St Louis is the first of its kind in the nation to Welcome Home the troops from Iraq Parade

St Louis, Missouri was the first city to welcome home the troops from Iraq on Saturday January 28, 2012. In looking around at the tens of thousands of people waving American flags and cheering, Army Maj. Rich Radford was moved that so many braved a cold January wind Saturday in St. Louis to honor people like him: Iraq War veterans.

The Welcome Home Heroes Parade included more than 80 floats, two marching bands and the Budweiser Clydesdales.  The parade began at noon Saturday at Kiener Plaza and ended at Union Station with a Veterans Resource Center set-up inside.

People waived American flags and cheered “thank you” as veterans made their way down Market.  People also held up Welcome Home signs.

It was inspiring to sit there while I was taking photos and watching the children to senior citizens smiling, waving and yelling “welcome home” at the troops as they past by. It was a day I will not forget.

See the photos at Photography by McGraphics

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Photos from Forest Park, St Louis

I have done a gallery of photos I have taken in Forest Park in St Louis, Missouri. Here is some information on the St Louis land mark.

Forest Park is a public park located in western part of the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It is a prominent civic center and covers 1,293-acre. The park, which opened in 1876 more than a decade after its proposal, has hosted several significant events, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 and the 1904 Summer Olympics. The park is known as the “heart of St. Louis” and features a variety of attractions, including the St. Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, and the St. Louis Science Center.

Link: Photography by McGraphics

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Vinegar and Olive Oil

Vinegar and Olive Oil studio shot

In countries that adhere to the standards of the IOOC the labels in stores show an oil’s grade. The U.S. is not a member.

  • Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) comes from virgin oil production only, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. Extra Virgin olive oil accounts for less than 10% of oil in many producing countries. Used on salads, added at the table to soups and stews and for dipping.
  • Virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, has an acidity less than 2%, and is judged to have a good taste.
  • Pure olive oil. Oils labeled as Pure olive oil or Olive oil are usually a blend of refined and virgin production oil.
  • Olive oil is a blend of virgin and refined production oil, of no more than 1.5% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.
  • Olive-pomace oil is refined pomace olive production oil possibly blended with some virgin production oil. It is fit for consumption, but may not be described simply as olive oil. Olive-pomace oil is rarely sold at retail; it is often used for certain kinds of cooking in restaurants.
  • Lampante oil is olive oil not suitable as food; lampante comes from olive oil’s long-standing use in oil-burning lamps. Lampante oil is mostly used in the industrial market.
  • Refined olive oil is the olive oil obtained from virgin olive oils by refining methods that do not lead to alterations in the initial glyceridic structure. It has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.3 grams per 100 grams (0.3%) and its other characteristics correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard. This is obtained by refining virgin olive oils with a high acidity level and/or organoleptic defects that are eliminated after refining. Over 50% of the oil produced in the Mediterranean area is of such poor quality that it must be refined to produce an edible product. Note that no solvents have been used to extract the oil but it has been refined with the use of charcoal and other chemical and physical filters. An obsolete equivalent is “pure olive oil”.

Varieties of Vinegar

  • Malt
  • Wine
  • Apple cider
  • Fruit
  • Balsamic
  • Rice
  • Coconut
  • Palm
  • Cane
  • Flavored vinegars
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Union Square Outdoor Market New York

Photos from  Union Square Outdoor Market New York.


To see more photos and purchase at Buy On Line Stock Photography

Union Square is an important and historic intersection in New York City, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road now 4th Avenue, came together in the early 19th century; its name celebrates neither the federal union nor labor unions but rather denotes the fact that “here was the union of the two principal thoroughfares of the island” and the confluence of several trolley lines, as in the term “union station.” Today it is bounded by 14th Street to the south, Union Square West on the west side, 17th Street on the north, and on the east Union Square East, which links together Broadway and Park Avenue South to Fourth Avenue and the continuation of Broadway. Union Square Park is under the aegis of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

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San Diego California

Photos from San Diego California


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San Diego, named after Saint Didacus (Spanish: Diego de Alcalá), is the second-largest city in California and the ninth largest city in the United States, located along the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of the United States. San Diego has a population of 1,279,329 (July 2008 estimate) This coastal city is also the county seat of San Diego County as well as the economic center of the San Diego–Carlsbad–San Marcos Metropolitan Area considered congruent with the county. It was rated the fifth best place to live in 2006 by Money Magazine. According to Forbes the city of San Diego ranks as the fifth wealthiest in the United States. San Diego’s biggest industries are manufacturing, the military, and tourism.

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Miami

Photos from Miami Beach Florida


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Miami, is a major city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida, in the United States. Miami is the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which had a 2006 population of 5,463,857; ranking 7th largest in the U.S..

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Grand Opening of Four Seasons Hotel and Lumiere

Grand Opening of Four Seasons Hotel and Lumiere St Louis MO


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St Louis Gateway Arch

St Louis Gateway Arch at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial


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The Gateway Arch, also known as the Gateway to the West, is an integral part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and the iconic image of St. Louis, Missouri. It was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen and structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947. It stands 630 feet (192 m) tall, and is 630 feet (192 m) wide at its base, making it the tallest monument in the United States. Construction of the arch started on February 12, 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965. The monument opened to the public on July 10, 1967

The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is located in St. Louis, Missouri, near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was designated as a National Memorial by Executive Order 7523, on December 21, 1935, and is maintained by the National Park Service (NPS).

The park was established to commemorate several historical events:

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Boca Grande, Florida

Photos of Boca Grande, Florida

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Boca Grande is a small residential community on Gasparilla Island, southwest Florida. Gasparilla Island is a part of both Charlotte and Lee Counties, while the actual village of Boca Grande, which is home to many seasonal and year-round residents, is entirely in the Lee County portion of the island. It is part of the Cape CoralFort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Its name - Spanish for “Big Mouth” – comes from the mouth of the waterway, called Boca Grande Pass, at the southern tip of the island. The pass was used as a busy shipping point for many years as the waters in the pass are naturally deep. Processed phosphate from the Bone Valley region would be loaded onto waiting cargo vessels via. the Seaboard Air Line Railway at the dock located on the southern tip of the island. Shipping business to the island declined when the Port of Tampa was later dredged and phosphate shipping operations moved north to locations along Tampa Bay. Evidence of the island’s industrial past can still be seen.

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