Further west

I decided to try adding to the blog, because all of Bill's typos and lack of proofreading are driving me crazy!

We had a wonderful visit in Rochelle, IL, visiting 93 year old Betty Barnes, known to all the Maries as Marie Mom, who was in fine fettle, and her daughter, Marie Sue, and also our friend, Marie Esther.  Then it was off to Pella, IA, in hopes of catching the Tulip Festival.  The Festival was in full swing, but it was a bit rainy the morning we were going to check it out, so we just looked around.  No tulip fields in bloom, which was what I was hoping for.  I guess they grow them all indoors or otherwise hide them.  Lots of them decorating the town, though. We camped in Roberts Creek Conservation Park.  It was a nice place but hard to find, thus pretty deserted. Lots of miles on single lane, gravel roads to get there.  Another piece of the adventure!

On Fri. we made our way to Columbia to visit my cousin, Paul Hawley, and meet his children.  We arrived at 5 PM and had a grilled steak dinner.  We spent the evening getting to know his daughter, Sandy, and her son, Griffin.  On Sat. Paul's son Bill and his wife, Evelyn, arrived.  Unfortunately, Paul's other son, John, had a death in his wife's family and was unable to join us.  We all got to know each other and promises were extracted to come to the 2011 Griffin Family Gathering.  In the afternoon we visited Booneville, a town on the Missouri River that has a lot of history, a casino that floats but isn't a boat ( they had to meet a state gambling requirement), and another of Paul's granddaughters.  Collette had restored a National Historic Register Victorian house and grounds, and was just putting it on the market.  It was so beautiful, with magnificent landscaping, and we learned that Collette had done almost all of the work herself, even mixing, coloring and pouring cement counter tops and vanity tops.  This beautiful, petite woman is truly the Power Tool Queen!  The place would make a super B+B (my dream); I just wish it was nearer NH!

This morning we said good-bye to family and meandered to Independence, MO, where we visited the Truman Presidential Library.  It was very interesting;  low-key like the man himself.  I didn't know a lot about his policies, but it appears that he was in much the same boat as President Obama - a Republican Congress that opposed everything just because it could- and many of the same issues.  It makes me think about what might be happening now if things had been different then - a bit more cooperative, shall we say?

Tonight we are in our first commercial campground.  I'm not sure the amenities (Wifi, cable TV) are worth the loss of privacy and interesting surroundings.  We'll see!