WHERE ARE THE ARK?

We were driving to Hermann, along the Missouri River when I saw what looked like a giant ruler hanging vertically on the tree. My husband was very accomodating when I asked if he would safely pull over so I could take a photo. There were markers on the ruler but we could not figure it out what the numbers was supposed to be. Surely if the river rose and reached the top of the ruler, it would be more than 3.4 feet high. Would anyone who is an expert be able to provide an answer? Then I thought even if the river got up to 3.2, we would all be under water and it would not matter beyond that. I also thought with all the wickedness in this world, I am surprised that God has not already wiped out mankind from the face of the earth with another Flood. Maybe I should look around for Noah to ask where the Ark was supposed to be, just to be ready!

The Missouri River looked so calm yet deceiving. The water might be flowing gently, then I saw how swift the current was when it carried a big tree branch as if it was a little stick.

SPRING HAS ARRIVED

It was a nice surprise that Sunday turned out to be partly cloudy and comfortable instead of the predicted rain. By the time we arrived, the church was almost full for the 9:00 a.m. Mass as everyone had the same idea getting to church extra early. There were people waiting to get in for the next Mass at 10:30 a.m. when we were leaving. My husband commented that how many of these people were "Easter Only" attendees! I finally remembered to take photo of the display of the cross and the American flag in front of this house. I plan to write to let the homeowners know how much I appreciate their patriotism and being faithful believer. "The Lord is my light and the one who saves me. I fear no one. The Lord protects my life; I am afraid of no one" Psalm 27:1In the afternoon, we went to St. Charles. Only a few shops opened on the Main Street, most closed for Easter. It was as if we had the town all for ourselves. We walked along Frontier Park and saw that the Missouri River was high but not overflown. There were people flying kites and families with kids enjoying a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

BENJAMIN AT THE WURSTFEST

Last Saturday we took Benjamin to Hermann, Missouri for the Wurstfest. As mentioned in previous posts, Hermann is one of our favorite towns when driving the T-bird for weekend/day trips. In fact, we like the town so much that we have been trying to find a nice 2nd/weekend home here. My sister CH visited Hermann when she came to St. Louis in 2005. We had lunch at Hermannhof Winery, then went on a tour of the winery and CH purchased a bottle of wine to take back to New York. The line at the Hermannhof Festhalle was really long. It must be at least 100 people waiting to sample and/or to purchase the sausages from six different purveyors (a fancy name for suppliers of food or sausage makers). We decided not to wait and went down to the waterfront. The boat ramp was submergered under water. We saw a large object in the river (bottom photo), turned out it was a dead tree (above bottom photo), probably the entire tree, including the roots, fell into the river. The weather people predicted rain but it turned out to be a nice sunny day. For more information about Hermann, visit http://www.visithermann.com/ or http://www.hermannmo.info/ to read about the early history of Hermann.

DAYS BEFORE & AFTER CHRISTMAS

Monday, December 28th - Am I the only person who was not too thrill about going back to work after four wonderful days of Christmas? The office was quiet with most of the employees taking off this week and the phone only rang a few times. I was able to work on "I wish I had time" projects, organized the files for next year and even started on publication for the first quarter.
Sunday, December 27th - The snow started last night, continued with strong wind, making the drive to church a bit scary when the truck started to slide when we tried to turn into the parking lot. We were planning to drive to Hermann but decided to stay home which I did not mind at all since there were so many football games I wanted to watch. My husband could not believe that I cheered for the Colts and not the Jets. It may sound crazy but with two more games left, I wanted to the Colts to have a perfect season 16-0 but the Jets rallied to win 29-15. I was happy to see Adam Vinatieri back on the field kicking! Of course, I was very pleased that my Patriots beat Jacksonville 35-7 and Aaron Rodgers & the Packers won 48-10 over the Seahawks but I was sad that my NY Giants loss to Carolinas. Not a happy Sunday in the Manning family!

Saturday, December 26th - We decided to get out of the house and enjoyed a nice breakfast at Sunny Street Cafe. A walk around the mall, without particularly looking for any after Christmas bargains, my husband found a pair of corduroy pants and I decided to treat myself to a nice sweater. Passing by a Hallmark store, we could not resist and joined many others who purchased 50% - 70% off Christmas cards, getting ready for the next mailing!

After lunch, we saw "Sherlock Holmes". It has been almost a year since we last saw a movie (the drive-in movies on Route 66 did not count). It was rather enjoyable, mostly because of the fresh warm buttery popcorn, not so much because of the movie!
Christmas Day, Friday, December 25th - Since we went to bed so late after midnight Mass, we did not get up until almost noon! Actually, at around 7:20 a.m., we got out of bed, went into the kitchen, had coffee and toasted bagels, watched the snow falling and went back to bed after we finished the bagels. The rest of Christmas day was spent on watching our favorite movies, "The Nativity", "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Story". We took naps between meals and I did manage to read all the Route 66 books I have borrowed from the library last weekend.

The Day before Christmas, Thursday, December 24th - My husband got up around 6:30 a.m. to start making the filling for the pierogies. We decided to make three dozens with different filling, traditional sauerkraut with mushroom, mushroom and chopped onion, and ground meat with mushroom. CMP also made an apple pie and a pumpkin pie. After breakfast, I helped with making the pierogies, fold and pinch them close, boiled, placed on cookie sheets, and stored in a container after they cooled. We took a long afternoon nap since we planned to attend midnight Mass after dinner. It was a very productive and fun day working together getting ready for Christmas.

CHRISTMAS ON MAIN STREET IN ST. CHARLES, MISSOURI

Since moving to St. Louis, we make sure not to miss a walk along Main Street in St. Charles during Christmas. We always have a great time enjoying the decorations, drinking hot chocolate and sharing a bag of Grandma's cookies. According to Wikipedia, "One of the nations largest Christmas Festivals takes place on the streets of St. Charles every year starting the day after Thanksgiving and going through until the Saturday after Christmas. Over 30 costumed Legends of Christmas stroll the streets and interact with guests, while Victorian Era Christmas Carolers fill the air with old-fashioned carols."

MOTHER-IN-LAW HOUSE RESTAURANT

Continue with the food theme, this post features Mother In Law House Restaurant in St. Charles, Missouri. We live about 30 minutes driving time from St. Charles and we enjoy walking along the Riverfront Area, visiting the shops and a few restaurants on Historic Main Street. We passed by the Mother In Law House many times and the name sounds interesting but for some reasons we never ate there. Whether because the pricing was way off our limited budget or we were not hungry at that particularly time. Next time I will make sure we plan for a meal there and give a full report so my adoring fans could decide whether to visit Mother In Law House Restaurant on your next trip to St. Charles.
Here is what Wikipedia has on the famous visit to St. Charles by Lewis and Clark "William Clark arrived in St. Charles on May 16, 1804. With him were 40 men and three boats; there they made final preparations, as they waited for Meriwether Lewis to arrive from St. Louis. They attended dances, dinners, and a church service during this time, and the excited town was very hospitable to the explorers. Lewis arrived via St. Charles Rock Road on May 20, and the expedition launched the next day in a keelboat at 3:30 pm. St. Charles was the last established American town they would visit for more than two and a half years."

BENJAMIN IN ST. CHARLES, MISSOURI

We took Benjamin to St. Charles, Missouri for an educational trip about Lewis and Clark Expedition. Below is Benjamin all smiling in front of the momument of William Clark (left) and Meriwether Lewis (right) with their dog Seaman. (I just realized that I have been misspelling Mr. Lewis first name as Merriweather!

Benjamin at Frontier Park by the Missouri River. I was told that during the 1993 flood, the water got up to the sign and beyond but did not reach the Main Street area (photo below). Benjamin was not fond of the cobblestones but he enjoyed looking at items in the souvenirs/gift shops and specialty boutiques along with restaurants and snacks shops.

BENJAMIN LEARNS ABOUT THE BIRDS AND THE BEES

Well, not exactly about "the birds and the bees" or "facts of life" in the traditional sense, just a quick visit to the Busch Wildlife Center - Missouri Conversation Department, off I-40 in St. Charles. We were about to take a self-guided auto tour but with the temperature in the high 90, we thought driving around in the convertible would not be a smart choice. So we took a few photos, walked around the ground, used the restrooms and left - you could tell we were not much outdoor people!

Benjamin could almost blend in among these wild flowers - I should learn what they are instead of just saying "yellow flowers" or "purple flowers". Perhaps a smart reader would be so kind to educate me in this area.

WATCHING THE TRAINS GOING BY

As mentioned in previous posts, one of our summer activities on the weekends is driving to Hermann, a small charming town on Missouri River, about an hour drive from where we live (West St. Louis County). According to the tourism brochure, Hermann was founded in 1836 by the German winegrowers in search of the ideal location for their vineyards. They found a site bounded by hills and bluffs on three sides and the Missouri River on the north which was similar to the Rhine River region in Germany. In addition to the famous family-owned wineries, there are many bed & breakfast inns with the view of the Missouri River, many fine restaurants with authentic local cookings, gift shops and antiques places.
A favorite pastime while we are in Hermann would be watching the trains going by from the bridge at the end of town while enjoying the nice weather and a bag of kettle korn. Life is good when you slow down to be in the moment!

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Kissing Doves at Whitmoor Country Club in St. Charles, Missouri.
Look closely (center of photo) and you will see a statue of Kissing Dutch Boy & Girl. Photos above and below (a pair of beautiful flowers) were taken on May 2, 2009 in Brooklyn, New York.
Bronze statue of Boy & Girl "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" in front of Community Center in West St. Louis County, Missouri.

COUNTRY MOUSE CITY MOUSE

I think of my brother Qaptain Qwerty (VL) whenever I see homes with plenty of space, front yard with roomy driveway, backyard offers lot of playground for his son and of course, the luxury of his own garage! I worry about VL that whenever he is unable to park the old van in front of his house or within his own street and has to walk home, especially in the evening when it is raining or snowing (dark and stormy nights). I wonder if VL would be happy living in these homes or he would prefer a more modern home. Would VL appreciate the front porch where he would relax, reading and enjoying a cold drink on a lazy warm summer day? Most of the small towns have high speed internet services, some even with wireless connections, so VL would not feel disconnected to the world wide web. I took the photo below when I saw the red scooter because I thought of my nephew JL and all his toys, the white picket fence compared to the rusted iron fence at VL's house and the roomy garage instead of the narrow aisle VL had to share with his neighbor. I thought of my visit in July of 2000 when my husband worked to remove the rusts, then painted the fence while my Dad tried to help by handing CP the necessary tools. Dad complimented CP being such a handyman and how much we appreciate his help. It was my last visit seeing Dad walking around before being confined to his bed, unable to even take a few steps without feeling tired since the chemotherapy took tolls and he was given only three months to live.

JL loves train. I would be so happy taking JL on the train rides from Kirkwood to Hermann or just sit on the bench by the river, watch the trains go by as we share a large bag of kettle corn and drink root beer floats. Last Christmas we sent a train set the week before our visit. It was one of my favorite moments watching CP and JL put the train together on the tracks and sharing JL sweet laughters when the train blew its whistle coming out of the tunnel. It is true that having (in my case loving) a child will forever change your life. Whenever I see trains, I automatically think of JL, wishing we did not live so far apart so I could see JL often and all the fun we would have riding the trains, playing in the parks, learning together at the Science Center, taking JL to school, picking him up from different activities and turning JL into a hockey/football fanatic!

I left New York City when I moved to Michigan, but NYC was never taken of my heart. I love NYC with all its city glamours, East Coast conveniences (like direct international flights or cruise ships leaving from Brooklyn), the subway and most of all, being near my family. If I had to, I could adjust to living in NYC again. But I also have gotten used to living in the Midwest and its spacious surrounding. Driving became the only transportation and having more than a few cars ahead of me is considered traffic jams! While QQ decided on another van to replace the old broken van, my husband is comtemplating what features he would add further to his T-bird (photo above). We never had problems with parking our vehicles, the T-bird is always in the garage, my 6-year old Mazda in the driveway and the 10-year Ford truck (CP winter vehicle) has its place on the street in front of the house. The truck still runs pretty good and handy for carry stuff or when CP does not want to get the T-bird dirty.

I guess there is a trade off when comparing living places. City has its own convenience and small town has its charm. Everyone feel comfortable and makes the best of where they live. Whether the person lives in a house with neighbors all around (photo above) or in the middle of nowhere (photo below), the people and the love that filled the house would make it a home. For a city mouse that has turned country mouse, I enjoy my current town with all its pluses and minuses. I only wish NYC was an hour drive from St. Louis!

SUNDAY DRIVING IN THE COUNTRY

My husband and I enjoy visiting Hermann, a charming town on the Missouri River. We love the great view of the river from the bluff at the end of town. From there we could also see downtown dotting with small shops, historic homes, churches, bed and breakfast inns and restaurants that serve down-home cooking. Hermann is part of the River Heritage region and well-known for its many wineries.
I wrote about Hermann and its Wurst Festival (March 26, 2007). The town of Hermann is about an hour from St. Louis. According to the tourism brochure, Hermann was founded in 1836 by the German winegrowers in search of the ideal location for their vineyards. They found a site bounded by hills and bluffs on three sides and the Missouri River on the north which was similar to the Rhine River region in Germany. In addition to the famous family-owned wineries, there are many bed & breakfast inns with the view of the Missouri River, many fine restaurants with authentic local cookings, gift shops and antiques places.

Here are a few photos from our Sunday drive in the country. Perhaps we could all slow down and for just a few minutes appreciate the serenity of an open field, the red barn against the blue sky, the white cloud, the bright red leave or a walk in a freshly planted vineyard.

How about sitting down on the swing in this front porch, pour yourself a glass of home-made lemonade, sit down and relax. Forget about the fast car, the modern lives that full of every possible convenience, time-consuming yet meaningless activities and just for once enjoy the moment of breathing and living.