tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58952071739384638662024-03-24T13:13:43.071-05:00Bob Delaney At LargePersonal accounts of recent events in my life.Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.comBlogger695125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-21009403294903712072024-03-24T13:12:00.002-05:002024-03-24T13:12:57.383-05:00A Saturday in Maplewood and at CITYPARK with Julie<p style="text-align: justify;">Early yesterday morning (23 March), I picked up Julie from her apartment and we went to downtown Maplewood. The city was holding its annual Coffee Crawl event, in which downtown merchants offered samples of coffee or coffee-related items to participants.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Julie and I went on the Early Riser Tour, which began at 8:30 a.m. (There was a later tour during midday. After getting our tickets, we began going to the nine establishments taking part in the tour. As we got our samples, someone at each stop would mark our ticket to prove we had visited that particular place. Additionally, the Crawl offered ticket holders discounts on merchandise from other area shops. Julie and I took advantage of this to visit five of the 12 participating merchants. I bought a candle from Maven Bath and Candle Co. and a book from The Book House using the event's discounts.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We got through the tour by approximately 10:30 a.m. and I took Julie back to her apartment before going home. I stopped by Office Depot to get some home office items and browsed at Schaefer's Hobby Shop before returning home for lunch.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Late that afternoon, I returned to Julie's place to pick her up and take her to downtown St. Louis for St. Louis CITY SC's match against DC United at CITYPARK. After parking in a lot south of Enterprise Center, we walked approximately 0.5 mile (0.8 km) to "Louligan Street" (21st Street between Locust and Olive) for the St. Louligans Pre-Match Street Party. Julie and I each got dinner from a Schlafly good tent and I got a Schlafly Supporter Session Hazy Pale Ale from a beer tent.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhve3ce_8tpVfvsT8LZsb95sg8PLRiH_RXsKwNaIzbEkCo7H1d2xy14bZgJFcvBuJkQ6TZF_4xZ5VFhhQkDmLaEtkWx0oe4EWQ8Xb1rDFG0PWv2Yrb6h0wfuA6DXADcKDd6Auo7gqfVwRYBDVTHek11eLi8QB_1HVX-Wrbm-pGse8oVayon3OrrIXHkRGbe/s2992/20240323_173554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhve3ce_8tpVfvsT8LZsb95sg8PLRiH_RXsKwNaIzbEkCo7H1d2xy14bZgJFcvBuJkQ6TZF_4xZ5VFhhQkDmLaEtkWx0oe4EWQ8Xb1rDFG0PWv2Yrb6h0wfuA6DXADcKDd6Auo7gqfVwRYBDVTHek11eLi8QB_1HVX-Wrbm-pGse8oVayon3OrrIXHkRGbe/s320/20240323_173554.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">We also bought Schlaffle raffle tickets from the St. Louligans and also a St. Louligans button. Raffle and merchandise sales that night benefitted the St. Louligans' Charity du Jour, Colorectal Cancer Alliance. I got lucky as one of my raffle tickets was drawn. I selected one of two prize packages: two replica jerseys (Norwich City Josh Sargent replica and Inter Milan), some Fulham FC magnetic buttons, and a $50 Mission Taco Joint gift card.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-aYFkOY2mRBdAu_FdALMzTEDn7RIhgjH09Ta00j3ys0-q4_BNIChN7Q0GzZPIu7U0EVTgnqgCIDdsaFvyUr7Hyl4CUXHDbOt3-yPSlDV21x7hDgImsNNqT-HQf3w7FTIjuSDCgn60HkdqDL6cbIVl35JEOEymprGs6Jc-jU0aAQsaiQab5JIeo955Ma9/s2992/20240324_112153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-aYFkOY2mRBdAu_FdALMzTEDn7RIhgjH09Ta00j3ys0-q4_BNIChN7Q0GzZPIu7U0EVTgnqgCIDdsaFvyUr7Hyl4CUXHDbOt3-yPSlDV21x7hDgImsNNqT-HQf3w7FTIjuSDCgn60HkdqDL6cbIVl35JEOEymprGs6Jc-jU0aAQsaiQab5JIeo955Ma9/s320/20240324_112153.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIY2ShMXC_oGgpC_eZJI2oretf4LGtoI1xXHzy55RO9K1-caiRGXBobFrnPzWfSQqEZ0ps3-MkyhXFhjf00O27wLg2H35k6q-gHCmt2JDvIsAqnBbQjBFdLC2RfTCw5ldZAGjjn9h7q_40DT4se20RtXX8slc5IOkBlUvBkVjJYqCn_wNWMYdWa3lOu4J/s2992/20240324_112204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIY2ShMXC_oGgpC_eZJI2oretf4LGtoI1xXHzy55RO9K1-caiRGXBobFrnPzWfSQqEZ0ps3-MkyhXFhjf00O27wLg2H35k6q-gHCmt2JDvIsAqnBbQjBFdLC2RfTCw5ldZAGjjn9h7q_40DT4se20RtXX8slc5IOkBlUvBkVjJYqCn_wNWMYdWa3lOu4J/s320/20240324_112204.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhPbmn5Tu5rd2_H8w-SoCALxXRVHQwGgtAoZNwPe1cfFfqbNzTT_IM5MUpTNbA4NkTGqoZ-PYcmKThibB4ydTx77OwNQ4FmEv2TdkP3aSqXtoPbKjGkw-SM5Y8yW_RT6iana7eFNqehoapsbDF6ApLkGUOj7IIm1Yp9CmEypZ3sBTktVuXZCM8Rhg9f18/s2992/20240324_112248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><br /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eof1UL6UQlODXcagn95bhVbDHsFOX93Wgocz8yuQ4lvke0N39d_drkdWuJ9fO16J7JUOVn-vyUVrpAJRDczU8oPW48JF_ClY2G9volXbUeD3LpM9rwhtr1uInMVVIZylj7CwOPVi8vJOifpEyV7ZVyT8t8yrF85YVTV2vmiKeKO4V-ZaC3C5phzl2kLa/s2992/20240324_112248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eof1UL6UQlODXcagn95bhVbDHsFOX93Wgocz8yuQ4lvke0N39d_drkdWuJ9fO16J7JUOVn-vyUVrpAJRDczU8oPW48JF_ClY2G9volXbUeD3LpM9rwhtr1uInMVVIZylj7CwOPVi8vJOifpEyV7ZVyT8t8yrF85YVTV2vmiKeKO4V-ZaC3C5phzl2kLa/s320/20240324_112248.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8SChjAGBrWdFAHeqKLMPpVWMibiwRtdADPpvmDMvmc7_K7NcW33CD1frnaXi30r11hUebtqPvQpea8WP6FiDIKUt19Xg7IZ8nlf0qZpI7r41CyBC6aoPQ93rSUP_64Frl8o0m5Q0AN5VpIf3E-eR3Z7UkXJfaPHpJa740DZ-nigEuzFromKLJo-ixacsd/s2992/20240324_113126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8SChjAGBrWdFAHeqKLMPpVWMibiwRtdADPpvmDMvmc7_K7NcW33CD1frnaXi30r11hUebtqPvQpea8WP6FiDIKUt19Xg7IZ8nlf0qZpI7r41CyBC6aoPQ93rSUP_64Frl8o0m5Q0AN5VpIf3E-eR3Z7UkXJfaPHpJa740DZ-nigEuzFromKLJo-ixacsd/s320/20240324_113126.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Soon after the raffle, it was time for prepare for the march into CITYPARK. Julie and I joined in the chanting on Louligan Street before the supporters marched into the stadium for the match.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyuEsDlkRnyH7KVsviPLPMb5JMhcii7jxQwyAEyAX8Lxw1KKPxw1Ap63Aqy8UAnMjekTJTwS00HjbqdzNo2WQAj09aFuqd5NGq5dasSm46p5WYL7Pyg2X7qHXlVzNLeGDWxVLbnR7OdahGAA16P_7PAvd2IMBJUJ7VSbZy3hMcMwurd53VD5cUVJMpzEY/s2992/20240323_183107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyuEsDlkRnyH7KVsviPLPMb5JMhcii7jxQwyAEyAX8Lxw1KKPxw1Ap63Aqy8UAnMjekTJTwS00HjbqdzNo2WQAj09aFuqd5NGq5dasSm46p5WYL7Pyg2X7qHXlVzNLeGDWxVLbnR7OdahGAA16P_7PAvd2IMBJUJ7VSbZy3hMcMwurd53VD5cUVJMpzEY/s320/20240323_183107.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>After arriving inside CITYPARK, Julie and I found places in the Supporter Section to watch the match. Prior to kickoff, St. Louis soccer legend Lori Chalupny brought out the kickoff ball and then walked to the Supporter Section to wave one of the giant flags there.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQtVEiEyVKW_AgjcA8fBGx_V4cBschiiceqv__lLyBEU_2XlM3CCVGhbyTN_QNbAFwZvkyomeMtKsY089SxHbc-c9R0EIVz84eEHkgUlWlrj6FNVf137zhXiG4zoUpd5yZJz38uGJkNBRapB8V-83G9cdn0EEvVLI9TZk68Dpzi9qLPImTZXPR-6K4GMp/s2256/20240323_192215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2256" data-original-width="2256" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQtVEiEyVKW_AgjcA8fBGx_V4cBschiiceqv__lLyBEU_2XlM3CCVGhbyTN_QNbAFwZvkyomeMtKsY089SxHbc-c9R0EIVz84eEHkgUlWlrj6FNVf137zhXiG4zoUpd5yZJz38uGJkNBRapB8V-83G9cdn0EEvVLI9TZk68Dpzi9qLPImTZXPR-6K4GMp/s320/20240323_192215.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0z6qSpG5qrwLC6cSuMOh5espcvwke3rAJj_GgJYTdO94ZS57mIFqzbBTefLZL2nsWQkigz-0fk_CGaE0jtG299kMeLr86pJSbMmZfC8u_0Z03OjnQ6ULOfcRyAcG9INoqIjhfyNgnRs0eTQekcA_uTFGYts_q6YzfsXiBFe9yiw7XkrSSdlvA7XkpErb/s2992/20240323_192801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0z6qSpG5qrwLC6cSuMOh5espcvwke3rAJj_GgJYTdO94ZS57mIFqzbBTefLZL2nsWQkigz-0fk_CGaE0jtG299kMeLr86pJSbMmZfC8u_0Z03OjnQ6ULOfcRyAcG9INoqIjhfyNgnRs0eTQekcA_uTFGYts_q6YzfsXiBFe9yiw7XkrSSdlvA7XkpErb/s320/20240323_192801.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The match was uneven, with players having problems putting passes together. Fortunately, Josh Yaro connected in the 19th minute to put CITY ahead. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-tizS5DW40RlJ75ovSERcrM_xugJKbDk4WnYFl5oWr3cqWusGIW2Lo02422-rSOENvX7g6vngfKxmXZ0lkFlN6Ulky0feROyWuCEtrkqwW8yEIEqnOdw3CYwV5jICi7JfmxXubsv_JldiXxe2ycnHtQ3lb73MVqVfu1k-rN_QhEpnDQRua_pn1lSg3vq1/s2992/20240323_194906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-tizS5DW40RlJ75ovSERcrM_xugJKbDk4WnYFl5oWr3cqWusGIW2Lo02422-rSOENvX7g6vngfKxmXZ0lkFlN6Ulky0feROyWuCEtrkqwW8yEIEqnOdw3CYwV5jICi7JfmxXubsv_JldiXxe2ycnHtQ3lb73MVqVfu1k-rN_QhEpnDQRua_pn1lSg3vq1/s320/20240323_194906.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">However, DC United tied it up two minutes later and took the lead in the 28th minute. In the second half, both teams made efforts to score, but CITY would equalize on a Joao Klauss penalty in the 70th minute. DC United and CITY got into each other's faces in the late going, with several cautions issued. Even with over 10 minutes added to the second half, neither side could score, and the match ended drawn at 2 apiece. CITY remained undefeated in the first five games of the season.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Julie and I each picked up a team poster on the way out of CITYPARK and walked back to my car. I then took her back home before taking myself back home. It was quite a terrific day for us.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Maplewood Coffee Crawl: <a href="https://www.cityofmaplewood.com/enjoy_maplewood/area_events_and_happenings/coffee_crawl.php" style="text-align: left;">Coffee Crawl (cityofmaplewood.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Maven Bath and Candle Co.: <a href="https://mavenstl.com/" style="text-align: left;">Maven Bath & Candle Co. – Maven Bath & Candle Co. (mavenstl.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Book House: <a href="https://www.bookhousestl.com/" style="text-align: left;">The Book House - 7352 Manchester Rd., St. Louis | Located in historic downtown Maplewood, a browser's paradise - expect the unexpected (bookhousestl.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Office Depot: <a href="https://www.officedepot.com/" style="text-align: left;">Office Depot OfficeMax | Official Online Store</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Schaefer's Hobby Shop: <a href="https://schaeferhobby.com/" style="text-align: left;">Hobby, Beads, R.C. Cars - Schaefer's Hobby Shop - St. Louis, Missouri (schaeferhobby.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Schlafly Tap Room: <a href="https://www.schlafly.com/tap-room-brewpub/" style="text-align: left;">Tap Room Brewpub - Schlafly Beer</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louligans: <a href="https://stlouligans.com/" style="text-align: left;">Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">CITYPARK: <a href="https://www.stlcitysc.com/stadium/" style="text-align: left;">CITYPARK | St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Colorectal Cancer Alliance: <a href="https://colorectalcancer.org/?c_src=MDM2024search_google&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=MarchDonationMatch2024_REV&msclkid=33544355a7d91d3dbad92555cb6dc752" style="text-align: left;">Colorectal Cancer Alliance</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis CITY SC: <a href="https://www.stlcitysc.com/" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)</a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-37071399766072337132024-03-18T20:26:00.000-05:002024-03-18T20:26:50.558-05:00St. Patrick's Day 2024: Dinner, Concert, Parade, and Soccer<p style="text-align: justify;">Late Saturday afternoon (16 March), I drove to Julie and Joan's apartment for dinner. They served up corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots for St. Patrick's Day the next day. It was a delicious meal to enjoy with my girlfriend and her apartment mate.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After dinner, we got into Julie's car and drove to the 560 Music Center in University City for Band Together's 27th Anniversary concert. The three of us were part of a good-sized crowd that took in the concert, which featured such selections as the Theme from The Muppet Show and Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie, Rhapsody in Blue, and the theme from Lawrence of Arabia. These musicians put their heart into the music and the audience greatly appreciated their efforts. Certainly, Julie, Joan and I had a good time at that show.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTI27WueYiX39rrKEq78rAc-9N29qxDWHdewTbOk0mCQat-70f265BlAU26djvrVG-rG9VP3hDpF4FyYp0xjvF6E5sSiJjrPa4Ntrw7wHesUwlADZs7jhKXA-kqcTgXiX_Et8-ZxgC652_gHTI-rGTZstRqwUBOgI-6b5zryqJI6cfg8b1rRQnN7vTyFSd/s2992/20240316_210825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTI27WueYiX39rrKEq78rAc-9N29qxDWHdewTbOk0mCQat-70f265BlAU26djvrVG-rG9VP3hDpF4FyYp0xjvF6E5sSiJjrPa4Ntrw7wHesUwlADZs7jhKXA-kqcTgXiX_Et8-ZxgC652_gHTI-rGTZstRqwUBOgI-6b5zryqJI6cfg8b1rRQnN7vTyFSd/s320/20240316_210825.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNMnfd9gRI5JGw8sVR7U9374m0lGcmylXe3IgbofVqmYSFaUsJO0NrVOMW3jEEoUSK3B1E9OlHo8YcRtA9TJaX__2nlyoUEtf_51vyPheNw6aYV3jI0_ZWap0cnozIqKvLSdWP3vR8reFTjo_Un3iCR9caTHbtjPf_W6vDExN5T_RL-vA6cEDWAV7jU4L/s2992/20240316_210834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNMnfd9gRI5JGw8sVR7U9374m0lGcmylXe3IgbofVqmYSFaUsJO0NrVOMW3jEEoUSK3B1E9OlHo8YcRtA9TJaX__2nlyoUEtf_51vyPheNw6aYV3jI0_ZWap0cnozIqKvLSdWP3vR8reFTjo_Un3iCR9caTHbtjPf_W6vDExN5T_RL-vA6cEDWAV7jU4L/s320/20240316_210834.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLwrPed9abnPRfgr_hbfOd0rhT4zs7veqfBGr9YsyYci2PzpDtKrHHKwR6iTaquwtvyeV7eJBRss9ZcaoupDXiSfbj16vo9YZCSbdhqdsep0B5npYx_sV5DiUPiwB_Mc5nl-iZJONHvtuXf1AsezvI4z9uT5rVuovT4Vn3_yLqhrBCwzZfG-I57RRK4ut/s2992/20240316_210830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLwrPed9abnPRfgr_hbfOd0rhT4zs7veqfBGr9YsyYci2PzpDtKrHHKwR6iTaquwtvyeV7eJBRss9ZcaoupDXiSfbj16vo9YZCSbdhqdsep0B5npYx_sV5DiUPiwB_Mc5nl-iZJONHvtuXf1AsezvI4z9uT5rVuovT4Vn3_yLqhrBCwzZfG-I57RRK4ut/s320/20240316_210830.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After returning to their apartment, I got into my car to get home and some sleep. I was up early the next morning (17 March), getting a little breakfast and packing up my things before driving back to Julie and Joan's apartment. There, we got back into Julie's car to drive to the Dogtown area of St. Louis. We were going to watch the annual St. Patrick's Day parade through that historically Irish neighborhood, which was organized by the Ancient Order of Hibernians.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After parking in garage south of the Saint Louis Zoo, we walked into Dogtown to find a place along the parade route. We found a spot along Tamm Avenue just south of Wade to watch the parade with some friends of Julie and Joan. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinskrAQU91hxavQ_FOqgSwiGJv4BTATn5ED5xird62rcfc26a0uxxl1vE0N-n8t4rJsBGKM7ssPQ7LKuWyUm6ctAp7lYpd94-hN4AaIPxuvYLqOzUi6W2Y8Mx52VRm2hwFSqJbgPaS49_m17GDWWZm9Gzs9IM8SShkwqfhDIgLfNe0sFsYMCQ3Ou8wGH9z/s2256/IMG_20240317_102149_514%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2256" data-original-width="2256" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinskrAQU91hxavQ_FOqgSwiGJv4BTATn5ED5xird62rcfc26a0uxxl1vE0N-n8t4rJsBGKM7ssPQ7LKuWyUm6ctAp7lYpd94-hN4AaIPxuvYLqOzUi6W2Y8Mx52VRm2hwFSqJbgPaS49_m17GDWWZm9Gzs9IM8SShkwqfhDIgLfNe0sFsYMCQ3Ou8wGH9z/s320/IMG_20240317_102149_514%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Around 11:00 AM, the first units marched past us. These included several politicians, the Budweiser Clydesdales, and mascots Louie from the St. Louis Blues and Fredbird from the St. Louis Cardinals. There was rather large crowd who came to watch this parade, and they were most happy seeing these units go past them.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47DuNbwsEmH1sEGfCjRtg6sovmntZcud5SQKya4E66P0z-S5bUYg0FngEZjXgfsvbxesx6ReWuDvi6UmOQBDP594nP2qjx9XTq299GbXe45SHyBgZg8D1JIfkwbB99pYSTCBL05wQQxMI9uwhqGtQdjpf6-rBhiVrjqXdceal8x2KfdSjg0Lr7B1cfIRn/s2992/20240317_111421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47DuNbwsEmH1sEGfCjRtg6sovmntZcud5SQKya4E66P0z-S5bUYg0FngEZjXgfsvbxesx6ReWuDvi6UmOQBDP594nP2qjx9XTq299GbXe45SHyBgZg8D1JIfkwbB99pYSTCBL05wQQxMI9uwhqGtQdjpf6-rBhiVrjqXdceal8x2KfdSjg0Lr7B1cfIRn/s320/20240317_111421.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUSGhGmjKIwXSeNF2wp_0nM3nDW7vReYhKPNThdwlMTKo1Xtiw2reRfUx8EfRCsRsOuM-fq-IhLt6EqlXsLdMLnI94-a57mb_W1F03hPC8DkM_R-GzJFupC_-Ah_4_qcJ9DOMKzOPDvWap_83-flmAYMAJJDrOf8wJWmV5FYoI7HOyTf_S9ElL6QabjNm/s2992/20240317_112831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUSGhGmjKIwXSeNF2wp_0nM3nDW7vReYhKPNThdwlMTKo1Xtiw2reRfUx8EfRCsRsOuM-fq-IhLt6EqlXsLdMLnI94-a57mb_W1F03hPC8DkM_R-GzJFupC_-Ah_4_qcJ9DOMKzOPDvWap_83-flmAYMAJJDrOf8wJWmV5FYoI7HOyTf_S9ElL6QabjNm/s320/20240317_112831.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBilq9feQZN5EUkHajt0mqd8BvP43ybFvC2rB93Qnw434dV_xefQGlk6YnwDDMTeX2IH8sYcwRviVen9pA4K8niSUaw6UoAJArB8TsBrMIhLOelvxoJXcJXqMa1IfQ__62J7j5oHQRn5BVXNqGr5puu8V1SzY-S2Pqi66ziczxu18lhHcE_jLNlp9s-80N/s2992/20240317_113305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBilq9feQZN5EUkHajt0mqd8BvP43ybFvC2rB93Qnw434dV_xefQGlk6YnwDDMTeX2IH8sYcwRviVen9pA4K8niSUaw6UoAJArB8TsBrMIhLOelvxoJXcJXqMa1IfQ__62J7j5oHQRn5BVXNqGr5puu8V1SzY-S2Pqi66ziczxu18lhHcE_jLNlp9s-80N/s320/20240317_113305.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Compared to the larger Downtown St. Louis parade, which is held on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day, the Dogtown parade is held on St. Patrick's Day and is more geared towards traditional Irish clans. What this parade lacks in size it makes up in neighborhood spirit and ethnic pride.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoBG2o0cbODSsIijacaFk2Eo87YSgKb9MYGdypyMUKlsKB5MflTjK6eqtx1vi5D32L0PUCtXuSDMuS5yyhSETCYMrHBNVfqcdJkwtjtAbkONk1ti4szd84W5gy_x-LIABSuXWc6GglBS4ECOlk3UPoz4GWp9uulHCGn1UjBTjZpECj1bUJj4Qb1hU1tWba/s2992/20240317_114054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoBG2o0cbODSsIijacaFk2Eo87YSgKb9MYGdypyMUKlsKB5MflTjK6eqtx1vi5D32L0PUCtXuSDMuS5yyhSETCYMrHBNVfqcdJkwtjtAbkONk1ti4szd84W5gy_x-LIABSuXWc6GglBS4ECOlk3UPoz4GWp9uulHCGn1UjBTjZpECj1bUJj4Qb1hU1tWba/s320/20240317_114054.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiND-Wowax3w24QtOaAOu7BZFA7WVlMLI5PPkb-qYEw8wbvevf8IjxDSp-kQAqESr6CYhi1_3xmYHq8u5XR5c-HnJQzQJQaM8OGxQqlSTrd-HO7s_H7whz8zAnKeCMwQ7QEE4ygqrZXYaLAHgBvGHPAgLTcBIRGKvFgcmb1N12nPlxKWi5PPy-FPG9mEfXa/s2992/20240317_113556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiND-Wowax3w24QtOaAOu7BZFA7WVlMLI5PPkb-qYEw8wbvevf8IjxDSp-kQAqESr6CYhi1_3xmYHq8u5XR5c-HnJQzQJQaM8OGxQqlSTrd-HO7s_H7whz8zAnKeCMwQ7QEE4ygqrZXYaLAHgBvGHPAgLTcBIRGKvFgcmb1N12nPlxKWi5PPy-FPG9mEfXa/s320/20240317_113556.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6K3ySh1UcOYiPvIGTDBsnyAjKxj-Ek2uVkdGyLDlMtbOyE5ojrXhO12_QIB-tqC8b1dvL5Gt6AFkMmtOhNOYBTVQO1TeArb3iAM-Q7bwxTJxyAndGcA5g80KqqZ8OFtV_IWX4L6w5nDH-DV3-2EiVklvzzAq4bt3XxGmGM5DTY9A8F9aQS4OqTf7Aw41/s2992/20240317_113525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6K3ySh1UcOYiPvIGTDBsnyAjKxj-Ek2uVkdGyLDlMtbOyE5ojrXhO12_QIB-tqC8b1dvL5Gt6AFkMmtOhNOYBTVQO1TeArb3iAM-Q7bwxTJxyAndGcA5g80KqqZ8OFtV_IWX4L6w5nDH-DV3-2EiVklvzzAq4bt3XxGmGM5DTY9A8F9aQS4OqTf7Aw41/s320/20240317_113525.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kUcJAjh7ZhSGSBpwsNNsMwil0O0oT-DWTQGQf31-VLJPrG5EQcKFPtKw8mAckupbHJnWILLvL6d6A5XOM_hvzAmuYbyavKDeCpxcEMJYjYXLmPxtBdVT-klQKU9lmam9y-ZtBIfS8iPMY-z56HbldDt33x-B6EEmXYWsDa0k2EApEJf3c6u2-K0AdNLl/s2992/20240317_113812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kUcJAjh7ZhSGSBpwsNNsMwil0O0oT-DWTQGQf31-VLJPrG5EQcKFPtKw8mAckupbHJnWILLvL6d6A5XOM_hvzAmuYbyavKDeCpxcEMJYjYXLmPxtBdVT-klQKU9lmam9y-ZtBIfS8iPMY-z56HbldDt33x-B6EEmXYWsDa0k2EApEJf3c6u2-K0AdNLl/s320/20240317_113812.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsFb4I5NFcS7NarUwUMc-F8eo53w3Msj9x6he6X1ODxTjbAQs4eD9XV9YFeSIlanwZdtjVwwK_KmxxPF_KtRtGDgvyYd_GHcpHgiPedN_mr_JavqCAuLLnfayHbRtrg6_L2KKcIyWUYRVPUarKARcYihB8wVoR663WZdoUq3qPYcTFP_qmFjVmdvP6heT/s2992/20240317_114955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsFb4I5NFcS7NarUwUMc-F8eo53w3Msj9x6he6X1ODxTjbAQs4eD9XV9YFeSIlanwZdtjVwwK_KmxxPF_KtRtGDgvyYd_GHcpHgiPedN_mr_JavqCAuLLnfayHbRtrg6_L2KKcIyWUYRVPUarKARcYihB8wVoR663WZdoUq3qPYcTFP_qmFjVmdvP6heT/s320/20240317_114955.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJa25OrT3YbQ-NXv9gyfnBlMiSHFl9QRsEfG7HgiRFBwPdoNpjhhyno-pVBHUfQHHY_NswklWPkQpHydzewVF8bmS60r3zdOJtJj687u2XKvZQdGYhHymAZfPTM2mh5FkP2OagSRlZX53zXswtA-VBB0RS54y8KX4w3gAa3VGhF9V12DmC6yR8aDiCamlW/s2992/20240317_114500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJa25OrT3YbQ-NXv9gyfnBlMiSHFl9QRsEfG7HgiRFBwPdoNpjhhyno-pVBHUfQHHY_NswklWPkQpHydzewVF8bmS60r3zdOJtJj687u2XKvZQdGYhHymAZfPTM2mh5FkP2OagSRlZX53zXswtA-VBB0RS54y8KX4w3gAa3VGhF9V12DmC6yR8aDiCamlW/s320/20240317_114500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZ-tnQnYru6_ry_73DfbA4Ps0MIFGv9nQD9BKawFIKdA-txSIrygr33Wn19DlJh63_Py61VZL3VClIHlCT0mUZ3iAGCUwnV2sXB0Vngj9Z_eqOzEbJ4SESheJJMJcd7QQ__SBC-zilHMtX2N-K1fdVeBVVnEZvccxWXTwRpgd1NpMVldQdE9kJ3O5ww9q/s2992/20240317_115732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZ-tnQnYru6_ry_73DfbA4Ps0MIFGv9nQD9BKawFIKdA-txSIrygr33Wn19DlJh63_Py61VZL3VClIHlCT0mUZ3iAGCUwnV2sXB0Vngj9Z_eqOzEbJ4SESheJJMJcd7QQ__SBC-zilHMtX2N-K1fdVeBVVnEZvccxWXTwRpgd1NpMVldQdE9kJ3O5ww9q/s320/20240317_115732.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">After the parade ended about 12:30 PM, we started off to the get back to the car. Julie had left earlier to freshen up, so I accompanied Joan to walk up towards the car. On the sidewalk in front of St. James the Greater Catholic School, Joan tripped up and fell, hitting her face on the grass-covered ground. Some bystanders and I helped her to relax and police and paramedics soon arrived on the scene. After the paramedics stabilized her, Joan was helped up to her feet.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I called Julie and she arrived on the scene to find out what happened. She then headed to the parking garage to get her car and drive to a side street, where Joan and I went to await Julie. It was around 1:10 PM when Julie came and I helped Joan into the car before I got in and we then headed to their apartment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On arrival there, I made sure Joan was in the apartment before taking leave of them to drive to World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton, where I was to referee St. Louis Youth Soccer Association matches. I arrived at the Soccer Park in plenty of time to finish getting into my uniform and getting water and a snack from the concession stand before getting to the field.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That day, I ran lines on two under-14 girls matches, with a middle on an under-14 boys match in between. The games went well, with no real issues on the pitch. My partners--a father and son--brought along communications gear normally associated with professional matches. I had only used it once, when I ran line on an under-12 tournament game nearly a year ago. It took a bit of getting used to, but using these communications devices sure helped our crew to effectively manage these matches. The real issue for everyone to deal with was the wind, which made for a cold late afternoon and early evening out there.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While tired in my legs from all the standing and running, I was happy to get the job done and came home to prepare for bed. I checked with Julie and she told me Joan is fine. I was so glad to hear that as the day ended.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">560 Music Center: <a href="https://560.wustl.edu/" style="text-align: left;">Welcome to the 560 Music Center | 560 Music Center | Washington University in St. Louis (wustl.edu)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Band Together St. Louis: <a href="https://www.bandtogetherstl.com/" style="text-align: left;">BandTogether – St. Louis' LGBT+ Band and Colorguard since 1997 (bandtogetherstl.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dogtown: <a href="https://aboutstlouis.com/local/neighborhoods/dogtown-neighborhood" style="text-align: left;">About St Louis Missouri - Information on Attractions, Shopping, Dining, Schools and more</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ancient Order of Hibernians: <a href="https://aoh.com/" style="text-align: left;">The Ancient Order of Hibernians – The Oldest and Largest Irish-Catholic Organization in the United States. Established 1836 (aoh.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">World Wide Technology Soccer Park: <a href="https://www.slsgsoccer.com/facilities" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis Scott Gallagher — Club Soccer in Saint Louis (slsgsoccer.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis Youth Soccer Association: <a href="https://www.slysa.org/" style="text-align: left;">Home - St Louis Youth Soccer (slysa.org)</a></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-30778734696491315242024-03-10T09:24:00.003-05:002024-03-10T09:24:52.671-05:00Road Trip to Kansas City for 2024 KC CON<p style="text-align: justify;">Early yesterday morning (9 March), my IPMS/Gateway colleague Don Will arrived at my house. He got in my car, and we drove to Marion Morris' house in Maplewood. The three of us, plus Dave Thomas, got into Morris' minivan and we drove to St. Peters to pick up Jim Triola and Tom Aldred before we headed west to Kansas City, Missouri. We were bound for KC CON, a scale modeling contest hosted by IPMS/Great Plains.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Our westbound trip included a stop at McDonald's in Boonville to get breakfast to go. We arrived in mid-morning at First Church of the Nazarene, the show venue. I brought along two entries in the model contest; Will, Thomas, and Triola also entered models. My entries were in Armor: a Bren Gun Carrier and a 6 pounder Anti-Tank Gun, both in 1:72 scale. These models were built for last month's IPMS/Gateway Modeler of the Year Contest.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxRt8wEXbrBFval1qCzU6ojJQlgx09AjpPCX6EYTzouaqqWFFLWg8RnuFbBTbanO58oq2BxEx0v3T_JVonKFWulq5lNu6M4Pe7SDNPg9_vMwxotJwc-8FM0XREfLl_QrRx8sAC1vULQh2svtCJKwWCjOiVzFyZ0aF6dKLLoaOi-p3prf6ps1vSPtkBppM/s859/20240309_103503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="644" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxRt8wEXbrBFval1qCzU6ojJQlgx09AjpPCX6EYTzouaqqWFFLWg8RnuFbBTbanO58oq2BxEx0v3T_JVonKFWulq5lNu6M4Pe7SDNPg9_vMwxotJwc-8FM0XREfLl_QrRx8sAC1vULQh2svtCJKwWCjOiVzFyZ0aF6dKLLoaOi-p3prf6ps1vSPtkBppM/s320/20240309_103503.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikz8YA9wahl3VyemFGAbGZkovG5xKyoZDB1eQ3zobB7yK1Rl_12S2EmupJVFiluum061HYDbDXk1dMeH8SU36FICwXwI7x63ALoHf6E-YHYCFQ23PSX7a99y8bUQApThf-cuXqZCurpVuvyUWozZZ0oaJjS9jaZRQVGQMkJFKJd7RrhQzwvO-CPyFxQZPc/s859/20240309_094633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikz8YA9wahl3VyemFGAbGZkovG5xKyoZDB1eQ3zobB7yK1Rl_12S2EmupJVFiluum061HYDbDXk1dMeH8SU36FICwXwI7x63ALoHf6E-YHYCFQ23PSX7a99y8bUQApThf-cuXqZCurpVuvyUWozZZ0oaJjS9jaZRQVGQMkJFKJd7RrhQzwvO-CPyFxQZPc/s320/20240309_094633.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwiIOkFqsNUuCDdsWGNmwD3bLfZNDfv6p6flcdp3txn_EXkqOOoVgylLVvYOzuHRtRPC0NSJn5AaBvS7_0kpd4nw86yvmwkV7o3rLfR_plcNnYjAjpVtcnuqbiFgfEVkVEYjJ25gz5wddCKr4_3kNL-2QSsXCv0Fe9ZdW6YUmJFk265ImIPbrMzrUzWfW/s859/20240309_094618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwiIOkFqsNUuCDdsWGNmwD3bLfZNDfv6p6flcdp3txn_EXkqOOoVgylLVvYOzuHRtRPC0NSJn5AaBvS7_0kpd4nw86yvmwkV7o3rLfR_plcNnYjAjpVtcnuqbiFgfEVkVEYjJ25gz5wddCKr4_3kNL-2QSsXCv0Fe9ZdW6YUmJFk265ImIPbrMzrUzWfW/s320/20240309_094618.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After placing my contest entries, I began to walk among the contest tables to see what was also entered to that point. I also bought some raffle tickets and browsed among the vendors. Among the latter was another IPMS/Gateway mate, Gary Chambers. Additionally, I said hello and chatted briefly with fellow scale modelers I know. Seeing fellow scale modelers and admiring their work is one of the great attractions to these shows for me.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I got lucky in the raffle, winning two kits (one of which had photo etched metal detail parts included). Shopping among the vendors yielded another kit from one vendor and some finishing supplies from another.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DBxtqyTEPFIugwq6rLUAvmNKqG4ZVSasWQvKEG7Re0Y_MxG9hd1-s52v9EWJek8LRxhZYz27sZOXzkOtxDKqAr5yMIDjQxLx-X_nm_v4oSuoqhVPKBvKziaRSIucSAFsDtu3HEacvndDGXEy1I2OUZ9QVorgkA1f9j1bebZtNzGiLlnTT_Uub79H2YLF/s1440/430119884_10161452465378713_3114438568510408530_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DBxtqyTEPFIugwq6rLUAvmNKqG4ZVSasWQvKEG7Re0Y_MxG9hd1-s52v9EWJek8LRxhZYz27sZOXzkOtxDKqAr5yMIDjQxLx-X_nm_v4oSuoqhVPKBvKziaRSIucSAFsDtu3HEacvndDGXEy1I2OUZ9QVorgkA1f9j1bebZtNzGiLlnTT_Uub79H2YLF/s320/430119884_10161452465378713_3114438568510408530_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LUfH-mKaVsqhht8L-XT-FNg5yu9wVsDGceC_1paW0i32ESqyAOIkn8RcKAITUBm1RSe08AinVM41bzeM8z28vBnU0Ngy9TbssY536SBSQ802QeomovhKHzxHMiVzPiSRZaIdKn4n4ZdpFD5vJe5qamp20rbDthW1Q_ShnyENyC23sE4kyeL4qzIhHfPZ/s1440/431897133_10161452465373713_235791773231909888_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LUfH-mKaVsqhht8L-XT-FNg5yu9wVsDGceC_1paW0i32ESqyAOIkn8RcKAITUBm1RSe08AinVM41bzeM8z28vBnU0Ngy9TbssY536SBSQ802QeomovhKHzxHMiVzPiSRZaIdKn4n4ZdpFD5vJe5qamp20rbDthW1Q_ShnyENyC23sE4kyeL4qzIhHfPZ/s320/431897133_10161452465373713_235791773231909888_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Late in the morning, I attended the contest judges meeting, where pizza was served for lunch. They had plenty of judges, which is always good. I joined four others in helping judge aircraft entries, with Bill Pettyjohn and I forming one of two teams to help judge the categories more efficiently. The teams judged all the aircraft entries in good time. I was then asked to help judge entries in mecha (science fiction giant walking machines or robots). Although I have had a little experience with these models, it's not something I have built yet. Fortunately, my two fellow judges were more familiar with mecha, and we got these entries judged.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I took some more photos of contest entries for the IPMS/Gateway Facebook page and chatted with IPMS/USA Second Vice President Scott Hackney for a while before the contest results were announced. Both my entries took Third Place in their respective categories: The Bren Gun Carrier in 1:72 Allied tracked vehicles to 1945, the 6pdr Anti-Tank Gun in 1:72 Ordnance. Neither was a terrific model, but it was entered in categories with little competition.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghq8GoFsKRPF_Q5AQnSC0FJrTj_Ity9aTom1YeWUwD4xDj6aH4T0rQ4E4ZpBdkNempB-3b5BAaSXyjwBLhdt44UstHFcQMgZxmTPijwGxDTAn8KlF1WAmJ_V-n-BeKJMgYKPYEcndkNfV8Z2G0q6kTCJ8fm2nWaAQAXS3eUFuD96ErrlEO-LwNc5tgK4H5/s1440/431876388_10161452120823713_8807407359580878281_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghq8GoFsKRPF_Q5AQnSC0FJrTj_Ity9aTom1YeWUwD4xDj6aH4T0rQ4E4ZpBdkNempB-3b5BAaSXyjwBLhdt44UstHFcQMgZxmTPijwGxDTAn8KlF1WAmJ_V-n-BeKJMgYKPYEcndkNfV8Z2G0q6kTCJ8fm2nWaAQAXS3eUFuD96ErrlEO-LwNc5tgK4H5/s320/431876388_10161452120823713_8807407359580878281_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vVBNvZ98s3oi-oxpsQeLWP8sMWKKvxS8rKZ7kW1TudecjRhDxuPxFVBXRn7i7aMFmM7nKh5oX-nsW4tNxDJmTtPzICh0nCfWjjJL4v8ZmwqwIkxcOQ139mhlgdcOFdBsk6giW3t36YXZ6-qSOCfcBZRvlfV0ZavHzcE8kK71BzxwGKOw5fKXEbE-q6W-/s1440/431869719_10161452120898713_6132890141657315780_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vVBNvZ98s3oi-oxpsQeLWP8sMWKKvxS8rKZ7kW1TudecjRhDxuPxFVBXRn7i7aMFmM7nKh5oX-nsW4tNxDJmTtPzICh0nCfWjjJL4v8ZmwqwIkxcOQ139mhlgdcOFdBsk6giW3t36YXZ6-qSOCfcBZRvlfV0ZavHzcE8kK71BzxwGKOw5fKXEbE-q6W-/s320/431869719_10161452120898713_6132890141657315780_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Triola took a First Place for his F-4C Phantom II, and Will's Joker and Harley Quinn placed Second in Fantasy Figures. I was happy for them.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the show ended, I packed up my things and got into Morris' minivan. Our party then began the journey home, stopping for dinner at a Culver's in Columbia. After we got back to Morris' house, Will and I entered my car and I drove home, where I let Will out to get back into his truck to return home. It was definitely a good day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">IPMS/Gateway: <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home" style="text-align: left;">IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">IPMS/Great Plains: <a href="http://www.ipmsgreatplains.org/default.htm" style="text-align: left;">IPMS Great Plains</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">McDonald's: <a href="https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us.html" style="text-align: left;">McDonald's: Burgers, Fries & More. Quality Ingredients. (mcdonalds.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">First Church of the Nazarene: <a href="https://kcfc.org/" style="text-align: left;">KC First Church of the Nazarene | Welcome (kcfc.org)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">IPMS/USA: <a href="https://ipmsusa.org/" style="text-align: left;">IPMS/USA | IPMS/USA Home Page (ipmsusa.org)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Culver's: <a href="https://www.culvers.com/" style="text-align: left;">Culver's Restaurant | Frozen Custard, Butterburgers & Cheese Curds (culvers.com)</a></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-51145875696165553792024-02-25T20:32:00.001-06:002024-02-25T20:32:37.581-06:00Round 2 for CITY SC: 2024 Season Opener<p style="text-align: justify;">Late yesterday afternoon (24 February), I picked up Julie at her place and drove us to a reserved parking lot in downtown St. Louis. We then walked about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) to the Schlafly Tap Room for the St. Louligans pre-match party. St. Louis CITY SC was opening its second Major League Soccer season by hosting Real Salt Lake.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">(CITY SC actually played its first match the previous Tuesday night, hosting Houston Dynamo in the first leg of the First Round CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament. CITY won 2-1 and the second leg will be in Houston this Tuesday night.)</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Julie and I made our way down Louligan Street (21st Street north of Olive) and bought dinner from the Cluck Oink Moo Sliders food truck. I had two pork slides with french fries and they were very tasty. I then bought a Pale Ale from a Schlafly beer tent and Schlaffle tickets from the St. Louligans tent. Julie bought Schlaffle tickets and a t-shirt from the St. Louligans. We were having fun.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3p0VAfYavKxoZwNJzWKu3roeWBA98AZHlGu4BkM7gfeds4uAKJyBPHviGu2CHlL-x8f83W1TF-GoXVUulGgg54y1VtpLYtvcTXqyw7F4idi-p4RgLX_V0Gb58nt4glFtF_BLvAuj6GpN4eT7rlEeOcBPV3q9g5D5gaPoa3DX50BK19B_TBDCRympPfQCc/s1800/429824690_10161430271328713_4695509618469584725_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3p0VAfYavKxoZwNJzWKu3roeWBA98AZHlGu4BkM7gfeds4uAKJyBPHviGu2CHlL-x8f83W1TF-GoXVUulGgg54y1VtpLYtvcTXqyw7F4idi-p4RgLX_V0Gb58nt4glFtF_BLvAuj6GpN4eT7rlEeOcBPV3q9g5D5gaPoa3DX50BK19B_TBDCRympPfQCc/s320/429824690_10161430271328713_4695509618469584725_n.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XMWMJTaDH98GcwGggBg2P-clvoiJIqvWNogGBpnoTFa_mD3fm9qD5CfIScf8v2hkCnjUBb4QexiRLOLnyo330qwztNsUfGFYJlZ5wUEj6UYkBqN_vZ243MsMzxKGdHvgGr2AxWRw3RO9RPanOJcXbe_NSCirEk6_GfFBApihVIp1ikJOPbOV2tLB6MCz/s1080/thumbnail%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XMWMJTaDH98GcwGggBg2P-clvoiJIqvWNogGBpnoTFa_mD3fm9qD5CfIScf8v2hkCnjUBb4QexiRLOLnyo330qwztNsUfGFYJlZ5wUEj6UYkBqN_vZ243MsMzxKGdHvgGr2AxWRw3RO9RPanOJcXbe_NSCirEk6_GfFBApihVIp1ikJOPbOV2tLB6MCz/s320/thumbnail%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jgLJP2uTcO-HCMJbwQ0jhmv2faFSzDPHL5d8D5Rd2VIZnaeZxTOrFAWJFGfulsQLSSFzDhiJLvTI_qA9qAc2k2G3ZqNmuctC9CMMF0cln8wBr5tQ3tBYkxV6li8qUlU7AY9iTUna3E3urPJDS1n1aOLcGcFN007o4cdMTW-gTKxaezmpqr1fldUbWWSz/s1080/thumbnail%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jgLJP2uTcO-HCMJbwQ0jhmv2faFSzDPHL5d8D5Rd2VIZnaeZxTOrFAWJFGfulsQLSSFzDhiJLvTI_qA9qAc2k2G3ZqNmuctC9CMMF0cln8wBr5tQ3tBYkxV6li8qUlU7AY9iTUna3E3urPJDS1n1aOLcGcFN007o4cdMTW-gTKxaezmpqr1fldUbWWSz/s320/thumbnail%20(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_EWHYFSv16kIWD88ERDPw4S6S2DsNuNupFInyPi6CJphxj_VPMMRiLAJluwE89REMzii0SIoUWio-QlMbwA8l23xXxklsdcicvwjHX6WiuQjuEoHxpwAf5mSje0Bb1YALqFfWPHQgJf0hZPvAoiKFpxlcU5Qlcwjkxojrh2ptuI8bXfDK_ys206xyARM/s1080/thumbnail%20(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_EWHYFSv16kIWD88ERDPw4S6S2DsNuNupFInyPi6CJphxj_VPMMRiLAJluwE89REMzii0SIoUWio-QlMbwA8l23xXxklsdcicvwjHX6WiuQjuEoHxpwAf5mSje0Bb1YALqFfWPHQgJf0hZPvAoiKFpxlcU5Qlcwjkxojrh2ptuI8bXfDK_ys206xyARM/s320/thumbnail%20(3).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYcjTHg7BrMgT_SgSaTOxlF3W53lGPKoHhlDOfbI11DDU4D8rElrDKRVixOTbL-O84DRPh6I1CXW67TQMYCkMZWAZmB0o3GNDGPCxVlt46-XKPkLWCZyqyS8dFEVpYYJ6XHvPPdXM9I3rlwR_iF4-b-01BFmsv4XOtoKMEvYNmoaBPbloBfU1AwF6fXoN/s1080/thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYcjTHg7BrMgT_SgSaTOxlF3W53lGPKoHhlDOfbI11DDU4D8rElrDKRVixOTbL-O84DRPh6I1CXW67TQMYCkMZWAZmB0o3GNDGPCxVlt46-XKPkLWCZyqyS8dFEVpYYJ6XHvPPdXM9I3rlwR_iF4-b-01BFmsv4XOtoKMEvYNmoaBPbloBfU1AwF6fXoN/s320/thumbnail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Just over an hour before kickoff, Julie and I joined with other supporters to sing and dance for a few minutes on Louligan Street before beginning the march into CITYPARK. It was rather cold and a big windy last night, but we were not going to let that stop us from showing our devotion to CITY SC. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">After entering CITYPARK, we went to look for a standing place in the Supporter Section in the stadium's North End. However, we found it a fruitless search; it seemed every standing place in the section was occupied. We ended up in the area behind some seats in the northwest breezeway facing the pitch. Not the greatest experience, but it worked out for Julie and I.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoFimtZl1JtJVWv8NZbG8g0IQsq6VIZFkoZ3vnyPAbo27OqeUjEykcToDHBHjtTHVg22e8PeA1_7ng5F4tzVMjDw9YlzwMgbN0gMfYwgRKxk0GtSA7ounK-O7ogiW_D3E7zuGspdM9RuekbMyA2f1Sn8iP2EyAU7fO77I4tjf3jf2GrQ2zINMYZHgoBgu/s1080/thumbnail%20(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoFimtZl1JtJVWv8NZbG8g0IQsq6VIZFkoZ3vnyPAbo27OqeUjEykcToDHBHjtTHVg22e8PeA1_7ng5F4tzVMjDw9YlzwMgbN0gMfYwgRKxk0GtSA7ounK-O7ogiW_D3E7zuGspdM9RuekbMyA2f1Sn8iP2EyAU7fO77I4tjf3jf2GrQ2zINMYZHgoBgu/s320/thumbnail%20(4).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWFQHwDB8MJnDY3OtPrYuIkWRYbw5FsuARloJWuDlerjKfuXrJ-srGrL17kN6lhEy2ubh4L0ykXGRXsoroWL_uD85S3T1hwbxX98P7aQ5VOq7XDuIrfCP5zC0y0EcJO-9o-Qpo0iky_5zoqHNZc6Iw5K3CrxTk-oBGYCg9-W290uuFqu7szLWheofb5ID/s1080/thumbnail%20(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWFQHwDB8MJnDY3OtPrYuIkWRYbw5FsuARloJWuDlerjKfuXrJ-srGrL17kN6lhEy2ubh4L0ykXGRXsoroWL_uD85S3T1hwbxX98P7aQ5VOq7XDuIrfCP5zC0y0EcJO-9o-Qpo0iky_5zoqHNZc6Iw5K3CrxTk-oBGYCg9-W290uuFqu7szLWheofb5ID/s320/thumbnail%20(5).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kUzjdCN-2shSfDVqtWT0owhmvW9wDPxwdX_8f2MtISt57B9LSyBKasZdhXvRbJGXI_16njQiLalB6E1EqGFuM-un8cwtK_-eH_nVGDo-EOHcJxrAhrizo_HKN2doU2cFSFxcVUYKsPFebEKb7qmfx-qJJ-PzIxFLwgtP8G9fbzQalxdPOPBHlBMWVY7U/s1080/thumbnail%20(6).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kUzjdCN-2shSfDVqtWT0owhmvW9wDPxwdX_8f2MtISt57B9LSyBKasZdhXvRbJGXI_16njQiLalB6E1EqGFuM-un8cwtK_-eH_nVGDo-EOHcJxrAhrizo_HKN2doU2cFSFxcVUYKsPFebEKb7qmfx-qJJ-PzIxFLwgtP8G9fbzQalxdPOPBHlBMWVY7U/s320/thumbnail%20(6).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After a scoreless first half, Real Salt Lake tallied in the 74th minute. Undaunted, CITY SC fought back and leveled it on Sam Adeniran's goal in the 79th minute. That's how the match ended, a 1-1 draw. I'm sure we would have preferred a CITY win on the season opener, but it still was good in that we got a point in MLS play.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oG_SVl925Lq2u7sFuh90baqnf2sgj84avkRVrGc47FfdAS7PBtf6KLbN8YN-co2BkTFxw6SFw3NrqOCxFjFwQDUcQF1qo-EA9IT5E5nbA7OLIUTS4V1HJhX3PJhV_pMfCO963mGfBiftdskLqKf0XdH0hUdsPfKSNfhIUJQf7-Ck7dWp585Tb7ccl7zo/s1080/thumbnail%20(7).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oG_SVl925Lq2u7sFuh90baqnf2sgj84avkRVrGc47FfdAS7PBtf6KLbN8YN-co2BkTFxw6SFw3NrqOCxFjFwQDUcQF1qo-EA9IT5E5nbA7OLIUTS4V1HJhX3PJhV_pMfCO963mGfBiftdskLqKf0XdH0hUdsPfKSNfhIUJQf7-Ck7dWp585Tb7ccl7zo/s320/thumbnail%20(7).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFU2R7pAhVyuj_RblZrvifNMgQeM586xsw6Ih1VxMiyz45qernR4nXoEtcuBwyUFKEh3z-TSzJalRe5IYSLvBy4CYYrB7wpq6tBkYNbUHEvM7lZVQcq2pNit7g-4s5aEoR0bRK4gOlf1wNgmvEovxQG_7X1i-OYp7vd9ctH4YTr5e0PgwOojRyUqGvZnJ9/s1080/thumbnail%20(8).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFU2R7pAhVyuj_RblZrvifNMgQeM586xsw6Ih1VxMiyz45qernR4nXoEtcuBwyUFKEh3z-TSzJalRe5IYSLvBy4CYYrB7wpq6tBkYNbUHEvM7lZVQcq2pNit7g-4s5aEoR0bRK4gOlf1wNgmvEovxQG_7X1i-OYp7vd9ctH4YTr5e0PgwOojRyUqGvZnJ9/s320/thumbnail%20(8).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2LDXyz9w9VxjdOgUg-nEIKRqhob6CehMyAAYYceAKjseUijrwjoH2PfZ8HqILQh9TYZi0kcKL_2QEaPKR6Otu9ojZ0Qp29w5vaHTsZ6cjV7Lmpm4QMC890IXp1RrwjQtCiyEJOJQTKcU9Yxt66V75hb35XJUARQzpYTEwf_OmHXS4RWaAwogYiGmmMSr/s1080/thumbnail%20(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2LDXyz9w9VxjdOgUg-nEIKRqhob6CehMyAAYYceAKjseUijrwjoH2PfZ8HqILQh9TYZi0kcKL_2QEaPKR6Otu9ojZ0Qp29w5vaHTsZ6cjV7Lmpm4QMC890IXp1RrwjQtCiyEJOJQTKcU9Yxt66V75hb35XJUARQzpYTEwf_OmHXS4RWaAwogYiGmmMSr/s320/thumbnail%20(9).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">After the match, Julie and I walked back to my car. Our legs were tired from all the standing, but we got to my car in the lot safe and sound. I then drove Julie home after yet another great date. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">CITY SC returns home this Saturday to host New York City FC. It should be fun.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Schlafly Tap Room: <a href="https://www.schlafly.com/tap-room-brewpub/" style="text-align: left;">Tap Room Brewpub - Schlafly Beer</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louligans: <a href="https://stlouligans.com/" style="text-align: left;">Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis CITY SC: <a href="https://www.stlcitysc.com/" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Major League Soccer: <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/" style="text-align: left;">MLSsoccer.com - The Official Site of Major League Soccer</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cluck Oink Moo Sliders: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cluckoinkmoosliders/" style="text-align: left;">(4) Facebook</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">CITYPARK: <a href="https://www.stlcitysc.com/stadium/" style="text-align: left;">CITYPARK | St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)</a></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-18293639187051636712024-02-25T11:26:00.000-06:002024-02-25T11:26:07.602-06:00IPMS Gateway February 2024 Meeting<p style="text-align: justify;">Right after work this past Tuesday (20 February), I headed to Affton Elks Lodge #2635 for this month's Gateway Chapter IPMS meeting. I helped set up some items for the meeting, including flyers for upcoming shows, and prepared to assume my Treasurer's duties taking down the meeting minutes.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I also entered two models in this month's Modeler of the Year (MOY) Contest, the first of four this year. Per custom, the February Contest is all Out of the Box (OOB); that is, no modifications to the kits. Kit instructions were required to be included with each entry. The night before, I just finished two Airfix 1:72 scale armor kits that were packaged together: the Bren Gun Carrier and the 6pdr Anti-Tank Gun. Both kits should have been easy to do, but each had fit issues that made them harder than I bargained for. Nevertheless, I had two kits to enter and to earn MOY points.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapxswe2Wltn7tqTYNHFoWKKPDNLRxRngGKQEaU-jMfyIwFZgQQms9YbjJ30RSA1BYGX4fYWMbzJdPD5BM-hXx73Pg_l2-D8qEx8eQ44rzj4NrB5tM4eVirhDJbs4d9HBk2ZccW9PtntZ3Fg1Gd_S_MQ3qlJJdIwSh-7-bwYKjO06VFAT9Vy3vLoAWpwlF/s2048/428629003_741567038079296_765385011630431921_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapxswe2Wltn7tqTYNHFoWKKPDNLRxRngGKQEaU-jMfyIwFZgQQms9YbjJ30RSA1BYGX4fYWMbzJdPD5BM-hXx73Pg_l2-D8qEx8eQ44rzj4NrB5tM4eVirhDJbs4d9HBk2ZccW9PtntZ3Fg1Gd_S_MQ3qlJJdIwSh-7-bwYKjO06VFAT9Vy3vLoAWpwlF/s320/428629003_741567038079296_765385011630431921_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQ64hU66_v0nfw1L71afoKG_m3hPtwpyjFYRlqgZb0gTq8NejM_JLomVkPr_rTT-2riVSVW0L2JdMpAsNjfEtLQTjmOFUFFU-B5aO2_R6wCSsYWUJArsCwXxzRXEy3d0jifNT17Cs6Rj19M12yDxxk7x1Xb7P4S8esudeQeGRUHSA2MeLwsTDuEquQCgR/s2048/428630320_741567081412625_539514380260563773_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQ64hU66_v0nfw1L71afoKG_m3hPtwpyjFYRlqgZb0gTq8NejM_JLomVkPr_rTT-2riVSVW0L2JdMpAsNjfEtLQTjmOFUFFU-B5aO2_R6wCSsYWUJArsCwXxzRXEy3d0jifNT17Cs6Rj19M12yDxxk7x1Xb7P4S8esudeQeGRUHSA2MeLwsTDuEquQCgR/s320/428630320_741567081412625_539514380260563773_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I had some pretty tough competition in Armor this night and I did not place. Still, it was good to pick up two points per entry: one each for entering and one for the month's Special Category (OOB). There were 21 total contest entries this night from nine members. That sounds like a good start for the year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KqD6ewl3TiQdlmF5aCz4vpQZq_OROJ5O25pzQgOo-moHnIbhaX25BmfVRAx4m0DagpP-Yint88nzbCoueVXNEusvDK9m9Xh4ugmO6giOxkcmmenDOxET7YDH-MWct-vxgLGP2bQfnDIQ_Is-Cettycwa1Xf-gubMPncEiRKnKdwqRKSDK640ldiAdFCz/s2048/428618055_741569364745730_1541892887889445944_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KqD6ewl3TiQdlmF5aCz4vpQZq_OROJ5O25pzQgOo-moHnIbhaX25BmfVRAx4m0DagpP-Yint88nzbCoueVXNEusvDK9m9Xh4ugmO6giOxkcmmenDOxET7YDH-MWct-vxgLGP2bQfnDIQ_Is-Cettycwa1Xf-gubMPncEiRKnKdwqRKSDK640ldiAdFCz/s320/428618055_741569364745730_1541892887889445944_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">This meeting also had the usual announcements of upcoming events and Show & Tell, where members bring in their latest projects (complete and in progress) and other items of interest.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiK1WJrQM4JPlDAYCeIFXrP__5Bx3lGDRiylQ_2JRn1OyXOeWAlP4IjvTSuiWzfDzT8jXOrUqgWXm0nM2uHp_TITZq8m2-SziVWF7IkTtzkjfuDziL1tbLYxhmkhMckPEVxAATUVtPaa4tA2duHNDpJ3Lq51QH7Kw3ZOhBVju-gQ05mGyetSs2aONeuZfO/s2048/428617583_741565998079400_1168252341627640355_n%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiK1WJrQM4JPlDAYCeIFXrP__5Bx3lGDRiylQ_2JRn1OyXOeWAlP4IjvTSuiWzfDzT8jXOrUqgWXm0nM2uHp_TITZq8m2-SziVWF7IkTtzkjfuDziL1tbLYxhmkhMckPEVxAATUVtPaa4tA2duHNDpJ3Lq51QH7Kw3ZOhBVju-gQ05mGyetSs2aONeuZfO/s320/428617583_741565998079400_1168252341627640355_n%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcF0GU-7gpxlfsVIUNDXkbhLss4I-oo_wi36Z9Q8h3AHuoQ16gOxio4BzC7Y_fWZroOzAlAevyt1CbvT6LBTkOosuW6keTxYi5xT3CELSFN_KmfhcdaIyhMnWbGspUW2gAV-Aaxs79r_izCBpAF3opdB4_yludhIp6Rn1vpUXquIkD2RUWzSvpycW9KV0/s2048/428627455_741565968079403_7519900457343837148_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcF0GU-7gpxlfsVIUNDXkbhLss4I-oo_wi36Z9Q8h3AHuoQ16gOxio4BzC7Y_fWZroOzAlAevyt1CbvT6LBTkOosuW6keTxYi5xT3CELSFN_KmfhcdaIyhMnWbGspUW2gAV-Aaxs79r_izCBpAF3opdB4_yludhIp6Rn1vpUXquIkD2RUWzSvpycW9KV0/s320/428627455_741565968079403_7519900457343837148_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our featured program was a demo by Jim Triola on detailing and finishing aircraft bombs. He demonstrated his techniques, which include: assembling bomb halves using tube glue; painting bomb tail fins a darker shade than the bomb bodies; adding jewelry wire to the bombs for arming wires; and weathering bombs using oil paint in a dot filter process. It was quite an informative demo from Jim.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3EdgKKJV0PIJOqczZ_R9sJL22ywm5vYmud3yqSU99uulGH3yNy_JX34ZUmfl43pXJSFkdNRyA59J1SiuF8FWso3WmIVw9r6c6PK_vM4UD_zwwMFHxwGsQqcIKcTjFMUnDeCsHAlAMA6KgAu2EOdzk8bkm-hD8urm2KvXH3IM7IXPLuFQo3JTNhEMFPVH/s2048/428620816_741568788079121_908692964642549686_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3EdgKKJV0PIJOqczZ_R9sJL22ywm5vYmud3yqSU99uulGH3yNy_JX34ZUmfl43pXJSFkdNRyA59J1SiuF8FWso3WmIVw9r6c6PK_vM4UD_zwwMFHxwGsQqcIKcTjFMUnDeCsHAlAMA6KgAu2EOdzk8bkm-hD8urm2KvXH3IM7IXPLuFQo3JTNhEMFPVH/s320/428620816_741568788079121_908692964642549686_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The next IPMS/Gateway meeting is Tuesday, 19 March at 7:00 PM at the Affton Elks Lodge.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Affton Elks Lodge #2635: <a href="https://www.elks.org/lodges/home.cfm?lodgenumber=2635" style="text-align: left;">Lodge #2635 Welcome (elks.org)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">IPMS Gateway Chapter: <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home" style="text-align: left;">IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Airfix: <a href="https://www.hornbyhobbies.com/shop/model-kits?langPath=hornbyhobbies-us&filters%5Bmandatory_filter_by%5D%5Bproduct_us_category%5D=US%20plastic%20model%20kits&page_id=118481&sort-by=8&page=1" style="text-align: left;">Plastic Model Kits | Hornby Hobbies USA</a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-66279439432051224562024-02-18T18:12:00.000-06:002024-02-18T18:12:20.639-06:00The Week with Julie: Valentine's Day at the Zoo; CITY Season Kickoff at the Armory<p style="text-align: justify;">Valentine's Day this year fell on a Wednesday (14 February)--my off day from work. Julie took that day off from her work and together we went to the Saint Louis Zoo. Before we left her apartment, I gave her a fresh long stem rose and a large, heart-shaped collection of artificial red roses in a lollipop configuration. Julie loved both items.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Arriving at the Zoo, we walked among several areas that we didn't get a chance to see the last time we were there this past November. We walked through the Herpetarium and the Primate Trails, then visited Big Cat Country. It was a pleasant day for a visit and some Zoo animals were outdoors for us to enjoy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmC40F8jT1E5IbYl7bnEzZqbptgXe9FQOL81XkiLAzJ0fpMK7zwba7X9RaJnrO-3Ue3NmIilkR75kXcxrEmOuo2VmX_2olZ9DhtZutO7onTFuFAJfaUrwS8xmwfNjSj_mccBPbNsXOl4gDeks7wD-HI_t9e_1qYPUuLmX_galU-nKqSlz4YcVNZi1ai349/s2992/20240214_131545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmC40F8jT1E5IbYl7bnEzZqbptgXe9FQOL81XkiLAzJ0fpMK7zwba7X9RaJnrO-3Ue3NmIilkR75kXcxrEmOuo2VmX_2olZ9DhtZutO7onTFuFAJfaUrwS8xmwfNjSj_mccBPbNsXOl4gDeks7wD-HI_t9e_1qYPUuLmX_galU-nKqSlz4YcVNZi1ai349/s320/20240214_131545.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrJAL-mIzY5ibC_Ax22BKf5NLh4jeO_g6TwOIhYmrFC9-PNkC9IaVSRXy-xzsE0rNDVe01Z6MyDc7jVCFz2JrJKtgwP6pYVXZbdSK-qTNokdM0GE_OiW8nW_CdJ5LJ15ftVA78IqDHLmCIOqjuieEIjj2szCywE0hDrnwNoTDlELLuLEznSGNysInoixd/s2992/20240214_133051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrJAL-mIzY5ibC_Ax22BKf5NLh4jeO_g6TwOIhYmrFC9-PNkC9IaVSRXy-xzsE0rNDVe01Z6MyDc7jVCFz2JrJKtgwP6pYVXZbdSK-qTNokdM0GE_OiW8nW_CdJ5LJ15ftVA78IqDHLmCIOqjuieEIjj2szCywE0hDrnwNoTDlELLuLEznSGNysInoixd/s320/20240214_133051.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Next, Julie and I went to the Bird House and Bird Garden to see some some feathered creatures on display. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMo2DEY9vJn5vgg4-PgoAd2fr393SmirKjGxwrH7XkXHcKOAjlXQhzbCNSptrN-u8HFu1MPzxBFLC4No97pcElOl5ahNH4gnl2VTtGQ3g-fzf_bDQHtryElYA33bSH1TW3fpl9npwyPrdmqPdF3er9xCQYvFFaFAQZSk2WA9oWy-suJOQNsJ815_bY01X/s2992/20240214_141119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMo2DEY9vJn5vgg4-PgoAd2fr393SmirKjGxwrH7XkXHcKOAjlXQhzbCNSptrN-u8HFu1MPzxBFLC4No97pcElOl5ahNH4gnl2VTtGQ3g-fzf_bDQHtryElYA33bSH1TW3fpl9npwyPrdmqPdF3er9xCQYvFFaFAQZSk2WA9oWy-suJOQNsJ815_bY01X/s320/20240214_141119.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnzUwwyuEIUurvTO7VVbvsIppOCArwbw3nRgvYcs-VdHzHZkIyh4w8hWq1jWfqFSWAYMhn7-Npv_Kg9eROozHVb2sx5NWXuXvZWWFE_Pa9RHacW0jypbTR2BViyAyhNIZyCkmdBDXjOGD9-qJhJDOPEeR_Ma6D_pvolKCkQgWckwdTjzqefasdZ2ufvok/s2992/20240214_141958%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnzUwwyuEIUurvTO7VVbvsIppOCArwbw3nRgvYcs-VdHzHZkIyh4w8hWq1jWfqFSWAYMhn7-Npv_Kg9eROozHVb2sx5NWXuXvZWWFE_Pa9RHacW0jypbTR2BViyAyhNIZyCkmdBDXjOGD9-qJhJDOPEeR_Ma6D_pvolKCkQgWckwdTjzqefasdZ2ufvok/s320/20240214_141958%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We then walked over to see some gazelles before entering the Cypress Swamp in the 1904 Bird Cage.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2eaLP_M9mWsrLpgBj4m1pIZNZSFm19vAxHt3D-Ju2Y_8NCBgdoFidIOK1BAVsK4691zmYK5OZfM_LEFbSH7rXnXwLKsd10ibaLJOAs8NYODDQ2n836rTVuCXiDCsujXriikrOLaSGeBU7JmORmJjN-rraTsgko7NPYWe121kM8gJgGgei3aWIct3DdTy/s2992/20240214_142539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2eaLP_M9mWsrLpgBj4m1pIZNZSFm19vAxHt3D-Ju2Y_8NCBgdoFidIOK1BAVsK4691zmYK5OZfM_LEFbSH7rXnXwLKsd10ibaLJOAs8NYODDQ2n836rTVuCXiDCsujXriikrOLaSGeBU7JmORmJjN-rraTsgko7NPYWe121kM8gJgGgei3aWIct3DdTy/s320/20240214_142539.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AfO5HmR5lNs3nHOpYm2pcsZeYwyol3_D43ebHuQAnDDfPfLVFqoOcAkfhoSbGbZelhHpg4TstKnmrfXM_LnBO0FV5f1fOpW6weAQOdDIuZyzA4TpNHwmKFqwtokAGRU967O8zkfNJ8SpTZJzfOjtKj91VYy1oC0s4FYTaFiOe6UjeUdLef-wbc-s6HF3/s2992/20240214_142900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AfO5HmR5lNs3nHOpYm2pcsZeYwyol3_D43ebHuQAnDDfPfLVFqoOcAkfhoSbGbZelhHpg4TstKnmrfXM_LnBO0FV5f1fOpW6weAQOdDIuZyzA4TpNHwmKFqwtokAGRU967O8zkfNJ8SpTZJzfOjtKj91VYy1oC0s4FYTaFiOe6UjeUdLef-wbc-s6HF3/s320/20240214_142900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />After that, Julie and I entered a theater to see The Polar Express 4D Experience. It was an edited version of the movie The Polar Express, a movie based on a children's book set at Christmastime. We used the borrowed 4D glasses to fully enjoy the experience. It was very entertaining.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Julie and I then went through The Wild and Lakeside Crossing before leaving to return to her apartment. It was a fun way for us to spend Valentine's Day together.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPQKuYf0R-NG2uGUrrnZ7NKEg5cOU34h-1NUgIxVtutD3GD1RuJ-pQKH-2PffJ8hdTrjE9rXoj0FDMQljqVZIDeIgQHBMNMBKvy6NFemUGklTFq9rcvSy2PvJSCyjlNXC_a4OuodQKx8ZEUSCA9eIMRLIsB37jehWeOGew8tjNL7CKRwghwXGSXcNL1qJ/s2992/20240214_150453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPQKuYf0R-NG2uGUrrnZ7NKEg5cOU34h-1NUgIxVtutD3GD1RuJ-pQKH-2PffJ8hdTrjE9rXoj0FDMQljqVZIDeIgQHBMNMBKvy6NFemUGklTFq9rcvSy2PvJSCyjlNXC_a4OuodQKx8ZEUSCA9eIMRLIsB37jehWeOGew8tjNL7CKRwghwXGSXcNL1qJ/s320/20240214_150453.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagNJolOEespnePlQoIhB7Nbnso1cRBgymjoUPAtQe4pVYMUIsInmeom3P2-HjOcsSXfdgdQcIZm9XJ5bK9Ou3XKUCZ-69O-kF9vAiKuQ5nqgWvXbLOqiM2zBm5zaPRyO3teO6MQU7x2Co7mYkqiWs2JbMZAg8nyqt6nbLk9tuGEDboeLcuXSoZRt2aNCY/s2992/20240214_150600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagNJolOEespnePlQoIhB7Nbnso1cRBgymjoUPAtQe4pVYMUIsInmeom3P2-HjOcsSXfdgdQcIZm9XJ5bK9Ou3XKUCZ-69O-kF9vAiKuQ5nqgWvXbLOqiM2zBm5zaPRyO3teO6MQU7x2Co7mYkqiWs2JbMZAg8nyqt6nbLk9tuGEDboeLcuXSoZRt2aNCY/s320/20240214_150600.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday (17 February), we went to the Armory for St. Louis CITY SC's Season Kickoff event for season ticket holders. When Julie and I arrived, Fleur de Noise and STL Santos were leading the various chants during the matches. There were many fans in attendance at this event. Some played the games at the Armory--Julie and I tried cornhole--and others enjoyed refreshments from the bars and restaurant. CITY sold souvenirs, including the new Confluence Kit--a white away shirt with CITY Red trim. Some kids did a bit of training under the CITY Futures program. The various supporter groups had information and merchandise tables set up: St. Louligans, St. Louis City Punks, STL Santos, Fleur de Noise, No Goal Patrol, and No Nap City Ultras.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUvRwvSWVMY4_7urN7ml-OT5fm4NB1N9ppvgYYEtrTv1iP4JTY0W2ucUToXahTN0uCGsOnWQXwA_yY7-7oElG5_H_yoMp5ZGCJA0AsgpyGLhY1TZxrKGStCJOGnT74rUsV3m8KwhUNnDnv56xMjWatgQK3CsEePchL24qHmW7_PKaO1d2_MPIPH0VtPWZ/s2992/20240217_114708%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUvRwvSWVMY4_7urN7ml-OT5fm4NB1N9ppvgYYEtrTv1iP4JTY0W2ucUToXahTN0uCGsOnWQXwA_yY7-7oElG5_H_yoMp5ZGCJA0AsgpyGLhY1TZxrKGStCJOGnT74rUsV3m8KwhUNnDnv56xMjWatgQK3CsEePchL24qHmW7_PKaO1d2_MPIPH0VtPWZ/s320/20240217_114708%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3M1rQ9g_VN8ppmQ_B6_7E1rQuyNR2EbtfXzBRg5ZZ9CWFD7S_chYIb64EwN31eBB3g9qNTP5_nK8T6bw3erdBusBpx15KW43x7ozr98pT3YVCWodeZjrEgXbrNfimKa0eQHBX2xs5BO0GUbN2bqTp6FMmaDuIsnng6Jt-BI9xuA9R_H0ObcR7drbu7p1i/s2992/20240217_114852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3M1rQ9g_VN8ppmQ_B6_7E1rQuyNR2EbtfXzBRg5ZZ9CWFD7S_chYIb64EwN31eBB3g9qNTP5_nK8T6bw3erdBusBpx15KW43x7ozr98pT3YVCWodeZjrEgXbrNfimKa0eQHBX2xs5BO0GUbN2bqTp6FMmaDuIsnng6Jt-BI9xuA9R_H0ObcR7drbu7p1i/s320/20240217_114852.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt97_BYtmSMhrpTQzvU1euEwVEyP2qOaGj-rv7QuEqtyE6EytWDTecOeEpJJ79DFTuVfYfFsz_phJMPaTacNrWhsoEIJz5lWw4vcvN_3GNmQpeQnOtYQp1wptlJUgy3rDC5QASkvEFuJOJIqGoBU0ZmK-JE_GsW5KuEsMw3jg907KHi9Rg-Nf2f_Vq4ISj/s2992/20240217_115341%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt97_BYtmSMhrpTQzvU1euEwVEyP2qOaGj-rv7QuEqtyE6EytWDTecOeEpJJ79DFTuVfYfFsz_phJMPaTacNrWhsoEIJz5lWw4vcvN_3GNmQpeQnOtYQp1wptlJUgy3rDC5QASkvEFuJOJIqGoBU0ZmK-JE_GsW5KuEsMw3jg907KHi9Rg-Nf2f_Vq4ISj/s320/20240217_115341%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVa_wggMtJPkVjh9eXAZP459QO0tmPk4JdyPXHrTPtgGgnzyoPNvwVNRSphK_4olHUsAGNVI3FzbQgSpV79cdmO-HvdS3MVHbHVMYlhU8VB6IdKV1orr3vKlsNV39Mz0kOL3_-YM3RGgXT6v3IbL0syLVG2_puEsxEmscjQcNN0uwYgbLRl2Ol61Qop1w/s2992/20240217_115553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVa_wggMtJPkVjh9eXAZP459QO0tmPk4JdyPXHrTPtgGgnzyoPNvwVNRSphK_4olHUsAGNVI3FzbQgSpV79cdmO-HvdS3MVHbHVMYlhU8VB6IdKV1orr3vKlsNV39Mz0kOL3_-YM3RGgXT6v3IbL0syLVG2_puEsxEmscjQcNN0uwYgbLRl2Ol61Qop1w/s320/20240217_115553.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Early that afternoon, after a DJ played some music and two team officials spoke about the upcoming season, the players and head coach Bradley Carnell came on stage. Carnell thanked the supporters who came this day and said the team was ready to go into the new season starting this coming week. Several of the players, lead by goalkeeper and captain Roman Burki, also addressed the crowd.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUtc0adRvXAgo2q7pdQCzaMSceW1cITB0lil_ng-iBrdbCATVlY7Z3x6RzBwuPFts8fd761sX3HFGGTDGMz4RlC1Xb-PK0CxIyaVQD4aX73vmcfUjL-WmpLCufavVeNKnuoQstxbaPLLiwI3hw1JrNk48ZoGGW5qfehp-60O7NPW-c2VYkSFlYJRDBHiw/s2992/20240217_135852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUtc0adRvXAgo2q7pdQCzaMSceW1cITB0lil_ng-iBrdbCATVlY7Z3x6RzBwuPFts8fd761sX3HFGGTDGMz4RlC1Xb-PK0CxIyaVQD4aX73vmcfUjL-WmpLCufavVeNKnuoQstxbaPLLiwI3hw1JrNk48ZoGGW5qfehp-60O7NPW-c2VYkSFlYJRDBHiw/s320/20240217_135852.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yH8Vjl0oqcP2sjXlwW45Jwg3xGeX7bHOD19sG3NWShWrG3U2li_Bbj4djdeUPdycGA4u25IOyFmD-zxksAXaW8avY0E5TcJyfP3nQ6eiJcw36xAqf41asvViKsgj-gjTImv17JHXrvES7Z0LubyLDbu3g7tyX4D1BELYBllIgbtis1iWK2P9PGzmnmop/s2992/20240217_135958%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yH8Vjl0oqcP2sjXlwW45Jwg3xGeX7bHOD19sG3NWShWrG3U2li_Bbj4djdeUPdycGA4u25IOyFmD-zxksAXaW8avY0E5TcJyfP3nQ6eiJcw36xAqf41asvViKsgj-gjTImv17JHXrvES7Z0LubyLDbu3g7tyX4D1BELYBllIgbtis1iWK2P9PGzmnmop/s320/20240217_135958%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_yNG9wtk9LzdQB5N1zftuH0GX5OUP0O2XTtDTRTqJFVAIkaL1UMWNllpU2a8-pqThw-S3IymFG-XbTPcuOF2l-k8dq11xwSoord9Z6PwA9cGqllxYsT8tUt4Qe09nX9LCDvsRrzDhAXXLwWsLxZ3yCeanV1bkl5LIM_9xR3pgVqoCw2G2vcRfYi2NIO2/s2992/20240217_140118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_yNG9wtk9LzdQB5N1zftuH0GX5OUP0O2XTtDTRTqJFVAIkaL1UMWNllpU2a8-pqThw-S3IymFG-XbTPcuOF2l-k8dq11xwSoord9Z6PwA9cGqllxYsT8tUt4Qe09nX9LCDvsRrzDhAXXLwWsLxZ3yCeanV1bkl5LIM_9xR3pgVqoCw2G2vcRfYi2NIO2/s320/20240217_140118.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">After the speeches were made, Julie and I hung out at the Armory for a while before we returned to my car to leave. We had to wait about an hour to leave the parking lot, due to traffic congestion on the side street leading to the facility. Otherwise, it was a great time we had at this event. Julie and I are looking forward to CITY's new season, which starts with a CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Houton Dynamo Tuesday night and the Major League Soccer season opener Saturday night against Real Salt Lake. Both matches will be at CITYPARK. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Two great dates this past week with my sweetheart Julie. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Saint Louis Zoo: <a href="https://stlzoo.org/" style="text-align: left;">Saint Louis Zoo | Saint Louis Zoo (stlzoo.org)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Armory: <a href="https://www.armorystl.com/" style="text-align: left;">Armory STL – The Biggest Bar In St. Louis</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis CITY SC: <a href="https://www.stlcitysc.com/" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fleur de Noise: <a href="https://www.fleurdenoise.com/" style="text-align: left;">Home - With Merch (fleurdenoise.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louligans: <a href="https://stlouligans.com/" style="text-align: left;">Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">STL Santos: <a href="https://www.stlsantos.com/?fbclid=IwAR0ku0xP_4AgNeJr310JVvgHFEym43N3gObJvsFemC05QSs_BE6rTpLQFkA" style="text-align: left;">Home | Home | STL Santos</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis City Punks: <a href="https://www.saintlouiscitypunks.com/" style="text-align: left;">Saint Louis City Punks</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">No Nap City Ultras: <a href="https://nonapcityultras.com/" style="text-align: left;">HOME (nonapcityultras.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">No Goal Patrol: <a href="https://linktr.ee/nogoalpatrol?fbclid=IwAR0hD5-Hcb7En4BBn4vyXHy_luNAdRO0Sl8yH2qfJ6Y_iGH2kD7IXTxSpbU" style="text-align: left;">No Goal Patrol | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">CONCACAF Champions Cup: <a href="https://www.concacaf.com/champions-cup/" style="text-align: left;">Concacaf Champions Cup</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Major League Soccer: <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/" style="text-align: left;">MLSsoccer.com - The Official Site of Major League Soccer</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-16470693597911179402024-02-10T14:41:00.000-06:002024-02-10T14:41:09.349-06:00Eating Out to Benefit the Needy and Soccer Supporters<p style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday morning (9 February), I stopped on my way to work at the Hardee's restaurant in Twin Oaks for a bit of breakfast. St. Louis area Hardee's locations were doing the annual "Rise & Shine" fundraiser for Heat Up St. Louis, a charity which helps needy households pay utility bills. I bought a sausage biscuit for $1, with Hardee's contributing all the sales to the charity. This was augmented by volunteers in the lobby collecting money in cans. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">In the late 1990s, I worked for the PR firm which had the Hardee's account in Metro St. Louis and helped out on the "Rise & Shine" campaign. Ever since, I have tried to support "Rise & Shine" with at least a sausage biscuit purchase.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7i7VAUSHSA3Il6Jfj6eTm2yfD-0nkwYLmTIxVsuWcCBDvlqfKe3WfnE7HcCfV1SytpnGZ8-sFCFwQ3MwbsoZDcRKUQeq5og32BRS7agm_w_hS7qM8m_uAMtF_5wQhAyYKnWyWqoz_-NubGA4g5gAiX9rnOFd2QZeT10tPFm-oFPxWVdPkMb1I3lq4tom/s2992/IMG_20240209_064221_876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7i7VAUSHSA3Il6Jfj6eTm2yfD-0nkwYLmTIxVsuWcCBDvlqfKe3WfnE7HcCfV1SytpnGZ8-sFCFwQ3MwbsoZDcRKUQeq5og32BRS7agm_w_hS7qM8m_uAMtF_5wQhAyYKnWyWqoz_-NubGA4g5gAiX9rnOFd2QZeT10tPFm-oFPxWVdPkMb1I3lq4tom/s320/IMG_20240209_064221_876.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I enjoyed the sausage biscuit during the drive to the Enterprise branch in Ballwin. It was a rather busy day for us, but we got through it just fine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">After work, I drove to Steve's Hot Dogs on South Grand in St. Louis for dinner. The restaurant was holding a dine in event yesterday with the St. Louligans to raise funds for the supporter group's tifo fund. (A tifo is a huge banner raised during a soccer match by a team's supporters.) The St. Louligans are gearing up for the 2024 St. Louis CITY SC season and are planning to do tifos for a few matches. This evening would help with raising funds to purchase tifo materials.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This was my first time at Steve's and I ordered one of their specialty hot dogs, the Geddy Lee (named for the Rush frontman). This was a smoked dog covered with buffalo fries, fried cheese curds, white gravy, and crumbled bacon. Essentially, it was poutine on a dog. I had a bag of sea salt and vinegar potato chips and a Sprite. This was most delicious.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWptt7ZqTrj9ffJVm_m_0rG3yJo9uiw2NFKnyVoegv4ak27bLsUOQWrjDHJuGFhdO2VR4BS6mZm_2sFUubw7r68GpjMKS58jeMR-p301YZpF2mJBw5oZAYEQhtArJoNF9okjz-I5v5K42xjZnwPAPQmO02tjZF2f729AQPr10GAiPZ2vLo2AeKP3BtcxjL/s2992/20240209_182322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWptt7ZqTrj9ffJVm_m_0rG3yJo9uiw2NFKnyVoegv4ak27bLsUOQWrjDHJuGFhdO2VR4BS6mZm_2sFUubw7r68GpjMKS58jeMR-p301YZpF2mJBw5oZAYEQhtArJoNF9okjz-I5v5K42xjZnwPAPQmO02tjZF2f729AQPr10GAiPZ2vLo2AeKP3BtcxjL/s320/20240209_182322.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXvUm9ea3vUQ_MwYLIm9K7Sk_HaQCvtnXHSl5-giAQA70OlFRp5p0ihP6lk8qMbXDeUlRME-KeGML4l307kJ0lhB3sIhrJm5xb_midGHQNodxEBfuVK1yfnSHCA3tHIS8x0ZoYxPmbro5jF9F7Wg6o7jF-yENHihMKrQeG5l87HV5DMrsVKfQPKzN0ype/s2992/20240209_182614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXvUm9ea3vUQ_MwYLIm9K7Sk_HaQCvtnXHSl5-giAQA70OlFRp5p0ihP6lk8qMbXDeUlRME-KeGML4l307kJ0lhB3sIhrJm5xb_midGHQNodxEBfuVK1yfnSHCA3tHIS8x0ZoYxPmbro5jF9F7Wg6o7jF-yENHihMKrQeG5l87HV5DMrsVKfQPKzN0ype/s320/20240209_182614.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBZ3Y5dhDgBCDASyEDJ2PM1t9W7E0f8pjg_gtt9AjhKqVixqGo1cVMwCST4qtJsr_VWIrYRh7EYo58DXYpzqmW2gL5_OknD4-QBzK9JED2_u-bM7wIXaUyY93vlsCtLGGIeENSGofwv0-y_PZm3TPpJIe8vzDBxJIorZ6v822uEm1LujzkjfMQtp-8dWR/s3024/20240209_182625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBZ3Y5dhDgBCDASyEDJ2PM1t9W7E0f8pjg_gtt9AjhKqVixqGo1cVMwCST4qtJsr_VWIrYRh7EYo58DXYpzqmW2gL5_OknD4-QBzK9JED2_u-bM7wIXaUyY93vlsCtLGGIeENSGofwv0-y_PZm3TPpJIe8vzDBxJIorZ6v822uEm1LujzkjfMQtp-8dWR/s320/20240209_182625.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7AEOUO6VPMcAPsoweXQ7whdqTFZa8SWB4qXkkXxnpClDMfPdKpbFinyEc8b7yrLTQwFSNylg78nPunLZ9HWixmk4unBtD0el8cmvqFmCXCKVlOaNZPbM6Ms-uV_LC-1-KvFoPSOFOU9FnkW9mkGMXV1sEWgbeX9hojPgr8wBTfn3OIAFEVqJ_CtgXR9V/s2992/20240209_185331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7AEOUO6VPMcAPsoweXQ7whdqTFZa8SWB4qXkkXxnpClDMfPdKpbFinyEc8b7yrLTQwFSNylg78nPunLZ9HWixmk4unBtD0el8cmvqFmCXCKVlOaNZPbM6Ms-uV_LC-1-KvFoPSOFOU9FnkW9mkGMXV1sEWgbeX9hojPgr8wBTfn3OIAFEVqJ_CtgXR9V/s320/20240209_185331.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrv3hbJ5blaIaZ_1eLkjrqezaZ0j6K67FoM84aOzcJF4AKG1zRXIdkNiSgi7aW5qPdsltBjM1c5beXzOFUWB5Rrn-OY4h79U-4KMw6XKMcETnAL42PqfRczjfwR25gtoSxmgZ9O9ii5aPV76mDrgycN7p_sR1eOAadhBSAreaeSWqLMG_v_uAfqg5_dSF/s2992/20240209_182324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrv3hbJ5blaIaZ_1eLkjrqezaZ0j6K67FoM84aOzcJF4AKG1zRXIdkNiSgi7aW5qPdsltBjM1c5beXzOFUWB5Rrn-OY4h79U-4KMw6XKMcETnAL42PqfRczjfwR25gtoSxmgZ9O9ii5aPV76mDrgycN7p_sR1eOAadhBSAreaeSWqLMG_v_uAfqg5_dSF/s320/20240209_182324.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">My meal was interrupted by a college who wanted us St. Louligans outside the front door for a group picture. I joined in with the group and the picture was taken. I haven't seen it yet, but it should appear on the group's social media in due course.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I really enjoyed myself at Steve's and highly recommend this place to anyone. Steve's also has a booth at CITYPARK for the CITY SC matches.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After dinner, I walked up South Grand to Hot Box Cookies. There, I bought three cookies: one each of gooey butter, cookies 'n creme, and oatmeal raisin. They were all freshly baked and still warm in the bags they were put into. I walked to my car to drive home, eating the gooey butter one in the car and enjoying the other two after I got home that night.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPetWKB_RTPTp8LN3wkKtHRq4D-Zk4viva_E915jTPFOTr5U9N3T2bVItYbE6OrFGBJ1c5r6KurZUJJxWHuY1llhcFgkPietvl301vhAsRppexN4U6ZIZmRQX_tdo5nEGcquL3mzP-n2g1SiYW4iSihcnpQ2DMKBv8pQ0cyuRhlyIRRhmgTpEFIDJd5qJ/s2992/20240209_185846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPetWKB_RTPTp8LN3wkKtHRq4D-Zk4viva_E915jTPFOTr5U9N3T2bVItYbE6OrFGBJ1c5r6KurZUJJxWHuY1llhcFgkPietvl301vhAsRppexN4U6ZIZmRQX_tdo5nEGcquL3mzP-n2g1SiYW4iSihcnpQ2DMKBv8pQ0cyuRhlyIRRhmgTpEFIDJd5qJ/s320/20240209_185846.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAcgNXkMS6ZcfF_lN45DKR9NC1TsAzaR2D7CMrpeyIIJsXZfI4vwWrmWKroHq9f0U6acEbjlCfAxkUDeYk2h8AZrFTylFTSc7rLsaMZzYd0Q1zXb2AsI5CZMTizY-7TUp-AOSDAVYNIqVSZuyGdP5AlCnZ9raK1Imlu3JNjktskUNbgH48ouGtE8b5YQh/s2992/20240209_185944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAcgNXkMS6ZcfF_lN45DKR9NC1TsAzaR2D7CMrpeyIIJsXZfI4vwWrmWKroHq9f0U6acEbjlCfAxkUDeYk2h8AZrFTylFTSc7rLsaMZzYd0Q1zXb2AsI5CZMTizY-7TUp-AOSDAVYNIqVSZuyGdP5AlCnZ9raK1Imlu3JNjktskUNbgH48ouGtE8b5YQh/s320/20240209_185944.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">It was a good feeling to help two different causes with my morning and evening meals. I was so glad to do my bit for both Heat Up St. Louis and the St. Louligans yesterday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hardee's: <a href="https://www.hardees.com/" style="text-align: left;">Hardee's (hardees.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Heat Up St. Louis: <a href="https://heatupstlouis.org/" style="text-align: left;">Heat Up St. Louis – Give the Gift of Warmth (heatupstlouis.org)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Enterprise Rent-a-Car: <a href="https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html" style="text-align: left;">Car Rental with Great Rates & Service | Enterprise Rent-A-Car</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Steve's Hot Dogs: <a href="https://www.steveshotdogsstl.com/" style="text-align: left;">Steve's Hot Dogs - Home of the Official Hot Dog of St. Louis - St. Louis (steveshotdogsstl.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louligans: <a href="https://stlouligans.com/" style="text-align: left;">Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis CITY SC: <a href="https://www.stlcitysc.com/" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)</a> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hot Box Cookies: <a href="https://www.hotboxcookies.com/" style="text-align: left;">HotBoxCookies</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">South Grand Community Improvement District: <a href="https://southgrand.org/" style="text-align: left;">South Grand Community Improvement District</a></div><div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p></div></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-39255398015729470702024-02-04T20:17:00.000-06:002024-02-04T20:17:19.987-06:00Weekend: Saturday Night with Julie; Sunday Mostly at Home<p style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday morning (3 February), after a rather busy week at work, I was taking care of some personal matters. This included forwarding mail for Mom and Rick, as well as grocery shopping.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Home that afternoon was mostly chilling out before Julie came by late that afternoon to pick me up to take me to dinner. She wanted to get the start on my birthday celebration (my big day is this Wednesday). We started the night with dinner at Bartolino's South in Green Park. Julie and I enjoyed a nice dinner at the fine Italian restaurant--I had the manicotti--along with some wonderful conversation.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After dinner, Julie drove us to the Plaza Frontenac Cinema to see the new movie Origin. This drama was inspired by Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor plays Wilkerson in the movie, which tells how Wilkerson tied the subjugation of African Americans, Jews in Nazi Germany, and Dalits in India to common hierarchy structures. This movie sure gives you plenty of think about Both Julie and I thought this movie was very well done.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After the movie, Julie took me back home and I thanked her for the wonderful evening. We will meet up again in a few days to celebrate Valentine's Day together.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I was mostly in the house today, but I did go out this afternoon to run a few errands. It was also a chance to drive Mom's car for awhile. It needed air in all four tires, which I took care of using a self-service air pump at a Mobil station. The car's battery needs charging, but otherwise it ran well. After adding air to the tires, I drove to Dollar Tree in Oakville to buy some plastic forks for my work lunches and a set of combs for myself. I then went to the nearby Schnucks to browse for a while.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After that bit of shopping, I treated myself to a drink at Honey Bee Tea, a boba tea place in Oakville. It was my first time in this place. I ordered a jasmine milk tea, which I drank in the place. It was a nice way to treat myself after all I was doing this weekend.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuz_n-FFIPOdaktMXq6PQc_ysM3MP9GlxLEMrFnK6q2Or_elYwOQ8LpY3hkS4ixwxVx5h-6VRgDCc05JPiSnc2ij4vLOjUWvsANv_US6h53Bk2N-ONayFUHnVOClRuw1xw_RumBewyLrtcpWA8rCRd71vUU8iwU2VFygXlkcdg7HAAm_24SbloXQRBB140/s2992/20240204_142450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuz_n-FFIPOdaktMXq6PQc_ysM3MP9GlxLEMrFnK6q2Or_elYwOQ8LpY3hkS4ixwxVx5h-6VRgDCc05JPiSnc2ij4vLOjUWvsANv_US6h53Bk2N-ONayFUHnVOClRuw1xw_RumBewyLrtcpWA8rCRd71vUU8iwU2VFygXlkcdg7HAAm_24SbloXQRBB140/s320/20240204_142450.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqg6ZNCAFvD7-MiOQnYxo8F37T3W3eFg4H-3zKrqFDvDFYpucrUEwnHBoTz32HGLnYilqdx8U97TxyfRaed5B9ff9TOmClPrI7ZzBHZ6gqOy4Co3H4jqDeeZP0uCp-882Ca-NBY8JLTY3Q8vicaownN13GwoaQsRmWjqSua4xrXhyphenhyphenCn_VTFoPZiAHVVw-I/s3024/20240204_145543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqg6ZNCAFvD7-MiOQnYxo8F37T3W3eFg4H-3zKrqFDvDFYpucrUEwnHBoTz32HGLnYilqdx8U97TxyfRaed5B9ff9TOmClPrI7ZzBHZ6gqOy4Co3H4jqDeeZP0uCp-882Ca-NBY8JLTY3Q8vicaownN13GwoaQsRmWjqSua4xrXhyphenhyphenCn_VTFoPZiAHVVw-I/s320/20240204_145543.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This weekend, I also did a bit more work on the 1:200 scale Saturn V model, which I hope to have done later this month for the IPMS Gateway Chapter meeting's first 2024 Modeler of the Year Contest. This contest is Out of the Box (no modifications or additions to the kit parts). I have had a bit of difficulties with this kit, but I should have it ready in time for the contest two weeks from this Tuesday night.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkatI7zn7FeUc352EbDOEIWYSxA6fZbSciMa0GVURGhczUMJodOoaqBPPqX3N4Z6PBMPQDcG8YD4eWhZfmU3_ywuC4tXnxPzEb1fPghX5YR0KqB7WhIVfD039dq7ngdj1Bet3DzK82xEXVoEvYGTC7Eo6cf_6iF8cKT0aWaRuesaYkboSFF-DlnBpuGAKx/s2992/20240204_200048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkatI7zn7FeUc352EbDOEIWYSxA6fZbSciMa0GVURGhczUMJodOoaqBPPqX3N4Z6PBMPQDcG8YD4eWhZfmU3_ywuC4tXnxPzEb1fPghX5YR0KqB7WhIVfD039dq7ngdj1Bet3DzK82xEXVoEvYGTC7Eo6cf_6iF8cKT0aWaRuesaYkboSFF-DlnBpuGAKx/s320/20240204_200048.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Later.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:</u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div>Bartolino's South: <a href="https://www.bartolinosrestaurants.com/south/">Bartolinos South – Fine Italian Dining in South County (bartolinosrestaurants.com)</a></div><div>Plaza Frontenac Cinema: <a href="https://www.landmarktheatres.com/our-locations/x04a0-landmark-plaza-frontenac-cinema/">Theatres - Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema - Landmark Theatres</a></div><div>Origin: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13321244/">Origin (2023) - IMDb</a></div><div>Mobil: <a href="https://www.mobil.com/en">Welcome to Mobil™</a></div><div>Dollar Tree: <a href="https://www.dollartree.com/?sscid=21k8_58h92&utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=1538097&utm_campaign=845001&cm_mmc=Affiliate-_-DM-_-Banners-_-Mktg">Glass Vases, Party Supplies, Cleaning & More | DollarTree.com</a></div><div>Honey Bee Tea: <a href="https://honeybt.com/">Boba Tea Coffee Smoothies - Honey Bee Tea (honeybt.com)</a></div><div>IPMS Gateway Chapter: <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home">IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)</a></div><div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-36255110694767117542024-01-24T19:52:00.000-06:002024-01-24T19:52:13.705-06:00Ice and Fog This Week<p style="text-align: justify;">Early Monday morning (22 January), I woke up to find the street, driveway, and walkway covered in ice. This was from an overnight ice storm that hit the Metropolitan St. Louis area. I gingerly walked on the driveway early that morning and I had to be careful not to slip on the ice-coated concrete. Seeing that the subdivision street which goes up towards Forder Road and would be a hard drive up in my vehicle with the ice on the road, I told my supervisor I had to wait to leave the house for my safety. He understood this and asked me to stay safe. Thus, I did not leave home around 6:15 AM as usual.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3lmxY_RCwVOeLzcTTeN3V-gRyly_C53QrahisJZzhtbtT4GykaHLJdU2m_ptVbCkz0D2zMqiQ8aTSDzigc_WABwM4p4X_nZnO9Xo8FOfQxukGO0iSbHpZCSdUiffH-7oysBB6o8buEkcO4YAxtUOHscBWVgXNkV-DcO7OkPAlGKBuZ7Ehs-Kk0Am8XH5/s859/20240122_061213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3lmxY_RCwVOeLzcTTeN3V-gRyly_C53QrahisJZzhtbtT4GykaHLJdU2m_ptVbCkz0D2zMqiQ8aTSDzigc_WABwM4p4X_nZnO9Xo8FOfQxukGO0iSbHpZCSdUiffH-7oysBB6o8buEkcO4YAxtUOHscBWVgXNkV-DcO7OkPAlGKBuZ7Ehs-Kk0Am8XH5/s320/20240122_061213.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyWmJewFzH7pjEJ_8ed4Ngfk36u3Q4sbTZUtqe3CD9PSq4-J1QYi_EFqDx49duyWJhyphenhyphend0ixtGvcZlOrQKm2RX_0OeURvrNwMgZZuZ2pRKhIU_4oTDQM6YQsP4RzLk2coeZTP5DmVagZrXM3088GDS3O7tLDzuSxyCFcjDHh4aTaqwc1JdamTkP4olLPbO/s859/20240122_061221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyWmJewFzH7pjEJ_8ed4Ngfk36u3Q4sbTZUtqe3CD9PSq4-J1QYi_EFqDx49duyWJhyphenhyphend0ixtGvcZlOrQKm2RX_0OeURvrNwMgZZuZ2pRKhIU_4oTDQM6YQsP4RzLk2coeZTP5DmVagZrXM3088GDS3O7tLDzuSxyCFcjDHh4aTaqwc1JdamTkP4olLPbO/s320/20240122_061221.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I waited until about 10:30 for road conditions to be good enough to try to go into work. The roads and driveway were still icy, but I was able to carefully leave my house and head to work using low gear on my car. After about 30 minutes, I was able to arrive at work with no problems. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mTGfJS7HcIFnvrjMdTxAjVt2p5I0pC-QsuBMDaK3sN0Dsf9en45kCFGXm-ggEg0uxU2tugnLiUgWUdk_8kCzgT7kCS55-AIk313QAW5MOxIaRRI5iXLABHFxzgg0nwvoT16koAhyJh4oaTkMq3CsQ0bNsktRImze1LyUXkIHkx2ja3MAOZAp0I25FnOk/s859/20240122_080544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mTGfJS7HcIFnvrjMdTxAjVt2p5I0pC-QsuBMDaK3sN0Dsf9en45kCFGXm-ggEg0uxU2tugnLiUgWUdk_8kCzgT7kCS55-AIk313QAW5MOxIaRRI5iXLABHFxzgg0nwvoT16koAhyJh4oaTkMq3CsQ0bNsktRImze1LyUXkIHkx2ja3MAOZAp0I25FnOk/s320/20240122_080544.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhas1A1OIu36hh6KCCzoJXdznfcJjIhsb_tQ4dvnCCUiAQAOLt97rbag-yLCD5DYbT3JM033IIWeqqipHNYxDYWghxiJ_1MYf-xhJHmOYF7nb_DI9KtjXh33RCeSyCeXZItTLu3p9ZbtgsC8jysY5bsqogEE15IDqb_-S6YR9s4hbwVXr2IHVmVEmOp_wpH/s859/20240122_080601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhas1A1OIu36hh6KCCzoJXdznfcJjIhsb_tQ4dvnCCUiAQAOLt97rbag-yLCD5DYbT3JM033IIWeqqipHNYxDYWghxiJ_1MYf-xhJHmOYF7nb_DI9KtjXh33RCeSyCeXZItTLu3p9ZbtgsC8jysY5bsqogEE15IDqb_-S6YR9s4hbwVXr2IHVmVEmOp_wpH/s320/20240122_080601.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Monday mornings are usually the busiest at Enterprise, due mostly to people getting into their loaner cars while their vehicles were in the repair shops. However, this morning was different due to the ice. It was slow when I got there and there was not so much business as many customers postponed their service appointments. It got a bit warmer in the afternoon, allowing me to get vehicles cleaned up and spotted on the branch parking lot.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday was much better with the ice melted away and work went well. It was fairly busy much of that day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Off work today, I woke up to fog that covered the metro area this morning. It would be here all day and night, with the fog continuing tomorrow.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUaZMrSxnXF3duL7qfI_AzbZQqrUWL5VCtFZ59c-v5i-aoO0nhPHgcMmGViYCPXnKZnSWdGCp53rD7NG0856tuS9QgVWcJ2ILEvUQfgtlt_-Een8MP2O183V8YHHaDn0h3Y3xxujqnuBadYy0UtaDUvFfpINH2kDs9ad_zItBJPMZ4IOMh1PGpnO6xLz5/s220/20240124_091239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="220" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUaZMrSxnXF3duL7qfI_AzbZQqrUWL5VCtFZ59c-v5i-aoO0nhPHgcMmGViYCPXnKZnSWdGCp53rD7NG0856tuS9QgVWcJ2ILEvUQfgtlt_-Een8MP2O183V8YHHaDn0h3Y3xxujqnuBadYy0UtaDUvFfpINH2kDs9ad_zItBJPMZ4IOMh1PGpnO6xLz5/s1600/20240124_091239.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOozG5ez5toOZejY2g0wDyhDMCFSMzHRite5PpNu-0EuRWFv-ZrgyWZv1R9AiFsBH9XCC8CajrNQ_vJ_1kvH1V5KR2K2Ca9nkIte_mGW5Kkhbe40E9OvZ3gHXQXfJjwdlsRvXQsClw0g7E05zqbYTsmD8gHfZH5vCiHw-7lU7_LBcPyBkGZmhkBfL_nH6/s859/20240124_091242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOozG5ez5toOZejY2g0wDyhDMCFSMzHRite5PpNu-0EuRWFv-ZrgyWZv1R9AiFsBH9XCC8CajrNQ_vJ_1kvH1V5KR2K2Ca9nkIte_mGW5Kkhbe40E9OvZ3gHXQXfJjwdlsRvXQsClw0g7E05zqbYTsmD8gHfZH5vCiHw-7lU7_LBcPyBkGZmhkBfL_nH6/s320/20240124_091242.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><div style="text-align: justify;">I did venture out mid-morning in the fog, driving carefully to St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church in Ellisville. The mother of my college friend, Cindy (Pollvogt) Hensley, had died late last week and the church hosted a visitation before the funeral. I came to pay my respected to Cindy's mom and to Cindy herself, who I have not seen in person for some years now. She was most happy to see me come and I told her I really felt I had to be there for her. Cindy told me she is holding up well under the circumstances. A few of our mutual friends from college were also there, and it was great seeing them, and Cindy introduced me to her son, who told me he was happy to meet me and glad I could come to this visitation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the visitation, I ran some errands. This included shopping for socks and ice melting crystals at Target in Town and Country, a car wash and fuel stop at Mobil On the Run in Ballwin, purchasing lacquer thinner for my scale modeling workbench at Lowe's in Ballwin, and lunch at Popeye's in Oakville. I was back home early this afternoon to finally take down the Christmas decorations and to do my laundry. Back to work tomorrow morning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entiries Mentioned in This Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Enterprise Rent-A-Car: <a href="https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html" style="text-align: left;">Car Rental with Great Rates & Service | Enterprise Rent-A-Car</a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church: <a href="https://saintclareofassisi.org/" style="text-align: left;">Saint Clare of Assisi | Ellisville, MO</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Target: <a href="https://www.target.com/" style="text-align: left;">Target : Expect More. Pay Less.</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">On the Run: <a href="https://ontherun.com/" style="text-align: left;">On the Run - Your Neighborhood Convenience store</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Lowe's: <a href="https://www.lowes.com/?cm_mmc=src-_-c-_-brd-_-mdv-_-bng-_-Brand-Core_Exact-_-lowe%27s-_-0-_-0-_-0&gclid=b7e424277c23164105b34196c26aabfe&gclsrc=3p.ds&ds_rl=1286887&msclkid=b7e424277c23164105b34196c26aabfe" style="text-align: left;">Lowe’s Home Improvement (lowes.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Popeye's: <a href="https://www.popeyes.com/" style="text-align: left;">Popeyes</a></p></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-49838224189274410632024-01-14T20:06:00.002-06:002024-01-14T20:07:28.260-06:00Two Weekends: Soccer, Sickness, and Cold<p style="text-align: justify;">One week ago yesterday (6 January), I was at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton for the annual Winter Classic. This is a soccer match pitting the St. Louligans against the American Outlaws St. Louis. I suited up for the St. Louligans and came ready to play. I also came with six cans of food that were donated to the St. Louis Area Foodback, which was receiving donations from both supporter groups.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There was a dusting of snow on the ground to greet us that day. Fortunately, the pitch we were playing on has artificial turf; still, we had to deal with some snow during warmups and early on the match. We came to play.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqzYWorCF4wOJd5fEFAlDAkEPdbjxqfY1wg90pZlNLmK9SCY9OqTzDjaWeGmZgcXFUz18ZhjDf2CjTpiQdc3iVLfE6rfyJlTNuWAANplh_LYbafMJknDwapMMG6eTNSZvx9GEDyKUAOJ9C4YxsVKi-JCFjdaQ_BrGfgr3yqAuGFMKGUkIdEjvrTQI_ubm/s2048/417487653_10160312449273736_8516540523914248532_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqzYWorCF4wOJd5fEFAlDAkEPdbjxqfY1wg90pZlNLmK9SCY9OqTzDjaWeGmZgcXFUz18ZhjDf2CjTpiQdc3iVLfE6rfyJlTNuWAANplh_LYbafMJknDwapMMG6eTNSZvx9GEDyKUAOJ9C4YxsVKi-JCFjdaQ_BrGfgr3yqAuGFMKGUkIdEjvrTQI_ubm/s320/417487653_10160312449273736_8516540523914248532_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>(Photo by Sarah Robertson.)<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">The match was the usual 45-minute halves with free substitutions. I played two shifts in each half at defender. During the match, I had two touches of the ball. I don't think Tim Parker has anything to fear from me!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SDpxIHj8IXzzbfRhbbnW8RShBUz0d_RIkeG47BiWlRDYYzcbyvi82kLFGGC7j3TdCMLDNBE2W9867jze0abhatMtmWYFrgd6XFwPb5nwDSjHtzTZ0gqv6cN9tZsnAsgWHYodhneNHhlcFukXrxyuVlkVtlrvMotLjQYp_jq7oJF5F93T_1AueaWgsgUB/s1440/415475154_10161354833573713_229524414010969214_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SDpxIHj8IXzzbfRhbbnW8RShBUz0d_RIkeG47BiWlRDYYzcbyvi82kLFGGC7j3TdCMLDNBE2W9867jze0abhatMtmWYFrgd6XFwPb5nwDSjHtzTZ0gqv6cN9tZsnAsgWHYodhneNHhlcFukXrxyuVlkVtlrvMotLjQYp_jq7oJF5F93T_1AueaWgsgUB/s320/415475154_10161354833573713_229524414010969214_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNUtsuIpEN1zXLtVbztDh100UMXB1KmQ8lAs9pkxZktRlJFyLOkM9vZffT5jKTCB8nJfV7S4DzUSPD9W0acjI0wQjd4NATFZ9dG7P0tUOFUZ5l5aGxa7igXh1xYns5FMFpLr0_I3hnFhTREt6O4aEr9TEO1yKu3pP6ubxYLKsi9ia4GoEhXo8XW9mwzL0/s1440/415530586_10161354833578713_5290807866710798293_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNUtsuIpEN1zXLtVbztDh100UMXB1KmQ8lAs9pkxZktRlJFyLOkM9vZffT5jKTCB8nJfV7S4DzUSPD9W0acjI0wQjd4NATFZ9dG7P0tUOFUZ5l5aGxa7igXh1xYns5FMFpLr0_I3hnFhTREt6O4aEr9TEO1yKu3pP6ubxYLKsi9ia4GoEhXo8XW9mwzL0/s320/415530586_10161354833578713_5290807866710798293_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">"Sports drinks" were provided to the participants from 2nd Shift Brewing and Urban Chestnut Brewing Company. They were much appreciated.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the final five minute of the match, the rules were tweaked to have several balls on the pitch at the same time. It all added to the silliness of this event.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At full time, the score was (I believe) St. Louligans 4 American Outlaws STL 3. The real winner was the St. Louis Area Foodbank for the food and cash donated to help the food insecure in our area at this time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdd0fvRx72LQKx5Y8d6JPPSakJId-8D3m8nwdq33JWKmanMZzEi7pHW_y568d-LEWsPBLT6eb59gw7JGsuNas3Q_3YZ8sEuqZlf5AgBeg3MnKV8IqMpLHiBIeS0jA4j3GZ_O0ebiQGaFd2uQcoRNqk69Pc0RLvESr8y5244jMzNRGE2U-73LD5zjV3BgXU/s1440/415492805_10161354872163713_7315765172416892605_n%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdd0fvRx72LQKx5Y8d6JPPSakJId-8D3m8nwdq33JWKmanMZzEi7pHW_y568d-LEWsPBLT6eb59gw7JGsuNas3Q_3YZ8sEuqZlf5AgBeg3MnKV8IqMpLHiBIeS0jA4j3GZ_O0ebiQGaFd2uQcoRNqk69Pc0RLvESr8y5244jMzNRGE2U-73LD5zjV3BgXU/s320/415492805_10161354872163713_7315765172416892605_n%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I got home to get warmed up and relaxed the rest of the day. That evening, I wasn't feeling so well. Sunday morning, I was down with stomach flu, and it was resting up for the day and night.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The next morning, I was well enough to go into work, though I was a bit slower than usual. My supervisors understood and all worked out well at the branch. However, I was down with diarrhea on Wednesday (10 January). If it's not one thing, it's another. I was able to go to work the next day and got the job done.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I ran a few errands yesterday (13 January) that included finding out I will need to replace the catalytic converter on my Corolla so I can pass the emissions inspection due next month. Ugh.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Today was too cold to be out, with a low of -7 degrees F (-22 C) and a high of only 2 F (-17 C). Wind chills were even lower. This cold spell is here through this Tuesday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">World Wide Technology Soccer Park: <a href="https://www.slsgsoccer.com/facilities" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis Scott Gallagher — Club Soccer in Saint Louis (slsgsoccer.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louligans: <a href="https://stlouligans.com/" style="text-align: left;">Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">American Outlaws--St. Louis: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/aostlouis" style="text-align: left;">(7) Facebook</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis Area Foodbank: <a href="https://stlfoodbank.org/" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis Area Foodbank – Member of Feeding America (stlfoodbank.org)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2nd Shift Brewing: <a href="https://www.2ndshiftbrewing.com/" style="text-align: left;">2nd Shift Brewing</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Urban Chestnut Brewing Company: <a href="https://www.urbanchestnut.com/" style="text-align: left;">Urban Chestnut Brewing Company</a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-83682283127105809172023-12-27T14:52:00.000-06:002023-12-27T14:52:52.170-06:00Christmas 2023 with Julie: Lights, Gifts, and Movies<p style="text-align: justify;">It is safe to say that Julie Rodriguez and I had a most wonderful Christmas season together. It started last Thursday night (21 December) when I came to her apartment right after work. Julie, her roommate Joan Burke, and myself rode together to Tilles County Park in Ladue. We rode through Winter Wonderland, a major drive-through Christmas lights display. There was a long line of vehicles to enter the park, but after about 20 minutes we were in the park and slowly driving through the display. There were plenty of beautiful lighted items--including animated lights--for the three of us to enjoy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1d3YrnPOvOJad6277UMi_senHoojsGNIm6JqEknnknKjdfqoJ9ezSjWbvI8wnu-Taocm-3pUghTisbW_m_GVpHnJYIsnFy6d9x7o4pEdvix98H7HiLSnka6K_XloZSr6ji-2tXLnkP5NayBID6xgEdr0ac0HsHh1YZH6PTAyrhvNVrZICTrFRXdJ-oS7o/s859/20231221_190824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1d3YrnPOvOJad6277UMi_senHoojsGNIm6JqEknnknKjdfqoJ9ezSjWbvI8wnu-Taocm-3pUghTisbW_m_GVpHnJYIsnFy6d9x7o4pEdvix98H7HiLSnka6K_XloZSr6ji-2tXLnkP5NayBID6xgEdr0ac0HsHh1YZH6PTAyrhvNVrZICTrFRXdJ-oS7o/s320/20231221_190824.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiatNqdKEt7Nlp-iLyp-2QII_25h2W4azd814VaIkE3eV0uwOKR8BM7SwBndvraz6FX3wnI2GP0OQt-MS9u0xvQIrqE77BdcRbS93a2PyiQTOZ2_AcOL6jj98acB5vZ2NL7pCwb53WmvOhNaHT9YkqaXZ9GuulESze7QeqjDRXj8luvwYYwISXPPRPJr9ab/s859/20231221_191040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiatNqdKEt7Nlp-iLyp-2QII_25h2W4azd814VaIkE3eV0uwOKR8BM7SwBndvraz6FX3wnI2GP0OQt-MS9u0xvQIrqE77BdcRbS93a2PyiQTOZ2_AcOL6jj98acB5vZ2NL7pCwb53WmvOhNaHT9YkqaXZ9GuulESze7QeqjDRXj8luvwYYwISXPPRPJr9ab/s320/20231221_191040.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjMDVy3BiXoeoSgBY-L7VdytI1uEDAw6O0Y3heLlQ7o2Q26ji6Dpa43mcNs-telapExpI3y_gQbo7B_9v6iByzbYrFId1sH7bMZsCobu0eFvFKa7Q8kGCbOk5D_woLWQW4-FHNn6tRGYQUeh9nirhxnOUIWi8dBY-KY3lue5_lsudoYSSLlCR6v9N0m2g/s859/20231221_191620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjMDVy3BiXoeoSgBY-L7VdytI1uEDAw6O0Y3heLlQ7o2Q26ji6Dpa43mcNs-telapExpI3y_gQbo7B_9v6iByzbYrFId1sH7bMZsCobu0eFvFKa7Q8kGCbOk5D_woLWQW4-FHNn6tRGYQUeh9nirhxnOUIWi8dBY-KY3lue5_lsudoYSSLlCR6v9N0m2g/s320/20231221_191620.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfgoxrwoy-UA2I8j5OzSye6tQszJkAvXCRbW9GC9W5hsGwX7HQgBlNfXFKCjcBPUQrS-ziUSjUaiA2UCBR5OtLDipLQdVV1PkopVlfEI229OuAjgxTINbm5rm32hAlNNvpEbjirfhahdxI_aLBcNgniC6CnGAeVjic25jGh31wNiIewhy0bFoox_cnZbC/s859/20231221_192200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfgoxrwoy-UA2I8j5OzSye6tQszJkAvXCRbW9GC9W5hsGwX7HQgBlNfXFKCjcBPUQrS-ziUSjUaiA2UCBR5OtLDipLQdVV1PkopVlfEI229OuAjgxTINbm5rm32hAlNNvpEbjirfhahdxI_aLBcNgniC6CnGAeVjic25jGh31wNiIewhy0bFoox_cnZbC/s320/20231221_192200.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After our visit to Winter Wonderland, Julie decided to head to Candy Cane Lane, a stretch of Murdoch in south St. Louis near Francis Park. There was another long line of vehicles in the area, but once in we were treated to some beautiful residential light displays.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHbqO7zW6BcfXE6JQVflIWvUi7mbvYGALybbtnNsLB9PdkDBAV82PaXFfvcAQInLUNqSlbMn12YiltKGNA1t8xp81MTfbBgiq4ljixdIFymJHEZYtzZgEk-YdWmd13300DYT0dahb7tuQaXdFiKftrU_Df1kDk0Cor2X2JU0TnkkqosEII7CHdDNHHXWH/s859/20231221_203735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHbqO7zW6BcfXE6JQVflIWvUi7mbvYGALybbtnNsLB9PdkDBAV82PaXFfvcAQInLUNqSlbMn12YiltKGNA1t8xp81MTfbBgiq4ljixdIFymJHEZYtzZgEk-YdWmd13300DYT0dahb7tuQaXdFiKftrU_Df1kDk0Cor2X2JU0TnkkqosEII7CHdDNHHXWH/s320/20231221_203735.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkv6XB5SqEG2iyrO6PDZF0f7gD0JBRHGj_GupMzXFkmJstZaNZdgWuwT0FPRiSkl63hRvX3x7hKXQbqQHgdYw_BReVbDfTuQ_iyqekFyx3hRTl7Szs-jd1lHaiZXDYigPAYmUgjjhdHZaqSk4rHIajVb2ja9Zef6qKNuo5HcBeMd3Er956haKVNEVgqdpG/s859/20231221_203715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkv6XB5SqEG2iyrO6PDZF0f7gD0JBRHGj_GupMzXFkmJstZaNZdgWuwT0FPRiSkl63hRvX3x7hKXQbqQHgdYw_BReVbDfTuQ_iyqekFyx3hRTl7Szs-jd1lHaiZXDYigPAYmUgjjhdHZaqSk4rHIajVb2ja9Zef6qKNuo5HcBeMd3Er956haKVNEVgqdpG/s320/20231221_203715.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-ifX3gBkCPJCtvG1zA2K5agsMIFKUhRQlcmdhOkk1Dz31LPZmmCRl2smUhhkkcXGI2ogErFAdmA_vPoBDmuSYKRaURMz8-9zQGRJk4w1ODQrCDljxMKpSU9f5ahErdLg-n9oRbIVzImla3U0CzODrrakh9gGnuW39kFWlHHZsoPF8MUqa-ZZP3pvjaVu/s859/20231221_203541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-ifX3gBkCPJCtvG1zA2K5agsMIFKUhRQlcmdhOkk1Dz31LPZmmCRl2smUhhkkcXGI2ogErFAdmA_vPoBDmuSYKRaURMz8-9zQGRJk4w1ODQrCDljxMKpSU9f5ahErdLg-n9oRbIVzImla3U0CzODrrakh9gGnuW39kFWlHHZsoPF8MUqa-ZZP3pvjaVu/s320/20231221_203541.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCS15zRCCitF7_wOWEs25NHFx5xVGpd_rx5772AePwGPjGmf64P0n9I12KIqxLAEXxK8eclgPZbI5h7-yqFKAoeXi1qqyGN9LXNfjoza5TP7LyHY4GqwoDQisAtUnTd_m5rye0SLFM6VZpQg2JqfLseQMIY57kSLCKS_Y2oHRSf2e9_hpKY4RbHOHuU641/s859/20231221_203154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCS15zRCCitF7_wOWEs25NHFx5xVGpd_rx5772AePwGPjGmf64P0n9I12KIqxLAEXxK8eclgPZbI5h7-yqFKAoeXi1qqyGN9LXNfjoza5TP7LyHY4GqwoDQisAtUnTd_m5rye0SLFM6VZpQg2JqfLseQMIY57kSLCKS_Y2oHRSf2e9_hpKY4RbHOHuU641/s320/20231221_203154.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDUbO9mgRA-ka_Osv_bhtZ2Vxp4CnycOd-cdUNaMJsBTeVl4PU6rfPzGaMmR9RptpvXh1KdMOLBOuml3v2nkFPVfJ8DekR6tFvw4YvSuT1x3PKdg-sRgBTqwU11ATkS07vfJgftybPE7HGyYK69UolY1xjrP1LWs9ebfuKJLOI3pFUSaVM5RybWfL0B5R/s859/20231221_201753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDUbO9mgRA-ka_Osv_bhtZ2Vxp4CnycOd-cdUNaMJsBTeVl4PU6rfPzGaMmR9RptpvXh1KdMOLBOuml3v2nkFPVfJ8DekR6tFvw4YvSuT1x3PKdg-sRgBTqwU11ATkS07vfJgftybPE7HGyYK69UolY1xjrP1LWs9ebfuKJLOI3pFUSaVM5RybWfL0B5R/s320/20231221_201753.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The next night (22 December) had the three of us hitting the road again. This time, we went to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park in Eureka to check out Santa's Magical Kingdom. We wound through a hilly, forested trail to see the lights. There was another great crowd of tourists there. (The weather that week was unseasonably warm.) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXApgAxQvP-1NEEhmchUMTbYyigwU9XDTZgJSNbG2K6Ij_Af60mHe1QOQGPE8HQJ6EdTFwAz6s47q3k5KpANK5Zc07JHRR2xFBIC2ygO_SZ36wyYXdtsPUjYG_w5qOUbd2MdzKHtcnIspApFStdowwFpIIGaZPiDtTQUBngFjJ4k7ChaoI71qMaLV4ssjP/s859/20231222_191628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXApgAxQvP-1NEEhmchUMTbYyigwU9XDTZgJSNbG2K6Ij_Af60mHe1QOQGPE8HQJ6EdTFwAz6s47q3k5KpANK5Zc07JHRR2xFBIC2ygO_SZ36wyYXdtsPUjYG_w5qOUbd2MdzKHtcnIspApFStdowwFpIIGaZPiDtTQUBngFjJ4k7ChaoI71qMaLV4ssjP/s320/20231222_191628.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1R0OvuG_6eYiy8cXuQlNirrmrlY1yy5s00bmsljdzGzfEBaYRLv3SdDgebmUDQpFVf8TKHvAxgVOZysgtp3CL3XQ1R1TB9mjiUA0sM9QyNDxHiYUrxVXxWPWAGbMJxGKWCrZ092ShB-kyYT6hOuS4tS28oeS87bSrrs-NsCRMlWD4DfJZq6r4ZnH7eAB/s859/20231222_191804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1R0OvuG_6eYiy8cXuQlNirrmrlY1yy5s00bmsljdzGzfEBaYRLv3SdDgebmUDQpFVf8TKHvAxgVOZysgtp3CL3XQ1R1TB9mjiUA0sM9QyNDxHiYUrxVXxWPWAGbMJxGKWCrZ092ShB-kyYT6hOuS4tS28oeS87bSrrs-NsCRMlWD4DfJZq6r4ZnH7eAB/s320/20231222_191804.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWk7BBjpDIRH7FWiT8wwTqSDf1MHGioslXyxXwu8XQf1hDmB_3TTS4J80n5hu2WFVcYNUNeARNlmiULiWNetux28WPz9EPvzV_k3-bx561PUa_w3K9wB8NICxZetoNyLq8AHz4UHsKP-BF4bJLLLDEhE3ycmxYCuQPQe5WYG_a5VsfaWQ0nGLuSJ25nhSC/s859/20231222_192034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWk7BBjpDIRH7FWiT8wwTqSDf1MHGioslXyxXwu8XQf1hDmB_3TTS4J80n5hu2WFVcYNUNeARNlmiULiWNetux28WPz9EPvzV_k3-bx561PUa_w3K9wB8NICxZetoNyLq8AHz4UHsKP-BF4bJLLLDEhE3ycmxYCuQPQe5WYG_a5VsfaWQ0nGLuSJ25nhSC/s320/20231222_192034.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsuUNsqRhGj9yoBWgIF8_oiqwoiqxEKfQ1bQESebwGZ3hkJtuPwz95YuNF_kQzNRqrdeDv8D5sEG_5ecaY6mkDzVhNVkZ8EKCEdO6m4V0W_og0CWsStLaadltHVIA3GIOdLZaYz-OALKxWJ-UpoR1eupGDv3p5OF-W0NK8t_pniRMfN6d5uukoYirCksP/s859/20231222_192339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsuUNsqRhGj9yoBWgIF8_oiqwoiqxEKfQ1bQESebwGZ3hkJtuPwz95YuNF_kQzNRqrdeDv8D5sEG_5ecaY6mkDzVhNVkZ8EKCEdO6m4V0W_og0CWsStLaadltHVIA3GIOdLZaYz-OALKxWJ-UpoR1eupGDv3p5OF-W0NK8t_pniRMfN6d5uukoYirCksP/s320/20231222_192339.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRf5tmaPfiPayfTRz3RTNddVtvWKxRiA-UBnr3wUmwf67JJ1Ju4HeCJDa6NLJyeYDl94qWE3JYmelVaWyuLXBcCuf7VEj31iYEAxZGxEdXZDlD95M9mncZ4Q4iQ3e-6wFt1TLdSBdK-agnk15Bpox2IgRve-CbLvYYLBIIoWufxYXecJCnKupWib03A1J/s859/20231222_192957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRf5tmaPfiPayfTRz3RTNddVtvWKxRiA-UBnr3wUmwf67JJ1Ju4HeCJDa6NLJyeYDl94qWE3JYmelVaWyuLXBcCuf7VEj31iYEAxZGxEdXZDlD95M9mncZ4Q4iQ3e-6wFt1TLdSBdK-agnk15Bpox2IgRve-CbLvYYLBIIoWufxYXecJCnKupWib03A1J/s320/20231222_192957.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Saturday night (23 December) saw Julie, Joan, and I back to the road, heading for World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in Madison, Illinois. The motor sports facility was hosting Wonder Lights Christmas, an annual light show that Julie and I took in last year. There was quite a good crowd again at this facility. Once in the raceway, we enjoyed some terrific light displays accompanied by music that we could hear on a dedicated radio frequency.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGJU5DWOUlKp7tY8bsl0MpCeOBocIwIBLxGz0cBoqrW9smCH3rG1zDHZAbXxgvzyJh0UjTEmaJ1wzcNL8i6eiS5L48huXHkWv5DzQxnNo6wz5gbRj-nwgHv3u8TpQXS6Me1kvP0fcPweKwF9NjxFB7uEWpzwfIhC33A7jqQNyiGDW1OgImFzfqQz6UKp6/s859/20231223_191918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGJU5DWOUlKp7tY8bsl0MpCeOBocIwIBLxGz0cBoqrW9smCH3rG1zDHZAbXxgvzyJh0UjTEmaJ1wzcNL8i6eiS5L48huXHkWv5DzQxnNo6wz5gbRj-nwgHv3u8TpQXS6Me1kvP0fcPweKwF9NjxFB7uEWpzwfIhC33A7jqQNyiGDW1OgImFzfqQz6UKp6/s320/20231223_191918.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwnns_meMC0NomcbOX_m7JnFMuCKdHNfTlcp5PBamA4tVw2zgUnnAggSJTFfJoRrJ46S-_TTcK-hYPeieU8JSfDa-Q4XwHvFJqngy4hG0NNVj_qM4RhqULXMZ5-TtxJu4d60ThUr6bcsyVdRN38-ZkZQChsMd8GOQG__W3TVYEncaDFM4zUw7X72IYwQV/s859/20231223_192355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwnns_meMC0NomcbOX_m7JnFMuCKdHNfTlcp5PBamA4tVw2zgUnnAggSJTFfJoRrJ46S-_TTcK-hYPeieU8JSfDa-Q4XwHvFJqngy4hG0NNVj_qM4RhqULXMZ5-TtxJu4d60ThUr6bcsyVdRN38-ZkZQChsMd8GOQG__W3TVYEncaDFM4zUw7X72IYwQV/s320/20231223_192355.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP0A6iGbj_m0Dg1beZXmuQHU6ij1305bxRS3KyrQjiC44LJOAuVdobVHdDlemYIFAMxaVsULpQvwUNk1Ob2j0dAQ-HsbPLBnMCk36jbLokGkHml39wyTXhcjsZhs_yP4y7z4j9yDXEZFQb_k5VeoRpxwV37pCynlxnato8i5e-DHaSXVA-MvRX6OdAwHm/s859/20231223_193433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP0A6iGbj_m0Dg1beZXmuQHU6ij1305bxRS3KyrQjiC44LJOAuVdobVHdDlemYIFAMxaVsULpQvwUNk1Ob2j0dAQ-HsbPLBnMCk36jbLokGkHml39wyTXhcjsZhs_yP4y7z4j9yDXEZFQb_k5VeoRpxwV37pCynlxnato8i5e-DHaSXVA-MvRX6OdAwHm/s320/20231223_193433.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkTjqNs4UFnZTeiihHEFmt1_UXX7mlwaFEji2XaO7s6TDNsoob9Or1AQsMU7GTbRBe_9G0NCknDgiUdmadCAB9uKA_Ba_PErb1B876hSXxCD3HbJzqi2zn2MakwTgLYNcKpwiDtZBVwsNe456sy4gOVjY_vvNKkEKmyJEp2Qow1YpDqJQserCFGB0y-Gs/s859/20231223_193931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkTjqNs4UFnZTeiihHEFmt1_UXX7mlwaFEji2XaO7s6TDNsoob9Or1AQsMU7GTbRBe_9G0NCknDgiUdmadCAB9uKA_Ba_PErb1B876hSXxCD3HbJzqi2zn2MakwTgLYNcKpwiDtZBVwsNe456sy4gOVjY_vvNKkEKmyJEp2Qow1YpDqJQserCFGB0y-Gs/s320/20231223_193931.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKRWwCawKoPvpUdw53E67tZTW0Fc0jcMOXzh_3BrS3luBVFhOWObdWWhgevUKKAiKC5qIHAq1ctjCculuUuRhuVnvZSvwyLasLcEgIdKi5_oj59jvZY45UHjP5PPFkfUOYgPc-IgACLK9-Pr0Hb5YX-IjgZjhuKPRywpFe58Pu-hgXesBjofL3HTuzttp/s859/20231223_194347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKRWwCawKoPvpUdw53E67tZTW0Fc0jcMOXzh_3BrS3luBVFhOWObdWWhgevUKKAiKC5qIHAq1ctjCculuUuRhuVnvZSvwyLasLcEgIdKi5_oj59jvZY45UHjP5PPFkfUOYgPc-IgACLK9-Pr0Hb5YX-IjgZjhuKPRywpFe58Pu-hgXesBjofL3HTuzttp/s320/20231223_194347.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOyxF-TA9O9JihnY-R_jkqNV1Kl1k18p-4Vh02q8bccmiTXJ_cmhxtSOrtOLRnQZ9f0h27P6ADC5LIxDB6igEykXgYRLq4ghilLxIGJfBJTmUZ8Vk6yIDsDD0Qzp43LrH_vTVI0k9KtYeo-rFp9ZdUVY5ezKcXFEBzP5qdTCF1ivffLeERHnhEqmWT2Uq/s859/20231223_194840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOyxF-TA9O9JihnY-R_jkqNV1Kl1k18p-4Vh02q8bccmiTXJ_cmhxtSOrtOLRnQZ9f0h27P6ADC5LIxDB6igEykXgYRLq4ghilLxIGJfBJTmUZ8Vk6yIDsDD0Qzp43LrH_vTVI0k9KtYeo-rFp9ZdUVY5ezKcXFEBzP5qdTCF1ivffLeERHnhEqmWT2Uq/s320/20231223_194840.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The three of us greatly enjoyed seeing the light displays in the days leading up to Christmas.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I was home on Christmas Eve, apart from getting fuel for the car that afternoon. Christmas morning, I opened my presents that were under the Christmas Tree. From Mom, I got a Starbucks gift card and a three-pack of Moleskine journals. Rick sent me three books: The Complete Screenplay for the Movie "Oppenheimer;" "Defeat: Napoleon's Russian Campaign;" and "The Fatal Alliance: A Century of War on Film."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSBIxrwpWlFv8kHi8cuzhAXeMq7u2_bCRzeJLBmDWm51Su-7jpIPJCZos3uGWZKdmoBnA0qsK27jcu6k8WnCrIg94vBSC26I6AFailp-azGMz72POJkt-FdgEVjR4PNQu28WK2R7SCM3vyOJMbE41J9v88E5NOQRupKwVnScXGl118lDr0tRNwggbFLHb/s859/20231225_081204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSBIxrwpWlFv8kHi8cuzhAXeMq7u2_bCRzeJLBmDWm51Su-7jpIPJCZos3uGWZKdmoBnA0qsK27jcu6k8WnCrIg94vBSC26I6AFailp-azGMz72POJkt-FdgEVjR4PNQu28WK2R7SCM3vyOJMbE41J9v88E5NOQRupKwVnScXGl118lDr0tRNwggbFLHb/s320/20231225_081204.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ulm8B3IxRNnG_qAbnfpONtaCYStGmMScsC8NVmN7jygV3qkUclyYRiNf3tLKVSH889u6TudkZ79fmsf6VPokzw5ArDYLTbkxE9dhhifGsz1Y1Hkw7UmbntFNFQwc0WoQlCBb3FsjhVNLSvbOZ3DFX5ZrBCgFPyzIohwBwd2fDyTLqOw9gn3ZRIc6BfO7/s859/20231225_081217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ulm8B3IxRNnG_qAbnfpONtaCYStGmMScsC8NVmN7jygV3qkUclyYRiNf3tLKVSH889u6TudkZ79fmsf6VPokzw5ArDYLTbkxE9dhhifGsz1Y1Hkw7UmbntFNFQwc0WoQlCBb3FsjhVNLSvbOZ3DFX5ZrBCgFPyzIohwBwd2fDyTLqOw9gn3ZRIc6BfO7/s320/20231225_081217.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueAvAo4_LwOkzNH-r16tnFov_aU4wcQKB6r_VtI1yZD4f6YVG_uCNTlAw5xocoo86qFuKfegAo7EINgDUZYzmK2HGLw8Mnlxq3lcOnkQCK89toQAN8HJrEuVCA7J795MCc3e00meMf7aEKHwoLeuex2zBAISeSHPdlVJFEUiDmZJUMdOMmZCxYjqueagi/s859/20231225_083201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueAvAo4_LwOkzNH-r16tnFov_aU4wcQKB6r_VtI1yZD4f6YVG_uCNTlAw5xocoo86qFuKfegAo7EINgDUZYzmK2HGLw8Mnlxq3lcOnkQCK89toQAN8HJrEuVCA7J795MCc3e00meMf7aEKHwoLeuex2zBAISeSHPdlVJFEUiDmZJUMdOMmZCxYjqueagi/s320/20231225_083201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyhyphenhyphenYm3trUAPlQxb9fmwpaEyV8zAnvZ3jqijMrLiLpd6WqIRe337JMvXsg2vVZ1qLWGYPmwjPiNZ81MVDk-4DYKw-bq8iAyrvXt1WUK4o7PB7S4TJIjS6r_Xl7RJoeOM-ecifiqrwBACYn5ZtS9nuQbRDIEInlBJzoKjELWLy2SRXxO10p6RS2nqFTG5k/s859/20231225_083214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyhyphenhyphenYm3trUAPlQxb9fmwpaEyV8zAnvZ3jqijMrLiLpd6WqIRe337JMvXsg2vVZ1qLWGYPmwjPiNZ81MVDk-4DYKw-bq8iAyrvXt1WUK4o7PB7S4TJIjS6r_Xl7RJoeOM-ecifiqrwBACYn5ZtS9nuQbRDIEInlBJzoKjELWLy2SRXxO10p6RS2nqFTG5k/s320/20231225_083214.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5Pm1Z9Jhzh1-q2Xf5OOal6YAbPg9A10m1Yd8q1HR3f-ewSpCiXCWHpAIcpHpIdYvOGVB8gIVmmxSVSRmk7jFm8EU0QbRjtV5ThX5yXA3hoSRlsjaDEtapjTyxEYDBc_Ot4zjcKu_CAAzRiQoxAkERBr93CSwVnchTpma5xmzk7Twr3F98hqldjmI3f_E/s859/20231225_083247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5Pm1Z9Jhzh1-q2Xf5OOal6YAbPg9A10m1Yd8q1HR3f-ewSpCiXCWHpAIcpHpIdYvOGVB8gIVmmxSVSRmk7jFm8EU0QbRjtV5ThX5yXA3hoSRlsjaDEtapjTyxEYDBc_Ot4zjcKu_CAAzRiQoxAkERBr93CSwVnchTpma5xmzk7Twr3F98hqldjmI3f_E/s320/20231225_083247.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JHhdByLrATgQ2m5ug7EoFbAXr_onVjZIAup5Vl1A7Ka3XstRq-DD0v97ZHbKqap1Zj_gU94-AOtlQuz3sIpNab_PaAQzKjYY0drEUaPLCHVITEHR-BUcFhXdNOJZr9M56wh_w4s9AV72INBDuI-RC27NW9UzYt61h_1OdLLECY24VdOpOTd87PIyAr-J/s859/20231225_083301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JHhdByLrATgQ2m5ug7EoFbAXr_onVjZIAup5Vl1A7Ka3XstRq-DD0v97ZHbKqap1Zj_gU94-AOtlQuz3sIpNab_PaAQzKjYY0drEUaPLCHVITEHR-BUcFhXdNOJZr9M56wh_w4s9AV72INBDuI-RC27NW9UzYt61h_1OdLLECY24VdOpOTd87PIyAr-J/s320/20231225_083301.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_DrA36nW8vowxIv2XQ_2PCVDMgJRANZ8T4e4bBEORG-FUkCmsAc4aMN0WcMYC5fnsCvnYzcPRmyw3Yn4UOJoRnwteEVfygQUighvjqc0eigWJfx4-gC__fswRnQSQW_EcPla4PgagxZbAzhKQxP8cCSmTq87Lw8N2zFF8fRFZ9Iu2Uk7wJtZ17lP0BL_/s859/20231225_083343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_DrA36nW8vowxIv2XQ_2PCVDMgJRANZ8T4e4bBEORG-FUkCmsAc4aMN0WcMYC5fnsCvnYzcPRmyw3Yn4UOJoRnwteEVfygQUighvjqc0eigWJfx4-gC__fswRnQSQW_EcPla4PgagxZbAzhKQxP8cCSmTq87Lw8N2zFF8fRFZ9Iu2Uk7wJtZ17lP0BL_/s320/20231225_083343.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I left home at midday to drive to Julie's apartment, where we had a nice lunch featuring chicken. Afterward, we exchanged gifts. I gave Julie a colored pen set and a nice magenta sweater; these items were on her wish list sent to me. I opened a box she had given to me a few days earlier, but which I brought along for this occasion. It had a St. Louis CITY SC baseball cap, which was on the wish list I sent Julie.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjob9eigGKhMdJzeYM6i7uuNXWkYeqimZdPrgHipHvfK3MJscQIZdehyphenhyphenI3cBWDs4DKXEeOwisyYkO1IMOKYYn335trVaVr1eVx8uLR8h8L2lRflBnG_FjdGdEp3SYJbXEZVGw2w7xfa-WTC0ZSVaWv4NQUUUxcd2nHB7hcGIqZ3dyHl2REJmKIKprQJK89c/s859/20231225_144717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjob9eigGKhMdJzeYM6i7uuNXWkYeqimZdPrgHipHvfK3MJscQIZdehyphenhyphenI3cBWDs4DKXEeOwisyYkO1IMOKYYn335trVaVr1eVx8uLR8h8L2lRflBnG_FjdGdEp3SYJbXEZVGw2w7xfa-WTC0ZSVaWv4NQUUUxcd2nHB7hcGIqZ3dyHl2REJmKIKprQJK89c/s320/20231225_144717.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6DFDf3kVdA1KctU-Mw-VprJK5vfLqZN7ubeHYkmCCQDwbgtyQ0I7QQrDaIoWu6zA5fbzAs7UlNL_n3RnOp71F1lpsvMGwpOfoNs6XR6Vf4ug2mHdbNS2T6-OKz9Jy-GNVxqtDmZM_1TYpRtetEKavcb2XAhRmWtLMu6J8rcN1aFCwFjQrXzXVqnY6iSw/s859/20231225_144725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6DFDf3kVdA1KctU-Mw-VprJK5vfLqZN7ubeHYkmCCQDwbgtyQ0I7QQrDaIoWu6zA5fbzAs7UlNL_n3RnOp71F1lpsvMGwpOfoNs6XR6Vf4ug2mHdbNS2T6-OKz9Jy-GNVxqtDmZM_1TYpRtetEKavcb2XAhRmWtLMu6J8rcN1aFCwFjQrXzXVqnY6iSw/s320/20231225_144725.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Julie and I then settled down on the couch to watch the classic 1980 comedy film "Airplane!" on her home video. It's one of my all-time favorite movies, and hers as well. A great laugh fest.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After watching a movie at home, we decided to watch a movie in the cinema. After finding it sold out at the first theater we went to, Julie and I were able to get tickets to see "Ferrari" at the Marcus Des Peres Cinema. This new drama from director Michael Mann opened on this day. We both enjoyed "Ferrari" and especially liked the auto racing action sequences.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After the movie, we returned to Julie's apartment, where she gave me some leftover chicken to enjoy this week. We hugged and kissed each other goodbye after a terrific Christmas Day.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Later.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Tilles County Park: <a href="https://stlouiscountymo.gov/st-louis-county-departments/parks/places/tilles-park/" style="text-align: left;">Tilles Park - St. Louis County Website (stlouiscountymo.gov)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park: <a href="https://eurekajellystone.com/" style="text-align: left;">Eureka Jellystone – Your Vacation Destination for Six Flags® and St. Louis</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway: <a href="https://wwtraceway.com/" style="text-align: left;">New Home Page - World Wide Technology Raceway (wwtraceway.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Starbucks: <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/" style="text-align: left;">Starbucks Coffee Company</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Moleskine: <a href="https://www.moleskine.com/en-us/" style="text-align: left;">Moleskine® Official Website - Notebooks, Planners and More | Moleskine</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis CITY SC: <a href="https://www.stlcitysc.com/" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Marcus Des Peres Cinema: <a href="https://www.marcustheatres.com/theatre-locations/marcus-des-peres-14-cine" style="text-align: left;">Des Peres Movie Theatre | Marcus Theatres</a></p>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-1889974362835879672023-12-20T19:17:00.000-06:002023-12-20T19:17:37.618-06:00Julie and I at IPMS/Gateway's 2023 Christmas Party<p style="text-align: justify;">After getting off work last night (19 December), I drove to Julie's apartment to pick her up and then take her to Affton Elks Lodge #2635. This month's IPMS/Gateway meeting was also the annual Christmas Party.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Julie and I parked at the Elks Lodge and we brought our things into the hall. I brought some tortilla chips and salsa, while she had some sliced bread. We put our items on the buffet table and waited for the meeting to start.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirl2PkbIHiHi9AtaH85VSTkybkkFNwZTzYUYh8auQZEeKdaiYsMfUg8B_Q_5_VaBuaLYQvvl0tnr8jyeAeq8y6TSK-4-ddd07IPsVUdoybLPt6-QyFnd2y34YHIwe1dq2foGeMkuyLjQ2UMXX_nFyOB7akXHLjWfqgLlPehu3I6TIJRWEw8VEuaiwFyFK/s4608/IMG_3156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirl2PkbIHiHi9AtaH85VSTkybkkFNwZTzYUYh8auQZEeKdaiYsMfUg8B_Q_5_VaBuaLYQvvl0tnr8jyeAeq8y6TSK-4-ddd07IPsVUdoybLPt6-QyFnd2y34YHIwe1dq2foGeMkuyLjQ2UMXX_nFyOB7akXHLjWfqgLlPehu3I6TIJRWEw8VEuaiwFyFK/s320/IMG_3156.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOHCZz9l1wvI2c0yv0yKL20AOSt8ZS3kGbd9TcX3gmQbgrnmAG0Zb4sez0Bi-F5HptYMhnYBK4NYGjWMvoNQwKYtHFe1HHgA_CA7Lx5SOS_a9bT5qpyAHBy0kmIxaVCuOO09WTalNpN5GF2z71luHcfFxUbi3f8Hv7n5h3e22ZSsdygCxnLHTjCRivi1x/s4608/IMG_3159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOHCZz9l1wvI2c0yv0yKL20AOSt8ZS3kGbd9TcX3gmQbgrnmAG0Zb4sez0Bi-F5HptYMhnYBK4NYGjWMvoNQwKYtHFe1HHgA_CA7Lx5SOS_a9bT5qpyAHBy0kmIxaVCuOO09WTalNpN5GF2z71luHcfFxUbi3f8Hv7n5h3e22ZSsdygCxnLHTjCRivi1x/s320/IMG_3159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">After club president Marion Morris called the meeting to order, we lined up to get dinner. I let Julie go first, then got myself into line. We had quite a few members with several guests--mostly significant others. The club bought meat from Smokee Mo's Arnold BBQ Restaurant and bottles of soda, while club members and guests brought the side dishes and desserts. Nobody came away hungry from this dinner.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxp5oyXrAbFBd-AOSTjMmtWjDQHcVG6fgmYWd7IW-kZ-CZ_CnGZzR2jkFr8LXvvoGr59QiRxwdxJNU2_0IMOTnoVI6KpqZ4h1V69RnUkOquPtOwD5FBGYEHnpMa4wxTchAP5_vGUmeFj2lsUlnVGi1XsIPIOqq6emq2TVOPWBQu_GNM-tPc4rC3JZnj_E/s4608/IMG_3167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxp5oyXrAbFBd-AOSTjMmtWjDQHcVG6fgmYWd7IW-kZ-CZ_CnGZzR2jkFr8LXvvoGr59QiRxwdxJNU2_0IMOTnoVI6KpqZ4h1V69RnUkOquPtOwD5FBGYEHnpMa4wxTchAP5_vGUmeFj2lsUlnVGi1XsIPIOqq6emq2TVOPWBQu_GNM-tPc4rC3JZnj_E/s320/IMG_3167.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7YFKQ-a_v8ybaJ4cWCtW53TuMEGP4t3TdIfBi2qV1QsK3d36Lt3slAGGY-bIl7NhRS2tkA6NTJPKgJoFiEJKNkSuf6duw8AqmEszYBTWH9hOqKe1mIGbluxE-XdiwkkcnBMVyiaH1tl7gJpqkJpsADgpOriBYljpf-D-v1IDbq9iWEbdATMJ38-zhPY5/s4608/IMG_3168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7YFKQ-a_v8ybaJ4cWCtW53TuMEGP4t3TdIfBi2qV1QsK3d36Lt3slAGGY-bIl7NhRS2tkA6NTJPKgJoFiEJKNkSuf6duw8AqmEszYBTWH9hOqKe1mIGbluxE-XdiwkkcnBMVyiaH1tl7gJpqkJpsADgpOriBYljpf-D-v1IDbq9iWEbdATMJ38-zhPY5/s320/IMG_3168.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">After the meal, Morris was presented a certificate from the Civil Air Patrol for recently building a model of a CAP aircraft from World War II for the Jefferson Barracks POW-MIA Museum. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVLh3vdT3Gl9sAuZiIdnIWTw6HzxiACCIHykcnk6mvhbymATSLvpiGsnZGMH8S_Qsz1R2xhHDNHZ0bI_2alwJIFk4QY0w0JSSCtvXcbIHCGN0zPdbo76BbHy-LjIn_W0XMn-KZmEaucsL3ImcoHUMYZHnrULxl3FBUHdgJ7wE0ZAvZHtccir8b-yf3TFi/s4608/IMG_3187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVLh3vdT3Gl9sAuZiIdnIWTw6HzxiACCIHykcnk6mvhbymATSLvpiGsnZGMH8S_Qsz1R2xhHDNHZ0bI_2alwJIFk4QY0w0JSSCtvXcbIHCGN0zPdbo76BbHy-LjIn_W0XMn-KZmEaucsL3ImcoHUMYZHnrULxl3FBUHdgJ7wE0ZAvZHtccir8b-yf3TFi/s320/IMG_3187.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">This was followed by elections for club officers. I was unopposed for secretary, so I will be back in that office in 2024. I was also on the ballot for Gateway's Bob Stroup Award for Member of the Year. Three other members were nominated. This award will be presented at next month's meeting.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Morris then ran the annual Recognition Contest, in which members saw images projected against the wall and had to choose from multiple choices on the answer sheet. Julie also played along. This year's contest theme was "Wrecks," with images of wrecked aircraft, ships, armored vehicles, automobiles, and miscellaneous items (mostly science fiction; Julie is quite good with that). I tied two others with the highest score of 20 correct out of 25. I won the tiebreaker and received a Hawker Hurricane kit as the prize.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuSlbkMmffKI8RY7-6s-BruGvLF6HqxrTqS8KNLyOH9gA8nf8HNckY_FSYM5a4Xmb8Qf_W_5DAASL9zm9uGzUY7e-jyqYEWEvDU5zZovOTNWH1rohpzw5ySeJUeYeEoioOQNC2qIw9eN6ZlgjKC7o5mzDZtLaYrTYqGSm8_hVBL9OGMmvbP_N_xwj1c7P/s4608/IMG_3189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuSlbkMmffKI8RY7-6s-BruGvLF6HqxrTqS8KNLyOH9gA8nf8HNckY_FSYM5a4Xmb8Qf_W_5DAASL9zm9uGzUY7e-jyqYEWEvDU5zZovOTNWH1rohpzw5ySeJUeYeEoioOQNC2qIw9eN6ZlgjKC7o5mzDZtLaYrTYqGSm8_hVBL9OGMmvbP_N_xwj1c7P/s320/IMG_3189.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQ0DQd5N8aHSG7qgBRfDOVmkRl5bDvlGRzmUyEYY8YdASo1jY08QS0CkENgTi8X2ypRikKrKyZyrVFzlerTQdFDQgUTVY_aZdY4-wcUmU6DspV5GsxLJXZrb-8JUDwYNee3Yok734Ru2LPIDTA5SmNyqvDqdyp5ffKucuD_tjEkWiBXbMdjRDbgiT1Bh-/s4608/IMG_3183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQ0DQd5N8aHSG7qgBRfDOVmkRl5bDvlGRzmUyEYY8YdASo1jY08QS0CkENgTi8X2ypRikKrKyZyrVFzlerTQdFDQgUTVY_aZdY4-wcUmU6DspV5GsxLJXZrb-8JUDwYNee3Yok734Ru2LPIDTA5SmNyqvDqdyp5ffKucuD_tjEkWiBXbMdjRDbgiT1Bh-/s320/IMG_3183.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of kits, there was finally a raffle of kits the club bought that all members in attendance each had a chance to win. My ticket was one of those picked and I selected the Artemis I space launch vehicle kit, which recently came out.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHX7C5wzjlaODObkiUJcF28pRbQF4api_XPzDqepsJCuJSWns6EJCjnFBhWasEZuvY7PhOeLw-lVhMRIXFLvHHPSLiK-rmoyX-jwhBdhlNI03E9KcOrfSGXPTxNzTlM3h_HaokXh-4i8lEUsA16YTzE5ySr1FpqNChjCzANq4rUQFQ2A4iNKBlhadcpCV/s4608/IMG_3176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHX7C5wzjlaODObkiUJcF28pRbQF4api_XPzDqepsJCuJSWns6EJCjnFBhWasEZuvY7PhOeLw-lVhMRIXFLvHHPSLiK-rmoyX-jwhBdhlNI03E9KcOrfSGXPTxNzTlM3h_HaokXh-4i8lEUsA16YTzE5ySr1FpqNChjCzANq4rUQFQ2A4iNKBlhadcpCV/s320/IMG_3176.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Julie enjoyed her time there, chatting with a few of the other members in attendance. As the meeting broke up, Julie and I packed up our things and got into my car. Then, I took her to her home, Julie and I hugging and kissing in the car before she left. We will touch base regarding Christmas early next week.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Later.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Affton Elks Lodge #2635: <a href="https://www.elks.org/lodges/home.cfm?lodgenumber=2635" style="text-align: left;">Lodge #2635 Welcome (elks.org)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">IPMS Gateway Chapter: <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home" style="text-align: left;">IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Smokee Mo's Arnold BBQ Restaurant: <a href="https://www.smokeemosarnoldbbq.com/" style="text-align: left;">Smokee Mo's Arnold BBQ - Best BBQ Restaurant In Arnold (smokeemosarnoldbbq.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Civil Air Patrol: <a href="https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/" style="text-align: left;">Civil Air Patrol | Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters (gocivilairpatrol.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Jefferson Barracks POW-MIA Museum: <a href="https://jbpow-mia.org/" style="text-align: left;">Jefferson Barracks POW/MIA Museum | A Promise Made, A Promise Kept (jbpow-mia.org)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-7217104265808276502023-12-17T20:12:00.001-06:002023-12-17T20:29:46.285-06:00Julie and I Take in BandTogether's Holiday Concert<p style="text-align: justify;">Last night (16 December), I drove up to Julie's apartment. There, she and I got into her vehicle and we went to 560 Music Center in University City. This facility hosted the annual Holiday Concert of BandTogether, a Metro St. Louis volunteer music organization.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After parking in a nearby garage, Julie and I walked through a light rain to 560 Music Center. We first went into the Pillsbury Theater for a pre-show featuring the band's 12-person color guard performing a routine.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvOke740WdLrCHYCxwoI9j8e2hqRupv2uJs5RrN9TB6lZwX8BM_1i7nA6zOP5RCro3nTKRjJ2DP_ai7MSQ08lwh6h7WeLkHRl2U8X3BBMhGPKQz1EmU17ITx5uiW1MW56xqgo3kebUwtTi5lUhMWYSBqeKAGS0LTUGfutCl0l0FnG9R3kDhLJcT9Ybi9y/s859/20231216_190643.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="644" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvOke740WdLrCHYCxwoI9j8e2hqRupv2uJs5RrN9TB6lZwX8BM_1i7nA6zOP5RCro3nTKRjJ2DP_ai7MSQ08lwh6h7WeLkHRl2U8X3BBMhGPKQz1EmU17ITx5uiW1MW56xqgo3kebUwtTi5lUhMWYSBqeKAGS0LTUGfutCl0l0FnG9R3kDhLJcT9Ybi9y/s320/20231216_190643.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Following the pre-show, the audience made its way to the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall for the concert, whose theme was "You Better Sleigh!" They performed five selections in the first act, including instrumental versions of "Santa Baby" and "Go Tell It on the Mountain." Julie and I attended last year's concert, and we were really enjoying this year's show.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8Wfski0w9ZoE-_5-LgOF67EYZlr4l1YT8UPxTPOko4nAkXza13_kN3yp8KcxBaDJ14JqzXazU69mi-yuo10JrUxRfz3W1OTYCEZ2xLWu9hzwbrkfxhYg4v4Y7_9LLgCTYecWAUVL08pUXWJ948Vs40a4LhS-hhUTuwImUOqI58xwij061WXOlEMO9-I_/s1859/20231216_194433.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1859" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8Wfski0w9ZoE-_5-LgOF67EYZlr4l1YT8UPxTPOko4nAkXza13_kN3yp8KcxBaDJ14JqzXazU69mi-yuo10JrUxRfz3W1OTYCEZ2xLWu9hzwbrkfxhYg4v4Y7_9LLgCTYecWAUVL08pUXWJ948Vs40a4LhS-hhUTuwImUOqI58xwij061WXOlEMO9-I_/s320/20231216_194433.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ddb2kwxQ1EMbxFa2rQs-Jql86nJEqxukVPuiIIrQmU-6k45SeEBDDfYYK0gbd-oyJxmwOh_7a-J_kCiG5zztCMTDiBicoL7ZtKuuiRDKkkxPBmNg9KpM_gD6ubvFqPwwN4v2lYXrhkOzmZzEF3Bc0L2UN4ZgR-T8_J4AI8uv5qHBUotFoZ-6foEakc6r/s400/20231216_194437.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="400" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ddb2kwxQ1EMbxFa2rQs-Jql86nJEqxukVPuiIIrQmU-6k45SeEBDDfYYK0gbd-oyJxmwOh_7a-J_kCiG5zztCMTDiBicoL7ZtKuuiRDKkkxPBmNg9KpM_gD6ubvFqPwwN4v2lYXrhkOzmZzEF3Bc0L2UN4ZgR-T8_J4AI8uv5qHBUotFoZ-6foEakc6r/s320/20231216_194437.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9w9CeuFWEQZ1fGTT_nEnicrpXLXYxvpK2wyQWid36FoD2oJA8sav9bn4V3NtHEvQWqMjGuaaJyYUC3I4Y7aIr1Ln4hYbIRqxDkYUaLst3NPCNJOOdciVYEdWZyaYc3ngsaS5VKRvzsyLc47zwlNixn2Uuqt3hcTXMY4_IqdmRFy1mFtufPQiCIvif5BI5/s1859/20231216_194441.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1859" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9w9CeuFWEQZ1fGTT_nEnicrpXLXYxvpK2wyQWid36FoD2oJA8sav9bn4V3NtHEvQWqMjGuaaJyYUC3I4Y7aIr1Ln4hYbIRqxDkYUaLst3NPCNJOOdciVYEdWZyaYc3ngsaS5VKRvzsyLc47zwlNixn2Uuqt3hcTXMY4_IqdmRFy1mFtufPQiCIvif5BI5/s320/20231216_194441.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">A 15-minute intermission followed, which included another show in the Pillsbury Theater by the color guard. They danced and twirled flags to the Christmas song "Underneath the Tree." They did quite a beautiful job.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95X722lAKUrDARSMdmVhQeihi0IHDhe_RrXyGiJGQKf5ZCQ93nIgGQSG9c0h9P9ij5vwvRdVV4FbTdsxGzDiQM-5Y_K8PDFrkfDsfX38Y2EADUPqAOLJ8bOl80LsaDPJhJffUfW0T0QQFFNL1kxqDQIKmF3pGzuYq7lwkItShWkWM1pf_Qfi5NHYBAFV1/s859/20231216_201544.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95X722lAKUrDARSMdmVhQeihi0IHDhe_RrXyGiJGQKf5ZCQ93nIgGQSG9c0h9P9ij5vwvRdVV4FbTdsxGzDiQM-5Y_K8PDFrkfDsfX38Y2EADUPqAOLJ8bOl80LsaDPJhJffUfW0T0QQFFNL1kxqDQIKmF3pGzuYq7lwkItShWkWM1pf_Qfi5NHYBAFV1/s320/20231216_201544.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">It was then back to the Concert Hall for the rest of the concert. The band performed five more selections, including "Laughing All the Way (For all who love snow...)" and "All is Calm," based on the classics "Jingle Bells" and "Silent Night," respectively. The house lights were brought down for the latter number, and audience members lit electric candles (or in Julie and my case, our cellphone lights) during the performance.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfCBCMn8dpmdcQlcAVXMjrXNKkwNV5b5LXGHJz0zDAAfDcEawc13_BrWWvK_OELBzdGipcsAlOKRKhqHTLxDfzBn-5MRic19vajuMLLLg8OaPg-T7cEgRLWSLxfgmWADwcfZ0_tcIQqGOmV5KJQZV1UcEukbAG65m8Pw_7Bqk8wCUsq2kowsGjVRmQzJe/s859/20231216_203042.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfCBCMn8dpmdcQlcAVXMjrXNKkwNV5b5LXGHJz0zDAAfDcEawc13_BrWWvK_OELBzdGipcsAlOKRKhqHTLxDfzBn-5MRic19vajuMLLLg8OaPg-T7cEgRLWSLxfgmWADwcfZ0_tcIQqGOmV5KJQZV1UcEukbAG65m8Pw_7Bqk8wCUsq2kowsGjVRmQzJe/s320/20231216_203042.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hDfKH8JiAWi9F0LrECCQKRXoaKI6rn5TiPtLXSnlYXsXPizC-VyBoEgSrH965CgonXEvElPXshEpGX7sPmMkWracDuUtYgyYPK1AwKtIIc-t1VafSB53B99kqJhp-65a2kIdeeRR6MjCmhZFu9YVJMlxufjFYl89-nJMHpdktEFfgpC6jthKrVc0_M44/s859/20231216_203047.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hDfKH8JiAWi9F0LrECCQKRXoaKI6rn5TiPtLXSnlYXsXPizC-VyBoEgSrH965CgonXEvElPXshEpGX7sPmMkWracDuUtYgyYPK1AwKtIIc-t1VafSB53B99kqJhp-65a2kIdeeRR6MjCmhZFu9YVJMlxufjFYl89-nJMHpdktEFfgpC6jthKrVc0_M44/s320/20231216_203047.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKbyPcPGvla2bEZtvSM4SAxqHK0BEdn9wr_MNPsueyCOnZsiwI_aZNRTOskoMLoDvxpGPbc5o7VwaVgHlJtduUjBjDvQBAFDbztg-WxhMJgJgZrAiUaqc5qHh99wCiqCKj74q6pNGMOPUtvweSlSGyqobCk5xW310HTChtvwEBDrRrlVGXFIocaXjKcNs/s859/20231216_203050.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKbyPcPGvla2bEZtvSM4SAxqHK0BEdn9wr_MNPsueyCOnZsiwI_aZNRTOskoMLoDvxpGPbc5o7VwaVgHlJtduUjBjDvQBAFDbztg-WxhMJgJgZrAiUaqc5qHh99wCiqCKj74q6pNGMOPUtvweSlSGyqobCk5xW310HTChtvwEBDrRrlVGXFIocaXjKcNs/s320/20231216_203050.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Prior to the final number, "Choose Joy," the conductor expressed his thanks to all who supported BandTogether in the past year. He also paid tribute to his mother, who passed away just days before, and it was hard for him to keep from tearing up as he talked about his mother. Julie and I agreed this was an honest gesture on his part.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The band performed an encore number, "Sleigh Ride," before the concert finally ended. Julie and I walked out happy, as did everyone else in attendance.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After walking back to the garage and getting back into her vehicle, Julie and I headed back to her apartment. I stayed around with Julie and her apartment mate Joan, who was nursing some soreness and had passed on going to the concert. I enjoyed a mug of hot chocolate as we watched a few YouTube videos projected onto their large screen TV. We saw several videos from Six13, a New York-based Jewish a capella group who did song parodies tied to Hanukkah, which just ended the previously Thursday. They did songs based on "West Side Story," "Hamilton," and "Star Wars," as well as music by Billy Joel. We agreed Six13 did a terrific job on these Holiday-themed songs.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After that, we saw an 60th anniversary special episode of "Doctor Who" on Disney+. Julie is a big fan of the series and recently went to "Doctor Who" themed First Friday at the Saint Louis Science Center. In this episode we saw, Doctor Who and his assistant went back to 1925 London to take on the Toymaker, who was trying to turn an early experiment in TV transmission into a present-day torment for the world. I found it very entertaining; however, I was also really tired. With that, I called it a night and drove home, stopping on the way home at White Castle for some sliders.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">When I got home, I found that my mailbox had been knocked a bit off base and its front hatch removed from the box. I didn't understand what could have happened. This afternoon, I called the police who came out to have a look. The officer noticed a scar on one side of the mailbox which I had not seen before. This officer believed some drunk motorist hit the mailbox last night before I got home. He also found the front hatch and reattached it to the mailbox. The officer said he would look elsewhere in the subdivision, but thought it was an isolated case. I was glad to know that and thanked the officer for coming for a look.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Later.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;">560 Music Center: <a href="https://560.wustl.edu/places/concert-hall/" style="text-align: left;">E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall | 560 Music Center | Washington University in St. Louis (wustl.edu)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">BandTogether: <a href="https://www.bandtogetherstl.com/" style="text-align: left;">BandTogether – St. Louis' LGBT+ Band and Colorguard since 1997 (bandtogetherstl.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Six13: <a href="https://www.six13.com/" style="text-align: left;">Six13 | Being Jewish never sounded quite like this</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Doctor Who: <a href="https://www.doctorwho.tv/" style="text-align: left;">Doctor Who | Home</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">White Castle: <a href="https://whitecastle.com/" style="text-align: left;">Home - White Castle</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-52164775324324695162023-12-10T20:13:00.002-06:002023-12-10T20:13:36.051-06:00Dates with Julie: Garden Glow and St. Louligans Christmas Party<p style="text-align: justify;">Wednesday evening (6 December), I arrived at Julie's residence. After exchanging Christmas gifts to place under our respective trees, I drove us to Missouri Botanical Garden to tour the Garden Glow Christmastime light display. After parking on the street and walking to the Garden, we paid our way into the display and walked through it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It was rather mild for an early December evening and there was a large crowd that evening. Julie and I really enjoyed the various displays of light throughout the garden. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJnKwvV_ULLTWzUienbmabgd1ZmJs_obqKkWXuVsis8YRc3J_fwF3a7287OwPM8bDbbKacgMUGy5vRayrU79XnkuTKMU1sDtvGQGTofj7cQ9CWzyEm9Xt69ttWYE9900L-rYjJdJz03Ciq_e7KMLgG3kcYXxwYuABkK0ngqzpr6aliCgsJCZzZuMHFxBG/s864/IMG_20231207_095138_949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJnKwvV_ULLTWzUienbmabgd1ZmJs_obqKkWXuVsis8YRc3J_fwF3a7287OwPM8bDbbKacgMUGy5vRayrU79XnkuTKMU1sDtvGQGTofj7cQ9CWzyEm9Xt69ttWYE9900L-rYjJdJz03Ciq_e7KMLgG3kcYXxwYuABkK0ngqzpr6aliCgsJCZzZuMHFxBG/s320/IMG_20231207_095138_949.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxXXZluNSxLktoTshBftoAkL_Zz1DWx7BdGrFFzsSIlFslVlM294zOXi_znTP_8OoEHkQao8rTzM_HLY1pkyaW6DYb8nYUOvEC6K3rdC7V7ARFs1T04BKbYVfpOVmbWsiwk2p2y1itujyShSkJRnGhTK_pjL2u4xgCaFptSIqdiZYdilD9mDchFD51HLv/s864/IMG_20231207_095139_239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxXXZluNSxLktoTshBftoAkL_Zz1DWx7BdGrFFzsSIlFslVlM294zOXi_znTP_8OoEHkQao8rTzM_HLY1pkyaW6DYb8nYUOvEC6K3rdC7V7ARFs1T04BKbYVfpOVmbWsiwk2p2y1itujyShSkJRnGhTK_pjL2u4xgCaFptSIqdiZYdilD9mDchFD51HLv/s320/IMG_20231207_095139_239.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0cEciiGlGGXoMG8zOZGh5TgCJ922vEDQ-seF1XTNkfJJIsMo7ScUt4C1eYu2fRbNZ0ama7l2Jf6sskqBdaZsakJxTnFOnIxvq1jLaYbpdNgLFwvd38LrlDmWaaxifGP2eoOaE9rUOzKO11VxLprvAeCJyRsSc9ueRb72TSxW4kOThPLFpebbHMMNk1b8/s864/IMG_20231207_134737_561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0cEciiGlGGXoMG8zOZGh5TgCJ922vEDQ-seF1XTNkfJJIsMo7ScUt4C1eYu2fRbNZ0ama7l2Jf6sskqBdaZsakJxTnFOnIxvq1jLaYbpdNgLFwvd38LrlDmWaaxifGP2eoOaE9rUOzKO11VxLprvAeCJyRsSc9ueRb72TSxW4kOThPLFpebbHMMNk1b8/s320/IMG_20231207_134737_561.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HzXQBgYRA2cxA80HNW2cUD2oUwPTxjafxEW2rzI2RwiA0yj0CQ2-PQadv97Q2HeBiQV2y8CGYsMt9WHlc4TwZ9ug4SKA93dm_shQdWwG2rpzMjEpV6qLsq1s0UVBJr5l5FD_gsaUnJsqHJzeZVvipWtiq_8LNhN_NtmhwZBXUqWO_2iwVaBIIC0oq2CA/s864/20231206_190356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HzXQBgYRA2cxA80HNW2cUD2oUwPTxjafxEW2rzI2RwiA0yj0CQ2-PQadv97Q2HeBiQV2y8CGYsMt9WHlc4TwZ9ug4SKA93dm_shQdWwG2rpzMjEpV6qLsq1s0UVBJr5l5FD_gsaUnJsqHJzeZVvipWtiq_8LNhN_NtmhwZBXUqWO_2iwVaBIIC0oq2CA/s320/20231206_190356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRo-wYgwVakJqG5irSiP4v_55jBoHE6Ff0TXrg92m3P741TqGK1OJ0SgNvt0fLMnaQYVw4VQWfznoDfTMnK7lXbxm-KAnnOggq2ESvdnv6QnRTfZhW-bIR8NZR6x72SpnEaB5ee7tMURRP_wq0f5yaCcLFNZyO-SfOCrOW2BeHrWpRfs3-Oa1BXVHEgvw/s864/20231206_191308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRo-wYgwVakJqG5irSiP4v_55jBoHE6Ff0TXrg92m3P741TqGK1OJ0SgNvt0fLMnaQYVw4VQWfznoDfTMnK7lXbxm-KAnnOggq2ESvdnv6QnRTfZhW-bIR8NZR6x72SpnEaB5ee7tMURRP_wq0f5yaCcLFNZyO-SfOCrOW2BeHrWpRfs3-Oa1BXVHEgvw/s320/20231206_191308.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwgxThqu2qRjF3KJWscqLMiPj8R0RK5pK54bgdZGNBCPZUPpUmOH3GclPZELNBl1dlytt6YRrPls53xP6jJdADk34MgcZSez0WeIGDrHwU5Iqt6iktbm3iOe8ZmAfPdp8CFMebiGS-iGfAwYxtWum_Mpt_a5WHg-z18uD-2OpyA1UdeVkd4gkhMne8jHD/s864/20231206_192036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwgxThqu2qRjF3KJWscqLMiPj8R0RK5pK54bgdZGNBCPZUPpUmOH3GclPZELNBl1dlytt6YRrPls53xP6jJdADk34MgcZSez0WeIGDrHwU5Iqt6iktbm3iOe8ZmAfPdp8CFMebiGS-iGfAwYxtWum_Mpt_a5WHg-z18uD-2OpyA1UdeVkd4gkhMne8jHD/s320/20231206_192036.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Julie and I were very impressed with this light show. It was accompanied with music in some instances. Animated lights accompanied by music were projected onto one side of Tower Grove, the Henry Shaw house on the Garden's grounds. That was super cool.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I drove Julie home, after making a stop for fuel on the way to her place, then on the way home stopped by Hi-Pointe Drive-In located in Kirkwood for a belated dinner. I had a cheeseburger with fries and cola, all of which were very good. It was my first visit there, and I highly doubt it will be my last.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGH1OgG_4Fxhn9A9qTtcDm3b_17YUKUWToPVe9MrdxT94sX-2CkT458r0Xa8NBgG_dfukXMxbUTdSa97ZnrYfL6IAM_CcBaCiFADzY-rmWsAb4-YWas2FSBI1lQmV6WjAqm1HQfJzFxto962mQiVpNj8mqifigZaIb1uwTmM6IixPedXNfGAuk-qG8x6TQ/s864/20231206_204317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGH1OgG_4Fxhn9A9qTtcDm3b_17YUKUWToPVe9MrdxT94sX-2CkT458r0Xa8NBgG_dfukXMxbUTdSa97ZnrYfL6IAM_CcBaCiFADzY-rmWsAb4-YWas2FSBI1lQmV6WjAqm1HQfJzFxto962mQiVpNj8mqifigZaIb1uwTmM6IixPedXNfGAuk-qG8x6TQ/s320/20231206_204317.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After work on Friday (8 December), I picked up Julie and drove us to 2nd Shift Brewing in St. Louis for the St. Louligans Christmas Party. Most of our group were present at this party, which featured a catered buffet dinner. Julie and I each bought a beer from the counter to enjoy with our dinner. We heard that the Winter Classic soccer match against the St. Louis chapter of American Outlaws will be played on Saturday, 6 January 2024 at World Wide Technology Soccer Park. Two weeks later, on 20 January, St. Louligans will hold their Annual General Meeting at the Schlafly Tap Room.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RMGAdaWyYfcMVR62oZyZ-D3HNZhZ6oAjJoSoGHXgLHBKsh-J5SRBVHL8bSpAhsTvF54O62iakwEqlQ9mOwzyY18lyE7X7KcricKJI0QeQeQq3qE9B8k0Xo1TmMQwRUbzQ08-Vr0GdlieEAF3DFoK4FpCkDKwOGaP89nMIbyFYgdKir4dg78gqIdhlpBB/s864/20231208_190700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RMGAdaWyYfcMVR62oZyZ-D3HNZhZ6oAjJoSoGHXgLHBKsh-J5SRBVHL8bSpAhsTvF54O62iakwEqlQ9mOwzyY18lyE7X7KcricKJI0QeQeQq3qE9B8k0Xo1TmMQwRUbzQ08-Vr0GdlieEAF3DFoK4FpCkDKwOGaP89nMIbyFYgdKir4dg78gqIdhlpBB/s320/20231208_190700.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I drove Julie back to her place before returning home. Our love for each other remains strong.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entiries Mentioned in this Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Missouri Botanical Garden: <a href="https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/" style="text-align: left;">Missouri Botanical Garden</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hi-Pointe Drive-In: <a href="https://hipointedrivein.com/" style="text-align: left;">Hi-Pointe Drive-In | Best Burgers In St. Louis MO (hipointedrivein.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2nd Shift Brewing: <a href="https://www.2ndshiftbrewing.com/" style="text-align: left;">2nd Shift Brewing</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louligans: <a href="https://stlouligans.com/" style="text-align: left;">Saint Louligans – Supporting Soccer in the St. Louis Area – St. Louligans – Supporting St. Louis Soccer (stlouligans.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-26229960344923529242023-12-03T15:38:00.000-06:002023-12-03T15:38:25.883-06:00Attending the MPC Meeting and Volunteering at the Hot Chocolate Run<p style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday morning (2 December), I drove to the St. Louis Artists Guild in Clayton for the Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC) meeting. It featured a panel discussion with the owners of three St. Louis Independent bookstores: EyeSeeMe African American Children's Bookstore, Betty's Books, and The Novel Neighbor. These owners discussed bookstore trends and their favorites for the holiday season, and fielded questions from the audience. Before and after the program, all three bookstore owners had display tables with merchandise for sale. I did a bit of shopping from one of those stores after the meeting.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCotR68BMATWahev2BeVV85EDtvDNoqbwBdeVdT9ioHpya6y0FB_5nFo-VZ2FgXW5oOHZcZldXnjTQdgFn9iD-zWxGbseZxbpy8wPVU0B6st2oct7MY-gSLUFKLUwz20s9RqUvoPZBjKYXieVJXY7OLVjVVXLWeAQUQTOko9_IoercVl_gyL693PY7dB0b/s864/20231202_101126.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCotR68BMATWahev2BeVV85EDtvDNoqbwBdeVdT9ioHpya6y0FB_5nFo-VZ2FgXW5oOHZcZldXnjTQdgFn9iD-zWxGbseZxbpy8wPVU0B6st2oct7MY-gSLUFKLUwz20s9RqUvoPZBjKYXieVJXY7OLVjVVXLWeAQUQTOko9_IoercVl_gyL693PY7dB0b/s320/20231202_101126.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After a bit of holiday shopping, I came home and relaxed. Last night, I watched the MLS Conference Finals that were streamed on Apple TV+ to my computer. It will be Columbus Crew hosting Los Angeles Football Club for the MLS Cup this Saturday.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After rising early this morning, I drove to Forest Park to serve as a volunteer at this year's Hot Chocolate Run, a trio of road races through and around the park. These races were: 5 km (3.1 miles), 10 km (6.2 miles), and 15 km (9.3 miles). This was one of several Hot Chocolate Runs held throughout the country during late 2023 and early 2024. Proceeds from these runs benefit Special Olympics.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I arrived at the volunteer check in just before 6:00 am, received a Hot Chocolate Run hoodie to wear over my outfit, and reported to the Course Marshals group. We had about 12 volunteers for this role. We were each loaned a Course Marshal vest and a signal flag to use during our shift.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We were taken by van to our stations on the course. I chose one at the corner of Government Drive and Washington Drive near the entrance to the Saint Louis Zoo. This was approximately 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the start. I was on station about 6:45 am--45 minutes before the run began.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLz5pW0wKXTFBpKKTGtBVCfWj8Ic-t36uVoAo630d2w-Lf9c7yuowqef7N49jPYbDr7lrN994cL1eyE93nYjti41Stw2wncmOqi2WozKxbDtA2yU37yRQc1Nq2M1T1ufzTSmE6Tj14UqwCKz2fK5kMMC98BDyzcVIAao7QUjiDz39Acexef_fqU21b2xKY/s220/-ili86f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="220" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLz5pW0wKXTFBpKKTGtBVCfWj8Ic-t36uVoAo630d2w-Lf9c7yuowqef7N49jPYbDr7lrN994cL1eyE93nYjti41Stw2wncmOqi2WozKxbDtA2yU37yRQc1Nq2M1T1ufzTSmE6Tj14UqwCKz2fK5kMMC98BDyzcVIAao7QUjiDz39Acexef_fqU21b2xKY/s1600/-ili86f.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Once the runners approached my position, I waived my flag upward and then directed them towards the turn past the Zoo. Doing so, I also offered encouragement to the runners. A few of them thanked me for volunteering, and I replied that it was my pleasure. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Some runners participated as groups running together and wore outfits for their respective groups. This included several members of STL Santos, the Hispanic soccer supporter group. I especially offered them my encouragement, which they appreciated.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">About 55 minutes after the run began, the race official vehicles came up behind the last of the runners. The driver informed me that there were no more runners coming here and that my shift was over. They asked if I wanted a ride back to the race center, but I told them I would walk. It wasn't that far for me and I could use the exercise.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After about an 11-minute walk, I reached the race center. This area of Forest Park, just north of the Muny, had the volunteer check in, gear check, merchandise store, and the reward tent for the participants. After completing the run and receiving a medal for doing so, each participant went to a tent to receive a cup of hot chocolate and a chocolate fondue. The latter included a banana, mini pretzels, a Rice Crispies Bar, and Pirouline rolled wafers to dip into the chocolate. After all the runners got their fondue and drink, the volunteers received theirs. It was quite a nice reward for my efforts.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Later.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis Artists' Guild: <a href="https://www.stlouisartistsguild.org/" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis Artists' Guild (stlouisartistsguild.org)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Missouri Professional Communicators: <a href="https://www.moprocommunicators.org/" style="text-align: left;">Missouri NFPW affiliate | Missouri Professional Communicators | Clayton (moprocommunicators.org)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">EyeSeeMe African American Children's Bookstore: <a href="https://www.eyeseeme.com/" style="text-align: left;">EyeSeeMe</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Betty's Books: <a href="https://bettysbooksstl.com/" style="text-align: left;">Betty's Books | Graphic Books for All | Webster Groves, MO (bettysbooksstl.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Novel Neighbor: <a href="https://thenovelneighbor.com/" style="text-align: left;">The Novel Neighbor</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Forest Park: <a href="https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/parks/parks/forest-park.cfm" style="text-align: left;">Forest Park (stlouis-mo.gov)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Hot Chocolate Run: <a href="https://hotchocolate15k.com/" style="text-align: left;">Homepage - Hot Chocolate Run (hotchocolate15k.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Special Olympics: <a href="https://www.specialolympics.org/" style="text-align: left;">Special Olympics</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">STL Santos: <a href="https://www.stlsantos.com/?fbclid=IwAR1S1oATk-wz_cnr_EwS3NzXI3nQZFdDd0GOSNklusQrFsEePQ_rq7c1mgQ" style="text-align: left;">Inicio | Home | STL Santos</a></p>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-32133855094928584862023-12-01T20:25:00.002-06:002023-12-01T20:25:57.554-06:00A Madrigal Evening with Julie and Joan<p style="text-align: justify;">Last night (30 November), right after work, I drove to Julie and Joan's apartment. There, we got into Julie's SUV and headed to Eliot Unitarian Chapel in Kirkwood for the 46th annual Eliot Chapel Renaissance Madrigal & Christmas Rout. This year's show--which runs from 30 November to 2 December-- is "A Chaotic Christmas."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The three of us found our table in the sanctuary and were later joined by the six other guests assigned to our table. There were nine tables with up to nine guests each for this show. Each table was serviced by a volunteer wench, who poured drinks and served cake to us. Musicians from the St. Louis Recorder Society played through much of the evening. The sanctuary was decorated with holly boughs and tapestries.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The program began with the procession of The Not-Ready-For-Reformation Players into the sanctuary. This was followed by a wassail toast, in which we sipped from cups of apple cider. The Boar's Head was brought to the principals, Sir William Cecil and Queen Elizabeth I; however, they passed on eating it. The Fool and Lady Beatrice, along with several castle guests, were in the thick of the action, which displayed much wit.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RCM5VsT6dv_FP1X-4a98YMKIAoP5EarbVzHzMFdCAY58TJxOExmVgItZynTetJor0rP0sUgE_yGP5P_qgSmracKnSiCv2SFNB_1Z1mvaWSJiq4SlNhGLYWzPt6Gd5cmYGUh5HhEZwLz_vCYRZzS77P28WKw_UpLy-ooGow3Gbr5T6xr330kSt7et71XC/s885/20231130_193948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="885" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RCM5VsT6dv_FP1X-4a98YMKIAoP5EarbVzHzMFdCAY58TJxOExmVgItZynTetJor0rP0sUgE_yGP5P_qgSmracKnSiCv2SFNB_1Z1mvaWSJiq4SlNhGLYWzPt6Gd5cmYGUh5HhEZwLz_vCYRZzS77P28WKw_UpLy-ooGow3Gbr5T6xr330kSt7et71XC/s320/20231130_193948.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9M-1VLyJyAuQAMD2p-OTWFgmZAxDjeSEcsZ-ph0HFrPE1vhwzArLimLflnBQMLQpVimf7TSaP_0SbSlkbipW-GAYs_xRVnsk5-_RtErDxYEdFpThRVKW86-0QrWxGUAMMoy8_jXmx9csYBf9H25AcQ1RkiMq18F-B7SsJiq763Zq0z8oCZ5HsnMzayd5e/s885/20231130_195050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="885" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9M-1VLyJyAuQAMD2p-OTWFgmZAxDjeSEcsZ-ph0HFrPE1vhwzArLimLflnBQMLQpVimf7TSaP_0SbSlkbipW-GAYs_xRVnsk5-_RtErDxYEdFpThRVKW86-0QrWxGUAMMoy8_jXmx9csYBf9H25AcQ1RkiMq18F-B7SsJiq763Zq0z8oCZ5HsnMzayd5e/s320/20231130_195050.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>We (Julie, Joan and I) didn't know that we could bring our own food in to this event. Fortunately, one of our fellow table guests had a box of peanut butter cookies, which she shared with the rest of our table. It did well to satisfy us. There was water at each table to drink.<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Greenleaf Singers performed madrigals during the show. They performed traditional music of Renaissance Era England, along with a couple of surprising tunes. One was a madrigal arrangement of the Bee Gees' 1977 hit "Staying Alive." The other was "Good King Kong" by P.D.Q. Bach (a fictional composer created by satirist Peter Schickele). They definitely added to the lighthearted feel of the evening.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1TkhGbArKyD_VSDqQReb3SwQW40w3icFRfmrAUiWCtENrq7m113bDPlSGGQ89SkNb1ktQ8djDyj-AVbPYcmy06f4I-ga-EzC_fuGIXEQqb0gg_5IrOjIezgIuZut800C1Ue4_ZPeY4RXwO05HN8_Gg9ejiVXTlnU5FSElVEGTuoU3aSIvcMmwSl2YcaP/s885/20231130_203939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="885" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1TkhGbArKyD_VSDqQReb3SwQW40w3icFRfmrAUiWCtENrq7m113bDPlSGGQ89SkNb1ktQ8djDyj-AVbPYcmy06f4I-ga-EzC_fuGIXEQqb0gg_5IrOjIezgIuZut800C1Ue4_ZPeY4RXwO05HN8_Gg9ejiVXTlnU5FSElVEGTuoU3aSIvcMmwSl2YcaP/s320/20231130_203939.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">After the intermission, the Yule Log was brought into the sanctuary accompanied by song. Each table received a Yule Log cake, a chocolate cake with chocolate icing. The wench cut the log at each table and gave a plate with the slice to each guest. It was most delicious. Hot coffee was also served with the cake.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7I9EsfF4u1BH35nscMAQfn3ZPGCqdF5fxHNYKOyPoHBfPfvij-xu8e3OAJG9wYxrPGLD5QzDs2IAXMZ7GlMjawu3nLtSyssCsjPWpHZXE3jCUOFJfXUylk5xk2rqP4yCfjKRWcGGLvHpyukqbKvznnOzkIhSnuMLydOYCS8Pcdk1GYFQm6qXiOrrDcK3/s885/20231130_213600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="885" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7I9EsfF4u1BH35nscMAQfn3ZPGCqdF5fxHNYKOyPoHBfPfvij-xu8e3OAJG9wYxrPGLD5QzDs2IAXMZ7GlMjawu3nLtSyssCsjPWpHZXE3jCUOFJfXUylk5xk2rqP4yCfjKRWcGGLvHpyukqbKvznnOzkIhSnuMLydOYCS8Pcdk1GYFQm6qXiOrrDcK3/s320/20231130_213600.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Greenleaf Singers sang three carols before the players led us all in singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "Silent Night" to conclude the program. This was my first time attending a madrigal and Julie, Joan, and I sure enjoyed ourselves.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">The three of us then got into Julie's SUV for the drive back to her place, where I got out after a good night kiss with Julie and got into my car to drive home. It was a long night after a long day of work, but it was a great evening and a wonderful way to usher in the Christmas season. The madrigal will return next year on 5-7 December 2024.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eliot Unitarian Chapel: <a href="https://www.eliotchapel.org/" style="text-align: left;">Home (eliotchapel.org)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eliot Chapel Madrigal: <a href="https://eliotchapelmadrigal.weebly.com/" style="text-align: left;">ELIOT CHAPEL MADRIGAL - Eliot Chapel Madrigal (weebly.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis Recorder Society: <a href="https://stlouisrecordersociety.weebly.com/?c=mkt_w_chnl:aff_geo:all_prtnr:sas_subprtnr:1538097_camp:brand_adtype:txtlnk_ag:weebly_lptype:hp_var:358504&sscid=c1k7_152wj&utm_source=ShareASale" style="text-align: left;">ST. LOUIS RECORDER SOCIETY - St. Louis Recorder Society (weebly.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Greenleaf Singers: <a href="https://greenleafsingers.org/" style="text-align: left;">Greenleaf Singers</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p></div></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-47057049788799349212023-11-19T19:59:00.002-06:002023-11-19T20:01:48.094-06:00Cheers to CITY with Julie and Volunteering with SLIFF<p style="text-align: justify;">After taking care of some home chores yesterday (18 November), I picked up Julie that afternoon to CITYPARK. St. Louis CITY SC was holding a Holiday event for its season ticket holders, "Cheers to CITY." </p><p style="text-align: justify;">After parking by Schlafly Tap Room, Julie and I walked to the southeast gate of CITYPARK. During the walk, we met my neighbors Paul Trelford, his wife Laura, and their daughter Lily. They were also attending this event. I introduced the Trelfords to Julie.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Inside CITYPARK, Julie and I navigated among the large crowd in the concourses. The souvenir stand was open and doing great business. Several Christmas Trees were displayed, decorated by club sponsors and attendees could vote for their favorite tree. Christmas music was played over the public address system.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkP5Y7oBJz9QzMTdmQtrBj8DHO8-wf_TmtxOisD1a7KAqavnwiK8OC4IquTSCXWw-Iw_Auvh8at6ZG_qb3QHnpjP53HKQ0ahgbsFr8UxaFl7tjGRs6IGXa0QnqEgcCxxfRjxmmK_r5QeqOJUzUZVGlPBnLTSjFIk0W11HC67JcjDNVwKsU_12w5Ml-F2x/s3456/20231118_152521.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkP5Y7oBJz9QzMTdmQtrBj8DHO8-wf_TmtxOisD1a7KAqavnwiK8OC4IquTSCXWw-Iw_Auvh8at6ZG_qb3QHnpjP53HKQ0ahgbsFr8UxaFl7tjGRs6IGXa0QnqEgcCxxfRjxmmK_r5QeqOJUzUZVGlPBnLTSjFIk0W11HC67JcjDNVwKsU_12w5Ml-F2x/s320/20231118_152521.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGS40WSkXnshytlAKTe6_WGFTS7xn1yxHTWJ0R-sAq5gQeqEnzAx3I4t_veaXhKbylMUYGRveD4jCMM9yOpx56tAtBwJYG1uCtb3goPykwTaxzZ_cNjeaVl-pSaJOPLe2kVWvHgN7gBJGseTmAzDFfy_VTGd4NsSkTDqW-SqDiKMgp3WbHSCM5t6yuq3sX/s3456/20231118_152525.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGS40WSkXnshytlAKTe6_WGFTS7xn1yxHTWJ0R-sAq5gQeqEnzAx3I4t_veaXhKbylMUYGRveD4jCMM9yOpx56tAtBwJYG1uCtb3goPykwTaxzZ_cNjeaVl-pSaJOPLe2kVWvHgN7gBJGseTmAzDFfy_VTGd4NsSkTDqW-SqDiKMgp3WbHSCM5t6yuq3sX/s320/20231118_152525.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3na1pU2KG2jN6WRIOQrTe-nXdZztvluOcBnAVtuHWORzCzTTlvvdAcqdl_BOOywhYFgkgE-iqnnt-3F9D_RLXTqx4SWFhXTtOmDaZdUOCDahht4hTg0JZw80ODeeMZJ9RTeB6dlOPucppo4bJyHx8Lih6Jmnc9keE4j5ISDaU7HYez9LcegrcoFwh9WAJ/s3024/20231118_152934.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3na1pU2KG2jN6WRIOQrTe-nXdZztvluOcBnAVtuHWORzCzTTlvvdAcqdl_BOOywhYFgkgE-iqnnt-3F9D_RLXTqx4SWFhXTtOmDaZdUOCDahht4hTg0JZw80ODeeMZJ9RTeB6dlOPucppo4bJyHx8Lih6Jmnc9keE4j5ISDaU7HYez9LcegrcoFwh9WAJ/s320/20231118_152934.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8WOovhTNkYWTUHafzIHpNThi1h8Wgey0xvAApfagL3nXRC5rUUgLOAku-dUSaq2z-M9_0gUzq6EWZ-M8kH23gI2u0G0090xwIARVriH1IpVS4UgLmhOyviIz2WtJt9EgVA1ffOWZrd9T7aZNL4vfwsr_Fn6LOvapaSR2DGE44UXSuYdeWiOOBaJqNafd/s3024/20231118_160326.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8WOovhTNkYWTUHafzIHpNThi1h8Wgey0xvAApfagL3nXRC5rUUgLOAku-dUSaq2z-M9_0gUzq6EWZ-M8kH23gI2u0G0090xwIARVriH1IpVS4UgLmhOyviIz2WtJt9EgVA1ffOWZrd9T7aZNL4vfwsr_Fn6LOvapaSR2DGE44UXSuYdeWiOOBaJqNafd/s320/20231118_160326.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gNiW-Pbt6ZPBh8WRD-W-CqEFpYeyAobV-k9gC29U6lGKODRLm0pDFbh_DseCyj1_OC7UPnv38b6VrdMIjHbyDQVa-FjB4DYG0VRlq9c2fnhkfo4bf1SgHTGN1v9kTI8QQ61zQkfD3Y127uOXh1b2pP9E7BFgwOdsxo_wBZJ-NEMcbmTx4a12D3IDcF4u/s3024/20231118_161450.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gNiW-Pbt6ZPBh8WRD-W-CqEFpYeyAobV-k9gC29U6lGKODRLm0pDFbh_DseCyj1_OC7UPnv38b6VrdMIjHbyDQVa-FjB4DYG0VRlq9c2fnhkfo4bf1SgHTGN1v9kTI8QQ61zQkfD3Y127uOXh1b2pP9E7BFgwOdsxo_wBZJ-NEMcbmTx4a12D3IDcF4u/s320/20231118_161450.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RFgy14qLToUnxvfPC88nYwY4GkLJZfbagVSvfBbmaCrZGiDGvhUeE8VoJm12T3oAqJ50c4omDDnY_pLoINlk0-SM9YToMOZ9jgqyLOcv0Hfq5D-S31Sl3rvThlhLR_UoepmmVjSkTAfdd_MH5l7nTB-tROLhT5wTGff6HITNZyTGQDx5X3Xm8XjpDCez/s3024/20231118_161516.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RFgy14qLToUnxvfPC88nYwY4GkLJZfbagVSvfBbmaCrZGiDGvhUeE8VoJm12T3oAqJ50c4omDDnY_pLoINlk0-SM9YToMOZ9jgqyLOcv0Hfq5D-S31Sl3rvThlhLR_UoepmmVjSkTAfdd_MH5l7nTB-tROLhT5wTGff6HITNZyTGQDx5X3Xm8XjpDCez/s320/20231118_161516.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Julie and I stood in line to get our picture taken on a sleigh parked on the edge of the pitch. It was about a 45-minute wait before we were able to get in the sleigh for the picture. The photographer took a shot of us in one take. It came out great.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQc6IUjZXqLl6FhZ340-rYND3u4FfU-HBOa8xMtTzsuKgqBHoNOUKZtOOktT_NFCboyMKwYbCqo_ABGlqEx9fxzODHIZriCz7sn_M1xnALe7M7JW4RFOm95hqPbHr2jykdeUZQqQJrTIPAfve-UMecawvc8p_4SExEsm0g32CVozY6oYv2GZelxwDxiYif/s1800/branded-8S3A0703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQc6IUjZXqLl6FhZ340-rYND3u4FfU-HBOa8xMtTzsuKgqBHoNOUKZtOOktT_NFCboyMKwYbCqo_ABGlqEx9fxzODHIZriCz7sn_M1xnALe7M7JW4RFOm95hqPbHr2jykdeUZQqQJrTIPAfve-UMecawvc8p_4SExEsm0g32CVozY6oYv2GZelxwDxiYif/s320/branded-8S3A0703.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After a bit more browsing, Julie and I left CITYPARK to get back to our car. The Trelfords met us as we crossed the street. (Their car was parked behind mine.) After saying our goodbyes, I began to drive Julie home.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Right after dropping Julie off, I headed to Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, located at City Foundry in Midtown St. Louis. I arrived early that night for my first volunteer assignment at this year's St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF). (I was supposed to have gotten there in late afternoon, but the Cheers to CITY event and going to Julie's apartment and back pushed back the timetable.) After reporting to the venue captain, I prepared for my role.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUAEWVvlcQj5lVFQPn0tXeG9CdZ3uaQYS_x_FUhhqrHdDGN8LYDE0yW6LARPtI16MUTIVNnjuKe9q4Whx1eeaAizpmGlUea3WLLfOFcWw7Mrg5ywuEbmZrEqTtCen45tczLyvEpPAG6WhydsqgBhY-up2cs1C7N2xeURaZZt-5sQgGvula_4Mysa5A2Gy/s2208/IMG_20231118_175347_903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="2208" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUAEWVvlcQj5lVFQPn0tXeG9CdZ3uaQYS_x_FUhhqrHdDGN8LYDE0yW6LARPtI16MUTIVNnjuKe9q4Whx1eeaAizpmGlUea3WLLfOFcWw7Mrg5ywuEbmZrEqTtCen45tczLyvEpPAG6WhydsqgBhY-up2cs1C7N2xeURaZZt-5sQgGvula_4Mysa5A2Gy/s320/IMG_20231118_175347_903.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">I was assigned to a theater where the narrative feature The Shade was being screened. I scanned the attendees' tickets and gave them ballots for rating the film. I also provided demographic surveys for those who had not done so yet at this year's festival. After making sure everyone with a ticket had shown up, I was able to enter the theater to watch the movie. This drama told of a young man dealing with the death of his father and serious mental health issues. It was quite harrowing at times, but very well made by a first-time narrative director. Thus, it was up for SLIFF's New Filmmakers Forum Emerging Director Award.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After the movie and a brief question and answer session with the film's director, Tyler Chipman, I collected fan ballots and demographic surveys filled out by the audience. I brought these items to the venue captain's table, where I helped count the ballots and made sure the tablets used for scanning tickets were delivered to the Alamo Drafthouse's manager for safe keeping. It was my first time both at this venue and at City Foundry, and I really liked what I saw.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Midday today, I was at Brown Hall on the Washington University campus for my other SLIFF volunteer assignment. I welcomed audience members attending the screening of the documentary feature "A Mother, Youngsoon," a South Korean film about a woman who defected from North Korea with her younger son and how the two were trying to make a new life in South Korea. It was quite a fascinating film.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After my shift ended, I drove away from Washington University to get a late lunch. I ended up getting it--a smashburger and fries--at The Post Sports Bar & Grill in Maplewood. Most patrons there were watching NFL games on several TVs in the restaurant. I barely paid attention to the action.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I enjoyed my lunch and then went to a Dairy Queen in Webster Groves to get a Blizzard concrete for dessert. After stopping in a shopping mall parking lot to enjoy my Blizzard, it was time to go home.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Later.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Links to Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;">CITYPARK: <a href="https://www.stlcitysc.com/stadium/" style="text-align: left;">CITYPARK | St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis CITY SC: <a href="https://www.stlcitysc.com/" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: <a href="https://drafthouse.com/st-louis" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis | Alamo Drafthouse Cinema</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis International Film Festival: <a href="https://www.cinemastlouis.org/sliff/festival-home" style="text-align: left;">32nd Annual SLIFF | Cinema St Louis</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">City Foundry: <a href="https://www.cityfoundrystl.com/" style="text-align: left;">Home (cityfoundrystl.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Washington University: <a href="https://wustl.edu/" style="text-align: left;">Washington University in St. Louis (wustl.edu)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Post Sports Bar & Grill: <a href="https://thepostsportsbar.com/" style="text-align: left;">Restaurant Bar & Grill in Maplewood and Creve Coeur - The Post (thepostsportsbar.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Dairy Queen: <a href="https://www.dairyqueen.com/en-us/" style="text-align: left;">Dairy Queen®: Burgers, Blizzard® Treats & More. Happy Tastes Good®</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-312476297386020982023-11-13T20:41:00.000-06:002023-11-13T20:41:11.197-06:00Scale Modeling Saturday in Topeka; Soccer and Julie on Sunday<p style="text-align: justify;">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.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">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.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1jRUSe1O0kFb2IHWgNTVaz7NgPPkCjIKhHq_lnN9g5gCzoEkaBArZhK3rCjHLLR4CPan4gFKMTVPtMGaln9tRqUVN6A1d0Js_pnkTrJdKxgCvSEekSmJxXDqdVCL6cD_c4rzbiUkvBJXF56jsvf1iXM4Xp4vO7Zi47bx0kH66JZ43zSWvDqsQBGmqGaJ/s2208/20231111_092856.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="2208" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1jRUSe1O0kFb2IHWgNTVaz7NgPPkCjIKhHq_lnN9g5gCzoEkaBArZhK3rCjHLLR4CPan4gFKMTVPtMGaln9tRqUVN6A1d0Js_pnkTrJdKxgCvSEekSmJxXDqdVCL6cD_c4rzbiUkvBJXF56jsvf1iXM4Xp4vO7Zi47bx0kH66JZ43zSWvDqsQBGmqGaJ/s320/20231111_092856.heic" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJrDHfjxD3x9zWWZCv7aYAPNYtzyUoINPszVfR3OXUPfeEGBcpWawzOsA5M4acwA57XwfKmUhcD7zmLOYniWNSU_FTMejfbYQSPYG-09UX9LaNgg_AS0q0MXCi9e7NXMIZEeSmiawaUkYJSEn6n77LA4alhygSs7INmHr6Wgq4_jibgtc-JJqTllHaxDX/s3024/20231111_092641.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJrDHfjxD3x9zWWZCv7aYAPNYtzyUoINPszVfR3OXUPfeEGBcpWawzOsA5M4acwA57XwfKmUhcD7zmLOYniWNSU_FTMejfbYQSPYG-09UX9LaNgg_AS0q0MXCi9e7NXMIZEeSmiawaUkYJSEn6n77LA4alhygSs7INmHr6Wgq4_jibgtc-JJqTllHaxDX/s320/20231111_092641.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwixCAoVY4yghtZkZhxR94FpGo9EOE2llFFkiL-tWo_9orRnI2VsYxIG5hpklVvBhpTZAIe7lWJL2mNwWxrYwJpygd9KfLp8eA-XBzC8N2Z6DSw8G3FLfCFAAPnkE98hdX-i_Q9FnieZzP91WvGwUDpayD5cbQwkDDFPt5fkaP_4GLTZWu4TSEepuPyo87/s3024/20231111_092649.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwixCAoVY4yghtZkZhxR94FpGo9EOE2llFFkiL-tWo_9orRnI2VsYxIG5hpklVvBhpTZAIe7lWJL2mNwWxrYwJpygd9KfLp8eA-XBzC8N2Z6DSw8G3FLfCFAAPnkE98hdX-i_Q9FnieZzP91WvGwUDpayD5cbQwkDDFPt5fkaP_4GLTZWu4TSEepuPyo87/s320/20231111_092649.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpF8bq0YteHpcr0zoVWjuReNZE9eZ1Q1jqvwkzfWrkcyWSxJIvZVBLwcSL1h_nex_Ko7krHyRj0MQh-oDzwBQm_NJYkochHjTIo2fqRToQXauZpKoInMj3EoiHMkELtxOMGk-tde2cSieYcFOTEQxgv672i7nOeW8FHboOMi4d2OvSB-_9WLFMOxji1BdT/s3024/20231111_092655.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpF8bq0YteHpcr0zoVWjuReNZE9eZ1Q1jqvwkzfWrkcyWSxJIvZVBLwcSL1h_nex_Ko7krHyRj0MQh-oDzwBQm_NJYkochHjTIo2fqRToQXauZpKoInMj3EoiHMkELtxOMGk-tde2cSieYcFOTEQxgv672i7nOeW8FHboOMi4d2OvSB-_9WLFMOxji1BdT/s320/20231111_092655.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2k2kyOBVgmkcw8C4N3XbmOjuO0iIyY7EN9tS3oVtYfy7Q0B4Ofs1GsYQqdVu2vSWHTrlBzqWkS7M0PpAiWHBgJr7UDxqbZJMqKQUE8jatUBbf80lwPf8901U5stjutfBUr_Hk8UAoyz5jACoMPYh_L7VWs57AZ-qZQRZmPvWl4gFa2J_07_87IC0NbyW/s3024/20231111_092705.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2k2kyOBVgmkcw8C4N3XbmOjuO0iIyY7EN9tS3oVtYfy7Q0B4Ofs1GsYQqdVu2vSWHTrlBzqWkS7M0PpAiWHBgJr7UDxqbZJMqKQUE8jatUBbf80lwPf8901U5stjutfBUr_Hk8UAoyz5jACoMPYh_L7VWs57AZ-qZQRZmPvWl4gFa2J_07_87IC0NbyW/s320/20231111_092705.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30_8xLawut4ZyefS7CVmRDIpYHvL-uh6NuxIlD3Ja3NkfLgMcYywuvKLX-xkQZpsZzhvH5w1a99I53YuFz-wtgVXo48vtNkzPX8LSiXu9ZCnLOf-5g2TEnchAbF2KEFzNGpNB0LiVpFp_fjIrSBGlEv5GonB9gDdymjW-B-M8nNLn6ucRfsw0FuvmqP03/s3024/20231111_092714.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30_8xLawut4ZyefS7CVmRDIpYHvL-uh6NuxIlD3Ja3NkfLgMcYywuvKLX-xkQZpsZzhvH5w1a99I53YuFz-wtgVXo48vtNkzPX8LSiXu9ZCnLOf-5g2TEnchAbF2KEFzNGpNB0LiVpFp_fjIrSBGlEv5GonB9gDdymjW-B-M8nNLn6ucRfsw0FuvmqP03/s320/20231111_092714.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOta7bfuFx_ZKtAPeOap00rl2SpaAOxaiaSJFZq8HYCSUav3t4olam4NcWQqRKKMIblkOWPIfmi6IIlyP9ZwvU3U-5LCrriulehG9Rq2d_z5hDI3HRlWM4T_emMkCoKQ_fEV0dGD2GNcrhVeYJCNVuQtQFwzmeqWnLD4UoSBgHXn-_mHJsyqj08TUMUe5R/s1440/IMG_20231111_171317_008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOta7bfuFx_ZKtAPeOap00rl2SpaAOxaiaSJFZq8HYCSUav3t4olam4NcWQqRKKMIblkOWPIfmi6IIlyP9ZwvU3U-5LCrriulehG9Rq2d_z5hDI3HRlWM4T_emMkCoKQ_fEV0dGD2GNcrhVeYJCNVuQtQFwzmeqWnLD4UoSBgHXn-_mHJsyqj08TUMUe5R/s320/IMG_20231111_171317_008.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekJDwgyUGripXG183Vx2hfvcJ0h6WE7Y1ZZk_h_C1oTZht51WsBOcoDv4heyw5DOZiS1m2AVdWypJyTdmEfQY5Uu4Jspq5CvoJ2ygOZV4kKHb8fQfiHsK-ZPeckCi7xmMV-GgcHxZ5CU0EvNpHrCnWNk7N-b1D4jXpUc3xKSer1lGYXMdlNePD-SW_7IJ/s1440/IMG_20231111_171317_100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekJDwgyUGripXG183Vx2hfvcJ0h6WE7Y1ZZk_h_C1oTZht51WsBOcoDv4heyw5DOZiS1m2AVdWypJyTdmEfQY5Uu4Jspq5CvoJ2ygOZV4kKHb8fQfiHsK-ZPeckCi7xmMV-GgcHxZ5CU0EvNpHrCnWNk7N-b1D4jXpUc3xKSer1lGYXMdlNePD-SW_7IJ/s320/IMG_20231111_171317_100.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>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.<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbDf-KZa-Z4sqDqJnR4kB2v_A9LoSOCun-9NNp4qyPTVJZIZOyXxhCgdpBFnU4HvVPyPfoMUM0ZBDgiYI-WOInAH3NAPY-c-bsUy7RR2s-MvMjJlD0Ls9o9zcOVekn7rq8bri58cNVaU8kHQwHnB50Z8r58avQ6BUfJYLBE6i8_AWdMeR5rIEXPKwN4Kc/s3600/ZenhorseChristmas2023-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbDf-KZa-Z4sqDqJnR4kB2v_A9LoSOCun-9NNp4qyPTVJZIZOyXxhCgdpBFnU4HvVPyPfoMUM0ZBDgiYI-WOInAH3NAPY-c-bsUy7RR2s-MvMjJlD0Ls9o9zcOVekn7rq8bri58cNVaU8kHQwHnB50Z8r58avQ6BUfJYLBE6i8_AWdMeR5rIEXPKwN4Kc/s320/ZenhorseChristmas2023-14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9Mid3DeTGP6JQOK47sFVfIvcG1ginN8B_bN2wDPGz47I0YX-v5ynRb_ZockRC5g24G_eI7yGK5X-seenOElXRWJ3PsTO8XpC9ogILouLZucw0uJ0PUDgy6C9sZNWvhuhKZiuX5bQBYT8JDEy-9a8nNEr-kP9_TiUConpEk9h3wdUpjpTGrzrmmbZvRkN/s3600/ZenhorseChristmas2023-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9Mid3DeTGP6JQOK47sFVfIvcG1ginN8B_bN2wDPGz47I0YX-v5ynRb_ZockRC5g24G_eI7yGK5X-seenOElXRWJ3PsTO8XpC9ogILouLZucw0uJ0PUDgy6C9sZNWvhuhKZiuX5bQBYT8JDEy-9a8nNEr-kP9_TiUConpEk9h3wdUpjpTGrzrmmbZvRkN/s320/ZenhorseChristmas2023-13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">After dinner at Texas Roadhouse, I drove Julie back to her apartment and I then went home.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ad Astra Modeling Club: <a href="https://adastramodelingclub.org/" style="text-align: left;">Ad Astra Modeling Club – Dedicated to the hobby of creating scale models</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">IPMS/USA: <a href="https://ipmsusa.org/" style="text-align: left;">IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fairlawn Plaza Mall: <a href="https://www.fairlawnplaza.com/" style="text-align: left;">Fairlawn Plaza Shopping Center - Fairlawn Plaza Mall, Topeka KS</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">IPMS Gateway Chapter: <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home" style="text-align: left;">IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eureka Soccer Park: <a href="https://www.eureka.mo.us/Facilities/Facility/Details/Eureka-Soccer-Park-30" style="text-align: left;">Facilities • Eureka, MO • CivicEngage</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">SLYSA: <a href="https://www.slysa.org/" style="text-align: left;">Home - St Louis Youth Soccer (slysa.org)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Texas Roadhouse: <a href="https://www.texasroadhouse.com/" style="text-align: left;">Homepage | Texas Roadhouse</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unbridled Focus Photography: <a href="https://unbridledfocusphotography.com/" style="text-align: left;">Missouri Equine Photographer/Unbridled Focus Photography</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Zenhorse: <a href="https://www.zenhorse.org/" style="text-align: left;">Zenhorse | equine assisted therapy | Marthasville, MO, USA</a></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com1Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-2154589328822878272023-11-08T20:39:00.000-06:002023-11-08T20:39:18.446-06:00Weekend: Scale Models in Columbia; Sunday with Julie<p style="text-align: justify;">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.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">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.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjrTSKpiUT5fHw3AVChzUx-rLBxkk1t3nj6Vr83kvoEZSp2CoQ65PvzJ8mQshSjb8HFvKdVrxGPMugvrcxZwz_K7YlwfsOgP17aSTLrDqqGbu6ZJC4ZKhBwvJoH3JkoWJuQFv17K_h2gTAD2-GA7su4b4sg1LnfyPKg7zwcjE2XNj3z_UQ7VVXBn9wVPil/s2207/IMG_20231104_111331_004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2207" data-original-width="2207" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjrTSKpiUT5fHw3AVChzUx-rLBxkk1t3nj6Vr83kvoEZSp2CoQ65PvzJ8mQshSjb8HFvKdVrxGPMugvrcxZwz_K7YlwfsOgP17aSTLrDqqGbu6ZJC4ZKhBwvJoH3JkoWJuQFv17K_h2gTAD2-GA7su4b4sg1LnfyPKg7zwcjE2XNj3z_UQ7VVXBn9wVPil/s320/IMG_20231104_111331_004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQo8nwAV6c_ItVchZYsUBUkMVrma9og67JBBVhvi0XYbif69WJ-Gw90lZotxiCds1TCZwygRI8kG-uSQhyKBLmX2beE3c-q_JveDf1Exm_FDPDH4LPc8nxXz6UBE3fom3BrTNrCF65AXwMo7Jzr0492zm4jWJp6QBr4QP0CO6sQJTOajeZzAl7h1EeX21H/s1440/IMG_20231104_221905_846.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQo8nwAV6c_ItVchZYsUBUkMVrma9og67JBBVhvi0XYbif69WJ-Gw90lZotxiCds1TCZwygRI8kG-uSQhyKBLmX2beE3c-q_JveDf1Exm_FDPDH4LPc8nxXz6UBE3fom3BrTNrCF65AXwMo7Jzr0492zm4jWJp6QBr4QP0CO6sQJTOajeZzAl7h1EeX21H/s320/IMG_20231104_221905_846.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfkti-G3elP8AdAsXLEiUwe41nQUA4aSbafUZOP4pT1dWvuBznnzycCWyUVcNs3AxKXb72MY178nyxavd82zTIfy7A31tv4M0r75LiKlPh9GDkc6S2LbTt8xKBpRV6kh_KJmYp1oDqrwk2-zgCgOUFMi4zN2ggG2q9NNt1tKsjRuYN8NA5ua_GCu7ogge/s1440/IMG_20231104_221905_978.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfkti-G3elP8AdAsXLEiUwe41nQUA4aSbafUZOP4pT1dWvuBznnzycCWyUVcNs3AxKXb72MY178nyxavd82zTIfy7A31tv4M0r75LiKlPh9GDkc6S2LbTt8xKBpRV6kh_KJmYp1oDqrwk2-zgCgOUFMi4zN2ggG2q9NNt1tKsjRuYN8NA5ua_GCu7ogge/s320/IMG_20231104_221905_978.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWt6oCyUmqqUhyMLsf_XflfZ1RYDYnDB1_DWwzSS00cH5y1dUK1cc5UcJVquY4ia9-iEA0ulyvLSpEojfk4bRwna24-189k57z7mm_enuLGXevMIJQp60Q-pSKRhbBc_iRJLEToVAOrq1cdcEg4SEgyPmSH_kStrLmjl7Ksa9ehi4vmmTLZH6p6p9SXrzg/s3024/IMG_20231104_213609_254.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWt6oCyUmqqUhyMLsf_XflfZ1RYDYnDB1_DWwzSS00cH5y1dUK1cc5UcJVquY4ia9-iEA0ulyvLSpEojfk4bRwna24-189k57z7mm_enuLGXevMIJQp60Q-pSKRhbBc_iRJLEToVAOrq1cdcEg4SEgyPmSH_kStrLmjl7Ksa9ehi4vmmTLZH6p6p9SXrzg/s320/IMG_20231104_213609_254.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0EL7drv94ZubGY6hxDaaWzuniUpDhh8-7xm6giA_rsBJh-ZKOtrNXB1N3SzqBCNehm2G5s0f-BN1lP5r1LDxAthNYa0NQpLDw25Rpdx0_adD6zd5yCovlo18eTkNZNNehtUHbvbLSgjqWlo2s9HVSaKVayORe9FmLKJQ6PZKJAVTxeA1fmy4L3k_YzDAV/s3024/20231105_161321.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0EL7drv94ZubGY6hxDaaWzuniUpDhh8-7xm6giA_rsBJh-ZKOtrNXB1N3SzqBCNehm2G5s0f-BN1lP5r1LDxAthNYa0NQpLDw25Rpdx0_adD6zd5yCovlo18eTkNZNNehtUHbvbLSgjqWlo2s9HVSaKVayORe9FmLKJQ6PZKJAVTxeA1fmy4L3k_YzDAV/s320/20231105_161321.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">IPMS/Gateway: <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home" style="text-align: left;">IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">David H. Hickman High School: <a href="https://www.cpsk12.org/HHS" style="text-align: left;">Hickman High School / Homepage (cpsk12.org)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">IPMS/Central Missouri Scale Modelers: <a href="https://www.cmsm-ipms.org/home" style="text-align: left;">Central Missouri Scale Modelers (cmsm-ipms.org)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cracker Barrel: <a href="https://www.crackerbarrel.com/" style="text-align: left;">Cracker Barrel Old Country Store | Breakfast Near Me Restaurant | Delivery & Pick-Up</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Zenhorse: <a href="https://www.zenhorse.org/" style="text-align: left;">Zenhorse | equine assisted therapy | Marthasville, MO, USA</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unbridled Focus Photography: <a href="https://unbridledfocusphotography.com/" style="text-align: left;">Missouri Equine Photographer/Unbridled Focus Photography</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Armory: <a href="https://www.armorystl.com/" style="text-align: left;">The Biggest Bar in St. Louis (armorystl.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis CITY SC: <a href="https://www.stlcitysc.com/" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Major League Soccer: <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/" style="text-align: left;">MLSsoccer.com - The Official Site of Major League Soccer</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis City Punks: <a href="https://www.slcitypunks.com/" style="text-align: left;">SLCP Home (slcitypunks.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fleur de Noise: <a href="https://www.fleurdenoise.com/" style="text-align: left;">Fleur De Noise</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">STL Santos: <a href="https://www.stlsantos.com/" style="text-align: left;">Home | Home | STL Santos</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-47490630816595273142023-10-25T21:09:00.001-05:002023-10-25T21:17:43.791-05:00Getting a Flu Shot; Visiting Soldiers Memorial and St. Louis Public Library<p style="text-align: justify;">On my day off from work today, I went to CVS in Mehlville to get my annual flu shot at its MinuteClinic. I first thought I would have to wait until mid-afternoon to get the shot; however, they were able to get me in that morning. After the usual questions from the nurse practitioner, I got the shot and should be safe for another year.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Late this morning, I drove to downtown St. Louis to visit two exhibits. First stop was Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, which I had last visited about six years ago. In addition to the regular items on display, the museum is hosting a special exhibit, "Vietnam: At War & At Home." It told the story of the Vietnam War both on the battlefield (highlighting St. Louis connections) and at home. The latter section particularly interested me as it included two F-4 Phantom II models loaned by my IPMS/Gateway colleague and friend Jim Triola. They were included in a section on the Phantom II's manufacturer, McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing). The exhibit runs until 24 May 2024.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMWItZ7awRFW289D2RXEsSJldH-C53tXkBQJ8roMVfJhUp-MObc7Hxc099cq8qRq4W6LQeAa81AQosfefzpgN_xmVR1qXW8Xe31nQ1v_3RmqJmBiBw98mTnEctzlcPbX2EI3ZkCK6ivHyK7Ohx8aqCtpyy2UylmqB65ER3MWeNCUUNIyNIy0bciRXGBh5/s4608/IMG_2373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMWItZ7awRFW289D2RXEsSJldH-C53tXkBQJ8roMVfJhUp-MObc7Hxc099cq8qRq4W6LQeAa81AQosfefzpgN_xmVR1qXW8Xe31nQ1v_3RmqJmBiBw98mTnEctzlcPbX2EI3ZkCK6ivHyK7Ohx8aqCtpyy2UylmqB65ER3MWeNCUUNIyNIy0bciRXGBh5/s320/IMG_2373.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5y10JygjboPHRh63i1K3aSe6oNZWhV72QFmNOoRs357OhQ1D7ZOzefNAG6yZ0GAYAvZ3XEORKQzJ5bGDJgZzcjvwlSSZfoYfaeOR9URres-POGmXrYJmXxj-9jkAvuCSTJd1MYHwCwN3HsARnJOA7USbkbBAve_uNad-JOsOmFz-C6tq7Zt0YbQNI11Wh/s4608/IMG_2376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5y10JygjboPHRh63i1K3aSe6oNZWhV72QFmNOoRs357OhQ1D7ZOzefNAG6yZ0GAYAvZ3XEORKQzJ5bGDJgZzcjvwlSSZfoYfaeOR9URres-POGmXrYJmXxj-9jkAvuCSTJd1MYHwCwN3HsARnJOA7USbkbBAve_uNad-JOsOmFz-C6tq7Zt0YbQNI11Wh/s320/IMG_2376.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyF5ysjRmeZwIqmQ-2PJEO-EeDa_8HIRf4RT62fHRSBDUac9sOBUV0zCGZD1NaHVsJX1ZVM1bRSMzvm0zulzvvbXGo5Ecyit_6df81sCtN9Hhe3l-xGNXajS_OgzSz7ju5TRvEukdbJmT5I8PCpxnSVEeGN23oQG3wWJoVXCkiZdrB7j3VNDUzGMaRyCQA/s4608/IMG_2378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyF5ysjRmeZwIqmQ-2PJEO-EeDa_8HIRf4RT62fHRSBDUac9sOBUV0zCGZD1NaHVsJX1ZVM1bRSMzvm0zulzvvbXGo5Ecyit_6df81sCtN9Hhe3l-xGNXajS_OgzSz7ju5TRvEukdbJmT5I8PCpxnSVEeGN23oQG3wWJoVXCkiZdrB7j3VNDUzGMaRyCQA/s320/IMG_2378.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qqVZa3UKckwol1VLeMl6yxF9D4QeXFVvy0nrtN4ypfKWOfkH2sW1GlFsaMqScFG-bfYI1724phchnTxBQBhZ1BgGIZwyWwH6xWcDawBbQlcxUiZPEkb2xSNkxoMdVFcOiDwfCjfDYhbOBLjS98wP5irYCDRNRlZXsayXzlgk7nBQp0ZGJquQEIGBL8yo/s4608/IMG_2386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qqVZa3UKckwol1VLeMl6yxF9D4QeXFVvy0nrtN4ypfKWOfkH2sW1GlFsaMqScFG-bfYI1724phchnTxBQBhZ1BgGIZwyWwH6xWcDawBbQlcxUiZPEkb2xSNkxoMdVFcOiDwfCjfDYhbOBLjS98wP5irYCDRNRlZXsayXzlgk7nBQp0ZGJquQEIGBL8yo/s320/IMG_2386.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsagGuJ6twx7akFjeYu2dH8fPRPxcU3Sys6aRQIEHBCft2rglcnSXGI6bGi3NBmgPqbNtkB5d3XSeG34emsqkQ7gVo0ZsGmM-Y2bacYdNGCrhvPSi7Pchcvgc10Yy8vnma1an99jiX0Q2kQPvpJYeZ9Lpi2TAt6eSMBUevl-ETDwK_T1nQgZw5OI459BFT/s4608/IMG_2394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsagGuJ6twx7akFjeYu2dH8fPRPxcU3Sys6aRQIEHBCft2rglcnSXGI6bGi3NBmgPqbNtkB5d3XSeG34emsqkQ7gVo0ZsGmM-Y2bacYdNGCrhvPSi7Pchcvgc10Yy8vnma1an99jiX0Q2kQPvpJYeZ9Lpi2TAt6eSMBUevl-ETDwK_T1nQgZw5OI459BFT/s320/IMG_2394.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After spending time at Soldiers Memorial, I went just two blocks north to the Central Library of the St. Louis Public Library. The great hall there was hosting "PROM: Where Did You Go to High School?" It told of the local high school experience told through the pages of PROM, a monthly local high school magazine published from 1947 to 1973. The exhibit tells of the St. Louis area high school experience, how PROM covered these events through student reporters at the schools and had photos and ads that ran in the publication. Additionally, there were typical prom fashions and lists of the top selling songs from the 1950s through the 1990s. A list of St. Louis area high schools, past and present, were placed next to maps showing the locations of these schools from the 1950s through the 1990s. The St. Louis Public Library has a database of nearly all issues of PROM that can be accessed through the library's website. Visitors could write their high school memories on sticky notes and post them on a wall. (I did just that.) Although I was too young to remember PROM when it was around, I had read about it and found this exhibit a fascinating time capsule. The exhibit runs through 7 January 2024.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQp7M908favZK2EpdWF_WWEuibI5unQeze22zL7fYfg1-6hGNbcGDVULtug3GT1L_EJGYi2Rd8gVemiUNZop3l09_qEuL9PnHqp0CfBpvmtKZ6-dBF7maPIRNFaKO8cojjSYVDuk9aBcp5_9COU8xs_l1kWhXWm43cg4K0-3NjTsPRsP6xhkP92NVHY-6/s4608/IMG_2424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQp7M908favZK2EpdWF_WWEuibI5unQeze22zL7fYfg1-6hGNbcGDVULtug3GT1L_EJGYi2Rd8gVemiUNZop3l09_qEuL9PnHqp0CfBpvmtKZ6-dBF7maPIRNFaKO8cojjSYVDuk9aBcp5_9COU8xs_l1kWhXWm43cg4K0-3NjTsPRsP6xhkP92NVHY-6/s320/IMG_2424.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38J4c1oXzdm9KKgw5wjNDfqxaqMr4PRmR26rUnpgXKloyka7v-9h6_nsGtuutRDGSCiUO1YoFqvnZwQpKyrogutjSNsNa5Ptmo7-Q8eTNUxv2tlnR_GFhHvhME_RuTk_lH9dpl5nS7tj_Sigl3N0YhbShc3PUik9LYQ8tk5x-mv80LUvYTwtX952pMmh2/s4608/IMG_2426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38J4c1oXzdm9KKgw5wjNDfqxaqMr4PRmR26rUnpgXKloyka7v-9h6_nsGtuutRDGSCiUO1YoFqvnZwQpKyrogutjSNsNa5Ptmo7-Q8eTNUxv2tlnR_GFhHvhME_RuTk_lH9dpl5nS7tj_Sigl3N0YhbShc3PUik9LYQ8tk5x-mv80LUvYTwtX952pMmh2/s320/IMG_2426.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrejbvMwgSEB38eApsHvLv8g8rtdCCjO0lhA1Gt87V7VJRwAvW_vDXy5voe7wPoQt2FU_TYFiEVa8gSx_yjZy6cj_ddtbHOKsXo3oFUjQUvjrQtB421NiId4QjAJbwwtyihCAvflDmKAiuoSrvA5_aT8Nbt-05cTrLq-Kx0cUIOHnPd1q3n9GVUOpmONv/s4608/IMG_2428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrejbvMwgSEB38eApsHvLv8g8rtdCCjO0lhA1Gt87V7VJRwAvW_vDXy5voe7wPoQt2FU_TYFiEVa8gSx_yjZy6cj_ddtbHOKsXo3oFUjQUvjrQtB421NiId4QjAJbwwtyihCAvflDmKAiuoSrvA5_aT8Nbt-05cTrLq-Kx0cUIOHnPd1q3n9GVUOpmONv/s320/IMG_2428.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguJAyiYTv8o8qzHwVYNpe9ICg4uy2g9SV4hrKlfHajC7IntAtHCYikAq7SScw2-gwm4FXzqBeY_LJhZPSF5wMW_uGbYKubL_jMzOCR4lp4IMDMQ5s5oLOyA0msXpVkdv7nLcTGQn53rIXOIQDlkEI3Ve9JD-5217gzlsPZ-GMhHdr-UfQC8B8JqfG8CvZ/s4608/IMG_2429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguJAyiYTv8o8qzHwVYNpe9ICg4uy2g9SV4hrKlfHajC7IntAtHCYikAq7SScw2-gwm4FXzqBeY_LJhZPSF5wMW_uGbYKubL_jMzOCR4lp4IMDMQ5s5oLOyA0msXpVkdv7nLcTGQn53rIXOIQDlkEI3Ve9JD-5217gzlsPZ-GMhHdr-UfQC8B8JqfG8CvZ/s320/IMG_2429.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDTwwqa_QleGNPTfqUWAmUIXgyyM1JTGFhpQj-_EvFIXbv6o7-Ph4xgX-yQAeSnuktdxu9nCjDCh_VYE5fXskbtb09RhbKHBhUrF8gJo8SBOlwOExspzZ_lbiFv-DP9AgxtQAI8Ia3c8wRZKOpB9yWE_q7yWI8J_HKjaWXIbDMZSZTfxByPcSohYAYggw/s4608/IMG_2434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDTwwqa_QleGNPTfqUWAmUIXgyyM1JTGFhpQj-_EvFIXbv6o7-Ph4xgX-yQAeSnuktdxu9nCjDCh_VYE5fXskbtb09RhbKHBhUrF8gJo8SBOlwOExspzZ_lbiFv-DP9AgxtQAI8Ia3c8wRZKOpB9yWE_q7yWI8J_HKjaWXIbDMZSZTfxByPcSohYAYggw/s320/IMG_2434.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNGNvSBFwUeMQlz6YJcIvJVD669zn4hjsI1BB9VKac5azi3F0XZECaNfgN97Cdswx26r-HWTzVxX9kSx-yuJhz25HvYyKBHJ_Sx4TaAu9AtdnJ96m0HYYQ30YwMhtpWyFTsouGtnRoLldwj3v7LAaSjb_7EbCRSeusYmjaCs2WPBDsWfKG_9n6_tNJ7SV/s4608/IMG_2435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNGNvSBFwUeMQlz6YJcIvJVD669zn4hjsI1BB9VKac5azi3F0XZECaNfgN97Cdswx26r-HWTzVxX9kSx-yuJhz25HvYyKBHJ_Sx4TaAu9AtdnJ96m0HYYQ30YwMhtpWyFTsouGtnRoLldwj3v7LAaSjb_7EbCRSeusYmjaCs2WPBDsWfKG_9n6_tNJ7SV/s320/IMG_2435.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtA9Mh_5fIBUhIuSy4N1c_4TX7TLtPlD7oAgMuKEKgSZyUY6OKpC1OhspC4fsaohICCiENwB6fduc2kIokNvB4z3caJ3fz43Y3NXvMIxaK4_Z33kc6h1TAvS4XVCPwCTn7Ra4SArSHkG-SHQ6mw7HWUKpo9cgOX647z5nbg0y2HFsdbhpLmc8rfgdRlsz/s4608/IMG_2436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtA9Mh_5fIBUhIuSy4N1c_4TX7TLtPlD7oAgMuKEKgSZyUY6OKpC1OhspC4fsaohICCiENwB6fduc2kIokNvB4z3caJ3fz43Y3NXvMIxaK4_Z33kc6h1TAvS4XVCPwCTn7Ra4SArSHkG-SHQ6mw7HWUKpo9cgOX647z5nbg0y2HFsdbhpLmc8rfgdRlsz/s320/IMG_2436.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSaOoDP0H8-bLcLdPnblwr00yT_zbisN8ZOauMbIOASL8jXzdq8OYNWaiFnVMybMJuh9sBYoEcOGvYG0aPxBuYP5lKx21KdjWfJ7m15XT9u6IeeGOz7pcC-IVa9f4enT0nkEcQZ9NCOEbSINzcZoZSyOp9P_28aSmWHg1QOM61A0C15Hg6gYzRNELbays/s4608/IMG_2437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSaOoDP0H8-bLcLdPnblwr00yT_zbisN8ZOauMbIOASL8jXzdq8OYNWaiFnVMybMJuh9sBYoEcOGvYG0aPxBuYP5lKx21KdjWfJ7m15XT9u6IeeGOz7pcC-IVa9f4enT0nkEcQZ9NCOEbSINzcZoZSyOp9P_28aSmWHg1QOM61A0C15Hg6gYzRNELbays/s320/IMG_2437.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ggtywBP-2AT1WFhGqRLux57gXX_JBLfvApxvL7WxHerct4LYSSrum3lT_PdI7fCERgVcDPctKa0rhjqpFoZI9v2g5hNARUvG3CMe41zrPuRJtjUjrfCX2YTJoU8ZDWQ75Ul1C8KppqKuT0kTQzJAaBCphktdP8rGQNYUQ2WV64nh1QXJ1R_xdn_28Hx-/s4608/IMG_2440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ggtywBP-2AT1WFhGqRLux57gXX_JBLfvApxvL7WxHerct4LYSSrum3lT_PdI7fCERgVcDPctKa0rhjqpFoZI9v2g5hNARUvG3CMe41zrPuRJtjUjrfCX2YTJoU8ZDWQ75Ul1C8KppqKuT0kTQzJAaBCphktdP8rGQNYUQ2WV64nh1QXJ1R_xdn_28Hx-/s320/IMG_2440.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGVuGQa7C3YlQRAOJmsheMCQ6HW3X_SfxuzoDq8PZ84QdmUM2IP3MQotcn-we1nBsgqbUA2mdjVqQu52jvmlOcLVzjQkZ7FMGwg9LGLWoZGTiHhU5Qebt6G0REuXbyhUtZxG17LaQWedB-WmWoV3GDz4uhR4HEwoVtkhyANWyBPWRKjejdaCWFzC-11vJ/s4608/IMG_2441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGVuGQa7C3YlQRAOJmsheMCQ6HW3X_SfxuzoDq8PZ84QdmUM2IP3MQotcn-we1nBsgqbUA2mdjVqQu52jvmlOcLVzjQkZ7FMGwg9LGLWoZGTiHhU5Qebt6G0REuXbyhUtZxG17LaQWedB-WmWoV3GDz4uhR4HEwoVtkhyANWyBPWRKjejdaCWFzC-11vJ/s320/IMG_2441.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Later.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:</u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div>CVS: <a href="https://www.cvs.com/?icid=cvsheader:cvslogo">CVS - Online Drugstore, Pharmacy, Prescriptions & Health Information</a></div><div>Soldiers Memorial Military Museum: <a href="https://mohistory.org/memorial">Soldiers Memorial Military Museum | Missouri Historical Society (mohistory.org)</a></div><div>St. Louis Public Library: <a href="https://www.slpl.org/">St. Louis Public Library (slpl.org)</a></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-85686700693865249772023-10-22T21:18:00.002-05:002023-10-22T21:18:32.818-05:00Last Saturday at St. Louis CITY SC<p style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday (21 October) marked the final day of the Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season--Decision Day. St. Louis CITY SC had already clinched the Western Conference regular season championship, giving it home field advantage through the Western Conference final in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Late that morning, I drove to CITY Pavillion, across Market Street from CITYPARK, to pick up my reserved copy of Inaugural, a book looking at the club's living, visual, and creative culture in its inaugural MLS season. This softcover book, presented by Soccerbible, is just over 300 pages long and packed with photographs. It also came with a canvas tote bag. I will find Inaugural an interesting read.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeeOv-P3p0Hm3STdaKZjaQXeO5KzbPK_SiD99WdLDuJSZd7TfFBaD_-pfPRa-LG-k7s2oGywduZ2C_W_SX7xWYAtf9CcqslWzcXklDOjDLwF0GaS9u99rpw1W5Phh3jU0ewZZhJBh0afs79YdkygSC78koSzRi59hN3gX-yrsWbwHI7E7FrF0z9842Bea_/s1440/IMG_20231021_121025_864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeeOv-P3p0Hm3STdaKZjaQXeO5KzbPK_SiD99WdLDuJSZd7TfFBaD_-pfPRa-LG-k7s2oGywduZ2C_W_SX7xWYAtf9CcqslWzcXklDOjDLwF0GaS9u99rpw1W5Phh3jU0ewZZhJBh0afs79YdkygSC78koSzRi59hN3gX-yrsWbwHI7E7FrF0z9842Bea_/s320/IMG_20231021_121025_864.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFv1MaBlzMWkAL7-rhbRMa155QT-rYIGd0F1lN9Ux4jIkKE3F3t_3gmvNBAf6mrE7NlsjktQHBQXCMRmqhqBpREBvt1w6vAYoLZVv2ge1EJt0kxrnaqRsjppcLGFoa58P32l4tNNNnCqBpVl5s9gXeRATP17uRCmmI034GFIWG8FuPtaWrNIHCiRp7Cv89/s1440/IMG_20231021_121025_792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFv1MaBlzMWkAL7-rhbRMa155QT-rYIGd0F1lN9Ux4jIkKE3F3t_3gmvNBAf6mrE7NlsjktQHBQXCMRmqhqBpREBvt1w6vAYoLZVv2ge1EJt0kxrnaqRsjppcLGFoa58P32l4tNNNnCqBpVl5s9gXeRATP17uRCmmI034GFIWG8FuPtaWrNIHCiRp7Cv89/s320/IMG_20231021_121025_792.jpg" width="320" /></a><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">After getting lunch at a Lion's Choice in St. Louis Hills, I drove a short distance to Ted Drewes Frozen Custard for my dessert. I ordered an added item on its menu, the CITY Red sundae: Vanilla frozen custard mixed with Dad's original scotch oatmeal cookies, cherries, and coconut flakes. It hit the spot for this CITY supporter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxfaU2_LIUJMHPYJoBwkx46FGF_uGcoTmwWOtkLoLtpPe9khKm28G7NT7FhMr8UK4MNOZErf80GnH1IdS3EsNCyu-Ei0c61WFsXChElyPv5QJ_i0Jn02VEqxWsbXTfwDuqus9hRQJtYthcPdZ5JLsQq2Zsw2drxcvMLzMOyR66lifuyshKks3E2-lODuo/s3024/IMG_20231021_141019_512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxfaU2_LIUJMHPYJoBwkx46FGF_uGcoTmwWOtkLoLtpPe9khKm28G7NT7FhMr8UK4MNOZErf80GnH1IdS3EsNCyu-Ei0c61WFsXChElyPv5QJ_i0Jn02VEqxWsbXTfwDuqus9hRQJtYthcPdZ5JLsQq2Zsw2drxcvMLzMOyR66lifuyshKks3E2-lODuo/s320/IMG_20231021_141019_512.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After enjoying this sundae, I browsed through the nearby Ted Drewes Gift Shop, where I bought a magnet and two stickers. On the way home, I bought a 24 ounce (709.8 ml) can of Keystone Light beer at Quik Trip for that night.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Coming home, I relaxed at home before leaving late that afternoon for the St. Louligans pre-match party at the Schlafly Tap Room. (Julie would normally go with me, but she was sick. I was able to sell my spare ticket to a fellow St. Louligan.) I bought a Schlafly Oktoberfest beer and two sliders with French fries from the Cluck Oink Moo Sliders food truck. Then, I participated with other St. Louligans in Tallboy Roulette. I paid $2 to the St. Louligans while donating that Keystone Light can to the event. Participants would reach into a cooler and pull-out whatever Tallboy can they grasped. After doing so, each participant had to drink the beer he or she got. Some beers contributed are of better quality than others. I was fortunate in selecting a Natural Light, which isn't bad. I drank most of that can before the match into CITYPARK for the match.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksrWJ3szE0xjZD2cRj5eSa0SPPEEKREQCxe2T3gPXwxWK9muiFt2EDVRsdxhG06RY34V1Bp8Z_2f5nbOXuq-N6jdw-opStTjc5kQ-i6AcI3VS5rLE_qpfyXeQGMWrMCZOa21BE34yEp8sVtyeCxW1Fnz7raJcb6WIQ-Tg6nRKtk0Uvk0CpoHwx25hll3o/s3024/20231021_181529.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksrWJ3szE0xjZD2cRj5eSa0SPPEEKREQCxe2T3gPXwxWK9muiFt2EDVRsdxhG06RY34V1Bp8Z_2f5nbOXuq-N6jdw-opStTjc5kQ-i6AcI3VS5rLE_qpfyXeQGMWrMCZOa21BE34yEp8sVtyeCxW1Fnz7raJcb6WIQ-Tg6nRKtk0Uvk0CpoHwx25hll3o/s320/20231021_181529.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqXF5z1hQOwF8AGujqGRSYelub5-uZ6woBJhpsiZYUHOK_Bne0msgwuKI2MmYELm1Cjyo90TPbZ8ZJwE8hUhPrkRBkgkJoUSK4WkHjioN1FQtmSrY7omNhhVOCx5EENeL7w36gNIdmR58rYZmSMbRjE_IGkVqkFMhsypvguvv85psLORQ9jlpcKm40zOm/s3024/20231021_181524.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqXF5z1hQOwF8AGujqGRSYelub5-uZ6woBJhpsiZYUHOK_Bne0msgwuKI2MmYELm1Cjyo90TPbZ8ZJwE8hUhPrkRBkgkJoUSK4WkHjioN1FQtmSrY7omNhhVOCx5EENeL7w36gNIdmR58rYZmSMbRjE_IGkVqkFMhsypvguvv85psLORQ9jlpcKm40zOm/s320/20231021_181524.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IuMGdCC50fWjjw7VfJTokKMA81eJyTzUyrpXjbe3ovqB3m045iH3thmKO7Fd3dCGeO8nLvDSRHZ3b-i1gQB4_dsij7gKorgwrQARr1RHe_E0OJ-cEpczQKhhIeg0Lg86H-v6rU3DFmcg_S_VyRn9a5dGukEsD3SdbGao0j8jErBHybHubdHTsSEb7eNC/s1440/IMG_20231021_183212_169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IuMGdCC50fWjjw7VfJTokKMA81eJyTzUyrpXjbe3ovqB3m045iH3thmKO7Fd3dCGeO8nLvDSRHZ3b-i1gQB4_dsij7gKorgwrQARr1RHe_E0OJ-cEpczQKhhIeg0Lg86H-v6rU3DFmcg_S_VyRn9a5dGukEsD3SdbGao0j8jErBHybHubdHTsSEb7eNC/s320/IMG_20231021_183212_169.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">That night, we marched into the stadium for the final regular season match. St. Louis CITY SC was hosting Seattle Sounders FC, who beat CITY 3-0 in April at Lumen Field. A packed house hoped for a different result this night.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGgBX-d00DXPgUHkVvwF-QFhMWQF1U5UrGgui_wqVWxIDmFGZlTQ05Yd9sPaW6CD-2Zg0tNho6T9SYbQs69X0UUSEI3Mizmixy5qRjwCMB2OMyTUf8qHWRz2OjQSdL2pK9HZwbOEZAZ5U4YWbFOw1k7rjDTdx16-ocDYCgfZ4_iC8NOhUN9vu7q1pjnMn/s3024/20231021_193639.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGgBX-d00DXPgUHkVvwF-QFhMWQF1U5UrGgui_wqVWxIDmFGZlTQ05Yd9sPaW6CD-2Zg0tNho6T9SYbQs69X0UUSEI3Mizmixy5qRjwCMB2OMyTUf8qHWRz2OjQSdL2pK9HZwbOEZAZ5U4YWbFOw1k7rjDTdx16-ocDYCgfZ4_iC8NOhUN9vu7q1pjnMn/s320/20231021_193639.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkkoVQgm68Y23lJzYSVLvtxUU0mOgnI3xJvY9rJv5BXeWmno0Gwg7nSRCb2rdQ1h-XX1glsjFioube1i3sHM5WLqbt2OwIa2E_P4AGK2XglRocB9d1EhFZxSt2GFgeVnW9zdLu2wPKmG_Lcd8LB1LNl2h8mkJH1_xLqHz0Ph6LfwTTqm3AhLib56DQT2r/s3024/20231021_195754.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkkoVQgm68Y23lJzYSVLvtxUU0mOgnI3xJvY9rJv5BXeWmno0Gwg7nSRCb2rdQ1h-XX1glsjFioube1i3sHM5WLqbt2OwIa2E_P4AGK2XglRocB9d1EhFZxSt2GFgeVnW9zdLu2wPKmG_Lcd8LB1LNl2h8mkJH1_xLqHz0Ph6LfwTTqm3AhLib56DQT2r/s320/20231021_195754.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The home crowd's efforts were not rewarded on the pitch, as Seattle rode two first-half goals to a 2-0 win. Disappointing for CITY for sure. Still, the team stayed after the match to go towards the Supporter Section and thank us for their support this season. That was exceptionally good of them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDb6nim2yVEhRlG_mxT9-4kggon5TUGcwj6Faa_OxAVTjKufu_2ZExERHLdQtTuOlM8JuuSCdUmKaisWosH3ni5zX_PdfOkkPW5Sil2nJP9CXksDFN-AekNCbn7tnrFZu9VFxu113lLMq88VgqSYBI8oktM6jrYooLh7lmqBhkX74VLjbhWqND5UpwepXw/s3024/20231021_222456.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDb6nim2yVEhRlG_mxT9-4kggon5TUGcwj6Faa_OxAVTjKufu_2ZExERHLdQtTuOlM8JuuSCdUmKaisWosH3ni5zX_PdfOkkPW5Sil2nJP9CXksDFN-AekNCbn7tnrFZu9VFxu113lLMq88VgqSYBI8oktM6jrYooLh7lmqBhkX74VLjbhWqND5UpwepXw/s320/20231021_222456.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">CITY now awaits its First-Round opponent, which will be determined by the Wild Card match Wednesday night between 8th seed Sporting Kansas City and 9th seed San Jose Earthquakes. The winner of that match plays CITY in a Best of Three series. The first match will be at CITYPARK next weekend, with the second at the lower seed and the third (if needed) back in St. Louis. The First-Round schedule should be firmed up early this week. I can't wait.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Major League Soccer: <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/" style="text-align: left;">MLSsoccer.com - The Official Site of Major League Soccer</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis CITY SC: <a href="https://www.stlcitysc.com/" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Soccerbible: https://www.soccerbible.com/</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lion's Choice: <a href="https://lionschoice.com/" style="text-align: left;">Lion's Choice – Lion's Choice (lionschoice.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ted Drewes Frozen Custard: <a href="http://teddrewes.com/" style="text-align: left;">Ted Drewes Frozen Custard</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louligans: https://stlouligans.com</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Schlafly Tap Room: <a href="https://www.schlafly.com/tap-room-brewpub/" style="text-align: left;">Tap Room Brewpub - Schlafly Beer</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cluck Oink Moo Sliders: http://www.cluckoinkmoosliders.com</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-1319070988532946252023-10-08T15:23:00.000-05:002023-10-08T15:23:03.036-05:00Catching Up<p style="text-align: justify;">You may have noticed that I have not written here much in recent weeks. I have had one thing, or another come up that has prevented me from writing posts here. Let me try to get you caught up on what has been happening with me of late.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After coming home from my vacation on 7 August, I returned to work the next day. Work has been going well in recent weeks, with plenty of business to keep me busy. I have started to look at more career-oriented positions and hope to make some progress in that area in the coming month.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After the IPMS/USA National Convention held in San Marcos, Texas in early August, I kept up with IPMS/Gateway activities and IPMS/USA Regional Coordinator duties. I attended local scale modeling contests in Grimes, Iowa; Liberty, Missouri; Leavenworth, Kansas; and West Burlington, Iowa. In September, I helped IPMS/Gateway stage its annual contest in Affton. It went very well.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In recent weeks, I attended St. Louis CITY SC matches at CITYPARK. In many of them, my girlfriend Julie went along with me. Late last month, CITY SC clinched the MLS Western Conference regular season Championship and home field advantage for the MLS Cup Playoffs through the Conference final.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeT77AweYas0wuUYQ6D9H67I_Bvrstru4lGHBpWMJPyqliN7kc6iDg5Rlw6CpP6e-mTYan3-KZGo7IIkMf2mF5BpYXT6opS-jFpWO4hMz4Prx7Cra0IFaPE-hcXE99deaYXYUOzvaK-rGjBcNw-p_dOQUqxqRuxZ7tE1GcL5qpTY2i1SR6SFipowbzsgDq/s2208/IMG_20230920_191629_483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="2208" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeT77AweYas0wuUYQ6D9H67I_Bvrstru4lGHBpWMJPyqliN7kc6iDg5Rlw6CpP6e-mTYan3-KZGo7IIkMf2mF5BpYXT6opS-jFpWO4hMz4Prx7Cra0IFaPE-hcXE99deaYXYUOzvaK-rGjBcNw-p_dOQUqxqRuxZ7tE1GcL5qpTY2i1SR6SFipowbzsgDq/s320/IMG_20230920_191629_483.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Julie and I continue our great relationship. We are in daily communication with each other and meet up as often as our schedules permit. Late last month, I helped her move from her house in Florissant to her new apartment in Creve Coeur. (Donna Flamm--my friend and high school classmate--was the realtor who sold Julie's house.) </p><p style="text-align: justify;">At home, I am still helping my mother take care of the house and to help take care of Mom. She has been having difficulties getting around and needs my help at times with simple matters.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">One week ago, (1 October), I was a volunteer at Festa Junina, a Brazilian folk festival presented by Viva Brasil STL at Kirkwood Park. Early on, I helped at a food booth, then was transferred to the information booth to help attendees exchange cash for tickets used for purchasing food, drinks, and games. It was a fun day with a good crowd in attendance. I was happy to help out.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That should take care of things for the moment. I will do my best to be more frequent with my posts.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Later.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Links to Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post</u>:</p><p style="text-align: justify;">IPMS/USA: <a href="https://ipmsusa.org/" style="text-align: left;">IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">IPMS/Gateway: <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home" style="text-align: left;">IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis CITY SC: <a href="https://www.stlcitysc.com/" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Donna Flamm: <a href="https://donnaflamm.mygatewayhomes.com/" style="text-align: left;">Gateway Real Estate - Donna Flamm - Welcome (mygatewayhomes.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Viva Brasil STL: <a href="https://www.vivabrasilstl.org/" style="text-align: left;">Viva Brasil STL</a></p>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-86539113209969584472023-09-17T15:33:00.000-05:002023-09-17T15:33:04.477-05:002023 IPMS/USA National Convention (5)<p style="text-align: justify;">After an overnight drive from San Marcos, I arrived in Austin early on that Sunday (6 August). Finding a parking lot, I pulled in and followed the USA vs Sweden FIFA Women's World Cup Round of 16 match on my phone. Sweden won on penalty kicks, sending the Americans home. I hated to see that, but with the way they played in the tournament, it didn't surprise me.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Just after 7 am, I drove down South Congress Avenue to Jo's Coffee. I had a cold coffee drink and a pastry, which I enjoyed on one of the tables there. It was nice to sit there and have breakfast with the neighborhood stirring. After the meal, I walked by the one side of the building where Jo's motto "i love you so much" was painted on the wall. I snapped a selfie of myself next to that writing and sent it to Julie. She loved that picture.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGBlZPLkzYe_tj8v831iAbhGhcbhLEFBPRKbH8e61tTTlJ9AZkF_b9PhzUCovdXR1dkCvu_MAee4rsnzREo83r8z7hKcPArxrd35pDAqhPhN8PsmynlZrp45GSUTLEapZw3_G2F8oUbAgBStXCZ4mPzQUouqIXeidOO3znTysT8ua-juqdP2e8bPMJNmb/s208/20230806_075857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="208" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGBlZPLkzYe_tj8v831iAbhGhcbhLEFBPRKbH8e61tTTlJ9AZkF_b9PhzUCovdXR1dkCvu_MAee4rsnzREo83r8z7hKcPArxrd35pDAqhPhN8PsmynlZrp45GSUTLEapZw3_G2F8oUbAgBStXCZ4mPzQUouqIXeidOO3znTysT8ua-juqdP2e8bPMJNmb/s1600/20230806_075857.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfe47BcPWavKRWhObBQYSJDZEkQmAKB4lOYCdc2SAFeCeC9HzwqCnuN63okxWOX_L7Y97ZKumm6CQ59RMkvJ6UMzxUh2RvXcEbop8DxjY8Hd2cO_y_HVX2AF2Wra6pl8qN3ZndNCzlRabCbolZHgyd0oLx3RwqqY3vDaYz5bo_2SaIWfS3Ua0gFNYL_ye/s843/IMG_20230806_080238_286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="843" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfe47BcPWavKRWhObBQYSJDZEkQmAKB4lOYCdc2SAFeCeC9HzwqCnuN63okxWOX_L7Y97ZKumm6CQ59RMkvJ6UMzxUh2RvXcEbop8DxjY8Hd2cO_y_HVX2AF2Wra6pl8qN3ZndNCzlRabCbolZHgyd0oLx3RwqqY3vDaYz5bo_2SaIWfS3Ua0gFNYL_ye/s320/IMG_20230806_080238_286.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDK46dExYgnfWYE3XhNvETFquhIp7Cq4IwNg3K2vWKpArs1aYLeb13x068oDfasiwnmE1yJWtZ7zFiMt4R3IavBIVp22NKeGnbgj1rUpUb2wPjcNKJCpDhSSVvxpn3HFsaoanK7UElDNrxJpCcrvIM75kOxYdEMp4hsM5YGiEHYxdxe9UBWAS-_xhtWSQz/s843/IMG_20230806_080238_643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="843" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDK46dExYgnfWYE3XhNvETFquhIp7Cq4IwNg3K2vWKpArs1aYLeb13x068oDfasiwnmE1yJWtZ7zFiMt4R3IavBIVp22NKeGnbgj1rUpUb2wPjcNKJCpDhSSVvxpn3HFsaoanK7UElDNrxJpCcrvIM75kOxYdEMp4hsM5YGiEHYxdxe9UBWAS-_xhtWSQz/s320/IMG_20230806_080238_643.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">I then drove down Congress towards the State Capitol. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zg5NRG4xTRj9-OMHEnrrDCq0KOfeQnrh-Z7_XYwMAmxffAee1bQy5C5yo9yDi8fpaTTzORVWnSSdw-1jlR6PWd9GJBP9KGqYUvwBQGXeBQ_ojlhFULkJ0MA44ilaz_o7muByvlr-GIPFp4SvvBjSfXBL0BTjLTtrQmT8wY1l1g-bas74FQJX0KmA3kYh/s218/20230806_082040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zg5NRG4xTRj9-OMHEnrrDCq0KOfeQnrh-Z7_XYwMAmxffAee1bQy5C5yo9yDi8fpaTTzORVWnSSdw-1jlR6PWd9GJBP9KGqYUvwBQGXeBQ_ojlhFULkJ0MA44ilaz_o7muByvlr-GIPFp4SvvBjSfXBL0BTjLTtrQmT8wY1l1g-bas74FQJX0KmA3kYh/s1600/20230806_082040.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After driving by the Capitol, I drove to the northwest towards the University of Texas campus. There, I parked and walked to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum. Some 20 years before, I visited the "LBJ" Library on an earlier visit to Austin. There were a handful of other visitors when I came to visit.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The museum had been extensively renovated since my last visit, with many interactive exhibits. It looked at the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Johnson, the 36th President of the United States. I was born 2.5 months into the Johnson Presidency, so this museum had great resonance to my life.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtK20PeauxXhsE8Vc3Tv8MNSiRqdq4zDWef2qY9J9433v0ALh_3f7NClZ9tVupMGX4qtZdee3j2hMeXKAAO2SWwbE6cJAXJKRGK1oZG6qxnRJlyAo5Ytcsstg0Gg5Cm5_O63ErU2k3BlfmyTc8NjBW7vQZKvaSYM7AWm5jS9WYdTOI9azihwp5WAgcwjED/s220/20230806_090259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="220" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtK20PeauxXhsE8Vc3Tv8MNSiRqdq4zDWef2qY9J9433v0ALh_3f7NClZ9tVupMGX4qtZdee3j2hMeXKAAO2SWwbE6cJAXJKRGK1oZG6qxnRJlyAo5Ytcsstg0Gg5Cm5_O63ErU2k3BlfmyTc8NjBW7vQZKvaSYM7AWm5jS9WYdTOI9azihwp5WAgcwjED/s1600/20230806_090259.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXy8c1kpl9BFOIFO9-eLDoKkQv7QS54HOj75uH8HQrYGaPp_P-ai0G0qzLcOXfCeirB5No27y73fyb--ERBHl3uGPG9grGvgi_zXgCnismfWSowSmIyHSjvYOXFao4V8aT77p9KCK_F_nCP7B_8I-il6U1HvmAYk4Bq3tWeh8U596KCxRCIWjrAGPdhmEi/s230/20230806_094954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="230" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXy8c1kpl9BFOIFO9-eLDoKkQv7QS54HOj75uH8HQrYGaPp_P-ai0G0qzLcOXfCeirB5No27y73fyb--ERBHl3uGPG9grGvgi_zXgCnismfWSowSmIyHSjvYOXFao4V8aT77p9KCK_F_nCP7B_8I-il6U1HvmAYk4Bq3tWeh8U596KCxRCIWjrAGPdhmEi/s1600/20230806_094954.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNI7EaZawJFrpaq5rsBPwCmdzszkoqgC-X06GVIpB861hrizomoaW-iqRh_bjegnMYZtALcjO4CD_bqHPrTmudQIJ007QGGngzS-PIhbDjy7c0UWBo924MoqmEXJBsLC5sAd7PdgvIYfmYFSdiy7teg2v1Y8j3MZPzvpZGsWq11H9kcpz6hx6GDAddTHZN/s230/20230806_100150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="230" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNI7EaZawJFrpaq5rsBPwCmdzszkoqgC-X06GVIpB861hrizomoaW-iqRh_bjegnMYZtALcjO4CD_bqHPrTmudQIJ007QGGngzS-PIhbDjy7c0UWBo924MoqmEXJBsLC5sAd7PdgvIYfmYFSdiy7teg2v1Y8j3MZPzvpZGsWq11H9kcpz6hx6GDAddTHZN/s1600/20230806_100150.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">They also had a gallery on Johnson's wife, Claudia "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson, and replicas of Lyndon Johnson's Oval Office and Lady Bird's White House office. Also displayed was a limousine used by President Johnson. After touring the museum, I bought a few items in the shop before leaving.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For lunch, I went to Sam's BBQ in Central East Austin. I enjoyed a delicious lunch of brisket and chicken with sides. It's a small place, but well regarded.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WsPgnlnk87rol0eoRpEF-QAtBPvlhnl4MB6UZPaZthsfq3EybUdhHPVKxIsa8SlQOfZ-xtYTwVBX6vgoU_ZMNLRsA05d3K0Cxdg7jey2sHJ3anjhjt4TJrexOvtZyKccaS5KxIJJptFK3zxWDi1IcociZ6ahfnfjE-jtMG6QW5nCsI8sWwNNYs0ZEdyF/s230/20230806_122508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="230" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WsPgnlnk87rol0eoRpEF-QAtBPvlhnl4MB6UZPaZthsfq3EybUdhHPVKxIsa8SlQOfZ-xtYTwVBX6vgoU_ZMNLRsA05d3K0Cxdg7jey2sHJ3anjhjt4TJrexOvtZyKccaS5KxIJJptFK3zxWDi1IcociZ6ahfnfjE-jtMG6QW5nCsI8sWwNNYs0ZEdyF/s1600/20230806_122508.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I then spent the afternoon driving around Austin, stopping to browse at a few shops. I also topped up the fuel in the rental car, so I would return it at the same full fuel setting as I had picked it up the previous Wednesday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Late that afternoon, I drove to Austin Bergstrom International Airport, first going to the Enterprise Facility there to return my car. Taking my luggage out, I then walked into the terminal to check in to my Southwest flight to Houston. I arrived at the terminal finding out that this flight was delayed leaving Austin and that I would not make the connecting flight to St. Louis. I enquired at the Southwest counter. They agreed with me and changed me to a later flight out to Dallas.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I passed through the security checkpoint and found my way to the gate for the flight that night to Dallas. After waiting for some 2.5 hours, I boarded the flight and arrived at Love Field. There, I made my way to the gate for the flight to St. Louis. After boarding it and having settled into the seat, the flight attendants said the flight had been cancelled due to crew fatigue issues.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The other passengers and I went back to the terminal and were told the next flight to St. Louis would be about 6 hours from then. This was just past midnight in Dallas. I settled into a seat in the terminal and waited until the flight would board.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After being half asleep for a few hours, I freshened up in the men's room and boarded the flight to St. Louis. This went off without a hitch and I arrived at St. Louis Lambert International Airport in the middle of Monday morning (7 August).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After getting my checked back from baggage claim, I waited for The Parking Spot 3 shuttle bus to arrive. It came and I boarded the bus to take me to my car. After dropping off a few other passengers, the bus arrived at my car. I got out with my baggage, loaded up my car, and drove out of the lot and back home. I had taken this day off from work to unwind, and considering the travel adventure coming home from Austin, it was a wise decision. I came home, unpacked, and relaxed before returning to work the next day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post</u>:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jo's Coffee: <a href="https://www.joscoffee.com/" style="text-align: left;">Jo's Coffee (joscoffee.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum: <a href="https://www.lbjlibrary.org/" style="text-align: left;">LBJ Presidential Library (lbjlibrary.org)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sam's BBQ: <a href="https://www.samsbbq.com/" style="text-align: left;">Sam's Bar-B-Que and Catering (samsbbq.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Austin Bergstrom International Airport: <a href="https://www.austintexas.gov/airport" style="text-align: left;">Airport (AUS) | AustinTexas.gov</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Enterprise: <a href="https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html" style="text-align: left;">Car Rental with Great Rates & Service | Enterprise Rent-A-Car</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Southwest Airlines: <a href="https://www.southwest.com/" style="text-align: left;">Southwest Airlines | Book Flights, Make Reservations & Plan a Trip</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dallas Love Field: <a href="https://www.dallas-lovefield.com/" style="text-align: left;">Dallas Love Field Airport | Home (dallas-lovefield.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">St. Louis Lambert International Airport: <a href="https://www.flystl.com/" style="text-align: left;">St. Louis Lambert International Airport (flystl.com)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Parking Spot: <a href="https://www.theparkingspot.com/" style="text-align: left;">Airport Parking & Reservations | The Parking Spot</a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p></div>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-40712721289316011672023-09-06T20:05:00.000-05:002023-09-06T20:05:29.117-05:002023 IPMS/USA National Convention (4)<p style="text-align: justify;">Early Saturday morning (5 August), after waking up and getting groomed and dressed, I packed up my bags and departed from the Airbnb rental house I had stayed in since the previous Wednesday. I left the homeowners a brief note thanking them for their hospitality.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Packing up the car, I then drove to the Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center for the final day of the 2023 IPMS/USA National Convention. I attended the National Business Meeting, where the Society's Executive Board (E-Board) presented their reports on the state of the group. Overall, IPMS/USA is in particularly good shape.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This meeting was followed up by bid presentations from two groups hoping to host the 2025 National Convention. First up was Hampton, Virginia, which gave a most confident bid. (Hampton had hosted four previous National Conventions, most recently in 2014.) This bid outlined the venue, expected dates of the convention, spaces for contest and vendor rooms, hotels at or near the convention venue, and planned tours. After they fielded some questions from the floor, Hampton yielded to the other bid presentation. This was from Lakeland, Florida, and they also covered the same items as the previous bid. However, this was Lakeland's first bid for the Nationals and their presentation lacked the polish of Hampton's. The IPMS/USA E-Board would meet in private later that day to vote on the 2025 National Convention Host.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I went through the contest and vendor rooms a few more times to admire some more models and to do some late shopping. That afternoon, I attended a seminar on "Creating Great Dioramas," as the presenters offered their ideas on how to create dioramas that really stand out.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This seminar was followed by the meeting of the National Contest Committee. They discussed this year's contest and any suggested changes in rules and categories.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Soon after this meeting, the vendors began to pack up to close the show. I made a last visit to the vendor and contest rooms before they were closed. There was an early evening social hour in the Conference Center hallway outside of the banquet room. Besides the drinks and conversation, there was a mariachi band to entertain us.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0I9fEg12fVg0I3V64Wk40b7WkhqPjcdOpisk_bjEKsg7fexSmhI44dRqYg12h63da4JBHegc-5Fg4UV41FwobKjX0hc6l-R-vl4LGvz6IQ3EEdU8wh1DYgx_b0MyQvWdAA3x3U5nVIhw7PtWdE9tXxSygarpmqJUPbMxRwb6oHWXrFfrhJnmZTo5nIqm/s1089/20230805_170836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1089" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0I9fEg12fVg0I3V64Wk40b7WkhqPjcdOpisk_bjEKsg7fexSmhI44dRqYg12h63da4JBHegc-5Fg4UV41FwobKjX0hc6l-R-vl4LGvz6IQ3EEdU8wh1DYgx_b0MyQvWdAA3x3U5nVIhw7PtWdE9tXxSygarpmqJUPbMxRwb6oHWXrFfrhJnmZTo5nIqm/s320/20230805_170836.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />While some attendees went to dine at the closing night banquet, I settled for a snack from the hotel front desk. I went to one of the seminar rooms, where a video hookup to the banquet room was set up. Quite a few other attendees were there waiting for the post-banquet presentations to be made.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVl8e3E11ZziLDIYi6tYvZrr7HQo3hZ_TW_BmkFlEAGoBmHloDYWabszVKb7IJTFhvzkiqI-_WOCEr7eAfni_JeHenAzFCQ7JcQQgiU70RgcI5Grby_uSMDUuQlSAxeFVUFLUpYaqsUCBzhEP2YfITeyHhc1GhTiqDVoBjlahafsJ-2VOTSi_Mg4T4OumW/s4608/IMG_0968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVl8e3E11ZziLDIYi6tYvZrr7HQo3hZ_TW_BmkFlEAGoBmHloDYWabszVKb7IJTFhvzkiqI-_WOCEr7eAfni_JeHenAzFCQ7JcQQgiU70RgcI5Grby_uSMDUuQlSAxeFVUFLUpYaqsUCBzhEP2YfITeyHhc1GhTiqDVoBjlahafsJ-2VOTSi_Mg4T4OumW/s320/IMG_0968.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">The presentations began with Convention Chairman Len Pilhofer battling laryngitis to thank all who attended and put on the Convention. He also said that there were 3110 contest entries (second highest in IPMS/USA National Convention history), 963 registrants, and 625 guests (day pay attendees).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Pilhofer was followed by IPMS/USA President David Lockhart, who gave thanks to the Convention hosts and presented lifetime memberships to two notables. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSYDz8hLO1QjERkS8xYVxlQHt0h3MiTy7eOMlnLpIxOcNtX8J_-R1VFx2RnEZaMT-LT35v8zyr08bWMQJ1x2lg9ROMhHCxrsHBRn4rjwmCEUhSJdRjQxxtECNAzwFA0T-fGbr1eUyOw6wss1nzVHIbeEsBodpLE0J6KjOO9_CdK9XE0d-ua1IQROB5NKk/s4608/IMG_0973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSYDz8hLO1QjERkS8xYVxlQHt0h3MiTy7eOMlnLpIxOcNtX8J_-R1VFx2RnEZaMT-LT35v8zyr08bWMQJ1x2lg9ROMhHCxrsHBRn4rjwmCEUhSJdRjQxxtECNAzwFA0T-fGbr1eUyOw6wss1nzVHIbeEsBodpLE0J6KjOO9_CdK9XE0d-ua1IQROB5NKk/s320/IMG_0973.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Director of Local Chapters John Figueroa then presented the Regional Coordinator of the Year Award to Region 6's Sean Glaspell, and the awards for Webmaster, Newsletter Editor, Chapter, and Member of the Year.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Second Vice President Joe Bonnani spoke briefly before introducing 2024 National Convention Chairman Jeff Hearne, who invited all to Madison, Wisconsin next year. The 2025 National Convention host was revealed as Hampton, Virginia (just as I figured).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After these speeches, it was time for the contest awards to be announced. Bill Devins and Aris Pappas took turns announcing the results, which they have been doing for many years. The category and sponsor slide was shown first, followed by the Third Place, Second Place, and First Place models. This enabled us to know which model took what award. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">My IPMS/Gateway clubmate Rick Keasey won four awards in this year's contest. His Puma armored car took a First in Armor: Basic Kit Build. He placed Second in Armor: Dioramas for his Normandy Counter Attack diorama. In Figures, Keasey took Third for his bust Revolutionary War Soldier and Second for his bust Badass 1970.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIamfEv2aX9yzPRXeNM8NhQKU8zTavrNSYL8N53PaJUkdk2BdqNSjXHpqUF8wKALagSQ0LAzVjhOkd9W4a4cSYma4ccy8W_yDzhbVQPgJERUCAtWUB1c4a-CmjhULMVNTPB9t-rV6lhSK6SfaR1RBCkbYUcGSmxBqHCapNdlMaOih-1FOkepTSPMYNZ2Zj/s4608/IMG_0985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIamfEv2aX9yzPRXeNM8NhQKU8zTavrNSYL8N53PaJUkdk2BdqNSjXHpqUF8wKALagSQ0LAzVjhOkd9W4a4cSYma4ccy8W_yDzhbVQPgJERUCAtWUB1c4a-CmjhULMVNTPB9t-rV6lhSK6SfaR1RBCkbYUcGSmxBqHCapNdlMaOih-1FOkepTSPMYNZ2Zj/s320/IMG_0985.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />After the individual category awards were announced, the special awards were presented. These culminated in the Most Popular Award (the shadowbox Rendezvous over Bougainville) and the Judges' Grand Award (Renault FB Caterpillar Crawler). <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewqnAF2Z6fHWZKuqMhoQ-9xWXBtWUQzfOSy2vr89FKPoj1sxFfe8f8Cc-84jdgqx6XxLkTce7j_FL8pLlm8ENyb_QnVnc-eBKP4Yc7mhOr9dB0nCvPMZ63g2RmbTktKdAS6PZ9Fe6d4x7U1Don8nKPmSwZhZRwKArKqlmL4DJRjHctvDGvU-hvbhiyjAM/s4608/IMG_0987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewqnAF2Z6fHWZKuqMhoQ-9xWXBtWUQzfOSy2vr89FKPoj1sxFfe8f8Cc-84jdgqx6XxLkTce7j_FL8pLlm8ENyb_QnVnc-eBKP4Yc7mhOr9dB0nCvPMZ63g2RmbTktKdAS6PZ9Fe6d4x7U1Don8nKPmSwZhZRwKArKqlmL4DJRjHctvDGvU-hvbhiyjAM/s320/IMG_0987.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">That concluded this Convention. Everyone headed to the contest room to pack up their models, congratulate those who won contest awards, and say their goodbyes. After I made by last circuit of the Conference Center, I took my packed model to my rental car and began the late-night drive to Austin.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">To be continued...</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in This Post:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Airbnb: <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/a/discover/?account_id=142001799&campaign_id=380403558&ad_id=80951606671905&ad_group_id=1295224921606272&keyword_id=kwd-80951790849829:loc-190&device=c&&c=.pi2.pk380403558_1295224921606272&ghost=true&gclid=e84801bd7dcd1b85731d6567a755dfb9&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=e84801bd7dcd1b85731d6567a755dfb9&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=USA%3ADTM%3ABRD%3AAIRBNB%5BEXACT%5D&utm_term=airbnb%5D&utm_content=Airbnb%3AGeneric%2BExact&gclid=e84801bd7dcd1b85731d6567a755dfb9&gclsrc=3p.ds" style="text-align: left;">Find homes on Airbnb</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center: <a href="https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/snmeses-embassy-suites-san-marcos-hotel-conference-center/?SEO_id=BING-AMER-ES-SNMESES&y_source=1_MTExMDA2OC00ODMtbG9jYXRpb24ud2Vic2l0ZQ%3D%3D" style="text-align: left;">Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">IPMS/USA: <a href="https://ipmsusa.org/" style="text-align: left;">IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">IPMS/Gateway: <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home" style="text-align: left;">IPMS Gateway Chapter (google.com)</a></p>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895207173938463866.post-27615749197605092492023-08-22T21:13:00.000-05:002023-08-22T21:13:24.404-05:002023 IPMS/USA National Convention (3)<p style="text-align: justify;">Early on Day Three of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA) Convention (4 August), I came to the Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center for the annual Regional Coordinator (RC) breakfast. The meeting in the Embassy Suites' restaurant included three IPMS/USA executive board (e-board) members: President David Lockhart, Treasurer Mike Oberholtzer, and Director of Local Chapters (DLC) John Figueroa. Besides I, the Region 14 Coordinator, there were five other RCs in attendance: Mark Norman (RC-1), James Corley (RC-3), Allyson Kebschull (RC-4), Jeff Herne (RC-5), and Sean Glaspell (RC-6). Both Norman and Kebschull are new to their respective positions.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In this meeting, the Wild Apricot registration system was discussed. It was emphasized that we RCs were to be proficient in its use to better perform our duties. The RCs also discussed Regional Conventions and how to set forth definitive guidelines to help Regions and their chapters in organizing these shows. The meeting also talked about difficulties some RCs have had in getting nominations within their Regions for annual awards (Chapter, Newsletter Editor, Webmaster, and Member of the Year). It was a most productive meeting and great to see these other RCs that I normally only know of from emails.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After the meeting, I walked over to the Conference Center to browse among the contest entries and the vendors. Early that afternoon, I attended a seminar given by Spanish master modeler Mig Jimenez on finishing armor models. Jimenez has his own line of modeling finishing products and tools, AMMO by Mig Jimenez. The presentation included step by step photos of how to add weathering effects to military vehicle models. He also showed pictures of actual vehicles during the current Ukraine War that he used to base the effects upon. I really enjoyed Jimenez' presentation and found his approach (look at actual subjects rather than other models, and to make your scale modeling fun) most refreshing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWjBzfh1jwSaWC8bEzFMZJBtOZQL0i1EbIOfX7mBbnzzUrQKk1UFMtiwdeMTeZrqcxLlZwlcHSse-nJ3GCZfTohZgVz8jltDiCSvJ-ldCmFgMS_Sa06CPfOVVB_PDIImm3vny3RMy0g2BZSo2JsEqNoa2GEGxyLiS8LbTgAvP1Ddw6SOR6Yarc893nqyo/s3024/20230804_115918%20(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWjBzfh1jwSaWC8bEzFMZJBtOZQL0i1EbIOfX7mBbnzzUrQKk1UFMtiwdeMTeZrqcxLlZwlcHSse-nJ3GCZfTohZgVz8jltDiCSvJ-ldCmFgMS_Sa06CPfOVVB_PDIImm3vny3RMy0g2BZSo2JsEqNoa2GEGxyLiS8LbTgAvP1Ddw6SOR6Yarc893nqyo/s320/20230804_115918%20(4).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After Jimenez' talk, I bought the AMMO Jet Engines Colors & Weathering Set from one of the vendors, SprayGunner. That vendor is one I have bought from previously and find their service most efficient.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Later in the afternoon, I sat in on another seminar, the Scale Model Podcast Roundup. This featured hosts from five podcasts: Plastic Model Mojo, Plastic Posse Podcast, Model Geeks Podcast, Small Subjects, and The Sprue Cutters Union. They discussed how they got into podcasting and their approaches to their podcasts. The hosts fielded questions from the audience on these matters. I have listened to a few episodes of Plastic Model Mojo (co-hosted by my friend David Knights), but now I will have to check out these other podcasts.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutd0mXPdc0RYViuULlZnz6uNll6o0qHpFMcUKeSYENnCWv0IitH-dduLKStdT86uK3VIQjVF8tDovPbxDjuEZuXQlRfKy95eIO48ivbO7ALJg7F_earUdxokqHSaxAR6Hwobpq28j0vyatpLpvkVUUXt4axdRH1lg2lmwOw3rvCTINE8MhEUfMNfUOsjX/s4608/IMG_0856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutd0mXPdc0RYViuULlZnz6uNll6o0qHpFMcUKeSYENnCWv0IitH-dduLKStdT86uK3VIQjVF8tDovPbxDjuEZuXQlRfKy95eIO48ivbO7ALJg7F_earUdxokqHSaxAR6Hwobpq28j0vyatpLpvkVUUXt4axdRH1lg2lmwOw3rvCTINE8MhEUfMNfUOsjX/s320/IMG_0856.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Early that night, I joined about 225 other registrants at the Judges' Meeting. Mark Persichetti, in his final year as Chairman of the IPMS/USA National Contest Committee, briefed us on judging procedures and etiquette. I was one of the aircraft judges and was working on my fifth contest as a full judge (not counting my first year as an On-the-Job Trainee, or OJT). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiOfLyOcDzW6_EuWu98pdR9t6t-aXfMVCLR5YnjG7e_Ku9Kgv2lTk_k4gdIYTERaENICooWU4K4IrEE9_PgC0vxnRZqCWfgttIyhu0RY1ZnXV0_-cU5mmOkvEXIiGCCFmgSW_rSpZjsb40cvUFXVncoKYakq5mc7wQpzCqmO2FwcF-k4HRDaOU_zC6Mr9/s3024/20230804_171723%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiOfLyOcDzW6_EuWu98pdR9t6t-aXfMVCLR5YnjG7e_Ku9Kgv2lTk_k4gdIYTERaENICooWU4K4IrEE9_PgC0vxnRZqCWfgttIyhu0RY1ZnXV0_-cU5mmOkvEXIiGCCFmgSW_rSpZjsb40cvUFXVncoKYakq5mc7wQpzCqmO2FwcF-k4HRDaOU_zC6Mr9/s320/20230804_171723%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Certificates were presented to judges for 3, 10, 20, and 30-year milestones, then we made our way to the contest room. The only people in that room were judges and the recording team. I joined other aircraft judges in part of the contest room where we were formed into three-person teams and assigned a contest category. After hearing my name called, I found my teammates and we received the contest form for the first category: 137, 1/32 Aircraft; Jet Powered. We looked over the entries in that category--including six from one entrant--finding any flaws in fit and finish. The IPMS/USA contest has a no-sweeps rule; no matter how many entries one has in a category, he or she can only win one prize (First, Second, or Third). We would find multiple entries by an entrant and determine the best of these before going to the individual entries. After just over an hour, we agreed on the three award winners in that category. We retired to a side room for a quick snack of cookies and soda before resuming our work.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The contest sheet for that category was turned in to the aircraft record keepers, and we received a second category to judge: 103B, Biplanes; Large--1/32. These required meticulous checking, dealing with two sets of wings, struts, rigging, and other details. We were able to reach a decision on the top three in this category after about 90 minutes of work.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We turned in the contest sheet and were told there were no other aircraft categories to be judges. Our group was dismissed with thanks. After hanging around the contest room for a few minutes to see if any other class needed judges, I headed out of the Conference Center around 9:20 pm. After stopping by a Whataburger to get a belated dinner to go, I headed back to the rental house to eat before retiring for the night.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">To be continued...</p> <u>Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:</u><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA: <a href="https://ipmsusa.org/" style="text-align: left;">IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center: <a href="https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/snmeses-embassy-suites-san-marcos-hotel-conference-center/?SEO_id=BING-AMER-ES-SNMESES&y_source=1_MTExMDA2OC00ODMtbG9jYXRpb24ud2Vic2l0ZQ%3D%3D" style="text-align: left;">Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">AMMO by Mig Jimenez: <a href="https://www.migjimenez.com/en/" style="text-align: left;">AMMO by Mig Jimenez</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">SprayGunner: <a href="https://spraygunner.com/?fbclid=IwAR2BWLIXRwiQTAEwgeb9XoX_i4ynEjkug_jny1kOZtkqnjPb6WFsJL_PlXk" style="text-align: left;">Paint Spray Gun, Airbrush Paint Kit, Compressors (spraygunner.com)</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Plastic Model Mojo: <a href="https://www.plasticmodelmojo.com/" style="text-align: left;">Plastic Model Mojo</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Whataburger: <a href="https://whataburger.com/home" style="text-align: left;">Whataburger | Order Online with Curbside and Delivery</a></p>Robert S. (Bob) Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16712192889751943479noreply@blogger.com0Mehlville, MO, USA38.5083865 -90.322894110.198152663821155 -125.4791441 66.818620336178839 -55.1666441