There was a while there that I considered staying with Owen in Idaho and sending Tony on his merry way as a solo agent. But then I reconsidered. Yes I do love Idaho and out west. Yes I will miss yet another ski season and snow in general. But I also love my husband and, dang, we actually had a great time last year. Plus, there is something that feels very homey about the mid-west. Oh yeah, I am FROM the mid-west. That explains it. But I do hate the traffic and the crowds and the bugs and the heat and no mountains or snow. And I do love the ethnic food and the neighbors and the school and Whole Foods and the diversity and culture. I am NOT a city girl but all in all I love St. Louis. Besides, I have always told myself I could live anywhere for a few years....except D.C and New Jersey. I have to draw the line somewhere.
Our trip over was a good omen, lot-o-fun. We stopped to check out the Big Kahuna and Lunch Counter rapids along the Snake River, a kayaking goal for next summer.....
Checked out the trains in Laramie........
Stop at Doug's favorite brewery in Fort Collins, where he not-so-secretly wants to work upon completion of his PhD program......
We got to see the Guinness Book of World Record's Largest ball of twine and sleep under a full
moon along the shore of a beautiful lake in Kansas.........
And visited the quaint, historic town town of Rocheport, MO and breakfasted at its General Store....
Our final night marked my 30th night of camping this summer and Owen and Nellie's 28th. But now that I am back in the mid-west I imagine we will be spending more nights in our beds and less out of doors. Too bad.
So now what am I going to write about? Anywhere in the midwest the adventurous stuff tends to be a bit more tame and urbane but not all together impossible to find. It just takes a little more effort to uncover.
I guess I will concentrate on the sustainability aspect of our lives. Actually it is easier to live a sustainable lifestyle here since there is a culture that supports this way of thinking. Yeah, I have still managed to relocate to another red state but it is only red due to the large rural component. The urban areas of Missouri are decidedly blue, thank the lord. Here in University City we have mandatory recycling, two depots for the light rail system, a great bus system, a 3 day weekly farmer's market, an independent film tivoli, no big box stores and very few franchises, a thriving and vibrant historic district filled with locally-owned businesses and of course the Washington University contribution of a liberal student populous.
Not bad, but it does not make up for the lack of moose-sighting potential or elevation differential.
1 comment:
ddgtm,see u guys soon in ky, luv, moi
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