Football Mornings

The football season has begun! The REAL football season, as I'm sure the UK Millers have learned, is the English Premier League season. Uncle Joe, Bantry, Gulliver, and Scooter wake up early, make a big cup of coffee, put on their Blue and watch our favorite football (or soccer if you like) club, Everton FC.

Uncle Joe has been a proud supporter of Everton for over twelve years. Everton plays in Liverpool. Uncle Joe has always liked soccer, and when he was finally able to watch English Premier League games, he knew he needed a team to support, so he did his research. He wanted to support a team just like his other two favorite teams, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the St. Louis Blues. Like the Cardinals, Everton has a long, proud history, beginning all the way back in the late 1800s, and like the Blues, Everton have a very "workmen-like" style of play, and their supporters have always been from the blue collar class. This is why the club is often called "The People's Club." They have a few other nicknames, like the toffees, the blues, the dogs of war, and Uncle Joe's favorite, the School of Science.

As you guys have probably learned already, club supporters take their team very seriously. Everton's club motto is Nil Satis Nisi Optimum, which is Latin for "Nothing but the best is good enough." Uncle Joe has always tried to live by those words, but sometimes he needs a reminder, so he put it where he can always see it...

Some great players have played for Everton, including some pretty amazing American soccer players. One of the best, was goalkeeper Tim Howard, who famously set a record in saves in a World Cup match with 16 two years ago against Belgium. He's ferocious, and a beast, and he is still a devoted Evertonian:

Uncle Joe always loves whoever is wearing the number 17 shirt for Everton, which at the moment is Idrissa Gueye, from Senegal. But his favorite number 17 for Everton was a rough and tumble Aussie name Tim Cahill who had a habit after scoring goals, to sprint to the corner flag and box with it. Gotta love the Aussies!

Much like the Blues and Blackhawks rivalry, Everton bitterly despises their cross town rival, Liverpool FC (blek!). The reds, as their called, are a bunch of stuck-up, whiny, nancies who cry whenever they don't get their way. Whenever the two clubs play, all of Liverpool stops to watch what's called the Merseyside Derby. A "derby" (pronounced dar-bee) is when two teams from the same city play each other, like Chelsea and Tottenham since they're both from London. Uncle Joe can't stand Liverpool FC, and the matches are brutal, but it's always a great day when Everton beats them.

Uncle Joe, Bantry, Gulliver, and Scooter will be watching Everton every weekend, and now that you guys are living in the UK, it's a special thrill to know that you're not too far from the matches we're watching. 

Oh, and Everton won 2-1 today, so Bantry was especially excited. COYB! (come on you Blues)

The Museum O' Fart

We finally had a cool, rainy day! So to celebrate, Grandma and Grandpa, and Uncle Joe and Aunt Christine went to the St. Louis Art Museum in Forest Park (there was some confusion between what kind of museum we were going to, as noted in the above video).

Art or fart, we all had a gas. We visited a special exhibit at the museum on self-taught folk art, and we had a great time exploring all of the art work.

It's pretty amazing what people are capable of when they unleash their creativity, and the artwork we got to see showed that you don't have to be a world-renowned classically trained artist to express yourself and make something cool! Grandpa and Aunt Christine were super impressed.

But we all had a great time and it was fun talking about the different types of art we each enjoy. We also talked about some of our favorite pieces of art that Maddie and Henry have made. 

All of that culture really worked up an appetite, so we drove over to the Boathouse in Forest Park and had a bite to eat. We also made quite a few feathered friends, with the many ducks, egrets, sparrows, and herons "taking our order." Didn't want to upset their stomachs, so we didn't feed them. 

Unfortunately, the rain was coming down just a bit too hard for us to take a little paddle boat cruise after our lunch. Perhaps another time. Besides, we were nice and stuffed and ready for a nap. So we strolled back home with full tummies; Grandpa and Uncle Joe watched some more Olympics and dozed, while Grandma and Aunt Christine found a second wind and headed out for a wee shopping excursion.

It was nice to have some cooler weather here in Missouri. With a nice mist in the air, temperatures cooling, good food, and good company, all is well in the US Midwest. Just missing you guys.

Update #2

Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Fred, and Aunt Nora went all the way to Washington, MO, last Saturday to shop for our pork and bratwurst burgers, go to the Farmers' Market, and generally just look around.  We ate lunch at the Blue Duck Restaurant. 

Grandpa was bragging to a friend about how no moles ever came around.  That same day a mole tunnel was spotted, and the squirrel trap is getting a workout.  One morning the trap was totally ransacked and knocked off its mooring.  A huge ground hog has been spotted, as well as the usual chipmunks, etc.  The ground hog is suspect #1, as it is too big to fit into the trap.

One of the participants in the squirrel relocation program is pictured below.

Update

So, last night, Mom, Joe, Christine, and I started our blog.  Today we'll try to get the UK Millers caught up on what's happened here with Mom/Grandma and Dad/Grandpa, as well as Pearl and Sapphire. Joe and Christine will update at their end.  Pearl and Sapphire still run to the door when they hear your voices, especially Maddie and Henry.  They get to go out on W-A-L-Ks and to the dog park, but they still like it when Henry and Maddie go too.  They also like to sit in the sun.

Here are a couple pictures we took at the airport.  Also, Grandpa liked to follow your airplane on the computer.

The day after you left, we went to Elizabethtown, KY, to see Val and other friends.  We also visited the cemetery where our friend Sharon is buried. The girls like the cows, but the cows weren't too sure about them.

We did make to the Jim Beam Distillery.  It was hot! But we did pay our respects to ol Booker Noe.

Grandpa keeps up with his buddies at the zoo, mostly in the Bird House.  He seems to have a lot in common with the buzzards that he walks by each time he goes.  He also likes sorting worms for the birds to eat....

A couple weeks ago, the Blues had an open house.  Joe, Christin, and Grandpa went.  The best part was the tour of the locker room.  There were a lot of Backes jerseys for sale, and even some Oshie jerseys too. 

Grandpa even found this future Blues player before his first skating lesson from Uncle Joe.