Fun Close To Home: The Gateway Arch

     I have lived in the St. Louis Metropolitan area for all but the first two years of my life.  This is where I grew up.  Going into downtown St. Louis is a normal occurrence for me.  And, yet every time we get close to downtown and I see the Arch it still excites me.  It is an awesome site to see even from a distance.  You can see it when you are approaching most of the attractions in the city of St. Louis.   And, yet there is nothing like getting right up close to it and inside it.

 

     Standing 630 feet tall, The Gateway Arch (or The Arch) is not only a St. Louis icon, but a national icon.  It was erected to symbolize the westward expansion of our country that came during and after the Lewis & Clark Expedition.  After a nation wide competition was held in the late 40's, an architect by the name of Eero Saarinen was chosen to build our stainless steel beauty on the St. Louis Riverfront as a gateway beckoning people to travel west over the Mississippi River and into the opportunities offered by the newer states of the union.  

     The construction on the Arch began in August of 1963 and was completed in just a little over two years time in October of 1965.  The foundations of the Arch are sunk into the ground 60 feet.  It is built to withstand earthquakes and high winds.  There are 142 sections to the Arch.  There are 630 feet between the outer edges of each leg.  It is built of concrete and steel, with stainless steel being the outer covering.  The legs are 54 feet wide at their bases and the top is 17 feet wide.

     When you travel up into the Arch, you take one of two trams.  Each car of a tram holds about 5 people.  They are egg shaped and travel about 3 miles an hour.  The observation deck of the Arch is 7' 2" feet wide, 65' long and 6' 9" tall.  There are 16 observation windows on each side of the Arch.  They are made of 3/4 inch plate glass and are 7" x 27".  

     The Arch is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, which is a park in our national parks system.  It not only includes the Arch, but the Museum of Westward Expansion (located under the Arch) and the Old Courthouse.  The Old Courthouse is across highway 70 and can be seen from the observation windows of The Arch.

     When you are on the observation deck of the Arch you can see 30 miles in all directions.  This offers great views of Downtown St. Louis and it's surrounding area.  You can also see down the legs of the Arch and the grounds below. 

     When you enter the Arch, you enter the base and what is the lobby of not only the Arch itself, but the Museum of Westward Expansion which is free to visit.  There are also two small shops off the lobby.  One is set up like an old fashioned general store and the other is just a modern touristy gift shop.  The Museum of Westward Expansion depicts the progress of our nation's west from wilderness to developed cities.  

     It is very easy to spend most of a day exploring The Arch, The Museum of Westward Expansion and The Old Courthouse.  And if those do not take up all your allotted time, there are riverboat cruises, helicopter rides, and Laclede's Landing to explore all within walking distance.  It really is an amazing way to get into some of the culture of our nation and to spend some relaxation time.

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Of Snow and Ice

     One of the perks of being a teacher is snow days.  That is when they happen.  For some reason we do not get snow like we used to get when I was growing up, but it still does happen.  The district I work for managed to make it through the whole year last year without having to call off for a snow day.

     Imagine my joy when my district called off school for today at 6:00 p.m. last night!  OK, that just doesn't happen.  Of course most people were scoffing at all the districts calling off school so early.  I was too happy to have an unexpected day off to be condemn officials for calling off long before the weather was predicted to hit.  Although, I don't blame those that did get irritated because it has become a joke around here about how often the predictions are wrong when it comes to snow.

But today the weather people and the school officials all get a happy face 

AND a gold star.

     They got it right.  We may not have gotten anything until late morning, but the roads around here have gotten horrible.  We are getting ice on top of several inches of snow.  This all happening at the time of day that I would be trying to get home.  

     My kids have enjoyed it the day today.  They all went out and played in it until the ice started.  Apparently falling ice hurts.  

     The fur kids have enjoyed the day, too.  They have romped and played in the snow every time we've let them out.  Of course this means they come in with snow and ice matted in their skirts and beards.  Such is the life of a Scottish Terrier.

     Our YMCA also closed down early today, so my daughter does not have swim practice either.  The pool will remain empty tonight and lonely tonight.

     So, I will just remain in my PJ's as I have most of the day and go fix some spaghetti for dinner and be grateful that I don't have to be out in the 4+ inches of snow and ice that we got.

How was your Thursday?

Mom, mom, ma, mommy.......

I recently "shared" this bit o funny on my Facebook page...

Yes, this is a reality in my life.  The one who does this the most is my Livvy Girl.  She has the strongest nudging nose I've ever experienced on a dog.  She will flip my hand hard enough that the mouse to my laptop goes flying.  She actually managed to unplug the mouse from the computer once.  

Izzy on the other hand will just come lay on my lap as close as she can get to my computer or tablet and keep pushing back on whichever device I am using until it's too close to my body to use comfortably.  

Of course, it is not just my wonderful four legged children that do this.  My biped children will too.  It's like being on the phone or trying to watch a television show.  At least one of them is going to be forcing the attention issue.  Be assured my husband is included in this group as well.  

I'm so very blessed.