We came to Brussels last Friday. Instead of the planned Rhine River cruise to celebrate my father’s 90th birthday, we are spending family time at home and at the hospital. Grandpapa is a trooper, recuperating from a broken hip with gusto so that he can come home and enjoy our time together.
From Kansas, we drove up to Omaha to visit with Christian’s family. It was a perfect occasion to be together on Mother’s Day weekend.
To everyone’s surprise, Cat and Christian showed up at Lynn and Dave’s house about an hour after we got there. What a special time for them to come and celebrate with us.
But there was even more happy news: Cat and Christian are expecting! The baby will come around November 7. Cat looks radiant, healthy and soooo happy!
The weekend was of course fabulous: great hospitality, good meals, a visit to the Omaha zoo, Blitz and Bryce being best buddies….
We left Sunday afternoon and encountered another bout of tornado activity: we tok shelter in a highway rest area. Pretty scary stuff but thankfully no damage for us.
Now in Boulder visiting Emily. It snowed and the Flatirons are covered with the white stuff.
Kansas has been fun! We even saw a beautiful light show last night: lightning all around and a little thunder but no rain for us.
On D-E Day 69 years later (May 8), we visited Harry Truman’s Presidential Library and home in Independence, MO.
Now driving to Omaha. Taking smaller roads puts us next to train tracks and long trains: quite a sight!
Wow, time flies!
Since May 1, we have been in 3 states, learned about Native Americans’ forced relocation to Oklahoma in the 1860’s, traveled on Route 66 and seen the Blue Whale and the Tallest Concrete Totem Pole in the World, visited the new and beautiful Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (courtesy of Sam Walton’s daughter who used her spare change to build and fill it with art), and of course made a pilgrimage to the original Sam Walton’s 5 & 10 in Bentonville!
Now camping on the Santa Fe trail like true pioneers and early traders in Council Grove, KS. And using the library’s WiFi.
A few calmer albeit cool days! Driving now through the Ozarks to our campground in West Siloam Springs, OK. It is a beautiful big country we are loving in, full of interesting corners. Mississippi may not be the wealthiest state but it birthed lots of literary and musical talent. Visited William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak house near Ole Miss in Oxford, Graceland in Memphis.
Tupelo, MS was fun in the morning! It may not be the same laid back Southern town tonight after the tornado hit it! We took shelter in the basement of the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center as a tornado was bearing down on us. The last people in reported the “arriving train” sound and we filed into the shelter where we promptly lost electricity (used cell phones flashlight app). Helpful, calm and friendly Park Rangers and some nervous tourists in a small room for about an hour. Heading back to the campground took a long time since many roads were impassable. Saw heavily damaged homes, exploded trees, scattered debris…but everything was fine at the campground.
We are in Mississippi (did I put enough ssss and pppp?).
Safe and sound. Saw Elvis birthplace in Tupelo this morning. Huntsville, AL Rocket and Space Center yesterday: very interesting.
Some adventures along the way to spice things up. Note to self: do not try to empty sewage tank with sewer hose disconnected…
A little Honky Tonk at Leyla’s on Broadway and good food at Southern on 3rd.
Hungry Mother to Chester Frost Regional Park. We are camped on the lake formed by the dammed Tennessee River. Went to Lookout Mountain for incredible views of Chattanooga and a visit of the Civil War sites and a drive through the neighborhood of mansions bordering the cliff. Impressive!
