The Fish

So there are, in fact, fish in that lake!

The Home Brew

AM - Learn how to brew my own beer at the Keg Cowboy.
NOON - Learn how to bottle beer at my buddy Tim's house.
PM - Enjoy a few while fishing and playing guitar.

Ah, the days of summer are quickly fading.

Banished from the House

Tess loves the lake.
Tess loves the lake so much
that sometimes she sneaks down the trail
and takes an unapproved swim.

This unapproved swim leaves her wet for hours
and smelling
not-so-fresh.
We do not care to have
not-so-fresh
smelling carpet in the living room.

Thus,
she is banished
from the house.
Poor,
poor
Tess.

The Beanbag - Deconstructed

Wanting to wash a beanbag from her classroom, Tricia cut open a seam and attempted to dump the little balls into a couple of trash bags. Well, as anyone who has ever tried to corral one of those clingy little balls knows...

Sunset After the Storm

I was sitting in the living room last night when I noticed how pink the sky looked through the trees. I grabbed my camera and ran down the trail to the lake and was rewarded with this spectacular sunset. If you look closely you can see drops of rain still clinging to the tall grasses.

Two of Several

While perhaps a bit disgusting, it was all too easy to make a few of my blisters the first photo since returning from our trip. I somehow doubt Keen will want to use this as a promotional photo for their hiking shoes.

Loading Up

Two suitcases, a cooler, five school backpacks, five backwood backpacks, thirteen pairs of shoes, a box from school, two bags belonging to my mother, a foot spa, three books on CD, and a captain's hat. The van is packed with room to spare.

I see now that a photo each day is going to be tough. However, it's like writing - I have to learn to see things worth capturing. The difference with a photo is that that story has to be captured in a single image. I plan to do this with my kids at school - tell a story across a series of photos. Hopefully they'll help me figure this out!

Record Heat

After ten consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures and a fairly serious drought, Missouri lawns aren't so comfy under bare summer feet.

Daisies at the Botanical Gardens

Daisies at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. I love the sunlight coming in through the leaves. Not long after this pic we spread out a few blankets and enjoyed a nice family picnic among the flowers and trees while catching up with some old friends.

Exposed Roots

As we walked along the creek at Castlewood State Park tonight we came upon this tree whose roots have been exposed by the receding bank. The water was very low in the creek, but nice and cool. The kids enjoyed splashing around and trying to skip a few rocks. I've recently noticed how many of our favorite activities revolve around water.

Schlafly Bottleworks

 

Tricia and I had dinner tonight at Schlafly Bottleworks. I've become somewhat obsessed with taking photos for this blog. I snapped some of my beer, signs posted inside the door, the strange hand dryer in the bathroom, and the poster of the Fonz above the urinal. I also saw a guy sitting at a table on the patio wearing knee high green rubber boots, sipping a water, and smoking a cigarette. Later, at the movie, I noticed a guy sitting alone holding a big shiny purse while his wife went to the restroom. I wanted to ask both of these men for a photo but Tricia didn't think it was a good idea. I bet they would have been happy to oblige. Still, I'm beginning to think a bit about etiquette - especially in public restrooms.

Anyway, here's today's photo. If that tall glass of glass of Schlafly Summer Lager looks tasty I have a bottle or two packed away to bring back to anyone posting a comment on this photo (that's you Tim!).

Gamecock Hat

Reading is a meaning making process. When confronted with text we each use our own collections of experience, knowledge, and expectation to construct understanding. For instance, in Columbia, South Carolina Tricia's gnarly pink COCKS hat is read as a collegiate garment supporting the hometown Gamecocks. In St. Louis, however, readers create a different meaning from this text.

Ma and Pa's Kettle

While in Mansfield, Missouri to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum, we stopped in for lunch at Ma and Pa's Kettle. If ever you were looking for a dining experience that provided an authentic taste of small town rural America this might be your place. It was a straight forward, no frills diner that offered an all-day breakfast menu.

While there, Tricia came back from the bathroom looking a little unsettled and said "DO NOT go to the bathroom here!" I wish now I would have taken my camera in there. That would have provided the beginning of a nice photo project - public restrooms across America.