Boonville, Missouri
If you have never been to this central Missouri town, located about 20 miles west of Columbia, Missouri, you should pay it a visit! I was lucky enough to be there in October, a fabulous time to see lovely changing leaves. I also spent time there with longtime family friends, which made it even more special!
Without further ado, the pictures . . .
Before heading to Boonville, I took these photos from my hotel balcony in St. Louis:
Then I drove the two hours to Boonville, where I would visit a family I have known my entire life. The parents of the family--now grandparents--were good friends of my own parents. Their sons were all just a bit older than me and feel like family. Now two of the boys have their own children, and I spent a lot of time with them and, of course, my trusty camera!
First, here are some sights around the town of Boonville:
The old train depot.
Feeding fish outside the Isle of Capri gambling boat, with my friend Dylan.
A downtown advertising mural.
Snapshots of downtown Boonville. The last of these places, "Jim's," was the site of our Saturday night outing. It is a true dive bar, offering everything one could want in a bar: shuffleboard, pool, a dance floor and fresh popcorn. And a place where people go all out with their halloween costumes! (Those photos to be added later)
Spending time with the family was the best! Here are Karen and her grandson, Dylan:
And my parents' friends and all three of their grandchildren:
The rock on which they are seated is a new addition to the front yard, one of which Jack, who hauled it there, is extremely proud!
"Black dog." Jack is very fond of talking about how great Black Dog is, and he's right. She is very loyal. She rides everywhere with him in his truck, emerging from the truck with him when she is allowed, and patiently sitting in the truck when she is not. Black Dog is even known to have escaped the clutches of a novice dog beauty parlor worker, when she feared that Jack was leaving her behind . . . this resulted in a wet and soapy dog running across the street, with a wet beautician not far behind!
Behind Black Dog is the red front door of our friends' house. It has been that color as long as I can remember. Just one of those little things that really takes you back in your memory!
Abby.
Campbell.
Dylan.
We played in the back yard:
And there was much swinging:
And twirling, while playing "blind man's bluff":
And scratching of dogs:
When the dogs were not waiting with a cow:
I laughed as hard as I remember laughing in a long time when this supposedly relaxed dog:
suddenly leaped toward our spinning "blind man" Dylan, barking furiously, and scared all of us in the process. Abby and I laughed until we cried.
Then there was more goofing around:
And Campbell decided she, too, was ready to pose for a picture:
Before she went to work:
The next day, Dylan and I set off on a photo-taking expedition, where we found the downtown scenes photographed above, as well as these:
An old bridge.
Prehistoric places.
Dylan, with the Missouri River, at "Lookout Point."
The artistic effort of an 8 year old who likes photographing bottoms:
Gorgeous river:
Ladies with dogs:
Dylan in action:
Chatting between friends:
Gorgeous trees:
Dylan in a thoughtful pose:
Leaves like a rainbow:
Contemplation among the leaves:
And more swinging:
I vividly remember these baseball fields. We watched the boys play there every summer when we visited this family. Being near them took me back in time 25 years, to when I was 11.
Even so, I don't remember ever seeing the sky and leaves look quite like this:
In my last few hours before heading to the airport, I "hung out" with the family's father and young Dylan at the "shop"--the family business:
This is "White Dog," whom I very much wanted to bring home with me. Here, she wrestles playfully with her grandmother, Black Dog:
Jack with the "chick bike" he wants me to ride:
Dylan with a family friend, who I have also known since I was a little girl:
and Dylan with his beloved dad, Mark:
Without further ado, the pictures . . .
Before heading to Boonville, I took these photos from my hotel balcony in St. Louis:
Then I drove the two hours to Boonville, where I would visit a family I have known my entire life. The parents of the family--now grandparents--were good friends of my own parents. Their sons were all just a bit older than me and feel like family. Now two of the boys have their own children, and I spent a lot of time with them and, of course, my trusty camera!
First, here are some sights around the town of Boonville:
The old train depot.
Feeding fish outside the Isle of Capri gambling boat, with my friend Dylan.
A downtown advertising mural.
Snapshots of downtown Boonville. The last of these places, "Jim's," was the site of our Saturday night outing. It is a true dive bar, offering everything one could want in a bar: shuffleboard, pool, a dance floor and fresh popcorn. And a place where people go all out with their halloween costumes! (Those photos to be added later)
Spending time with the family was the best! Here are Karen and her grandson, Dylan:
And my parents' friends and all three of their grandchildren:
The rock on which they are seated is a new addition to the front yard, one of which Jack, who hauled it there, is extremely proud!
"Black dog." Jack is very fond of talking about how great Black Dog is, and he's right. She is very loyal. She rides everywhere with him in his truck, emerging from the truck with him when she is allowed, and patiently sitting in the truck when she is not. Black Dog is even known to have escaped the clutches of a novice dog beauty parlor worker, when she feared that Jack was leaving her behind . . . this resulted in a wet and soapy dog running across the street, with a wet beautician not far behind!
Behind Black Dog is the red front door of our friends' house. It has been that color as long as I can remember. Just one of those little things that really takes you back in your memory!
Abby.
Campbell.
Dylan.
We played in the back yard:
And there was much swinging:
And twirling, while playing "blind man's bluff":
And scratching of dogs:
When the dogs were not waiting with a cow:
I laughed as hard as I remember laughing in a long time when this supposedly relaxed dog:
suddenly leaped toward our spinning "blind man" Dylan, barking furiously, and scared all of us in the process. Abby and I laughed until we cried.
Then there was more goofing around:
And Campbell decided she, too, was ready to pose for a picture:
Before she went to work:
The next day, Dylan and I set off on a photo-taking expedition, where we found the downtown scenes photographed above, as well as these:
An old bridge.
Prehistoric places.
Dylan, with the Missouri River, at "Lookout Point."
The artistic effort of an 8 year old who likes photographing bottoms:
Gorgeous river:
Ladies with dogs:
Dylan in action:
Chatting between friends:
Gorgeous trees:
Dylan in a thoughtful pose:
Leaves like a rainbow:
Contemplation among the leaves:
And more swinging:
I vividly remember these baseball fields. We watched the boys play there every summer when we visited this family. Being near them took me back in time 25 years, to when I was 11.
Even so, I don't remember ever seeing the sky and leaves look quite like this:
In my last few hours before heading to the airport, I "hung out" with the family's father and young Dylan at the "shop"--the family business:
This is "White Dog," whom I very much wanted to bring home with me. Here, she wrestles playfully with her grandmother, Black Dog:
Jack with the "chick bike" he wants me to ride:
Dylan with a family friend, who I have also known since I was a little girl:
and Dylan with his beloved dad, Mark:
posted by Lisa at 8:13 PM
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