Catching Up (Part 1)

For some reason, since last October I did not feel like posting here. I don't know exactly why, except possibly I was too tired to do so.

To rectify that, I will give you a pair of posts to catch up on things. The first one will take you to the end of 2024, with the second on the start of 2025.

Here's goes: In early November, I attended scale modeling shows in Columbia, Missouri and Topeka, Kansas. I earned two contest awards in each of those events. I also sought to get on the ballot to run for Director of Local Chapters of IPMS/USA in the 2025 e-board election. In December, I was elected as a Director for IPMS/Gateway for 2025.

Also in November, I volunteered at the St. Louis International Film Festival. I pulled shifts at Washington University's Brown Hall, the Chase Park Plaza Cinema, B&B Theatre, and the Hi-Pointe Theatre. Refereeing youth soccer's Fall season ended in late November. 

Julie and I got out photos taken with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus at Zenhorse. We also got together for Thanksgiving with her roommate Joan. Julie and I cheered on USA in its CONCACAF Nations League Quarterfinal match against Jamaica at CITYPARK (now Energizer Park).

December marked my 12th anniversary at Enterprise. My manager gave me a great review. I served as a course marshal at the Hot Chocolate Run in Forest Park.

For the Holidays, Julie and I toured light shows at the Missouri Botanical Garden, Grant's Farm, the Saint Louis Zoo, World Wide Technology Raceway, and Candy Cane Lane. We spent Christmas together with Joan and her relatives. I received nice gifts from Julie and family at Christmas.

My next post will take you up to the present. Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page

IPMS/Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter

St. Louis International Film Festival: SLIFF 2024

Zenhorse: Zenhorse | equine assisted therapy | Marthasville, MO, USA

Enterprise: Car Rental with Great Rates & Service | Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Missouri Botanical Garden: Missouri Botanical Garden

Grant's Farm: Home - The Grant’s Farm Experience | St. Louis, MO

Saint Louis Zoo: Saint Louis Zoo | Saint Louis Zoo

World Wide Technology Raceway: Home Page Indycar Bommarito 500 - World Wide Technology Raceway

Scale Modeling Saturday in Topeka; Soccer and Julie on Sunday

Early Saturday morning (11 November), I started the long drive to Topeka, Kansas. I was attending the third annual show by Ad Astra Modeling Club, which became an IPMS/USA chapter earlier this year. After some 4.5 hours of driving, I arrived at the show site, Fairlawn Plaza Mall.

After paying the registration fee, I placed my five contest models in their respective categories. I made my way around the show site, browsing among the vendors and admiring the other models in the contest. Additionally, I bought some raffle tickets and chatted with fellow scale modelers I know at the show.

I had a mishap in the morning when the Jupiter-C rocket fell off the contest table, splitting into three major components and two fins coming off the base. Fortunately, one of the Ad Astra members had super glue and accelerator he loaned to me and I was able to make repairs on the model and keep it in the contest.

There was lunch with homemade chili for the contest judges--among them me--and I was assigned to a three-person team judging automotive models. It went well and we determined the award winners in each automotive category.

Even before the contest results were announced, I was not leaving Topeka empty handed. I won three items in the raffle--two aircraft kits and a book on air warfare. I also bought an aircraft kit from one of the vendors. At the mall, there is a hobby shop, Dee & Mee Hobbies. I shopped there, buying a few sanding sticks. I also chatted with the shop owners, who knew about the St. Louis area shops. I left them an IPMS/Gateway business card.

Contest results were announced late that afternoon. I earned two awards for my entries. My T-55 took First Place in Armor: 1:35+ Closed Top Other after 1945. (To be fair, it was the only entry in this category.) My Prinz Eugen took Third Place in Naval 1/700 and Smaller. 

 

After packing up my models and loot, I said my goodbyes to the hosts before heading to my car to go home. I arrived late Saturday night after a journey of 638.4 miles (1027.4 km). I went to bed tired but happy.

Sunday morning, I was driving to Eureka Soccer Park to officiate three SLYSA youth soccer games. I had the middle on the first match, an under 13 girls' contest. It went smoothly, with no issues from players or coaches. I then ran lines on two under 14 girls matches and they also went smoothly. I was refereeing on a scraped right knee, having injured it from a fall on the sidewalk while running the previous Wednesday. It didn't bother me the whole set of matches.

After getting a post-game snack, I bought some groceries before coming home to shower and change. Late that afternoon, I picked up Julie and took her to Texas Roadhouse in Kirkwood for dinner. She had some gift cards from there that her realtor, Donna Flamm, had given Julie. We had a wonderful meal and conversation.

The day before, while in Topeka, I got an email from Michelle at Unbridled Focus that the photos she took of Julie and I at Zenhorse the previous Sunday were ready. I got the link to the site with the five photos Michelle selected for us. I downloaded the pictures and emailed them to Julie.

After dinner at Texas Roadhouse, I drove Julie back to her apartment and I then went home.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Ad Astra Modeling Club:  Ad Astra Modeling Club – Dedicated to the hobby of creating scale models

IPMS/USA: IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)

Fairlawn Plaza Mall: Fairlawn Plaza Shopping Center - Fairlawn Plaza Mall, Topeka KS

IPMS Gateway Chapter: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)

Eureka Soccer Park: Facilities • Eureka, MO • CivicEngage

SLYSA: Home - St Louis Youth Soccer (slysa.org)

Texas Roadhouse: Homepage | Texas Roadhouse

Unbridled Focus Photography:  Missouri Equine Photographer/Unbridled Focus Photography

Zenhorse: Zenhorse | equine assisted therapy | Marthasville, MO, USA

Weekend: Scale Models in Columbia; Sunday with Julie

Early Saturday morning (4 November), Don Will came over to my house from his residence in Carlyle, Illinois. He then rode with me to Marion Morris' house in Maplewood. The three of us, and two more from IPMS/Gateway, rode in Morris' minivan to David H. Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri. This school was the venue for TigerCon, the annual model contest and swap meet put on by IPMS/Central Missouri Scale Modelers. Besides the five of us who rode together, seven other Gateway members made the trip to Columbia.

After paying the registration fee, I entered my two aircraft models in the contest. The MiG-19 and the Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis" were two models I had built some years ago, but not entered in a contest. I realistically didn't consider them serious award contenders, but I at least wanted to have some models to enter.

I spent time shopping among the vendors, entering the raffle, admiring the other contest models, and chatting with fellow scale modelers I know. The vast majority of attendees came from around Missouri. I bought a book and kit from a vendor and won two aircraft kits in the raffle.

Late in the morning, I joined with other contest judges for a meeting with catered lunch that featured brisket and barbecue pulled pork. It was tasty and I headed a team judging armor and figures. There were some tough calls to make in judging the categories, such was the quality of models entered in this show.

Four of my Gateway chapter mates won contest awards. The biggest was by Jim Triola, whose 1:200 scale Bismarck won its ships category, Best of Ships, People's Choice Award, and Best of Show. 

After the show, most of us went to a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Columbia for dinner. It was a special meal, for this was the last show that Jim Victor would attend with us. He is moving out of state in a few weeks. It was a most satisfying meal with club mates before we returned home. After arriving at Morris' house, I drove Will to my house so he could return to his vehicle to go home to Carlyle.

Early Sunday afternoon, I picked up Julie from her apartment and drove us to Zenhorse, an equine rehabilitation facility in Marthasville, Missouri. It was hosting a photos with Santa event. Julie and I had photos taken there last year, so we decided to do it again. My friend Kit Maxwell, who runs Zenhorse, was dressed as Mrs. Claus, with her son as a Victorian gentleman and her husband as Santa.

Julie and I sat in a sleigh, flanked by Santa and Mrs. Clause. A horse from the facility was dressed as a reindeer. Michelle Huelsman from Unbridled Focus Photography took the pictures, as she did last year. I am looking forward to seeing the pictures come out in the coming days.

After the photos, Julie and I retired to a barn for hot chocolate and cookies. We also got caught up with Kit in our lives.

Then, it was on to the Armory for Julie and I. We were attending a watch party for St. Louis CITY SC's MLS Cup playoff match at Sporting Kansas City. This was game two of the best of three first round series, and CITY needed to win after Sporting's 4-1 win at CITYPARK one week before to stay alive.

Julie had never been to the Armory before and was impressed with the facility. There was a great crowd of CITY supporters on hand to watch the game projected on the big screen. St. Louis City Punks, Fleur de Noise, and STL Santos co-hosted the watch party.

Despite our best efforts at the party and CITY's on the pitch, Sporting won the match 2-1 to take the series. A disappointing end to the season for sure, but it should not take away from such a great inaugural season in MLS for CITY. The better team won this playoff series, but nobody can take away the regular season Western Conference championship for our side.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

IPMS/Gateway: IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)

David H. Hickman High School: Hickman High School / Homepage (cpsk12.org)

IPMS/Central Missouri Scale Modelers: Central Missouri Scale Modelers (cmsm-ipms.org)

Cracker Barrel: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store | Breakfast Near Me Restaurant | Delivery & Pick-Up

Zenhorse: Zenhorse | equine assisted therapy | Marthasville, MO, USA

Unbridled Focus Photography: Missouri Equine Photographer/Unbridled Focus Photography

The Armory: The Biggest Bar in St. Louis (armorystl.com)

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

Major League Soccer: MLSsoccer.com - The Official Site of Major League Soccer

St. Louis City Punks: SLCP Home (slcitypunks.com)

Fleur de Noise: Fleur De Noise

STL Santos: Home | Home | STL Santos

 

A Weekend with Julie: Dinner, Concert, World Cup Final

Yesterday afternoon (17 December), I drove to Julie's house in Florissant. We then headed to south St. Louis for dinner with Julie's son Dave and Dave's wife Barbe. Originally, we were to have dined at Menya Rui, a Ramen restaurant; however, we arrived to find a long line to get in. We then decided to have dinner at Noodles & Company in Hampton Village Shopping Center. We had a wonderful dinner with conversation.

After dinner, Julie and I said goodbye to Dave and Barbe before we headed to the 560 Music Center in University City. This venue hosted On This Shining Night, a concert of Holiday season music performed by BandTogether, a volunteer music organization in Metro St. Louis of LGBT+ performers. After a pre-show performance by BandTogether's Colorguard in the Pillsbury Theater, we walked to the Auditorium for the concert. Selections ranged from Ukrainian Bell Carol, to Dreidel Dance, to music from the movie Home Alone and the TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas, to Auld Lang Syne.

It was a most enjoyable concert witnessed by a large crowd in the Auditorium. After the show, I briefly said hello and thanks to one of BandTogether's tuba players, Harald Boerstler, who I know from volunteering at Circus Flora. I introduced Julie to Harald before we left the 560 Music Center to head back to Julie's house.

This morning, we had breakfast at home before watching the FIFA World Cup Final on TV. Julie found the match on Peacock, with Spanish language commentary, but we had no problem following the action between Argentina and France. 

We witnessed a match for the ages, as Argentina took a 2-0 lead, the France scored twice to level the match and send it to Extra Time. The teams traded goals in Extra Time, which ended drawn at 3 each. Argentina prevailed in the Penalty Shoot Out, 4-2, to win its third World Championship--the first for Lionel Messi, who scored twice in the match and had one of the shootout goals. France's Kylian Mbappe had a hat trick--only the second in a World Cup Final--and had a shootout goal. What a match. Julie was disappointed; she pulled for France. I was happy that Argentina won.

After the match, we printed off some photos that were taken of us two weeks before. These pictures were taken at Zenhorse, an equine therapy facility in Marthasville, Missouri run by my friend Kit Maxwell. She invited Julie and I for photos with Santa Claus (played by Kit's husband) and Mrs. Clause (Kit). Michelle Huelsman of Unbridled Focus did a great job taking the pictures that day. Julie and I each got two pictures printed off for our Christmas albums. (I had brought photo paper and printer ink Julie requested to her house yesterday afternoon.)

Julie and I stopped by a Starbucks for lunch before driving to South County Center. We met with Dave and Barbe, who brought their young daughter to the Santa photo booth. They invited Julie and I to join in the photo, and we did. I then dropped Julie back off at her home, with plans to meet again this coming weekend for Christmas, before going home.

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:

Noodles & Company: Noodles & Company | Classic Favorites with A Goodness Guarantee

560 Music Center: Welcome to the 560 Music Center | 560 Music Center | Washington University in St. Louis (wustl.edu)

BandTogether: BandTogether | St. Louis' LGBT+ Band and Colorguard since 1997 (bandtogetherstl.com)

FIFA World Cup: FIFA+

Zenhorse: Home | Zenhorse

Unbridled Focus: Unbridled Focus (mypixieset.com)

South County Center: South County Center | St. Louis MO (shopsouthcountycenter.com)