If Connie's home were located near virtually any other major city or on the water, it could easily fetch a half-million dollars or more. But in land locked Terre Haute, Connie's home sits on the market for a fraction of the price. Classic 1920's architecture featuring polished hardwood floors, cathedral ceilings, enormous bedrooms, and a stylishly remodeled upstairs bathroom and kitchen make this home a visually aesthetic gem. Sure it's energy inefficient, the exposed floors and walls exponentially amplify and echo every sound, and medieval tapestries could appropriately decorate the hallways, but the initial reaction from everyone who steps through the front door must never get old.
For understandably practical reasons, Connie is selling her home. Sadly, Thursday night through Friday morning may have been our final visit to one of our favorite post-gig resting places.
With no performances until Saturday night, we decided to head toward St. Louis anyway to spare hours of driving on Saturday. On my insistence and promise to pay half (I paid 100%), we stayed at a Motel 6 just 15 minutes outside of the city instead of searching for a camp ground. I got Eric and Nic to admit later that given the oppressive heat and humidity outside, the motel was a good call. For dinner, I incorrectly ordered a complex meal at the nearby Waffle House. I say 'incorrectly ordered' because I spent over $20 ordering extra items ala-carte instead of settling with a pre-priced meal at a fraction of the cost. The apple-cinnamon waffles and coffee were a scrumptious novelty, but by the end I felt stuffed and ripped off rather than satisfied.
Saturday morning...well...Saturday afternoon, we left the hotel to explore the cultural offerings of downtown St. Louis such as the zoo and art museum which to our pleasant surprise are free to the public. Walking from the parking lot to the zoo meant wading through thick humidity and a scorching sun, so when we passed the stone columns guarding the enclosed art museum entrance, we conceded to the demand of our sweat covered bodies and strode inside instead.
I can't speak for Eric or Nic, but I personally prefer the company of quiet museum goers (snobbish as they may be), strolling, studying, and murmuring over the swarming masses of parents and obnoxious prepubescents scrambling past exhibits of caged, hairy, smelly beasts or internationally varied cousins of park squirrels.
Featuring an array of world art including Picasso's (really, who doesn't have at least one Picasso?) Gauguin's, works from the Rembrandt school, and a Chuck Close portrait, the St. Louis Art Museum primarily focuses on works from the region especially pertaining to early urban development around the Mississippi River. I think we all would have stayed longer, but hunger drove us out of comfort and culture, into the barely ventilated van, and finally to a nearby Steak and Shake for culinary pop art.
After devouring a delicious avocado steak burger and fries, I indulged in a strawberry milkshake for the first time in about 5 years. Thankfully my lactose-intolerant stomach forgave slip into sugary sublime during our return visit to the Tower Grove Park where the squirrels like in Manhattan, scavenge eerily close to occupied picnic tables.
Our reprise performance at Pop's Blue Moon was arguably tighter than last time, but the audience count still disappointed. Counting ourselves, we drew less than 20 people. On the plus side, at least 4 people heard us the last time we played and came back to hear us again.
The amazingly hospitable Paul and Pat put us up for the night again, feeding us a delicious, late-night snack of fried won tons over Romaine lettuce. Breakfast consisted of skillet cooked Dutch Babies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_baby_pancake), a pancake like entrée served with warm, syrupy strawberries and blueberries (or your favorite breakfast topping). Fresh watermelon, black cherries, and flavored coffee gave us plenty of sustenance for most of our 9 hour drive home. Once again, Paul and Pat have outdone themselves and we truly and humbly can not thank them enough.
St. Louis may be miserable outside in the summer, but our air-conditioned oasis's made the trek worthwhile.
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| Pool and Park in front of St. Louis Art Museum |
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| St. Louis Statue, Art Museum behind |
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| Anti-Bird Nest Spikes inside Turkish Pavilion (Tower Grove Park) |
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| 2 Squirrels, 1 Discarded Bag of Cheetos |
