I'M GOING TO KANSAS CITY, KANSAS CITY HERE I COME

SPENT A VERY RELAXING DAY IN KEOKUK, IOWA...(USED THE POOL AND HOT TUB AFTER SLEEPING IN...) GOTTA GIVE PROPS TO PEOPLE WHO DRIVE AND TRAVEL FOR A LIVING... IT DEFINITELY TAKES A TOLL ON YOUR BODY... (I'M GLAD THERE'S NO RUSH TO GET TO ARIZONA SO I CAN TAKE IT EASY ONCE IN AWHILE...)

AFTER SPENDING THE MORNING ONLINE DOING SOME BILL PAYING AND THE LIKE, I TOOK A TRIP BACK IN TIME AGAIN AND VISITED A TOWN CALLED NAUVOO, ILLINOIS... JON AND ANGELA TOLD ME ABOUT HOW THE MORMONS HAVE BEEN BUYING UP THE LAND AND RESTORING THE TOWN TO THE WAY IT WAS WHEN JOSEPH SMITH WAS AROUND... TO GET THERE YOU FOLLOW THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER (SOME BEAUTIFUL SCENERY) AND ARRIVE TO A PRETTY BIG SETTLEMENT...THE ROADS ARE NARROW LIKE BACK IN THE DAY WHEN HORSES AND CARRIAGES WERE THE MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE BUILDINGS ARE METICULOUSLY RESTORED...(THE BUTCHER SHOP, PRINTING SHOP, BLACKSMITH, ETC.) AND THE TEMPLE IS A HUGE WHITE BUILDING OVERLOOKING THE MISSISSIPPI... THERE ARE HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGE TOURS (THEY REALLY NEED TO GIVE THAT HORSE A BATH---YUK! I WAS 3 BLOCKS AWAY AND MY EYES WERE BURNING...POOR TOURISTS)... THE MAIN STREET IN TOWN WAS ALSO REDONE...VERY QUAINT... AND NO ONE CAME OUT OF THE WOODWORK TO PREACH AT ME...

I THEN TOOK A RIDE BACK TO THE COMPOUND... ANGELA CALLED AND SAID SHE WOULD BE LATE (I HAVE A FEELING THAT HAPPENS MORE TIMES THAN NOT--SHE RUNS THE ICU AT THE HOSPITAL IN KEOKUK AND SOMETHING IS ALWAYS GOING ON) SO RACHEL AND I WENT THROUGH SOME HIGHLIGHTS MAGAZINES AND FOUND THE MISSING PICTURES AND THEN PLAYED SOME HANDS OF GIN RUMMY (SHE WON A LOT MORE THAN I DID!)

DINNER WAS FANTASTIC AGAIN, ESPECIALLY THE HOMEMADE APPLE PIE! THE CONVERSATION WAS GREAT... (JON AND ANGELA TOLD ME SOME STORIES ABOUT THE FLOOD OF '93 AND THE RECENT FLOOD THIS PAST JUNE...) IT'S HARD TO VISUALIZE WATER THAT IS 8 FEET ABOVE THE ROAD SURFACE! PEOPLE STARTING TO SANDBAG ALONG THE ROADS WEEKS IN ADVANCE OF THE RISING WATER...WHOLE TOWNS DISAPPEARING UNDER WATER...AMAZING STUFF...

MANY THANKS TO COUSIN ANGELA AND HER FAMILY... I HAD A GREAT VISIT AND ENJOYED THEIR COMPANY IMMENSELY... ON THE ROAD AGAIN THURSDAY... GOING TO KANSAS TO VISIT COUSIN ANNA AND MIKE AND MOLLY AND MAGGIE...(AND DOROTHY, TOTO AND THE SCARECROW)... I JUST HOPE AUNTIE M DOESN'T THROW A TWISTER AT ME BECAUSE OZ ISN'T ON MY LIST OF PLACES TO VISIT...