WRIGLEY FIELD CHICAGO ILL.
In 1999 and 2001 I was fortunate to see the Cardinals play the Cubs in three games at Wrigley field I went with my son in law Joe and grandson Todd.
For a baseball fan seeing a game at Wrigley is like God has taken you back in time. The concrete steps and concourse are worn,cracked, and aged put they still serve their purpose. The seats are small,the aisles are narrow, and of course their are many steel girders blocking your view of the game. Yet the atmosphere is like nothing you have experienced unless you have watched a game in one of the old time stadiums.. The Cubs Cards have a heated rivalry yet the fans are cordial and wearing Cardinal red is acceptable.

In photo one is my grandson Todd and I with the huge scoreboard and beautiful Chicago skyline in the background.
In photo two we are sitting near first base but in the upper deck as you look out toward left center field. The houses behind the stands are actually across the street from stadium and people build seats on their roof and charge admission. I understand it is a treat to watch a game from someone's house and the seats are hard to come by.

In the third photo we are again looking from upper deck but this time the view is of right center field. Again you have a view of the bleachers, roof tops with fans and the magnificent Chicago skyline.

The fourth photo is another view of the left field bleachers and the beautiful ivy that covers the outfield wall. Also a good view of how tall and big the old time scoreboard.

The last photo is of a Cardinal batter [maybe Mark McGuire] and a look into the Cubs dugout.
I have been fortunate to see about ten to twelve different baseball stadiums and Wrigley wins as my favorite so far.

PLAYING WITH A NEW TOY
In the last week I had my pictures of 1999 and 2000 put into DVD's. I have over 500 pictures per. Year to look at and to edit. The attached photos are from a trip to the Yellowstone Park area in 2000.
The first photo is too show off the beautiful waterfall as I have had a life long fascination with water. [still can't believe I use to wear glasses]


The second and third photo is of the Grand Tetons a group of mountain peaks about an hour south of Yellowstone. In both photos you can see their beautiful reflection in the lake. In both photos I am in Wyoming looking toward Idaho. In case you ever head in that direction we spent two nights in the Grand Tetons National Park staying in an Inn that had great views and restaurant. In Yellowstone we spent four nights inside the park. Each night we were in a different section of the park. In my opinion the accommodations inside the parks gave us the ability to really explore and see so much more.


The fourth photo is of Old faithful the advertised reason for coming to Yellowstone. Actually when you explore the park for four days and nights you discover there is so much more. We saw waterfalls, many other geysers, mountain streams, trails, changing terrain, and of course animals in their natural habitat. We saw deer, elk, buffalo, and of course the famous Bears.

CELEBRATING AN 80th B-DAY
Last Saturday a group of relatives helped Billie celebrate eighty years of life at the Macaroni grill.
In the group photo on the left is my cousin Louise, cousin Louis, and hidden is the birthday girl and their daughter Cindy,my cousin Carol and at the end is her husband Jim .On the right is Ed [Nancy is missing] and Billie's granddaughter and her family.
WAITRESS SINGING HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN ITALIAN











Birthday Girl is surrounded by husband and daughter










Billie and her Birthday roses WE HOPE YOU HAVE MANY MORE!!!















From left my cousin Carol, Nancy and Ed

FRIENDS and LIFE LONG GOALS
No idea why but since my grade school days I had always wanted to go through the Panama Canal. My guess is my vision was of being a deck hand and shoveling coal into the boiler. Instead in 1999 we went through on a twelve story cruise ship as a paying guest with good friends of long standing Cliff and Wanda.
The first photo is of two ships entering the canal as we wait our turn. The second photo is the front of our ship Vision of the Seas as we begin our trip through the canal.
The third and fourth photos are of our friends Cliff and Wanda and of Nancy and her long time but lucky companion. Wow I have already forgot that I use to wear glasses.
The fifth photo is of Cliff and his harmonica as he was a participant in the ships variety show. I believe Steve taught them how to produce a variety show.[inside joke]
The last photo is the Cliff Divers performing their daring cliff dives in Acapulco Mexico. Our cruise started in San Juan Porto Rico and ended some twelve days later in beautiful Acapulco Mexico.
It was truly a trip of fulfilling a life long goal.

INTERESTING PIECE OF trivia
[maybe only to me!!!!!]
Out of forty seven years of marriage Nancy and I have been grandparents for 38.3% of the time. We have ENJOYED!!! every moment of the almost eighteen years.
Featured today is our oldest grandson Todd who begins his senior year in high school.

When Todd was born in 1988 I was a rising older executive [age 50] about to become president of the next Centerre bank. Then suddenly Centerre sold out to Boatmen's bank and I was fortunate to survive the merger. Another piece of trivia is that there is fifty years difference between me and my grandfather and there is fifty years between Todd and I.
Todd and I have shared some firsts in life experiences together.
*** IN 1991 we both rode our first Go Kart together.[obviously I was fifty years older than Todd and I was the driver]
*** AT age five Todd saw his first Cardinal game with Dad,Uncle Ed, and Grandpa.[he stayed for the entire game]
*** In 1998 Todd took his first airplane ride as the two of us went to Kansas City to see the Royals play our Cardinals.

*** Our first jobs were both in retail. Todd at a book store and I at a camera store.

MISSING PHOTO number two
See posting below
I have no idea what happened as photo number two was there when I published.

THE PLACE TO BE IS ON THE FIELD
A recent tour of Busch stadium three was taken by the YAHOOTTS of the McKnight Road Church of Christ.
The first photo is basically what the batter sees when he comes up to bat. I was standing on the warning track directly behind home plate when I shot the picture.[you are not allowed to step on the grass}
The second photo is a group shot of our entire group on the tour. We are standing on the third base side of home plate when Jerry our tour guide shot the picture.
The third shot was my favorite part of tour
as we were allowed on the field and in the Cardinal dugout to dream of what might have been.
I would recommend the tour to every Cardinal fan. The tour is an hour long and about half of tour is inside as you visit a party room, television announcer area and the private dining room for the green seat guests.
It might be interesting and exciting to be a stadium tour guide.

IN HONOR OF SCHOOL STARTING
LETS HAVE A TEST!!!!!!!!!!
WHO IS FEATURED IN THE ATTACHED EIGHT PICTURES?
{ One hint Ann escaped this time}

A DAY AT THE RANCH PART THREE
PHOTOS/CAPTIONS ONLY










I PREFER FISHING












ATV DRIVING IS FOR ME











SURVEYING THE NEW POND















REMEMBER I SAID "A DAY OF FUN and RESTING"

MISSOURI HAS IT ALL

Why do we go so far and spend so much? When we have beauty, history,and lots of water right here at home.
The first photo was taken in the fall of 1970 one year after we had moved back to St Louis. I took this photo from the stern of a cabin cruiser that a friend of ours borrowed for a ride at the Lake of the Ozarks. The fall colors, the quietness of the lake at off season time, and the uniqueness of traveling on a boat that could sleep six was a great experience.
The next photo is from the top of an Ozark hill at Tan Tara on the Lake of the Ozarks. A friend of ours had a condo and we began an interest in going to the lake during the off season. This photo I believe was taken Jan. 1996.


For a change of pace sometimes we travel to Branson to catch some great shows. However this third photo proves that the Branson area also has beautiful scenery. The view is of Lake Taneycomo taken from a Ozark hill.
The last photo is not of a beautiful sight but of the Independence Missouri courthouse. Remember I said Missouri also has lots of history. This is a photo of the Jackson County Courthouse located on the square in Independence Missouri.
We spent three years living there and enjoyed every moment of our time in Independence.
This particular court house has a lot of history as former president Harry Truman started his political career there by being elected county judge. In addition there is the Truman home [very interesting tour] and of course the Truman presidential library.

EMINENCE MISSOURI
I some times wonder why we spend so much money and gas to travel to far away places. Right here in Missouri less than 100 miles from St Louis we have beautiful springs, rivers, and miles of Ozark mountain roads.
The first photo is of the old mill at Alley Springs. Alley Springs is located on the Jack's Fork river about six miles from Eminence MO with a population slightly over 200 people. The population is about the same as when I was ten or else they have not changed the sign.
The next spring is located off of the highway and is called Blue Springs. This spring is the bluest color of any body of water that I personally have seen. In addition the spring is relatively small yet extremely deep. The depth of the water is in excess of one hundred feet and the water is very cold. Tourist have not yet found this spring in any great numbers.
The next photo is located in the town of Van Burma MO. About twenty five miles from Eminence by road but less distance if you are traveling in a canoe on the Current river. Van Buren boasts that Big Springs is the largest spring in the world. The daily water flow is 643,000,000 gallons of water.
The last photo is the first spring you would see if you are traveling south on Highway 19 toward Eminence

Round Springs is beautiful but gentle as you really do not see the water flowing up or out. Round Springs probably covers the largest land mass of the four springs. I first saw Eminence and the springs when I was ten and traveled by Traiways bus with my grandparents from St Louis.

I have many memories of that trip and I will list a few for you.
*** I spent over a week living on what I would call an Ozark rolling hills farm with a cabin and family right out of depression movies. They were relatives of my grandparents.
*** I swam in the nude with boys and girls in a creek with all families present and it appeared to be a common event.[no one was older than ten or eleven]
*** I used outdoor toilet for the first time in my life
*** I ate our main meal each day at noon time.
*** Refridgeration was in the on property spring fed creek.
*** I can still taste how very cold the milk was no matter how hot the outdoor temperature.
*** I purchased a pair of above the ankle work boots to wear to school from the local general store.[ in St Louis we called them boondockers at the time] I was the envy of my city school friends.
*** I saw all of the springs except For Big Springs as we had to hire a driver and car as my grandfather did not own a car.
*** I saved the big one for last. The sheriff evacuated us from the farm we were staying as there was a family that was murdered and the killer was still on the loose. I experienced an actual man hunt by the sheriff, deputies, and a sworn in posse like in the movies. On Friday of that week I attended my one and only mass funeral. I believe it was a family of four but It could have been more. My last experience was witnessing men in front of everyone begin to shovel dirt on the caskets. I can still hear the sound of the dirt hitting the metal.
This trip my first ever was in the summer of 1948 and since then I have been back to Eminence many times. Even thought I am a city boy I continually feel the beauty, quietness and my family heritage pulling me back to Eminence.
Eminence is the county seat of Shannon county and my mothers first name was Shannon. Hmmmm

A DAY AT THE RANCH
Part Two
I had to show picture of me driving the four wheeler to prove to all doubters that I really accomplished the task. I know my friend Dave in Ca. would say no big deal as he has been riding a Harley for a lifetime. For me the thrill of the speed and wind was right up there with the exhilaration one experiences when you first come out of the water on skis. In addition I had to show family friend Chuck on the right as he was having fun with us. There were eleven of us for the day not ten.
The twosome photo of course is the two that started all of this over forty seven years ago Ed and Nancy.
The last photo is the younger Tritschler family featuring princess Kayleigh with grandson Donovan both sharing the spotlight in front of parents Edward, and Karen.
Our daughter Sherri has a tradition of taking pictures of all first time visitors to the ranch. [I call it a ranch because my son in law Shawn is from Texas]
unfortunately the Taylor family daughter Terri, Joe, and grandchildren Todd and Kelsey were unable to join in the fun.

A DAY AT THE RANCH AND RIVER
[ranch is my name]
Our daughter Sherri and her husband Shawn have some property near Salem MO. That I have nick named STONE FAMILY RANCH. Last Saturday ten of us met there for a day of fun and rest.
The first photo from the left is grandsons James [his middle name is Edward], Paul his older brother and
their cousin Donovan.
In the second photo is James, Paul, Kayleigh, and Donovan sitting on off the road vehicles. For the first time in my sixty eight plus years I drove one of the vehicles on a country road. Except for the fact it had two extra wheels it felt,ran,and handled like I would expect a motorcycle to handle I definitely need more experience before I venture off the road.
In the afternoon we went to Akers ferry on the Current river to cool off in the spring fed river.
The Current river is a river that I have canoed at least three or four times in my life. Simply it is beautiful, dangerous in spots and ever changing. My family has a life long association with the Current River as my grandfather was from Eminence MO.

In the third photo is two cousins Donovan on left and Paul on the right.

The fourth photo is two cousins who are less than two weeks apart in age. Paul the oldest is on the right and Kayleigh the prettiest is on the left. It seems impossible but both start school next week.