STL

 

Spoilers: It was a totally wonderful fall break trip, but the airbnb was awful. 

We picked up the kids after school and drive right over to STL, stopping for fast-casual Indian on the way into town. 

Greeting us on the airbnb notice was a three-day abandonment notice, claiming the rental place would come in and take whatever property was there because the place had been abandoned. As we texted with the airbnb host, a--it turns out--compulsive liar, about the abandonment notice dated that day and which she claimed was old, we noticed that there was no internet. Then the building's control panel started freaking out and repeatedly beeping. She suggested we hit "silence." Then we double checked out smoke alarms since the control panel claimed that there was smoke in a storage room only to discover that none of the four smoke alarms in the apartment worked. We reached out to airbnb for a refund--they claimed they would call us and never did. At this point both boys were asleep, and I was nearly asleep, too. Francisco wanted to go somewhere else, but I just suggested we think more in the morning. Oh--also--everything smelled terrible--like it had all been drenched in febreeze or some other strong scent to cover up cigarette smell. The most terrible smell in all the sheets and blankets. I hate smells--and this smell was strong. Anyway, I love the neighborhood we were staying in and by the light of day figured that the abandonment order wouldn't kick in till the day we were leaving and probably some other apartment would have working fire alarms that would hopefully kick in if there was a fire? So we just lived with it, a cheap price in a perfect neighborhood. 

The next morning, while the kids entertained themselves on devices, which was the name of the game for us this break, and which was probably why it went so well, I walked to a grocery store and then to mass at the Cathedral Basilica in the next block. All delightful. 

I never really thought that the comic-book look to the mosaic, plus the browns was anything special. I've never really liked it. But now perhaps I'm used to it? I was enjoying the connection of Jesus's resurrection to Lazarus and Jonah and the grain of wheat falling into the ground to die (above). 

But the part I really love is the Tiffany chapels, especially the All Saints chapel's depiction of the virgins. Above and below. 

I also got two really good emails that morning--a wonderful invitation and an R and R for an article that had, I don't know, half a dozen? rejections. If I weren't so dearly attached to this article, I wouldn't care so much, but I think it's fabulous.