Is there a Nurse in the House?!

This group of 4 Nurses and 1 Veterinary Nurse is spending the weekend biking the Katy Trail from St. Charles to Marthasville and back; and they picked the hottest weekend of the year so far to do it!  Good thing they know how to hydrate well and stay properly nourished!  They called ahead and ordered a pasta dinner so, once they cooled off in the shower and chilled out a little, they could enjoy a nice relaxing meal.  This is one fun group who thoroughly enjoys each others company.  I could hear the laughing late into the night; even after such a long, hot, exhausting day!

George's delicious Pasta with Spicy Italian Meat Sauce.

Breakfast:  Michelle, Tammy, Jane(Angie's Mom), Angie and Sam.

Posing with Jesse.

LOVE This Tat Sam!  Nurses have a great sense of humor...

On their way....

June 9th: Soldier's Angel Troy Yocum!

Here's another unbelievable human being walking across America to raise awareness and money for a very special and much needed organization.  Iraq war veteran, Troy Yocum from Kentucky, did some serious soul searching while watching fellow soldiers and their families experience the traumas of war long after they returned home.  He knew that, once his tour was over, he had to do something real and effective to help.  While researching groups to align himself with he found "Soldier's Angles" was where he could do the greatest good and offered himself up to take on a walk across America to draw attention to the Soldier's needs.  Troy spent over 6 months raising money from sponsors for his trip and has a busy itinerary of speaking, meeting and greeting all across the country.  Troy's wife Marieke, whom he met while on leave in Germany, and dog Emmie are walking with him;  friend Terry drives the RV that they sleep in most nights.  This small band of brothers found us, while walking the Katy Trail across Missouri, because the shower in their RV broke and none of them had showered in 4 days!  Hot and sweaty from the humid Missouri summer, the desperate group asked a St. Louis "Trail Angel" to see if someone might put them up for the night.  I said yes in an instant of course, since meeting Jonathan and Ben, I have such a soft spot for anyone doing great humanitarian feats. Small ones too.

Here's the RV the group is traveling in to cross the US twice on their 18 month 7000 mile journey.

Troy on drum, Marieke (with Harley the chihuahua) and Terry singing along with George in the wine cellar.

The guys Jamming....

Troy gets up early each morning to answer the tons of emails he gets and to plan his day.  Emmie and Harley wait patiently under the table. 
Follow Troy on his Blog www.drumhike.com.  Or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Hike-for-our-Heroes.   Follow Emmie at www.drumhike.com/emmie, she has developed her own set of fans and is becoming the most famous dog in the US! 

May 26th: Jonathan Stalls "Kiva Walk" Across America!

This is a first for me, I have had bikers biking across America and I've had walkers walking the Katy Trail but this is the first time I have had someone walking across America!  Jonathan Stalls is one amazing guy walking with his beautiful dog Kanoa across the US to raise awareness for an ingenious and much needed non profit organization called Kiva.
Here is a little bit about it:
"Kiva" is a Swahili word which means "unity" or "agreement", Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty.  Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva is creating a global community of people connected through lending.  To find out more click here www.kiva.org.
 Johathan's friend Ben Purner joined him on the walk for a several weeks before going back to school in Colorado where he is studying nursing.  The two met in Ireland while working on a community youth project.
Guys, it was an honor to have you stay at the BnB, I'm so glad our paths crossed!
 You can follow Jonathan's walk on his blog www.kivawalk.com.

Here are the guys in the wine cellar cooling off with some Warsteiner.

and on the porch getting ready to hit the trail again....Jesse is saying good bye to his pals...

May 24th: Cross Country with Bruce and Steve...

Retired cop, Bruce Wynkoop and retired DNR (department of natural resources) dude Steve Mueller, are good pals and avid bikers from Mineapolis, MN who decided to take the Katy Trail to cut across Missouri while biking across the Entire Country.  I joined them for a yummy pasta dinner (prepared by moi) and great conversation, along with some of our local Missouri wine.  Dinner was followed by a spectacular light show courtesy of an amazing storm that was rolling in.  We all sat on the porch with our wine and Oooed and Ahhhed for about an hour as the sky lit up like the 4th of July for us!  Glad you guys rolled up the Hill, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening!

May 21st: Party time with The Zeigers and Burches!

This bunch has fun where ever they go!  They spent 3 days biking the Katy and called ahead to make sure the hot tub would be ready.  While stopping for "refreshments" at the Treloar Grill just off the Katy, they heard about our Warsteiner Beer on tap in the wine cellar and said they knew they were coming to the Right Place!  The next day we bumped into them at their next stop on the Katy, our favorite winery the Blumenhof!  Roy, Cheryl, Dave and Susan; we hope to see you back here again soon!

Newest Nephew!

I just have to add these photos of my newest nephew Avishi, the fifth and (they say) the last! child of Brother Jimmy and SIL Elana...

May 14th: Brother Dan's Birthday..

OK so I didn't get a photo of my brother Dan but he did come out to spend the night, and brought his 15 year old son Zach who is an amazing guitar player.  We all went to Washington MO and hung out at the Bier Deck, then had gourmet pizza at the American Bounty wine bar, Yum! Our favorite places to eat and chill!

 

Here's a photo of nephew Zach Fendelman rocking out on his guitar in the great room...

May 14th: Rebecca and Aaron

Rebecca and Aaron Jaques came from Tennessee to join us for a bit of RnR.  Here they are relaxing on the porch on a chilly morning after breakfast....

May 12th: The Walking Wegges

This is the year for walkers at Concord Hill!   Our first walkers of the year year are Nancy and Bill Wegge who are spending 3 weeks walking the Katy Trail.  This a pretty ambitious project and a good test of a marriage too!  They were only going to stay one night, but ended up spending two because of the rain.    Big tip for walkers, Dry Shoes are Very Important!  Next stop, the Apple Gate Inn in Augusta.  I really enjoyed having you guys for a few days, and I'll never look at walking the same again!

Paul Johnson, Our Mother's Day Biker...

Avid Cycler, Paul Johnson called from the Katy Trail Saturday afternoon hoping to find a room for the night. Well, he called the right place;  not only did we have a room available, we also had great food and music because our Moms, along with other family, were over for Mother's Day!  

So glad you found us Paul!

P.S. We Love Paul's License Plate! I just had to take a photo.

1st year Anniversary!

Congratulations to Jared and Jallae on their first wedding anniversary!  We're so glad you chose to spend it here.  Jared and Jallae Brannan, originally from Kansas City, are now young ministers just starting out on a new life together in a small Missouri town.  The big challenge?  Getting used to the slower pace!  Not easy for the young energetic couple who are used to constantly being on the go.  We wish you lots of happiness and a long life together following your dreams!

The Wild Bunch Rides Again!

Shawn, John, Tom, Andy, Kishen, Kevin and Chuck (center above) are members of a biking gang (Group, Club?) I call "The Wild Bunch".  These guys bike the Katy Trail several times a year and spend their last night here at Concord Hill before ending in St. Charles. They come from St. Louis and Kansas City to enjoy 5 days of serious male bonding.  Between them there is a fire fighter, a financial adviser, a beer distributor, a doctor, a radio station manager and a rock band promoter, but on the trail nothing is sacred!  Looking forward to seeing you guys next time....I think you are finally inspiring George to get on the Bike this year... at least for a short ride to the Winery!

Dennis and Barb Bike The Katy...

Dennis and Barbara Preis from Hillsboro, MO are retired teachers who love travel and adventure. This week they took the the Amtrak with their bikes from St. Louis to Jeff City to bike the Katy. Dennis loves biking and finally got Barb (who got into quilting when she retired and now teaches it) to go on a big ride with him. I think they did really well on their maiden voyage together! We did our part and ordered up some nice weather for them...It was supposed to rain every day on their trip but it stayed cool and dry for the most part. It was great to meet you both, good luck on your future adventures together!

Spring Has Sprung...

This morning I got a sweet surprise when I went to re-pot my hanging planter of pansies. I found a tiny nest with 4 eggs! I thought something might be happening in there because now and then when I stepped out on the porch a little bird would fly out of the flowers....

The eggs are so tiny, only the size of my fingernail...

Girls Gone Wild!

We met Michelle and Lindsey from Columbia MO at the Blumenhof Winery a while back; they spent the night with us and we became fast friends. Last weekend they came back with friends Jill and Reah for Lindsey's Birthday celebration. After spending the day visiting wineries in Hermann and New Haven, they arrived here at Concord Hill to a fabulous pork tenderloin dinner by our very own "Chef George" and an evening of fun and frivolity in the hot tub!
Happy Birthday Lindsey!

Musical Night With Dan & Gail and More!

Dan and Gail Lewis drove up from Mountain View Arkansas last week to spend 3 days bumming around our local historic sites and antique shops. So when Gail showed up with a Banjo, I just had to call George to see if he might throw together a little impromptu jam session with a few friends. Well he never needs any arm twisting on that one and before we knew it we had a small party in the wine cellar that included 2 new guests; BFFs Terri Crabill and Suzie Rogers from Illinois, who were visiting wineries on their way to see Terri's sons in Columbia, MO. The rest is musical history...
Gail Lewis on Banjo and Guitar
Denny "Wheels" Weelis on Dobro
Rob Adelson on Banjo
Jerry Sherckenghost on Upright Bass
George McVicker on Guitar