Snowy Forest Park

In February, on a particularly sunny day, I was hit with the sudden urge to be artsy. That was the day I poked at Food for Thought. That was also the day I wandered to the local park to take pictures.

Forest Park in St. Louis is the coolest thing about living in St. Louis. It's about 2 square miles of land that is free and open to the public for picnics and fun. There are two free museums and a free zoo on the property, lots of fountains and lagoons, and even places to rent paddle boats! Also, there are musicals in the summer (not free but not too expensive) and free music concerts.

One of the prettiest spots in the park is Art Hill. Every winter, after it snows enough for sledding, the city lines the bottom of the hill with bales of hay. At the top, there are two fire pits and the city throws out some firewood. Children of all ages (myself included) would bring sleds (or steal dining hall trays) and sled down the hill. The bales of hay are to prevent the sledders from falling into the ornate fountains from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair at the bottom.

It was a sunny day. The sky was also perfectly blue -- one of those colors children dream of while listening to storybooks. I walked along the world's fair fountains and diverged when I noticed a fallen tree trunk I wanted to photograph:

As I stood there, staring at the fallen tree trunk, I also noticed how the trees around it stood very neatly in rows. I noticed how high they stretched and how vast the sky seemed -- cloudless -- behind the trees. the wind would blow and snow would be moved from the branches. I closed my eyes and tried to see if I could feel the snow landing on me -- I couldn't.

 

It was an oddly zen moment for me. I don't usually get them and I thought it was worth sharing, even if I am a month late.

<3
Hao