Travels with Ch - Day 2

This was a planned travel day but we needed a break from the car, so we stopped at Meramec Springs Park off Hwy 8 between St. James & Steeleville. This is a lovely park where the children can run and play. There is a fish hatchery for Rainbow Trout and lots of hiking paths. This was the site of the Meramec Iron Works. It began operations in 1829 and continued until 1878. They produced cast iron implements and household goods that contributed to the civilization and industrialization of the western frontier. During the Civil War, they supplied Union Armies with cannon balls and iron plate for the gunboats on the Mississippi.






















These days, it is a nice shady picnic spot with a playground, shade, and a lot of room to work out the kinks in your legs.

PhotoHunt - "Water"

Travels with Ch - Day 1

I had a few final things to do this morning and we finally left about 10:30 AM. GS-Ch and I are headed to St Louis to visit my DD-Ki and her children. It has been a long trip for Ch. 8 hours of driving with only a couple stops. The stops were more for me than for him, he was doing just fine. He read 2 1/2 books on the way. We checked in to a hotel in Joplin, ate supper, Ch swam, and now he is fast asleep. He did manage to write in his journal before he fell asleep. Yes!!

We stopped waaaay over on the side of the road to take this photo. The Missouri marker was even less accessible and we were in the middle of a downpour. Ch had a little geography lesson. Now he understands why it took so long to get here and has an inkling of how big these United States are. He went with us to D.C. last summer, but had cousins to play with on the way, so it did not seem as long .

Tomorrow we will get to St Louis. I am planning a fun stop along the way.

Odd Shots on Monday - "Currency"

PhotoHunt - "Emotions"

Sometimes it is just hard to contain your excitement.

From the Memory Box - "King Tut"

From the Memory Box:

"I remember King Tut...We did make it to the exhibit by which point Ki and Ko had made up a song and dance. They sang, ran through the exhibit, Dad chased, and Mom got to walk through the exhibit."

Yes, this is the occasion alluded to in a previous post(Sunday, June 8th). I am happy someone else remembers it. I still have the treasured little pewter jaguar that DS bought at the exhibit and gave me for Christmas.

Quilt Projects

Attic Windows Quilt (not yet quilted) for Wounded Warriors Project

About 4 years ago, our quilting guild voted to make some quilts for returning military who had been injured during the Iraqi war. Interested persons put in $5.00 each and material was bought. Kits were made from the fabric and each person took home a kit, made the quilt, and returned it. The guild paid for backing and batting, then we quilted and bound them. The first batch was taken to Wlford Hall in San Antonio.

We became a little more sophisticated as time went on. People adopted our project and gave donations to make more quilts. Commercial quilters with long-arm machines donated their time to quilt for us. One woman even approached us to volunteer her efforts and drives over weekly to pick up tops ready for quilting and deliver the finished projects. She adds a little extra to each quilt - perhaps stars quilted into the windows of the Attic Window design or phrases on the borders. Each quilt has become a labor of love to gift our wounded warriors and show our appreciation for their sacrifices.

The women of the guild do not stop there. We make quilts for the Linus Project which are distributed to hospitals, foster care programs, advocacy centers, any place a child might need a touch of love in a special situation. One foster mother I know, receives a quilt with each child who comes into her home. The quilt becomes a special object to remind the child that there is some source of love and continuity in its life.

We make quilts with a touch of femininity for some female military undergoing special treatment. It is our hope the women are inspired to realize that there are sisters who wish to share inspiration, hope, and concern. We offer them a quilt as an embodiment of our desire for their future wellness.

In 2004, we donated 33 quilts. There has been a steady increase to a high of 247 in 2007. To date this year, we have donated 194 and they are still flowing in. I am rather reminded of the Bible story of the talents that were given out and their return counted. We started with donations of $5.00 and have evolved into an ongoing project.

We are proud!