What We Do in the Lou - updated 7/31/15 with Superhero Sunday @ the Melting Pot - Page 4 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
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Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
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To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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A very nice thing to do on a chilly day! The photos of the butterflies and flowers are so nice. Very nice to have this activity free with membership, but even if you had to pay it's very reasonable.
It was! I hadn't been in years and this was a first for the boys.
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Originally Posted by lauriep
A very nice thing to do on a chilly day! The photos of the butterflies and flowers are so nice. Very nice to have this activity free with membership, but even if you had to pay it's very reasonable.
Not too bad at all. That membership is really coming in handy - I just signed us up for 2 activities in May at the Botancil Garden that will be free because of our membership. One is Member's Day in the Children's Garden and another is about art with Legos!
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You're certainly getting your money's worth from your membership. I love butterflies, so this was right up my street and you got some great photos of them.
You're certainly getting your money's worth from your membership. I love butterflies, so this was right up my street and you got some great photos of them.
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Terrific "visit" for those unfortunate enough not to live here in Da Lou, Toodles! My compliments on a job well done.
Have you taken in the orchid show at the MOBot visitor center? I doubt that your boys would get a big thrill from it, but DH and I being old fogies thought all the multi-level placements of orchids were really spectacularly arranged. We enjoyed it very much.
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The Butterfly House is very well done and has such beautiful butterflies.
It really is beautiful. I hope we can see the Morphos this month!
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Originally Posted by KMB733
Looks like a fun visit to the Butterfly house!!
It was fun!
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Originally Posted by Her Dotness
Terrific "visit" for those unfortunate enough not to live here in Da Lou, Toodles! My compliments on a job well done.
Have you taken in the orchid show at the MOBot visitor center? I doubt that your boys would get a big thrill from it, but DH and I being old fogies thought all the multi-level placements of orchids were really spectacularly arranged. We enjoyed it very much.
Thank you! We have not made it to the orchid show and probably won't this year - maybe another time.
So it's been a year since I posted here and we didn't do a whole lot last year. This year, however, we plan to do enough to make up for last year, and then some maybe.
So let's start with an adult only trip Mike & I took to Hermann, MO last month. The first full weekend in March was a 'free' weekend as basketball, indoor soccer & tae kwan do were over and outdoor soccer wouldn't start until next weekend. Mike requested the time off and we were good to go. I found a guest house that looked nice online, booked a night, and we were set once Mike's parents agreed to watch the boys (as mine had gone off to Spring Training in FL).
Hermann is about an hour from our house, so a nice little drive but still close enough. From the Historic Hermann website:
Nestled along the banks of the Missouri River, just 90 minutes from downtown Saint Louis and about 3 hours from Kansas City. The City of Hermann is a picturesque German Community offering Old-World hospitality and the quiet charms of an earlier time. With an abundance of spectacular views, more than 150 historic buildings, quaint inn and B&Bs, world class wineries, museums, shops and galleries, and fine dining, Hermann is the perfect place for romantic retreats. It is a perfect getaway not far from home!
And from Wikipedia: Hermann is a city designated in 1842 as the county seat of Gasconade County, Missouri, United States. It is near the center of the Missouri Rhineland and south of the Missouri River. The population was 2,431 at the 2010 census.
The city is the commercial center of the Hermann American Viticultural Area, whose seven wineries produce about one-third of the state's wine. Designated in 1983, it is one of the first federally recognized American Viticultural Areas. The designation recognized the renaissance of an area of vineyards and wineries established by German immigrants during the mid-19th century. Shut down by Prohibition, it began to revive in the 1960s.
Hermann holds a Maifest during the third weekend in May and an Oktoberfest the first four weekends in October. Hermann also calls itself the sausage-making capital of Missouri.[8]
Mike & I had gone a few years ago for Oktoberfest with friends, but this was our first 'just us' trip there. We left later than intended but arrived shortly after lunch. The 'innkeepers' had let me know we could go in whenever and there was a code on the door to allow entry. We were very pleased with the room. After staying in villas so much at WDW, I've become accustomed to having at least a kitchenette and was happy to have one even if we didn't need it.
front of the house
back of the house - the entry to our 'suite' is the white door on the lower level in the middle
the view - of the MO river
After checking out the room and unpacking a bit, we headed out to one of the local wineries and did a tasting. We walked around a bit but then headed back to the room to change for the evening.
We headed out to another winery that we enjoyed on our last visit. We did the tour here and then had dinner at the restaraunt on property.
Photos from the tour:
COLD
yes, that guy is trying to fit inside. They told him he could as 'back in the day' this is how they would clean them - the men would or kids; women have too big of hips to fit.
The best part here, is after your $2.50 tour you can taste all the wine you want!!
Around the rest of Stone Hill Winery:
We then headed back to the room, turned on the fireplace, and watched the Blues hockey game.
The next morning I got up earlier than Mike. I started making oatmeal and then we realized we needed to get moving. This morning/last night was daylight savings time and we'd lost a whole hour. We quickly showered and packed and then headed out. We met the innkeepers as we were leaving and they were lovely. I hope to return sometime when the garden is in full bloom as I'm sure it's gorgeous!
We headed into town and walked around as it was Sunday and not much opened before noon. We thought about going to the brewery, but since I'd seen signs for a nearby distillery in New Haven and Mike loves whiskey we headed there instead.
I liked the look of this door - and it was a huge door!
you can take Amtrak to Hermann too
The distillery was tiny, but so much fun! And woah! Those samples about knocked me on my butt, but don't worry I was still ok to get us home.
the theater was named Walt - appropriate
I hope you enjoyed a little taste of Hermann. Writing this has put in my mind, maybe going back this summer for Mike & I's birthday - maybe for 2 nights this time!
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Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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I love butterflies, so this was right up my street and you got some great photos of them.
Holly: 
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