A fabulous photo of the Fox

Just snapped this with Hipstamatic on my way out of the Best Steak House (yes, it really is).

Don't let this happen to you

Look, Mom — no street!

Here's the scene on North Tucker Boulevard last week, as demolition of the rickety bridge continues. 

Fried things!

Maybe it's just my Southeast Missouri roots showing, but I love fried foods. Fried chicken, fried potatoes, fried okra, fried squash, fried onions and — the best fried things of them all — fried pickles.

I bought some sliced dill pickles a few weeks ago with big plans to fry them, and tonight I decided to go for it. It's really not hard; it's just messy.

The results were amazing. Just for fun, I tossed in some onion rings. The recipe I used was from a 2004 Recipe Swap column by Susan McClanahan (the first one) in the Southeast Missourian, where I once worked.

Too bad I have no use for a Halloween tablecloth

Video: Flaming Bunny balloon

I've lived here for more than five years, but last night was my first time at the Forest Park Balloon Glow. It's really quite a scene: all those hot-air balloons tethered to the ground but all inflated and occasionally aglow with hot bursts of fire. Here's some video from below the gigantic Energizer Bunny.

Department of Rat Control