Family, Friends and Some Baseball, too

We left Branson and motored on up to central Missouri, staying at the rural home of Ken's great-niece and family.  We arrived in time to help surprise, and celebrate, birthdays feting both her father and father-in-law.  They both turned 60 this year (one in January, one in July) and she planned a surprise party to mark the occasion.  Fun for all!

We spent a few nights in St. Louis, enabling us to visit with good friends and to attend two Cardinals baseball games.  Red, a classmate of Ken's, and his wife, Donna, are both ushers at Busch stadium.  We attended one game, while they worked, and were seated behind the third-baseline dugout.  Great place to see the plays up close and personal!

The next evening they took the night off and we all watched the game from the Champion's Club.

Fun to see Albert Pujols (right), "Yadi" Molina and the rest of the Cards on both nights.

(right:  Albert Pujols getting ready to smack one to left field)

Between the two night games, we drove to a winery in Illinois -- Hidden Lake Winery.  Such a pretty setting, complete with a lake and waterfall.  The grounds were beautiful, a complete dinner house to cater an event, or for an evening supper lakeside. 

(above:  Ken, Donna & "Red" Wally Buescher)  (right:  a view of the cabana at the lake from behind the waterfall at Hidden Lake Winery)

We were unable to partake of the foods, since we had to be back to St. Louis for the evening's game, but the Buescher's said they would try to get back out there to sample the fare, especially if they could find an evening with some of the future entertainment billed to perform.  We DID have the opportunity to taste some of the wines, and found a couple we really liked.

Ken's cousins organized a family get-together for us the following week.  It was great to see all of them, and how refreshing to be able to meet, have supper, and savor memories created for a 'non-occasion', rather than meeting for something more dire.