Ruby Tuesday and Rednesday --- the big red bow

Tuesday is the day that Mary at "Work of the Poet" hosts Ruby Tuesday. Rednesday is a Wednesday meme hosted by Sue at "It's a Very Cherry World." Both memes are dedicated to the color red.

I know this will seem odd but, instead of posting something Valentine related on this week set aside for love, I am going to go backwards and post some red related to Christmas. I had this topic scheduled for the holiday season and somehow failed to publish it. And, since I do not have a heart related photo to share decided to go with the ribbons and bows on the package instead.

As you travel highway 40 through St. Louis, one of the most interesting buildings visible from the roadway, is the McDonnell Planetarium. The planetarium is part of the St. Louis Science Center and sits on the edge of Forest Park. Each christmas season the hyperboloid curve of the building is decorated with a four foot wide ribbon and a twenty foot bow. This annual tradition began back in 1966 when a group of pranksters managed to climb the building one night and install the first ribbon and big red bow without getting caught. In fact the actual culprits' were never identified and the only clue was left by the tricksters themselves: a small sign attached to the handrail read "Merry Christmas, St. Louis, Washington University School of Architecture." The people of St. Louis loved it so much that the planetarium has carried on the tradition ever since. Which is amazing considering how tight the city budget always is and the fact that it takes a crew of four a full five hours-with a bucket lift- to tie the big red bow around the curve of the building.

To join the fun or just check out what Red others are excited to share visit Mary and her friends at Ruby Tuesday and Sue and her friends from Rednesday