renovated guest bath

this is the mess I made of the floor in the guest bathroom this is what the floor looks like now. My son has been helping me get some of my reno work done. The floor looks great, good work, D

basketball and the park

that darn ball is hard to hold on to at the park with grandma instead of at basketball practice

first book club meeting

Went to my first book club meeting this week. The group consist of 8 women who meet in each others homes once a month to discuss the book read the previous month. October selection was "Cutting for Stone". This novel was not one I would have read on my own, but truly enjoyed it.

Plus my mind enjoyed the exercise of discussing the story and hearing others points of view. I rarely get caught up in a novel that I care so much about the characters and have a reaction at the end of the story. I would recommend this novel. I read in on my Nook and I believe that it is 600 pages long

M was the perfect hostess setting out a wonderful spread of food and drink.

kickball

son in law B plays outfield daughter B is the pitcher. They play on a kickball league on Sundays. For those who don't know, kickball is a school yard game based on baseball. Their team is called "Still Kickin" because most of the players are in their late 30's, early 40's and they play against some teams that are in their 20's. Last week daughter ended up in the urgent care center because she did something to her foot and was in alot of pain. Nothing broken, she just had to stay off of it for a day or so and take steroids for the inflammation.

Mastodon State Park

Mastodon State Park is the site where the Mastodon above was found in the Kimmswick bone bed; the first evidence that humans and the American Mastodon co existed. The theory is that the area was swampy and the mastodons as well as the giant ground sloth might have gotten stuck in the mud and died.The early American Indians arrive in Missouri about the same time. Early Indians in the background The Clovis culture is document as the earliest Native American Indian that occupied North America and may have contributed to the extinction of many of the Pleistocene animalsGiant ground sloth. Think how this baby would have fed a family for a long time! The museum also has several hiking trails, but the bone beds are no longer active.

Road Trip to Kimmswick

Kimmswick is a old river town founded in 1859 by Theodore Kimm; but the history of the town goes back to the late 1700's. Ths Spanish used the Mississippi and the Indian trails up river from New Madrid and Ste. Genevieve to St. Louis. They called the route El Camino Real. It is the oldest road in Missouri and passed by what is now Kimmswick. Today's Kimmswick is a small town loaded with quaint shops and eateries.

One of the best places for lunch is the Blue Owl restaurant and bakery. The is always a line to get in. B and I arrived before it open so we didn't have to wait long

interior of the Blue Owl

The biggest festival in Kimmswick is the Apple Butter Festival. The air is filled with the aroma of apples cooking. There is nothing better than apple butter right out of the copper pot. This little town entertains 100,000 in 2 days, purchasing apple butter and visiting all the shops and the 100's of vendors. The crowd has to be bussed in from a nearby school because the town is only around 7 blocks big. B and I had a great mother-daughter day!

Octoberfest on the riverfront

painting pumpkins photo fun waiting for candy at the parade

homecoming 2011

2011 bren soccer

my grandson is a senior this year, (he is number 4) plays soccer. It was 103 degrees when these kids play this game, I sat out for 2 hours in the sun on aluminum bleachers before I had to give up. Unfortunately they didn't win this game, they played until 7:30, with overtime and a penalty kick