Wednesday, November 14, 2007
FANTASY WEEKEND.....
I think I’m coming “down” after a very nice change in routine. I told you about going to visit Rocky’s brother and sister……and we did and it turned out great. We left last Thursday around 3:00pm and the drive is pretty much routine for the first 100-miles…..getting out of our box, so to say. Once we take I-44 at Rolla, the driving is automatic on the inter-state and the extra traffic isn’t a problem.
It began getting dark after we drove through Rolla and headed north to St. Louis. We began noticing a string of oncoming cars that looked like a funeral procession. In the dark it was very pretty but we couldn’t imagine that much traffic coming out of the city on a Thursday evening…..headlights continued over hill and dale as far as we could see.
It was nice for a while and then it became very tiring. I was fresher at the beginning and the constant glare of lights were making little halos in my glasses. I’m not much of a night owl anyway and normally I don’t drive after darkness but we didn’t have far to go so it was OK. Once we reached Marie and Harold’s home in St. Louis we were greeted with a pizza supper and apple pie a’la mode. We threw caution to the wind and enjoyed it all as we visited over family news.
They asked if we’d had any trouble with traffic coming “up” and we mentioned our surprise at so much traffic leaving the city. Our inquisitive mind was satisfied when they told us there had been a terrible gas tank- truck which crashed and burned. Someone swerved towards him from the oncoming lane and to save them from certain death he jack-knifed over his side of the road and was killed when the truck broke into a terrible fire. He did save a woman and two children and traffic was stacked up most of the day…..it had only opened up when we started seeing all of it coming our way.
We stayed the night and left around 9:00am the next morning. I drove almost half-way and Becky drove the rest of the way without mishap. The weather was ideal for traveling and a fun week-end. We arrived at Richard and Helen’s home early afternoon and Helen had a Thanksgiving dinner ready to serve which was delicious. We enjoyed their beautiful yard, large and inviting. Walking on the grass was amazing…..thick, lush and dark green. Underneath is that good northern earth that is black as ebony and can grow anything.
The next day they drove us around showing more of their area and we ended up at The Little Traveler Antique Shoppe……..a shoppers paradise for hounds like Becky and me. I bought a couple of items that made me think of Rocky. We used to shop Antique stores frequently and he could always spot some very nice buys. He surprised me with his good taste and he never fussed over anything I wanted…..the perfect husband for a junk-hound. We both loved a good bargain.
We had a unique lunch at a local place. It was hard deciding but we tried the jalapeno soup. It was excellent….in a cream and cheese base….not too hot but it had a definite “kick” to it. The café seemed to be filled with folks who enjoyed the exceptional food and the servers were personable. It was a nice experience.
We took Mandy with us and had arranged for our kitties at home so it was a pleasant time away. Mandy minded her manners and was a good little traveler. We left after breakfast on Sunday and the trip back seemed shorter than going up.
Thank you, Marie and Harold and Helen and Richard for a pleasant time in your homes and making us feel so loved and welcome. Thanks for the wonderful food and for all you shared to give us a nice weekend.
You are loved and appreciated!
Essentially Esther
It began getting dark after we drove through Rolla and headed north to St. Louis. We began noticing a string of oncoming cars that looked like a funeral procession. In the dark it was very pretty but we couldn’t imagine that much traffic coming out of the city on a Thursday evening…..headlights continued over hill and dale as far as we could see.
It was nice for a while and then it became very tiring. I was fresher at the beginning and the constant glare of lights were making little halos in my glasses. I’m not much of a night owl anyway and normally I don’t drive after darkness but we didn’t have far to go so it was OK. Once we reached Marie and Harold’s home in St. Louis we were greeted with a pizza supper and apple pie a’la mode. We threw caution to the wind and enjoyed it all as we visited over family news.
They asked if we’d had any trouble with traffic coming “up” and we mentioned our surprise at so much traffic leaving the city. Our inquisitive mind was satisfied when they told us there had been a terrible gas tank- truck which crashed and burned. Someone swerved towards him from the oncoming lane and to save them from certain death he jack-knifed over his side of the road and was killed when the truck broke into a terrible fire. He did save a woman and two children and traffic was stacked up most of the day…..it had only opened up when we started seeing all of it coming our way.
We stayed the night and left around 9:00am the next morning. I drove almost half-way and Becky drove the rest of the way without mishap. The weather was ideal for traveling and a fun week-end. We arrived at Richard and Helen’s home early afternoon and Helen had a Thanksgiving dinner ready to serve which was delicious. We enjoyed their beautiful yard, large and inviting. Walking on the grass was amazing…..thick, lush and dark green. Underneath is that good northern earth that is black as ebony and can grow anything.
The next day they drove us around showing more of their area and we ended up at The Little Traveler Antique Shoppe……..a shoppers paradise for hounds like Becky and me. I bought a couple of items that made me think of Rocky. We used to shop Antique stores frequently and he could always spot some very nice buys. He surprised me with his good taste and he never fussed over anything I wanted…..the perfect husband for a junk-hound. We both loved a good bargain.
We had a unique lunch at a local place. It was hard deciding but we tried the jalapeno soup. It was excellent….in a cream and cheese base….not too hot but it had a definite “kick” to it. The café seemed to be filled with folks who enjoyed the exceptional food and the servers were personable. It was a nice experience.
We took Mandy with us and had arranged for our kitties at home so it was a pleasant time away. Mandy minded her manners and was a good little traveler. We left after breakfast on Sunday and the trip back seemed shorter than going up.
Thank you, Marie and Harold and Helen and Richard for a pleasant time in your homes and making us feel so loved and welcome. Thanks for the wonderful food and for all you shared to give us a nice weekend.
You are loved and appreciated!
Essentially Esther
