Missouri Resources, a Free Magazine with Resources for Writers

Image from the Missouri Resources magazine

Timing is everything, and this week the Fall 2016 issue of Missouri Resources magazine arrived in my e-mail box while I was in the middle of doing rewrites for a historical short story that features a teenage Sam Clemens. (Notice the subtle way I gave a writerly excuse for not posting on my blog for several weeks?)

Image from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Back to the magazine: Published by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the free magazine is filled with interesting facts, figures, and photos.

As a Missouri writer, I'm always searching for interesting tidbits about the "Show Me State" to weave into my writing or give me inspiration for a story or an article. And, as luck would have it, the fall 2016 issue includes the article "A Magical Tour on US 36."  US Highway 36 runs across the top third of northern Missouri and has been dubbed "The Highway of American Genius" because of some of the raw American talent with roots across that stretch of land. 

The "A Magical Tour on US 36" article features phots of the birthplaces or childhood homes of famous Missourians, including Samuel L. Clemens (aka Mark Twain) in Florida, MO; Walt Disney in Marceline, and General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing in Laclede.

Being a native St. Louisian, I also found the article "The Bricks that Built St. Louis," fascinating. This issue also includes a really cool photo from 1904, the year St. Louis hosted the World's Fair. The "Time Exposures" photo was taken in front of a shoe store in Old North St. Louis, which is the neighborhood where I was born and grew up, so that got my attention.

Did I mention the Missouri Resources magazine is free? Click here to read the latest issue.

A word of warning, reading this magazine can cause a writer to get lost in the fascinating articles and research material.

The Transformed Saint Louis Art Museum and Yoko Ono's Wish Tree

Last week some friends and I visited the recently renovated Saint Louis Art Museum. I hadn't been to the museum in a few years, so I was looking forward to the trip.

For me, the apotheosis of St. Louis (Charles Niehaus, 1903) standing in front of the museum symbolizes St. Louis, even more than the Gateway Arch.

As a child I recall taking field trips to the museum and being amazed at the statue of St. Louis mounted on his horse and holding a huge sword.

The day of my recent visit was unseasonably mild for mid-August. Our group from St. Charles arrived early and got a primo parking place before meeting up with the North County, South County, and Illinois ladies. We were in the first tour group, which began at 10:30 a.m. Barbara, our docent, did an excellent job pointing out noteworthy pieces in the renovated section of the museum, along with some of her favorites.

One of the highlights of the tour was our walk-around outside the museum, with a visit to Goldsworthy's Stone Sea and Yoko Ono's Wish Tree for St. Louis.

The St. Louis Wish Tree is actually three Japanese maples. The photo on the left explains the significance of the wish tree to Yoko Ono.

After hearing about the project, we were invited to write our wishes on a tag and tie them to one of the trees.  


As I searched for just the right spot to tie my tag to a branch, I couldn't help reading a few wishes nearby.

Several included good health and world peace. One person wanted a Samsung Galaxy.

My sister Kathleen spotted a request for a pink bunny. Hmmm. Wonder if that one will come true.

After our guided tour, we separated and did a self-tour before lunch. With limited time I didn't get to take in all of the amazing artwork, but I did get to view several major pieces.

Although I didn't add this to the Japanese maple trees, one of my wishes is to return to the Saint Louis Art Museum soon.

To learn more about the Saint Louis Art Museum and Yoko Ono's Wish Tree, visit their website.

2012 Memorial Day Remembrances and the Poem "In Flanders Fields"

My Memorial Day post from last year has had several hundred visitors and is my most popular. In case you missed it, here's a repost of the text:

On this Memorial Day please join me in remembering those who died serving our country.


I am remembering two friends of my youth who lost their lives in Vietnam.

James Donnelly, a classmate at Most Holy Name of Jesus School in North St. Louis, took me to the eighth-grade dance on the S.S. Admiral, and bought me my first corsage (pink and white carnations). The eighth-grade dance in 1962 was my first "official" date where a boy asked me to go out. Six years later James lost his life while serving as an Army soldier in Vietnam.

Mike Blassie was my escort to the St. Alphonsus (Rock) High School senior prom. Rock High was an all-girls' school, so we invited the boys--and Mike graciously accepted my invitation. That night he talked about how excited he was to be going to the Air Force Academy after graduation. First Lieutenant Michael Blassie's remains rested, for a time, in the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery before being returned to St. Louis in July, 1998.

Please take time today to remember James and Michael, along with all the fallen who gave their "last full measure of devotion" while serving our country.

If you've ever wondered the connection between the red poppies you see on sale around Memorial Day, read "In Flanders Field," the poem by Canadian Army Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. The link to the Arlington National Cemetery also has an explanation about the writing of "In Flanders Field."

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.



Remembering Basketball Legend Ed Macauley

I was sad to hear the news that Ed Macauley passed away last night.

"Easy Ed" Macauley was a star basketball player at St. Louis University, later for the Boston Celtics then the St. Louis Hawks. In 1960 he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Outside the basketball court, he was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather and a man of faith. Late in his life he became a decon in the Catholic Church and co-wrote a book on homilies titled Homilies Alive.

Several years ago, while writing an article for Sauce Magazine, I had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Macauley. He was very humble, gracious, easy to interview, and generous with his time.

So, rest in peace, Mr. Macauley. You left your mark on the world; you truly were a star.

North St. Louis Treasures - Spiritual and Sweet

North St. Louis, where I was born and lived until after high school graduation, was the final leg of the "Treasures of St. Louis" trip I took two weeks ago.

We stopped by Mount Grace Chapel, home of the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters. Mount Grace Chapel is tucked away in a corner of North St. Louis, not far from Interstate 70, an area unfortunately known for its poverty and high crime rate.

The day of our visit, smiling young mothers and grandmothers and their giggling children waved to us as the bus drove by some tidy brick homes, others were boarded up and abandoned. Two security guards kept watch as we parked and exited the bus. Walking inside the cool and dark chapel felt like entering an oasis of redemption in the midst of a desert of dispair.

The wooden pews are simple, but the altar is ornate, with a marble floors statues of angels and the Blessed Sacrament on display. During our visit, a lone nun, dressed in a pink habit and white veil, knelt in silent prayer at the foot of the altar, with her back to us. She prayed behind a gate which separated her from the outside world. After leaving the chapel, our tour guide ushered us to the Marian Center to meet Sister Mary Katherine, the mother superior.

The Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters are commonly known as the "pink sisters" because of the rose color of their habits. When I asked Sister Mary Katherine, who kindly permitted photos, why the sisters wear pink, she told me "the rose color signifies their dedication to the Holy Spirit and the joy of being in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament."

The sisters are cloistered, but they do not take the vow of silence, so they are permitted to speak. Mount Grace has 23 sisters, ranging in age from 25 to 90, and in the past few months they have had a few young women visit to learn about joining the order. Most of the sisters' days are devoted to prayer. In the photo on the left, Sister Mary Katerine stands behind an acrylic divider to signify her separation from the outside world.

Mount Grace Chapel was made possible through the generosity of Mrs. Maria Teresa Backer-Kulage and was dedicated in June 1928. Since then, one or two sisters have been kneeling in adoration before the exposed Blessed Sacrament day and night. Some folks give the pink sisters credit for praying for unusually mild weather (in the 70 degree range) our area experienced when Pope John Paul II visited St. Louis in January 1999. The nuns support themselves through donations. They also sell beautifully decorated cards and rosaries.

Several times a year I call to purchase memorial Mass cards from the sisters. The cards are elegantly decorated with calligraphy done by the sisters. The chapel is open daily to the public from 5:30 a.m. until 6:25 p.m. Daily Mass is at 7 a.m. and Vespers and Benediction daily at 5 p.m. and on Sundays at 4 p.m.

The final stop on our trip was--- in a word --- Sweet.

Crown Candy Kitchen (on left) has been a popular St. Louis landmark for decades. When I was young, my mom and dad took all us kids on Saturdays to 14th Street Shopping Center--an area on 14th Street and St. Louis Avenue. While Mom took us kids shopping at Krogers and Sobel's Department Store--or window shopping at Gervich Furniture--Dad waited for us at the cornern tavern. After shopping, if we behaved, Mom treated us to a scoop of ice cream at Crown Candy.

The day our tour bus visited, we arrived after 2 p.m., and customers stood in the 100 degree heat outside the door. The line we formed to buy ice cream trailed out the door and down the street to the bus. But our wait was short, and it was worth it. I got a scoop of chocolate chip in a cup then my sister Kathleen and I, along with several other of our travelers, ate our ice cream outside because there was no place to sit, or even stand.

When Kathleen and I finished our ice cream we squeezed back inside to buy some candy out of the glass display case. After out sweet stop at Crown Candy Kitchen we got back on the bus and headed home, passing familiar childhood landmarks along the way.

Our tour was sponsored by the City of St. Peters. To learn more about their day trips and tours, visit the City of St. Peters website.

Hope you enjoyed my virtual tour of the Treasures of St. Louis. Seeing so many wonderful places brought back memories of my childhood and has given me lots of ideas for essays and stories.

These posts also got me to wondering:

Have you ever visited a place from your past that has stired your imagination so much that you had to write about it?

If so, where?

If not, is there somewhere from your past you would like to revisit?

More Treasures of St. Louis

As a writer, I find architecture, history and historic landmarks fascinating. Maybe that's why day trips like the one I took last week are so exciting that I have to share what I learned.

Our lunch stop was Hannegan's Restaurant on Lacede's Landing, at the foot of the Mississippi River, not far from the Gateway Arch. The Landing was settled in 1784 by Pierre Laclede, one of the founders of St. Louis. Linda, our tour guide, told us that a huge fire in 1849 claimed the buildings on the Landing, except for the Old Cathedral and the Courthouse (where the Dred Scott Decision was rendered.)

We walked from the bus along the landing over the the red granite pavers (which we were told are not cobblestones because cobblestones get worn down by water and aren't good for horses). The red granite pavers were hand hewn and came from the quarry at Elephant Rock State Park.

Hannegan's is housed in the old Witte Hardware building. It sits across the street from the original Boatman's Bank, which was formed for riverboat workers to deposit their money before the spent it all on food, drink, and carousing the streets near the river.

Robert Hannegan was a Missouri Democrat who delivered over 30,000 votes for FDR in the 1940 Presidential election. He was later appointed Postmaster General, and he convinced FDR to recruit then Missouri Senator Harry S. Truman to become his Vice Presidential his running mate in 1948.

The inside of Hannegan's is a replica of the U.S. Senate Dining Room in Washington, D.C. On each table, a brass plate sits at the foot of the green-shaded lamps. Etched on the brass plates are the names of senators and the states they represent. The significance of the names of the senators is that they are the senators who voted to repeal Prohibition.

Let the good times roll! Or as Pierre Laclede would've said, "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez."

Our next stop was the magnificient Historic Samuel Cupples House on the campus of St. Louis University. Commissioned in 1888 and designed by architect Thomas Annan, the Cupples House is a lovely example of the Romanesque Revival style, build out of purple Colorado sandstone, complete with gargoyles.

The mansion has 42 rooms and 22 fireplaces, stained glass windows and intricately carved woodwork. My photos don't do justice to the exquisite interior of the mansion. I was so wrapped up in looking at all the antique furniture, sculptures, works of art and the glass collection, I almost forgot to take photos.

Many of the paintings, including a pair of paintings by 18th century Dutch Rocco master Jacob de Wit, were brought to St. Louis in 1845 by Jesuit priest Pierre DeSmet. The glass collection includes works by Suteben, Tiffany, and Lalique in the art noveau and art deco style.

The Zodiac windows (on the left) feature stanzas by St. Louis poet Eugene Fields.

The story of Samuel Cupples is intriguing. He was a self-made man of wealth, yet his personal life was filled with tragedy. His first wife died in childbirth, and his second wife (his first wife's sister) bore three children who died before the age seven.

His home was bought by St. Louis University in 1946, and was headed for the wrecking ball in the 1960s until Jesuit priest Father Maurice McNamee became the champion for its rescue.

The Historic Samuel Cupples House is located in the West Pine Mall on the campus of SLU in Midtown St. Louis. I plan to make a return visit. Who knows--perhaps I can work some of the history of Laclede's Landing or the Cupples House into a story--maybe a mystery even.

Happy Birthday, Mom, and St. Louis Treasures

Before I write about the tour I took last week, I want to wish my late mother a happy birthday. Katherine Mae Ledford was born in Hannibal , Missouri, the first child of Willie and Minerva Blanche. Mom was born on the same date (Jul 25) as her dad and her paternal grandmother, Katherine, whom she was named after. Mom's family moved to St. Louis when she was an infant. Lucky for me, because that's where she met my dad.

It seems fitting that on my mom's birthday I'm back with more about the "St. Louis Treasures" tour I took last week with my sister Kathleen because--like my mom and dad and family--the City of St. Louis, where I was born and lived until high school graduation, had an influence on the person I am now.

So, back to the tour. After leaving Soulard Market our second stop was the lovely St. Anthony of Padua Church on Meramec Street. St. Anthony's is "the Mother church of the Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart" and a cornerstone for the changing neighborhood in South St. Louis. The photo on the left does not do the magnificient church justice.

Our host at St. Anthony's was Mike Mount, who is a treasure trove of information. Mike reminded us that according to legend, St. Anthony is the patron saint of lost objects.

The original St. Anthony's was built in 1863 to serve German immigrants. The current church was begun in 1906 in the Romanesque style, and the cornerstone was laid in 1908. The church was consecrated in 1919 because as Mike told us a consecrated church has to be paid off--it cost $175,000 to build, which was a considerable sum--even back then. The Masses were in German until World War I.

Because of its beautiful design and long aisle, St. Anthony's is used for many weddings. The pews and confessionals are made of oak and the floors are white maple and terazzo tile. Emil Frei designed the 56 stained glass windows. One interesting facet of the church is the "friar's choir," which is off to the side of the main altar. It's a serene room where the brothers say their prayers.

A fire in April 1994 destroyed the roof of the church, and water damage from putting out the fire destroyed much of the wood in the church. The then archbishop of St. Louis Justin Rigali promised to have the church restored to its original splendor, which it has been at a cost of six-million dollars. The church is open daily until 2 p.m.

Leaving St. Anthony's I was amazed at the wealth of information Mike had, not only about St. Anthony's Church, but about architecture, stained glass, St. Louis and Church history, the Franciscans, church legends, and Catholic saints and icons. Mike should write a book--seriously--he has so much fascinating information to share and his passion about what he does shines through.

Although I was born and raised in St. Louis, learning about the city of my birth is an enriching experience, and reminds me I'm never too old to learn. As a writer, trips like these fascinate me because seeing new places or visiting familiar ones engages my mind, keeps me curious and gets my writing juices flowing.

In my next post I'll share the secret behind the green lamps on the tables at Hannegan's on the Landing.

To Market, To Market

Bright and early last Thursday morning my sister Kathleen and I drove to meet a tour bus and spent the day touring "St. Louis Treasures." Despite the 100+ temperature, our trip was very cool!

Tour guide Linda Koenig was a wealth of information--and a treasure herself.

Our first destination was Soulard Market, but before we arrived there, we saw quite a few sights while on the bus. We passed the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, which is 100 city blocks long. We even spotted a couple Clysdales grazing behind the AB fence. When Linda asked us what country the Clysdales were originally from, she got several answers. My guess was Lichtenstein. The correct answer: Scotland.

Driving down South Grand we saw Tower Grove Park and learned about the large Bosnian population (estimated at 70,000) that has settled in the area.

The entrance to Soulard Market in South St. Louis (on left) was bright and decorated with lovely summer flowers. Soulard Market is the oldest continuous farmers' market west of the Mississippi. While many of the stalls were empty, several were just unloading their trucks and we managed to make some purchases.

I bought some home-grown tomatoes from a farmer from Southern Illinois. At another booth I bought a patty pan squash. It had such an interesting shape I had to buy it! When I asked the man selling the vegetables how to prepare it, he wasn't quite sure. His English wasn't the best, so I decided to buy it anyway and do an Internet search for cooking ideas. If anyone knows how to prepare it, please let me know.

I passed up the bargains at the butcher shop (on the left) where you could buy goats, lamb, pickled pigs feet, and other unusual meats. The sign at the bottom about the Pet Shop out back got me curious--and cautious.

But I couldn't pass up the Spice Shop. Just walking inside was an adventure. Kathleen bought a spinach and cheese spice mix to use for a dish for Bunco, and I bought some spices for my husband Walt--who loves to cook.

If you're ever in St. Louis, check out Soulard Market for an some delicious sights, sounds, smells and--when you get home--tastes. Be sure to check out the dates and times before you go because it's not open every day.

Next week I'll post about some of the other cool places we visited on "St. Louis Treasures Tour" on the hottest day of the year.