Riggins with little brother Charlie and little sister Sadie.

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Saturday, February 19, 2011

Saturday Mumblings.

My bride and I were up about 05:30AM for our morning coffee, she went back for a nap and I decided to hit the computer for some blogging. About 09:00AM Adam asked if he could call his friend Brandon who live behind us, in less than a minute I heard what sounded like and elephant coming down the stairs and it was Adam, "Grandpa can I go out and play with Brandon he's on his way over", I said sure make sure you have a jacket it's only in the 40's, out he went like his pants were on fire.

Nicole and Chris are at their father's for his weekend. Seems like most kid's today have parents that are split up, I thank God Donna & I weathered all of life's storms so far.

Here is some news, while I was picking up kid's from school and stopping at the McDonalds with the playpen on the way home, Sadie was at the groomer's, wow, what a difference it makes , you can see her face now and her fur isn't dragging on the ground.  What do you think?

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            Grandpa what does pretty mean?

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               My Big sister Nicole is holding me.

Sadie&Rigg's02-18-11a

This is my big brother Rigg's, He is my best friend & protector.

Donna has the restaurant tonight, but this morning she said those word's that strike fear in every man's heart, I am going to target is there anything you need, I said no honey, unless you happen to be stopping at the John Deere dealer, I could use some plugs, and air filter, fuel filter,oil and oil filter, and oh yeah three new blades for the deck. All I got out of that one was a "Yeah Right".

That is on my list of things to do when I am sure the plowing season is over and I go back to the cutting mode, probably the first of March.

Here's a news tidbit I found today,

eads_admiral

                           SS Admiral Showboat.

imagesadmiral-ballroom

The Main Ballroom with Bob Cuban Brass, what a way to spend a night after a great Dinner in one of the dining rooms.

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     In it's last days as the President Casino.

How many out there remember the SS Admiral showboat, for many, many years. It was a fixture at the St Louis Riverfront, Making daily cruises and evening Dinner and Dance cruises, It was the largest riverboat on an inland waterway in the US powered by three 900hp diesel engines. It's 1930's art deco styling was a classic, that still seemed modern in the 70's when Donna & I used to cruise it.

In the late 1970's it failed a Coast Guard inspection for seaworthiness so it was converted to a floating Casino.

That lasted until 2006 when the Casino face changed in St Louis and it became out of date.

In about two weeks it will be towed north near Alton Il, where it will be cut up and scrapped. The end of an era as there is nothing like it left on the river today.

I know nothing is forever, but somehow to this old guy the riverfront will never be the same without the lineup of riverboats from my youth. SS Admiral, SS President ( not to be confused with the renamed Admiral after it became a casino), SS Mark Twain, SS Becky Thatcher, and yes they even had the MacDonalds Barge. The last cruise we took was on the steamboat SS President it was a great night with friends Barb & Rick Ferron and their daughter from PA. It was filling in for the Admiral that was being repaired and it had the Bob Kuban Brass,  playing in the Ballroom.  All I can say is a know a 15 year old teenager that had stars in her eyes when she got home from that night on the river. The band is what really made it happen, they would fill that ballroom with sounds you couldn't get anywhere else, Rock, Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, Swing, you name they could belt it out and the night just seemed to go on and on.

To bad you can't bottle those kind of memories for a special occasion, I would line up to buy a bottle.

Before I forget, I got a request for a progress report on my sister Wendy, she is still on the walker but she is being allowed to drive and the strength is coming back to her ankle to where she is able to put more weight on it. She hopes that by April the walker will not be needed and she will just take a cane for when she is tired. Also Samantha is taking her medicine and says she is feeling better so maybe the injured list will be shrinking around here.

That's about it for today, Adam had spent the day running and trampolining so he will sleep good tonight. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

11 comments:

  1. Seems like lately you have been the Head Nurse (Ratchet??) in sick bay!! Hope everyone is "up and running", and you can relax..finally. Love little sister's new haircut..a little lipstick and a bow and she'll knock 'em dead!! Almost Happy Hour..Cheers, Sam and Donna!

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  2. I remember that McDonalds barge there on the river. When you had flooding there a few years back, I could not imagine it being all the way to the arch! I kept wondering what damage must have been done to the underground museum.

    Loved the ride up the Arch, although it is a "little" tight in those seats.

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  3. I was born & raised in St. Louis, and have VERY fond memories of many many excursions aboard the Admiral. I hate to see it's going to be cut up & used for scrap. What a shame that these wonderful old structures/buildings/whatever aren't around for many more to enjoy.

    Very sad...

    Renee

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  4. Sadie's new haircut looks great!

    That old boat with the full ballroom sure looked like a good place for a party.

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  5. Sam,
    Loved the picture of the Admiral & Bob Kuban and "The In-Men" as I remember them from my St.Louis days. It could have been my wife and I out on the dance floor the clothing and "look" was from our last visit to the Admiral in the early 70's before we got married. I should go back and get a piece of scrap as memorabilia.
    Randy
    Santa Barbara,CA

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  6. Awww your little fur kids are adorable!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  7. What an incredible ship the SS Admiral Showboat! Looks like a great boat for an outing.
    Sadie sure looks cute after the groomer finished her.

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  8. The problem with the Admiral is it is too big to stick in a museum and not profitable enough to be refurbished and put back into commission. It is the way of life that today's youth isn't interested in supporting the previous generation's memories. They are too busy living and creating their own memories. And that isn't a bad thing.

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  9. My DH lived in MO and went to school in Rolla. I had to show him the photo of the dance because I could swear one of the guys in the photo is him. He says he doesn't remember it but you know how those old guys (don't tell him I called him that) are, just can't remember a lot of things. (lol)

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  10. Great post...love reading your historical comments.

    Sadie looks really, really cute!!

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  11. Sadie looks so pretty I am sure Rigg's is so proud to be seen with her.

    Such a shame that the showboat couldn't have been kept up. It sure was a beautiful looking boat.

    Kevin and Ruth
    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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