Aunt Lois...Plus Scenic Downtown St. Charles Missouri

During the Thanksgiving week, Laurie and I headed out to St. Louis to visit her family and some friends…followed by Thanksgiving itself with our son and his family in Omaha Nebraska…

There is one stop that we always make when we are in the St. Louis area…

Laurie’s sister Bonnie and her husband Bill accompanied us when we drove out to the Weldon Springs Missouri suburb to visit a very special person living there in a retirement community…

This is that very special person!  Laurie and Bonnie’s Aunt Lois (their mother’s sister) will be 104 years old in January…

I took these photos in the community Bistro Grill where we went for lunch.  Aunt Lois does use a walker now…but she keeps on going! 

Aunt Lois was married to John…Laurie and Bonnie’s father Bob's brother.  With a set of brothers marrying a set of sisters, there are a lot of double cousins in the family!

After lunch in the retirement community in Weldon Springs, Laurie, Bonnie, Bill and me headed over to nearby historic St. Charles Missouri for a little holiday shopping.

From the brick and cobblestone streets to all of the old and nicely preserved buildings, St. Charles is one of the best revitalized old river towns in the USA!  Shops/retail establishments of all types abound… The red brick building is home to Mad Hatter Antiques and More.  

Laura’s La Petite Boutique occupies this unusual structure along Main Street. Website: http://lauraslapetite.com.  A little research revealed that this was the former 1890s Schermer Brothers Wagon and Blacksmith Shop.

Main Street runs parallel to the nearby Missouri River.  St. Charles Missouri was founded in 1769 by Louis Blanchette, a French-Canadian fur trader.  It was originally called Les Petites Cotes or “The Little Hills in French.

A shop called “Sing Along With Me” is located in the lower right hand corner on the ground level of this magnificent former home.  Laurie actually made a purchase here… This shop features apparel and accessories for the ladies.  Website: https://www.stringalongwithme.net/.

The Newbill-McElhiney House (above) is included in the St. Charles Historic District.  The original Federal style brick home was built in 1836 and it was expanded in the 1850s.

 

Joan of Arc, a shop featuring antiques, primitives and architectural finds occupies that cute little gray brick building.  As you can see, it was a beautiful day.  Plus the temperature was just right for a stroll down Main Street…

St. Charles served as Missouri’s first state capital from 1821 – 1826.

This very attractive building is occupied by Bradden’s Restaurant.   They offer lunch and dinner with both indoor and outdoor dining available.  Check their website at http://braddens.vpweb.com/default.html for details.

The St. Charles Historic District was first established in 1970.  Today it covers over 60 acres and includes at least 118 contributing structures.

This is the Mother-in-Law House Restaurant.  It is aptly named as it was the first brick double house built in St. Charles back in 1866.  This restaurant is closed on Sundays but for most of the week it offers lunch and dinner.  To learn more, go to http://www.motherinlawhouse.com/index.html.

This building at 427 South Main Street might have been a former firehouse…but I couldn’t identify it for sure.  There weren’t any signs identifying it as an active retailer but I did determine that it used to be a gift shop named Fran’s.  Whatever its status, someone has decorated it nicely for Christmas!

That attractive 2-story green building houses Riverside Sweets, a family owned candy and ice cream store that has been in business for over 16 years.  Website: http://www.riversidesweets.net/.

What a beautiful day!!

The Western House is located in the 1000 block of South Main Street.  It dates back to 1820 when it was built as a hostelry and inn.  The building, with its adjoining garden house and ground, is now a popular wedding venue.  Website: http://www.gardenwedding.com/index.html.

I decided to check TripAdvisor to see how visitors felt about the St. Charles Historic District with its shopping and dining opportunities.  When I checked, there had been 1,135 reviews with 96% of them being excellent or very good and only 2% being poor or terrible.  That’s about as good as it can get!  To learn more, go to https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g44876-d1763915-Reviews-St_Charles_Historic_District-Saint_Charles_Missouri.html.

One last look at what was really important to all of us on this particular day…Aunt Lois!  When we got home after Thanksgiving, we received this nice thank you note from her!  At almost 104, her handwriting is much more legible than mine…

This photo is of Aunt Lois in her apartment… She loves to play (and win) a card game called ‘Skip Bo’.  Her memory, both short term and long term, is far better than ours.  Aunt Lois is the matriarch of the family and she entertains a plethora of visitors.  She has 3 sons, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews and many others who love her and stop by to enjoy her company.  

Of major importance to the sisters are Aunt Lois’s recollections of family history.  She remembers it all! She was born in 1914.  Just think of all she has seen and lived to tell about!  Her father was a butter maker in the Plover/Stockton area of Wisconsin. That could be the reason why Laurie and her sisters love real butter and butter milk!  They all grew up eating and drinking it.

That’s about it for now.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave 

St. Conan’s Kirk

Rather than just drive directly back to our hotel in North Ballachulish, we decided to take a ‘circle route’ following A85 east until we came to A82 which we would follow back to Scotland’s west coast…

Our route took us through the Pass of Brander.  That mountain photographed by Laurie from our car is probably Ben Cruachan. (Height 3,689 feet)

Note:

·         The Battle of the Pass of Brander (ca. 1308) was part of the wider struggle known as the Wars of Scottish Independence as well as a significant part of the civil war between the Bruce and the Balliol factions.  In this battle, King Robert the Bruce defeated the MacDougalls of Argyll.

We were startled to see a stop light in the countryside along the A85 roadway at this narrow bridge.  The usual approach to a bridge like this puts you at your own risk, but this one had a nasty curve ahead…and probably had a history of accidents. 

We were just cruising along the road when the ladies spotted this church and I was commanded to stop!  They wanted to explore the possibilities… This is St. Conan’s Kirk.  As it turned out, their impulse to stop was very well founded!

We liked the ancient look of the church… This structure is part of the Church of Scotland and it’s located in the parish of Loch Awe, Argyll and Bute.  It was established as a ‘chapel of ease’ by the Campbells of Innis Chonan. 

Notes:

·         FYI, a ‘chapel of ease’ is a church building other than the parish church that is built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who can’t easily reach the parish church.

·         Innis Chonan is an island in Loch Awe that is connected to the mainland by a bridge.  Walter Douglas Campbell built a summer home on the island anhd another structure (The Tower of Conan) in a local village appropriately named Lochawe.   

The Kirk of St. Conan is yet another structure that was designed and built by Walter Douglas Campbell between 1881 and 1886.   This self-made architect combined a number of church styles, ranging from ancient Roman to Norman.  It was built from local stone…

Despite the fact that the church was originally completed in 1886, in its present form, this ‘new’ church was dedicated for worship as recently as 1930. 

One of the oldest objects that has been incorporated in the structure is an old window that came from St. Mary’s Church, the South Leith Parish Church in Edinburgh.  That particular church was built in 1483!  

While the north side of the church where we entered is relatively simple and straightforward, the south side overlooking Loch Awe is very elaborate.

When Walter Douglas Campbell built his mansion on the Island of Innischonain, he settled there with his sister Helen and his mother.  Tradition holds that the elderly Mrs. Campbell found the drive to the parish church in Dalmally was just too much for her.  Accordingly her son decided to build the church for her.  His first design, completed in 1886, was fairly simple, but he dreamt of a more striking structure.  He started work on this ‘upgrade’ in 1907 and continued with the project until he died in 1914. 

Laurie posed on the church’s terrace against the back drop of beautiful Loch Awe. 

The area is full of historic sites.  The Innistrynich promontory on the other side of the Loch is the site of an ancient monastery.  A nearby island was the stronghold of the MacNaughtons and Innishail, another island, served as a burial ground for hundreds of years.  Of course, the Campbell’s family island, Innischonain, is also nearby. 

Laurie took this photo of me against the complex portion of the structure facing the Loch side of the church. 

When Walter Campbell died in 1914, work on St. Conan’s Kirk had to be suspended during World War I.  As soon as it was possible, his sister Helen continued to ensure that Walter’s plans were executed.  When she died in 1927, their trustees completed the project…hence the dedication in 1930.

So who was St. Conan?  He is the patron saint of Lome and allegedly lived in Glenorchy.  He was a disciple of Columba, and like him, St. Conan came from Ireland.  As a young man he was chosen to tutor the 2 sons of the King of Scotland.  He eventually rose to be a Bishop.  Many legends surround this historical religious figure.

Like many churches in the United Kingdom and Scotland, it also serves as a tomb for important persons.  Below St. Conval chapel in the church is a vault that contains the remains of Walter Campbell and his sister, Helen.  The carved figure on the tomb is that of Walter Campbell himself. 

St. Bride’s Chapel in another section of the church contains the tomb of the Fourth Lord Blythswood, who helped carry on the work on the structure after Walter and his sister had died. 

We were startled to note that the church was open to passerby’s…with no one present, at least that we saw, to keep an eye on things.  There was no admission charge but there was a donation receptacle.  

Apparently church services do take place here on special occasions as do other key events.  A Christmas Tree Festival took place December 1, 2 and 3^rd, with a church service on the 3^rd.

FYI…The heavy oak beams in the cloister are believed to have been salvaged from the then recently scrapped wooden battleships, HMS Caledonia and the HMS Duke of Wellington.  

These ‘stalls’ seen at the left in the chancel in the previous photo were carved from Spanish chestnut and they display the full coats of arms, complete with crests and badges, of the chiefs who in the old days, held land in the area.  In this photo, 2 appear to be missing…or out for restoration.

In general, the detail and symbolic touches incorporated in St. Conan’s Kirk go on and on.  To mention a few, they include gargoyles, a carved Norman archway, elaborate wrought iron gates for the various chapels, an oak communion table plus the font which was carved in the image of a fishing boat. 

One more tomb… This is the Bruce Chapel.  It was built to honor the memory of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland.  This memorial tomb contains a fragment of bone that is rumored to have come from the King himself.  (Note the insert display below the carved image where the bone is displayed) 

Laurie and Bonnie were both delighted to discover this memorial…as the family has traced their lineage back many centuries and Robert the Bruce is a many times removed great grandfather…

Here is a close-up of the handsome and regal carved face of Robert the Bruce.  The presence of the Bruce Chapel owes its origin to the fact that it was on the hillside above the kirk that King Robert launched his famous outflanking column under the Earl of Douglas, resulting in the decisive defeat of John of Lorne and his clansmen in the Pass of Brander. 

Robert the Bruce was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329.  He was one of the most famous warriors of his generation, eventually leading Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England.  He was successful during his reign in regaining Scotland’s place as an independent country.  Today he is revered as a national hero.

To learn more about Robert the Bruce and his family history, you can go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_the_Bruce.

To find out much more about St. Conan’s Kirk, its history, events, tours, etc., go to http://www.stconanskirk.org.uk/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a tour and history lesson!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave 

Spiro’s Restaurant – Chesterfield Missouri

Over our Thanksgiving holiday week, Laurie and I made a family pilgrimage…traveling first to visit her family in St. Louis and then our son and his family in Omaha Nebraska. 

Laurie and her 3 sisters decided that we’d all get together for dinner somewhere the evening that we arrived in the St. Louis area.  I did a little research and found Spiro’s, a Greek restaurant, something that doesn’t exist in our area of East Tennessee so that's where we met...   

The interior of Spiro’s is spacious with a friendly warm ambiance.

 

FYI…My photos didn’t come out very well.  Our camera wasn’t working as it should, having trouble with the automatic focus and even with the lens opening up.  For my Christmas present, it’s since been replaced!  My apologies to Spiro's management...

The original Spiro’s Restaurant opened in St. Louis back in 1975.  I didn’t remember it but Laurie assured me that we’d eaten at Spiro’s at some point before we moved to Chicago in 1982.  Spiro’s now has 2 locations, one in Chesterfield and the other in St. Charles Missouri. 

This was our little family/sisters gathering.  From the left Bill, his wife Bonnie, Glenda, her husband Ken, Bob, his wife Karole and Laurie patiently waiting for me to take yet another photo…

This was the Cold Appetizer Platter. ($14.00) It included tzatziki, hummus and feta cheese with olives.  I love feta cheese and the hummus with pita bread was also very nice.

This was Laurie’s small Athenian Salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onions and feta cheese. ($6.00) She really enjoyed it!

This bowl of soup was a treat that I hadn’t had since we left Chicago over 8 years ago.  Avgolemono Soup consists of rice in a lemon and chicken broth. ($5.00) It was very nice but not as ‘lemony’ as I remember the ones I enjoyed in Chicago.

One of the entrees was this bowl of Macedonian Pasta. ($16.00) It consisted of pasta with shrimp, whole plum tomatoes, basil, olive oil and garlic.  We had another happy diner…

Well…not everyone went Greek!  This was the 6 oz. Filet Mignon with a baked potato and mixed vegetables. ($23.00) Different strokes for different folks…but we had another satisfied sister at the table!

There was one other non-Greek entrée on the table.  This was Spiro’s Chicken Parmesan…pasta and a chicken breast topped with a light red sauce and melted mozzarella cheese. ($15.00) Bob cleaned his plate too!

This was Laurie’s entrée.  It’s Pasta Angelo…pasta with charbroiled chicken, spinach, artichokes and feta cheese in an olive oil broth. ($16.00) Laurie was very pleased with her choice!

This was another dish that I regularly ordered when we lived in Chicago… It’s the Half Grecian Chicken Oregenato with rice and vegetables. ($15.00) I could have opted for roasted potatoes but I chose the rice.  This was a very nice entrée…but, as with the soup, the flavors weren’t quite as distinctive as I expected. (Maybe it’s just me!) 

This order of Grecian Style Shrimp is the last entrée on the table that I had a photo of.  This dish included jumbo shrimp sauteed in white wine, cream sauce and mushrooms.  It was another winner!  One other entree was a duplicate and my photo of Spiro's Pastichio ($15.00) just didn't turn out at all.  

The only sad thing is that Laurie and I had to go to St. Louis for quality Greek cuisine!  FYI, Laurie and I also had an order of tzatziki with pita bread as a side item. ($7.00) We love garlic!

Spiro’s Chesterfield restaurant is located at 1054 North Woods Mill Road.  Phone: 314-878-4449.  Website: https://spiros-restaurant.com/chesterfield/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for joining us for a dinner with the family!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Lunch in Oban – Cuan Mor

After touring Oban’s waterfront for a bit and taking a lot of photos, our family group of 4 decided that it was time for a lunch break…

The group's decision was to dine at Cuan Mor…  Cuan Mor is Gaelic for big ocean, appropriate as the restaurant sits right across the road from Oban’s waterfront. 

Cuan Mor’s interior is quite attractive.  It was designed and built using natural and reclaimed materials such as Ballachulish slate and greenheart timber beams from the lighthouse pier.  This restaurant opened in 2006. 

This is the view out of Cuan Mor’s front windows...   

That is the MV Coruisk out in the Bay.  She’s probably making another trip to Craignure on the Isle of Mull.  The Coruisk is 213 feet long and she can accommodate 40 vehicles and 249 passengers.

This young man was our server at Cuan Mor.  I had his name written down but now I can’t find it.  He was friendly and fun and did his best despite issues in the kitchen.  

Since we were just having lunch and we weren’t really exploring the variety offered on Cuan Mor’s menus, I thought that I’d include photos that give viewers a broader view of the dining opportunities.  The Haggis and Cheddar Panini wouldn’t be on my radar…but that Venison Lasagna looked intriguing. 

This was a bowl of the Seafood Chowder with bread and butter. (6.99 pounds sterling/$9.10 U.S.) It was very good if not great.

This was an order of Hot Smoked Salmon Pate served with crusty bread and a bit of rocket salad on the side.  (7.99 pounds sterling/$10.40 U.S.) The pate was very enjoyable…

This was the Steak and Ale Pie. ($10.99 pounds sterling/$14.30 U.S.) A flaky crust topped braised Scottish beef and, as you can see, it was accompanied by a mix of vegetables and some chips.  I know that it was a bit much for lunch but I’d been wanting to try a steak and ale pie.  I did enjoy my selection!

Laurie ordered a luncheon special.  I don’t recall what the soup was but it was accompanied by a half Flaked Smoked Salmon and Crab sandwich. (5.99 pounds sterling/$7.80 U.S.)

I believe that Bill ordered this slice of Hot Smoked Salmon and Crab Quiche with a side salad for his lunch. (6.99 pounds sterling/$9.10 U.S.) It resembled a slice of pizza but Bill thought that it was pretty good…

While the food was good, there were a couple of issues.  Laurie’s soup could have been warmer.  That was a minor issue compared to the inability of the kitchen to deliver our meals together on a timely basis!  Laurie completely finished her lunch before the rest of us even glimpsed ours.  For this reason alone, I’d have to rate this luncheon experience as just average, and that was unusual for us anywhere in Scotland.

 

We felt sorry for our server who was harried and harassed due to the kitchen’s inability to perform.  Still, Cuan Mor has a good reputation and perhaps we were just unfortunate in our timing.  Given its menu and prior reviews, its worthy of a try despite our experience.  Cuan Mor is located at 60 George Street in Oban.  Phone: 01631 565078.  Website: https://www.cuanmor.co.uk/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave