We bicycled this morning in Forest Park, reprising the route we rode on Monday. The temperatures were cool and being a weekday, the park was not crowded. In Kennedy Forest, we saw three turkeys crossing the bike path. Afterwards, we stopped by Kaldi’s for a couple of coffee drinks and bumped into Dr. Mad
After being lost in the swamp yesterday, we are in Charleston now. Our digs are really something! It is a corner room with four windows, very airy and light. The room even has a working fireplace, not that we will need it on this visit. We snagged a complementary upgrade and are sleeping in a king suite on King Street. After breakfast was served in our room this morning, we hit the streets.
We headed down King to Battery Park that has been taken over by construction and Night Herons. Between the two of them, it was very noisy. The herons have a rookery in the old oaks of the park. It’s a shady place to sit. Anne was very fascinated by all the birds. I just tried to find someplace clean to sit down.
After touring a couple of the city’s Instagram sights, we spent the rest of the day shopping, until the heat drove us back to our room for a siesta. Then happy hour, dinner and an after-dinner magic hour/sunset walking tour.
We left for a walk and ended up birding instead. Yesterday, we had planned to do one of our regular walks in Tower Grove Park. After leaving the car by the pickleball courts, we spied a group of people who looked like birders. They were all standing around and looking up into the trees, most with binoculars in hand. We decided to crash their party. Walking over to them, uninvited, we too began to stand around and look into the trees for birds. It turned out that they were part of the Saint Louis Audobon Society, and this was one of their regular events. They were not being very quiet, in fact there was a fair amount of talking going on. We soon edged into these conversations. As it turned out, we had only managed to catch the tail end of this event, but then just as it was about to break up and everyone about to go on their separate ways, a woman walked up to us. She too had figured them for birders, but she came bearing a gift. She knew of the location of a pair of Great Horned owls, just a short walk away. With her now in the lead, we all trooped back towards the stables, where she pointed out the pair. They were both plainly visible, but unfortunately, the sun was in a rather inconvenient position relative to them, so I could not get a very good shot. No worry, I know where they live.
“My dad had an expression,” Joe Biden is famously fond of saying “ ‘Joey, don’t compare me to the Almighty, compare me to the alternative.’ ’’ Today, Biden showed why he is the clear choice to be reelected our President next year. Last night, in a secret train trip to Ukraine, Biden arrived in Kyiv and amid the blaring sounds of an air raid siren, walked its streets with Ukranian President Zelensky. It was quite the diplomatic coup and it happened on President’s Day.
Meanwhile, the former guy is scheduled to visit this week the train wreak in Ohio that he helped to create with all of his deregulations. Causing all of his sycophants to chorus that Biden chose to go to Ukraine before going to Ohio. This is a weak comparison at best, but I guess that this is their best argument. Can you ever imagine Cadet Bone-Spur ever risking what Biden has?
As we near the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine, I will leave you with some words from President Biden. Leadership has an innate beauty to behold. Please, let us never ever return to the craven cowardness that preceded it.
Putin thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us. He was just plain wrong. One year later, here we stand together – united with the people of Ukraine.
