Day 2

          The next morning, the rain continued as we made our way on down the road.

          There are times when all the... the what? I don't want to say boredom because I don't really get bored. Inactivity, maybe? I don't really know what it is so I end up saying that I do a lot of 'bored eating'. It's going to happen and I know it's going to happen so I tried to make it a little healthier for me. My kryptonite? My weakness? Crunchy Cheetos. I love those things and I never allow myself to have them unless we're on a road trip. I don't have an off switch when it comes to Crunchy Cheetos so I end up eating the whole bag in one day. Sometimes making myself sick. I know. I'm silly. A few years ago, I stumbled on a trick of mixing them with my air-popped popcorn. The Cheetos have enough flavor to carry the popcorn and it's also easier for me to put them aside. If this little tip helps even one of you, it makes telling on myself worth it.

          There's a huge 100 foot cross at Richmond just as you get into Indiana. It's built very similar to the one at Effingham, IL.

          It wasn't too long after that that the skies brightened and we drove out of the rain.

          A big field full of solar panels.

          Train car graffiti without a train car!

          Although we have all been brought up to wait our turn, those rules don't apply when it comes to the highway. Studies have been done on improving traffic flow through construction zones where it goes from two lanes down to one. They've found that using both lanes until the very last minute then using the zipper method, moves traffic along much better than the old way of everyone getting into one lane and waiting your turn does. I see now they are trying to educate us on this.

          I can't tell you how much construction on bridges and overpasses there was. It seemed like it was our constant companion throughout this whole road trip and in every state we went to.

          On the western side of Indiana, on Interstate 70 is Terre Haute, which is French for high ground. You always knew when you were getting close to Terre Haute because it smelled bad. This whole field used to be full of railroad ties soaked in creosote and I used to think that caused the smell, but if you Google it, it says there is (was) a paper mill there responsible for the bad smell. I don't smell it anymore and I wonder if the mill hasn't closed.

          At a rest area, I got a picture of a geometer moth.

          Itsy did something this trip she has never done before. She's laid down and rested while we were driving.

          "When we were going out to PA and you were in the truck and I was in the RV," Mike informs me, "she laid in the bed next to my seat the whole trip."

          I might have to revise my statement. Itsy did something this trip that I've never seen her do before...

           You see lots of things going down the highway. I saw an airplane in an open bed trailer, a small airplane with the wings off, but I was so busy gawking I didn't get a picture. That happened a few times on this trip.

          I know, right! Hard for you to imagine.

          We saw lots of these going down the road. This is (I believe) a steel beam for a bridge or overpass. I guess technically an overpass is still a bridge.

          Oh my. Cows in the water. If there's one thing I like more than cows, it's cows in the water. And I think I got quite a few pictures of that this trip. But I don't know for sure since I haven't gone through my pictures. I'm doing it one day, one letter blog at a time. But trust me, if I got it, you're going to see it.

          A moose! But I don't think he's real.

                      643 Road Deaths in MO this Year

                                     2% Increase

           ...the sign reads. I've seen this posted in at least one other state but I don't remember if I took a picture of it or not.

          Our plan was to go to Iola, Kansas first, to see Mike's brother Cork and cousin Suzy, then on to Brooklyn Park, Minnesota to see my sister Phyllis, pick up the china, then back to Lake Ozark, Missouri.

          "Do you know how much china there is?" Phyllis asked.

          "I know it's quite a lot since Grandma had a set of 12 and we bought an extra set," I told her.

          "Seven boxes!" she exclaimed. "Seven boxes of china!"

          This was rattling around in my head along with the fact that I'd loaded the RV with lots of boxes of stuff I wanted the kids to have. Halfway across Ohio, I broached the subject.

          "Mike, what if we went to see the kids first?"

          "Why?"

          "Well, for one thing, because we left early and we'll be there for three or four days before your brother gets there — and you know the only TV we get in the RV park is PBS." He does like his TV programs and with just PBS we'd miss all our regular shows, especially with the new seasons starting up this week — or maybe it's next. No matter. I had more arguments. "It isn't any farther to drop down and go that way than it would be to go to Kansas City and drop down. Besides, you know the way from Lake Ozark." I let that sink in for a moment. He didn't know the way going through Kansas City and we weren't sure we could trust this other GPS. "And where are we going to put seven boxes of china? I've got the bays loaded with stuff for the kids. If we went there first we could unload it and not haul it all across the country and back again."  

          Mike considered it before speaking. "Yeah, you're right." Music to my ears! "Let's go to Lake Ozark first."

          I'm sure my smile was huge! "Won't the kids be surprised? They aren't expecting us until next week."

            We'd picked up a giant Smurf for Andrew and he rode at the table. Happy Smurf was a good traveling companion. He didn't cry and he didn't get car sick like Macchiato does.

          "You took Macchiato with you?" you ask.

          And Molly. So we had the two dogs and two cats with us. Molly rides good but Macchiato gets sick at least the first day out so he was confined to the bathroom for easy cleanup and boy! he wasn't happy — and he let us know about it too!

           The old women's prison at Jeff City.

          The capitol of Missouri...  

    

           ...and the bridges over the Osage River. 

          And then I saw it. Eldon, home of my heart.

          We got off the exit ramp and tried to put the kids address in the GPS. I don't remember now what the issue was, whether we couldn't find the right screen to enter it or if it didn't list the street the kids lived on.

          "We'll have to do it the old-fashion way," I told Mike. "Stop and ask directions."

          "Let's see if we can't find it first. I know they live someplace out behind the Wal*Mart."

          Gas is cheaper here than in PA. We were paying $3.19 at home.

          We knew where the Wal*Mart was so several streets before it Mike took a left, went a few streets down, took a right, thought we hadn't gone far enough, took another left, go a few more streets, hang a right and there we were! Stopped at a stop sign right on the kids' street.      

          "Which way?" I asked.

          "I think... this way," and Mike took a left. We found some house numbers and knew Mike had chosen correctly. It's the old truck-driver instinct in him. It's been more than 20 years since he's driven a semi but his instincts were still alive and kickin'.

          So we're driving our big old honkin' rig down this narrow, pot-hole riddled, rain-rutted, no guideline roads, watching the house numbers when all of a sudden...

        Scaaaaaa-rrreeeeeeeeeettttttccccchhhh! Thunk!

          "What was that!" I asked.

          "Branches, I think," Mike answered.

          A little farther down it happens again! Oh my gosh! The sound was horrible!

          "I hope it didn't ruin anything," Mike comments.

          Then I spot it. The end of a second long day of driving was coming to an end. "There it is!"

          "Where?" Mike asked.

          "The next house. The blue one with the semi-circle drive."

          It was a bit of a challenge getting the RV into the driveway because of narrow streets and mailboxes but Mike managed it while I stood outside and made sure he didn't hit anything.

          We walked up to the house and Bandit, the kids' Pekingese, jumps up on the back of the couch, sticks his head between the curtains, sees us and barks.

          We got our hugs and kisses out of the way then I had Andrew sit with his Grandma for a picture. Pat is Kandyce's mother and takes care of Andrew when the kids can't be there. 

          "Go get that thing for Andrew," Mike says.

          "What thing?"

          "That big blue thing."

          And I knew what he meant. Andrew went with me and I let him carry Happy Smurf into the house. After checking out the big blue Smurf...

          ...Andrew play wrestled with him, pinning Happy down, but it wasn't long until Happy had the upper hand, or should I say foot, and gave Andrew a good solid kick in the jaw. I laughed at his antics and even though I missed the first kick, Happy kicked him several more times for the camera.

  

          Tired of the Smurf, Andrew got out his big dump truck.

          "He rides that thing around and it makes a noise on the floors that drives me crazy," Pat told us.

          Andrew thought that was funny, laughed, and said, "Yeah."

           After a while, he went for his cars and played on the rug while we chatted and waited for the kids to get home from work.

          Kevin called. "I'm going to be late," he told Pat. "If you want to take Andrew to your house, I'll pick him up there."

          "No," Pat replied. "I'm okay. I'll wait here with Andrew." She was a good sport and didn't let on that we were there.

          After a bit, Kandyce calls Pat. "Where are you?" she asks.

          "I'm at your house."

          "Well, I'm at your house, standing on the porch and wondering why you aren't answering your door! Kevin told me to pick Andrew here."

          "No. I told him I'd wait at your house with Andrew."

          Pat only lives a few blocks from Kevin and Kandyce so she was home in just a few minutes. When she opened the door, she had the biggest smile on her beautiful face and I knew she was happy to see us. It was only a few minutes more and Kevin came in. He too had a big grin on his face.

          "Were you surprised?" I asked.

          "Well yeah! When I was coming down the street and saw something in my drive I thought it was the neighbor and I was getting mad." Kevin said. "Then I got closer and knew it was you."

          We sat and talked for a while, telling them about our trip and change in plans, and it was getting late. We needed to have some supper, but first we needed to take care of the RV. The engine was still running, keeping it cool for the critters cause it was hot... wait a minute, it was HOT in Missouri! But we couldn't back it any farther into the drive because of branches on Kevin's trees.

          "I'll cut them off," Kevin volunteered.

          We started to head out when Andrew was reminded to pick up his toys. He loaded all the cars into the back of his dump truck and dumped them back into the bin where they live, then he carried everything back to his bedroom. 

 

          Outside, Kevin got his DeWalt reciprocal saw, climbed on the roof of the RV and went to work on the overhanging branches.

          "How's it look up there?" Mike asked. "Any damage?"

          Kevin looked around. "The only thing I see is a big ol' scratch on one of your solar panels."

          Our RV has two solar panels that keep the house batteries charged.

          While the boys took care of the branches I turned my camera to Kandyce and Pat.

          "How about a picture?" I asked. Pat moved close to Kandyce. "Naw, hug like you love each other!"

          And I got big beautiful smiles out of that because of course, they do love each other.

          "I'm your favorite, right Mom?" Kandyce said.

          Pat is such a happy lady and she just laughed.

          Kevin came down and Mike helped to hold a branch Kevin couldn't get from the roof.

          "Look at me, Mimi!" Andrew calls. "I can climb the tree!"

            Andrew is all boy!

          "And I can walk like a gorilla!"

          "Really!" I exclaim and looked to Kandyce.

          "It's from the movie Rampage," she explained.

          "You want to see?" he asks.

          "Sure I do!"

          Andrew got down on the grass and showed me how a gorilla walks. Pretty convincing, I'd say.

          We invited Pat to go have a bite to eat with us but she declined, opting to go home instead.

          After dinner, we get back to the kids' house and there's a toad on the front porch. "I think he lives here," Kandyce said.

           "I can pick him up," Andrew says and shows me. He's all boy and we love him so!

          Let's call this one done!