One day

We will grab a basket

Filled with goodies

And a blanket

And a book

And steal away

To a quiet place

Perhaps beside

A mountain brook

We will laze away the day

Reading

Talking

Laughing

Making beautiful memories

And at the end of the day

We will give thanks

And pray

For one more precious day

Together

E.A.Fussell

End of Day Four Tuesday, November 21, 2017
It is the fourth day of our nine day roadtrip. Last night was our second night at the Paducha Inn Boutique Hotel in Paducah, Kentucky. Russell, the Inn keeper who took care of us during our stay, fed us a wonderful made to order breakfast and then we decided to take a detour to St. Louis, Missouri to see the Gateway arch.

We enjoyed the scenery of Kentucky and Missouri as we made our way from Paducah to St. Louis. Sharon did an excellent job of piloting us through the traffic. The only time it got a little complicated was when we neared St. Louis and hit the eight lane highways. As calmly as Sharon maneuvered us through back-to-back semis traveling at high speed you would never have guessed that she learned to drive on the dirt roads of Palmdale, Florida.

The Gateway Arch is visible from across the Mississippi river so you can see it quite a distance before actually arriving at it. We were able to park at the base of the steps on the river side of the arch. We had hoped to  grab a hotdog from the food stand by the river and eat on the steps leading up to the arch but the stand was closed for the day. The arch is so simple, yet so impressive. Standing 630 feet tall it is the world’s tallest arch. It’s width is also 630 feet at the base which makes it difficult to get the entire arch into one photograph when you are at it. The arch is clad in stainless steel and shimmers in the sunlight. It was designed by architect Eero Saarinen in 1947 whose team won the architectural competition for a memorial commemorating the Mississippi River and it’s essential role in establishing St. Louis in the westward expansion of the United States. Construction began on February 12, 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965 the contractor was MacDonald Construction Co. of St Louis at a contract amount of $11,442,418.00 for the arch and visitor center. If you ever get to St. Louis, take the time to visit the Gateway Arch, it is worth seeing this amazing architectural art.

We left St. Louis and discovered a small quilt shop in Jacksonville, Illinois called the Quilted Cow Emporium where Sharon invested in more fabric and I enjoyed the display of completed quilt works. One of my favorite displays included several quilted wall hangings made by local women in recognition of Breast Cancer Survivors. Across the street from the quilt shop we found a place to have a late lunch called Brickhouse BBQ and tried our very first fried Twinkie. I have to admit, it was delicious. This trip hasn’t done anything good for my diet, but I am enjoying every indulgence.

Our afternoon drive to Champaign, Illinois where we would spend the evening was pleasantly uneventful and filled with more lovely scenery. This day was a great reminder of how fun surprise detours on a roadtrip can be.

End of Day Five Wednesday , November 22, 2017

It is the fifth day of our nine day road trip. Last night we stayed in Champaign, Illinois. Today was extra special. We stopped for lunch to visit one of my best friends, Sue Gulley. I built Sue the first home she owned in LaBelle, Florida. What an honor to know her and work with her on her home and on the board of Tri-County Senior Services and what a blessing to call her my friend. She met the love of her life, Tim, and got married at the same time my marriage was ending with the love of my life also named Tim (no, they are not the same Tim). Obviously this took both our lives in different directions but the closeness of our bond remains in tact.

Sue is now a Red Cross Executive Director in South Bend, Indiana. We met her in the parking lot of her office and walked a short distance in the cold Indiana air to Fiddler’s Hearth an authentic Public House representing seven Celtic nations in the heart of South Bend. It is a hotspot for students, staff and fans of the local Norte Dame University. Sharon asked for sweet tea, which we learned is nonexistent in the more Northerly states so she settled for a Coke and one of the hot dishes recommended. I selected their fish-n-chips which was fried to perfection, cradled in a piece of wax paper and wrapped inside a page from the local newspaper. What a treat! We laughed and talked and our time together seemed far too short. We walked back to the car and said our goodbyes exchanging lots of warm hugs.

Earlier in the day we had noticed that South Bend is on the border of Michigan. So we had decided to visit Michigan after lunch. While routing our course I noticed how close we were to Lake Michigan and said to Sharon, “We can’t come this close to one of the Great Lakes and not go see it.” Sharon agreed and off we went. We arrived at New Buffalo City Beach within the hour. With the outside temperature in the thirties Sharon chose to do her viewing from the drivers seat. But I didn’t let a frozen nose stop me, I scampered across the beach snapping photos, picking up shells, and taking video. I paused briefly to chat with a photographer who was studiously taking photos of two snowy owls perched on rock walls in the distance. She said there had always been one of them this time of year that she photographs but this year there are two. She was delighted with her discovery. I was delighted to see it all, the owls, the rocks, the beach, the shells, and the lake, the massive beautiful lake.

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes and the only one located entirely in the United States. It’s shores touch four states including Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Seven ports can be found around the lake and it is believed the word “Michigan” comes from the Ojibwe word michi-gami meaning “great water”. Lake Michigan is a glacial lake measuring 118 miles at it’s widest point, 307 miles at it’s longest point, having a surface area of 22,404 square miles and a depth up to 923 feet at its deepest point. It was a wonderful surprise addition to our trip.

Now it was time to make our way to the Inn at Amish Acres in Napanee. We enjoyed the scenery along the way and saw several horse drawn black buggies common to the Amish community. After unloading our luggage we decided to try an authentic Dutch restaurant Sue had recommended called Das Dutchman Essenhaus. It was so delicious. We had an amazing Amish server named Edna, a seasoned soul who sprints around taking care of multiple diners at a pace that makes the less seasoned souls a little jealous, even though jealousy is probably a trait not tolerated in the Amish community. Edna advised us expertly on how to navigate the smorgasbord of delicious food choices and helped us anonymously treat a United States Veteran to dinner.

Following dinner Sharon browsed the retail shop while I made sure one of the rocking chairs was still working. It is interesting to observe people. You can see all kinds of interesting sights. From the young couple locked in a passionate embrace to the squabbling family trying to heard everyone together. As I was getting up to look for Sharon a local man took a seat in the rocking chair I had occupied to wait for his wife. A short time later I returned to the rocking chair as he was getting up to look for his wife. The next place we ran into each other was the bakery. Then the quilt display, by the time I found Sharon and he found his wife we were thoroughly enjoying our comical “run-Ins”. His wife didn’t seem too amused at how friendly I was with her husband but after my animated explanation of how we had come to know each other she was laughing too.

Back at the Inn we decided to change our route home and go through West Virginia. Sharon called her son Bubba to update him on our travel plans and I fell asleep thinking about Sue and Tim and how blessed they have been to find each other. Maybe one day Sue will write about her real-life-love-story which gives hope to those like me wondering if real love still exists.

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