“On the road again -
Goin' places that I've never been.
Seein' things that I may never see again
On the road again -
And our way is on the road again.
7/20/2012 \
St Louis, MO
Our daughter Renee and her husband James Hall live in St Louis, and it is always thrilling to spend time with them. We parked the Winnie in front of their home and spent several days with them.
I had learned that William Clark was buried in St Louis, the Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. We visited the historic Bellefontaine Cemetery and gave our respects to Brother Clark.
I was quite surprised to discover that he was a Mason, and you will see the Masonic Square and Compass embedded in this monument immediately above his bust. It is my understanding that Lewis is burried in Nashville, TN, and we've put that visit on our bucket list.
The Bellefontaine Cemetery is a 160 year old historical garden on life in early St Louis, and interesting enough it is still an active cemetery. While we wandered through historical portions of the well marked cemetery, we came across the monument for General Kearny. Immediately, this lit a fuse in my brain; and then I recalled he was the General who in 1846 brought the US Army with the Missouri Volunteers to the Territory of New Mexico to secure Santa Fe from the Mexican Government and open the Santa Fe Trail to the pioneers. The Territory of New Mexico then included the state of Arizona. General Kearney was also a Mason and accompanying him with the Missouri Volunteers was a Col. Roll's, who at that time was the Grand Master of Missouri. He created a traveling military Lodge in Santa Fe. When the army unit moved to Mexico, a second military lodge was started. It also left with the Army. This left a void in Masonry in NM. The Masons of Santa Fe requested the Grand Lodge of Missouri start a Lodge in Santa Fe, and this became Montezuma Lodge. Montezuma Lodge #1 was one of 5 Masonic Lodges that started the Grand Lodge of New Mexico in 1876.
General Kearny's monument and Family graves.
Adolphus Busch
1839–1913
Brewer
Forty breweries existed in St. Louis, when Eberhardt Anheuser bought before the Civil War, the Bavarian Brewery. His daughter, Lilly, married Adolphus Busch, who sold supplies to the brewery. After the Civil War, Busch joined his father-in-law in the brewing business. Carl Conrad, a native of Budweis, Bavaria, was Busch's good friend who developed a formula for the new, light lager beer we enjoy as Budweiser. Anheuser Bush recently merged, AB-InBev and is today the world's largest brewery.
Renee and James are career management staff with Anheuser Busch. The first monument we found was that of Adolphus and Lilly Busch. This is our baby daughter, Renee Hall.
We visited the St Louis Science Center and participated in two "Omimax" Theater presentations. I suggest that the Omimax is an Imax theater only more spectacular. The presentations in this theater gave me the feeling of being alone in space or under the clouded canopy of the star decked heavens. Regardless of the tittle of the presentation the Omnimax experience is fabulous.
St Louis Shrine Children's Hospital
Having been an active Masonic/Shrine Family we have visited Shrine Hospitals previously, but we had never availed upon the opportunity to visit the hospital in St Louis. We made a mistake to start with and asked the GPS to take us. We found the second Shrine Hospital, which as just closed.
When we drove up I couldn't believe the overgrown brush and grass, and said to my self "This couldn't be a Shrine Hospital!". We learned a new hospital had just been opened and the one where we were had only been vacant some 6 weeks. That show how much rain they've had in St Louis and how vegetation does grow when you have water and sunshine.
We drove to the Washington Hospital area and there was the brand new St Louis Shrine Hospital for Children. Dottie and Renee are my professional models for today standing by Mr. Shriner offering his arm and helping hand to a child.
Being I'm the Shriner I had to get into the act also.
This new hospital is located next to the Washington Hospital Complex to take advantage of shared research. The facility had only been open two weeks prior to our visit, so it was brand new. It's a three story structure and 90,000 sq feet in size. This compares to the second hospital shown above of 150,000 sq feet. Medical treatment having completely changed since the #2 hospital was opened in 1962. The new hospital has 30,000 square feet dedicated to research, and this is the partner with the University Medical Complex.
This is the first Shrine Hospital in St Louis, and was opened in 1922. This facility is just a few blocks from the new hospital. It served the treatment of Shrine Children for 40 years from 1922 until 1962. Looking closely you can see the erased Shrine Emblem in the corner stone, and in the upper right you see the words "Shrine"
(download)
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 non-profit medical facilities across North America. Children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.
Shrine Hospitals for Children, known as "The World's Greatest Philanthropy," are owned and operated by Shriners International, a Freemasonry-related organization simply known today as the Shriners. Children not required to have any familial affiliation with the Shriners order nor Freemasonry. At Shriners Hospitals for Children the goal is to help each child become as healthy and independent as possible.
The St Louis Hospital serves 22 Midwest Shrine Temples from Oklahoma to Wisconsin. The children are transported to the Hospital in Shrine Vans driven by volunteer Nobles of the Shrine. Now after the two week shake down this hospital is up to receiving 75 ~ 80 patients a day. Bruce, a volunteer Noble was our docent and displayed are the 'Fezzes" of the 22 Temple this Hospital serves.
The light and airy waiting room for parents and their children.
Noble Bruce demonsted the Interactive Screen that changes with movement. This is a favorite of our Shrine Kids.Oh! they love the action of making the scene change. 
I'll close on the Shrine Hospitals and only relate that I have been a Shriner for over 50 years, and our Philanthropy is honored among us. We are not the 'New Kids on the block as we have been at this endeavor for 93 years. Helping Children is our belief and our creed. I'm proud to be a Shriner and a Mason.
St Louis Science Center.
Another part of the Science Center. This was a hot humid day in St Louis, and the Center being air-conditioned you might guess where families were with their children. The Center had numerous interactive activities for the youth, and young adults (we older youngsters too).
We practice and love to walk in the mornings. This morning our walk was along the Mississippi River, and only part of the park was open. The Mississippi had crested just a couple of days prior to our arriving in St Louis, so the river was still out of it's banks.
I want to show this picture, as it shows the mud that the receding water has left on the banks (concrete). Some years ago we visited Dale Nettleton, a former associate of mine, who had retired back to north eastern Missouri. This just happened to be shortly after the Mississippi has been on a rampage and flooded all the bottom farms. Dale took us on a tour of the flooded areas, and it amazed us. I remarked "Dale, for gosh sakes don't these farmers know that every so often this Ole River floods? Why don't they just give up and farm elsewhere?" Why, he replied, "This is the richest soil in the country. When the river floods like it has, they get a new cover of top soil. These are the highest producing farms in Missouri". This picture is a good example of the lome top soil; and if you step on it, you'd call it 'sticky stinking mud'.
This home on the bluff just above the park commands quite a view. Nope, no flooding up there.
We received a call from Abe Lincoln, suggesting that being we had so recently visited the Ike and and Harry's Libraries, that we should plan on stopping in Springfield and visiting him. By gosh with a personal invitation like that, we're on our way to Springfield, Illinois
Come on Willie sing us another verse, and we’ll move on down the road.
Norm & Dottie