Henske Night Out

Bill and I had a night out so we walked down the street to Riley's Pub for some pizza and a bottle of wine. As usual, the pizza was great. And, so was the wine.

Harvest Festival 2007

The family drove to Gray Summit, MO on Sunday for the Harvest Festival at the Shaw Nature Reserve. We listened to the bluegrass stylins' of Augusta Bottoms and The Flying Mules while sampling some fine meatballs and fries from Portabella. Each year pony rides are provided free to the kids. This year the sponsoring group was Camp Ondessonk (this camp may not mean anything to those of you that didn't grow up Catholic on the IL side of the Mississippi but it might for those of you that did). When we were in grade and high school, Camp Ondessonk was the place to go! The cool camp counselors would come to our school each year and try and sell us on spending our summer with them in the Shawnee National Forest. The camp and surrounds were gorgeous! And, I could totally picture myself doing everything the other kids were doing in the glossy photos: swimming, riding horses, wearing face paint, having cabin competitions and pranks, sitting around the camp fire. Oh, how I wanted to go! But, who was I kidding? I couldn't even make it through a full night at a slumber party! How would I make it for a week-or two-or three-away from home?

Rombach Farms

This is my absolute favorite time of the year---when it's not 90 degrees! Remember when you used to have to dress warm under your Halloween costume? Not anymore. My not-so-heartfelt thanks to those of you behind global warming..... (Insert angry pro-environment tirade here). But, I digress..... Despite the heat, Bill, Willa, and I went to Rombach Farms to have some fall fun and pick up some pumpkins. This was my first trip the Farm, but Bill and his family ventured to the "Chesterfield Valley" every year for pumpkin picking. Some things are still the same, the old frontier fort, but a lot has changed too--most notably is that the Rombach Farm is an island in a sea of strip mall development. Wonder how long it will be before the Rombach's sell the farm?

Frost and Fungus Recovery

The backyard is looking quite healthy and alive in spite of some near-natural disasters. For example, the Catalpa tree has made significant improvement after a hefty dose of nitrogen (see earlier post). According to reputable gardening sources, we had a 50/50 chance of getting the tree back. To date, it looks like we've won. It also looks like we won in the grape department too. After an unexpected spring frost, the vines did manage a nice comeback. Although we didn't get any fruit, we're hoping for a crop next year. And, finally, the bowl gourds are looking well suited for bowl making. Bill attached rope on the side of the porch assuming that the gourds would follow upward. It happened last year, but not so this year. Instead, the vines veered to the right and used the Crape Myrtle for support.

New School Year, New High School

This is my 9th year of teaching. Can you believe it? Last school year my high hopes of teaching in the history department at Roosevelt High School were dashed when I was 'bumped' out of that position. I ended up at Gateway in the special ed department, which was a great learning experience but not a permanent career move. Through a colleague, I found out about an open history position at Maplewood Richmond Heights High School so I interviewed (again--I did last year as well) and was offered the position. The school has undergone a major interior renovation and looks absolutely amazing! Here are some photos of my room. How could you not learn in this space?

The Zoo!

It was at least a hundred degrees today and Willa wanted to go to the Zoo. That's the bad news. The good news is that we have an awesome zoo here in St. Louis so it's a great place to visit over and over again. A lot of people feel the same way so the Zoo draws a mighty crowd starting late Spring and lasting through the early Winter. But, if the weather is too hot, or too cold, the crowds thin out and that's when I usually like to go best. Like today. Did I mention that we saw a few celebrities?

Dans Soulard avec Dona

La dame et moi avons marché le voisinage de Soulard le vendredi passé. C'est un amusement, un vieux voisinage français avec un bon nombre de maisons fraîches, des barres, des restaurants, et des lieux de visites. Appréciez !

TGE and Compton Heights

Dona and I wandered around Tower Grove East (TGE) and Compton Heights recently. We've done this walk before so I'm going to assume that's why I didn't take too many photos. And, Colette, if you're reading, the Buddha's for you!

Benton Park

Benton Park is a really cool neighbor in St. Louis. The houses are awesome, the ambiance is super, and there's plenty to eat, do, and see. Makes me wish I lived there.

Farm in Summer 2007

We went to the farm on July 14. Good times.

My Yard Summer 2007

Green thumb? Not so much. But, how I do love to try. And, there's nothing better than when all things agricultural align and you walk out back and see the fruit of your effort: vegetables, fruits, flowers, vines, etc. This year started out promising (I swear) but the catalpa tree did what trees do (it grew leaves) and shaded out my flowers. Had I planted flowers for a partially shady area I would have been in good shape. But, I didn't. So just as I finally came to terms with my huge gardening blunder, the catalpa tree started to die (verticillium wilt). Although there is a small chance it will survive, it's not likely. And, the flowers? Well, they're mostly dead too. Oh, and look at our neighbor's tree (bottom photo, big maple)--is that how you prune a tree?