Last Sunday me, Jim, Debbie & Mike were supposed to go boating but the weather didn't cooperate so we went 4-wheeling instead. We decided to go to the Steelville area where Mike owns some property with a small cabin. When we pulled up to the cabin there was a truck with a trailer and a Jeep parked in the yard. Mike said they were probably owned by his step-sister's husband who lives in Cuba, MO (a real country boy). While we were waiting for Jim to get the 4-wheelers started, Debbie & I did some target practice with her little 22 revolver. As we were wasting time, Mike's step-brother-in-law, Rick pulled up on a four wheeler and we did introductions. He said he had come back for a bag because they had found a huge patch of elk horn mushrooms. Debbie & I asked a few questions before he took off again. Jim got the 4-wheelers going and we proceeded to go up & down logging roads & paths through the woods. We got pretty muddy and only got stuck once or twice. It was fun but getting late so we went back to the cabin to barbecue some dinner before driving 2 hours back home.
When we got back to the cabin I noticed some mushrooms on Rick's trailer and stopped to take a look. They didn't look like any mushroom I'd ever seen. I remembered the morels we used to eat when I was a kid and I expected the same but these weren't even close. As the barbecue was cooking I went over to inspect the mushrooms again and noticed a big trash bag next to them and when I looked in I couldn't believe it was cram-packed with more mushrooms! Some of them were huge! They looked like coral you'd find on the bottom of the sea.
When Rick & his gang got back to the cabin, I proceeded to quiz him on the mushrooms; how he cooked them, what they tasted like, etc. He told us there were some growing close to the cabin so Debbie & I went mushroom hunting. We didn't get nearly as many as them but we got a gallon ziplock bag of them to bring home and try. We agreed we'd get together Tuesday night to make dinner & try our elk horn mushrooms.
I checked the internet for elk horn mushrooms and couldn't find anything. When I got to Debbie's last night she had the mushroom pulled up on the screen of her computer. Come to find out they're called CORAL FUNGI. Talk about gross! I didn't have my camera but took pictures with my cell phone. I don't know how to get them on the blog and I've tried to post a picture off the internet but it won't paste onto the page. This is the link if you'd like to take a look http://www.backyardnature.net/f/coralfng.htm. We made sure to soak them in water overnight because they grow through all kinds of leaves & stuff & Jim was afraid of what animal might've peed on them! We cleaned them up real good & cut the stems off just as Rick told us. We egged & floured them and pan fried them. I am a huge mushroom lover but I didn't know if I could eat the coral fungi mushrooms, not only because of the way they looked but also because of their name. Fungi! Yuck! And I had read they could have a laxative effect on some people. I certainly don't need that!
Well, we ate them and they weren't too bad. Not a whole lot of taste but pretty good. We didn't get diarrhea and they didn't have any effect on our minds.
Too bad....
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Party Crashers
A week ago last Sunday I went to a 50th birthday party for Lester and was talking to Laura when she told me she had run into Steve Hoffmeyer, an old Laker. She said he was going to be having a party the following Saturday, the 13th. I called Matt over and told her to tell him. His immediate reaction was that we were going to crash Steve’s party. You see, there was an article in the newspaper (maybe the Journal) last year about Steve and the house he built on a barge that floats on the Mississippi River. Matt called to tell me to read the article and he sent it to a few family members. He started to harass Jim – trying to talk him into taking the boat on the river to Steve’s house because he wanted to see it. Well, needless to say, his harassment didn’t work and the issue was forgotten. Until, that is, Laura told him about the party.
So Matt and I agreed that we’d crash the party and that I would call Ron & Janet to see if they wanted to be crashers, too. Jim wasn’t too thrilled with the idea as he doesn’t know the Hoffmeyers and he felt kinda funny crashing a party where he didn’t know anyone. Well, Jim ended up going & Ron and Janet ended up wimping out.
Matt & Sharon came over to pick us up and we went out to dinner at a place on the way to the river. We were kind of winging it with the directions Laura gave us but when we drove down a farm road towards the river and I saw a huge bonfire, I knew we were at the right place. Anybody who knows the Hoffmeyer boys, knows that they don’t have a little campfire – it’s always huge tree trunks burning at least 10 feet into the sky. As soon as we parked I saw Steve so I went up to him and told him I hoped he didn’t mind us Zimmermanns crashing his party. Well, he didn’t mind at all and while I was talking to him, Joe Hoffmeyer, Danny Schultz and Mel Clore walked up. It was good seeing all of the old friends
We asked Steve to give us the grand tour so we walked on a bridge/gangplank over the water and onto the deck walkway that went around the whole house. The river was brown. The bugs were massive. The house was cool.
Steve told us he had a friend that floated the barge down from somewhere by Hall Street and it took him 4 years to build. It’s a 2-story with 4 bedrooms and Steve did a great job. The woodwork is beautiful and even though the water was brown, it was pretty neat standing out on the deck with the river flowing all around. He said he had to power wash the house at least once a month or there’d be bugs plastered all over it and if he left a light on outside, there’d be a huge pile of dead bugs on the deck the next morning. There was a tall post that Steve had marked when the St. Louis/St. Charles area was flooded earlier in the summer. His mark was about 10 feet above where we stood and he said that was where his deck floor was at the time. He said he’d take his john boat to get to his car that he had parked on higher ground when he went out. When we asked about taxes he said he’s battling the State and/or? the City of St. Charles now because they want to charge him but he says he’s on a national waterway so they have no right.
Matt asked about fishing and Steve said he caught big ones & he ate them. Matt was grossed out and Steve said he just cuts the brown/black? stuff off!
At one point when Sharon & I looked into the bathroom, the toilet water was brown and we thought someone had done a job and forgot to flush. As we were trying to skat outta there, Steve came in to show us the bathroom and the toilet didn't phase him. I realized a little later when I had to use it that it was river water. I just prayed the sink was clear & it was. After much thought, I'm pretty sure his " jobs" are going into the river. When I talked to Matt about this later, he said it's "the circle of life" Jeanne! All's I can say is "Steve is one rugged guy"! And all's Jim can say is "River Rats"!
We didn’t stay long because the mosquitoes were horrendous. It was fun popping in unexpectedly and knowing that being old “Lakers” made us welcome anytime.
So Matt and I agreed that we’d crash the party and that I would call Ron & Janet to see if they wanted to be crashers, too. Jim wasn’t too thrilled with the idea as he doesn’t know the Hoffmeyers and he felt kinda funny crashing a party where he didn’t know anyone. Well, Jim ended up going & Ron and Janet ended up wimping out.
Matt & Sharon came over to pick us up and we went out to dinner at a place on the way to the river. We were kind of winging it with the directions Laura gave us but when we drove down a farm road towards the river and I saw a huge bonfire, I knew we were at the right place. Anybody who knows the Hoffmeyer boys, knows that they don’t have a little campfire – it’s always huge tree trunks burning at least 10 feet into the sky. As soon as we parked I saw Steve so I went up to him and told him I hoped he didn’t mind us Zimmermanns crashing his party. Well, he didn’t mind at all and while I was talking to him, Joe Hoffmeyer, Danny Schultz and Mel Clore walked up. It was good seeing all of the old friends
We asked Steve to give us the grand tour so we walked on a bridge/gangplank over the water and onto the deck walkway that went around the whole house. The river was brown. The bugs were massive. The house was cool.
Steve told us he had a friend that floated the barge down from somewhere by Hall Street and it took him 4 years to build. It’s a 2-story with 4 bedrooms and Steve did a great job. The woodwork is beautiful and even though the water was brown, it was pretty neat standing out on the deck with the river flowing all around. He said he had to power wash the house at least once a month or there’d be bugs plastered all over it and if he left a light on outside, there’d be a huge pile of dead bugs on the deck the next morning. There was a tall post that Steve had marked when the St. Louis/St. Charles area was flooded earlier in the summer. His mark was about 10 feet above where we stood and he said that was where his deck floor was at the time. He said he’d take his john boat to get to his car that he had parked on higher ground when he went out. When we asked about taxes he said he’s battling the State and/or? the City of St. Charles now because they want to charge him but he says he’s on a national waterway so they have no right.
Matt asked about fishing and Steve said he caught big ones & he ate them. Matt was grossed out and Steve said he just cuts the brown/black? stuff off!
At one point when Sharon & I looked into the bathroom, the toilet water was brown and we thought someone had done a job and forgot to flush. As we were trying to skat outta there, Steve came in to show us the bathroom and the toilet didn't phase him. I realized a little later when I had to use it that it was river water. I just prayed the sink was clear & it was. After much thought, I'm pretty sure his " jobs" are going into the river. When I talked to Matt about this later, he said it's "the circle of life" Jeanne! All's I can say is "Steve is one rugged guy"! And all's Jim can say is "River Rats"!
We didn’t stay long because the mosquitoes were horrendous. It was fun popping in unexpectedly and knowing that being old “Lakers” made us welcome anytime.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Baby Shower for Jessica
The "Old" Aunts hosted a baby shower for Jessica yesterday and although they weren't all here, me, Janet & Jennifer did an excellent job and managed to come out looking pretty good. So what if we almost forgot to serve the cake and hand out the attendance prizes as everyone was leaving! We worked together as a team and helped each other remember what we were supposed to be doing. It's been quite a long time since we hosted a shower (probably Jessica's wedding) so don't laugh! It helped that we had a pre-shower meeting at Houlihan's to assign duties.
As you can see from the picture above, we had quite a spread of delectibles! Once again, Janet went over the top and brought some really good stuff. Jennifer also brought an awesome edible fruit arrangement that everyone raved over.
We played a a few games---match the celebrity to the baby names, guess the baby food and guess the chocolate bar in the diapers. Another good competition! Jessica looked as cute as ever and is filling out very well. We're all looking forward to the big day on October 31!
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