November Happenings..St Louis

St. Louis Gateway Arch  

I am writing this to you from Guam... but that story is to come on my next post. I need to catch you up on my recent trip to meet Daisy in St. Louis. It was just before before Thanksgiving.  Daisy had a professional educators gathering there.  About 4,000 in attendance and I swear nearly half of them knew her.  This is her extended family. I found out that she was president of this association for a term.

Daisy had a hand in each of their advanced degrees.
They call themselves Daisy's Kids.

It was a little strange being at a gathering in which I was the behind the scenes supporter, the unknown. She was the one in the limelight at the center of attention receiving the love and respect. I now have a greater appreciation for the role of my ex.


I have often flown over the Arch but never been on the ground to visit this architectural attraction called the "Gateway to the West." It is 630 feet tall and 630 feet wide.

one of St Louis's finest....yep, we went waaay up there!

tram entry maybe 4' high 2' wide

8 tramcars. each car hold 3 on one side 2 on other
in each car. One set in each leg.

There is a tramcar that holds 5 moderately built people at a time if you want to go to the top and look out.  We did!  Your first challenge is to get thru the munchkin sized door you see here for the 5 minute ride to the top of the arch.  Reminded me of a space capsule. BTW, if you get stuck at the top there are 1,076 stairs to bottom.

the view from the port

Viewing port

Once there we exited into a curvy bay area (observation deck) that had port holes so you could view out and below! We were there just after the St. Louis Cardinals hosted the World Series and it was a special treat to be able to look into Busch Stadium where history was made just a few days  before.

the all steel balcony

The sun was just right so we had a special view of the shadow of the arch from 630 feet up! The ride down was less stressy.

top of the arch and its shadow

twilight near the water port

some sleezy brewpub

We were staying near the waterfront in the downtown area and spent several evening pub crawling and partaking of the nightlife and special culinary treats along the old town cobbled streets.



From the top of the arch we saw the old courthouse and took the opportunity to visit it.  It plays a significant role in American history for it was in this courthouse in 1847, the ground work was laid for the infamous Dred Scott Decision.

In March of 1857, Scott lost the decision as seven out of nine Justices on the Supreme Court declared no slave or descendant of a slave could be a U.S. citizen, or ever had been a U.S. citizen. As a non-citizen, the court stated, Scott had no rights and could not sue in a Federal Court and must remain a slave. This decision had the effect of widening the political and social gap between North and South and took the nation closer to the brink of Civil War.

View from the Arch
Original courthouse is now a federal historical site and museum.

I had studied this decision in elementary school but to have the opportunity to learn more about the entire Scott family, who were from Virginia and whose original slave owners played a key role in getting their final release, was enlightening.
I had a great time getting to meet others in Ms. Daisy's professional life. But I was now ready to head south to Texas for the winter. I will be there all winter except for a little journey to the Western Pacific....

October VTCC and Family Reunions

I thought that I would start this blog off with a tasty fall meal that I prepared while in Va.  Recipe is at the end of the blog.

It is Fall and that means football and family get-togethers before the snow flies. However, I have one more major project to do on the house before I leave for the winter months.  That is to expand the size of my air-conditioned storage room in the basement. I have two skilled golfing buddies who will tackle the task with me and we scheduled a block of time when there are no renters in the house on Table Rock Drive.  I then had down time to go to Virginia and spend time with Daisy and siblings before doing that remodeling and heading south to Texas.

We had great weather and success at the first ball game, but the second game was cold and we lost...bummer!

The road trip back to Blacksburg, Virginia was uneventful ( if you do not consider an Interstate 64 Bridge that closed the day before I got on the road- caused an 1-1/2 hr detour) with dry pavement all the way. I had prearranged to take in two football games, a VTCC (VA. Tech Corps of Cadets) ‘D’ Squadron reunion, and a College of Natural Resources Reunion. While in Blacksburg Daisy and I would also attend an NAACP Fall Banquet. 

My brother Mark (who does not smile for my pics) and niece Allison joined us at the banquet.

To this we add dinners with new people who wanted to check me out, a play,  reconnections with classmates and Tom, the lead guitar player of a band (the "Cheshire Cats") that I sung with in college and my brother Mark also lives there. We were busy. 

Dr Hosner and Dr Smith  from my time

Department of Forestry it was called

Two college reunions occurred while I was in Blacksburg.  The College of Natural Resources and Environment and Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets held activities that we attended.

In the late 60s I was part of the 'Skipper' Gun Crew.  These new members liked talking to this old gun crew member.

Above and below are images of D squadron members from years past

John, Dave, Cary and me. I cropped the pic above our Buddha bellies!

The VTCC alumni gathered and marched onto the field with 66,000 people in attendance.  I was on the 30 yard line. As the colors were presented and the national anthem played, we rendered a salute and a USAF C-17 cargo aircraft buzzed the stadium. It was an emotional moment for me and the other veterans in formation on the field.

I had not been on the field since I was commissioned in 1970. The noise level is something to behold.

We stopped in Petersburg so I could introduce Daisy to Mom and Dad

The next day, Daisy and I managed to take a brief trip to Fayetteville, NC and drop in on Sisters Pam and Debbie.  Sister Kaye (who also does not like to smile for my pictures) met us there. We only spent an overnight and the next day journeyed to Winchester, Va. to see Brother Bruce and Sister Angel. Daisy has not retired yet.  We are looking forward to being able to spend longer times with family and friends as we travel across the nation in the near future.

I got the girls to smile by telling them to imagine me naked.

The Flemings had no trouble grinning.



My Nephew DeJaun and family came to see us.

Sister Kaye and Gary came down from Petersburg.

In Winchester we connected with Brother Bruce's Family.

My sister Angel, brother-in-law Donny and their crazy kids made this trip as memorable as ever! I love them all.

One surprise I had was a quick visit from my first "wife"!  Willa Maye and I were in a marriage pageant when we were 5 years old. I was the groom and she the bride. The wedding party had over 20 groomsmen and bridemaids! Sorry about that lapse in marriage memory Daisy!

Patty and Sharon and their husbands. The ladies were her former students.

Back in Blacksburg I met more of Daisy's friends and relatives.

Cousin Jean joined us for a play and dinner

Of course we found a winery with several varieties to taste!

As promised.....

Chip's  Seafood Chowder

1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 medium bulb fennel (anise) thinly sliced (2 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
5 cups water
2 cups vegetable broth  
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 package (about 10 ounces) or can of  whole baby carrots, thawed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 pounds fresh or thawed frozen firm white fish fillets  cut into 2-inch pieces (cod is good)
1/2 pound fresh large shrimp, shelled and deveined
3/4 pounds mussels (about 12), well scrubbed and beards removed
Pinch of course ground black pepper
Pinch of Sea Salt

Directions:

Heat the oil in a 6-quart sauce pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion and Italian seasonings and cook until they're tender. Stir the water, broth, soup and carrots in the sauce pot and heat to a boil.
Add the fish. Discard any open or cracked mussels. (when you tap on open mussels and they do not close, toss them). Add the shrimp and mussels. Cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork, the shrimp are pink and the mussels open. Discard any mussels that do not open. Sprinkle with black pepper, salt and green fennel tops.  Yummy!

Back to Arkansas...

Nearly three weeks later, the trip back to Eureka Springs was on I-40 to avoid the still closed I-64 bridge. I encountered a light rain and snow flurries in Western VA. and a Memphis TN. highway patrol cop that delayed my forward progress. No, I was not speeding. He pulled me over and stated that he thought I might be driving under the influence of something since my wide-assed one ton truck was tracking too perfectly to the solid white shoulder lane line. Go figure. (I think he was looking for someone and I had the big white dually and right complexion. Both he and his partner had their hands on their guns). There was an abundance of patrol cars with two officers in each as I made my way around the city. I always got a second look when I past them by. I decided to stop for the night after I crossed over into Arkansas.

In the beginning there was a big  hole

then there were studs on a floor...

Well, I am back at the house and the remodeling addition is well underway which will keep me out of harm’s way for a few weeks. I still have a few renters to work around. The electrician and the ducting folks have done their thing. I hope to have the sheetrock mudded, taped and sanded before I depart mid November for San Antonio, Tx.

half filled walls...

now they are insulated and covered walls

(click on the pic to enlarge this)

When I got back to Holiday Island, my long time buddy Carol informed me that the quilt she had been lovingly making was done and to come get it! She informed me that it has taken her 5 years to finally get it finished.  It is just gorgeous. Now I have to figure out a way to display her great work and I will.

Time to end this entry...

The nights are getting chillier here in NW Arkansas.  Time to make plans for the journey south. But there is more to come here. 

"SEE YA" 

You are welcomed to come take the empty chair...

Heat, Docks, Stuffed Toys and Clutches

Yes, it says 108 degrees in the shade!

This has been a hot month for sure. We have had consecutive weeks of 100* plus and humidity for dessert. I always wondered what it would be like to summer again in the South and now I remember what it was like growing up in Virginia. My past 6 summers I got a little spoiled in North Dakota.  The summer days there may have been warm and with low humidity but had cool breezy nights for better sleeping. I am already thinking about taking short trips to cooler climes when appropriate. 

My wish list.....

So here in NW Arkansas lake country you go to dock and pool parties to deal with the heat. I am making the best of it…believe me.

Jerry and Tom are neighbors, golfers and church goers

And I am also quilting, so to speak.  My friend Carol here at Holiday Island is finishing up a quilt that she is making for me.  

It is just gorgeous

Picture of me!

I helped her with minor stages of it so she is personalizing it with a panel image of me.  I am blessed and honored to have such a great friend. I am not supposed to tell you this, but she has been working on this for a loonnng tiiimme.

I help[ed with pinning here

Wait till you see the final results! There are stories that go with each panel of the quilt, and the theme relates to Lewis and Clark. I need to figure out a good way to tell these tales while displaying her fantastic artwork and crafts(wo)manship.

My longtime sweetheart of my life left me afoot the other day. But not without some warning. My one ton F-350 dually broke down the day after I had returned my son Michael to the airport for a return journey to LA.

Michael would spend hours with his hockey stick

Reunited with Friends...

Michael had been here for 5 days and we had a glorious time. We dug out the storage boxes of youthful mementos that I had been keeping for him and took numerous journeys down memory lane. From game boys, r/c and pine wood derby cars, recorders, BB gun, stuffed toys and yearbooks, we spent the day recounting tales of days gone by.

 

Shooting range challenge...Son vs Dad

You must remember that Mike is now 30 years of age. Much of this stuff he has not seen since he was a cub scout. He even set up a pellet gun range in the garage to test the old man’s skill.  I still got it!

Capt Lyle and 1st mate Rick..My good Buddies

Its been a long time coming for this...

We went fishing and of course he caught the biggest one, a white bass.  I hooked a smallmouth bass but my guide friends Rick and Lyle said it did not count because I did not get it into the boat! 

Nice Day on the water

Mine is still in the Lake...

Of course we picked one of the most humid days to play golf, just the two of us.  We played best ball, which made up for our errant shots in the woods. 

A proud Father can still play with his 'boy'.

For my birthday, Michael had a professional photographer come out to the house and shoot pictures of us. I can’t wait to see them.

He had an evening departure on his last day so what do a father and son do for fun in the afternoon? Nope, we did not go to a bar, but to the movies! We saw Cowboys and Aliens. I cannot even remember when it was last that he and I did that! We both enjoyed it.

Oh, about the truck breakdown….

The Friday night of his departure, I had difficulty getting the truck into gear for the 50 mile drive home.    On Saturday it would not go into gear at all, so I had it towed.   I have been truck-less and stuck at the campground for 6 days. Lucky for me, the RV is stocked with food, beer, and my Kindle. I am caulking and repairing minor “when-you-get-around-to-it” items on my 10 yr old house on wheels.

However, I am not completely without wheels.  I do have a bicycle but there is too little flat ground for this fat boy.

Boy, am I out of shape… sore and, it’s all uphill 2 miles to the hot tub.

Pray for me..