The Springfield Cardinals are officially being rebranded as the Ozarks Springbirds. I love this logo but it seems so similar to the Cardinals that I figured it would be more distinct and different. What are your thoughts?
Four years ago today, Albert Pujols became just the fourth player in MLB history to reach the 700 home run milestone. I still remember this vividly and I’ll never forget this, not only the 700th home run itself but the entire 2022 season as a whole. I don’t think everyone appreciates just how amazing his performance was at the very end. He began the season at 679 and by August 10th, he was still only at 687. I believe I recall him coming out and saying that he made an adjustment to his swing and if that’s the case, it clearly paid off. I was lucky enough to witness home run # 698 in person at Busch Stadium against the Cincinnati Reds on September 16th, which was a two-run home run that tied the game. I will never forget hearing the crack of the bat when he hit it. Many of these home runs were in clutch situations and actually helped us win games. I can’t wait to see him enshrined into Cooperstown.
Just wanted to showcase an additional shield sculpture that was recently finished and placed on display in Springfield for Route 66. This one is located at Thompson Service (1515 E Independence St). There is a light pole right by the shield so if you’re interested in seeing it, wait until at least 1:30pm or earlier in the morning when the sun is not directly overhead because the light pole will create shadows on the artwork otherwise. I really like the appearance of this one.
CSX’s Chessie System heritage unit made its first appearance in the Springfield, MO area today. This is the fourth CSX heritage unit I have caught (the other three are 1900, 1836 and 1875) and this one ranks near the top of my list out of the 21; however, it’s also probably the unit that pisses me off the most because it would look phenomenal if the entire locomotive was in the Chessie scheme rather than the cab being in regular CSX colors.
Just wanted to say that I’m so proud of our state tonight when it comes to these amendments. So far, both are on track to fail with over 80% of the vote for each one. As divided as this country is on so many issues, I’m pleasantly surprised that 8 in 10 voters here can agree on two separate issues. That is impressive these days. Thank you for making your voices heard!
This was the 12th MLB I have visited if you include the Oakland Coliseum (I have also been to Busch Stadium II but was way too young to remember anything about it) and I absolutely love the vibe this venue offers. They also turned the stadium lights off toward the end of the game and had the Northern Lights on the screens which was outstanding. The Twins lost 4-0 to the Kansas City Royals but every fan I interacted with was friendly. A very nice lady rode the elevator with me in the parking garage and directed me where to go for instance. I would love to return someday!
Photographed my third Union Pacific Big Boy out of the eight that remain in existence. This one is on static display in Green Bay, WI. I couldn’t spend much time there unfortunately because for some reason, the museum was closing an hour earlier than usual, which seems to be my luck on vacation at a lot of places, but it’s fascinating how a machine that size can get moving.
Not my picture but this locomotive painted by Norfolk Southern in Altoona, PA is absolutely gorgeous. They are releasing six America 250 commemorative locomotives and based on renderings, this will almost certainly be my favorite and while BNSF wins for me overall, this one comes the closest to their quality in my personal opinion.
Finally unlocked the Banana Master achievement. I can’t believe how common this one is because this took a lot of effort to accomplish. I reached the previous achievement in the banana series right at a year ago.
While storms are forecasted for the area tonight, the sky was absolutely gorgeous this evening. Trust me, this scene was much more spectacular in person than this picture can do justice.
These are the New Mexico license plates I own so far. The top one I’ve had a long time and the turquoise one is a brand new addition to my collection. I love the turquoise color but the yellow on top just doesn’t look quite right to me; however, it’s a beautiful plate in person. The state Senate plate is obviously prized.
As a St. Louis Cardinals fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this stadium. The Cardinals weren’t in town but my state’s other MLB team, the Kansas City Royals, were the visiting team and this was a fun game to watch. The Rangers came back in the 9th inning and won 7-6. The temperature was 92 degrees outside but for the first time on a day with that kind of weather, I was able to enjoy the game due to the venue’s air conditioning system. Rangers fans, don’t take your AC for granted because I’ve attended many games at Busch Stadium during the summer and the heat and humidity make it miserable, even for evening games. That’s basically a non-issue here. This is my 10th MLB stadium but technically only nine are current because I’ve been to the Oakland Coliseum.
I know people have already posted about this but the most recent post I’ve found was from about 7 weeks ago. I drove into the parking lot of that shopping center again recently and there was still a sign on their door saying it was temporarily closed until further notice. I never got the chance to give it a try but was hoping they would reopen so I could. I’ve heard many positive reviews of this restaurant and it’s a shame that there’s still no sign of it reopening for business.
I’ve been stuck at 3/5 for years so this plate is a major addition to my collection. I already have all 50 states plus DC so I’m now at 55/56 jurisdictions if you group them together.
I’m putting this post under the collection photo flair but this is nowhere near my entire collection as I own plates from all over the US and the world. Anyway, these are some of my favorite American plates that have a nature or scenery themed flavor. The AZ is a former standard issue plate that is embossed, unlike the current, albeit similar design. The Vermont one is a specialty plate, offered in support of conservation efforts and the remaining four are the current standard plates for each respective state. As someone from Missouri, all six of these designs blow anything my state has ever offered out of the water and yes, we do offer conservation plates also. My state’s government really should take notes from these, along with the Canadian province of Manitoba’s standard plate.
This is not my picture but according to Business Wire, BNSF ES44ACH # 2026 is the first of three locomotives that will be released to commemorate the United States 250th anniversary. Considering how brand focused BNSF is as a company, I’m in a state of shock that this is happening. This was painted in KC and I’m in Springfield, MO so if they don’t move it before tomorrow, there’s a very distinct possibility that I’m going to drive up there and see this. With it being an ACH unit, that could be a good sign that it’ll visit Springfield sooner rather than later. We have seen many of these on some of our coal trains since 2023.
Being a Springfield, MO local, I’ve had the privilege over the past few weeks to document much of the artwork that has been created in celebration of the centennial of Route 66. These are some of my favorite pieces and I hope you all have the opportunity to visit my city if you haven’t! Here are the locations for each picture: