July 3rd: Jewish Cakes

We finally got some time to go hunt some more cakes. Today we found two that honor the Jewish culture in our city. The United Hebrew Congregation and The Holocaust Museum and Learning Center. As we get ready to celebrate our freedom, it is good time to reflect that freedom doesn't come without a cost. This is our second visit the Museum. The first time we got to hear a survivor tell her story. It is not a fun place to visit, but is an important place to visit. It is very interesting, yet very sobering to read the history. I am glad that we have this resource in our city so that we can go and remember and honor those who were lost and those who survived and so that we NEVER FORGET.

Holocaust Museum and Learning Center

United Hebrew Congregation

We thought this one was very pretty. We liked the art work on it. 

June 2: Chesterfield Cakes

June 2 found us with a small break between full time school and a full schedule of summer activities. We took advantage of it to go find a few more cakes. This time we head over to Chesterfield.

We started our tour at Bonhomme Old Stone Church which is the earlier site of the oldest Presbyterian church west of the Mississippi that was founded in 1816.

Bonhomme Old Stone Church

Then we made our way over to Faust Park and the Butterfly House.

Butterfly House

The next cake on our agenda was the Kemp Auto Museum cake. We had a little adventure on the way to this cake. The GPS wanted us to take a bridge over the highway that is not there right now. We got to the turn and found lots of construction and cones and fences letting us know that were not going to go that way! Fortunately, we could follow the detour signs and circle back around. Which is what we did, we got right back to where we started and then took the correct route. This picture was taken out of the back of the van, looking at the road the GPS wanted us to take.

Alex had fun with the displays at the museum. We didn't have time to go inside and I don't think it was open as there were no cars in the lot. It looks like it might be interesting to go explore sometime.

Kemp Auto Museum

 We discovered these faces in the top of the cake and thought they were interesting. We found them in the next cake as well so I decided to look them up. I found the artist's website , the faces are in honor of her dad who passed away in 2006.This artist has done 11 of the cakes so I am sure we will see this again.

We found "Gus the Bus" in the garage. Gus is an iconic "character" in one of our favorite books series by Robin Jones Gunn.  

The kids were hot and thirst and we decided to take a quick refreshment break. We found an Oberweis store nearby and had some shakes and a little game of chess.

We ended our tour at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport. 

Spirit of St. Louis Airport

On the way home we stopped at our local grocery store for dinner and discovered a giant twinkie.

May 11: Mother's Day cakes

On Mother's Day, we headed into North County for a few cakes. It was a quick trip so we only got three cakes but they were fun. 

We started at the Ferguson Station Depot. A landscaper was kind enough to move his truck from in front of the cake so we could take pictures. 

Then we headed over to the Old St. Ferdinand Shrine. We had visited this site before while doing some geocaching. This cake was starting to lose its letters. Alex is holding up the S that had fallen off.

Last stop, Lambert Airport. This stop required John to drop us off at departing and drive around and pick us up at receiving. We were able to time our walk through the terminal well and he picked us up just a minute after we arrived back outside. You can just barely see the Spirit of St. Louis airplane in the background

May 8: Revisiting Forest Park and Webster Groves

First stop at Turtle Park across the street from the zoo.

Turtle Park

Turtle Park

And then we realized that Dog Town was right around the corner. Dog Town is the Irish neighborhood of St. Louis.

Dog Town

We found this cupcake trailer around the corner from the Dog Town cake and decided we needed to add our "bonus cakes" to our collection.

Then we headed over to the Planetarium. The cake there had been added since we were last in Forest Park.

Planetarium

We really liked the details on this cake. 

Inside the museum there is an activity where you can stack little foam piece to make an arch. That is what is what the picture above represents.

We headed out to get some of the Webster Groves cakes that we wanted to get on our last trip to the city.

When I was a kid, The College School building housed Lockwood Elementary. Then when I was in 3rd grade, they closed that school and those students joined us over at Avery Elementary. Then the College School, a private school opened up. 

The College School

 Last stop Serendipity Ice Cream This little shop in the Old Orchard section of Webster Groves features homemade ice cream. We all found it to be very yummy! I was brave and tried zucchini bread flavor. It was very good!

I enjoyed our explorations through Webster Groves. I loved growing up there and always miss it when I go back. We still have a few cakes to hit in the WG area.

Serendipity Ice Cream

Alex enjoyed taking pictures as we drove along. 

We also took this blurry picture from the car as we passed down Kingshighway between Forest Park and Webster Groves. This is The Hill cake. We have passed it twice, but has not been convenient to stop at yet. We will go back and get it when we do the Botanical Gardens, Tower Grove, etc.