Heading Home

Oh, the most beautiful trees were in Indiana! There we found some reds and the yellows were golden. In most places, including home, the heat and drought has hampered the color. Many leaves fall off before changing colors and then the colors, while pretty, are muted.

We continued to take the slower roads through Indiana, and the scenery was beautiful. I admit the Indiana miles before have not always been my favorites. Corn fields can be gorgeous, but I found miles after miles of them could be tedious. In autumn, the corn had been harvested and the stubble held its own beauty. It also allowed the landscape to be scene and with the autumn color of trees it all was lovely.

We got off the road at Medora and saw the country's longest covered bridge. It was my birthday and we had an impromptu picnic in the sunshine. A local retired minister came by and told us about the bridge. He checks on it twice a day, makes sure no trash is around. He had a guest book inside the bridge and said it had been signed by thousands a year and hundreds from foreign countries.

By Lebanon, Illinois we were tired and disappointed when our favorite cafe was closed. We ate in a tavern which was food but no ambiance! Our favorite antique store has closed permanently. After a few stores, we decided we could not make St. Louis after all in what would be rush hour traffic. So we got a room, stretched out and waited for the night's next debate.

                                                                               
The next day was a bit rainy, but we went to St. Charles for lunch and meandering through stores. Both were tired and had a bit of tummy distress, but still managed to enjoy this favorite place a bit before crashing in a motel room. Lunch was at the Garden Cafe and while too nasty to eat outside,  the food was tasty. I am not a fan of potato soup, but I thought it might be a easy food that day. The cafe's baked potato soup was the best soup ever!   

The next day we spent some hours with our long time friends before heading to the west side of Missouri. They look us to the Soulard Market in a French section of the city. While most fruit and vegetable stands were closed due to the time of year, there were some great looking Honey Crisp apples to bring home.

Then it was a tour of The Hill, the Italian section of the city. My friend knew all the best grocery stores, and we filled our ice chest with cheeses, bread, olives, and frozen ravioli and manicotti. The stores smelled so good with all the herbs and oils. Then lunch at Concetta's which is our friends' favorite. We weren't disappointed either. My pasta was heavenly, the sauce so good, tasting of cream and butter...sinful!

And so we returned home with full bellies and a truck load of goodies...and memories too!