Days 19 - 30: Cape Girardeau, MO to Jackson, MS & Jackson, MS hiatus
Got up this morning in Cape Girardeau — the same Courtyard by Marriott where mom and I stayed on our way to Petersham last trip! — and had some Starbucks in the lobby. The trip home was pretty easy except for a huge traffic jam just outside of Memphis where I-40 and I-55 merge: there’s bridge work being done there, and both interstates were merging, and then merging again into a single lane. (Although we drove over it, apparently the bridge is cracked.) After that, back into Mississippi with no problems and a quick zip down I-55 to Jackson.
We have a long rest here: the trip west from Iowa into Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, etc. proved to be just too much driving for dad, so we’re going to spend the extra time at my house. Curt and Heather arrive next week, and we’ll get some much-needed rest from driving every day.
Kevin’s new sidewalk (he put this in himself)
Went over to Kevin and Dawn’s house so dad could see it. They’ve been there almost a year! Kevin has been working on a new sidewalk which connects the driveway and the front door and has planted elephant ears in the corner of the backyard. For the first part of the visit, it was lovely enough to sit outside for hours at a time — not too hot and no mosquitos.
Lelon came over and we visited on my own back deck for several hours. I brought out some of the chairs from the sunporch and even a small rug. Lillie joined us, taking over as center of attention by laying on her back, paws in the air, right in the middle of said rug.
Uncle Curt and Aunt Heather arrived on Wednesday, May 19. Kevin and Dawn have the only spare bedroom among all of us, so they got the fun task of playing host. We went over and had dinner with the family on Thursday, and then on Friday, we all went to Vicksburg and had lunch at The Tomato Place. It was overcast and cool, the perfect day to sit outside and eat real Southern cooking. Curt and Heather are interested in history, so we also took a drive through downtown Vicksburg (and told them the horror stories about learning to drive a stick shift car in that hilly city) and then through the National Military Park at Vicksburg.
A whole slew of Bakers just hanging around in Kevin and Dawn’s back yard: Fran Baker, Kevin Baker, Dawn Baker (standing), and Michele Baker, John Baker, Heather Baker and Curt Baker (sitting). May 2021
Dawn was channeling the spirit of my great-aunt Coe (Strang), taking lots of group photos to commemorate the visit. (Thanks, Dawn!)
The final piece of interesting news is that mom and I spent a lovely two hours at Miskelly Furniture in Pearl looking at mattresses and adjustable beds. After much consideration, I have decided on a Tempur-Pedic mattress and adjustable base. They will arrive when I get home from Massachusetts. (FYI, it’s like laying on a cloud.)