Well, we are back – have been back since last Saturday and finally the feeling of wanting to eat or sleep at odd hours has disappeared. The journey to and from the US is always a bit of a nightmare for me since I practically never sleep, hate confined spaces and we have to make 3 stops (each way) before we get to our final destination. But that’s over and done with and we’re home where I’m dealing with the more mundane tasks of piles of laundry, overdue grocery shopping and finding space in my overflowing wardrobe for my new purchases. I tried to only buy items that I needed but, this year, I found some lovely ‘Made in Italy’, clothing and accessories at TJ Maxx which was totally unexpected. It’s always hit and miss at that store. This year I was lucky and I might share some of my finds in another post.
But back to the trip … This year I got to visit places in 3 new States: Indianapolis (Indiana), Louisville (Kentucky), and Le Claire (Iowa), which means that I am slowly fulfilling one of the dreams on my bucket list which is to visit all 50 US States. Another place we visited was Springfield (Illinois), a city I had already visited quite a few years ago during the time I lived in the US. I know it seems like we spent a lot of time on the road but we were still able to visit with family in St Louis, explore the farm country around Canton (MO) – am I the only one that hates the fact that the same town name is repeated across different US states? – and spend a half day in Hannibal, because a trip back to the US never seems complete unless we do. I had already written about the attractions in Hannibal here.
I will try to share more about our travels in the coming weeks unless the dog days of summer drive me completely loony. I’d also like to be more active on Instagram and reduce my time on Facebook to a minimum. I find the community in the former to be really pleasant and positive whereas the latter has just become an awful waste of time. This coming weekend I hope we’ll hit the beach for a few hours. I am now officially the palest person in our office and I would like to get a slight tan. Slight is the key word. Gone are the days when I would spend hours in the sun until I turned a nice shade of brown. These days I am almost as pale as my very fair-skinned husband. Almost but not quite.
I'll be back soon. For today I'll leave you with a collage of some of the things we saw and places we visited. Hope you like it.
Happy Being Home!
ReplyDeleteTraveling is always good for the spirit. The towns with same name in different states is especially fun when searching the weather online. It took me a few seconds to figure out it doesn't snow in the Caribbean. lol
Ahhh, home! I love travelling but coming home is always such a pleasure, piles of washing, notwithstanding!
ReplyDeleteI've never joined Facebook, it never sounded appealing to me, and I'm only recently on Instagram but I've already discovered it's a dangerous place for losing time. So many delightful byways to pursue one's interests, plus some nice and familiar faces to see!
SO, I went to BALLET CAMP in SPRINGFIELD, Illinois probably in 1974!!NO it was CHAMPAGNE, ILLinois!
ReplyDeleteLovely old brick buildings.......
YES, DONOT LIKE THE NAMES REPEATING THEMSELVES in different STATES!WHY DO THEY DO THAT?
There is a CANTON, OHIO !
I use to LOVE TJMAXX...........and YES one can find some KEEPERS THERE!I agree it is HIT or MISS!
I have not laid out in the SUN in YEARS..........I miss it!Just read we need at least an hour a day for Vitamin D!
HAPPY YOU TRAVELED AROUND AND SAW SOME SIGHTS!
Look forward to seeing YOUR PURCHASES!!!!
XX
It sounds like a wonderful trip. I love the midwest and have spent a lot of time there. My in-laws live in Missourri and my family is mostly in Wisconsin.
ReplyDeleteThat said, there is no place like home. I am happy that you are back safe.
Have a great day!
P.S. Elizabeth the Contessa mentioned to me that you might be able to help me. She and several others are unable to comment on my blog, is there a setting that you use so that they can comment on yours?
That brings back memories when 20 years ago we went exploring the States from the Niagara Falls to California and had visited all States which had a tourist attraction. I saw the Yellowstone park, Mount Rushmore, The Grand Canion and the Price Canionn, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, St. Francisco etc ! We always arrived in another town, rented a car and went on adventures. After 2 weeks we rested for 2 weeks with my aunt in Madison Wisc. That was a nice time. No terrorists, no Trump and no shootings !
ReplyDeleteDearest Loree - just catching up with you. It sounds like you had quite a visit to our shores. Canton, Mo - made me smile because I used to work many moons ago in Canton, Ohio - which is about 30 miles away from where I live. Great collage of photos too. Will be looking forward to reading all about your visit here in the U.S.A. Hugs!
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