Halloween 1980's

Our family has had a long tradition of celebrating Halloween---even my parents Louise (above) and LeRoy (below) Long enjoyed the tradition.

We never bought costumes, but usually made them or put them together from what we had.

Leah and her friend Katie as dalmatians.
Princess Rachel and Daddy (the Bum)
Above---Princess Leah, Clown Rachel and Scarecrow Rebecca.

Occasionally, we'd buy a few accesories like a hat, wings or masks.

Gypsy Rebecca, Clown Leah and Witch Rachel (above). Below fairy Leah and cat Rachel.


We are very fortunate in St. Louis to have warm enough weather at Halloween, to even wear dancing costumes.
(Pictured above: J.J. Hoelscher, Robbie Ericson, Patrick Noonan, Leah Morgan, Kelly Noonan)

Halloween isn't really my favorite holiday---too many years teaching middle school, I think. I can hardly believe I agreed to substitute three times this week! The Halloween gene must have skipped me! Bah! Humbug!

Mizzou Homecoming

Mizzou is recognized by many as beginning the Homecoming tradition which is celebrated by colleges, universities and high schools around the country. Click here for a discussion of the history of Homecoming. They also claim the first bowl game with University of Texas (see above photo)in Mexico City.

After the Tailgate Party, we were ready for some football, but first we watched the team enter the field, followed by Truman the Tiger (the mascot)---the fire engine sprayed water on the fans in the cheap seats!
The game began and we quickly took the lead.



The half-time show had the real Marching Mizzou band spelling out M-I-Z-Z-O-U.

The chocolate cupcakes Roman had at the Tailgate Party, weren't quite enough for a growing boy.
Every time there was a touch-down, Truman had to do push-ups---he must have been exhausted at the end of the game with 58 push-ups.
We decided to leave during the 4th Quarter with Roman. We took him back to the hotel with us where we all crashed at 9:30 PM.
The next morning, we went to Boone's Tavern for brunch with the Lewises and the Yateses.

Roman and Nana (Marilyn Lewis) entertained us. After brunch, the Lewises and Yateses celebrated Zachary and Megan's birthdays while we headed back to St. Louis.

Going to Mizzou!

Last weekend, Dave and I drove to Columbia to meet the Lewises for a Mizzou football game. I love looking at all of the Tiger fans driving to Mizzou. I remember my dad showing his Tiger pride with a tail hanging out the car.


I love parts of the drive with the beautiful scenery and autumn leaves.

But, I HATE the Billboards.

I HATE the big trucks,

And, I hate the people who ride each other's bumpers. We didn't have as much traffic as the Lewises, people just insisted on following closely going 70-80 MPH.

After meeting the Lewises at the hotel, we piled in the van and drove to the game. We were surprised that people parked as much as 2 miles away from the stadium.

People would "Tail-gate" by the side of the road or outside the parking garage. You don't need a tail-gate---a few lawn chairs, a cooler with beverages and a couple of bowl of chips---instant party.

Some of the Tailgaters were quite creative---note Tiger Country on the left and the scaffolding for a party in the distance.

Here is Rebecca with her father-in-law Larry at our "Tailgate" Party.

We were in this section, but couldn't decide if it should be called "dubya, dubya, dubya" or "3 Double-u" or "Tri-dubya". We each had our personal favorites. No one liked my "Tri-double upside down Deltas" though.

Rebecca made a very attractive bean dip for us to eat at the tailgate party.
Someone even gave Roman a Tiger tail which his daddy put through his belt loop.
Dave and I took our seats early and were a little shocked at the Marching Band uniforms until we found out this was the "alumnae band" entertaining us before the big game!

Happy Birthday, Sis!

Happy Birthday, Jane! I remember your birth in 1948 like it was yesterday. Well, maybe it was a week later. . .I remember hearing everyone say how much you looked like Grandma Wicker. . . and my first peak in the bassinette was in disbelief---how could anyone think this baby looked like Grandma Wicker? OK, now you look like a 52 year-old woman and although you still don't look like Vennie, you do have her ways! (This is my favorite photo of you. . . I know it wasn't taken last week, but. . .) Hope you have a great birthday and hope you do something very Vennie-like---have a cup of tea, work on a craft project, or be adored by your husband! You deserve it all! We love you!

St. Louis World's Fair

On Wednesday, Dave and I attended our first one-day, local Elderhostel--St. Louis World's Fair---held at the Jefferson Memorial History Museum. The curator of the museum gave us a lecture on the St. Louis World's Fair with photos. Then, we went upstairs to the exhibit for a docent to show us the items.

Nauvoo, Illinois

Our school district has wonderful day-trips led by Linda Koenig around the bi-state area. Tuesday, we went to Nauvoo, Illinois, a restored historical Church of Latter Day Saints town. We met at 6:30AM, boarded the bus at 7:00 AM. After a brief stop in Hannibal, we were on our way into Keokuk, Iowa and over the bridge to Illinois. The drive from Keokuk to Nauvoo was beautiful--especially seeing the white pelicans at the lock and dam (migrating south for the winter).


All of those white spots are pelicans! (double click photo, then use top arrow to get back)
After the "Saints" had some trouble in Missouri, they went to Illinois where the people of Quincy gave them refuge until they could find a place to settle. This promontory into the Mississippi River was selected. It was a swamp from water run-off from the bluffs. The founding fathers, dug a trench to take that water into the Mississippi, thus drying out the land to be built on.

The model in the visitor's center shows the topography. The white dot on top of the hill is the temple which was rebuilt a few years ago. The city was quite large--it was 3 times the size of Chicago in 1840 with over 15,000 inhabitants.
The restored village of Nauvoo is staffed by retiree missionaries who demonstrate crafts like rope making(they gave us the rope), bread making, weaving. Each person makes the committment to be there for two years sharing their stories.But, Dave's favorite place was the gunsmith.
Who knew that Dave's weapon of choice was Browning. This was the home of Jonathan Browning, the father of the John M. Browning who made the famous Browning firearms. Below, the guide shows us how the rifles were made.

Dave pointed out 3 in this cabinet that he once owned: a pistol, a rifle and a shotgun.The Brownings were obviously affluent and had a fairly advanced kitchen. First, it was attached to the house, but it also included a trap door inside the kitchen that went down to the well for water.

After lunch catered by a member of the Community of Christ, we went on a wagon ride---pulled by Belgian draft horses.
Although it was a little cool, they provided us with quilts to keep warm.After riding through the woods and hearing the history of the Mormons, we got back on the bus, went up to the new temple before heading to our next stop.
The Mormons and the Community of Christ (formerly Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints) both have roots in this community. After Joseph Smith's death in nearby Carthage, Illinois, a group (Mormons) followed Brigham Young west to Salt Lake City where they established their permanent home. Click here for more information on the Mormons. The other group (Community of Christ) stayed behind and eventually came back to Missouri establishing their headquarters in Independence, Mo. Click here for more on their history.

We did have one final stop before heading back to St. Louis.

After the Mormons left Nauvoo, a group of French Icarians settled in the town where they grew grapes for wine and became well-known for their bleu cheese. So, we went to this winery, sampled wine and cheese and headed back to St. Louis. Click here for more information on the Nauvoo area.