Keepin' It Clean

 

The laundromat at the Petro truck stop in Joplin, Missouri.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2023: Sorry, no post on this day.
2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.
2020: Sorry, no post on this day.
2019: You Won't Believe Your Ears
2018: It's All About The Hat
2017: Stanley Steemer Gets Your Home Cleaner
2016: Cat Nemesis
2015: Bon Voyage!
2014: All This Entertainment For Less Than The Cost Of A Restaurant Entree
2013: Ten Things I Hate About Flying
2012: Teeth Or Another European Vacation? Ooooh, It’s A Real Toss Up.
2011: Not So Wacky After All
2010: Spreading The Word
2009: He Had A Dream. Tomorrow We See It Come True.
2008: Who Do You Know?
2007: South Beach Blue
2006: Jawl Spake Anglesh??
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!  

Boundless American Optimism

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.  It is the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere.  

Architectural critic David Dillon opined that the arch exists not as a functional edifice but as a symbol of "boundless American optimism". He articulates the arch's multiple "moods"—"reflective in sunlight, soft and pewterish in mist; crisp as a line drawing one moment, chimerical the next"—as a way the arch has "paid for itself many times over in wonder".


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2019: The Movies Have Always Been An Escape
2018: Nowhere Near As Cute As A Kitten
2017: Celebrating Seven And A Half Decades
2016: Makes Complete Sense
2015: I'm Always Hoping It's The Last Time
2014: Apes At The Hitching Post
2013: History On Water Street
2012: Do It Like The Settlers Did. With Whiskey.
2011: No Vacancy
2010: Imperial Sand
2009: How Many Twenty Year Olds Have A Seventy Pound Head?
2008: My First Time
2007: I’ve Been Everywhere Sunday
2006: Text Me
2005: Eddie Dines Out Friday

Museum Quality

Queued up at the Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) with the other trucks in our "convoy".  Getting ready to leave to transport the goods to Minneapolis. 



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2017: Aisle Of Palms
2016: A Lively Evening
2015: 106 Years Of Racing Has Happened Here
2014: Towering Jewel
2013: Port Townsend Honor System
2012: This I Love
2011: Wooden Shoes, Tulips, And Now This?
2010: Universal AND Contagious
2009: Ed Smiles With The Pasties Girl Friday
2008: Who Needs A Man When You Have A Kindle??
2007: Phone Calls And Fellatio
2006: Color Ring
2005: We Go All Out!

Priceless Antiquities Get A Ride In A Big Rig

This week we were involved in a six-truck move transporting an art exhibit from the Saint Louis Art Museum in St. Louis, Missouri to the Minneapolis Institute of Art in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Sunken Cities: Egypt's Lost Worlds exhibit has been called one of the greatest finds in the history of underwater archaeology.

"More than 200 objects — from 16-foot-tall sculptures to gold coins and jewelry — are featured in this major exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

The objects — including three monumental sculptures, each weighing more than 8,000 pounds — came from two cities lost to natural disasters and the rising tides of the Mediterranean Sea more than 1,200 years ago.

The ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion — a major port and Egypt’s premier center for trade with the Greek world — and neighboring community Canopus once stood on Egypt’s north coast. But by 800 C.E., soil liquefaction, natural disasters and the rising tides of the Mediterranean Sea caused them to submerge. "

We didn't get to see the pieces since they're crated for transport, but just knowing they were on the truck was kind of exciting.

Now I can say we've moved freight that's thousands of years old and priceless.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2017: Hecho En Tucson
2016: Color Cutting Through The Gray 

2015: A Night In Indy
2014: If You're Inclined To See A Great View, This Is The Place To Go

2013: An Extremely Fishy Climate
2012: This I Love
2011: Wooden Shoes, Tulips, And Now This?
2010: Universal AND Contagious
2009: Ed Smiles With The Pasties Girl Friday
2008: Who Needs A Man When You Have A Kindle??
2007: Phone Calls And Fellatio
2006: Color Ring
2005: We Go All Out!

My America

Patrons at the Taste of St. Louis event held in downtown St. Louis, Missouri.

A pretty diverse crowd made it a great day for people watching.




~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2016: Addictive Retro Fun
2015: Boldface
2014: Ciudad Juárez En La Noche
2013: Live It Up!
2012: The Last Supper
2011: New York Always Stands Out
2010: Visitor Number 933 To Room 525
2009: Makes A Nice Desktop
2008: Leaning Tower Of Texas
2007: It Should Be Called “Thimble Shot”
2006: Southern Hideaway
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Pick A Plate And Go

Ed took these shots at a place called Fast Lane Cars in St. Charles, Missouri.

 

There's a 1965 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible I'd love to own, and I saw another old Cadillac from the early seventies that reminded me of my grandfather's car.  I like that one too.

I'm totally going old school now.  I want a big boat.  Something that's heavy, feels solid, has a lot of power, and just glides quietly and majestically down the road.  Who cares if it gets six miles to the gallon? 

I'm used to that.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Just In Case You Were Wonderin'
2011: Life Is For Living
2010: These Sure Would Look Snazzy On The Feet Of A Trucker
2009: There’s No Whey In The Way Of This Delicious Treat
2008: O Canada!
2007: Ladies Night (And Day) Our
2006: The Queen Is Bleak
2005: Literacy In The South

Missed The Twist

I was watching the news last night and it looks like we got out of St. Louis just in time - we left just two days before three confirmed tornadoes hit the area. 

The weather was generally nice when we were there, not hot, just perfect, and although it rained a bit off and on, didn't really seem to gather into a storm.

But tornadoes??  Whoa. 

This picture of the barges on the Mississippi River was taken from the Poplar Street Bridge as we crossed from St. Louis, Missouri into East St. Louis, Illinois.

I know, confusing name.  You'd think East St. Louis would be in Missouri, with regular 'ol St. Louis, wouldn't you?

All you need to know about East St. Louis is to NEVER go there.  It's America's most violent city.  Which means there's lots of crime.  Crazy crime.  Scary crime. 

In fact, a few years ago a truck driver was killed in the early morning, making his delivery. I will NEVER deliver there.

EVER.

I will dump that freight in the Mississippi before I put myself in that kind of danger.

It's so murky, they'll be looking for that crap for weeks.  But I'll be alive.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: It’s Always Number One In My Book
2011: Interviewed By A Pixie
2010: I’ll Trade You My First Child For An iPad
2009: The New New York Skyline And The Good Old NYPD
2008: Gives Red, White And Blue A Whole New Meaning
2007: Eddie Warhol Friday
2006: Conscious But Very Disoriented
2005: Sorry, no post for this day.

Capital Letters Indeed

Saw this building in St. Louis, Missouri.  The curve of the interstate at this point requires you to go super slow, and in the crook of that ramp, is this town.  I wasn't driving, so I snapped this picture.

The graffiti - CRIME - all in capital letters, says all you need to know.

This is a seedy area and one look tells you to keep away.

I don't need it spelled out for me.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Look For The Sign
2011: This Is My Life
2010: The Power Of Liberty
2009: A Day At The Park
2008: A Body Temperature Of 98.6 – The Only Requirement To Work AT McDonald’s
2007: Laughter Is The Best Medicine
2006: Homeless Shelter
2005: Sorry, no post for this day.

My Mother Never Fried Chicken Like This

Truth be told, my mother never made fried chicken at all.  We didn't do fried chicken in our neck of the woods - the closest we came were fried chicken cutlets - fried chicken was reserved for people in the south.  There was a reason it was called southern fried chicken.  But pan fried, now that's something else.

This week on our way home to Arizona, we stopped at a place we've driven past at least a hundred times.  I saw a billboard and couldn't get the words out of my mouth fast enough to make sure Ed would stop quick enough.  I was babbling and pointing.   "Panfriedchicken.  At the next exit.  Panfriedchicken.  Pan fried!  Now.  Next exit.  There!"  What?  I was hungry.

The place was just off the highway (exit 179 on I-44, as you can see on the menu) and had pah-lenty of truck parking.  We parked, hopped out, and ran into a FedEx driver on our way in and his way out of the place.  He recommended the pan fried chicken (duh), some kind of sandwich called The Big Pig, and a few others things.  He gushed about how he eats there every week and that everything was good.

It was late in the afternoon, so the dining room was fairly empty. Once this table left, we had the place to ourselves. Needless to say, the waitress was very attentive.

We told her we'd never been before, that we saw the billboard, and then took a few minutes to look at the menu before ordering the house special - Pan Fried Chicken!  Actually, Ed got the chicken (with an extra breast for me) and ordered mashed potatoes and creamed corn on the side. Creamed corn always looks pretty questionable but is usually pretty tasty.

I got The Big Pig sandwich.  We decided we'd split the meals - I'd give him half my sandwich, and he'd give me that extra chicken breast I made him order. The pork tenderloin on this sandwich was just that - a tender loin. The piece of meat hung over the bun by at least an inch on each side. I ordered tater tots to go along with it.

Everything was incredibly delicious. The sandwich was delicious, but I LOVED the chicken. The waitress explained pan frying - the pieces were dredged in their flour and spice mixture, and set in a pan with canola oil that just covered half the chicken piece. Eighteen minutes on one side, eighteen on the other, and it was done.

The thing I loved about the chicken was the fact that it wasn't at all greasy. Sometimes, with fried chicken, you get a very crispy piece, but the coating holds onto a lot of oil. This breading was crispy, done perfectly, and the inside was super-freaking juicy. And hot. I'm in love, and I'm going back.

We also ordered dessert. The waitress forced us. OK, so she didn't exactly force us, she merely suggested some of their home made items.  I felt as if I really should be having something. They had pies and cobblers, ice cream and bread pudding. I was sort of in the mood for a fruit filled pie, but I thought passing on a bread pudding made with cinnamon rolls, topped with caramel and nuts would be akin to drowning a kitten. So I had the bread pudding, and Ed ordered chocolate cream pie.

Then, the waitress came over with another dessert, and as she set it on the table said, "Just because I really like you guys, I'm going to give you some blackberry cobbler on the house. All I heard was "cobbler" and "free". It was amazing.The fruit was delicious, the cobbler was tucked away underneath, it was warm, and she topped it with ice cream. Ed and I were in heaven. It wasn't cloyingly sweet, which I really liked. We ate the ice cream because it was melting, but we took the rest of our desserts to go. Twice the delight - now and later.

They also have a 66-ounce burger in honor of Route 66, and they do a burger eating challenge similar to the 72-ounce steak deal that The Big Texan in Amarillo offers. They even have a little setup, with a digital clock counting down the minutes as you eat.

If you're passing through Missouri, you should definitely make plans to stop.  Usually, we seem to get through here in the wee hours of the morning, but I'm definitely glad this time I was awake and bored enough with the scenery that I resorted to reading billboards.

Turned out advertising really does work.  Good thing I didn't see one of the many billboards Missouri is famous for, like “Missing Jesus In Your Life?” or “Pure Pleasure Adult Megacenters”.

This would have been a completely different post.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Shocking
2011: Awesome All-Star
2010: Have Pots And Pans, Will Travel
2009: This One Contains A Young Rider
2008: When She’s Not Sleeping, She Tries To Look Purty
2007: Eddie McSteamy Friday
2006: Pepparkakor Cat
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

View From The Bridge

This was the view from the bridge just before coming into St. Louis. Had time to snap a shot since we were stuck in traffic for an hour. Enjoy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2011: Small Place, Big Flavor
2010: La Vita è Bella
2009: He Looks Much Better Here Than On The Penny
2008: One Of The Few Places In Iowa NOT Under Water
2007: We Need A Manager On Register Three Please!
2006: Mobile Misses
2005: Idaho?? YOU Da Ho!!

Balls In The Air

I found this metal sculpture in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. I have many days like this, when there are several balls in the air.

This week I'm working on catching one of them.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: Branded
2 YEARS AGO: Don’t Lose The Fun
3 YEARS AGO: I’ll Get To It As Soon As I’m Done Churning The Butter, Dear
4 YEARS AGO: Trees At Sunset
5 YEARS AGO: Giving Directions To This Place Is Easy
6 YEARS AGO: A Cloud Of Words

Breakdown = Extra Nap Time

Last night after we left the Midway Travel Plaza in Columbia, Missouri, we drove about two miles up the road when the trailer brakes locked up, causing smoke to rise in a continuous plume from the rear tires. Ed pulled off the interstate and into a shopping plaza to get out and assess the situation. He confirmed that the brakes actually did lock up and decided to wait for them to cool a bit before adjusting them so he could move the truck.

He knew he had to take it to a shop, so I called around to find one. The Midway, which we had just left, didn't have one. They had a place to get a tattoo, a pair of cowboy boots or fireworks, but they didn't have a shop; it's not such great truck stop anymore (TV show or no TV show) when you need a repair and you can't get it...you know, where the trucks are. So I called the Petro in Kingdom City and found that they did have a shop and we were going to head that way, about twenty miles up the interstate.

When we picked up this trailer in Salt Lake City, the guy in the shop over there told us that although it passed the inspection, it was a piece of shit. Ed told me, when I started driving that evening, to be careful and to keep my eye on the trailer because of what the shop mechanic told him. I'm just glad I wasn't driving when the brakes locked up. I hate when my smooth, uneventful drive gets interrupted.

We got to the shop in Kingdom City and checked in around 2:30 am. I was keeping track of the time because I wanted to see how long it would take them to fix the problem. Turns out, not only did the brakes lock up, but everything down there was shot to hell. All the brake pads were cracked, the service air line valve on the trailer was full of ice, and the brake drums were too, which meant it wouldn't be long before they cracked too. I went to bed and Ed talked to the guys in the shop for a little while longer before coming in to join me. Since we're under contract to UPS for this run, we just had to wait on their decision.

Although they tried, because the trailer was sixteen years old, they couldn't find any parts to fix it. According to Ed, the trailer was equipped with Dayton wheels, which were popular in the seventies and eighties. That they were being used on a 1995 trailer, is pretty unusual.

Even removing these wheels from the hubs takes a fair amount of finesse because the mechanic could be killed in the process - they have five wedge shaped washers that are under pressure, holding the wheels against the hub. Removing them incorrectly can cause the pressurized wedge to shoot from the wheel with enough force, that they can go through a cinderblock wall! And to think, the wheels they made before these were known as "the widowmaker".

By eleven that morning, they still didn't have a decision, but after a couple of hours went by, they realized they couldn't repair the trailer at that shop, so UPS decided to have someone tow it 100 miles to Earth City, Missouri where UPS had a yard with its own service bay. So in came I-70 Towing and Recovery, who backed up under the trailer we were pulling to take it away.
It was a big, hunkin' towtruck; on the side it said "Heavy Recovery". The driver got up underneath to hook up to the kingpin.

And once he had the wrecker hooked up to the trailer, he raised the landing gear and headed east towards Earth City, Missouri, to the UPS yard where they were going to either a) unload the contents of the trailer and put them in a different trailer or b) fix the brake situation themselves - it was still undecided.

We went to lunch and then headed towards Earth City to meet up with the wrecker. By the time we got there, the wrecker had already dropped the trailer and it was in the shop. Ed checked in and was told that they decided to fix the brakes; that news came after they had a big discussion about what was wrong with the trailer and the guy in the shop told Ed that the trailer we were pulling had no business even being on the road, that it's usually used as a local run-around trailer in the train yards. Greeeaaatt. Thanks.

With the new CSA program that the government has rolled out, the driver is responsible for the condition of the equipment, even if it's not his equipment, so double checking the work of a repair shop to make sure everything is in good condition is an even bigger deal now. Ed went back in several times to make sure he was going to FIX the problem and not just rig it so it was "good enough" to get to Atlanta.

It took them another three hours to get our trailer ready, and by this time it was dark once again and the whole day had been wasted figuring out what to do. At this point, we'd been down for more than sixteen hours and we still had to get to Atlanta, which was another 579 miles away.

We've never had anything like this happen before, especially on the UPS run. First they bobtailed us from San Francisco to Phoenix, paying us for driving with no freight, no trailer. And now we've got this situation. Thankfully, it didn't happen on the side of the road somewhere. I would have been a little annoyed being stranded on the shoulder waiting for a service truck to arrive.

It wasn't all that bad, even though it changed the rest of our trip. Instead of Atlanta, Nashville, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Denver and Phoenix, we're leaving Atlanta and heading straight to Los Angeles, then Phoenix. That means no stops and drops and no bad weather. And, with all the down time we had today, we had a little extra time to nap, which is a treat on a run like this. If only I could store that sleep for when I need it later.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: Dr. Lettera Said The Very Same Thing, She Just Wasn’t Qualified To Write The Prescription
2 YEARS AGO: The First Snow I’ve Seen This Season
3 YEARS AGO: Not That There’s Any Reason To Park Here
4 YEARS AGO: A Game You Wouldn’t Want To Play If You Were Say, In The Witness Protection Program
5 YEARS AGO: Companionship Is Just A Phone Call Away; Beauty Is Another Story
6 YEARS AGO: Who Stole My Cheese?

Midway To A Haven Of Triple X Activity

Last week we did Phoenix, AZ to Mesquite, TX to Lenexa, KS to Houston, TX to San Antonio, TX to Dallas, TX to Richmond, CA and then back to Phoenix, AZ - a total of 5,318 miles. This week it's Phoenix to Salt Lake City to Atlanta to Nashville to Oklahoma City to Kansas City to Denver and then back to Phoenix - that'll final out at 5,363 miles for the week.

I'm pretty sure only a truck driver can understand what it's like to drive over 5,000 miles in a week. And until I started doing this, I had no idea that truckers drove so much. I had no idea that anyone drove so much. Anyway...

In the midst of all that driving, we realized that we'd be passing through Columbia, Missouri. Normally, this would mean nothing to me, but the last time I talked to my Uncle Tony, he asked if we'd ever been to the Midway Travel Plaza. I hadn't. I didn't know it at the time, but the Midway Travel Plaze is where the Travel Channel films a show called Truck Stop Missouri. He asked me to get a picture if I was ever there. Easy enough.

In the wee hours of the morning, we pulled in to check it out. I knew I wouldn't be getting out of the truck since I was in my jammies, but I could certainly get a picture. So there you have it - a picture of a "famous" truck stop taken in the middle of the night.

I have never seen the show - although I've seen previews - but I have to tell you, this place is a dump. It's one of those truck stops I would never stop at unless absolutely necessary - like driving on fumes necessary. It didn't look like a place you'd film anything, let alone something for the Travel Channel. Who would go there?? Crappy parking lot with tons of potholes. Eeery lighting. Super seedy. If it weren't for the arctic temperatures, I'm sure there would have been a swarm of lot lizards too.

I don't see any reason why you'd want to go there, but if you do, you can't miss it - it's nestled among the triple-x shops and adult bookstores. You'll be able to navigate via the billboards: "XXX", "Live Nude Girls 24/7", "Adult Videos", Midway Travel Plaza, "Massages 24/7", "Lingerie Shop", "Sex Toys", etc.

Missouri is one of the only states where the sex industry, advertised via billboards, is so noticeably present. It's all over the state, specifically on I-70 and I-44. You can't drive a stretch of either interstate without seeing one of these advertisements. At least in Vegas, it's confined to the town itself, which you know is a hotbed of sin.

Ed saw a billboard last night where the mouth of a blow-up doll in the shape of a heart was featured front and center. For such a conservative state, there certainly seems to be a lot of outlets for people who have a proclivity towards all things of the sleazy sexual nature. Makes you think there must be a lot of people there needing to be serviced.

Even if they have to blow something up to get the job done.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: The Cowboy And I
2 YEARS AGO: Christmas In OKC
3 YEARS AGO: Ain’t Nuthin’ But A Lizard Pimp
4 YEARS AGO: After The Storm
5 YEARS AGO: Border Town
6 YEARS AGO: Easily Amused

Hand Dipping Tastes Better

This weekend we went to the beautiful Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis. It's a gorgeous area with stately homes and tree-lined streets. In the section of town called Maryland Plaza, we found Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier, an elegant little chocolate shop.
There were so many choices, but before I arrived at the shop, I read about their chocolate covered blackberries. They're seasonal and always sell out, so I had to try some. But at $33.00 a pound, I decided to only get a quarter pound and try some of the other treats.

In addition to the blackberries, I got some 75% dark chocolate medallions, Almond Bark, and some salt caramels; the Pear Balsamic ones for me and the Apple Ghost Chili ones for Ed. I haven't tried any of those yet but I did try the blackberries and they were delicious.

The shop had a beautiful seating area, a menu with many different options for tasting chocolates and an extensive wine list. This is the only chocolate shop I've ever been in that offers monthly chocolate and wine pairings.

Salud!


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: The Skies Were So Dark, Even GE Couldn’t Brighten Things Up
2 YEARS AGO: Not So Deep Impact
3 YEARS AGO: My America. Your America. OUR America.
4 YEARS AGO: Frozen In Time
5 YEARS AGO: Ohhh, Paaablo
6 YEARS AGO: Apparently, Aliens Tell Time With Their Ass

Wooden Shoes, Tulips, And Now This?

I just made this cool picture my desktop background. Wanna know what it is? Read on.
It's the view from under this cool chandelier that I saw in Anthonino's Taverna yesterday. I want this lamp hanging from my ceiling!

This is what I found on the internet about the chandelier and it's creator:

"Contemporary Dutch designers have been distinctly innovative in their experimentation with materials. As an example of this trend, Rody Graumans employed simple, readily available components — eighty-five black electrical cords, sockets, and lightbulbs — to create this striking chandelier. Gathered in a unified bundle at the ceiling, the cords flare out to accommodate the mass of bulbs below."

What a clever, unique and expensive idea!

Leave it to the Dutch.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: Universal AND Contagious
2 YEARS AGO: Ed Smiles With The Pasties Girl Friday
3 YEARS AGO: Who Needs A Man When You Have A Kindle??
4 YEARS AGO: Phone Calls And Fellatio
5 YEARS AGO: Color Ring
6 YEARS AGO: We Go All Out!

Lunch On The Hill

Today we had lunch in an Italian neighborhood called "The Hill" in St. Louis, Missiouri. The neighborhood is beautiful, tiny brick houses line tree-lined streets and the neighborhood is clearly cared for as it's remarkably clean compared to the industrial surroundings of St. Louis and despite the fact that it's directly parallel to a heavily traveled interstate.

The Hill is also the birthplace of baseball great, Yogi Berra. In fact, the web page for The Hill has a list of Yogi-isms; ones like "It's like deja vu all over again", "We made two many wrong mistakes" and one we all know, "The game isn't over until it's over".We had lunch at a place we found on Urban Spoon, Anthonino’s Taverna; a culinary homage to the Italian and Greek roots of the owners. They started us out with a delicious loaf of Italian bread and olive oil for dipping.

We had Toasted Ravioli for an appetizer (no picture, sorry!), ordered only after being told they were handmade in house. I was surprised that they were meat (I never eat meat ravi's) but they were suprisingly good.Ed ordered the Gabagool; an open faced garlic cheese bread topped with capacola (Italian ham). I think he ordered it because he liked the name. I ordered the Chicken Parmesan on Ciabatta. It was delish.

On the side, I had Sauteed Spinach, topped with grated cheese. It was amaaaazing. Ed even put some of it on his sandwich. Ed ordered Feta Cheese and Greek Olives for his side. The feta was in a mound and we didn't even finish all the olives, there were so many. They were also delicious.

Look at the pile of feta cheese! You don't have to guess that we were stuffed when we were done, so no room for dessert. So sad.

The rest of the day we spent at the Taste Of St. Louis, being held at the Soldier's Memorial at 12th and Market where they had music, art, wine and more food.

Photos to follow...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: Haulin’ Big Sunrise To Sunset
2 YEARS AGO: When Continuing South Isn’t Possible, Here Are Some Other Choices
3 YEARS AGO: Neat, Trim, Appealing And Sophisticated. In A Word: SMART
4 YEARS AGO: I Know She’s Topless, But Is That A Castanet In Her Hand??
5 YEARS AGO: A Wicked Good Time
6 YEARS AGO: All The Boring Details

Meet Me In St. Louis...If You Can Find It

There is just no way to get a clear picture of the Gateway Arch while driving by; not only is there a bridge that you can't stop on, but the road is so pitted and bumpy, even if you drove by at ten miles an hour, there's just no way. For night photos, you need a tri-pod, plain and simple.

But I happen to like blurry pictures; I've taken many. So here's one more to add to the bunch.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: We Don’t Eat Gefilte Fish But We Do Like The Multi-Cultural Birthdays
2 YEARS AGO: How To Picnic Like An Italian
3 YEARS AGO: Dead Ant, Dead Ant, Dead Ant, Dead Ant, Dead Ant, Dead Ant, Dead Ant…
4 YEARS AGO: The Cactus King

Gleaming Curve

Yesterday Eddie and I visited the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Unfortunately, the tour to the top was sold out, but I did get this great picture right from the base. We go through St. Louis all the time, so there will definitely be another chance to get to the top.

Standing right underneath it was fantastic. You don't realize how big it is until you're right there; and I didn't know until I Googled, that this is considered a catenary arch. I am always so amazed when I look at structures like this and think that someone designed and then built it.

Every time I pass through St. Louis, it always seems to be at night which is fine with me, because I love the way the arch looks at night. But seeing it up close made it so much more beautiful to me.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: Color Me Casual
2 YEARS AGO: Eddie Goes Running Friday
3 YEARS AGO: Forever Yours
4 YEARS AGO: Home Away From Home

Doing The Speed Limit In Your Sleep

It was late and it was my turn to drive. Ed had already climbed into the sleeper, getting himself ready for a nice Rip Van Winkle rest. On this particular trip, I'd be going through St. Louis, passing the Gateway Arch.

I love passing the arch at night, specifically when it's very late and there is not another soul on the road. It's so much easier to stare at the beauty of the arch when you don't have to watch what four other lanes of traffic are doing. Tonight, the moon was bright, its luminescence dancing in the Mississippi river with the rest of the city lights. The arch was lit up and its brushed stainless steel gleamed from the very same moonglow.

When entering certain cities, there are several ways to pass through. Sometimes, we just stay right on the interstate, other times we take the loop around. It really depends on the time of day and the traffic situation. I like to plow straight through, as I don't mind the traffic, but Ed likes to go around. Sometimes figuring out the route can be confusing if not familiar with the area. I often rely on our GPS (we use the Tom Tom program on our PalmPilot, and fondly refer to it as "Tommy"), Ed relies on his experience; he's been through these cities literally thousands of times over the past twelve years.

Tonight before he climbed into bed, he said to me, "Wake me up when you get to St. Louis. Don't listen to what Tommy says, I want to make sure you go the right way. And don't take the loop. Take 70 straight through." Hmm. This was something different, letting me go through the city.

I usually just read the signs. I mean, it's not hard to figure out how to get through the city; I've been through here hundreds of times myself and I'm not an idiot. But, I do what he said and woke him up when I was approaching St. Louis.

"Baby! Wake up, I'm in St. Louis. Do I go 55 or 70?" I said to him.

"Do the speed limit." he answered. He sounded groggy.

"What?? No! Do I go 55 or 70???" I'm talking about which interstate to take, he's talking about how fast he thinks I should be going. Typical.

"Just DO the speed limit!" he repeated.

"Are you freakin' retarded?? You need to answer me NOW, I'm coming into the city. 55 or 70?"

No answer.

"OK, fine. Since you're not telling me, I'm going the way I want to go!"

Silence. He must have gone back to sleep. Which is fine, because he's never very lucid when he's tired anyway.

The thing is, 55 and 70 are the same road for a bit, as it crosses over the river. I don't remember these things about every city in the country, I just wing it when I get there. Once I saw the signs saying 55 to 70, I knew I was going the right way, and I knew I had to cross the river to get to Illinois, so there was a big 'ol clue.

It's clear I don't need Tommy or Sleepy Head Ed to give me directions, and if it weren't for my wanting to take a good long look at the Arch, I could have done it with my eyes closed.