November 2019 - Reunions on the Road

Tulsa

In mid-November, Don and I headed off on a visit to see my Dad in Missouri. We included Oklahoma on the route. Fun to see good old Tulsa, where our family lived in the 1990's.

We spent some time exploring with dear friends, Dan & Kim. We drove to our old neighborhood where our 2 families once lived. We took in Tulsa's latest surprise, the amazing Gathering Place! What a beautiful park on a lovely day, with such special friends.

​Springfield
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In Missouri, we spent some time in the town where I have the deepest roots. I never lived in Springfield, but I have endless Christmas and Summertime memories of the town where all my relatives lived. 

We enjoyed one evening with a cozy gathering of some of my cousins, aunts and uncles. We spent another day with my 91 year old dad, driving out Route 66 and taking in a little history at a local museum. 
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Curious Stops in OK, MO & AR

Our route to and from Springfield gave us some options for interesting overnights.

We stayed in a Frank Lloyd Wright "skyscraper", a 1912 Tudor hotel, an Ozark cabin and a midcentury modern hotel. All fun.

Dining

​We sampled some local favorites at small town diners. Massive pancakes and spaghetti with pickles... hamburgers covered in gravy.

We had a memorable meal at 21c Museum Hotel in Arkansas, where we shared our table (and cotton candy dessert) with one of their penguin mascots.

​Stairs

In a few small towns, we found some wonderful stairs to climb. 

I don't think they burned off many of the road food calories we consumed.

​Lounging

We found a few good chairs here and there.

But we never sat very long...

​Christmas Decor!

It was November, but it felt like Christmas in Missouri and Arkansas.

I used to complain about early decorations, but it was cold and the festive decor fit!

Thanksgiving for Two!

We made it home just before Thanksgiving. Our feast for two could have felt lacking, but we had lots to be thankful for.

We toasted to the fun we'd had in recent months with family and friends. Most of all I felt thankful, knowing our kids were sharing the day with family in Oregon and California. FaceTime and texts and phone calls made them seem closer. 

One nice perk... the post feast clean-up was a breeze!