Cape Girardeau History and Photos

August 12, 2014

Geese in Memorial Park

After shooting kids fishing and UFO docking stations in North County Park, we crossed the street to take a drive through Memorial Park Cemetery.

We weren’t alone.

The bucolic setting had been invaded by Canadians who must have slipped across the border when we weren’t looking. I thought they were moving along harvesting bugs, but they appeared to be pulling up shoots of grass. (Click on the photos to make them larger.)

Earlier stories about Memorial Park

I’ve done several stories about the cemetery over the years.

Speaking of older stuff

Don’t forget that Annie Laurie’s Antique Shop has some of my iconic photos for sale. (The TPing photo is gone, if that’s what you were looking for.)

August 12, 2014

UFO Docking Stations Discovered

Breaking News!!!!!!

UFO docking station was discovered in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Alien life forms have been detected arriving and departing from pods at irregular intervals. We’ll keep our camera glued to the scene so you can see the action as it happens.

Five hours later

Breaking News !!!!! It has been brought to our attention that the “UFO docking station” is really a bunch of purple martin birdhouses at the North County Park and that the alien life forms are birds feeding on mosquitoes.

Stay tuned for news as it breaks and corrections as we get around to them. Remember, “It’s News to Us.”

August 11, 2014

August 2014 Super Moon

After reading all the hoopla about yet another Super Moon, I checked the moon tracker on my Droid smartphone and told Mother we’d better saddle up so I’d be ready at 6:46 when the moon was supposed to rise at 110 degrees, slightly south of east. I calculated that the terraces at the River Campus would be a good place to use the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge as a foreground object.

6:46 came and went. Then 7:00 and 7:15. That’s when I discovered that my moon ap thought I was still in Florida. I was an hour early. I cut a nap short for nothing.

That gave me plenty of time to shoot the trees in the gathering twilight, the river hiding behind a curve and a couple getting acquainted on the old bridge’s overlook before the moon made its appearance.

Super Moon photo gallery

Click on any photo to make it larger, then use your arrow keys to move through the gallery.

August 9, 2014

Kids Fishing at the Park

The hummingbird banding program we thought was going to be held at the Missouri Department of Conservation Nature Center at North County Park on Saturday morning turned out to be NEXT Saturday, so decided to people watch instead of bird watch.

The pond below the Nature Center is designated for “Kids Only,” and it was getting a lot of use. (Click on the photos to make them larger.)

The official rules

“Children 15 and younger may fish the pond for catfish, bass, crappie, and sunfish. They may keep 2 bass (15 in. min.), 2 catfish, and 20 of the sunfish/ crappie. Fishing equipment may be checked out at the front desk while the facility is open. Returns need to be made by 4:30. An adult with a current Mo fishing permit may assist children who fish. No permit is needed by adults who are not assisting.”

Dads and Granddads

From what I could tell, there seemed to be more adults holding rods than kids, but who cares. Anytime you can get a kid, an adult and a fishing pole together, it doesn’t matter who is holding it.

I loved it when Dad would say, “We’re rained out today. Let’s go out to the Number 9 Ditch. The catfish ought to be biting.” It didn’t matter if we caught something.

More fishing than catching

In the brief time we were there, we saw a lot more fishing being done than catching. The MDC pond description says it has a “good population.” That must be because they didn’t show any desire to change location.