Day 3 was quite an adventure! The day started off well with a refreshing morning of worship with Lifepoint which is the church in which Kyle serves as youth pastor. The church meets in an AMC movie theater and it is quite an effort setting up the stage, lighting, band, etc. every week. I have never visited a non-traditional church like this and had a great experience being welcomed and ushered into worship.
After a quick trip back to the house, change of clothes, and a bite at Taco Bell, the family all headed to St. Louis City Museum. The term "museum" is not indicative of the experience. This is a huge warehouse that has been artfully transformed into a recreational experience that is quite incredible. Be sure and wear your Nike's and not your flip-flops! You will do some walking, climbing, and sliding in all sorts of environments. The kids, Kyle, Emily, and Brooke were on the roof experiencing that element of the museum when it shut down because of this strange wet substance that came falling out of the sky. The locals here called it "rain." Those of us from West Texas have only heard rumors of this moisture. It rained all day and into the night.
Another quick trip and wardrobe change later and we head to Brussles, IL to a historic hotel that now serves a huge home-style meal. To get to Brussles, we drove "the Great River Road" which was a breathtaking drive with the Illinois river on one side and rolling, green landscapes on the other. This trek takes you through small communities with quaint homes and cottages that seems to take you back to a simpler time (until you look to the left and see the Yacht Club dock). To get to Brussles you get to drive on to a ferry and take it across the river. The ferry captain was quite skilled at getting this vessel turned and parked. The 5 miles from the ferry to the town reminded me of the shots in New Zealand that were used in the Lord of the Rings movies to depict the Shire. While waiting on the ferry to come pick us up and take us back, we notice a local man fishing right in front of the ferry dock. This guy was getting lucky! In about 10 casts, we saw him pull out 8 fish. I was wishing I had my line and tackle and share in the festivities! Seth was drooling with anticipation.
STORY OF THE DAY: Apparently, everyone loved the late night Lisa's run last night, so it was decided before heading home, that we would make another trip to the ice cream stand. While waiting in line to order, we see this red Grand Am being pushed by this man and a woman behind the wheel. The natural assumption was that he was pushing her to the gas station. As they passed, I thought, "How embarrassing! I would hate having to push my car in front of all these people staring at me like I'm some pathetic idiot." Then they turned off the main street and up a residential street which led me to realize that they were going to push this car to their home. This residential street was up-hill and I knew this guy would never get the car up by himself. Kyle, myself, and some other guy in line rush up to help him push the car up the street. About 50 yards up the street, the man tells us that it is probably going to be about 4 blocks to the woman's house. At this disclosure, the stranger, departed citing his food in the car and potentially melting ice cream. Kyle, myself, and the original car pusher continue to push the car and it becomes clear this house was a little farther than 4 blocks (try 1 mile!). The original pusher guy stops a couple times while we were pushing and is breathing and wheezing and saying he needed a break. He tells Kyle and I that we are welcome to leave, but we weren't about to leave this guy to die in the street from a heart attack or some other malady. Fortunately, Emily followed us in her Tahoe and when we reached our destination, she gave us a ride back to Lisa's.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: The man on the ferry who was in charge of opening the gate and directing passengers off was not in a good mood. He was avoiding all eye-contact, frowning, and sluggishly bringing himself to his post. Apparently, in the other car, his demeanor became the subject of comment and Seth said, "Well I guess he should've gone to college, then!"
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