Seven Till Twelve in the Morning- St. Louis

About this image: My mind once again drifts back to St. Louis when I took a trip there back in November. If you recall, my cousin's children were in a terrible car accident in October and were on life support with massive brain injuries.  For those of you who are following their story, they are doing beautifully. They are currently in Florida visiting my aunt and uncle, who are their grandparents, on their first vacation since leaving the hospital. (Believe it or not, my aunt and uncle, who spent majority of the time from October until around February in Missouri helping with the care of their grandkids during their recovery, had a house fire shortly after returning home. They are fine but the house is unlivable until it is completely gutted and rebuilt on the inside.) They are both still in outpatient therapy for speech and physical therapy, but are making excellent progress. Kirsten is wearing hearing aids to help with the hearing loss she suffered as a result of the brain injury. They recently started back part time at their high school as well. It truly is a miracle to see how far they have come. They have such a supportive mother and father as well as extended family. Their friends and community are also unbelievably helpful, which keeps everyone's spirits raised and hope and love the center of their lives.  Both kids have an amazing attitude toward life and they continue to bloom into themselves each and every day. I am very proud of all of them.

Have a wonderful Thursday...tomorrow is Friday, y'all.

xo

St. Louis Zoo- Photography by Tracey Grumbach

About these images: While traveling to visit family in St. Louis, my oldest daughter and I took a few hours one morning away from the hospital while the kids were in therapy. We decided to quickly tour the zoo, which was right across the street from the hospital. I decided to take along my camera and long lens to see what I could capture in the brief time I had there.

The St. Louis Zoo is really beautiful and totally worth going if you are ever in the area. The morning we went most of the animals were out, active, and visible. The enclosures were very natural looking and many of the animas had "pit-style" arenas in which they were kept so viewers didn't have to look through bars to see them. That was the case with the large cats as seen above.

This is one of the strangest creatures Brenna and I have ever come across. It looked kind of like a rodent in the face, a cow/buffallo in the body, a bear in its rear end, and a goat on its feet. According to the zoo's website, the Sichuan Takin is an "antelope-like goat" that is a relative of the musk ox and lives in Western China. Seriously, people, these creatures are so ugly they are cute, and they are HUGE (buffalo size). There were babies in the enclosure as well, and oh my goodness, just no words. Click the link above to see a video of the creatures on the zoo website.

One of my favorite animals to photograph are the zebras. I just love the abstract patterns that are unique to each individual animal, like a thumbprint. And their ears...dear heavens...wish I could rub them they are so cute and furry. I'm pretty sure the zebra wouldn't appreciate it my ear fetish, though.

The camels are always amusing to watch, especially when they are eating. Reminds me of some 9 year old twins I know, lol.

I'm not sure what the next creature's name is, but it sure is majestic with those long, twisting horns and beautiful eyes. Check out that neck beard!

Y'all know I love me some birds, and this one is no exception. It was HUGE! And the bright eye with the red stripe on its head just drew me in. It was quite beautiful.  I still have more bird images to edit and share at another time, but for now this one has the spotlight.

This banteng, a wild cow that is quite shy and lives in the jungle, was too adorable. I caught it taking its bath for the day as it licked itself all over in quite the lazy way. She seemed very flexible for a lady her size...perhaps she does yoga.

I have many more images to go through and edit, but I thought you might enjoy seeing some pure photographs for a change rather than digital art. I will continue to edit the other images and share another time. In the meantime, I hope you all stay safe from the impending snow fall (yes, I know it is predicted to be only a few inches) and have a beautiful day.

xo

Through the Looking Glass- Digital Painting Of Children's Hospital in St. Louis

When my oldest daughter and I went to Missouri to visit my cousin's children in St. Louis Children's Hospital, we decided to take a walk one morning. The doctors and nurses were busy with the kids doing rounds, and we needed a bit of fresh air. So, it was suggested we check out the rooftop garden. We rode the elevator down to level 8 (if my memory serves me correctly) and took a few minutes to ourselves, processing everything that was happening with K and E, my cousin's children who both have traumatic brain injuries after a horrific car accident. It was beautiful out on this rooftop garden.

Along the way, my daughter decided to crawl into one of the observation windows and quietly watch the ice skaters who were twirling around a pond in the distance. The hospital is located in the heart of St. Louis, but right across the street is a huge public park that is even bigger than Central Park in New York City. It was mesmerizing there in that window seeing all the ice skaters, all the trees in their autumn glory, all the undeveloped land in this beautiful park. You could almost believe you were somewhere else even for the slightest minute.

Not only is this rooftop garden a wonderful asset to the patients at the hospital, but it is also great for parents, family members, friends, and visitors to grab some air without having to go too far from the loved one who is in the hospital. It helps center you, being out among plants and beauty like that. It can rejuvenate a tired soul, giving a person strength to carry on just one more minute, one more day, one more week, one more month at the hospital.

Personally, I think every hospital should have clean, green spaces to offer the patients and families. Sometimes it is more healing than whatever medicine they could receive.

Hope you have a wonderful week gearing up for Christmas! I am actually a bit ahead of where I normally am this year and that is a blessing.

xo