Eldon Turkey Festival -- Quilts

Quilts in the order she took them.  They were displayed in the community center large room.  Enjoy.

I think these must be ties??

Eldon Turkey Days -- Tractors

Carol was too late for the band (check out Kristi's blog) so she took a few photos of tractors for Max, Lucas, Ayden and Alec!!  And any one else who is young at heart.

There were red and green and blue and yellow tractors.

And a black automobile by Henry Ford.

Apple Pie Time in Missouri!!

The Nazarene church in Eldon makes and sells pies to generate funds for Missions projects.  The set up is quite efficient and requires 40-50 volunteers per session.  In the garage where the church buses and tractor are normally housed, are the tables for peeling the apples.  The gentleman in white hat takes the peels and cores and feeds his hogs.  He is turning a "peeler" and the gentleman across is cutting into pie sized pieces and checking for bad spots.

My "partner" is in the black hat.  The peeler I borrow from Jay is just visible in the bottom right corner.  Behind to left are empty boxes which hold 1 and 1/9 bushel of apples or 80-90 apples.

The lady in the kitchen with the maroon apron is the "pie chef".    She has been running the operation for several years.   She also volunteers at Eldon Food Pantry Thrift Store on Wednesdays so I sometimes work with her there, too.

From 1-5 a crew comes in and makes the crust "balls" on the round platter in foreground.  These are then rolled into the bottom crust and placed in the aluminum pie pans by several "holy rollers" including Louise in the yellow blouse on left side of table.  The whole assembly operation is set up in their activities center which also has basket ball court, etc.

The bottom crusts go to the filling area where 4 cups of apple slices are added then topped with butter, sugar, cinnamon & ??.

The filled pies are staged awaiting top crust.  The top crust crew was too small this evening, as the table is normally not this full.

The dough balls are rolled into upper crusts and placed on the filled pies.  I think they crimp and vent the pies here, too.

They then package and place into freezer or into boxes for immediate dispersal to advance sales customers who can bake them or freeze them.  The gentleman in front is taping the directions for baking onto the plastic covers (they use #1 PETE containers which are recyclable!)  In a 2 hour shift (6-8pm) they complete about 400 pies. Target total is over 3500 pies(oopss  make that 5000-5500 pies)!!   Pies sell for $7 each or 6 for $35.  They are REALLY GOOD!!

Sara and Wem, I thought of you making 400 lunches for a fund raiser at MTC.

Korbyn is Two!!

Miss K's bedroom, just recently redone.

Miss K liked to look at her cake, BUT NO WAY was she going to blow out the candles.  Daddy Sam did it 3 times for her.

Her adoring audience sang Happy Birthday, but I was paraphrasing Para bens Voce in my head!!  Just for the Brasilians.

Miss K did enjoy the cake and wore a bit for show!!  We thought she would take a nap, but NO the sugar kicked in and the kid was wired!!

Miss K opens a large present with Alec, Ayden and Ava wishing they could HELP, as she was almost as slow as Great Grandma Ella Blecke!!

Even Great Grandpa Gary had to help a bit under the watchful eyes of Savana and Sam.

Miss K opens a doll with daddy Sam watching.  Note the torn knees on his jeans.  They are the "in" thing.

Another present.

Of course some Dora the Explorer!!

Great Grandma Pat gave a bank and $5 in coins which they carefully dropped into the piggy.  Shannon and Ayden are watching from the couch. 

Carol E and Miss K with her new backpack.

Aunt Kristi with her two new leg weights!!

Grandma and mommy Kim with two of her three girls.

MANY MORE HAPPY BIRTHDAYS KORBYN

Improvements at MTC grounds and road

Photo in 2009 which shows the fields below the main building.  Note the area just above and between the two predominant posts.  That is tall cane of some sort which blocks the view of the road at the base of the hill in background.

A higher vantage point - taken from 3rd floor of main building in 2011.  Just above the yellow date stamp is a tan ribbon of road.  All the cane has been removed and the road improved.

The knoll leading up to entrance of MTC in 2009.  Sara, Max and Lucas are looking at the irrigation canal.  Note the heavy green growth behind them.

2011 the same knoll.  I was standing just below the irrigation ditch and looking down the same knoll.  You can now see the fence and the roadside!!  Way to go Wem!!

Pontoon Ride Late August

The captain, Jay, and crew, Louise, were kind enough to take us on a quiet morning cruise of the cove.  They wanted it to be longer, but we were delighted to just stay close to home.

Passengers, Bob and Pat, had come from KC to visit.

Passengers, Ron and Carol, also wore their hats to protect our sensitive skin from the warm sun.  It was a delightful ride with a surprise HOUSE on the property that Gary's family used to have around the corner by Hachlers.  Don't know where they will put the septic system???  Maybe they will just use porta-pots!!

It is a rainy, cool Saturday in Missouri today.