Magical Missouri Tour, Part III: St. Louis to KC

From Richland/Lebanon we moved east towards St. Louis. In St. Louis we reconnected with friends Matt, Julia, Emma, Tom, and Margo. It was great to see them all! Emma and Hilary had great fun pretending (Emma is 2!) to be princesses and seals (not princess seals, although that is a great idea).



We went to the St. Louis Arch. Here is a pic!

Also, we went to a great spray park located a few blocks from the arch. From St. Louis, we stopped by Jefferson City one last time to see the Wease’s. We also stopped by our old digs in KC and saw a few folks. We had only been gone a few weeks, but already it was no longer home. Gehrig took us out to an amazing buffet at a casino! And then we hung out on the porch on Charlotte Street one last time.

Magical Missouri Tour Part II

Alright, alright! We're behind on the blog, so here we go...

We began Part II by visiting Chris' family in Lebanon, Missouri, including his grandma and great grandmother. Gg-ma said, "Bring me back a snapshot of you riding a giraffe." In the photos we took together she said she looked old... we look forward to celebrating her 100th birthday next fall. Also in Lebanon we visited Chris' uncle and aunt and their baby. Chris matched his uncle by biting into a habanero from the garden. His face would have melted off if not for that cold Busch Light.

In Richland, MO, we visited Chris' dad's parents. Outside of town is the Cave Restaurant. Before it was a restaurant it was a dancehall, a speakeasy, a mafia hangout (can that be true??) and a party scene. See the pix, along with those of the family and the record collection.

Magical Missouri Tour: Part 1, Columbia

Hilary's back is on the mend, and so our tour has officially begun!

Friday night we headed to Cooper's Landing, a bar/campground on the bank of the Missouri River right on the Lewis and Clark Trail. There were a few bands, a nice sunset, and some delicious Thai food. We left Cooper's Landing and made our way back to Holts Summit (chez Wease) via back roads through corn fields and on the edge of the river. Chris' dad has an intimate knowledge of these back roads. It was great to experience the country side at night, on small roads through small towns, all the time listening to a mix of music from the 1970s.

Saturday we made our way to Columbia, MO to visit some friends, who coincidentally were helping set up and play in an all day music fest at a giant house. Some dude struck it big in computer stuff in the 90s, and now has a recording studio in his house, and every year he celebrates the recording talent with a free and open to the public party. Free food, beer, and music! Pretty great! Here are a few picture of the festivities.




This morning we visited with another of Chris' friends, Dave. Here is a picture of us at his house.


Next on our tour is Richland and Lebanon to visit more of the family, and hopefully see some great local attractions, including Caveman BBQ, Bridal Cave, and get pizza that is so big you have to have a truck to pick it up. We will get pictures!

All the best,

Hilary and Chris

Magical Missouri Tour Blues

This week was to begin our grand Magical Missouri Tour, the first step in our move closer to Niamey, Niger. But alas, the universe had other plans for Hungerford and Wease. Hilary's hips and hopes became displaced during our move on Sunday. The Magical Missouri Tour has been momentarilly postponed.