Christmas 2008 in Dexter, MO

So my brother Stan and his family hosted Christmas again this year. I love going to Dexter and just hanging out in their home. They always make me feel so welcome, and since I'm not at my own home, I get a chance to really relax if I am able to stay a few extra days. This year, I stayed from Christmas Eve on Wed. until Sat., Dec. 27. It was nice! We shared a big dinner as a family on Christmas Eve, and for the first time in a while, all seven of my neices and nephews were there, so we took lots of pictures.

This was also the first time since Sarah got engaged that I saw my neice's fiance, Willie. We took a funny shot of them in the kitchen with Sarah hamming it up like she was cooking up a storm and miserable.

The next day, the rest of the family headed home while I joined Stan, Tracy, Sarah and Anthony for Christmas dinner with Sarah's future in-laws in Advance, MO. Our timing was good and we were seated with full plates of food in front of us within 5 minutes. Everything was delicious! (Someone really knows how to make good chicken & dumplins!!!) After eating, we all (Yep, they even had a gift for me! Thanks G-G.) opened gifts. The future in-laws were very generous, and I felt like I as at a bridal shower: Sarah got lots of nice stuff! The funniest part was that in addition to other gifts, several of Willie's aunts also gave Sarah cookbooks. I guess her cooking skills are famous. Ha! Actually, Tracy said that Sarah helped prepare a lot of the food for our dinner Christmas Eve, and that meal was very good.

I also need to include this shot of Joan & Jim's kids. Aren't they sweet?!?! It's a shame no one's willing to adopt them. (jk)

And here's a picture of Becky and her boys. This was the first time I got to see both of them at the same time in a while. Matt's home from the Middle East and Eddie's about to ship off again. Who knows when we'll all get to share some time together again?

South Dakota Trip: Another Friday in SD

The second Friday of our vacation found us in Spearfish, SD, home of Black Hills State University Yellowjackets. I had hoped to find a small town and a quiet place to relax. After all, it was going to be the first hotel we planned to spend more than one night in. I was excited to be able to leave my stuff sitting around the room when we went out for the day! (Sometimes it's the small things in life that make all the difference in the world.) Anyway, when we pulled into town Thursday afternoon, we found out that Spearfish was preparing for a Corvette Rally downtown and an Art Fair in the park. Oh well, so much for a bit of regular small town life. We made the best of it anyway. Dinner at Roma's was delicious!

The Corvette rally was interesting...for about 2 minutes. Fortunately, there was a great tribute band...

...and an Oxygen Bar where Ann & I got a little crazy.

Mt. Rushmore & Crazy Horse

OK. So we spent about half a day at Mt. Rushmore and I guess I was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong. It was pretty cool! The idea of making a sculpture that large and in the middle of nowhere is amazing. I guess I just had my expectations set very high. The crazy thing is that what sticks out in my mind is the guy playing guitar inside the monument grounds. He was good, but it just seemed like I was at a coffee house or something and not at a national monument. You can hear him in the video:

This was Ann's third visit to Crazy Horse, so it was interesting to see the changes since her last time there. The most recent accomplishment is that they finished his face.

South Dakota Trip: Badlands

While in the Badlands National Park, we hiked several trails. On the Castle Trail, we saw some interesting land formations (tables? buttes?)

Ann wanted to climb on top of one of these interesting formations, and we eventually found a couple that were relatively close to the trail and not too tall so we decided to chem 'em out.

Ann was ahead of me and when she got close, she saw that the first one was surrounded by cacti all along the upper ledge, so she decided to try the second one instead. We soon found out that she had made a very wise choice.

After staying back to take some shots of Ann on the second formation, I walked closer to check them out myself and found something shocking. There was a rattlesnake climbing up the side of the first formation!!! (The one that had all the cacti around it.)

Fortunately, the snake was in a vulnerable position on the side of the formation, which made it easy to observe and film. I don't like snakes. Even garden snakes make me nervous. So when I saw this one and heard it rattle, I was a little scared. But, not to scared to get close enough to record on my camera.

After leaving this spot, we kept our eyes peeled and stomped our feet as we walked along he trail to scare away any more slithering friends. Regardless, the park was beautiful, as you can see in the "Badlands, SD" slideshow in the column on the left.

South Dakota Trip: Pierre

Apparently, not many tourists go to Pierre. First, most of us don't know how to pronounce the name of SD's state capital. (It's pronounced PEER by the way.) Second, most anyone we met while we were in Pierre asked us, "Are you here to visit family?" or "What brings you to town?" with a sound of wonder and bemusement in their voice. But, I found Pierre to be interesting, scenic and filled with friendly people.

Like Jefferson City, MO, SD's capital is also along the Missouri River. The shot below is kinda cheesy but shows a nice view from the backside of the capitol. Even though the land is very hilly around Pierre, they still dedicated a large part of good, flat ground to this garden/arboretum with sweeping views of the capitol. It was a great place for my morning run!

Our reason for driving up to Pierre was to kayak the Missouri River. We used Steamboat's Inc. They are very laid back. Their store is just a block off the river, and two blocks off the main drag through Pierre, so they're also very convenient! The trip began at Oahe Dam and ended at the riverfront park in Pierre. The river moves pretty slow through there, so it was a very relaxing trip that we enjoyed for 4+ hours. My favorite part was in the middle, once we left the dam recreation area and before we got back to town and the homes along the river. That part of the river was very quiet and very relaxing. Along that stretch of river, we passed a heard of cattle that was about as interested in us as we were in them. They would stop and watch us and we would paddle up as close as we dared (there was no fence separating us and about 20-30 heads of Black Angus). Ann & I both loved hearing them just splash through the water along the banks, so we stopped for our picnic lunch near were the cattle were standing. Consequently, they also stopped their walk along the river and nervously watched us the entire time. Very amusing!

South Dakota Trip: Mitchell, Home of the CORN PALACE!!!

If you've ever gotten some "kicks on Route 66", you've probably seen a little bit of Americana and lots of tacky, tourist kitsch. Well, South Dakota doesn't have Route 66, but it does have plenty of tacky, tourist kitsch, and I love it! For example, there's the giant buffallo outside Al's Oasis:
But my favorite so far has been the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. It originated in 1892 as a way to boast about the bounty of the local harvest. Today, the inside of the building is used as a souvenir shop in the summer and a gymnasium/theater in the winter. However, the main attraction for me and the original purpose of the building is there year round: the corn mural. The outside of the building is decorated with a mural made of grasses, seeds and most importantly CORN! Being an Illinois boy, I appreciate watching the annual cycle of corn fields: from rows of small seedlings in the spring, to mature stalks with their wonderfully heady sweet smell in the warm summer air, followed by the dry, brown stalks that decorate the autumn landscape and finally the lonely fields of winter with bits of stalks and husks left by the combines to brave the bitter cold and wait for next year's planting. Of course, I also have a special place in my heart for fresh corn-on-the-cob and corn-fed-beef!

Anyway, Ann & I rolled into Mitchell around 6 p.m., just enough time to go inside the Corn Palace and see all the murals (there are some inside too!) and buy a souvenir or two. We also took a self portrait:

Each year, the Corn Palace has a theme for the year. The theme for 2008 was "Everyday Heroes". The theme for 2009 is "America's Destinations". We happened to be there while they were in the process of removing 2008's designs and replacing it with 2009's. It was interesting to see. Before attaching the ears of corn to the palace, each one is cut in half, making it easier to staple to the building and to make the harvest go twice as far. The other bonus of being there between themes is that we got to see a little bit of both. My favorite panel from the "Everyday Heroes" theme was a panel honoring teachers:

"America's Destinations" will feature the Gateway Arch in St. Louis in one of the panels. If anyone gets the chance to see that, please send me a picture. Thanks!

MITCHELL, SD: bonus tracks . . .
The Corn Palace was more than enough to make my day. Little did I know that Ann & I were in for quite an adventure before this magical day was over and before departing that special town of Mitchell!!!

Leaving the Corn Palace, Ann & I walked across the street and talked to a very helpful, sweet, retired teacher at a souvenir/tourist information shop. We told her we wanted to find a quiet, local place for a quick drink before heading out to find a hotel for the night. She suggested that we stop at the Jackpot, a little place down the street, before heading out of town. She recommended the jackpot because it features sawdust on the floor and "Dances with Wolves" souvenirs on the walls. We've never been in a drinkin' hole with sawdust on the floor, and we both liked the movie "Dances with Wolves", so we followed her advice.

Just walking down the street was an experience. Mitchell's lamp posts feature ears of corn at the base. Kitchy cool! And the street we were strolling on was the main drag through old downtown Mitchell where teens were crusin' and making sure they were noticed. (I had to edit the video to make it G-rated.)










Eventually, we made it to the Jackpot where the craziness began. First, we sat at the bar, hoping to strike up a conversation with some locals. Eventually, we started talking with three Native Americans who grew up on reservations here in South Dakota. As far as I know, it was the first time I ever talked with someone from a reservation. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but they didn't fit what was in my mind.

Anyway, Ann & I decided to stay at the Jackpot for more than just one drink like we were planning, and I guess that's how we "hit the jackpot" of vacation adventure. As the night wore on, we saw some crazy stuff!!! First, one of the people at the bar was celebrating his birthday, so they took turns giving him a birthday spanking. I thought it was more like a whipping since they used a belt!!!

Can you believe it?!?!

Well, Ann & I decided to stay and have a second drink, mostly 'cause we didn't want to miss anything in this bizarre place. Little did we know that we were about to witness even more craziness in Mitchell. Next, they had leftover bottle rockets from the 4th of July that they began using for what the DJ called "Rocket's Red Glare". (Apparently, it's a stunt from a show on MTV.) The DJ got volunteers from the crowd to come up on stage, had them pull out the back waist band of their pants just enough to slip a bottle rocket between their pants and shirt and had the volunteers squeeze their cheeks as the DJ lit the bottle rocket. (Remember, we're inside a building with a wooden floor!!!) If the volunteer failed to squeeze their cheeks sufficiently, the bottle rocket flew out from between their shirt and pants and into the bar:

But if they were successful, the rocket exploded right there on their back!!!

Another unbelievable moment in Mitchell!!!
Don't worry mom, they were fully clothed the entire time.
Dangerous? Yes. Naked? No. Insane? Definitely!!!

Well, the bar finally closed at 2 a.m. I think the unbelievalbe activity continued, but we left to look for a place to stay. Luckily, the second hotel we tried had a vacancy.
I guess you can say we put in a good 8-hour shift in Mitchell. All thanks to the Corn Palace and a nice little retired teacher lady's recommendation.

South Dakota: Sioux Falls

Did you know that there are water falls in Sioux Falls, SD?!?! I guess it should have been obvious, but it wasn't to me. The falls are in the middle of the city and are part of an urban park that includes a long bike path along the Sioux River.

While we were there, an air force jet flew over. I was pretty happy about not only captruing that with my low budget camera, but tying it in to the falls in one shot.






While we were enjoying the park, about half a dozen jets flew overhead. They're just amazing to watch. They fly so fast! As they kept coming by and interrupting the serenity of the falls, I was a little annoyed that they were interferring with my vacation. Then I started feeling a little guilty. In some countries, people don't have the security of knowing that the planes are just on practice runs or putting on an air show. I wonder how that must feel? Is it terrifying? Is it comforting? Is it too much to think about so they don't even notice and push it into the background like so many other distractions and noise that we encounter every day? I'm glad I don't really know. I'm so lucky.



After leaving the falls, we stopped at Mama Lada's Enchaladas. This restaurant serves only enchiladas for the main course. Of course they were yummy! We also go chips and salsa which was very interesting. Their salsa didn't use fresh tomatoes but tomato sauce or katsup? It also had large pieces of mushroom and olive slices giving it ia unique taste.



I liked the guacamole better.

South Dakota Trip: "New Wheels at Last!"

I was a very helpful shopping assistant for Ann, and even modeled a stylish vacation car, but no luck. She decided to stick with her CR-V and they finally had it ready for us Saturday morning, so we were outta there! Before we left, though, I had to update my dry erase sign from "Mt. Rushmore or Bust!" to "Mt. Rushmore or Bust! (again)" The guys at the dealer though I was crazy and that the first sign jinxed the old CR-V. They couldn't believe we kept the sign, much less updated it. We'll see. I think it's bringing us luck! We could have gotten stuck in the middle of South Dakota, miles from any city. I think we got lucky!

South Dakota Trip: Day 2

Ok. I was holding back information in last night's post. The reason we spent the night in Omaha is because of car troubles. I didn't want to say anything on yesterday's blog because we both didn't want our parents to worry. (Yep, we're both adults, but we still let mom & dad control our actions, even when we're hundreds of miles from home! Crazy.)
Anyway, yesterday, we noticed that the automatic transmition felt strange as we drove the rolling hills in eastern Missouri. First, we thought it might be the extra weight from all that pizza we ate at Shakeapeare's. Ha! Then, somewhere a little north of Kansas City, an indicator light came on and we feared it was getting worse. Nevertheless, we drove the rest of the afternoon thinking positive thoughts while keeping our fingers crossed. Eventually, the positive thoughts faded and our finger got tired. So, as we arrived in Council Bluffs, Iowa, we gave in to the warning signs and pulled off the interstate in search of help. Fortunately, someone was looking out for us (Thanks for all the extra prayers, Mom!) because the place we stopped was a God-send. That's why I've gotta say: the next time anyone's looking for a car near Council Bluffs, Iowa, be sure to check out McMullen Ford. We arrived there at 5:53 p.m. They close at 6 p.m. Anyway, their guy at the front desk, Glenn Smith, helped us find a Honda dealer (We're driving Ann's Honda CR-V.) and a hotel near that dealer so we could get to the dealer bright & early in the morning. As a matter of fact, the Ford guy called the Honda dealer and talked to some people that he knows to try to pull some strings to get us in as early as possible. Wasn't that nice?!?! He even downloaded and printed out a map for us to find the Honda dealer and hotel. Can you believe it?!?! I've never bought a Ford before, but I tell you what, Glenn Smith (the Service Advisor at McMullen Ford) is making me think twice. I just might have to check out a Ford the next time I'm in the market for a car. Glenn was real patient and helpful, and offered us assistance well past the 6 p.m. closing time.

Anyway, this morning, we got to the Honda dealer as they were opening at 7:30. (I was impressed that Ann was coherent. I'm the morning person, not her. So, I was the one jabbering for the first few minutes of the day.) In the photo, you can see Ann checking in her CR-V at the dealer. Little did we know that it was soon to be her car's final resting place.

Found out the car needed a new transmission, which would cost way too much!!! So, we've spent an interesting day at the two Honda dealers in town shopping for a car. We also talked to the car rental people as we considered all our options. It's been crazy! After weighing the pros and cons, Ann decided to buy a used CR-V, which will be ready tomorrow. It's red (Ann's family's favorite car color!), has a sun roof (thought you'd be impressed Betty) and is roomier than the old one. On one hand, we'll be more comfortable. On the other hand, we probably aren't going to Brookings or the Race for Beef & Eggs Saturday morning. Oh well, things could be worse.

Another bright point (Or should I say bright points?) is that I got to return to Chalco Hills Recreation Area and get in a 7-mile run around Wehrspahn Lake. I went for a run there last night (not the entire 7-mile loop) and had to stop in my tracks to take in its stunning beauty. As I ran, I saw lots of lightning bugs along the path around the lake. But one area, about the size of a volleyball court, was simply amazing. It had grass about a foot tall and was just swarming with lightning bugs. Instead of a few random blinking specks, like in my back yard, this area was sparkling because there were so many lightening bugs and they were all going crazy! When I went back this afternoon, I brought my camera. The first picture is a view of the lake's concrete running path, wildflowers and the lake. The second one shows a grassy field that "sparkled" at night because of the massive number of lightning bugs.

South Dakota Trip: Day 1

Made it all the way to Omaha, but now my rear end is sore from sitting all day and that's leading to a weird pain in my left leg. I hope that doesn't affect my running on Saturday.
Omaha is way better than I remember! (I made a college visit to Creighton with some classmates from St. Henry's Prep Seminary during our senior year of high school back in 1984 or 1985. Do you remember that guys?) Omaha's developed their riverfront with walking paths, fountains and places to eat and have a drink. to Lots of beautiful, new construction downtown: 40-story office building (BIG for Omaha), a hip rehabbed area called Old Market District, of warehouses that are now lofts, bars, shops and restaurants, including one offering Persian food! Reminded me of Laclede's Landing in St. Louis, but only better. People actualy live in the Old Market District. Laclede's Landing's curse is that it is disconnected from living spaces and relies heavily on tourist traffic to stay afloat.
However, my favorite meal of the day was in Columbia, MO when we stopped at Shakespeare's Pizza. Ann made the amazing discovery of pizza-by-the-slice which saved us 45 minutes of wait time. We both tried the canadian bacon with pineapple. DELICIOUS!!!

South Dakota Trip: Day 0

Well, it's the night before I leave of South Dakota and I'm prety excited! I'll be traveling with my buddy Ann for the first time. We've each done some traveling on our own, but this is the first overnight together. I hope we're ready for this!
Earlier, I stopped by Oregon Trail Roasting, a new coffee shop in town, and enjoyed a Cafe Latte while reading the Belleville News-Democrat. I was trying to savor the joys of home one last time before hitting the trail myself. The latte was great by the way! Afterwards, I talked with one of the owners/managers (?) named Andrea. She said that they bought the building 9 months ago and just opened on Monday. Since I've been in town (about 10 years) the building has been a photography studio, an antique shop, a gift shop, and mostly just empty. I hope they have better luck. My first impression is very positive. They totally redid the place top to bottom. (Literally! They refinished the hardwood floors under foot and uncovered a fabulous tin roof over head.) She said the nine months of labor was "like a pregnancy", and what a beautiful baby they now have! They make everything from scratch: roast their own coffee beans, bake their own breads, prepare their own sandwiches and cook their own soup. As a matter of fact, I tried the Butternut Squash Soup (Andrea made it herself!) and loved it. It comes with whipped cream on top and a sprinkle of cilantro. It was good, but next time I'm going to try it without the cream so I can savor the cilantro even more.
Anyway, now I'm not onlyhyper because I'm excited about the trip but also because I'm wired from the latte. Oh well, I guess that's OK since I haven't even started packing!
I will post updates when I can. So, if you would like to know where Ann & I are or see pictures of what we've seen, check back here.
Al

Biking the flooded Mississippi Riverfront Trail with Larry

I met Larry at 9:30 this morning at the Riverfront MetroLink station to bike the Riverfront Trail. OK, so at least I was there at 9:30 a.m. (Larry's on "retired time", but that's OK, I'll get there some day, I hope.)
First, we checked out the flooding around the Arch and Landing: not quite as bad as '93, but enough water to close the flood gates and reach about the middle of the first flight of steps in front of the Arch.
Next, we started up the trail, only to be stopped about 100 meters into the ride due to water over the trail. After a little detour, we were back on the trail and headed north to the McKinley Bridge, which just reopened to vehicle and pedestrian/bike traffic. It was exciting to cross and get a new perspective of the downtown St. Louis as well as the flooding. Next, we followed Rt. 3 north (again, due to flooding, the trail was closed on the Illinois side as well) to the Chain of Rocks Bridge, which I crossed for the first time in my life. I'd seen it many times in pictures and from the I-270 bridge, and I knew that it had a bend in it. However, while crossing it, I was still shocked at how sharp the turn actually was. I'm not sure what the speed limit was on the bridge when it was open to cars, but it couldn't have been too high or cars would have flung themselves off the side of the bridge!!!
Back in Missouri, we headed south to downtown, stopping first in the near north side to eat lunch at Crown Candy Kitchen. We ran into Coach Anderson (formerly of St. Henry's Prep Seminary/now at immaculate Conception in Columbia, IL) and his wife.
Finally got home after 3 p.m. Tired from the ride, but satisfied from the adventure!