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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.	Historic Towns & Specialty Shopping Missouri & Illinois	Fairs, Festivals & Shows throughout the Midwest Region

Featured Event
Nov. 17 & 18 = The Belleville Flea Market in Belleville, Illinois is the third full weekend of every month, year round. The Flea Market is Southern Illinois’ Premier Indoor & Outdoor (weather permitting) Market. With over 600 tables and 300-400 vendors, we get a wide range of antiques, collectibles, merchandise to see to the public. Indoor/ Outdoor Year Round. Parking : $3.00 – Handicapped Accessible. Admission : FREE. The flea market is the 3rd full weekend of every month January through December. The flea market is located at Belle Clair Fairgrounds, Rt. 13 (just off Rt. 159 & 13), Belleville, IL. (200 South Belt East , Belleville, IL 62220) . The Belleville Flea Market is open to the public 9:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. on Saturday and 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on Sunday. For more information visit http://bcfairgrounds.net  or call 618-233-0052.

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Cindy Sue and Tom Travel the Midwest

Relaxing in the Midwest

   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.

Click the play button below to step into our oasis and listen to the fire.

Tire Kicker Car Place

Vintage cars attract visitors to Junior's garage.

Give Junior a call at the
 Tire Kicker Car Place.

Kick a tire and earn a
 Haul of Fame Badge.

Cars & Parts 618-887-4771

Click here to listen to the complete tale of our trip.

Walking Tour of Downtown St. Louis, Missouri

Day Trip along the Heritage Trail

     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.

Click here to listen to the
sounds of the river.

Following Lewis & Clark to Washington Missouri

     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.

Click here to listen to the story of the 1936 Ford.

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.

Click Calendar of Events to plan your next outing.

Cindy Sue and Tom Catch Auction Fever!!!

     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.

Click here to experience the mood of space.

Discovering the City of Murals

The County Fair Mural

     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.

Click here to listen to Charles' tale of his humble beginnings in pine needle artistry.

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Discover the Treasure that is the Midwest.

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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