A day off

Last weekend we took a day trip into Missouri wine country, something we'll do a couple of times each summer. Although there are several choices within 60-90 minutes of St. Louis, we chose Hermann this time.

A German settlement started around 1840 on the bank of the Missouri river, many of the historic buildings are still around, and the often-imposing hills make this a picturesque place to spend a day sipping wine, antique shopping, and watching the river flow by.

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We did all of these things, but not in that order: we started with the river:

Arriving a bit earlier than the wineries opened, we just stood in the shade of some bald cypress trees and watched for turtles to poke their heads out of the muddy water.

Speaking of the bald cypress trees, this one really caught my eye:

Its foliage is so long and feathery!

Very different from the bald cypress tree that I have in my yard. Here's what a typical bald cypress looks like:

Here's the feathery one again for comparison:

So different -- I love it!

This huge hook and chain next to the river are probably not used anymore:

I'd love to add that to my garden (if I could carry it)!

This was a hot day and we started getting hungry, so we left the riverfront and decided upon having lunch at Stone Hill Winery. Since we got there a few minutes before the restaurant opened, we decided to walk around the winery first.

This spot was probably my favorite, offering several great photo opportunities:

I want a 170-year-old stone wall in my garden!

I also want one of these:

A conservatory is probably more likely than the wall. More practical too.


The restaurant entry had a nice little garden:

From the visitor that joined us for lunch it's obvious that there is some wildlife out here too:

After lunch a few more photos as we walked to the car to head back into town:

I took this one only for the Perilla, which apparently is a colorful "problem" here too:

Back in town we strolled, seeing another picturesque winery (Hermannhof) ...

...but not visiting (we've been there before). We instead got ice cream and visited a couple of antique stores. We expected to find high-priced items only (for the tourists like us!) but were surprised to find a fantastic deal on a very small school desk:

This thing is in great shape and was priced at only $29. We brought it home and did some research...

It's probably from the 1890's. Amazingly good condition, and is just the perfect height...

...to be a cat perch so they can look out into the garden!

Such an exciting find, and a fun day overall!

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