Piasa Bird

We have a new friend on road trips. What should we name him? If you want your own Martian Around Town, I make these and have sold literally hundreds of them. You can pick on up here!

While we're at it, I just ordered my Missouri Caves license plates. What should we put on them? 
 

If you've ever driven up the Great River Road and wondered, "What is that weird bird thing?" when it was too late to turn into the parking lot, it's the Piasa Bird! Yes, this is why so many things in the Alton area have Piasa in the name. Here is the Legend of the Piasa (pronounced "PIE-a-saw") from the monument at the park, but there are many, many versions out there:

    Many thousand moons before the arrival of the palefaces, when the great magolonyx and mastodon, whose bones are now dug up, were still living in this land of green prairies, there existed a bird of such dimensions that he could easily carry off in his talons a full grown deer. Having obtained a taste of human flesh, from that time he would prey upon nothing else.
    He was as artful and he was powerful, would dark suddenly and unexpectedly upon an Indian, bear him off into one of the caves of the bluff, and devour him.
    Hundreds of warriors attempted for years to destroy him, but without success.  Whole villages were nearly depopulated, and consternation spread throughout all the tribes of the Illini.
    At length, Ouatoga, a chief, whose fame as a warrior extended even beyond the great lakes, separated himself from the rest of his tribe, fasted in solitude for the space of a whole moon, and prayed to the great spirit, the master of life, that he would protect his children from the Piasa.
    On the last night of the fast, the great spirit appeared to Ouatoga in a dream, and directed him to select twenty of his warriors, each armed with a bow and poisoned arrow, and conceal themselves in a designated spot.
    Near the place of their concealment, another warrior was to stand in open view, as a victim for the Piasa, which they must shoot the instant that it pounced upon his prey.

 

    When the chief awoke in the morning, he thanked the great spirit, and returning to his tribe, told them of his dream.
    The warriors were quickly selected and placed in ambush, as directed, Ouatoga offered himself as the victim. He was willing to die for his tribe.
    Placing himself in open view of the bluff, he soon saw the Piasa perched on the bluff, eyeing his prey. Ouatoga drew up his manly form to its utmost height, and planting his feet firmly upon the earth, began to chant the death song of a warrior.
    A moment after, the Piasa rose into the air, and swift as a thunderbolt, darted down upon the chief.
    Scarcely had he reached his victim, when every bow was sprung and every arrow sent, to the feather, into his body.
    The Piasa uttered a wild, fearful scream, that resounded far over the opposite side of the river, and expired.
    Ouatoga had held an invisible shield over him.
    In memory of this event, the image of the Piasa was engraved on the bluff.
    Such is the Indian tradition.

The original Piasa was a petroglyph on a nearby cliff, which has since been destroyed. The current Piasa is a painting done by the American Legends Society and volunteers in 1998. This park is located is about a mile outside Alton and has a big parking lot for cyclists who are biking the Great River Road.

We're still obsessed with Alton and talk about moving there all the time, so stay tuned for updates on what Mid-America's Most Haunted Town has been up to in the last 10 years!

St Louis Tornado - How You Can Help

A devastating tornado tore though the St Louis area on Friday, May 16, and it caught us off guard because a tornado hasn't hit the city since 1959. We got complacent with our jokes about the Arch being a weather machine that protects us. To make matters even worse, despite testing on Monday, May 5 and Thursday, May 15, most City residents report not hearing any sirens. North City was hit particularly hard, and being a lower income area, the lost of housing, belongings, and food is hitting them harder than some wealthier areas. Truly, the way St Louis treats North City and allows absentee landlords and developers to leave buildings to cave in is criminal, and I ask that you really focus your attention on the folks that need it the most.

I have spent a lot of time on news & socials today putting together a list of ways you can help right now. It's no Fish Fry map, but I hope it helps!

Monetary & Hands On Volunteering

Urban League of St Louis - these are the folks doing the work 365 days a year. You can donate through that link or contact them if you want to volunteer.

Action St Louis - "Action St. Louis envisions a region where Black people are empowered to take bold action towards transforming our own communities, making St. Louis a place where every Black life is valued and affirmed. Through organizing, we envision building communities that are free from oppressive institutions and all forms of violence." They are out providing community aid in person right now.

All Among Us, Inc - "When you donate to All Among Us, you help men and women escape the revolving doors of homelessness and poverty. With your one time or monthly donation, you join us in coming alongside to build meaningful relationships and empower participants to thrive and enjoy fulfilling, self-sufficient lives. With your generosity in giving, you make a lifelong impact." Another boots on the ground option right now.

St Louis Early Childcare Tornado Response - Childcare is infrastructure! They need LOTS of volunteers and donations to get these childcare centers cleaned up so that the kids have a safe place to go. Volunteer sign up here

United Way Tornado/Storm Relief Fund  

STL First Responders Canteen - this is a group of volunteers that rolls out to emergency calls to feed First Responders. You can donate funds for them to buy food. I learned about this from Mann Meats food truck, so show them some love as well.

Donate Supplies:

Sikhs of St Louis/Missouri - follow their social media, they are out in various locations!

Food City STL - 4343 W Florissant

Sikhs of St Louis - 

Work & Leisure STL - 3015 Locust

STL Style (any day but Monday) - 3159 Cherokee

Carondelet Rec Plex (930 Holly Hills), Ofallon Rec Plex (4343 W Florissant), Urban League (Kingshighway & Page), and 4 the Ville (4144 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd) are collecting donations of building materials (drywall, tarps, plywood, wood screws, caulk & caulk guns)

If you need assistance: 

The United Way has a separate website set up for disaster intake forms, a resource list, and volunteer sign up.

Carondelet, South City, & Mid-County YMCA, and Brentwood Rec Center are all open to folks who need water, A/C, showers, etc.

St Louis County Libraries are open for wifi, A/C, electronics charging

Red Cross Shelters:

• Grace United Methodist Church, 6199 Waterman Boulevard
• Friendly Temple Outreach Center, 6356 Martin Luther King Drive
• 12th & Park Recreation Center, 1410 S. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, MO  63104

Metro Transit will be picking up folks starting at 8pm at the Save A Lot on Natural Bridge  (The Ville neighborhood) to take them to the 12th & Park rec center shelter every evening this week and will return everyone to the neighborhood in the morning. Stay tuned for updates from the Red Cross on changes to this shuttle location.

U-Haul is offering 30 days of free storage to storm victims. Contact your local U-Haul for more details.

Non-Englilsh language emergency support: Contact Gilberto Pinela at pinelag@stlouis-mo.gov (I bet this guy could use some volunteers if you're fluent in any of the many languages spoken in the STL area)

Annie Malone Crisis Center for families: 5355 Page, 844-803-7233

RF Home Co is offering office space to small businesses in need. Contact them on Facebook 

Review: Too Good To Go App

Last week I got an ad for this app, Too Good To Go, which bills itself as a way of reducing food waste by offering "surprise bags" from local restaurants for half the price (or less). Did you know we waste 30% or more of our food supply in this country? I immediately downloaded the app and found a lot of options around us all day long: the local donut shop, the Ikea restaurant, a variety of convenience store grills (popular in our neighborhood), most of the area Circle K's, and, of course, bougie restaurants and delis. I was impressed to find it wasn't JUST the bougie spots, it was all the places you can find food in our neighborhood.

The first place we tried is Eddie's Southtown Donuts, in our neighborhood. Our child believes simultaneously that Donut Stop is the best donut, while also accepting that any donut from anywhere is still better than no donuts. But until we got this surprise box, she didn't want to risk Eddie's not being as good as Donut Stop. I'm not here for donut wars, but Eddie's donuts are EXCELLENT, and the kid agrees. Eddie's passed muster and is much closer to our house. Our surprise box had 7 donuts, for $5.50!

The second place we tried is Garbanzo, in Clayton. I've seen this place in some of my reward apps for awhile, but hadn't had a chance to try it yet. Francis went to pick this one up, and said they added extra rice bc there wasn't a lot of proteins left at the end of the night. We snacked on the meats, falafel, and pita when he brought it back, and then the next day he refreshed the rice with some butter and scrambled eggs. This was also a $5 bag!

Today I snagged Park Place Market over by the History Museum, and we got an incredible cold pasta salad, croissants, lemon bars (or possible a lemony gooey butter cake?), and a drip coffee, also for $5! SO. GOOD. This spot is super cool, with a wine bar, coffee shop, live music, board game night, and Sunday brunch. We will definitely return to this one!

When Francis posted about Too Good to Go on BlueSky, there were a couple random people (not followers) who had to give the unsolicited opinion that we need to "learn to cook" because this isn't "worth" $5. Look, I get it, some of you have only been working at home since 2020. We have been working at home, and homeschooling, for 10 years. When I worked in an office, I went out to lunch most days. You can't possibly know how much we appreciate a little cheap, random variety in our day. It's always worth $5 to us, no matter how much rice is included.  Not only are we trying new places, we are also saving food from ending up in the trash at the end of the day!