After three long years, it’s finally time again for the Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden! And the show is being held in the new Emerson Conservatory in the new Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center for the first time!
It was so good to be back. The flowers are beautiful, the new space is bright and welcoming, and the smell of the orchids was just like I remembered it. This is always a bright spot in what is usually a pretty dreary month, and I am so glad I will have it to look forward to every year again!
Chickadee knows about as much about soccer as I do (so pretty much next to nothing!), but we’re still excited about the inaugural season of St. Louis City, which begins in less than a month!
Less than a month until the beginning of St. Louis City’s inaugural season!
I don’t know a whole lot about soccer, but I’m thrilled to see how excited the city of St. Louis is about having a professional soccer team. This installation at Kiener Plaza is especially fun!
Isn’t the logo cool?!?
I’m looking forward to having another team to follow, and to learning a new sport!
Since all of my other 2022 in Review “Top Five” photo lists have six photos, this one had to also, right? Right?!? I’ve already looked at food, drinks, desserts, and our trip…these are my favorite photos from the past year that aren’t food or vacation related.
I’ve taken hundreds (thousands?) of photos at the Missouri Botanical Garden over the years, but there was something special about this one featuring Henry Shaw’s final resting place in front of his country house:
This photo taken in downtown St. Louis in May reminded me how much I love an urban environment:
Speaking of urban environments, this spring was the first time I’ve visited the Chicago Water Tower in many, many years, and I discovered just how photogenic it is!
That’s a quality shared by the entire city of Chicago…I loved having a bird’s eye view of the city from the Centennial Wheel!
A little closer to home, I really like the beautiful gingko tree outside of our town library, especially in the fall:
Our town is also especially pretty at Christmas:
That wraps up what ended up being my top 30 photos of the year. In light of all of the fun things we did in 2022, I think I should get at least some credit for keeping the number that low!
Last night, we went to see the Wild Lights at the St. Louis Zoo before they close for the season. While I was a little disappointed that the “Meet Me in St. Louis” display (one of the best ones, in my opinion), was inaccessible due to construction, the rest of the displays were quite fun and festive!
Even though we’re only at the halfway point in the 12 Days of Christmas, I imagine this is the last big Christmas thing we’ll do this season…I wish it all didn’t end so quickly after Christmas Day is over!
Can you believe that this year marks the 10 year anniversary of Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden?!? We attended the Member Preview night on Friday, and it was, as always, a great time!
I think it’s especially fitting that such a significant anniversary is taking place the same year the new Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center was opened to the public…it’s a beautiful space!
While there were some familiar displays, there was a lot that was new this year, and I thought it was really well done:
There was also a new photo spot, and I really liked it as a backdrop for a picture of the Fab Five!
It was a cold but beautiful night!
This is always one of my favorite Christmas activities, and now I’m really in the holiday spirit!
On Monday we visited the St. Louis Zoo…it was a perfectly beautiful day! Chickadee was very excited to wear her Dumbo the Elephant Mickey ears, but she was disappointed that the elephant trail was closed while we were there. We did get to see a lot of other animals, just not her favorites.
On Tuesday, we went to the Missouri History Museum for the first time since before the beginning of the pandemic…almost three full years! We had a great time, and Chickadee loved the new “Coloring STL” exhibit where you’re actually encouraged and expected to color on the walls!
