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Your Guide to Fun & Adventure!
Cindy Sue and Tom's Lifestyle Mag Enjoy food history, discover tasty recipes, find nutrition
tips, learn inner peace through food, tap into your creativity or read
inspiring biographies.
Featured Event Aug. 20 = Third
Sunday Market. A Bloomington, Illinois tradition since
1988, the indoor/outdoor sale features more than 450 top dealers,
representing 17 states. Whether you're looking for the finest in antique
furniture, americana, folk art, vintage advertising, sport memorabilia,
or antique linens & clothing you're likely to find it here. For more
information visit
www.thirdsundaymarket.com. Admission is $6, ages 13 and under
are Free. Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Food, No Pets. Rain or Shine.
Free Parking. Located at the Interstate Center , 2301 West Market
Street, Bloomington, IL. The facility is located one mile west of I55
and I74 at exit 160B (on Rt. 9W).
Featured Shop Visit Southern Memories
and Cottage Rose Tea Room. They are located on Old Highway
34 in
Patterson, Missouri.
Hours are for the shop: Wed.-Sat. 10am to 5pm and for the Tea Room:
Wed.-Sat. 11am to 3pm. T Visitors may find anything from rustic farmhouse to
vintage styled home decor; with antique furniture, southern relics, and
specialty clothing & jewelry items. For more information call
573-856-4131 or visit
www.SouthernMemories.com.
****************
The Asheford Program is an
internationally recognized, professional-level "Profit & Pleasure"
Course
on the study of antiques, collectibles and appraising. Click
here for more information.
Early mornings will find Tom building a fire in
our fire pit. The crackle of wood combined with the soothing smell of smoke
is a surefire path to peace and calm.
The moment is
complete when I turn on the fountain and kick back to enjoy our oasis.
Take time to enjoy the virtual fire.
Complete the moment with a click of the audio button.
Downtown St. Louis, Missouri is a
cornucopia of architecture. Majestic government buildings, proud figures
cast in metal and the warmth of red brick can be seen during a leisurely
stroll amidst the hustle and bustle of the downtown area.
With our tour book in hand we exercised not only our
legs but our minds as we walked in the footsteps of our forefathers.
The beautiful weather beckoned. It didn't take long to decide that
a drive along the mighty Mississippi River was just what we needed.
We headed North from St.
Louis along the Heritage Trail. Hwy. 79 parallels the river and at Louisiana
we traveled West to Bowling Green and began our journey back home along Hwy.
61.
Along the way we
discovered a plethora of antique and specialty shops that we had never
visited before. We stopped along the Mississippi in Clarksville and took
pictures of the river.
It was interesting to
think that we were standing at the river's edge of the same Mississippi
which flows near our home in St. Louis, Mo.
Our trip to the Harvest Days at Latzer Homestead in
Highland, Illinois was a cornucopia of food, fun and history. The festival
celebrates the turn-of-the-century life and struggles of the American
entrepreneur, Louis Latzer, the father of the Pet Milk Company.
The day included a tour of the stately mansion,
perusing the antique and craft booths and of course listening to bluegrass
while eating delicious bar-b-que in the pavilion.
Thanks to the Highland Historical Society for inviting
us to rediscover the past.
Following
Lewis & Clark to Washington Missouri
Turn your car
into a time machine. It's easy. We did it just the other day. On a lovely
summer day we took a leisurely drive to Washington, Missouri. After a
pleasant morning antiquing (check out the Trails West Section in this
issue), we visited the downtown river front and enjoyed a picnic lunch.
The view of the river looks as it
must have a hundred or even a thousand years ago. The tree-lined banks have
seen the canoes of Native Americans as they paddled through the mist as well
as the gas-lighted revelry of the sternwheeler boats coming in to dock.
Taking a different route home we noticed
a picturesque farm house crumbling into ruins. We stopped to take photos of
this once magnificent home. In our imaginations we peopled the rooms with
laughter, flickering candles and dancing.
The Frontier is still out there. All it takes
to get there is your rubber-tired time machine.
Mustang
Club Car Show
On a sunny summer day what could be as much fun as
cruising two lane black top roads, enjoying fresh air and beautiful scenery?
For us it is looking at a sea of muscle cars.
Thanks to the Show Me Mustang Club we were
able to indulge our love of cars and enjoy the perfect weather. From 1915
"Tin Lizzies" to 2006 Mustangs the show was a car lover's delight.
The 1960s Mustangs caught the eye of this
muscle car enthusiast. Row upon row of vintage automobiles filled the soul
with beauty and the heart with joy.
The top photo captures a rare 1968 California
Special Mustang.
The second photo is a 1936 Ford 5 window
coupe. Listen to a car show visitor's 1930s memories of his uncle's 1936
Ford. Just click on the audio portion of the blog.
Fresh Air and Fresh Food at the Soulard Farmers Market
Soulard Farmers' Market in downtown St. Louis, Mo. is a favorite stomping
ground for us. Tom, as head chef in our home, prefers fresh vegetables when
he is creating a new dish.
I enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the market. A
stroll around Soulard is an experience in different languages, cultures and
foods.
Near the edge of the crowd, Cindy and I waited
anxiously as the auctioneer’s assistant drew near the scroll saw that I
coveted. I was thinking that once again the auction gods were smiling on us.
We started out intending
to spend an enjoyable day in Highland, Illinois perusing Rosemary’s Fabric &
Quilts and lunching at House of Plenty. A leisurely drive home and the day
would have been complete.
As we left Highland an
auction sign beckoned and now we were clutching our bidding card, waiting
for the hammer to fall. The scroll saw came up and the bidding was intense.
I dropped out of the bidding and watched as the saw was carried off by
another bidder.
We were disappointed,
but wait, Cindy has just spotted a box of old photos!
Spaceships Land in St. Louis???
Tom and I have been blessed or cursed, depending on
how you look at it, to be the recipient of unusual moments in time. Like the
time we were late to a family function because we had to stop and help a cow
that was trying to cross a busy highway.
Everyone at the party had
a good laugh but no one really believed that a cow would want to cross the
road or that it might need a navigator to avoid traffic.
When the spaceship
appeared we both looked at each other and said that this time we needed
evidence. Out came our trusty camera and Tom took several photos. Why was a
spaceship sitting in suburban St. Louis? The answer was simple. There was a
label on the spaceship that told us this was a soap box derby car.
Case solved and another
entertaining moment was tucked away in our memory banks for the next family
get-together.
The sun was shining, and the wind was strong but
with a hint of spring in its caress. How could we resist a drive on such a
day?
We arrived in Cuba
Missouri and as usual our love of architecture drew us to the historic
district. Cuba’s Uptown is home to nine completed murals commemorating
Cuba’s history.
The County Fair mural
depicts Harry Truman’s speaking from the steps of a local building during a
1940 visit to Cuba during a senate primary race.
Standing on the steps of
the same building, we felt the past swirl around us. A car horn beeped,
voices and music drifted past us. If we closed our eyes could we tell if it
was 1940 or 2006?
Pine Needle Artist creates original art from the forest.
After
looking over the
Calendar of Events page on this site Tom
and I decided that it would be a pleasant drive from downtown St. Louis to
Belleville, Illinois to visit a craft show.
As past participants of the craft show scene we always
enjoy meeting and talking to the artisans.
An unusual creation of pine needles caught my eye and I
found myself learning about the art of creating baskets and more from pine
needles.
Charles & Maxine Weber are the artists and depending on
the size of the item, 12 to 120 hours are required to create the finished
piece.
Visit www.artsfromtheforest.com to learn more about
their products.
Deutsch Country Days has progressed
from a benefit house tour to the most unique and authentic re-creation of
early German life in Missouri.
The hills just outside Marthasville literally "come
alive" with the sights and sounds of the 1800s. The early German immigrant's
functional lifestyles are authentically recreated as juried artisans, in
period attire, demonstrate loom weaving, kloppolei, chip carving, bee
keeping, soap making and scrimshaw - just a few of the 85 primitive skills
exhibiting the early German life and trades.
Your Midwest resource for Fun and Adventure with antique, specialty and boutique shops, day
trips to historic towns and entertaining events.
The
historic towns and shopping guide is organized
for ease of use. The comprehensive Calendar of Events page
has detailed event listings.
All pages include Google maps with driving directions.
History comes alive in the Midwest.
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