Life Amid Happy Moments and Mishaps

I was one of the volunteers on duty when Circus Flora (http://circusflora.org/) started its 31st season a week ago Thursday (1 June) with "Time Flies," a show with a time travel theme. I served as an usher that night and helped our audience greatly enjoy themselves. This year's show runs through 25 June at their air-conditioned big top in St. Louis' Grand Center.

I brought doughnuts from Krispy Kreme (http://krispykreme.com/) to work the next day, and it was appreciated as usual by the staff. After work, I headed for Toyota Stadium at Worldwide Technology Soccer Park for Saint Louis FC's (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) match against Toronto FC II. Joining with the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/), I cheered the home side to a 2-0 victory in the first home match in over a month, due to the recent flooding.

That Saturday afternoon (3 June), Tim Pylypiuk and I hosted this month's edition of "Writer's Block," (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-/2017/06/03/connected--writers-block-10am-pstradio-drama-the-princess-ep-11-11am-pst) from ANCA World Radio. This program celebrated the life and works of the late Australian artist and autism activist Donna Williams, who lost her fight with cancer earlier this year.

Sunday morning found me at Das Bevo, formerly, the historic Bevo Mill in south St. Louis (http://www.dasbevo.com/), for brunch with the Ethnic Restaurant Fans Meetup group (https://www.meetup.com/Ethnic-Restaurant-Fans/). Our party had a great time at the restaurant, which reopened a few weeks ago after a slight renovation. I dined on beer cheese soup and Bavarian sausage, washed down with Uhlrich's Breakfast (a cocktail). It was my first time there in about 2 1/2 years, and I hope I won't wait that long to return.

Driving out of the parking lot at Das Bevo hit a snag (literally), when I backed my car into a telephone pole in the parking lot, causing damage to the rear fender at one corner. I will have to have that fixed soon; I have an appointment with the insurance adjuster next week.

On a happier note that Sunday, I then went to the Barnes & Noble (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/) store in Ladue to trade in my Nook HD tablet for a newer Samsung Galaxy Tab A Nook tablet. Doing so saved me $50 off the standard price for the newer tablet; however, I still get to keep the older Nook HD (received as a Christmas gift from my brothers in 2012) for as long as I want. After charging it up, I began transferring my Nook files to the new tablet. That includes the book I'm currently reading at lunch breaks at work, "We Were Soldiers Once...And Young" by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and Joseph L. Galloway. A terrific read on the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in November of 1965.

Work has been good and busy at our branch. We recently welcomed Mike, an intern for the summer, and Tyler, a new management trainee, to our staff. I change came in the vehicle prep side, as Jesse will only work Saturdays (he recently started another job), and I will continue to work four days a week, but no more alternate Saturday mornings for the time being. I can live with that.

Going to bed on Tuesday night, my bed's headboard broke off the support post, causing the bed to collapse. That forced me to sleep on the couch in the family room.

After work Wednesday (7 June), it was off to the Marcus Des Peres 14 Cine (http://www.marcustheatres.com/theatre-locations/marcus-des-peres-14-cine). There, I saw the 1972 classic "The Godfather," from TCM (http://www.tcm.com/) and Fathom Events (https://www.fathomevents.com/). It was the first time I saw this movie in a theater, and I was thrilled from the first scene to the last. "The Godfather" is nearly three hours long, but didn't feel like it to me.

Off work Thursday, I did some personal business, then was helping out again at Circus Flora. This time, I joined with Julia, the scenic intern, in scanning tickets for that night's performance. We used bar code scanners on tickets the customers presented for admittance. There were just a very few slowdowns in the process; we got our audience members through the ticket line in good order. Then, I came inside the enjoy the show and to help with ushering duties.

It was another busy, but satisfying day at work yesterday. After dinner last night, Mom and I shopped for a new bedframe. After not finding anything suitable at two other stories, we went to Walmart (https://www.walmart.com/), where we found a suitable frame for a good price. After checking out, we took the bedframe home. This morning, Mom and I set up the bedframe in my bedroom. It took a bit of figuring out, but we got the frame set up and the foundation and mattress placed on it. I can now sleep in my own bed again.

I'm off to dinner tonight with the Ethnic Restaurant Fans Meetup group, then tomorrow I'll be a volunteer at the Scott Air Force Base Air Show (http://www.scott.af.mil/airshow2017/). More on that in my next post.

Later.

Living and Working Around Flooding

It was a wet week here in St. Louis. So much so, that the Meramec River overflowed and there was flooding in parts of the St. Louis metropolitan area. That included the route I usually take to and from work: I-44 west of I-270 to Highway 141. The 44-141 interchange was flooded out from mid-week, so I had to take another route to and from work. Looks like that should reopen early this coming week.

Work at the branch has gone well, though we had to deal with a crowded lot Monday morning (1 May). We worked around the problem and got it solved. Wednesday afternoon, the manager was away at a meeting and the assistant manager was at a dental appointment, so one of the area managers filled in, with me as the sole car prep on duty. It was busy at times, but all was well in the end.

Yesterday morning (5 May), I stopped by The Donut Palace of Ellisville (https://www.thedonutpalace.com/) to get some donuts for my colleagues. (Normally on those Fridays, I go to the Krispy Kreme in Fenton, but the road is currently flooded.) It was much appreciated as usual by my colleagues.

Later today, I co-host Writer's Block from Naturally Autistic ANCA Radio (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-/2017/05/06/connected--writers-block-10am-pstradio-drama-11am-pst). Tim Pylypiuk and I will discuss two topics: Libraries, and literacy in the digital age. Hope you can tune in live from Noon, Central Time (10 am, Pacific Time; 1800 GMT), or catch the archived rebroadcast from 2 pm, Central Time (Noon, Pacific Time; 2000 GMT).

Tonight's Saint Louis FC match against Rochester Rhinos was postponed, due to the flooding at World Wide Technology Soccer Park. The match will be rescheduled for a later date. My night won't be a waste, though, as I will be a volunteer at the Greater St. Louis Book Fair (http://www.stlouisbookfair.org/), going on this weekend at the Greensfelder Recreation Complex of Queeny County Park in west St. Louis County. I've been a volunteer the past few years, and this time I'll be a cashier. Proceeds from the Book Fair--a large used book sale--go to various education and literacy programs in Metro St. Louis. Hope to see you there!

Also due to the flooding, my refereeing assignment for tomorrow at World Wide Technology Soccer Park is cancelled. I may try to get a make up assignment for that day, or I may help with cutting the back lawn.

Later.

Into December 2016

It was an afternoon at the movies last Sunday (27 November), when I went to the AMC Chesterfield 14 (https://www.amctheatres.com/movie-theatres/st-louis/amc-chesterfield-14). There, I joined with seven others from the STL Screeners Meetup group (https://www.meetup.com/STLScreeners/) to see a presentation of the 1961 classic "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (http://www.fathomevents.com/#event/breakfast-at-tiffanys/more-info/details), presented by Turner Classic Movies (http://www.tcm.com/) and Fathom Events (http://fathomevents.com). This was the first time I saw this romantic comedy on a large screen with an audience, and it was a wonderful experience. After the movie, we gathered in the food court at Chesterfield Mall (http://www.chesterfield-mall.com/) for dinner and discussion. A good time was had by all.

Work at the rental branch this week went well, with returns from Thanksgiving holiday travelers early in the week, plus quite a few customers at the repair shops needing loaners.

After work Monday night (28 November), I was off to St. Louis Community College-Meramec (http://www.stlcc.edu/MC/) for my annual futsal referee recertification clinic. We reviewed local league policies and concerns, and saw video clips of high level game situations. I had paid my registration fee and passed the test online, so I received my 2017 futsal referee patch at the clinic's end, along with the others (some 20 colleagues with me).

I was back at STLCC-Meramec two nights later for my Beginning Portuguese class, the first in two weeks (we were off the night before Thanksgiving). We reviewed more items to help us understand the language a bit more. Just two more sessions to go in this course.

Off work Thursday, I took care of my laundry at home. That night, I was at Big A's on the Riverfront (http://www.bigasontheriverfront.com/) in St. Charles for a Pre-Dating Speed Dating (http://www.pre-dating.com/) event. I and nine other single males, in our late 40s and 50s, each had six-minute dates with women in our age range. It was a chance to size each other up and see if each was a good fit to further pursue. I felt nervous going in, not having done this sort of dating in a long while, but it went well. However, none of the ten ladies I talked to expressed interest in me. Oh, well, maybe next time.

Last Friday being pay day, I stopped by Krispy Kreme (https://www.krispykreme.com/) in Fenton on the way to work and bought a dozen doughnuts for my colleagues. They appreciate the every other Friday gesture.

I drove to Clayton yesterday morning for this month's meeting of the Missouri Professional Communicators (MPC) (http://www.mpc-nfpw.org/cpsiteframepage.lasso?-token.lpuserref=113815.113118) at the St. Louis Artists' Guild (http://www.stlouisartistsguild.org/new/). Laura Peters, director of archives at The Muny (https://muny.org/), spoke about her efforts to pull together nearly 100 years of The Muny's history. She showed (via PowerPoint) photos of the Muny's Forest Park facilities over the years, actors of note who performed in Muny productions, and advertising in Muny show programs. A most interesting talk.

Then, I headed to the St. Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html) in Brentwood Square. I parked in the lot to co-host by phone this month's edition of "Writer's Block" (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-/2016/12/03/connected--writers-block-10am-pstradio-drama-the-princess-8-11am-pst), the online radio show about writing and storytelling from the autistic perspective. Host Tim Pylypiuk and I talked about Christmas Myths and Stories, touching on such classic tales as "A Christmas Carol" and "It's a Wonderful Life." I had printed off the show's script and several online articles mentioned in that script, and had that with me in the car as I contributed my part of the discussion. This show (paired with Radio Drama in the second hour) is now archived online, for streaming or downloading for podcast.

After the show, I had lunch at that St. Louis Bread Co., then shopped at a few places on my way home.

Later.

Into July with Writer's Block and Soccer

Last Thursday (30 June) had me at Circus Flora (http://circusflora.org/) one more time this season to volunteer at a performance of "Pastime." I was helping customers find their seats and helped make sure the safety net guidelines were not interfered with during the trapeze act just before the show ended. It was a great time to help out again this season, my third doing this. God willing, I will be back next season.

Saturday (2 July), I was co-hosting this month's episode of "Writer's Block," the monthly online radio show from Autistic People (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-/2016/07/02/writers-block-10am-pst-radio-drama--the-princess-part-four-11am-pst). Tim Pylypiuk and I discussed epic poetry, with examples from John Milton ("Paradise Lost"), Homer ("The Iliad" and "The Odyssey"), and Virgil ("The Aeneid"). It was quite a fine discussion. The program is now available to access online, including downloading for podcast.

The Independence Day weekend was pretty low key for me, not really venturing out. The rainy weather much of that weekend had a part; so did not feeling really up for going out. I did go to a friend's house on Monday night (4 July), only to be told the party she and her husband were to have hosted was called off due to lack of interest, so I left after a few minutes.

It was an abbreviated work week for me, with the branch closed on Monday, flexing out on Tuesday afternoon (I'm working this Saturday morning), and taking today off for a one-day vacation. It was busy on Tuesday, due to the renters coming back from the holiday weekend, but we got things done. I was most glad to a week ago today that my colleague Hannah had passed her Management Qualification Interview (MQI) the day before, which will help bring her one step closer to becoming an assistant branch manager. I was so happy for her; Hannah has been such a go-getter since she started with us about one year ago.

Our firm is a bit down this week, due to the passing last weekend of company founder Jack C. Taylor. I never met him, but I heard many great words about Mr. Taylor, and how he was not only such a visionary founder, but a great philanthropist. Enterprise has set up a tribute to Mr. Taylor at: http://jacktaylorremembered.com/.

Right after work Wednesday night (6 July), I was at World Wide Technology Soccer Park for the USL (http://www.uslsoccer.com) match between Saint Louis FC (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) and Seattle Sounders FC 2. Sounders took an early lead, but Sam Fink's 86th minute equalizer made it a 1-1 draw. I had a good time cheering on with the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/). After the game, there was a brief, but nice fireworks display. Saint Louis FC is back in action at home tomorrow night (9 July) against FC Cincinnati.

On my off day yesterday (7 July), I took my Corolla in to Weiss Toyota (http://www.weisstoyota.com/) to have them look over the car's front passenger air bag, which is subject to a recall. After a few minutes, they confirmed it and said they order the necessary parts to replace that airbag, which they said would come in about two weeks. I also got my eyes examined at Crown Vision Center (http://www.crownvisioncenter.com/). My eyes were in good shape, the doctor old me. There, I also got new glasses ordered; they should be ready in about two weeks.

I took today off as a personal vacation time. I just wanted to take it easy after some hard weeks of work recently. I went to lunch with Mom, after running an errand, and then mailed a small package to a friend. Back home, I did my laundry.

Later.

Holiday Weekend, Soccer and Circus

I worked the first part of the Memorial Day Weekend, being at the car rental branch Saturday morning (28 May). Then, I drove to Kirkwood Station Brewing Company (http://www.kirkwoodstationbrewing.com/) for a watch party of the UEFA Champions League Final. The party was organized by Saint Louis FC (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index), which also launched its new beer, Ale Fleur One, developed by Kirkwood Station Brewing. I had a nice lunch and enjoyed watching the match on TV. (Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid on penalties after a 1-1 draw after extra time.)

Sunday morning, I stayed home to watch the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 on TV. I was at World Wide Technology Soccer Park (http://saintlouisfc.com/soccerpark) that night to cheer on Saint Louis FC against USL (http://www.uslsoccer.com/) rival Rio Grande Valley FC. Along with the St. Louligans (http://stlouligans.com/), I had a great time, as the teams drew 1-1.

Monday, the holiday, I went to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church (http://www.assumptiongoc.com/) in Town and Country for the St. Louis County Greek Fest (http://stlouisgreekfest.com/). It was very nice, enjoying Greek food and dance performances, plus browsing among the gift items, jewelry, and paintings on sale. I also viewed a travelogue of Greece. It is always a fun time.

Back to work the next day (31 May), it was a Tuesday that felt like a Monday with all the returns from the weekend plus rentals for the week ahead. Our branch got through it fine, though.

After work Wednesday (1 June), I headed to World Wide Technology Soccer Park for the third round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tie between Saint Louis FC and Minnesota United of the North American Soccer League. I joined with other St. Louligans to cheer on the home side, but Minnesota United triumphed, 2-0.

My off day on Thursday was very nice, with plenty of time in Midtown St. Louis. First, I went to the Samuel Cupples House (http://www.slu.edu/samuel-cupples-house) on the Saint Louis University campus for a tour, along with others from the St. Louis Historic Sites Meetup. We had an enjoyable tour of the historic house, as our guide told about the furnishings, the architecture, and the people who lived there. After the house tour, I and several others in our group walked to City Diner at the Fox (http://citydinerstl.com/) for lunch. I had a nice lunch there and conversed with two others in our group who would tour the Samuel Cupples House in the afternoon.

That night, I was back in Midtown for the season's first performance of Circus Flora (http://circusflora.org/). "Pastime," a baseball-themed show, is the circus' 30th anniversary presentation. I was there with other volunteers making sure the seating areas were ready and acting as ushers before, during, and after the show. Oh, and we also got to see the wonderful show. This night was a peanut-free show for audience members with food allergy issues. I will be back this Thursday and on 23 and 30 June. Hope to see you there!

Yesterday afternoon (4 June), I was co-hosting this month's edition of Writer's Block (http://bobbyd0702.blogspot.com/2016/06/holiday-weekend-soccer-and-circus.html). Host Tim Pylypiuk and I discussed plagiarism in scholarly works and storytelling. It was quite an interesting program, and I contributed from my experience in editing. The program--which airs on the first Saturday of the month at 10 am Pacific Time/Noon Central Time/1800 GMT--is available to access and download.

Last night, I drove to Belleville West High School (https://website.bths201.org/index.php/schools/west) to catch the 2016 home opener of Fire & Ice SC (http://www.fireandicesc.com/), an amateur women's soccer team. They played Cincinnati Sirens to a 1-1 draw. That match was proceeded by all-star matches with high school seniors--boys and girls--from the Illinois side of the St. Louis area. These all-stars were recognized at halftime of the Fire & Ice match, they being congratulated by 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup champion Lori Chalupny.

I went to Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) today for their annual picnic, which was held in the Fellowship Hall. It was nice to have a lunch and to chat with several parishioners.

Later.

Back on the Online Radio and Into 2016

A week ago yesterday (2 January), I co-hosted Writer's Block, from ANCA Radio. Host Tim Pylypiuk and I discussed Miguel de Cervantes' classic novel "Don Quixote" and its influence on Western literature. The program--followed by Radio Drama--can be accessed here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-/2016/01/02/writers-block-don-quixote-10am-pstradio-drama-the-princess-pt-one-11am-pst.

After the show and lunch at home, I headed to the Church of the Immacolata (http://www.immacolata.org/) in Richmond Heights, Missouri. There, I took in the 7th Annual Mary McDermott 3rd Grade Basketball Tournament for boys and girls Catholic Youth Council (CYC) teams. This tournament was a fund raiser for a new hybrid cardiac catheterization suite being set up at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital (http://www.cardinalglennon.com/Pages/default.aspx). This unit will be named for Mary McDermott, an Immacolata parish member and student who died at age 24 in December of 2008. I am friends with Mary's father, graphic designer and soccer commentator Bill McDermott (http://www.mcdermott-design.com/bio/), and I saw Bill at the tournament. Funds were raised through admissions, concessions, and a silent auction of memorabilia. I was very happy to help out this cause in at least a small way.

Back at work last Monday (4 January), I did my part to keep out rental branch going great. We said goodbye to Hannah this past week, as she transferred to the Airport location, and welcomed Alex from the Airport to Ellisville.

After flexing out of work on Tuesday afternoon, I started work on the new issue of Middle Marker, journal of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society (http://moavhist.org/). I spent some time going over the tutorials for InDesign, the software for laying out the publication, and got going. I am anticipating getting this done by next Thursday, when the Society next meets. I worked on it some more on my off day Thursday (7 January).

Friday saw a change in our TV service at home. After about 5 1/2 years using AT&T U-verse, my mom and I switched to DirecTV (http://www.directv.com/). Mom found they had a better package for the money than U-verse. We made sure our televisions were hooked up and running properly, and we could find the many channels available to us. Our voice and Internet remain the same.

While working at the branch yesterday morning, it started to rain, then snow. We got a nice temporary coverage of snow on the ground, but it would not last. The ground was too warm, so the snow melted early that afternoon. It wasn't too comfortable being outside in any case, but my colleagues and I got things taken care of in good order.

After work yesterday, I headed to Kitchen House Coffee (http://www.kitchenhousecoffee.com/) in St. Louis' Tower Grove East neighborhood for the Saint Louis Singles Group 40+ Meetup. There were four others there at the coffee house--more had reserved, but several backed out due to weather concerns. We did have a fine time enjoying coffee and scones, produced locally. (The facility is an extension of an urban farm, with chickens in the back.) This Meetup group can be found here: http://www.meetup.com/Saint-Louis-Singles-Group-Ages-40/.

Last night was cold and windy, with the temperature early this morning reaching 10 degrees F (-12 degrees C). Fortunately, the heater in my room was operating well.

Tonight will find me at the IPMS/Gateway banquet in Oakville. Details on that event in my next post.

Later.

A Wet End to 2015

We got a lot of rain in St. Louis since last weekend. At least 8 inches (20.3 cm) of rain fell the previous weekend. That caused rivers to rise and flooding to occur. The upshot for our rental branch has been that busy Manchester Road became even more crowded, as westbound traffic diverted around the flooded portions of I-44 spilled onto our street. That made it a longer drive for customer pick ups and drop offs, and for just going down the street to put fuel into the vehicle.

The flood waters also altered my commute, as the I-44 and Route 141 interchange was flooded. This made my trip to and from work longer each way. Wednesday night (30 December) was especially bad, as I-55 was blocked due to Meramce River flooding. I had to drive down I-255 all the way to Telegraph Road to get home.

At least the weather is dry for the next few days and the flood seems to have crested, so it should get better in the coming days. There was slight seepage of water into the basement of our house, but no real damage.

Last night (31 December), I was home with Mom, watching TV while the last hours of 2015 ticked away. At midnight, we stepped out onto the front porch to make some noise for a minute in welcoming the new year of 2016. After waking up this morning, we just stayed around the house, going out to Culver's (http://www.culvers.com/) in Mehlville for lunch.

Tomorrow morning (2 January), I co-host the first Writer's Block of 2016 with Tim Pylypiuk on Blog Talk Radio (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-). We'll talk about Miguel de Cervantes' classic story Don Quixote. The show airs live at Noon, Central Time (10 am, Pacific Time; 1800 GMT), and will be immediately archived for reairing from 2 pm, Central Time. I hope you can tune in.

Best wishes to everyone in the New Year. May we all find peace, happiness, and success.

Later.

An Unspooky Halloween; Down to the Wire

Last Friday (30 October), our rental branch had a low-key Halloween celebration. We wore costumes that one of us bought of superheroes. I drew Superman, which fits considering how much my car prep and driving efforts help our branch. It was nice and fun.

Home last weekend, I was busy painting a model kit, one of a set of US and Soviet strategic missiles from the 1980s. There are 20 missiles in all, plus the base. I had to make runs to area hobby shops to get paint for these items. The main painting was done with clear coats applied to prepare them for decals.

No trick or treaters came to our house Saturday night (31 October). There aren't very many young children in our subdivision now, compared to years ago. At least it was quiet outside, with no trouble.

After a busy Monday (2 November) at the rental branch, I was home to get a well-deserved rest. Early the next day, I fought fog to cast my vote in the Mehlville School District (http://www.mehlvilleschooldistrict.com/) tax increase referendum. I voted in favor, as did most voters: approximately 76 percent did so. I am very happy about that.

Late Tuesday afternoon, my boss at work told us our branch's customer satisfaction score achieved a new high, and invited me to join the rest of the staff at happy hour that night. I accepted, and we went to the nearby Buffalo Wild Wings in Ballwin (http://www.buffalowildwings.com/en/locations/Detail/3750) for drinks and finger foods. We were all in a great mood, and justifiably proud of our accomplishments.

I was back to the model on Wednesday night (4 November) after work, applying decals to the base and the missiles. I finished painting and assembly today. I will be taking that and three other models with me to the IPMS Butch O'Hare Chapter's contest this Saturday in Downers Grove, Illinois (a Chicago suburb). (http://www.butchoharemodelers.com/view-event.php?id=79) I'll be leaving for Chicago after work tomorrow night, stopping over in Springfield, Illinois for the night before heading to Chicago the next morning.

During that show Saturday, I'll take a break at Noon Central Time (10 am Pacific Time; 1800 GMT) to co-host Writer's Block. I hope you can tune in--live or to the archived program later. You can join in here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-.

I'll let you know more about the Chicago trip in my next post.

Later.

A Terrific Scale Modeling Show

A week ago Saturday (5 Sept.), I co-hosted "Writer's Block," from Autistic People. Host Tim Pylypiuk and I discussed the unique languages of some literature, including works of William Shakespeare and Anthony Burgess' novel "A Clockwork Orange." You can listen to the archived program (and download it for podcast) here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/autistic-people-/2015/09/05/writers-block-loose-lips--10am-pstradio-drama-grooming-hour-11am-pst. The next edition of "Writer's Block" is Saturday, 3 October, at 10 am Pacific Time (Noon, Central Time; 1800 hours GMT).

After the show, I went to an ATM to get some cash for the weekend, and I picked up several copies of the South County Times. That newspaper had a piece on International Plastic Modelers' Society (IPMS)/Gateway Chapter and the Regional Contest we're hosting a week later. The newspaper interviewed me and others from the club for the story, which was prompted by show information I shared with the paper's calendar section. It was a very nice article and the club members who saw it agreed. Here's the online article: http://www.southcountytimes.com/Articles-Features-c-2015-09-03-196405.114137-sub-Plastic-Modelers-Share-OldSchool-Art-Form.html.

I went to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in St. Louis' Central West End (CWE) for its 98th annual Greek Festival. It's a great ethnic festival, with food, music, dance, crafts for sale, and church tours. I have gone the past few years and have enjoyed it every time. After spending time at the Festival, I walked up Euclid Avenue to Left Bank Books (http://www.left-bank.com/), an independent book store, where I browsed for a while before walking back down Euclid. After having a ginger ale at Coffee Cartel (http://thecoffeecartel.com/), I walked back to my car and drove home.

I chilled out at home that Sunday and enjoyed some more of the Labor Day holiday on that Monday (7 Sept.). (The rental car branch was closed that day.) Late that morning, I joined members of the St. Louigans at Worldwide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton to help them paint two banners for Saint Louis FC's final regular season matches this month.

Back to work the next day, it was VERY busy, with much traffic coming in (mostly renters back from the holiday weekend), plus renters getting vehicles for the start of the short week. We got through it, though, and the rest of the week was much calmer by comparison.

On my off day Thursday, I went to Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield (http://spiritairport.com/spiritairport/index.jsp) to see aircraft from the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) on display this past week. The three World War II-era aircraft I saw were a Beech C-45 Expeditor transport, a General Motors (Grumman) TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, and the star attraction, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress named "Fifi." I saw these aircraft on the ramp and took a good number of pictures. I also entered the B-29's cockpit and admired the view. It was a great time for the aircraft buff. More on the CAF's aircraft on tour here: http://www.airpowersquadron.org/.

Yesterday (12 Sept.), I was at the Holiday Inn St. Louis SW--Route 66 in Sunset Hills, Missouri (http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/st-louis/stlsw/hoteldetail?qAdlt=1&qBrs=6c.hi.ex.rs.ic.cp.in.sb.cw.cv.ul.vn&qChld=0&qFRA=1&qGRM=0&qPSt=0&qRRSrt=rt&qRef=df&qRms=1&qRpn=1&qRpp=12&qSHp=1&qSmP=3&qSrt=sBR&qWch=0&srb_u=1&icdv=99504440&siclientid=9948&sitrackingid=733967223&glat=SEAR&dp=true&icdv=99504440). This was for the International Plastic Modelers' Society (IPMS) Region 5 Convention, hosted by IPMS/Gateway. (Region 5 was made up of IPMS/USA chapters in the Midwestern US.) It was a terrific show all around. I took money from attendees at one of the two entrances, and later helped judge the model contest. I don't have figures for how many people attended, but it was a lot for a show of this sort. People came from as far away as Minnesota and Kentucky for this event. We did have nearly 400 contest entries, including four of mine. My 1:48 scale Jupiter C rocket took second place in the Real Space category (within Space and Science Fiction)--my first regional IPMS contest award since a second back in 1995, also in St. Louis. No complaints from attendees and we all had a great time. We can't do much better than that.

After the show, I had dinner at Smugala's Pizza Pub in Sunset Hills (http://smugalas.com/smugalassunsethills) before boarding the shuttle bus for Worldwide Technology Soccer Park. There, I cheered on Saint Louis FC as they defeated Charlotte Independence 2-0 in the next to last match of the season. They had a record crowd of over 5,600 for the match. Yes, the St. Louigans were there in full force. Saint Louis FC (http://saintlouisfc.com/landing/index) finishes the season this Saturday night at home against Louisville City FC. By the way, this past week I renewed my season ticket for 2016.

Several of us in IPMS/Gateway were at the club's annual picnic, hosted by Brad and Julie Vaughn in House Springs. We enjoyed a barbecue lunch and good company. Our club's next meeting is this Tuesday night at 7:30 pm at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Mehlville. More on the club here: http://www.ipms-gateway.com/index.html.

Later.