Planting Seeds, Cultivating Art: Short Trip Through the Heartland to St. Louis

My beloved sister moved to Nashville about a year ago. A drive, that while it could be done in one day from Iowa, is more comfortable in two days. This amounts to a big investment in time when you factor in the actual visit. Time is something that we're getting shorter on with three kids in school and activities. So it makes sense to occasionally meet in St. Louis, which is located halfway almost to the mile. This time we each went kid free.

I loaded up our new-to-us car with the necessities - my camera, tripod and art supplies and headed south on an absolutely gorgeous sunny day.

Making the drive by myself was a real treat. Windows down, music of my Own choice playing "at the appropriate level", watching the golden fields roll by.

Before I go to far I have to make a few comments about how much I LOVE this car. For most of the thirteen years of our marriage we have only had one car. It has worked well because for all the pre-kid years I either rode my bike or took public transportation to grad school or work and that freed up the car for Eric to take to work. When we moved to Iowa he began driving a vehicle for work which freed up the car for me to use to chauffeur the kids around. On the weekends we were usually all together, so again, not a problem. As the kids have been getting older and involved in a few weekend activities here and there we did start to feel the minor pinch of growing inconvenience. We found this 1995 Nissan Maxima for a whopping $50 on a tip from my mother-in-law (with a full tank of gas). It could have had real problems, but after talking to the previous mechanics that looked at the car shortly before our purchase and driving it a little we determined that everything was fine and went for it. Even if it didn't last long it would ease a burden short term and we wouldn't be out much money when it did die. As it has all turned out it was equivalent to a winning lottery ticket. This car runs great! I'm so thrilled to have something smaller and more fuel efficient than our "family vehicle" to run around in when we don't need to haul the whole family.

When I get in it I feel at least 10 years younger for some reason and I am moved to listen to all sorts of music from my youth including The Violent Femmes, Red Hot Chilli Peppers or Sarah McLachlan if I feel like singing. I've come to the conclusion that it is because this car doesn't own me. It's paid for! I have no worries when I am driving down the road. I . . . AM . . . FREE! Yes, it has some hail damage. Yes, there is a a loose connection between the two front speakers requiring that I occasionally bang on the dash to get the right one to come back on. These things just give it more character. I've never cared about cars, I've never seen them as a status symbol, but more of a waste of money for all the crazy features beyond the necessities of safety. This car suits me just fine. I'll be driving it until it's demise and then we'll replace it with another used car with character that will most likely not be as inexpensive, but will also at least be paid for up front with no loan. The only way to go from now on.

Moving on . . .

Part of my hope for the weekend was that I would have time to stop and take pictures of the gorgeous scenery of harvest season along the way. Most of the first half of the trip was a four lane highway and stopping to take pictures would have involved making a quick decision to pull off on whatever side road quickly appeared. It was too stressful to check out the scenery and decide to pull over so quickly. So I stopped to get something to drink, turned off the navigation and looked at a map for some county roads. When I arrived in Hannibal, MO I found my way to highway 79 and finished my trek to St. Louis on this road. It was exactly what I was looking for. Slower speed, much of it along the Mississippi River and through country fields. I stopped at every scenic overlook and several times along the road where there was a nice wide shoulder or spot to pull off. It was glorious.