WILLKOMMEN ZUM OKTOBERFEST

These are the photos from our Sunday Drive to Hermann, Missouri last weekend.  The town was not as crowded as expected being that it was Oktoberfest.  It could be because it was already 1300 by the time we got there.  The first thing we did was visiting our vacation home.  Well, we wanted to purchase the house, made an offer but the owner refused.  She did not have a horse or pony, so we could not threaten her that we would do harm to her beloved animal.  Besides, would that be illegal to put a bloodly head of a horse in someone's bed while he is sleeping?  

This would have been the view from our bedroom windows overlooking the Missouri River!

This would have been the view of downtown Hermann from our dining room!

We drove the T-bird to Hermann with the top down.  It was sunny and comfortable.  CP mentioned that he planned to put the hard top on to get ready for winter.  I need to check the storage room and stock up on supplies.  Last week while looking out the backyard, we watched the squirrels gathering nuts or whatever food he could find, my husband commented that it must be hard on the little guy.  "But he never had to worry about getting a job, working for a terrible boss/company, mortgage, debts, kids' college education or saving for retirement", I responded. 

This morning was a bit chilly with temperature in the 40s.  It got up to high 50s and was sunny most of the day.  Freeze warning has been issued for tonight.  I checked the weather in Gardiner, Montana and they already got snow there.  I called my Mom earlier and she told me that there is sufficient food and water in the house.  Let's hope "Sandy" won't cause major problems to the areas in her path.

PUMPKIN FACES AT THE ZOO

These photos were taken from the Saturday when we were at the zoo. There were a lot of activities for the kids and they were excited when they saw these sort-of giant pumpkins. The zoo had to put the fence around these scupltures to keep the kids from climbing onto the pumpkins. Or sticking their little heads/arms/legs into one of the holes, got stuck and could not get out!

I bet these pumpkin faces are not as nice as the ones carved by the world-renowed artists, Benjamin and his young brother (but equally talented) Noah :)

Sunday, October 23rd - After Mass, we went for a Sunday drive in the country (to Farmington, Missouri). We stopped by St. Genevieve for lunch at Big Field Cafe. It was nice to see that the cafe was busy with both the locals and visitors. You could tell who were the locals because the owners recognized them and the subject of their conversation. We saw the before when the place was a mess, all gutted and now the after, how nicely the cafe is clean, inviting, decorated with art works from local artists. There is a gallery on the 2nd floor.

We were disappointed that the fall colors were not the bright red/orange, just the dull yellow, brown and a few red spots. It was nice Sunday drive in the T-bird, and that is good enough for us (well, more for my husband anyway!)

FRIDAY AUTUMN SKY

Fall has arrived as evident in these photos taken from a park near our house.
One of the parks has a nice pond and many residents enjoy finishing there. There are tennis courts, basketball hoops, playground and enclosed pavilion for picnics.

In the last 15 years since moving here, we could count on one hand the number of occasions we utilized all the amenities the surrounding parks have to offer. We often don’t appreciate what we have. We take it for granted that our subdivision is a short distance between two good size parks. Actually, we live only a few miles from a well-known Castlewood Park.

Every year we talked about walking and spending more time outdoor. Yet, I only visit the park once or twice to take photos. As they say, “You could only lead the horse to the water ….”

This weekend I hope to sort thru the closets, get ready for the winter and gather a bag of clothing to put in the donation box. The Historical Society also asks for donation of books, so it would be good to find a few books to give away.

How are you getting ready for winter? It is time to stock up soup and hot chocolate :)

BENJAMIN SAYS "HAY"

Last weekend we made our 3rd trip to Oklahoma City. We missed a few attractions (downtown Tulsa, Totem Pole Park, etc.) the first time in October 2009. During our westward trip in July this year, we were trying to get to California so we kept on driving and on the returned trip we were so tired after driving more than 4,000 miles, we again could not make time to see the Golden Driller in downtown Tulsa.

This time, our trip started on Friday, October 15th, driving to Springfield, Missouri after we both got off work. We spent the night at a budget motel. The room was clean and comfortable, just what we needed for an overnight accommodation.

We got on the road around 7:00 a.m. and took I-44 into Galena, Kansas. This time we made time to stop by the famous Eisler Bros. Grocery and Deli in Riverton. Of course, CP has to take a few more photos of the T-bird at the Rainbow Bridge in Baxter Springs. We were hungry and decided that it would be a good time for lunch at Café on the Route.

We followed Route 66 into Oklahoma but did not make many stops since we already visited most of the attractions from Quapaw to Chelsea. Benjamin was really happy when we finally arrived at the Totem Pole Park in Foyil. (Photos will be in future posts.)

Sadly, the Admiral Twin Drive In Theatre was burned down to the ground early this month. There was a fundraising event that day but it did not look promising that it would be re-built.

At around 3:30 p.m., we finally drove into downtown Tulsa. We found the Golden Driller, a 76-foot tall sculpture tribune to Tulsa’s oil heritage at 21st Street west of Yale. (Photos in future posts).

We continued on to Red Fork where we stopped for dinner at Ollies’ Station Restaurant. I missed my nephew JL terribly when I saw inside the restaurant all decorated with collection of model trains that were moving around the dining room on tiny tracks suspended from the ceiling. Model trains are displayed on glass shelves around the restaurant. From Ollies’ website, “Ten running trains, from G-scale to Z-scale, run the length of the dining room and through scale model cities and towns. Our walls and shelves abound with railroad memorabilia.” (Hey Qaptain Qwerty, it would be a great road trip next April after the marathon?)

After Red Fork, we got lost for about an hour on a dark 2-lane country road trying to find the giant soda bottle in Arcadia. Just like a typical man, CP would not stop to ask for direction or let me read the EZ 66 guide. Only after I threatened to throw a bucket of yellow paint on his T-bird when we get home, CP agreed to turn around. I took many photos of the 66 foot tall pop bottle illuminated in beautiful colors.

We spent Saturday night in Bricktown, Oklahoma City. The next day, we attended Sunday Mass at St. Paul’s Cathedral in downtown Oklahoma City. The Cathedral is located across the street from the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum honoring the victims of the 1995 bombing.

A trip to Oklahoma City would not be completed without getting a few banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) from Banh Mi Ba Le at the famous Giant Milk Bottle on Classen. Later, we stopped in Chandler, sat down at a park in front of the courthouse, enjoyed delicious banh mi. It was one of the most wonderful moments of the road trip.

Continued on Route 66, we were glad to find that Seeba Station has been beautifully renovated and is now open as Motorcycles Museum. After a stop at the classic Steaks n’ Shake in Springfield, Missouri, we drove all the way to St. Louis and got home around 8:45 p.m. on Sunday night.

Long time no see, so here is Benjamin again saying “Hay Hay Hay Hay Hay Hay Hay Hay Hay Hay”!

CENTRAL PARK IN CARTHAGE, MISSOURI

This is Central Park in Carthage, Missouri. According to the visitor guide, this park, landscaped in 1894, features a 1930s wading pool and bathouse, a Victorian-era fountain, bandstand, playground and plenty of space for picnicking (I just realize that a "k" would be added to the word "picnic" when the word is "picnicking"). There is a memorial honoring the 1,412 of Missouri's fallen Viet Nam veterans created by the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The above statue of Carthage native son and the famous zoologist/television personality Marlin Perkins is placed in Central Park. The sculpture was created by artists Bob Tommey and Bill Snow. The original Central Park was burial site for Battle of Carthage casualties, but in 1871 it was re-developed for a park and the remains were re-buried elsewhere.


Of course, the above photo features the "beautiful" T-bird which I called "my husband's mistress" or "a chunk of metal"!

A WARM SUNNY DAY IN NOVEMBER

I decided to "suspend" the Route 66 Saturday Series this week to write about a wonderful sunny day we have today. The proof is in the photos with the thermometer showing the temperature almost reaches 80 degree as the sun shines brightly in our backyard. My husband was busy since early morning blowing and raking the leave to the curb, ready for the city's weekly curbside leaf collection. I complimented my husband for a good job with making the yard looking so nice without all the leave and also cutting the grass since it still is growing a bit after last week's heavy rain. Then of course, giving the T-bird a good wash. It has been "painful" for CP that he was unable to wash the T-bird right away after our trip to Oklahoma two weeks since he got a terrible cold plus the heavy rain last weekend; so he was very happy to finally got all the dirt off his "beloved" automobile. (CP is feeling much better, still has running nose and an occassional caughing.)
I spent the morning at various parks looking for more sculptures. I was at the library in the afternoon getting a few more books on Route 66 and on the history of the Dust Bowl. Later in the evening, we went to a Hot Air Balloon Glow at Route 66 State Park. It was a great experience and I had a good time taking photos.

RUSTIC SCENERY ALONG ROUTE 66

Here are a few more photos from our recent driving down memory lane eastbound on Route 66. On Sunday, October 25th, we passed thru Spencer, Missouri where there were still a few roadside remnants of an old gas station and abandonned cabins. The road was completely empty, allowing us plenty of time at this 1926 thru-truss bridge over Johnson Creek. It was a cloudy day and the grayish looking sky began to sprinkle a few drops of gentle rain. It was one of the most memorable moments as I watched the water flowing slowly in the shallow creek, the bared trees getting ready for winter and the eerie feeling of complete peaceful isolation of the road while my husband was busy taking photos of the picturesque bridge and his T-bird.
Soon it will be summer again when travelers from near and far, around the world will come back to seek the romance, to re-create the culture of freedom driving on America's Mother Road and to experience the glory of what once was Americana.

AUTUMN ON ROUTE 66 - CARTHAGE, MISSOURI

These photos were taken on the ground of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Shrine "Den Thanh Khiet Tam Me" a Vietnamese Catholics Congregation in Carthage, Missouri. The Fall colors were so vibrant with a mixture of bright red, gentle yellow, soft orange, fading green and many strangely beautiful yet unidentifiable colors. We drove around town and took many more photos on St. Louis Avenue (how appropriate). My husband kept saying that we picked the right weekend to take time off from work to see the Fall Colors. I thought it was a 50-50 chance, just like everything else in life, you could have a perfect plan and how the outcome turns out might depend half on the luck of the draw!

Photo below shows the trees displayed their Fall colors along St. Louis Avenue.