World Bird Sanctuary - Valley Park, MO

Last year my grandson Tyler wanted to go to the World Bird Sanctuary for their annual Eagle Day. My son Sean took these pictures and I've been asking him for them ever since and finally got them. The World Bird Sanctuary rescues many injured birds and rehabilitates them.

Unfortunately not all of them can be released back into the wild.

The eagle demonstration was great and very informative.

We saw lots of beautiful birds like these bald eagles.

My grandson Tyler even got to help demonstrate how they fed baby birds so they wouldn't imprint on humans! He's the one in the camouflage drape.

For directions and hours: World Bird Sanctuary

Lock and Dam #25 Winfield, MO

There is a series of locks and dams along the upper part of the Mississippi to keep it navigatable. It's run by the Army Corp of Engineers. Last weekend grandson Tyler and I went down to the lock and dam near Winfield and were lucky enough to see them moving these barges through the lock.

A Hike to Frenchman's Bluff - Cuivre River State Park

My grandsons and I decided to hike up to Frenchman's Bluff in Cuivre River State Park. Tyler is doing a little exploring off the trail here.

We haven't even gotten up to the bluff yet and I've already worn them out. Nothing a shot or two of Mountain Dew couldn't cure. (Their mom was NOT happy with me about the Mountain Dew)

The boys were a little disappointed that we couldn't see their house from the bluff but we still had a good time.

Another great view from the bluff.

And another!

Fall Color in Tower Grove Park

These pictures were taken a couple weeks ago, if you don't want to look at a bunch of pretty trees you can stop reading now.

My Boys and I Go To The Zoo

If you keep coming back to this blog your going to see lots of pictures of the St. Louis Zoo. It is absolutely my favorite place to go. This leopard was having a bath while we were there.

The peacock was strutting his stuff at one of the food courts much to the delight of the children there.

It was feeding time at the sun bears enclosure.

We even got to see a parade.

And of course it wouldn't be right without a picture of Sean (and his brother Ryan) walking away from me.

A Walk in the Woods - Cuivre River State Park

About a month ago after the leaves changed color but before they all fell, my grandson Tim and I took a walk at Cuivre River State Park. It's only 50 miles north west of St Louis and just happens to be right next to Troy, which is where I live.

Tim makes it look so easy, I didn't get over that log anywhere near that easily or gracefully.

There was still a lot of color in the woods and it was a great day for a walk.

I love the way the sunlight turns some of these leaves almost purple in this picture.

And like his Uncle Sean, Tim is always walking up ahead.

Rasoi -the many flavors of India- Central West End

Rasoi is a wonderful restaurant with good food! A friend and I went for the lunch buffet and had a really nice meal. I couldn't tell you the names of anything we had but everything was good (and spicy)! Good friends, good conversation and a good meal, who could ask for anything more?

For menu, address and more info click here.

Tower Grove Park

Sean now lives only a block away from Tower Grove Park. It's a great place for just taking a walk so a couple weeks ago when Sean was away and I was checking on his apartment I decided to take a walk.It wasn't the best day for taking pictures but a few came out ok. One of the first things you see when you enter through the entrance on Arsenal is the Turkish pavilion.

I love the area around the lily pond. I took lots of pictures of it but the one above is the only one that came out ok.

The pavilions and other areas for events come in all sizes and can be rented for the day for anything from birthday parties to weddings. All in all, it was a wonderful day for a walk even if the pictures didn't turn out too well. With Sean living so close we will be walking in Tower Grove Park again very soon.

For more info go to Welcome to Tower Grove Park

Cafe Natasha's on South Grand

A few weeks back I had both my "boys" with me (OK, so they're supposed to be adults but I'll never accept it) which was a little odd since Ryan usually won't accompany us on our culinary adventures. He did protest being dragged into Cafe Natasha's, I think he was expecting St Louis Bread Company.

We all ordered Gyros since I was a bit low on funds. They were.... well, they were... awesome, delicious, really good and all that. Even Ryan liked his! Make sure you spring for the extra dollar for the feta cheese it makes a good meal perfect. Next time I'm going to try one of the kabobs, I was watching the waitress deliver them to other tables and they really looked good, too.

For menu, directions and hours: Cafe Natasha's

The Hill

Sean and I were driving around "The Hill" last Sunday. Sean had checked the directions of where he wanted to go figuring he would remember the way. He didn't. Our destination was St Ambrose Church where they were having a flea market. Sean just moved into his first real apartment and wanted to see if they had anything he could use.
Originally settled by Italian immigrants, the residents of The Hill are still predominately of Italian descent. This statue in front of St Ambrose is in honor of the Italian immigrants.

The Hill is known for it's many fine Italian restaurants. We didn't eat there Sunday because most of the restaurants close to the church were closed. Sean had a craving for Asian so we took off for South Grand (see previous post on Pho Grand).

And what post wouldn't be complete without a picture of Sean walking ahead of me?

Sameem Afghan Restaurant on South Grand

Sean and I tried Afghan cuisine last month. (Yes, that's Sean both in the reflection and walking away). We both had the lunch special that is advertised on the sign in the bottom picture. It was rice with a beef stew and a seasoned chicken dish. It was very good and the service was as fast as advertised so if your in the area and sick of fast food you could try this for something really different.

For menus, locations and hours: Sameem Afghan Restaurants

Pho Grand on South Grand

My son, Sean and I have been exploring foreign cuisines on South Grand in St. Louis. My son just moved down near there and we have been checking out the neighborhood. I have more places to tell you about, but this is where we ate today.

Pho Grand serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine. It was wonderful! I loved every bite. My son had the Hao Sautee (sauteed scallops) served with rice and a few artistically arranged fresh veggies. He actually finished before I did, which rarely happens. I had Mi Xao Mem Do Bien which is a stir fried noodles with assorted veggies and seafood. It was very, very good.

I have another son, Ryan, who usually refuses to join us on these expeditions. His idea of foreign cuisine is tacos (Mexican) and pizza (Italian) .

For hours, location and menu: Pho Grand