fri 11/1

Well we spent almost 4 days in St Louis area.  There is so much to see and do we could have spent more time, but winter is coming so we just scratched the surface.  The day we got there we went down to the river and around st. Louis to capture some sun setting pictures.  Hope to check them out and post some.  The next day we went to the Anheiser Bush Brewery for the tour.  I got to see the Clydesdale's, pet one, and play with Clyde the dog.  It was an amazing and educational place to go and I got free beer at the end, which isn't hard to take.
The next day we wanted to go up in the arch but it was rainy so we ended up going to the zoo instead, and went to the Basilica.  The Basilica is the most beautiful piece of art I have seen.  It gives you goose pimples.  It was well worth seeing.  It was all done with small pieces of blown glass (some by Tiffany which are the only ones left as most were in Europe and were destroyed by the Germans in the war) and it was done with the men lying on their backs on a scaffolding (like Micheal Angelo did).  The figures even have expression in their faces and the colors are incredible.  It took 76 years to complete and it is massive and breathtaking.  I am so glad I went in to see it.  The zoo is great and has lots of animals we had never seen before.  It has nice areas for the animals, very natural and very large areas.  It is one of the top 5 in the world and they have plans for more improvements even.  It also was well worth seeing.
The next day it rained so I slept late and spent the afternoon washing clothes.  Then Leroy and I went on a Lewis and Clark hunt.  He is into them and lots of history so I have learned a lot over the years but very little of what I can retain.  We went to the spot where they had set up their very first settlement to kick off their expedition.  It was pouring by then and both of us got totally drenched.
Today we prayed for nice weather and God obliged us.  We went over and went up into the arch.  Well let me tell you I should get a medal for my bravery.  Not only do i have unfounded fears of heights and close spaces I went.  You go to the top (630 feet) via a little egg shaped gondola inside the arch.  It is only barely big enough for 4 adults and you are close and very little head and leg room.  We got paired with a couple from Tennessee. Thank goodness.  They understood my fears and worked with me to help me keep my mind off where i was.  He cracked a bunch of dumb jokes and really did make it easier.  I asked them to accompany us down when they were ready.  I will post a picture of the egg as they had one in the lobby to look at. I am glad i didn't see it before i agreed to go up, or I may not have gone.  I only really had one tiny time where i thought I would lose it and got thru that.  The ride takes 4 min up and 3.5 down.  I took pictures at the top as their are small windows to look out and I was really proud I could even look out the window,  It was amazing and you can see for 30-40 miles in all directions and today the weather was gorgeous and the sky was blue, sun was out, and temps were in the high 50's.  We watched a great movie by national geographic about Lewis and Clark also afterwards.
Then we set out again to look for Lewis and Clark stuff.  we went back to the site and saw the buildings better, with a tour guide, who is also a historian and the info we got from him was unbelievable.  I couldn't believe one person could learn all that from different sources, remember it including dates, put it all back together and tell someone else all of it in such a manner as to be interesting.  I was mesmerized.  That tour took forever as the guy never stopped.
We found the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and saw the great waterways locks.  Leroy was in heaven.  he loves history and actually remembers things he learned in school.  Can you imagine that?
We were lucky when we were in Glacier that we finally found and got senior pass thru the park system.  It is a national thing and gets the holder of the pass and any people he has with him in to all national monuments, sites, anything that is national  FREE.  We knew that such a pass existed but up to that time could not find anyone who could tell us about it.  it is a great deal and only cost $10 i think, or 20.  I think it was 10 as that was jaw dropping also.  So we were able to use that today.  So anyone that doesn't have one should get one.
We are driving and I just looked up and saw a huge billboard for a  Bra Shop.  That's unusual.  Also gas here is around $3 a gal, occasionally less.
I have to say I pray the Good Lord continues to bless us as this trip is exactly what we had hoped.  We are seeing America the way we wanted to and meeting people and seeing things and learning things about our country that we didn't know. It truly is our long standing dream.  We will probably go broke and I am sure things will go wrong on the road, that is life but so far we expect the best and we have gotten what we expect. Everything isn't perfect always but we seem to be taking it in stride.  We both always felt it was crazy to go to another country to see it when we hadn't seen our own and we both feel blessed to live in this country as even with all its problems its still the best.
Dogs have been a bit neglected but after a few times out for a walk and a play each day they seem to take it in stride. They are great travelers as are the cats and birds.  We pray no breakdown is so severe we have to leave the motor home for its repair, that would be a true disaster.
Guess that is all for today's entries.  Am trying to get caught up with letters, emails, and phone calls to let those of you know that I still love you and miss you.

Pictures from my quilt trip

 Cant remember where some of these were but the one above explains itself.  Talked with employees, Liz still lives in winterset and it was kinda cool, tho the store was small and cramped.

 the above is ocean shores

 this one is sturgis southdakota

Anyhow, if i keep this up i may have to be better at recording the towns.  but you get the picture, i am hitting a lot.

Pictures from Iowa

 Our first campsite in Iowa.  Beautiful

 Wild Turkeys everywhere

 Winterset.  A Rexall drug store with a soda fountain still in it.  We had to sit and have pie, and a root beer float.

 Bridge of Madison county that was used in the film.  There were many but i only put this one in.

The quilt and Amish museum.  notice each square above the door way is a different carved and painted block.

pictures from Minn.

 The top one is a covered bridge in Zumbrota that we went over on our bike ride with my sister and her husband.  The bottom one is from the Mayo clinic tour.  I worked there for years, so did my sister, but we took a tour so we could see the changes.  The piano at the left truly is there for anyone to play and we heard many people play it while we were there.  Also employees devote volunteer time to go and play or go and sing on their lunch hours.  the place has grown since i was there and it is beautiful and being a non profit it is doing some incredible things.

 This is the trail that was made from the old railroad line a few blocks from my old house. Had it been there i would never have moved.  It is incredible.

 This is a dock at one of our nephews cabins up north Minn.  it was truly a great evening.  I think this could be an award winner too.

 This is Leroy at another nephews cabin back in his element, on the water.  he is an old hand at this.

 This is a picture mainly for Donna.  it is Leroy hugging the peeps display at the Peeps store at the Super mall of America.  He and Donna love peeps  he thought he had died and gone to heaven.  Notice the guy in the background thinks he is nuts.

some of the beautiful colors on the lake.  The colors weren't as bright as usual due to the low rain early on in the season but still beautiful.

10/28 Mon

OMG,  can't believe it has taken me so long to get back on.  I had connections but NO TIME.  We went to Purina Farms for the dog show.  We got there a week early, but the facilities manager just let us come in and settle in a week ago sun in the spot we had been assigned to go in on Thurs. So we got in days early.  As I previously explained about the facility, it was amazing. Beyond amazing.
So in those days we became friends with the facilities manager.  Enough friends that Leroy talked to him about getting some sort of work their next year.  I think it would be a fine place to spend a few months and save some money, be busy, work dogs and etc.  Its just in a suburb of St. Louis.  Then we made friends with the head dog trainer.  He trains and has a staff and they put on the world incredible dog challenge, and shows there daily.  they compete in dock diving, agility, Frisbee, and whatever else their dogs are good at.  They train in their daily shows that they put on twice a day.  I mean what a job Annie, its right up your alley.
After meeting him and telling him we needed a place to practice he agreed that we could practice in the incredible dog arena at night, so when you see it on TV you will know that we were able to work in that setting.  It was really cool, knowing what it was and being there.  Its on AstroTurf which was good as that is what we were going to have at the show.
So anyhow, we had a great time.  Two little towns near by gave us what we needed like a post office, a laundromat, walmart, and a train store for Leroy.
The show was fun and exciting.  Iris did fair, but did not lite the world on fire like i had hoped.  We did finish our points for our U-ACH title in agility but the next level we tried at she blew EVERY TIME.  She only took her Grand Class in conformation UNTIL I found a nice gal to show her and then she won Best of Breed class but lost in Group.  That doesn't surprise me as in UKC there are different breeds and really good specimens of the breeds that are there and they can be pretty big classes so I figure her showing was respectful.  We got lots of ribbons for qualifying which we did a lot but the scores were so high we didn't get much for placements.  A few fourths and a third.  NOW, Sallee did a fair amount better.  She took her altered class every time, she took her best of breed a few times and she got probably half her agility classes.  She blows a lot of them cause she barks and gets excited and doesn't listen and dashes around the course like a madman on her own.
So that was Purina.  We met some really nice people and their were lots of people we knew from Washington there.  That was cool.  We met a neat gal with Argentine dogos and she so wanted us to take one of the sweetest pups around, but we didn't.  It was so sweet we were tempted but used our heads instead of our hearts. But in making friends it helped her out as she had a flat tire on the way to the show and Leroy ended up helping her out as she had to leave the car and dogs there and hitch a ride to the show with a few dogs and then Leroy had to take her back to change the tire and pick it up.  You know Leroy, Mr. random act of kindness man.
The weather last week was cool, fall, frost in ams a bit, cool wind, beautiful colors, great fresh smell and in general gorgeous fall days running in thirties and forty's but today we are in St Louis and its 86.  God has blessed us with the most beautiful weather this whole trip so we are grateful.
Have to tell you all about my little bird Ella.  She loves the other animals.  She loves Iris and runs (literally) up to her, crawls all over her.  If Iris retreats as she did the other nite, she goes after Sallee.  Sallee is scared to death of her.  So then she is on the floor and she looks around.  No one else to go after and visit, oh, she sees a furry creature.  I will run (literally) over and see them.   The furry creature was Sydney, the cat.  You should have seen his eyes, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.  I caught the little Ella and picked her up before she got to Sydney.  She loves these animals.  She crawled into the crate with Diesel the other day and he wasn't sure what to think.
It seems everyone is having surgery and its a bad time for me to be gone.  Gherry had surgery and I am sure he and Donna could have or had use for me.  Soon Joyce will have surgery and she can use me.  Now I am finally retired and can help people and I am not around.  Feel bad about that!  So all of you concerned that read this please accept my apologies.
I am in the process of switching insurance.  My HMO dropped me so in process of talking with people and getting that done.  What a pain.  These companies have way to much power.  think I will go with a medigap policy thru mutual of Omaha and hopefully that will remain in place for a long time.
I had a lot to tell but waited so long its not here in me right now so if there is anything worth writing i will add it later.
We plan on staying in the st Louis area for a few days.  There are some things we would like to do and most of them are free.  We need to see the arch, and the dog museum and the Clydesdale's, and a few other things, maybe the zoo.  there is a Holocaust museum and a buterfly place, and a bird place.  The outer areas are depressed and kinda backwards looking but the area is totally beautiful and we are getting such a treat to fall, but above all the people are so nice, it is truly something to make you feel great about.  We forget there are so many nice people in the world,and traveling you either see the good ones or the bad and so far we have seen more good than bad.  But of course, we are such nice people how could it be anything else? ha ha ha.