Feb. 9, 2008 - WCR_StLouisMayorSlay

Thursday the 7Th of February, the Women's Council of REALTORS had their monthly meeting at Sheraton Westport Chalet in St. Louis County. There was a good turn, as expected as our guest speaker was the Mayor of St. Louis, Francis Slay.By the way, WCR includes men and women in the Real Estate Industry, so don't be put off by the name. Networking and education is the name of the game!

We not only had a good lunch, we were pleased to hear about all the on-going and upcoming plans about the improvements for St. Louis City. Mayor Slay offered not only the good things, but also addressed crime in the city (not as portrayed by media) but how it's being combated. You'll be pleased to know he says it's safe in St. Louis! More work is being done to make it even safer! He was willing to answer questions from the floor and addressed all in a lively and open manner. Here's where you can check out his opinions.

At the end of the question/answer session, he allowed us to take photos of him with us, if we asked!

We all appreciate his time and efforts to make St. Louis City one of the best Cities in the USA!

Feb. 3, 2008 - StLouisMardiGras2008

Jan. 3, 2008 - MoBot_HolidayEvent

Happy New Year to all of you! May you have a Blessed Year!

I'm looking forward to having a wonderful year, with time for work and enjoying the time with family and friends. This is a great time for reflection and also for planning. If your year turned out like mine, many of my plans, turned on a dime and I was left to realize, you need to be willing to change the plan!

Sunday, my husband and I went to one of my favorite city places, Missouri Botanical Garden again. They had a special event called the Gardenland Express and the Wilderness Escape.

2007_Xmas MoBot

It featured Yellowstone National Park and scenes of the Wilderness Lodge. This was a treat for young and old! Lot's trains and a wonderful rendition of the history of Yellowstone to boot. They always seem to top the last show and of course, folks come from all around to view it. I loved the "working" geyser like Old Faithful!

You'll also enjoy seeing the wreath show; you could bid on the wreaths (min. of $100.) and take one of them home with you.

We also toured the Shaw Country Home and I hope you'll stop in to see this too! They do give tours and I'd advise you to take it as you'll get more history and enjoyment with a delightful tour guide to explain the times to you. Please call to be sure they are open or check on-line for upcoming events. No matter what season it is, it's a great place to go to lift your spirits and take photos!

Oct. 9, 2007 - Artist Julius Popps Bit Fall in St Louis

Not sure if you've seen this video (You Tube) but I enjoyed it and wanted to share it, as he'd had the exhibit here in St. Louis in 2006. Hope you'll see the creativity and uniqueness of German artist, Julius Popps liquid scuplture Bit.Fall. He speaks in a German dialect, but there are sub-titles you can read that will explain the process and his thoughts about it. You can find others he's done there too.

Enjoy!

Oct. 8, 2007 - Best Of Missouri Market

Hi Y'all!

I had a lovely day again at our MOBOT event of the Best of Missouri Market. If you read my writings at all, you know how much I enjoy this city attraction. There's always something "happening" at the Garden. This time it was the 16th Annual Market. They had over 130 vendors and artists showing and selling their wares.

This was my first time to attend this event and it was just great, as the weather co-operated with sunshine and a nice breeze! You'll see a bit of what was offered in my slideshow, but they had so much to see and buy, you'll just have to make some time in your busy schedule to come here and see it too!

There was fresh produce from Soulard Market, flowers and plants, herbs, nuts, candies, meats (mmmm, brats!), seasonings baked goods and of course our famous Missouri wines and Cheeses. So many tastings! Yum.

Artists brought their hand-crafted furniture, wooden birds, ironwork, sculptures, baskets, pottery and so much more! Most of the items there were unique and not the same old thing we see at the craft shows that are so popular here in St. Louis County.

I was there early as I'd been warned about the crowds being huge. They were and increased as the day wore on. I wore out from the walking and stopped near the fountain to rest and enjoy people watching. I just had the best time talking with folks and taking photos, which I hope you'll enjoy viewing. Add this event to the list of things you want to do here in St. Louis in October. Links to some of the artists/vendors can be seen in the following slideshow!

Sep. 27, 2007 - 2007ABTA FundRaiser Festival

A fun time was had by all at the 10th Annual ABTA (American Brain Tumor Association) Fundraiser Festival at Grant's Farm. Our THANKS! to everyone that helped pull it all together and made it a huge success!

Thanks to everyone that made the commitment to come & have fun!

Enjoy the Show! And set your calendar for next year 9/20/08!

Same place, same time! Want to get on the mailing list? Just fill out the comment card and we'll get'er done! Judy

Feb. 21, 2007 - Orchid Show in St. Louis

Once again, I've taken a ride into the city of St. Louis, heading for the Missouri Botanical Gardens. This time it was to view the orchids and camillias that are in bloom.

What a great way to shed the hard freeze and cold of Winter and get a breath of Spring! The colors and varieties of the orchids are amazing. I took so many photos that my camera batteries gave up! Lucky too, that I had some spares. I was off and running again.

One of the great things about being a member of the Garden is that I had free entry to the show AND a 20% off ticket for any purchase in the Garden Gate gift shop. Parking is free too! Kids of all ages enjoy the gardens.

Upon leaving the orchid exhibit, I headed outside to the Linnean green house where all the camillia's are in bloom. Some of those were disappointing though, as their heads drooped after having been watered. Still, some had such large flowers, they could easily fit in your hand.   
Then, since it was such a nice day, I headed to the Climatron, where all the jungle type plants are located. Mostly it was greenery in here, and just a few flowers. Right away, my glasses steamed up and I had to take those off to see anything! It's nice here too, as they have benches where you can sit and watch the people or bird watch too. Just plain enjoy the warmth and soothing green colors.

After the tour (by myself), I went back in to the main building. They had some special paintings on the walls that were of different types of plants. Some were so realistic that you thought at first that they were real. I especially liked the ones of the dried fall flowers. The leaves looked as though you could easily crumble them! Just inside the building they also had the Boehm porcelain sculptures of birds and flowers. They are amazing to view. They had a huge life size eagle and then the tiniest of bird, the humming bird, lots in between. What a talent that man had for seeing the details!

As you may surmise, I had a great time there and can barely wait to go again. They do change out the orchids and add new ones. You can also purchase them here as well as purchase some of the artists botanical paintings. 

Come to visit! We have one of the best Botanical Gardens around.

Nov. 26, 2006 - Crime City? Here in St. Louis? Read All About It!

Well, I've been waiting to address this issue and finally have a report to offer you. I couldn't believe the report that had us (St. Louis City) being in the top 10 of crime cities once again. I heard a broadcast on KWMU radio this same subject on Friday, so I perked up and paid attention.

I've been in the city to see the Arch, taken my grandkids to the City Museum, been to Busch Stadium and sold property in the city. I've had buyers from the city, wanting to STAY in the city. They like their neighbors, the neighborhood and the school they had their kids in (parochial). Do we have crime here? Yes, we do.  Name a place that doesn't. (on Earth, I mean!). Are all areas safe? No, they aren't. So what do YOU think? Is this a Safe City?

Feel free to comment if you've been to visit us. While I live in the county (always have), I make frequent trips to the city and as you can see by my visits to the St. Louis zoo (County willingly helps support this gem!) and Missouri Botanical Gardens, among other attractions (see my blog entries!).

The East West Gateway Council has put out a report which is their 5th edition.  If you really want to know the nitty gritty about the city, you can start by clicking East-West Gateway Council of Governments "Where We Stand Report" !

This report ( Morgan Quitno Press's annual rankings) does not cover St. Louis County.This report is released every year and its methodology is always heavily criticized by many. Significantly, the reported statistics do not include the St. Louis metropolitan area, nor any make any distinction between St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and East St. Louis. If you want additional information, check out the St. Louis City website .

 Here's a great list of Independent Schools in the city. In my opinion, St. Louis City has been beleaguered by squabbling and a lack of firm effort to get most of their schools to create a great environment for kids. Many people, if they can afford to do it, choose private schools for their kids. We've seen other schools turn around and be successful and we all want that for the city schools too.

Prices of homes in the city have gone up. We're seeing blighted areas change into places that are welcoming. Check out Washington Avenue and see how the area is changing and other places that offer new homes and growth. Maybe we should try to keep St. Louis City a secret, as it's still one of the best places to live and find "bargain" housing!

Check out the Historic Neighborhoods located in our fine city. I think we've got a lot to be proud of, but I acknowledge that more needs to be done. Is our work ever really done? See you in the city!

Aug. 28, 2006 - Mid-town St. Louis-Moving Up

We just keep on, keeping on!

Headline news today is the ground breaking ceremony on the new $80 million multi-purpose arena in mid-town St. Louis. It will seat 10,600 people and is expected to bring in nearly $500,000. to the mid-town area every year.  St. Louis University has a lot to be proud of and this will enhance it's reputation and bring some more jobs and income to the area, to boot.