Thursday was our last day in the St. Charles/St. Louis
area. We awoke to join all of the
caravan participants for a stop at the zoo (the replacement for the forced
closing of the Gateway Arch), lunch at Sassafras, and a tour of the Botanical
Gardens. These all seems like good stops
– we love to take photos of animals and flowers. What more could we ask. We had enjoyed St. Louis; we had visited the
Gateway Arch the day before, just to ensure that we could see it up close and
personal, and touch it. So, we were
ready for the day. Until we got an email
message from our daughter!
She was responding to an earlier blog entry about our dilemma
of going to the Cardinals/Pirates Game 1 of the National League Division
Series. She said:
I know the arch is famous, I've been there, it's all right…And
you've been baseball fans your whole life. You go to the playoff game!!
Wise words! So we
decide to go to the game. What a wonderful
decision! It was a glorious day for a
base ball game. We got to Busch Stadium
early and were able to people watch and see the activities setup just across the
street. St. Louis is a passionate
baseball town, a lot like Boston. Cardinal
red was everywhere you looked, clothing, hats, backpacks, jewelry, towels. You name it and it appeared as we watch. There was even a Dixieland band playing just
outside of the gate we chose to use.
And then there were the Clydesdales, such magnificent
animals. We saw them at the brewery, so
it was like seeing old friends. As we
watched just across from the stadium the horses were waiting calmly and patiently
in the trucks, while the large crew was preparing all the paraphernalia that they
have to use. All that brass and it gets
polished each time it is put into service and each time it is taken out of
service. That’s a lot of brass
polish.
Once inside the stadium, we walked around and were
captivated by the sheer joy that seemed to be in the air – it was October and
this was a playoff game. During the
ceremonies before the game, we saw the Clydesdales again as they prance, ever
so elegantly around the ball park to a magical song. I think they all knew the song, as they were
keeping perfect time to it as the pulled the wagon around. The horses were so proud; they held their
heads high and just tried to work at their peak of perfection. It was such a wonderful sight to watch and
experience.
The weather was just perfect for the game. Just a great day at the ball park! And the decision was made so much easier
thanks to the wisdom of our daughter!
Thanks, J!
