and the artifacts of the pool remain.  During the early 1980's, artist Mary Miss built decking and trellises of treated lumber around the stone pool depression and remaining foundations to create her work titled Pool Complex: Orchard Valley.

Per the Laumeier website:  Miss highlights the ruins of the estate while we explore her pavilions, platforms and staircases surrounding the pool. With the renewal of this dormant structure, and the purposefully evident aging of her own site work, the artist brings attention to the context of history and the continuum of time.

I can't begin to describe the feeling you get as you walk the pool and area.  It is eerie and haunting.  You truly feel lost in time and leave with the overwhelming longing for it to be filled back up.  Maybe some day. 🙂

Very cool "hidden gem" indeed.  See more of my local hidden gems HERE.

Visit and connect with Laumeier Sculpture Park...

12580 Rott Road
Saint Louis, Missouri 63127
314.615.5278

Web: http://www.laumeiersculpturepark.org/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaumeierSTL
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/LaumeierArtStL

Architectural Goody Alert! Rare Crown Glass "bullseye" window.

It doesn't happen often...

... but I stumbled upon a hand blown Crown Glass "bullseye" window pane this AM! The center area where the punty was connected was considered an imperfection at the time and typically resmelted or used in a low end applications like a rear transom. 

This window, however, is front and center on a late 19th century Victorian.  I have only seen 2-3 in St. Louis over the last 15 years so I had to share. So rare, so interesting. ❤ 

A weekend in Chicago: Art, Architecture, and Anniversary fun!

If you follow me on Instagram, you are aware that my husband recently surprised me with a long weekend trip to Chicago to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary...  

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NOTE: Despite numerous trips to Chicago over the years, we have never taken the Amtrak. What an incredible alternative to driving and flying?!  The ride was comfortable, scenic, and oh so EASY.  Once in the city, Uber was a dream.  Highly recommend.

Blessed with a gorgeous and unseasonably warm forecast...

...an Executive level room at the historic Palmer House, circa 1875...

... and sought-after tickets to Hamilton ...

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 ... it truly was a weekend to remember!  Yes, Hamilton lives up to the hype.  It was incredible.

We enjoyed the sights under blue sunny skies...

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Shared a number of memorable meals...

Soaked in the historic architecture...

 ... and shared many lazy hours at the museums...

 Steve certainly knows how to make a girl feel appreciated and loved, not just this weekend but every single day.  I am so fortunate. 🎔

While the entire weekend was perfection, one of the highlights for me was an afternoon in Oak Park...

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If you have read my blog for awhile, you know my love for historic homes and my affinity towards local real estate when I travel. That being said, however, I have a pronounced connection with Frank Lloyd Wright homes and always have.  The fact is, I am the daughter of two FLW aficionados. I grew up touring his properties and enjoying books of his work, which sat on the coffee table of my childhood home.

Frank Lloyd Wright, 1867-1959, was the ultimate trailblazer in American architecture.  I have toured HUNDREDS of late 19th century homes over 15+ years as a Realtor and none of them aesthetically compare to a FLW home. His design was way before its time-  clean, seamless, practical, thought out, and purposeful.  I highly recommend reading "Loving Frank" for a closer peek into the his life and work. Entertaining read about a very complicated yet brilliant man.

Personally, I have always been drawn to the symmetry, simplicity, utility (genius built-ins), and organic nature of his design. Wright strived to have the interior and exterior of a home interact with one another to create a harmony of space and nature, achieved by the use of angles and intricate stained glass.  The end result? Clean and bold geometric design drenched in painted natural light.  Truly glorious!

Per the video above, the property in Oak Park is significant as it is the VERY first home that he built and is essentially where his career began .  While the property is not as pristine and original as many of the other FLW homes I have toured, it is no less important.  In fact, Steve and I found it interesting that MANY of the features of this home are key elements in most of the FLW designs to follow, like the signature fireplace nook.

This property uniquely offers a $5 press pass, allowing me to share photos with my blog.   Um, yes please.  Without further ado, here is teeny peek inside the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio through my eyes, friends.

The residential home:

The attached work studio:

There are many spectacular Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the Chicago area.  I highly recommend touring one (or more) the next time that you are in the area!  Regardless, I had to share.

Thank you for a wonderful getaway, Chicago...

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Happy Anniversary and THANK you for the weekend of a lifetime, Steve!

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