Aug. 10, 2006 - St. Louis Area Blog!

I hope you'll find this blog interesting as we progress.

I plan on providing you with some insight into the different communities that our Metro St. Louis area has to offer.

Along with that, you just may find out some interesting places to visit and why we love the mid-west! Friendly people are one of the reasons, of course.

Whether you're planning to visit or buy a home here, or simply curious, I hope you'll stop by often so we can get to know one another!

The St. Louis Metro area is family friendly, from  A (Apple Orchards) to Z (St. Louis Zoo) (BTW: have you seen our new baby elephant?) and all those wonderful places in between.

Let's start the journey together!  Judy

Nov. 28, 2008 - Update_on_2008ABTA_FallFestival

Following is a letter from the committee regarding the 2008 St. Louis Fall Festival. It was a fun event and for such a great cause! Everyone is a winner when they participate in this fund-raiser. Thanks to all that made it so successful! Our family appreciates your efforts immensely! Blessings, Judy

Thank you for attending the 11th Annual St. Louis Fall Festival to Benefit the American Brain Tumor Association at Grant’s Farm. Your generous support and participation resulted in a record year and to date we were able to raise $28,387 to support research to find a cure for brain tumors. Please know that you have made a tremendous difference in the life of brain tumor patients and their families.

Our website is still open for additional donations. Pictures from the event including those of you who had pictures taken with the Clydesdale are now available for viewing and downloading to your computer (free of charge) on our secure web site.
Thank you to Dr. David Silverman and Amiee Shank with Maryville University who so generously donated their time and talents in taking the pictures.

Nov. 26, 2008 - HelpStLouisCountyFamilies

Here's a chance to Adopt A Family in the St. Louis County. Everyone needs help at times and you can make a difference in someones life. There are over 1,800 families in the area that need our help. They need food, clothing, toys, household items and help with utilities or rent. There are lots of groups that help, from businesses, faith-based and private citizens that endeavor to provide the needed services. The St. Louis County Department of Human Services (DHS) provides the support to organize distribution. They are in need of any donation, large or small, it's all appreciated. There is a special need for canned goods (no glass), grocery story certificates, cash and whatever can be used in a household. If you'd like to adopt a family or donate please call: Mike Nickel 314-615-4426 or Rose Terranova 314-615-2937. Blessings!

Nov. 17, 2008 - Fall_in_the_Saint_Louis_Area

This has been such a lovely fall here in Missouri. We have had beautiful vivid red, yellow, gold foliage here after having such a rainy spring. I missed seeing the Missouri Botanical Garden Fall Festival this time and just took some photos on my walks and one lovely tree in Kimmswick, MO.  A few were taken in Augusta, MO (wine country!) and on our way back from a trip to the winery at Mount Pleasant. That was just a quick trip out on a limo-bus that our brokerage RE/MAX Midwest Group had treated us to on a great fall day.  After wine samples and a great lunch with great and congenial agents we headed for home. We had a great time and if you move here or just come to visit, I know you will too! I hope you enjoy the photos!

Nov. 16, 2008 - Kimmswick_MO

Kimmswick...a place to check out crafts and antiques and enjoy some of the best home cooking and desserts! Just be sure to put your name in early as you can easily have a 2-2 1/2 hour wait to eat! What's your hurry anyway? It's a nice easy drive to get there and you can take your time shopping and viewing the quaint shops or bed & breakfasts (turn off your cell phone & enjoy being!). At the Blue Owl Restaurant, outside they had a musician playing a guitar and singing for your enjoyment and to wile away the time.
We found Kimmswick quaint and clean but also needing to have some of their old places "fixed" up or torn down. It's located on the Mississippi river so when it floods, most likely, parts of Kimmswick will be flooded too. Kimmswick was voted as one of the best small towns in the Midwest in June 2007. We took a ride over the river and there found some interesting stone work that I took photos of too. I'd like to have stopped at the Chamber of Commerce there, but it was closed when we visited. All the shops are closed on Monday, so keep that in mind if you decide to take the trip. It was a nice relaxing day and we look forward to going back again.

Nov. 15, 2008 - Real Estate Statistics for St. Charles County

Nov. 14, 2008 - StLouis MO_realestate_Statistics

Following are the Sales Statistics for St. Louis Area (from Realist)

Sep. 20, 2008 - ManchesterMOExcitement

Thursday  brought a lovely evening and we were out on our deck, waving goodbye to my daughter. All of a sudden we heard a big WHOOSH sound. I looked to the sky and behind a bunch of trees, you could see a low flying hot air balloon. Way too low! I quickly ran to get my camera to film the excitement.

The balloon proceeded to float across the roof tops, just barely missing them and then down it went! It wasn't the best of spots to land, I thought, but it had.

It had landed in the cul-de-sac of the Pheasant Woods subdivision just behind us. My daughter stayed for abit and then we two, jumped into her car to go see what had happened.

The balloon was landed, barely missing the house tops, but grazing the trees that lined the street. I spoke to the pilot, Kevin Knapp; he said he hadn't realized it was going to be that tight of a landing. Kevin Knapp was last years winner of the Great Forest Park Hot Air Balloon Race. The balloon maker is Lindstrand. the Volume is: 105K cubic feet.  I asked what he charged to take people up and he responded he just hires out to Mayflower and does it for them. If you're here in the St. Louis area though you can call Steve Mroz of Balloons Over St. Louis. In the meantime you can check out the movie by clicking HERE 

Two Manchester Police cars came by to check things out, but everything was fine. The neighbors enjoyed watching the process of deflating the balloon too. Some of the kids were even helping!

Friday evening, at Forest Park, they had the 36th annual Balloon Glow. Saturday morning was a great time to have the Race.

Sep. 14, 2008 - butterflyHouse/chesterfield/mo

What a nice day we had here yesterday. It was alternately sunny or cloudy but always had a nice breeze (thanks to IKE).

I took off in the evening to the Butterfly House, in Chesterfield, MO as I haven't been there for a while. I'd heard they were having a Monarch Fiesta which would include a Mariachi Band and a talk by Dr. Peter H. Raven, President of the Missouri Botanical Garden.

There were quite a few young adults there with their families, getting photos taken. Probably a prom, as some were getting dropped off in limousine's. Sure has changed from when I was a kid, I just felt honored to get to go to a prom in someone's jalopy!

Anyway, as I approched, the band welcomed me with some lively music! As I headed for the door, a park guard stopped me, asking if I was planning to attend the event. I said yes, I had my "ticket" in hand! Well, I guess he could tell by my attire, that there was some mistake. We talked abit and I proceeded to the entrance. Inside, I could see that this was not a casual event but a dressy occasion. I spoke with the hostess and found that the cost to get in was $150. as this was a fund raising event! We're talking cocktails, tapas and entertainment! Needless to say, I headed for the exit.

Outside the Los Compadres played on...but not for me! I did stay and took some photos which follow and I hope you'll enjoy.

 I also met some of the entertainers family that were waiting for them. We had a nice chat and enjoyed the music while sitting outside. The evening was perfect for a fund-raiser and butterfly's, both a symbol of hope! My hope is that they raised a huge amount of money!

If you know me, you know how much I love our Missouri Botanical Garden. It's so very lovely and everyone you meet there is kind and helpful. They also support SHAW Nature Reserve . If you're coming our way, be sure to check them out.

Sep. 2, 2008 - VotingResponsibly

 I've been avoiding all the political commercials and the conventions. I'm waiting for the town hall debates and want to also get some information from sources that are not predisposed to one side or the other. No matter the outcome, I always hope and pray they put the country and it's inhabitants first and their personal pocketbooks last! Maybe I'm too naive??
I hope you'll take time to look closely at both sides and then make an informed vote! Remember, your vote does count and many people have worked hard and even lost lives to give you this opportunity. No country in the world is a great as this one is, let's keep it that way!
Here's a good site to start to start getting your information.

Vote Smart: Republican 
Vote Smart: Democrat 
Vote Smart: Independent

 You might also want to view the information on the movie Iron Jawed Angels and then view it. It's worth your time!

May. 27, 2008 - StLouisHero

Here's some information about a gentleman that is rescuing artifacts from the St. Louis area. I believe he deserves recognition for doing that. He recently had an article written by Dianne Keaggy in the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper about him. Read the article to find out what he does out of love for the preservation of the history of St. Louis! Some of the artifacts he's rescued can be viewed at the St. Louis City Museum. By the way, you can thank Robert (Bob) Cassilly,Jr. artist and founder for that great and fun museum! My thanks to my hero, Bruce Gerrie!

May. 26, 2008 - MemorialDay2008

Saturday, my husband & I took a ride out to South County to take our tour through the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. They have a yearly memorial remembrance each year, but when we last went it was so crowded and we were in line on the highway for over an hour. We decided to just go early. My husbands friend, a former Navy man, is buried here, as well as his brother-in-law, a policeman and also a Navy man. I've come here before, bringing a grand kid with me, as it's such an awe inspiring place. A place of Honor, where men and women, who have served our country in the armed forces, finally rest in peace. I've learned that USCT on the tomb stones (from earlier times, like the Civil War) means United States Colored Troops. It's an impressive place to gather your thoughts on the true meaning of war, it's results, and the sacrifice of those that have served our country. It's a perfect place to offer up our prayers and turn our thoughts to those that have sacrificed.

They also have museums and filled with memorabilia and photographs. They have a great view of the Mississippi river from the overlook there too.

May. 17, 2008 - StLouisRealEstateCampaign

Mar. 31, 2008 - MarksExcellentAfricanAdventure_FinalChapter08

The following was written by Mark's dad, Dale, prior to Mark heading back to the states and home to his family and friends. Mark has arrived safely home now and once again does what he does best; helps others. There had been a fire in the building where he used to work and he's joined in the fix-up to get the place open again. WELCOME HOME, MARK!

February 27, 2008

Mark has been busy, and at 10:45 AM this morning (8:45 PM) Nairobi) was preparing to board a bus to Mombasa. One final holiday before preparing to head home! As I write this. Mark and Marica should be back in Albuquerque in 172 hours. They traveled to Uganda and Rwanda the week before last. They left Rwanda, the day before President Bush arrived. They said that there were a lot of American flags in Kigali. They witnessed the motorcade for Secretary of State Condelesa Rice. The genocide museum was slobbering. In one churchyard, 5000 people were hacked to death in 3 hours! Almost one million people killed. There are around 200 memorials in Rwanda. If you look on a map, you will see it is not a very large country. They did not have time to visit Burundi. We've not heard much more about it, but I'm sure we will when he returns.

He apologized when we spoke to him yesterday for not having gotten an update to everyone. As for the lack of an update, apparently Marica's computer was infected with a Raila Odinga Trojan/virus after visiting a cyber-cafe. Mark, being handy with computers was trying to clear her computer of the virus, and somehow infected his. A Google search for Raila Odina virus will find several pages about what it does. It is a very large annoyance. He will try to work on it during some free time in Mombasa. He ought to enjoy the Indian Ocean instead. :-)

There are members of the family that are going to Mombasa for a wedding. So they are getting the room at the rate for the wedding guests. So what is the first thing he wants to do when back in Albuquerque? Visit the Frontier Restaurant. I've been on the Northwest flight that from Minneapolis many times, and it gets in around 11:00. The Frontier closes at 1:00 AM. It used to be open all night, but they changed that just recently. In reality, he has sounded home-sick of late, or maybe his mom and I are just reading that into what he says. Or maybe it's just the food and his friends. So, the Frontier is the first stop. Then, I imagine, a lot of sleep.

I talked to Ann a couple of weeks ago. She said that Mark has a Kikuyu name, as do Stephanie, and Marica (and maybe June too). It is quite an honor to be accepted into a family as they have been and given a name. We have not been told what it is.

He says he is returning in 2009, and he wants his mother and I to come and visit him. We'll see.

As I write this, I await a text message. He said he was going to text me when they arrive in Mombasa. Lucky dog!

(My Thanks to Dale for keeping us all informed. I'm sure they all appreciated your prayers, too.)

Mar. 29, 2008 - HUD_Proposes_Mortgage_Reform

Feb. 10, 2008 - Chesterfield_MO

The City of Chesterfield the largest city in West County, has been around for a while now. Some of the people in the local area can remember "String Town", a section along Clayton Road that was strung out abit, and giving the name to it. Some of the little towns that were formerly know as: Bellefontaine,Lake, Gumbo, Monarch, Bonhomme, and Justis Post are now Chesterfield!

You'll still see streets with these names and one of the fire protection districts is named "Monarch".

The city has blossomed into a nice sized, community of encompasing approximately 33 square miles. The area in the former "Gumbo Flats" now sports a more elegant name as the Chesterfield Commons area or Chesterfield Valley. That area is filled with shopping and dining for your pleasure. You'll need to move your car in order to get from one end of the area to the other or else be in terrific walking shape! It's also pretty close to the river. In Spring of '93, there was a flood that filled the valley but since then, a dam has been in place and business flourish there. Be sure to check out the Kemp Auto Museum in this area.

The Spirit of St. Louis Airport is just past the shopping area. Westfield Shopping Center is located at Clarkson/I-64.

The city has 7 parks within it's boundarys. The main park is Central Park and it features the Chesterfield Family Aquatic Park. Be sure to check all of the parks out, as they each offer their own flavor and fun!

I love Faust Park and the fall festival they have there. You'll also find MO Botanical Gardens The Butterfly House there (look for my daughters (Terri (Sepac)Yarbrough) memorial paver in the entrance area). Stop by for a ride on the carousel too!

Come visit! You'll have fun and may not want to leave!

Feb. 9, 2008 - KirkwoodMOTragedy

My feelings are sad and remorseful as I watched the T.V. newscasts here. We're about 15 minutes away from the City of Kirkwood. This is a great city, tree lined, with modest homes to elegant homes. It's has a typical small town feel to it. Loaded with history. It's a place where you know your neighbors and actually do like them and visit back and forth. It has a wonderful old train station (still functioning ) and lots of unique shops to visit and make it a day doing that. It's not to be missed at Christmas time when all the city lights up including the train station and City Hall.

What a terrible night Thursday evening the 7Th of February was, for so many unsuspecting people. People who try to do what's right for the city and the people in it. Of course, not everyone is going to be happy about the decisions to be made. That's their right and they get to express it.

On that fateful night, 6 people died some injured. Their outcome unsure. They were fathers, mothers, grandparents, someones child; people that other people cared about. Still do.

The community has drawn close now, supporting one another. I feel their pain. My feeling is that the shooter, Charles "Cookie" Thornton was not in a good mental state. No one really knew how strongly he felt until he killed 5 other people. People he knew. Some people were friends to him. Not a clue of what was to come. In an instant, lives have changed forever.  If it can happen here, it can happen any where.

I pray for peace for each of the families. My heart goes out to them. Kirkwood is a strong community and it will come out of this stronger.

Feb. 9, 2008 - MissouriSexOffenderSite

Feb. 9, 2008 - WCR_StLouisMayorSlay

Thursday the 7Th of February, the Women's Council of REALTORS had their monthly meeting at Sheraton Westport Chalet in St. Louis County. There was a good turn, as expected as our guest speaker was the Mayor of St. Louis, Francis Slay.By the way, WCR includes men and women in the Real Estate Industry, so don't be put off by the name. Networking and education is the name of the game!

We not only had a good lunch, we were pleased to hear about all the on-going and upcoming plans about the improvements for St. Louis City. Mayor Slay offered not only the good things, but also addressed crime in the city (not as portrayed by media) but how it's being combated. You'll be pleased to know he says it's safe in St. Louis! More work is being done to make it even safer! He was willing to answer questions from the floor and addressed all in a lively and open manner. Here's where you can check out his opinions.

At the end of the question/answer session, he allowed us to take photos of him with us, if we asked!

We all appreciate his time and efforts to make St. Louis City one of the best Cities in the USA!

Feb. 6, 2008 - MarksExcellentAfricanAdventure6

As you know by now, Mark is a cousin that I've never met, but feel close to as family has provided me with photos of him and tells me about his life experiences. I hope one day to meet up with him. I think he's going to be a man that helps the world. In his trip to Africa, you begin to see how he's making a difference as he enjoys meeting the people in Africa and learning about the country. He's one heck of a story teller, for sure! Stay tuned for more updates..

Hey everybody!

So when I wrote my last update, we were in dire straights, having had no idea what to do. Still stuck in Nairobi, we took another look at our calendars and tried to arrange some way to make a trip. We had been planning to make a trip to Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We ended up dropping the Mombasa part of the trip (which is ok, because we've managed a way to go at the end of the month), and planned to go to TZ ( read as: T-Zed).

We boarded a bus last Friday morning at 6:30 am, and began our journey. We were traveling via a reputable bus company called Dar Express. They are known for making quick trips and always being on time. As the bus pulled out of Nairobi, we realized that in order to keep to schedule, our driver would be driving like a madman for the duration of a trip. He swerved his large coach in and out of traffic at high speeds and narrowly avoided hitting farm animals as we passed through the Kenyan countryside. Within a blink of an eye, a few hours had passed and we were at the Kenyan border. Everyone unloaded and we all had our passports stamped and crossed into Tanzania.

At this point, I was beginning to feel a bit nervous. We still hadn't lined up a hotel in Dar es Salaam, and virtually everyone in Tanzania speaks about as much English as we speak Swahili. Putting any apprehensions aside, we dove head first into the adventure, as we bought our visas and re-boarded the bus. The next stop was Arusha, the home of African justice. This burgeoning city is where the UN designated to have its war-crime tribunal for the Rwandan genocide. Despite this fact, Arusha looked very dull. Supposedly its a cool place though, and I regret that we didn't arrange a day or two to stay there. As the trip rolled on into the afternoon, we picked up a stewardess who would serve us soda and water and would be on board for the remainder of the trip. We made a quick stop for lunch at a decent little buffet-style restaurant. In the late afternoon, the stewardess put on a crappy horror film called "Wrong Turn," which had even crappier subtitles, a source of some amusement. At sundown, we were just arriving in Dar es Salaam.

By this time, we had been contacted by Wambui to let us know that her friend would meet us at the bus station and take us to a hotel where he had booked us a room. After a short wait at the terminal, during which we were constantly being harassed for a taxi, he showed up and took us to the Grand Hotel. The name was a bit of a misnomer -- rather than being grand, it was actually quaint. It was a small hotel, with an on-site restaurant, from which we would order several meals on our trip. It was set in a normal neighborhood, reminiscent of our neighborhood back home, which was several minutes driving time from the 'city center'. It was also a bargain, at only 30,000 Tanzania shillings ($28) a night for a double. Tired from the trip and unwilling to adventure at night, we spent the evening in our hotel.

The following day, we ventured to city center, which is actually the coastal part of the city. We found a bookstore which had TZ travel guides for sale and invested in one. We used the included map to find our way around the area. We had been told that Dar es Salaam was very similar to Mombasa, which wasn't entirely true. Although it is a coastal town, its not really a beach resort town, as we came to learn. We did spend some time on the beach, however, collecting shells that had washed ashore.

In the evening, we walked around the neighborhood surrounding our hotel and bought lessos aka pagnes, which is brightly patterned cloth sold in pairs that feature Swahili phrases. The following day, on the way to the market, Marica and I encountered 3 men who snatched her camera bag off her shoulder and ran. We spent the rest of the morning in the police station filing a report. That afternoon, having decided Dar es Salaam was boring and didn't have too much to offer, we bought tickets to take the ferry to Zanzibar's Stone Town, a small town on the west side of the island.

The following morning, we checked out of our hotel and took a ferry to Zanzibar. After arriving, we went looking for a hotel. In an attempt to lose a broker that was trying to get us to follow him across town to a shady hotel, we ducked into a very nice old-fashioned hotel, which incidentally was recommended in our guidebook. We looked through the guidebook for things to do and decided a trip to the island's Jozani forest and a walk to Stone Town's market area were a must. We wish we had more time on the island, but we were scheduled to return to Dar the following afternoon. With more time, we could have taken a spice tour, which is one of the most highly recommended activities. We talked to the nice woman at the hotel's front desk who recommended a couple restaurants and a tour agency. We had lunch, booked a tour for the following morning to Jozani, and walked to the market, buying a few goods as we went along. That evening we had a very delicious seafood dinner at a restaurant near the hotel.

The next morning, we went on our tour of the forest, which was about a 40-minute drive from Stone Town, in the center of Zanzibar. The tour took us to 3 different areas. The first was a nature walk, where our guide pointed out some of the features of the forest, and described trees and wildlife. The forest floor has coral all over it, since Zanzibar was at one time completely underwater. This area of the forest also has fresh water just under the surface, so there were a number of fresh water crabs. Several lizards and and insects were pointed out to us. Overhead there was a family black monkeys fighting in the treetops. We also spotted an animal that is very rare to see (according to our guide) for its propensity to hide. This creature, called an elephant shrew, was about the size and shape of a rat, only it had a snout like an ant-eater. We continued onward to the next part of the forest, crossing the highway to a natural grove of almond trees. This area is inhabited by 1,000's of Red Colobus monkeys, who unlike the black monkeys, are not afraid to come near humans. At times the creatures played and ran within inches of us, as we stood in a small clearing. After observing and photographing the monkeys, we went to a third area, the mangrove forest. There is a salt water river running through this swamp, and the government has built a boardwalk that loops into part of the forest. This area has millions of small salt-water crabs that burrow into the swampy muck, in the shade of the mangrove trees.

We returned back to Stone Town, had lunch and went back to the market to buy spices, before we boarded the ferry back to Dar. I was a little sad to be leaving Zanzibar. Although it was very touristy, there was plenty to do and it felt nice to be a tourist again. We bought our bus tickets back to Nairobi from a company called Classic Coach, since we had been told Dar Express had already sold out. I realize now that this was a mistake. In the morning, we reported at the specified time of 6:30 am. The bus was scheduled to leave at 7:30, but didn't leave until 9:30. By the time we pulled out of the lot, we had already essentially been on the bus for 3 hours...It was going to be a long trip.

This time, on the way back, we decided to look for Mount Kilimanjaro, since we had completely neglected to spot it on the trip to Dar. As the sun had begun setting, we saw its snow-capped peak sticking out of the clouds in the distance. Marica was even able to get a picture through the windshield using my camera. We reached the Kenya border well after dark and finally pulled into Nairobi around 1 am, where we took a cab back home. The 16 hours spent on the bus had been exhausting and we were happy to be back.

Well, that's about it for now. We literally only have a month left here (we leave 4 weeks from tomorrow). Besides the trip to Mombasa, we're still going to attempt to head out west to Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda, although the assassination of a Member of Parliament is leading to continued violence in Western Kenya. We're also going to attempt to get some more humanitarian work done. Until next time...Kwaheri! Mark

Feb. 5, 2008 - National_Politics

Hi Everyone,

I hope you've all taken time out of your busy days to vote in the primary election today. It was rainy here, but I managed to get there between showers. The poll workers said it had be a steady stream of voters out her in West County. Couldn't get the hubby to go, but guess that's all right as his vote would have canceled out mine! I hear the polling places have ALL been busy and I'm pleased about that. We are so lucky to have democratic elections and no violence when we go to vote. Others are not so lucky. Thanks to our soldiers everywhere who fought and continue to fight, for our rights to be able to do that.

My dear sister, Colette, was out working at the polls today. What a tough gal she is, troubled with rheumatoid arthritis but each year makes the effort to work at the polls. Thanks to all of the folks that DO volunteer their time and make the effort. It makes for a long day.

Later on reading the West NewsMagazine I found they had a web site listing ALL The Candidates with their positions on the issues. Thought I'd share it with you all and maybe we can elect the man/woman we want. Take some time to review the site and then be sure to vote when the time comes! Feel free to check out The League of Women Voters site too!