Winter 2013
The nights are growing colder, and it will soon be winter. Like a beautiful woman, Missouri will soon change from her fall colors of reds and golds to a winter dress of pure white snow. In any of her seasonal outfits, we love our beautiful Missouri.
Cozy winter evenings provide an opportunity to travel via our computers as we enjoy the beauties of a Missouri winter. To aid you in that travel, I’ve researched a few Missouri websites for you. As usual, you can type in the URLs yourself or just go to ShowMeMissouri.net and access the Cyber-Travels button to follow the links in the article.
I will be spending a good part of the winter at my home in Glasgow (GlasgowMO.com.) Visit my personal page at www.jymiller.net to learn even more about my town, including a slide show of our historic homes. We are the home of the oldest continuously operating single family owned drugstore in the United States and the oldest public library west of the Mississippi.
When we travel on the highways during the winter, we must always be aware of road conditions, and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT.org) makes checking roads convenient by providing current road conditions and closures. The site also has a link to the Missouri Highway Patrol “Crash Report” listings of accidents investigated by the MHP. The term “crashes” is used because the patrol says there are no “accidents.” There is even a link that allows you to sign up for text alerts to be sent to your cell phone with road condition updates.
Something that I have not done yet, but plan to do is to ride the Amtrak. You can begin to research rates and schedules at Amtrak.com/home. Trains run daily between St. Louis and Kansas City and include food service for snack foods and beverages. Trains cross the Missouri River at Glasgow, the site of the first all steel railroad bridge in the world. The current bridge, which I can see from my home, is a replacement.
Sports lovers will find Missouri a great destination year round. The Missouri Winter Games (MOWinterGames.org) in Springfield include basketball, gymnastics, wrestling, swimming, bowling, trapshooting and more. This year will also feature a demonstration event by Olympic gold medalist gymnast Jordyn Wieber. The event takes place in late February and early March.
Bird watching is an interesting hobby that can be enjoyed all through the year. You can travel to the woods or a park to search for birds, or you can can find them in your own backyard. You can even find them on your computer. Bob and Sally Sharamitaro of the “Dogtown” area of St. Louis have been taking photos of the feathered visitors to their back yard for years and share them at www2.webster.edu/~corbetre/birds/yard-bird-photos.html.
You can read about their award winning wines of Bushwhacker Bend Winery in Glasgow at BushwhackerBend.com/default.aspx. Check out links to Glasgow events and hospitality businesses and see some great photos of the winery, which overlooks the Missouri river. On nice days, the back deck is a great place to sip and converse and maybe see an eagle soaring over the river.
Winter in Missouri is always interesting. Try to get out on the good days and stay by the fire during any stormy ones. Those long winter nights are a good time to catch up on your reading, play games with the family or surf the Internet to learn more about our great state.
Cozy winter evenings provide an opportunity to travel via our computers as we enjoy the beauties of a Missouri winter. To aid you in that travel, I’ve researched a few Missouri websites for you. As usual, you can type in the URLs yourself or just go to ShowMeMissouri.net and access the Cyber-Travels button to follow the links in the article.
I will be spending a good part of the winter at my home in Glasgow (GlasgowMO.com.) Visit my personal page at www.jymiller.net to learn even more about my town, including a slide show of our historic homes. We are the home of the oldest continuously operating single family owned drugstore in the United States and the oldest public library west of the Mississippi.
When we travel on the highways during the winter, we must always be aware of road conditions, and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT.org) makes checking roads convenient by providing current road conditions and closures. The site also has a link to the Missouri Highway Patrol “Crash Report” listings of accidents investigated by the MHP. The term “crashes” is used because the patrol says there are no “accidents.” There is even a link that allows you to sign up for text alerts to be sent to your cell phone with road condition updates.
Something that I have not done yet, but plan to do is to ride the Amtrak. You can begin to research rates and schedules at Amtrak.com/home. Trains run daily between St. Louis and Kansas City and include food service for snack foods and beverages. Trains cross the Missouri River at Glasgow, the site of the first all steel railroad bridge in the world. The current bridge, which I can see from my home, is a replacement.
Sports lovers will find Missouri a great destination year round. The Missouri Winter Games (MOWinterGames.org) in Springfield include basketball, gymnastics, wrestling, swimming, bowling, trapshooting and more. This year will also feature a demonstration event by Olympic gold medalist gymnast Jordyn Wieber. The event takes place in late February and early March.
Bird watching is an interesting hobby that can be enjoyed all through the year. You can travel to the woods or a park to search for birds, or you can can find them in your own backyard. You can even find them on your computer. Bob and Sally Sharamitaro of the “Dogtown” area of St. Louis have been taking photos of the feathered visitors to their back yard for years and share them at www2.webster.edu/~corbetre/birds/yard-bird-photos.html.
You can read about their award winning wines of Bushwhacker Bend Winery in Glasgow at BushwhackerBend.com/default.aspx. Check out links to Glasgow events and hospitality businesses and see some great photos of the winery, which overlooks the Missouri river. On nice days, the back deck is a great place to sip and converse and maybe see an eagle soaring over the river.
Winter in Missouri is always interesting. Try to get out on the good days and stay by the fire during any stormy ones. Those long winter nights are a good time to catch up on your reading, play games with the family or surf the Internet to learn more about our great state.
Spring 2013
Everyone who is ready for spring, raise your hand! After some bitter cold days in our winter season, many of us are ready for the green of spring and the warm breezes that take away those cold memories. OK, you can put your hands down now and continue reading.
Spring is a great season to travel in our beautiful Missouri. To help you with destination planning, and to give you a chance to travel from home through your computer, I’ve searched out some web pages that I hope you will find interesting.
As usual the Missouri Department of Conservation offers a glimpse of nature at http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/outdoor-recreation/driving-tours/flowering-spring-trees. Missouri’s native spring flowering trees, such as the serviceberry, hawthorn, wild plum and others, are featured on this page. Each includes a nice description and beautiful photos. You can almost smell the dogwood as you watch the video. Can anyone identify the bird that sings along with it?
The Missouri Botanical Garden’s website at www.MissouriBotanicalGarden.org is filled with great flower and butterfly photos. Teachers will be interested in the school tours that are offered. In early spring, the garden sponsors a spectacular orchid show. The garden opened to the public in 1859 and houses more than 4,800 trees. The 79-acre site is a National Historic Landmark and would be a treat to visit in any season. There is a charge for tickets, but information prior to your visit is available free online.
Do you like parades? St. Joseph hosts the third oldest Apple Blossom Festival in the United States. Photos from past festival parades can be found at www.AppleBlossomParade.com. This year’s parade will be May 4. Organizers request that each parade entry display at least one American Flag.
The St. Louis Storytelling Festival takes place in early May each year and has been a tradition for 33 years. I can’t believe that I only learned of it a few moments ago. Their webpage at http://StLStorytellingFestival.org/ provides details about the four-day festival, which will feature more than 40 storytellers at four different locations around St. Louis. A high point of the web site is the videos of storytellers casting their often humorous yarns. The stories in the festival are suitable for both children and adults, and school groups are welcomed. This festival is coordinated by the University of Missouri—St. Louis.
Even in the spring, we like to get inside from time to time. A wonderful art exhibit will run in early spring at the Ashby-Hodge Gallery on the Fayette campus of Central Methodist University, my Alma Mater. The show; “A Dream Denied” will feature more than 40 works of Glasgow’s painter, Cornelia Kuemmel. Miss Kuemmel gave up her opportunity to study art in Europe to stay in Glasgow and care for her mother. She continued to paint until her death in 1938 and is now recognized as a true talent. The curator of the gallery is Dr. Joe Geist and the co-curator for this show is my friend from Glasgow, Fr. Jerry Stockman. Learn more at the gallery webpage located at www.CentralMethodist.edu/ashbyhodge/current.php.
Enjoy your spring as you travel and see the sights of our beautiful Missouri. You may travel IRL or in Cyber-space. Whether you choose to travel IRL or on the information superhighway, use caution. We may cross paths while watching a parade, listening to a storyteller or admiring a painting.
Spring is a great season to travel in our beautiful Missouri. To help you with destination planning, and to give you a chance to travel from home through your computer, I’ve searched out some web pages that I hope you will find interesting.
As usual the Missouri Department of Conservation offers a glimpse of nature at http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/outdoor-recreation/driving-tours/flowering-spring-trees. Missouri’s native spring flowering trees, such as the serviceberry, hawthorn, wild plum and others, are featured on this page. Each includes a nice description and beautiful photos. You can almost smell the dogwood as you watch the video. Can anyone identify the bird that sings along with it?
The Missouri Botanical Garden’s website at www.MissouriBotanicalGarden.org is filled with great flower and butterfly photos. Teachers will be interested in the school tours that are offered. In early spring, the garden sponsors a spectacular orchid show. The garden opened to the public in 1859 and houses more than 4,800 trees. The 79-acre site is a National Historic Landmark and would be a treat to visit in any season. There is a charge for tickets, but information prior to your visit is available free online.
Do you like parades? St. Joseph hosts the third oldest Apple Blossom Festival in the United States. Photos from past festival parades can be found at www.AppleBlossomParade.com. This year’s parade will be May 4. Organizers request that each parade entry display at least one American Flag.
The St. Louis Storytelling Festival takes place in early May each year and has been a tradition for 33 years. I can’t believe that I only learned of it a few moments ago. Their webpage at http://StLStorytellingFestival.org/ provides details about the four-day festival, which will feature more than 40 storytellers at four different locations around St. Louis. A high point of the web site is the videos of storytellers casting their often humorous yarns. The stories in the festival are suitable for both children and adults, and school groups are welcomed. This festival is coordinated by the University of Missouri—St. Louis.
Even in the spring, we like to get inside from time to time. A wonderful art exhibit will run in early spring at the Ashby-Hodge Gallery on the Fayette campus of Central Methodist University, my Alma Mater. The show; “A Dream Denied” will feature more than 40 works of Glasgow’s painter, Cornelia Kuemmel. Miss Kuemmel gave up her opportunity to study art in Europe to stay in Glasgow and care for her mother. She continued to paint until her death in 1938 and is now recognized as a true talent. The curator of the gallery is Dr. Joe Geist and the co-curator for this show is my friend from Glasgow, Fr. Jerry Stockman. Learn more at the gallery webpage located at www.CentralMethodist.edu/ashbyhodge/current.php.
Enjoy your spring as you travel and see the sights of our beautiful Missouri. You may travel IRL or in Cyber-space. Whether you choose to travel IRL or on the information superhighway, use caution. We may cross paths while watching a parade, listening to a storyteller or admiring a painting.