Happy Mother's Day

Leah, Louise, Rebecca: Columbia, Mo 2004

Libby, Brett, Rachel, Roman, Davis Kansas City 2009

Long before we had the tradition of celebrating Mother's Day at a restaurant, I remember Mother-Daughter banquets at church with the singing of songs like:

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M Is for the Many things she gave me,
O Means only that she's growing Old.
T Is for the Tears she shed to save me,
H Is for her Heart of purest gold.
E Is for her Eyes with love light shining,
R Means Right and Right she'll always be.

Put them all together, They spell MOTHER.
A word that means the world to me.

I recall going with my mother and grandmother to banquets at Lafayette Park Methodist Church---in the basement with paper covered tables, flowers on the table and programs tied together with cords. We would get dressed up and the women would wear corsages---red or pink carnations if their mothers were living white if they weren't.
Our church continues with the tradition, but it's more inclusive---it's for all women whether or not they have daughters or mothers living.

We were asked to wear pearls and bring our favorite tea cup (mine is from my ESL students Iris Tsui and Cindy Lai). We had three kinds of scones, three kinds of sandwiches and three kinds of desserts.
All were served on pedestal plates by each table's designated hostess.
The theme was based on Proverbs 31:10-31 which begins with "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above pearls."
Leah and Anna accompanied me this year continuing the tradition begun with my sister and me, my mother, Louise Long and my grandmother, Vennie Wicker. Like pearls, we are linked together with our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers---linked with tradition and love. Happy Mother's Day Rebecca, Rachel and Leah!

Route 66 State Park

A pretty day and an empty calendar means it's time to explore. We decided to go to the Route 66 State Park which isn't too far from us. Oddly, the exit was 266 (to 66). The visitor's center is in an old inn.

There are two parts to the museum---first, it tells about Times Beach from which the park was created.In the photo above you can see where the visitor's center is and where the community of Times Beach used to be. The bridge connecting the two has been declared unfit for cars or pedestrians, so it's not easy getting from the Visitor's Center to the Park. There is very little in the actual park that is evidence that an entire town used to be there.
This looks like it was once one of the streets. Times Beach had an interesting, but brief history.
It began as a newspaper promotion. For $67 and a 6 month subscription to the St. Louis Times, you could have a place on the Meramec River. It was primarily summer cottages until after World War II when people began living there year round.
In 1982, Times Beach was hit by a double whammy. It's dirt and gravel streets had been sprayed with dioxin, a cancer causing chemical. While the government was trying to decide what to do, the Meramec River flooded. It was decided that residents would need to leave. It became a site where it and other toxic sites in the area became de-toxified with a giant furnace. After it was declared safe, it became the Route 66 State Park.
The museum has some interesting artifacts about the entire Route 66, but my favorites were the exhibits about Missouri Landmarks. I thought this sign below was interesting because I recall seeing my first bumper stickers from these caves:
I thought they were horrible and couldn't believe that people had them on their bumpers, now I understand why they tolerated them. Of course, now, many people actually buy bumper stickers. . .not me!
I was pretty surprised to see photos of automobiles in the caves.
I recall the Coral Court Motel on Watson Rd. Parts of it have been rebuilt at the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. For more about this interesting motel, click here.
Dave and I went over this bridge many, many times since it's near where we lived as kids. It is still used for hiking and biking.
Dave remembers this place in Rolla, but it was student housing when he lived there.
The museum ends in a great Gift shop with all sorts of Route 66 memorabilia and books.


Unfortunately the bridge that links the museum to the park is closed even to pedestrians for some structural problems. It's a bit complicated getting to the park from the visitor's center. You have to go back to the highway (exit 266) go west to exit 264, turn around to go east on I-44 to exit 265. . .

Good-bye Aunt Norma

My Aunt Norma died last week. She was one of a kind---the most generous person I've ever known. But, she was so self-assured that Mother nick-named her "Auntie Mame."
As a young woman she was tall, thin and had darker coloring than her brothers and sisters---I think she was striking and statuesque. Here she is with her first husband Hampton (Bud), Steve's dad.
She was always impeccably dressed---I remember being in awe of her closets and shoes---all neatly stored in shoe boxes in her closet.
She started our tradition of family Easter egg hunts, first at her home in Ellisville but later in her home in Riverview. She always had a few twists to the egg hunts which included prizes---a tradition we carry on today.
Here she is with my parents on the left (Dad was her older brother) and her second husband Eddie.

Maxine, LeRoy, Norma

She loved family weddings---pictured above with her brother (my dad) and sister at her niece's wedding.

Norma with my brother Jim

She never missed a wedding even flying thousands of miles to attend a great-niece's or nephew's wedding after she moved to California.
She spent Easter 2008 with us. My brother gave her a crown and declared her Queen of Easter. Here she is leaning on her cane watching the children hunt for eggs looking every bit the Queen she was.
She is survived by her son Stephen, daughter-in-law Marisella and granddaughter Jacqueline and dozens of nieces and nephew who loved her very much.

Watching Roman

Watching Roman is always an adventure---I don't mean we were babysitting him---we just watched him---he's very entertaining . We stayed with his mom and dad while we were visiting in Kansas City. Above, he found his cousin Libby's dress ups at Brett's First Communion Reception.
The next day, we accompanied him to his gymnastics at Mercury Gymnastics in Tiffany Springs.
His teacher was so patient with him and the other kids. Above he is hanging from a bar back by the tree.
Above is like a giant trampoline that he was supposed to be hopping down into a foam pit. Here he takes a few moments to wave to us.
Here he is swinging into the foam pit. I was really impressed with the facility and instructor.
Later that day, we watched him at soccer.
I took him out on the field and played with him hoping to get him warmed up---he did a great job one-on-one.
He is #9 on the right listening to "Coach" give them all a pep talk.
But, when it came time to play. . .
I think it just looked like chaos to him and he wanted no part of that.
Finally the coach thought he might be better as goalie.
He was soon joined by two boys from the other team----he's not the only one who doesn't exactly understand the complexities of soccer.
But, he's got that sitting on the ball down pat!

That's OK, Little Buddy, WE know you can play soccer very well, you're just waiting for ORGANIZED sports.
And, we think you're SUPER! Happy Birthday, Roman!

Brett's First Communion

Go to my daughter's blog for more photos of Brett's First Communion.
First, the obligatory photo of this handsome young man by his proud Mom.
We went to the church where we found the appropriate pew with this banner.
We (the Morgans and Twenters) filled a pew and spilled over into another pew.
It wasn't exactly as boring as the photo above looks---it was Libby's nap time, Dave blinked and Davis. . .ok, he's yawning.
But, then it was time for what we'd all come for---Brett taking communion (with Mom taking a few snapshots).
Then, we went back to Rachel and Kyle's house for a little reception and a chance for all of the cousins to play.
Some had a good time playing together. . .
Some didn't. . .