Big vacations are overrated.

     

Luggage    

In years past, we have taken big trips.  I don’t know why we feel we have to take a big trip, but back then we must have seen big trips were a rite of passage.  We visited our daughter and husband in Switzerland in 2007.  We went on a jaunt to Utah in 2008.  We went to Hawaii in 2009.  In 2010, I made numerous trips  to Illinois. In April 2011 we laid Mom to rest.

All but the 2010 trips involved many suitcases, copious planning, mail put on hold, newspaper redirection, instructions for plant watering, and a variety of snippy- tight lipped words to each other about not forgetting things (well, mostly from me).

“Why do we do this?”  We have asked ourselves.  So we did a ‘mini-trip.’ And here are the results.

 

My own personal 'Bear in the Forest"

Our Cabin at Woodlandpark Manor in Idyllwild, CA

Alpine strawberries--incredibly sweet

Holly berries

The new totem pole in down town Idyllwild, Ca

Tahquitz Rock in Idyllwild, CA  This is popular for rock climbers.

 

Flowers are everywhere in Idyllwild, CA

To check out this awesome mountain town, click on Idyllwild, California 

Now, I ask you, which is the best thing to do:  take a big trip, or just take a trip?

 I am having surgery on my right hand.  I will post clever stuff on this site.  I want your comments.  It will be like a break from having pain.

Life and its bumps

 

 

This is an Xray of my right hand.  The damage on the wrist is pretty big.  Arthritis and such.  Surgery is on Sept. 7.  

Sooo, I am posting posts from the vault.  They will be clever and engaging, one hopes.  PLEASE oh PLEASE read and comment on them.  I won't be writing for two weeks or so, and need to hear from people whose writings I follow. Keep  me sane!

Izola's Barbecue

 

It was a grand old river city, right on the Mississippi River.  Just below Hannibal, Missouri, the city of Louisiana had been a busy place since its founding in 1817. 

The Stark family log cabin

Mansions were built here, fortunes made here. Louisiana was a place for barges to stop and unload. Even now, Louisiana, MO, is visited by many who follow the river along Hwy. 79 down from Hannibal.

 

One of many old mansions in the city

Can you imagine the heating bill for this?

Many memories sprout up when I recall Louisiana.  The one about which I write today is:

Izola’s Place

In October 2009, the autumn leaves were beginning to be glorious.  My mom would say, “Oh, in another few days, well, then…”  My Aunt Vada picked Mom and me up for a drive around Louisiana, Missouri.

When they were children, their mother’s family lived there.  Back and forth across a bridge built in 1928, Mom and her sisters spent a good part of their growing years there.

At dusk, we decided to pick up something for supper and cross back over the river to Illinois.  “Say, now, there’s a place I’ve always wanted to try,” I ventured.  “Izola’s Place, off Hwy. 79, on the way out of town to St. Louis.”

Izola's Place--go south on Hwy 79

I ran in and ordered three smoked pork steak sandwiches, which came with sliced white bread and onion.  It was almost dark when we got back to Mom’s house.

 

Izola's barbeque

Aunt Vada opened one Styrofoam container and asked, “Susie, how many of these did we order?”  We put the steak on the largest plate Mom had, and it lay over the edges.  “Three,” I answered.

Go to Izola’s Place to see for yourself.  Those steaks were amazing.