Regardless, as far as we know, his date is tomorrow at 3pm Eastern, so I'll let you all know when I know. Fingers crossed!
On to happier things...
I realized the other day, that I'm neglecting to share so many of the great things from the road, so I thought I'd catch you up. ;)
We've been to nearly every state on the east side of the country, as far north as New York (which I LOVE, but more on that in a bit) as far west as Kansas and as far north as Arkansas.
I won't reiterate yesterday's post on the St. Louis arch, since it follows (only if you're reading this on my site blog) but the arch was amazing.
Other things that have amazed me are the rivers and lakes in this part of the country. First, just that there are so many! I'm a beach girl, never really been to many lakes, and I don't recall ever seeing a river, except maybe in crossing the Mississippi here and there, and you can't miss that one. However, I find a river to be an incredibly beautiful thing. I think they have become my new favorite body of water. I mean granted, it's hard to compete with the ocean, but there is something so serenitous (is that a word? Doesn't matter, I like it lol) about a river and at the same time, so powerful.
Dale and I stopped one day at Lake Eerie and had a fabulous time, we collected some rocks, had lunch at a little bistro, it was very romantic and so not like my normal life. I felt all upper middle class!
We've crossed the Mississippi a few times, and that's almost magical. Again, there's just something about so much power moving along so peacefully, it awes me, truly.
The other thing I'm really enjoying is the food!
And do NOT ask me what this has done to my weight. :P I really am making some changes, more on that another time, but what I mean is, there are so many cute mom and pop restaurants, cafes and diners out there and I'm completely enjoying discovering them.
In all honesty we eat most of our meals at truck stops, but we do make an effort at least once a week to seek out something different. We have date night. :D
Anyway, some of the more unusual places we've found have been
- Aunt Toadies Roadhouse Cafe
- The Frisky Mermaid
- Sweet Petunia's country BBQ
- The Crossroads Tavern - Home to warm beer and lousy food...it's on their sign!
- The Crabby Oyster
- The satisfied Frog
- and Dr. Hogly Wogly's Tyler, Texas BBQ which was not in Texas btw
We ate there last week when we were in Nashville. It's in the Opry Mills shopping center right beside Opryland. This restaurant has you feeling as if you are dining at the bottom of the ocean. To be honest, not even sure I remember the food, but the experience was worth every penny.
The other thing that's been amazing is just the time of year. How lucky am I to get to travel all of new england during the change of season?
We get fall colors in VA and they are amazing, but the abundance of colors I've seen while being out here has made me feel like I won some contest or something. It's been very special.
Other bits and Pieces... I've seen the St. Louis Arch, the Empire State Building, the site of the trade center and the new towers and what has to be the largest cross on the planet. I've seen capitol buildings, amazing architecture, bridges that take my breath away. I've seen farmlands and vineyards and small towns and inner cities. I've been across the Delaware River which really made me think of that old history lesson and our founding fathers, which given our country's current state has given me a lot to think about, but that's a whole other post! ...Maybe for Tuesday.
Anyhoo...This land we've been blessed to call home is truly a beautiful place and I find myself yearning more and more towards history books, which is very cool. I wish everyone could take a journey like this. I mean vacations are all well and good and tons of fun, but I think when you go on a vacation, you put the experience in a box to a degree. It's remarkable to be able to just drive and see things and go where the wind takes you.
To see shopping centers and flea markets. To go into a local Target and a small antique shop. To see vineyards and beaches and B&Bs and restaurants and really catch the flavor of a place. To see small town centers with the shops and the gazebos and seasonal decorations. I'm such a sucker for a small town.
And on that note, one last thing I'll share, is I have a new dream town!Skaneateles, New York
Here's a link if anyone wants to know more about Skaneateles, or take the virtual tour here. Skaneatlese is an Indian word meaning long lake as it sits at the top of one of the five finger lakes. Here's a blurb from their web site...
Set on a jewel-clear lake in central New York State, the Skaneateles area is home to a thriving residential and business community, and host to thousands of visitors and vacationers each year.
In the historic downtown district, shops and galleries are housed in restored buildings dating back to 1796. Browse for unique foods, distinctive fashions, original art, home accessories, or a special antique. Relax at a restaurant or tavern; the atmosphere may be casual and lively or quietly gracious, but the menu is always tempting. Visitor accommodations include inns, bed-and-breakfasts, motels and cottages. Read more.
It's a beautiful place that I someday would love to call home.I have to admit, New York state on the whole surprised me. I think even though consciously I knew all of NY wasn't NYC, I think I had written the state off as being too busy and too citified,
but from the moment I first crossed the state line, something about the place spoke to me. I love the air, I love the fall colors, I love the vineyards, I love the small towns! I love New York!Anyway, that's a brief look at what I've been doing over the past couple months. I've also been writing and playing games...
Have I mentioned that the Sims3 comes out in Feb??!! LOLI've also been waaaaaaaaaaaay to sedentary and eating waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much, so as I start month three out here on the road, and I'm starting to settle in to a long term mentality, I'm going to be making some changes. Anyone want to lose 50lbs with me?
Ok, that's all for now, I'll let you know what happens tomorrow, and thank you all for the support and good thoughts. It means the world! ~ Samantha
Labels: road trip, Samantha Lucas, Sundays with Samantha
Last night, we drove passed the St Louis Arch.
From Wickipedia...
It was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen and structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947. It stands 630 feet (192 m) tall, and is 630 feet (192 m) wide at its base, making it the tallest monument in the United States.[3] Construction of the arch started on February 12th, 1963 and was completed on Oct. 28, 1965. The monument opened to the public on July 24, 1967.
One of the things I found interesting was the dilemma they faced trying to figure out some sort of elevator system that would work on an angle.
Eero Saarinen died from a brain tumor four years before the Arch was completed; prior to his death he had decided to incorporate a power lift system to obviate the need to climb the 1000-plus stairs. But the shape of the arch would have made a standard elevator impossible. After approaching several elevator companies who failed to come up with a viable method, Saarinen hired parking-lot elevator designer Richard Bowser to do the job. Skeptical city leaders gave Bowser only two weeks to submit a design, but he succeeded. By 1968 a unique tram system that combined an elevator cable lift system with gimbaled cars functionally similar to ferris wheel gondolas had been installed.
ok, a couple of weird facts I found were that the base of each leg at ground level had an engineering tolerance of one sixty-fourth of an inch or the two legs would not meet at the top.
During construction, both legs were built up simultaneously. When the time came to connect both legs together at the apex, thermal expansion of the sunward facing south leg prevented it from aligning precisely with the north leg. This alignment problem was solved when the Saint Louis City Fire Department sprayed the south leg with water from firehoses until it had cooled to the point where it aligned with the north leg.
Crazy you say?
Oh no, not yet, meet Kenneth Swyers.
Now I know, it's not nice to speak ill of the dead, but I just have such a hard time when I hear stuff like this, I mean what was he thinking??!!!
Here's the link if you want this whole story, but below is the gist.
On Saturday, November 22, 1980, at approximately 8:55 a.m., Kenneth Swyers of Overland, Missouri, "was seen parachuting above the Gateway Arch. It appeared that Swyers landed on top of the Arch and that he was thrown off balance when the wind caught his parachute. Swyers' parachute deflated and [he] fell down the North Leg of the Arch. Approximately [half-way] down Swyers attempted to deploy his auxiliary parachute, however it failed to open and Swyers landed on his head on the concrete terrazzo. Swyers was pronounced dead at the St. Louis City Hospital at 0950 hours." [2]
The 33-year-old Swyers requested permission to make a parachute jump in the vicinity of the Arch on August 21, 1980, which was denied by Charles Ross, special assistant to the superintendent. Swyers watched a television program the night before his death which showed daredevil acts of parachute jumping. Swyers was himself a parachute enthusiast who had made more than 1,600 jumps, and on the morning of his death, he left a note for his wife to come to the Arch to photograph his jump. Few park employees or visitors were on the grounds before 9:00 a.m. in late November when Swyers made his jump. Park Technician Lisa Hanfgarn, hurrying to get to work on time, thought she saw an object fall down the North Leg of the Arch as she entered the doors to the complex. She reported this to Seasonal Park Technician Liz Schmidt (of the law enforcement division), who was monitoring the north entrance doors. Schmidt went outside to discover the body of Swyers lying in the midst of his parachutes, and immediately radioed to law enforcement rangers requesting assistance, an ambulance and the city police. Two St. Louis city policemen, who witnessed the jump from Wharf Street, arrived on the scene and documented the fatal injury to Swyers. An ambulance was on the scene by 8:59 a.m. Mr. Swyers' wife was on the grounds at the time of the accident and saw her husband fall to his death. She came forward at the accident scene, viewing her husband's body and eventually covering his face with his parachute. A large crowd gathered, composed of visitors, police and medical personnel. Park Technician Schmidt later testified that the weather was blustery, cold and windy, and that it was not a good day for a jump, near the Arch or elsewhere. The FAA was immediately notified, and an investigation eventually turned up the pilot who ferried Swyers over the Arch to make his fatal jump. As a result, Richard Skurat of Overland, Missouri had his pilot's license suspended for 90 days by the FAA in December 1980. [3]
So there's some interesting tidbits I discovered about the St Louis arch, something which I truly did find an awe inspiring sight, if you ever have the opportunity, it's worth seeing. ;)
On a side note, I actually found all of St. Louis very impressive. I wouldn't mind going back again when I had more time to really explore the city.
Labels: St Louis Arch