Nicki's Central West End Guide

Another Red-Tailed Hawk Sighting

Jay Reiter sent this photo of a red-tailed hawk he discovered perched behind the Lindell Terrace at Lindell and Taylor one evening last week. There have been several sightings of these raptors---perhaps related to each other---around the neighborhood over the past several months (see them here and here). 

I sent the photo to Martin Schweig, our neighborhood bird guru, to confirm that this is indeed a red-tailed hawk.  Martin emailed: "The photograph is of a young red-tailed hawk, probably one or two years old....the photograph is good enough to see the eye color which is a good indicator of age. Red-tailed hawks usually have a dark brown iris after two or more years." Isn't that fascinating?

When I ran into Jay at the CWEA House Tour Preview Party on Friday night and reported what I had learned from Martin, Jay remarked that there aren't as many pigeons in the CWE as before, implying that the hawks could be the reason. When informed of this, my husband expressed hope that the huge and multiplying population of rabbits might be next. This comment is sure to spark some controversy, particularly among the bunny huggers.

froYo opens on Maryland

froYo opened its latest location ten days ago in a space formerly occupied by Gelato di Riso at 4663 Maryland. Judging from the crowds that frequented the store the first weekend, the premium frozen yogurt operation needed little introduction to the neighborhood. The CWE location joins three others in a growing chain of local stores, one in UCity and two in West County. The owners of froYo were so anxious to open a store here that they bought out Gelato di Riso's lease last Fall.

Over the past six months the space has been completely renovated. This is a self-serve operation. froYo's frozen yogurt dispensers are along one wall of the store. Flavors, either non- or low-fat, include dutch chocolate, white vanilla, cookies & cream, peanut butter, mango tart, red velvet cake, and New York cheesecake, 42 cents an ounce. Cups come in two sizes, small (medium) and large (huge). It was hard for this neophyte to judge what an ounce (or five) of frozen yogurt looks like so, unless you are one to throw caution to the wind, take heed. The scale is at the cash register, and by the time you add toppings, which include lovely fresh fruit, nuts, candies and cookie bits, shown below, you may be surprised at what you've packed into your container. Forty-two cents an ounce adds up.

The toppings are not self-serve too.

 
I asked a young customer who created the combination shown left if hers was the "everything but the kitchen sink" froYo. "No," she said, "I like mine a little rough."

 

 

 

 

 

 

froYo has a fresh, very appealing contemporary look to it, and on a sunny afternoon last week attracted a young crowd to its outdoor tables. I always love to see the students from Paul Mitchell, The School on Maryland Plaza (shown clad in their signature black through the window) out and about, and there they were enjoying a break from their classes.

For all its hipness however, there is one glaring omission in froYo's concept: the shop's paper containers are not "green." I looked at the bottom of the cups for the recycling symbol and then asked two different employees. There was a moment of slight surprise that I asked, but the answer was negative. This seems way out of step as we work toward becoming a more environmentally conscious society...and neighborhood.

froYo, 4663 Maryland, Sun. to Thurs. 11a.m.-10:30 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sunday, May 15

Becky Homan retires as Bowood's Events Consultant

Photos courtesy of Becky Homan

After three years as Events Consultant for Bowood Farms, Becky Homan is retiring to spend time traveling, cooking, and hopefully taking more pictures. With her Nikon D90 set on a tripod for taking still lifes, Becky has consistently snapped gorgeous photos promoting Bowood's special events.The bearded iris shown here, which look so lovely wherever you spot them right now, were photographed at Greg Freeman Park at Des Peres and Kingsbury, in the Skinker-DeBaliviere Neighborhood (see post about neighborhood here). As Becky said in her email, "a little Van Gogh in the city." I couldn't agree more.

Becky said that one of her proudest accomplishments while at Bowood (and in my opinion, there are many) was booking floral designer Jane Winter for a couple of springtime workshops. When word got out that Jane, owner of Wildflowers, was teaching at Bowood, the class sold out immediately. A second date was scheduled, and that too was filled within hours. 

Congratulations, bon chance, and send more photos Becky!

Dalton at 3 months

Photo courtesy of Mark Glenshaw

Thought you might enjoy seeing a recent photo of adorable Dalton, one of two Great Horned Owlets we've been following thanks to Mark Glenshaw, aka The Owlman of Forest Park. Mark estimates that Dalton and his sister Monica are a little more than three months old now.  At this point in their young lives the siblings are still dependent on their parents, Sarah and Charles, for food and protection. For an introduction to the Forest Park owlets featured in a previous post look here.

And for future updates, you can follow Mark Glenshaw, The Owlman of Forest Park, on his blog.

Wings in the City Celebration on Maryland Plaza last Saturday

Word from Frances Thompson, Marketing Director for Maryland Plaza, is that the butterfly sculptures created by local artists as a fundraiser for BJC's Children's Hospice and Palliative Care Program will take flight from their temporary homes on Maryland Plaza tomorrow. Nearly all of the 56 sculptures that were placed in various locations around St. Louis have been sold. Those remaining will be auctioned as part of a benefit party to be held May 21 at the Hyatt at The Arch. To learn more about Wings in the City, look here.

Frances, with assistance from Friends of Wings Board Member and CWE resident Asha Zimmerman, staged a low-key family event Saturday afternoon to celebrate the butterfly project. Friends of Wings is a volunteer organization that raises funds for children and their families who are in hospice and palliative care programs.

As Frances gleefully reported shortly after the celebration began: "This is the first time I can remember that one of our Maryland Plaza events coincided with good weather." The event drew young families who seemed to enjoy being out of hibernation, just as much as the butterflies available for release during the event.

The butterflies were provided by the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in Faust Park, where they had just emerged from their cocoons. They were carefully packaged in brightly-colored papers and for a $3 donation you could set one free. Young Maria Navarro, shown below with a butterfly tattoo on her hand, was reluctant (at best) to hold the real thing.

For a $1 donation to the cause,  Bissinger's, a sponsor of the Celebration, molded white chocolate butterflies for children to ice and take home in one of the store's signature gold boxes.

Another sponsor, Central West End Families and Friends,  sold "6310gr8" t-shirts and onesies, $10 & $18. Volunteers including Heather Navarro and graphic artist Diann Cage, staffed a table where children painted cardboard butterflies.

 

 

 

 

Volunteers also helped young participants attach colorful butterflies to sticks to create their own sculptures.

With excellent music by guitarist Dave Black and vocalist Margaret Bianchetta, the afternoon was just about perfect---all for a very worthwhile cause.

ANNONYArts Performance at Centro Thurs.

Please join Centro for a celebration, wine tasting, and performances featuring ANNONYArts Artistic Director Beckah Voight Reed and consortium artists Tom Brady, Dawn Karlovsky, Monica Newsam, and Nicki Tipton Tallent. Wines for tasting provided by The Vino Gallery and small bites provided by The Fountain on Locust.  All proceeds will benefit programming and community outreach for ANNONYArts.

WHERE:  Centro

DATE:  Thursday, May 12

TIME: 6 to 9 (Performance at 7)

TICKETS: $35 each ($60 pair) at door or www.aarts2011.eventbrite.com

INFO: (314) 652-3003

ANNONYArts is an organization dedicated to supporting a consortium of independent movement and performing artists who present original works and provide arts education.

Centro Modern Furnishings, 4727 McPherson, (314) 454-0111.

Sunday, May 8

An afternoon at Kentucky's Keeneland Race Track

Last week I called my sister-in-law Eileen who cheerily mentioned that she was at Keeneland race track with some friends. That reminded me that I had not told you about the trip Jim and I made to Keeneland as part of a weekend birthday celebration for Eileen last October. With the Kentucky Derby scheduled for tomorrow, I thought this might be a good time to post pictures from that trip.

Another sister-in-law Robin, and her husband Frank, flew in for the celebration from New Jersey. Along with some friends of the birthday girl's, and her husband Michael, we took off across the Ohio River from historic New Albany, IN, where they all live, for a day-long tour of Kentucky's Bluegrass region. The first stop was the beautiful Woodford Reserve Distillery, which I will tell you about another time.

Keeneland, located in Lexington, opened 75 years ago on property that was sold to area horsemen after a track that had been in existence in the area for more than 100 years closed. Jack Keene's property included a private mile and a furlong track, a stone castle and barn, a 100,000 gallon water tank, and enough property for future stables and lots of parking. It was on Keeneland's rolling hills filled with gigantic parking lots that we encountered the race track's amazing tailgating scene. With thousands of attendees, and row after row of cars, tailgating is a huge tradition there. Needless to say, with the University of Kentucky in nearby Lexington, there is lots of partying going on.

 

You can't discern from my photo that this well-dressed (and everyone was--it's a tradition) gentleman was selling racing forms with one hand and eating lunch with the other.

There seemed to be no explanation why an artist was painting a splendid autumn tree in the middle of the green while the crowd mingled in the background, but he did add to the afternoon's entertainment.

Since I am a real novice at this sport, I had to learn the proper jargon when placing bets at the window. Luckily the order of what to say in which order is printed in the racing form. Being rather stingy with my $2 bets, I learned to follow my sister-in-law's lead on which horses looked like winners. She just kept picking the red ones which was good enough for me.

 

The horses' owners stand in the circle and watch the jockeys mount their horses before everyone heads off to the track.

This groomsman was so proud of his horse that he brought him over for me to take a close-up. I learned that Keeneland's Spring and Fall races have a reputation as a springboard for future winners of Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup contenders.

The upper deck was sprinkled with women holding white parasols...another Keeneland tradition.

All eyes were focused on a huge screen visible across the track where the race is shown in real time. 

With races scheduled back-to-back, the post-race scene in the Winner's Circle didn't seem to attract much attention, except for the owners, shown in the foreground.

Meanwhile, back in the parking lot, beer pong was in full swing, and against all odds, I left with the $2 I came in with.

Meet Designer Kelly Reding

I am well aware that a clever opening sentence grabs the reader's attention. To that end I have been struggling for several days to come up with one to introduce you to Kelly Reding, another of the extremely talented artists who call the CWE home. I first met Kelly three years ago when she and her husband Nick, an award-winning author, had just moved to the neighborhood from New York (Nick is from St. Louis). It wasn't until Kelly's trunk show last year at the old Mezzanine location that I realized what she was up to in the charming third floor atelier of her CWE home, where these pictures were taken. Kelly has created a rarified niche for herself reworking vintage clothing to give it a new life. In addition to her business, Dauphine Vintage, and keeping up with an active two year old, she has a background anyone who is into fashion is sure to love.

Kelly, a native of New York State, said she thinks that vintage clothing is in her blood---she has loved it since she was a little girl. She majored in dance and women's studies in college and, along the way, taught herself to sew by taking clothing apart. Kelly moved to New York City where she lived for twelve years. Her love of everything vintage led to a job at a West Village shop called Geminola, where vintage pieces were refashioned. At Geminola, Kelly and the shop owner dressed celebrities including neighbor Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman, and Mischa Barton among others. It was Sarah Jessica Parker who introduced costume designer Patricia Field to Geminola, and that's how Kelly wound up designing some of Carrie Bradshaw's looks on "Sex and the City." If you remember the green ballerina dress Carrie wore in the last episode, you will be interested to know that Kelly worked on that tutu from the London Ballet costume department, and built a few replicas for custom orders. The dress was found by the owner of Geminola on a buying trip to the Portobello Road flea market, and after the series ended, placed in a museum in Hollywood, Florida (see it here).

In the photo above, Kelly shows a black lace skirt that was salvaged from a 50's dress she found at a Paris flea market, $200. The designer suggests pairing the full skirt, to which she added a vintage lace waistband, with a tank top and flats. In the foreground, there is an unusual 20's beaded dress lined with a hand-dyed silk slip and beaded trim from the 30's that was added to the bodice to strengthen the silk. As in the workshops of couturiers, all of Kelly's sewing is done by hand, and purist that she is, she uses only vintage thread.

  

Kelly enjoys salvaging pieces and then perhaps mixing a bodice from one decade with a skirt from another. A black chiffon dress from the 30's, above, is topped with a lace bodice, $295. As far as fitting her customers, Kelly refashions the clothing so that waistbands are adjustable, and perhaps there is a piece of elastic here or there. And sometimes there is that, as she says, "glass slipper moment," when the dress fits the client just perfectly.

 

On the left, a lace jacket covers a swimsuit made into a tank top shown with a 50's fiesta skirt. The milliner's flower belt completes the outfit, $195. On the right, a 20's lacy silk slip tops and lines a turn-of-the-last-century gauzy skirt. Kelly was still working on prices for some of her designs, though you can check her website or email her at the address below for more info. Also, at the end of the post there is a postcard detailing information on her appearance at a Stray Rescue Benefit at Shelton Davis Antiques on McPherson this Friday evening where you can meet Kelly and see her creations.

The designer uses only vintage thread, buttons and trims, see above and below. From the way the trimmings are arranged in her studio, you may have guessed that she has a styling background as well. In New York she did some styling for music videos and film; she also bought vintage clothing for designers who used the pieces for prototypes and reference.

When Kelly lived in New York she designed a line of jewelry called Shepherd's Pie. She has continued making accessories in St. Louis, including the jet taken from a vintage dress and made into a necklace and headpiece, above.

The blue necklace shown above is comprised of trim taken from a 60's dress and 30's applique sewn to vintage seam binding, $60.

 

Kelly recently dyed vintage baby dresses, $25 and up, and

made May Day crowns for little girls from vintage hat trimming, $10.

 

Someday Kelly hopes to open an atelier. In the meantime, she plans on holding about four trunk shows a year including tomorrow night's Stray Rescue Benefit at Shelton Davis Antiques, 4724 McPherson (see more info above). On May 21, she'll be at Mezzanine's new location in Maplewood. 

To contact Kelly Reding go to Dauphine's gorgeous new website here, (created by CWEnder Diann Cage) or email: kellyreding@gmail.com

P.S. - With this post on Kelly and others that I've written in the past about artists who make things by hand, I've decided to launch a "Handmade" category to this blog. Over the next few days I will go back and mark other artists so you can find them all easily.