839 Westwood Dr. Ballwin, Mo

This is the house that my parents purchased in 1962. It was a new Mayer Rascher Mayer home in Claymont out off of Clayton Road in Ballwin, Mo. This happens to be the Algonquin model and has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a 3 car garage. It also had a full basement. It was a great home then and still looks great today. The subdivision is currently in wonderful condition and I could easily be content living there today.

(Click image to enlarge)

When we moved into this house I thought we moved to the boonies. It was pretty far out for our previous home in Olivette and people back then would commonly ask "where is Ballwin".

We were one of the early families to move into the Claymont subdision and where we lived would come to be known a year later as "old Claymont". The subdivision became quite popular as many homes were built there. It was a cool place to live. We had a Bath & Tennis Club in the middle of the development and I was able to make a lot of friends swimming & playing tennis there in the summertime. Behind the Bath & Tennis there was a good-sized pond to play all year round. During the winter the pond would freeze over & we'd skate & play hockey there.

It amazes me how large the trees have grown. I remember the pine tree on the left side of the house when it was about 7 feet tall. Today it must be about 50 foot tall and is simply huge. I knew this yard very well at one time as I cut the grass here & pulled many weeds.

By the time this house was purchased my sister, JoAnn was gone & my brother, Jack had left to join the Air Force. As a result, I became somewhat of an only child. It was interesting tho as my sister Mary & Brother-in-law Lou Kirn bought the same model house just down the street. My niece, Karen & nephews Mark & Kevin grew up there. In a way they became kind of like my younger siblings.

When I revisit my old house on Westwood I am captivated by the sight of it and the memories of my past. I had many friends in the area that I grew up with and so many wonderful experiences there.

Hula Hooping

My wife, Jackie gave this hula hoop to me on Father's Day as a gift. I suppose having two cocker spanials qualifies me as a dad. Sure, I can handle that!

When Jackie gave the hula hoop to me I thanked her and told her that I have been waiting 50 yrs. for this gift since about 1958 was the last time that I had used a hula hoop. The truth is...I used to love the hula hoop back then and played with it all the time.

Anyway, we sit out on our backyard patio each morning & evening and on this particular evening I photographed Jackie as she was really getting into it. One evening I started counting the revolutions she would make with the hoop. She went to 500. On this occasion I counted to 1000.
Each day is truly an experience with Jackie and I never know what she will do next!

Me & my Honey at 9,000 ft.

 Here's a self-portrait of Jackie & myself in the mountains 30-40 miles west of our Las Vegas home. This photo was taken on June 1, 2009. As you can see it was a little on the cool side and that is a good thing especially when the temperatures rise in the Las Vegas valley.

Cava, Nikki, & Jackie

 On May31, 2009 we took the RV up to Lee Canyon in the Spring Mountains just west of where we live in Las Vegas. The elevation is 9,000 ft. and it a great place to get away & cool off. The pups love traveling in the RV & love spending time in the forest.

Hans & Lydia Boeckman and Jackie

 Hans & Lydia are two of my all time favorite people and they live in Wildwood, Mo in west St. Louis county. On this occaision we had breakfast in the Clarkson Valley bottoms in early May, 2009. Jackie & I were in town for my nephew, Kevin Kirn's funeral.

It's always a thrill to spend time with Hans & Lydia as there are two of the kindest and most generous people that I have ever known. The time we share always seems to fly by as all of us try to catch up on the latest happening in one another's lives.

I have known Hans since I was about 5 years old as he was my sister JoAnn's boyfriend. Hans moved to St. Louis from Hanover, Germany in the early to mid 1950s. At an early age he was a very talented house painter who was very accomplished in specialty type painting and decorating.  For example, Hans would paint a scene from a postcard on a client's dining room wall or perhaps he would give a ceiling a special treatment by painting a precise swirling pattern that included paint and sand. 

Hans was an extremely powerful influnce on me as a young boy and still is to this day. He is now 75 years old.

Lydia is from southern Germany and is truly gracious. During the times we have a chance to visit Lydia always has something special for Jackie & myself. Many times she will offer to prepare breakfast for us and it will always include a specialty. It might be a stolen from Germany  or maybe a shortcake with fresh stawberries. 

Me & my Aunt Dolly

 This photo with my aunt was taken in early May, 2009. She is 84 years old now and in good health and lives on her own. Dolly has 5 children that live in St. Louis, many grandchildren, and many great grandchildren.

Usually I bring or send roses to my aunt, however on this occasion I stopped by my old florist on Manchester and picked up a hanging basket which is pictured in the background hanging on her porch. By good fortune when Jackie & I arrived at my Aunt's house there was a hook available for the basket of flowers. Just like it was meant to be.

Aunt Dolly & Jackie

 My Aunt Dolly McCune lives in Kirkwood, Mo & Jackie & I had the opportunity to visit Dolly while we were in St. Louis for my nephew, Kevin's funeral. Fortunately, Dolly was home and answered the phone when I called & was available for us to stop by & spend time together.

It's always a pleasure for me to visit with Dolly as I have many found memories of times spent with her, my Uncle Mike, and their children. I always felt welcomed with  the McCune Family and I'll always be grateful to them for their kindness. 

Dolly continues to stay active by meeting & participating with long time lady friends at the Kirkwood YMCA a few times a week where they are involved in water aerobic classes.

Sunday Morning Breakfast at Mimi's

 For many, many Sunday morning's Jackie & I would rise early to walk our two cocker spaniels, Cava & Nikki and then drive over to Mimi's restaurant at opening time. We made it a contest among ourselves to get there early enough to get our same booth each time. Most of the mornings that we arrived it was only Jackie, myself and the staff.

As one can imagine we came to know the waiters & waitresses that served our breakfasts and they came to know us as well. After a while offering us a menu was just a formality as our server could pretty well guess what we would request. 

It's funny how Jackie & I go thru streaks like this. These days my wife serves a terrific breakfast at home on Sundays and it is really something to look forward to.