Following yesterday’s cloud theme, this is how we began the day. It was the last we saw of bright light during an otherwise dreary drive. The news here is full of weather stories and their impact on the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, but we haven’t seen anything worth mentioning since we emerged from the snow around London yesterday.
For the first couple of hours today our route took us along secondary highways, though wooded areas and flat farmland. Later in the day, back on expressways, we moved into the rolling hills of the Ozarks which Wikipedia tells me are not really mountains but “a high and deeply dissected plateau.” They appeared to be mountains similar to the Appalachians at first, but then became rolling hills. Cuts for the highway revealed what looked like soft, layered rock.
Of minor interest: The Purgatory Golf Club. Why? Perhaps adjacent to Purgatory, Indiana–which would raise it’s own questions. But no such place exists. Its name is all its own, and its website claims it’s “more heaven than hell”.
St. Louis, Missouri, the Gateway City, so named because it was the Gateway to the western territories. The Gateway Arch is impressive, even from the expressway. We took a wrong turn and found ourselves briefly in the city itself, driving past Busch Stadium–a neat old structure. The St. Louis Cardinals were (are?) my brother Rod’s favourite baseball team because they had the first black major league player.
We stopped for gas at a truck stop in the Ozarks and OH MY GOD. There, on a television hanging between the potato chips and the country music CDs, was Rob Ford, frothing at the mouth. The commentator — on Fox News — was just wrapping up today’s story (whatever it was) with the news–no longer surprising, alas–that more than a third of Torontonians still support him. Is this better or worse for our international image than the fact that we’re dead last in the OECD for environmental policy? Sexier, obviously.
I thought the Brooklyn Dodgers were the first Major League Baseball team to field a black player, Jackie Robinson. What’s this about the Cards?
I’m going on family legend here…maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Rod was wrong.He won’t be following this blog, but I’ll send him a note and see what he says.
Reply received. Carolyn is right. His reasons for supporting the Cards had to do his admiration for the local postmaster who was a Cardinal’s fan. Not sure where my version came from…
Once again I am enjoying your posts, Paula. I tried responding to the blog but couldn’t remember my password from last year and somehow have been stymied trying to change the password! I like having the photos with descriptions beside them! You are becoming quite the author/writer! Hi to Jack. We are trying to get ourselves organized for an 8 day trip to Germany to visit Christmas markets. We leave Dec. 6 and return on the 14th. Mickey is going with us. We’ll meet at the airport in Detroit and fly together to Munich. Safe travels.
Sandy
________________________________
When and if you pass through Springfield, Shout out “Hi Ari”. Our son and family live in Nixa a suburb of Springfield. Keep the blogs coming. O & U
Hi Paula. I thought that was Jackie Robinson with the Brooklyn Dodgers? Am enjoying your posts and pics
Carolyn L
Yup. See comments.