Thanksgiving

I had so much fun making Thanksgiving dinner last year that I am claiming the holiday as mine from now on.

For this second annual dinner, I prepared the traditional dishes--turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and lots of gravy-- and I added a broccoli-rice-cheese casserole to the menu.

I found a dessert on the Internet that incorporated the Milky Way candy bars left over from Halloween with chocolate chip cookie dough. That recipe was NOT found on the Weight Watchers' site.

I saved the wishbone so Dot and I could make a wish for 2015. Unfortunately, the bone broke into several pieces when we pulled it; so instead of wish fulfillment, we might have seven years of bad luck or seven hours of heartburn...whichever comes first.

Thanksgiving tradition at my house now includes a Leftovers Meal served the next day.*YUM*

Redcoats

Painting Workshop

Donna Bland, an artist from Texas, conducted a three day workshop on impressionistic landscapes. The Tuesday before the workshop began, Sherry Lilly hosted an evening reception at her newly renovated home.

We had the choice of using oil or acrylics. I chose oil since I had updated my painting supplies during an earlier workshop this year.

Donna Bland guided us through the steps she takes to create a painting using broad strokes of color to suggest shapes and details. Although this technique was hard for me to grasp, I did manage to apply it...somewhat....to paint a scene based on  a photo I took in Alaska. And I'm ready to try another oil painting on my own now.

JC Homecoming

 

Missouri Western recognizes that the St. Joseph Junior College is an important part of the University's history, especially since 2015 will be the centennial of the school's founding.

 

Homecoming Week was kicked off with a special homecoming program for JC grads. We viewed a program in the planetarium followed by lunch in the Remington Hall atrium. Then we were bused to Spratt Hall to view a live performance of the Walter Cronkite stage presentation which has been nominated for a Pulitzer award. After the performance, the university president, Dr. Vartibedian, gave us a guided tour of the Cronkite Memorial Museum.

 

Most of the JC grads in attendance remember the "concrete campus" and teachers whose names now appear on buildings. But we appreciate being included in Western's traditions.

 

 



Mystery at the Mansion

In October, St. Joseph Museums, Inc. holds an annual mystery program involving actual people from St. Joseph's past. This year's was based on the life of Hugh Glass, a frontiersman in the midwest during the 1820s. His adventures included being forced into piracy, escaping capture by the Pawnee Indians, being mauled by a grizzly bear, and crawling over 200 miles to a fort on the Missouri River after his companions left him to die of wounds suffered in the bear attack. After Glass recovered, he set out to find the two men who had abandoned him and get revenge. The mystery involved finding a possession of Hugh's that was of great value to him.

Before dinner, we guests were taken on a tour of the Wyeth-Tootle where we met characters who told us about Hugh's real life adventures and gave us clues to help us solve the mystery. Among the characters were Hugh's wife and his father, a female pirate captain in Jean Lafitte's crew, a companion who helped him escape from the pirates, a daughter of the Pawnee chief who captured and eventually adopted Hugh, the leader of a fur trapping expedition in South Dakota, and the fur trappers who left Hugh to die in the wilderness.

During our meal (mine was salmon), each table of guests went over the clues. My table quickly came up with the answer by eliminating the clues we knew didn't apply. One table next to us struggled all through dinner and dessert and finally had to be given hints.

Pictured are Hugh Glass, Mrs. John Jacob Astor (the hostess of the dinner party), Jean Lafitte's female pirate captain and one of the fur trappers who abandoned Hugh.

The drawing is the actual Hugh Glass.

Trails West Patron Party

Becky Boerkirscher, Executive Director of the Downtown Partnership, saved me a place at her table during the Trails West Patron Party. So, I ended up sitting right across from Stan Welty, the artist who painted the huge, block-long mural on the buildings north of the city parking lot on Edmond Street. Becky and I stopped at the Photo Booth on the way out *pose* and convinced some others to do so also.

One of the reasons I attend the Patron Party is to get my Trails West poster signed by the artist who designed the winning entry. I have posters from all the Trails West festivals since the event began. And most are signed...including the one my sister Dot did in 2011.

Happy Birthday!

Birthday presents ad Facebook greetings began arriving a few days before August 11. Barney treated me to dinner at the Country Club (yum, yum). The leftovers became salmon salad on toasted buns for the next two days (more yum. yum). Dot surprised me with a Hallmark ornament, the fourth in a series I am collecting. I am giving her the same ornament for her birthday! *shhhhhh* She will be as surprised as I was. *LOL*

Kelly, Rodney and Andrew and Adam sent a lovely bouquet tied with a blue ribbon which matches my dining room décor. I also received telephone calls and voice mail messages from Lawrence, KS wishing me a Happy Birthday.