A Bit of Family Time

I have to admit I get a wee bit jealous when I hear about the time my kids spend with their significant other's family.  Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for them and so glad they have them as part of their lives.  But, the few times a year I get to see them just isn't enough!  So, this past weekend, I was extremely grateful to go and visit them.  We had hoped for a beautiful fall weekend, however, the rain never moved out until Sunday afternoon, so we had to postpone our little hiking trip to Table Rock State Park until Sunday.  And, then, unfortunately, Beki got sick and couldn't make it.  Our time there was nice.  We celebrated Ari's birthday, even if a few weeks late, enjoyed dinner with everyone, spent a little time at the coffee shop, decorated fall cookies. 

 

When the rain finally stopped Sunday, we drove to the state park.  The fall colors were just starting to dot the landscape.  It stayed overcast and wasn't the best day for photos, but here are a few from our trip.

 

 

A little rock skipping!  I wasn't any good at it!

Sandy Creek Covered Bridge

John and I finally got a chance to find this Missouri State historic site.  It's been on my to-do list for forever.  It's early spring so the trees have not yet leafed out, but it made for easier viewing of the bridge.  Planning a trip back for a different look in a couple weeks.  We ran into a nice young couple who told us how to get to the creek edge...that's them sitting on the cliff.  The water was low so I was able to get down right on the edge of the water.  Don't think we could do that now with all the rain and flooding we are having.  And love this photo of the little boy walking his dog with grandpa!

Trip to Kimmswick, MO

This past weekend was a gorgeous weekend...fall colors starting to show. The temps were a bit warm, but still nice and sunny. John and I went on another day trip to Kimmswick, MO, an historic town about 30 minutes south of St. Louis. We made a stop at Mastodon State Park and toured the exhibit and grounds before heading to the town.

Kimmswick is an adorable little town.  All the old homes in the district have been converted to shops and restaurants.  I had a lot of fun strolling through the streets and the shops.

Some of the store fronts

I loved this picture of the cross in the window.

Doesn't it just make you want to go see for yourself.

We made sure to walk on the oldest wrought iron bridge in Missouri.

Our day didn't end here.  Since we were almost there already, we decided to go a little further south and visit St. Genevieve, another historic town.  On the way there, we detoured to try to find the river.  When we got to the town, we followed the signs down to the ferry and took some pictures of the river.

John watching the ferry cross.

We found the St. Genevieve Winery Store and stopped in for a few samples.  It was getting late in the day and most of the stores were already closed, so we walked around for awhile.

It was a really good day and I enjoyed my "date day" with John.  We've been trying to venture out on his days off to see new places and things.  We are having a good time exploring together.