July 2009

Chris Hartman and Tiffany Cross Wedding

Wedding bells rang for my nephew, Chris Hartman, son of my brother, Jim Hartman, and Pam Hartman; and his beautiful bride, Tiffany Cross, daughter of Rick Cross and Roxanne Turner, in an elegant ceremony at St. Patrick Church in Tolono, IL on July 18, 2009. After a honeymoon in Mexico, the newlyweds are at home in Pesotum, IL. Congratulations Chris & Tiffany. We all wish you many years of happiness together.

Click on the PLAY button in the following SmileBox to see pictures of Chris and Tiffany's Wedding Day. NOTE: If you view the album in FULL SCREEN mode, you will need to hit the ESC (Escape) button on your keyboard to exit.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

The Fabulous Fifties

One of the fun things our SIUC Emeritus Association offers is bus trips to the theater to see stage plays. On Sunday, July 12, we took a trip to Grand Rivers, KY to attend a performance at a brand new theater that was recently built there. If you have never been to Grand Rivers it is definitely worth a trip to take a walk back in time and enjoy some Kentucky hospitality.

Grand Rivers is a small town on Kentucky Lake that is known for Patti's Restaurant, home of the 2" thick pork chop, flower pot bread and sky-high meringue pie. There are antique, specialty and gift shops, and gardens sprinkled along the quaint 3 to 4 block long main street. The town also features Green Turtle Bay Marina and has a nice sail boat basin. The new Variety theater is right across Main Street from Patti's and offers a variety of stage productions throughout the year.

As always Dee Brown arranged for us to have front row seats, center stage. We were honored to see the name of our association scroll across the screen acknowledging our attendance of the performance as we waited for the curtains to open. And once they did, it was over two hours of great music from The Fabulous Fifties. The nostalgic costumes, hair styles, and superb talent of the cast had the audience on their feet, doing the hand jive and dancing in the aisles!

It was a wonderful time and as our bus was about to pull out for home, two of the main actors jumped aboard to thank us for coming! Talk about down home hospitality...it doesn't get much more down home than that.

As if that wasn't enough for our money, we had another stop to make at the Willow Pond Restaurant, known for its 'all you can eat' catfish dinners. Again, Dee out did herself in arranging for a bountiful meal. For appetizers we had cups of white beans and ham, slaw, and hush puppies. The entree was a choice of all you could eat chicken tenders, fish, or pork chops, plus a huge salad and baked potato. Then there was dessert to be had! Needless to say, we were happy and stuffed travelers on our way back to Carbondale.

Thanks, Dee, for all you do to see we have the best when we travel.



More Wild, Wet, Weather!

As if the great May 9th wind storm wasn't enough for Southern Illinois, plus all the rain we've had during the spring, Saturday morning, July 11, brought yet another strange weather event. Heavy rains and thunderstorms were again encountered with 5 inches of rain falling within a 3 hour period. Dogwood Road, our only outlet to town, was flooded at the two bridges going to Carbondale by the time the rain subsided about 10a.m. As if that wasn't enough, on Sunday the following day, the winds and rain came again and the gauge showed another inch of rain fell. We had 6 inches of rain in two days!


ConnectionS

I have been involved with the SIU Civil Service ConnectionS program, serving as a group co-facilitator, since its inception about 16 years ago. This month we had the privilege to celebrate two of our group member's retirements with a luncheon at Hunan's Restaurant in Carbondale. Honored for their service to SIU were Lynn Pearson, who will retire at the end of July, and Marge McFadden who retired the end of June.

Our group, known as Group 3, has been a very cohesive bunch from the beginning. As members retire, the norm is just to continue to participate in the group as if you were still employed. This includes my fellow co-facilitator, Judy O'Connor, and myself. I think we are now down to three members who are still working at SIUC. Whatever the reason for the continued ties with the group, it's a nice reflection on the pride and loyalty one develops for the University and those we meet while working there.

Congratulations Lynn and Marge and best wishes for a long and fulfilling retirement. You have earned it.


Our Fourth of July


Our Fourth of July was spent driving back to Illinois from the panhandle of Florida. We said good-bye to the beautiful Gulf of Mexico about 7:30 a.m. and headed home on a pretty, sunny Florida day. For a holiday, the traffic wasn't bad and we made good time through Florida and Alabama, stopping only to get fuel and to grab a sandwich around noon. A call to my brother Jim, in Sadorus, IL., gave heed to his report of rain there.

About mid-afternoon, as we approached Nashville, Tennessee, clouds began to gather in the East. As we continued East, the skies became darker. When we got to Eddyville, KY. it seemed the heavens opened and we encountered one of the heaviest down pours we have even seen. It rained cats and dogs. It rained in such heavy sheets it was impossible to see much beyond the front of the car. In order to see anything, you had to constantly focus directly ahead. Three times we thought we had driven out of it only to have it start up again. It didn't let up until we arrived at Paducah. By that time, we were in need of a break and our heads were swimming from the visual strain of the rain. We pulled into the Olive Garden for our last vacation meal and to regain our senses! Afterwards, we drove the last 45 minutes to Carbondale pulling into home about dark, just in time to 'listen' to area fireworks.

June 2009

"Coasting" out the month of June

On Thursday, June 25, Fred, Shelley and I threw our bags in the trunk and headed to Florida. We were finally on our way for the long awaited vacation we had been planning with Shelley, which had been put on hold during the previous three months because of the May storm and the mess it created, health issues, and various other reasons.

Our coastal destination: Cape San Blas on the Gulf coast in the lower Panhandle. We made Florida by about 6 p.m. and were greeted by a sudden rain shower that lasted just about as long as it took us to maneuver through a cloverleaf intersection. We found our way to Marianna, where we spent the night. Shortly before we got to Florida, we heard on the radio that pop singer, Michael Jackson had died earlier in the day and that actress Farrah Fawcett had also passed away that day.

The next day we drove on to Apalachicola where we stayed our second night before checking into our rental at Barrier Dunes on Cape San Blas, which is kind of a remote area from anywhere. As Barrier Dunes is a gated community on the Gulf, we were prepared with the code to get through the main gate but upon arriving at our rental unit, we had no code, and no clue what to do, as we had been warned that cell phones don't work in that area so calling was not an option. We tried using the Buick's OnStar system, which didn't work either. I was just hauling the computer out to see if I could get online to reach out for help when a young girl appeared, opened the door and went right in our unit! We jumped out and started ringing the door bell until she returned. She was helping her mother, who was in charge of the maintenance, and had come to help finish up getting the unit ready. Her mother appeared about that time and gave us the codes we needed. We learned later that an attachment to an e-mail we had received, which we had failed to open and read, gave all the necessary instructions we needed to get in the condo! Lesson learned...read all e-mails, including attachments. While the apartment was being finished up, we drove down the road to an ice cream parlor called Cone Heads and enjoyed a cold, refreshing cone.

We found our accommodations quite comfortable. On the main floor was a roomy living, dining and kitchen area with a balcony overlooking a tennis court and swimming pool, as well as a bathroom and bedroom with a small balcony and view of the Gulf, which Shelley claimed. Upstairs was a large master bedroom with a balcony overlooking the pool and tennis courts, walk-in closet, bath and laundry room. The apartment was nicely decorated with brightly colored furnishings that picked up a nautical theme throughout. We would be quite comfortable here and relaxation should not be a problem.

For six glorious days we enjoyed the Forgotten Coast,took one trip to Panama City, and soaked up all the sun we could before heading back to Illinois on Saturday, July 4th.

Boats off the Docks by Father's Day

What a Father's Day this year was. Having received notice from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department that all houseboats on H1 and H3 docks at Crab Orchard Lake Marina had to be moved to another area of the lake, anchored in open water or removed from the lake by June 21 (Father's Day), it was a day of back breaking labor. Instead of enjoying their boats with family and friends, the guys were up to their necks (literally sometimes in the water) all weekend trying to get all the boats moved from the damaged docks to different quarters. All day Saturday and all of Sunday morning was devoted to pulling boats out of the water, moving them to dry dock storage, and getting them blocked up. It was a good thing June 21 was the longest day of the year because every minute was needed to get the rest of the boats anchored off the North Shore of the Marina before sundown.

By sunset, 10 houseboats were tied together and securely anchored in the bay, most likely for the rest of the summer or until the docks are repaired or replaced. While the guys were breaking their backs taking care of the boats, the women were stuffing envelopes with letters to legislators asking for their support in securing funds to restore the docks and to support continued recreational use of the Lake.

Moore Family Reunion
The first weekend of June found us heading North for the William and Melissa Moore Family Reunion. The annual gathering of this family goes back as far as I can remember. I'm not certain, but dare to say, it probably officially got started when Mom and Pop Moore's 11 children and their families congregated to celebrate their parent's 50th wedding anniversary on May 17, 1952.

This year Darrel Moore, his wife Randi, and sister and brother-in-law, Shirley and Noel Biery, served as hosts. Cousin Darrel invited us to gather at his farm, near Oakland, IL, the day before the reunion, to kick back and enjoy an afternoon and evening of visiting, story-telling, and of course eating. We arrived at his place, named the Walnut Grove Farm, early on and were soon joined by Jim Hartman, Sharon Ackerman, Joanne Klitzing, Mary Ann Craig, Ken and Dee Moore, the Andrew Moore Family-- Amber, Madilyn - and her little sister -- and Zack and Karen Moore. An open pit fire Darrel had burning served up hot dogs, a kettle of baked beans, and marshmallows toasted on Darrel's original toasting fork. Dee, Ken, Karen and Zach stayed the night in their camper and we (Fred, Shelley and I) were the over night guests of Darrel and Randi.

Sunday morning meant more visiting over coffee, donuts, and a delicious coffee cake made by Dee. By mid-morning we were packing up gear to head down the road to Walnut Point State Park where the reunion was being held. The warm, mild weather made for a great day for picnicking in the open pavilion along side the quiet fishing lake. Soon family began to arrive for the pot-luck dinner. Pork tenderloin and chicken were provided and cooked by Dan Wood and Jim Hartman. Ken Moore gave Grace before dinner and a business meeting, conducted by Darrel Moore, followed dinner. Amy Marshall Paris volunteered to host next year's reunion.

Winners of the guessing games were announced and prizes awarded. Next the children played the game of breaking the Pinata, with Chuck Parker manning the rope that swung the Pinata. Then the Famous Moore Cake Walk was enjoyed by all. Jelly Bean, the parrot, also attended and fascinated the children with his colorful feathers...and talking skill.

Special guest was Zora Moore, who was celebrating her 94th birthday. A birthday cake was presented to her and the family joined in singing Happy Birthday.

May 2009

Riding out the Derecho -- or--Inland Hurricane of 2009

Friday, May 8, 2009, will be a day in Southern Illinois I will never forget. It was a typical morning as usual--Fred was gone to a doctor's appointment and I was doing things around the house. At about 11 a.m., it began to rain and afterwards I happened to look outside the living room doors and saw what I thought was Dogwood blossom petals all over the deck. Thinking that was kind of odd, I went out to take a better look and found part of the deck was actually covered with white, icy hail stones. That also reminded me of the big hail storm the night before which woke us up. As things were pretty calm at the time, I got a phone call from our Heating/A/C company saying they would not be able to do our scheduled maintenance that day because of storms in the area. When I told the lady on the phone that I had just discovered the deck covered with hail stones, she said that hail usually precedes high wind storms, which were being predicted for our area. Fred returned home around 1 p.m. and I fixed sandwiches for our lunch and we had just sat down to eat when the wind and rains began. As we sat there and watched the trees in the woods bend and sway and the winds continued to increase, we realized we needed to get to a more secure part of the house. However, in the midst of the commotion of the storm, it was like being mesmerized by was what was happening outside the house.

Prior to the storm, the area had been indulged by rain after rain and the ground was overly saturated. As sheets of rain pelted down and the winds blew at speeds of 80 to 100 miles per hour, large trees began to fall like dominoes. Tops of trees began to snap. When the 100 year old Oak tree in our backyard began fell, the house was jarred as it hit the asphalt drive and the retaining wall--narrowly missing the edge of the garage. It was about this time that our power went out. The storm raged on for what seemed like forever and after its furor passed, stepping outside to view its aftermath was a sight beyond description.

As I was trying to climb over the massive tree trunk that blocked the back door, neighbor Cheryl Greene appeared at the top of the retaining wall steps. She was out surveying the Ridge's damage and trying to find a way to get a vehicle out so she could pick up her daughter, Sonny, at Giant City School. As we clamored around the yard from one fallen tree to another, it became apparent we were trapped by downed trees. Not long after we ventured out, neighbors Paul and Stan Curtis came down the meadow on their four wheeler to assess the damage. Another neighbor, Susan Benefiel, was walking the Ridge trying to reach her daughter by cell phone and Brandon Greene was at work with his chain saw trying to clear the first of hundreds of trees that had fallen across Dogwood Ridge Road. The Skirsches, our neighbors to the North, were all away from home at the time of the storm while their two dogs, Scooter and Max, weathered the storm alone.

After an hour or so of surveying the damage around the Ridge, the guys joined forces--and equipment--and began to clear the lanes and roads. Paul and Stan Curtis had saws and a tractor big enough to work with the larger tree trunks and began cutting and moving them out of the way to clear a path on the south end of Dogwood Ridge. Lisa and Jim Skirsch arrived home later in the day, each having to abandon their vehicles at various points along Dogwood Road and walking the rest of the way. Work went on until dark. The hum of chain saws, both near and far, became the norm over the next several weeks. By the end of the day on May 8, Dogwood Ridge Road was partially opened to vehicles from Dogwood Road up to the point of our lane. The rest of the road to the North would be tackled the following day. The next morning, work resumed. Mid-morning the county sheriff's deputies came through to assess the damages to property and people. By late afternoon, the last of the trees on the road had been cut and moved out of the way, opening up all of Dogwood Ridge from Dogwood Road back to Benefiel's.

And then the work really began...weeks have turned into months of cleaning up the mess in our yards. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I've added some visual aides of that frightful storm. Notice how everything looks like it's been plastered with shreaded lettuce; it is actually leaves from the trees that were beat to death in the hail storm and then blown all over kingdom come by the high winds.

April 2009

Gabriella's Easter Visit

Make a Smilebox scrapbook ( After clinking the PLAY button, then press the little pink arrow below

the front cover of the album to turn the picture pages.)

This year the Easter season was especially special as we were paid a visit by the Otto's, Fred's sister Janet's family. Janet, Harry and Gabriella arrived Thursday afternoon before Easter for a two day stay before they headed on to Olney to visit Dad Moehle and then on to Chicago to visit Harry's folks. Accompanying the Otto Family were their two poodles, Gigi and Mia. It was also 11 month old Gabriella's first visit to our house.

Although Gabriella hadn't changed much since we last saw her, she definitely was more mobile! As she scooted around the house crawling, she was a delight to have. Sophie loves people and especially children and she kept a watchful eye on the little tyke. Shelley also came over on Friday to spend the weekend and to visit with our house guests. We also kept the poodles the week while Janet, Harry, and Gabriella did their travels up to the north.

When they returned the following Friday, we got to spend another couple of days with sweet little Gabriella and got in a photo shoot or two. We found that Gabriella especially like the helium filled balloon that was bobbing around the basement and the chef hat and apron that came off a stuffed doll we have.

March 2009

A favorite poem of my dear grandmother, Melissa Moore, about the month of March.
This poem has always had special meaning to me because Grandma and I were both born in the month of March.

March
Oh changeable March,
With your flurries of snow,
With your days of sunshine,
And winds that blow;
We never know what
Your days will bring--
When snow birds twitter
While robins sing.

Your winds are imps
Who romp and play.
With whatever chances
To lie in their way.
They whirl the dust
Until folks can't see,
Then steal their hats
While they laugh with glee.

Your varying moods
Are a puzzle to men,
You smile for awhile
Then are sullen again;
Some like you because
April follows not far.
But I like you, March
For--just what you are.
--Rachel Ann Garrett

March Madness. Go Dawgs!

We barely touched base at home following the trip to Scottsdale and then to Washington, IL. to attend the services for cousin, Gary Moehle, before it was time to head to St. Louis for the annual Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament. As fans from all the conference teams emerge on St. Louis for a weekend of top notch college basketball, emotions run high. Tournament time is packed with heighten anticipation and high hopes your team will prevail. No one wants to see their team lose. Everyone wants to their team to win. What an emotionally charged weekend.

This year our Salukis were playing without their team captain and star guard, Bryans Mullins, who was out because of an injured ankle. Our team was young, but had some very dynamic players and with the guidance of Coach Chris Lowery, we were hoping for a win or two. However, the Dawgs fell short in their very first game of tournament play. And so ended the 2008-2009 season.

Fred, Shelley and I stayed on in St. Louis for the weekend and watched the other teams battle out each game to see Northern Iowa win the tournament play.

FACEBOOK FANATIC!
During the winter months, while recuperating from the broken ankle, for some reason I decided to check back into the Facebook account which I had opened several months earlier. When I first opened the account, I didn't understand how Facebook worked. Over the coarse of time, I began to hear others talk about it and how different groups and organizations were using it. When I looked at it this time, I was a little more curious and decided to give it a try. Before long I was discovering names of people I knew. Finding these names only spiked my interest more and the more names I discovered, the more I continued 'searching for friendship.' LOL And before I knew it, I was hooked on what it had to offer and how easily people could connect and reconnect. So, I am now an avid Facebooker. Won't you be my FB friend?

February 2009

Cubs Baseball Spring Training Opening Day - February 25, 2009



What more could you ask than to be in the Phoenix area for the Cub's 2009 Spring Training opening day!

After having no luck finding any baseball postcards in the area stores around Scottsdale, Chuck drove Fred and me out to Mesa to HoHoKam Park, winter home of the Chicago Cubs, to see if we could pick up some postcards on opening day. Dropping us off across the street from the ballpark, the stadium gate keepers were kind enough to let us inside the Stadium to the gift shop even though we weren't going to go to the game. Chuck circled around the park in the car while we shopped. After finding the postcards we were after, we called Chuck on the cellphone to tell him we were ready to go and he swooped back in to pick us up in front of the stadium a little while later.

It was a beautiful, clear, sunny day for a ballgame with the temperature in the low 80's.


The Cubs opened the season against the Dodgers. And the Cubs won 5-3!


Lets keep our fingers crossed that the Cubs will shine in 2009???

Eating out...Sprinkles Cupcakes & Oregano's Pizza

A few days before our departure, Joanne's son, Chuck Parker, arrived back in Scottsdale after spending several weeks in California. As there were a few speciality food establishments we wanted to check out, we waited for Chuck's return to try them out. One was a place called 'Sprinkles Cupcakes,' which was a short distance from Joanne's place, and features a large selection of flavored gourmet cupcakes. As these cupcakes are like mini-decorated cakes, we each carefully made our choice from the menu and took them home to savor and devour. Of course, each had to be displayed for picture taking before we enjoyed every heavenly morsel.

The other eating establishment we had been anxious to try was Oregano's Pizza. As there are two locations of this pizza chain in Scottsdale, we chose the one in Old Scottsdale. We went for an early evening dining time and had no problem being seated immediately. As Chuck had eatten there before, he advised us on what salad to order to go with the pizza of our choice. The salad was out of this world and the pizza was one of the best I've ever had...and I've had a few. I loved the place and it will definitely be on my return list when I am back in Scottsdale again.


Big Scare in Scottsdale

The Sunday morning before we left Scottsdale was the day we decided to take a drive to downtown Phoenix to look around. With Fred at the wheel, we set out on our much awaited trip to see the sights and sounds of downtown Phoenix. With the grand old Palms lining both sides of the streets, we marveled at the Southwestern flair of the city. After driving the streets and seeing the large buildings, we decided it was time to stop and get out of the car for awhile and get a bit to eat. We passed several eating establishments and finally decided on a Jack In the Box that was conveniently located on a corner of Central Street.

We went in, placed our orders and took a table seat near the door. After eating our sandwiches, we decided to take some pictures of the grand old Palm trees that lined the street and parking lot. After pictures, we climbed back in the car for our return drive back to Scottsdale. Joanne wanted us to take a different route back so she could show us some old homes in the area and we also decided to stop at a Trader Joe's to pick up some items for dinner.

After our leisurely drive back, we turned into Trader Joe's and as we were getting out to go inside to do our shopping, I discovered I DIDN'T HAVE MY PURSE! Immediately all the doors flew open, as well as the trunk lid, as we started searching the car inside and out for my purse, which our frantic search did not turn up. I knew I had my purse at Jack In the Box and that I had hung it on the back of my seat. So we jumped back in the car and headed back to Phoenix and the Jack In the Box. Joanne called Directory Assistance to get a phone number for the restaurant only to be told there were two located in Phoenix and we weren't sure which one we had visited. She then found her sales receipt with a phone number and I immediately started calling the number, only to get a busy signal. This went on for the whole 30-40 minute trip back to the restaurant.

My heart was pounding as all my ID, money, credit cards, cell phone and other personal items were in that purse. Luckily, Fred had gotten to know the city well enough to be able to quickly navigate his way around and with little traffic, he got us back to the restuarant in record time. As we came to a screeching halt in the parking lot, Fred and I ran inside while Joanne started searching the garbage cans and looking around the areas where we had taken pictures. I first went to the table where we had sat and 'no purse.' Then I went to the fast order counter and asked the order taker if a black purse had been turned it. In response I got a very blank look and my heart sank as I thought, 'Oh, brother.' About that time, the young lady who had waited on us and taken our order appeared with a smile and asked if I was looking for a purse! She said she had found it on the back of the chair right after we left and she couldn't catch us. She had it in the safe and would get it for me. As she disappeared to the back to retrieve it, I was so relieved, I was shaking. After getting it back, I tried to give her a reward but she said she couldn't take anything and that it was against company policy. So I thanked her profusely and got her address so I could send her a gift of appreciation, which I did after we returned home from our trip. There are certainly Angels in Phoenix.

A Visit to Old Tucson

A beautiful Saturday morning was the perfect time for a drive from Scottsdale to Tucson for a day outing to visit Old Tucson Studios, which was the location for filming so many wonderful Western movies during the 1930's. The old Universal Studios movie sets, with the beautiful Arizona desert and mountain back drops, has become a favorite tourist attraction for those who loved the rough and tumble makings of an old western town.

Upon reaching Tucson, we made a stop at a Denney's restaurant for brunch and shortly after arriving, Joanne got a surprise phone call from cousin Mary Ann (Sturm) Craig, who was on a return trip from California to Indiana, and had stopped off at her sister's, Barbara (Sturm) Macon's home in Colorado Springs, CO.

After brunch, we made the short drive from Tucson to Old Tucson and made our way to the Grand Hotel for a short film about Old Tucson and then attended many different scheduled events of the day, including several shoot outs and dance hall revues. It was a fun and relaxing day where we enjoyed all the fabulous actors who recreated life in 'the Ole Wild West' that took us back to life in another time and place. We will long remember our day spent at the, "Hollywood in the Dessert in Tucson, Arizona!"

Road Trip to Scottsdale, AZ.

Taking Joanne Klitzing up on her invitation to come visit her in Scottsdale, AZ., Fred and I left Carbondale on Saturday evening, February 14th, after a Saluki basketball game. We grabbed a sub at Subway (great Valentine's Dinner) in Murphysboro and headed on to Rolla, MO., where we stayed the night. The next morning we awoke to snow flurries and hurriedly left town hoping to make Amarillo, TX that evening. Luckily, we drove out of the snowy weather and continued on without any problems. After arriving in Amarillo, we found a Cracker Barrel down the road from our motel and after a much needed meal, turned in for the evening.

Our destination on Monday was Santa Fe, New Mexico, which we made in ample time to enjoy a short walk to the Old Santa Fe area to look around. We found a quaint Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed a leisurely late afternoon meal. As I had only been walking without the 'Moon Boot' for a couple weeks, I found the cobbled stone streets and walk ways a little treacherous on my poor old, mending, right ankle. Our lodging reservations were at an Inn in the Old Santa Fe area of town and we found the place quite interesting as the Inn was actually three houses that had been connected by hallway type passages that adjoined the buildings together. Our plan was to spend two nights in Santa Fe and then drive on to about Flagstaff and spend our last night on the road there. However, we received a call that Fred's cousin, Gary Moehle, was not doing well after suffering a major stroke so we decided to drive straight through from Santa Fe to Scottsdale on Wednesday so we would be close to an airport incase we needed to fly back home. That leg of the trip went smoothly and we arrived in wonderful Scottsdale about 5 p.m. on Wednesday. A glimpse of Old Camelback as we came in on the 101 was a welcoming sight as we made our way to Winfield Place on Chapparel Road, where Joanne was waiting for us with a home cooked meal ready for us to sit down to eat, complete with a home made pie for dessert! Ahh, Scottsdale, what a nice winter break.