Flashback Friday

These few shots are from a family vacation we took probably in the early 90's. We stopped in Hannibal to see the cave and then down to St. Louis to see the Mets and Cardinals. Naturally the zoo was also on the agenda, and proved to be a big hit. But the Arch was amazing, and except for some coaching at the ratcheting elevator pod system we all made it to the top.

There are certain sights you never tire of, the Arch is one of them.

"OK, now Brendan, there isn't anything to worry about. We'll just get in those tiny capsules and before you know it we'll be at the top. You go first."

Looks like some high water.

I remember going to see the Mets here and there was a plane carrying a banner around the stadium saying, "Mets Are Pond Scum". St. Louis is a classy town.

There was a silver stainless steel ship called the Admiral I think. Wonder what happened to it. I loved the way it looked all art-decoey.

My recollection of the trip was that overall it was a mixed bag. The caves in Hannibal were lined with plastic panels, taking away from the adventure, and seemed very expensive. The zoo is always fun, but I remember dropping a camera and breaking it. The hotel was less than advertised and the swimming pool (which the kids were looking forward to) was quite small.

We had a flat tire the morning of our escape, I mean departure, and Nancy got a speeding ticket in Jacksonville. But I think the Mets won.

Comments

Class, Or Lack Thereof The Dwight Vice gravestone in Oquawka, Illinois. I bring this old chestnut out every so often just to remind me that class is classless. Dwight Vice was killed in his home near Oquawka in 2001. It was one of those things that can generate crime: two guys thought Dwight had a lot of money stashed at home because of his pot-selling sideline to supplement his fishing job. Not really one of those big drug deals gone-bad things. Marijuana was, according to the trial, about the only stuff Dwight sold. But these two guys barge into the house and killed Dwight and attempted to kill his 11 year old kid, Darryl, before they took off with what money they could find. His son, now 23, was stabbed in the back and left for dead. He survived and is wheelchair bound and has undergone several surgeries to repair his wounds. He will be paralyzed for life. None of this is pleasant. Reading the f...

The Mary Davis Home - Part 2

None of these pictures were taken by me, they came right from the MDH website. I am posting these so that friends who have never seen inside where I worked can gain access. After 27 years I have many stories, tales and acquaintances. But, I wouldn't know how to express them appropriately in a few paragraphs. I enjoyed 98% of my stay there and hope I made a difference in the lives of a fraction of the kids who entered. The original MDH at this site was just the front part. The large red-roofed area in back was added on in the 90's. This is the Jerry Carlton library. It was unofficially named after one of the counselors who truly loved the place. He passed away around 2002, I think. Mr. Farber looks like he is explaining a few things to a client. The classroom. Activity area with the gym behind the windows. Another shot of the classroom. It was a little different area to teach since we had 2 classes and 2 teachers i...

Statuary In North Straub Park

The Vinoy is not the only park in town. The place is fairly littered with them, and almost all, except Bum Paradise, are pretty nice. This is North Straub and they have some old pieces in that seem to have suffered from time and perhaps human folly. These and some 30 other statues were imported from Italy by local developer C. Perry Snell to help beautify the city. Mr. Snell was in real estate and during the depression he went on a European shopping trip to collect items for the city. He obtained these from Italy and installed them in this park even after the bottom fell in the markets. He fulfilled his obligations at great personal loss to his own company and wealth. Halso continued to pay his staff during those tough times. He developed many areas in the city, Vinoy, Snell Isle, Crescent Lake and the beach area down around Fort DeSoto. He lived from 1869 until 1949 and then buried in Kentucky. I wo...

Existing In BFE

Search This Blog