More Malls

Although people have lived in and around Mayberry for millennia, the city founders decided the best locale for the town proper was on the bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, turning their backs on the river forever. And so it was until the million year flood of 1993.

When the river receded the town fathers saw gold in the river bottom land, so armed with federal flood assistance money they built a million year levee and decided to create a retail city where once were only farms and scattered light industry.  The thinking, if we build it they would come, was successful beyond their wildest dreams.  A year after the flood construction began on the world's largest outdoor mall, and it was good.  For the next 20 years the mall attracted retailers from far and wide.

Retailers looked and what they did not see was an outlet mall.  The city saw empty space and put out feelers for outlet mall builders.  They hit paydirt, and last fall construction began on not one but two outlet malls, within a few miles of each other.  They broke ground on the same day, each racing to be the biggest, bestest mall ever seen.  The first opens this weekend, the second in 3 weeks.

The race to open has been fun to watch.  Seemingly the later to open has been the more successful attracting tenants.  Each of their 80 tenant spaces are leased and planning has begun on an expansion.  The first is half leased, although each claims they have 6 retailers the other place has.

Last week we had no Brooks or Ralph outlet, by the end of August we might have 2.  Christmas shopping just became easier.

Toad

Maybe help is on its way

Mayberry is a river town that turned its back on the river in its earliest days. What is now the town evolved from a Spanish land grant in 1797. The founding family were farmers and ardent abolitionists. When Missouri was admitted to the United States in 1821 the family sold their land and moved to Illinois, a free state. Soon after a community was formed. The first settlement and subsequent settlements were on the high ground above the flood plain. Locals have rarely seen the river since.

They've miss a lot.

The river bottom offers miles and miles of human free, byways for migrating wild life. Seasonally bald eagles winter near here, ducks and geese are abundant, white tailed deer, by number, are the kings of the forest.

If you live near deer, you've learned several things. They'll nibble on or eat anything that grows. Gardens are defenseless when deer are near. Their only predator is an automobile, they're not bright, and years of living with humans have made them fearless. Mayberry locals may hunt deer on their property, and it's as difficult as shooting fish in a barrel.

This week the price of deer poker went up. A nearby resident took this photo of a mountain lion in his back yard.

If he'd stick around, maybe invite some friends and family, the deer wouldn't, which would make a lot of gardeners very happy.

Alas, by now he's probably back on the river road.

Toad

photo credit: The Saint Louis Post Dispatch

My favorite concert

Early in 1968, Ike & Anna Mae Turner applied for a permit to open a night club, virtually in my back yard. If Ike were white, sprouted angels wings, and booked only gospel tours he couldn't have/wouldn't have gotten the necessary permits.

After Dr. King's and Bobby Kennedy's assassination, the town fathers couldn't do enough to pave the way to welcome Ike and the Kings of Rhythm to their community. Stopping night bus service to the area was purely a coincidence.

I was barely driving age then,and getting into Ike's club was out of the question, undercover cops were thick on the ground. Living less than a 100 yards away from the club was Chuck Berry. Chuck had a healthy wariness about gendarmes, yet didn't mind ruffling their feathers.

It was early fall, the club had been opened several weeks, and we local kids, on weekends, hung around the parking lot, to see what we could see, when in walks Berry with his guitar.

Chuck knew most of us from the neighborhood,and stopped to chat for a bit. He could hear the Kings inside, and probably needed a drink. "See ya later boyz", he said and went inside.

Minutes later the double doors behind the stage opened. On stage were Chuck, Ike, Anna Mae,and the Kings.They played all night without a break. A night never repeated and one I'll never forget.

Toad

Mayberry and The Park

Let's get acquainted shall we?



Let me tell you a bit about Mayberry. Mayberry lies on the the eastern shore of the Missouri River, just a few miles, as the crow flies, from where the Big Muddy, meets the Mighty Mississippi.





It's principal claim to fame is that it is home to America's largest strip mall, and has the hubris to believe that its levees will survive the 500 year flood, that comes every 15 years or so.





Its a pretty nice place to live, and some 32,000 people call it home. The crime rate is low, but the police force is self funding.





Mrs T and I live just about in the geographic center of town. A mile to the grocery store, post office, gym, doctors office, schools and good restaurants.





Like many outer suburbs Mayberry happened almost overnight. I recall coming here 50 years or so ago to visit two of my father's aunts. These two old gals handbuilt homes side by side in the 1930's. Their houses still stand today along side a highway exit. As a kid it was an hour drive from home. Today with road improvements that would be 20 minutes tops.





Our homestead, The Park, is a product of a time long before anyone considered actually living in Mayberry. The Park was built in the waning days of the Eisenhauer administration by a family that was self reliant and wanted to get away from the crowds of the big city. The original house is a fairly small 4 over 4 southern colonial style brick pile built in the middle of the woods. It is solid, the walls are concrete, floors are oak. It has since been added to several times to meet the needs of its owners, but it still feels like the snug old farmhouse it originally was. It was also sited very well. While in the center of the community that developed around it, The Park is a million miles from anywhere.



When the trees are in leaf, you cannot see another house, hear road noise, or the screeching horns sirens and kids you hear in the city While we do share a drive with two neigbors, our nearest physical neighbor's house is a 2 + mile drive away.





As much as I adore this place I have several complaints. We live in the woods. Gardening is tough when you get very little direct sunlight during the day. Also due to our wooded location when the leaves drop in the fall, the volume of leaves to deal with is almost biblical. I have tried offering them for barter and selling them on EBAY but to no avial.

Soon I tell you about my other complaint, white tailed deer.





Be well.





Toad