December 2013

December 3, 2013

Last Gasp of Fall Color

This fall wasn’t as colorful as last year. In fact, it felt like it came and went in about two days. Here’s a small collection of photos I did manage to grab. Most will have just an overline telling you approximately where the picture was taken.

The first shot was taken off the new Warren Avenue extension over Ramsey creek in Scott City. (Click on the photos to make them larger.)

Old Lorimier Cemetery

Gordonville cornfield

Old McKendree Chapel

A lot of the big old trees on the Old McKendree Chapel grounds have fallen victim to old age and storms, but it’s still a beautiful and peaceful place.

Leaves on Apple Creek

The last time I was looking over the old Old Appleton bridge, a gaggle of teenyboppers were jumping off it.

Trail of Tears Marina

OK, I cheated. I ran this before, but I like it well enough to show it again.

Illinois pumpkins

Looks like not all the pumpkins sold out for Halloween.

Old Lorimier Cemetery

December 2, 2013December 6, 2013

Scott City Mill

Mother and I were cruising around seeing what we could see when we got off Hwy 61 at Scott City and headed into town. I spotted this old mill on Main Street just east of I-55 and figured I’d knock off a few photos of it. I hadn’t been there long when a woman in an SUV pulled up and wanted to know what I was up to.

When I told her who I was and what I was doing, she said that her husband owned the place and that they had some signs stolen off the building recently, so they were keeping a close eye on it. “They weren’t even OLD signs,” she said.”

Owned by the Caubles

When I asked her if she knew anything about the history of the place, she said her husband, Jim Cauble, might be able to help me, and gave me his phone number.

“Was he any relation to George Cauble? He and I were friends in high school.”

“That was his uncle.” We both commented that it was a shame that George was taken from us so early. He was a great guy.

I blasted out of town before I called Jim for details, so you folks familiar with Scott City are going to have to fill in the blanks.

The mill from the air

Here’s a photo of the mill and the I-55 interchange from the air in the middle 60s. I wrote in a 2010 blog about how much having the Interstate completed made getting to St. Louis and Memphis faster and safer.

Scott City Mill Photo Gallery

Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the sides to move through the gallery. Comments and memories appreciated.

December 2, 2013December 2, 2013

Back (Florida) Home Again

I made it back to West Palm Beach Saturday night, November 30, after leaving town on October 12. In that time, as I wrote last night, I drove 6,393.8 miles through Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and several side trips through the State of Confusion. I had Friend Shari as a road companion from Florida to Missouri, celebrated Mother’s Birthday season with Wife Lila, and Brother Mark and his Fiance Robin.

After that, I headed out to Athens, Ohio, to do a presentation on the birth of the student rights movement with former OU Post colleague Carol Towarnicky. Athens Historical Society Curator Jessica, who just had to see with her own eyes if Missouri in any way came close to my stories, followed me back to Cape. After roaming around in SEMO for a couple of weeks, I made a pass back through Ohio, where I got snowed in.

I slept in Sunday, unpacked the van, had some belated (and very good) turkey leftovers, then headed out with Wife Lila to see the grandkids.

Grandson Elliot, loves hearing weird sounds, something that we Steinhoffs are very good at providing.

A flower for Gran

Grandson Graham picked up a flower off the ground in his backyard and insisted that Gran put it behind her ear. The kid is going to be a lady killer, I can tell.

When I told him that his grandmother had told me that he had grown a foot while I was gone, he held his legs out to prove that he still only had two.

It might be a caulking gun to YOU

Don’t let appearances deceive you. What looks like an ordinary caulking gun turns into a laser blaster in the hands of a 2-1/2-year-old. He also has a magic wand that turns his grandmother into a chicken. You will NOT see a video of that. I have no desire to be smothered in my sleep.

Malcolm concentrating

I bought these rainbow-hued twirly things in St. Louis on my last trip. I gave one to both West Palm Beach boys and one to Mother. A windstorm took Grandon Malcolm’s out, so I brought him a new one. Here he is assembling it. He’s a serious computer geek and reader. He can also feed you the last half of Groucho’s line: “A book is your best friend outside of a dog.” [Malcolm:] “because inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”

Your cute is leaking away

Here he is with the finished product. While I was shooting it, I warned him, “Sorry, kid, your cute is leaking away. You’re going to look like a teenager soon.”