cross-posted from myspace (any blog readers can just skip on down to your next friend entry)
so today is the day i talk about my memorial day weekend; those of you looking for an update with regard to the most recent one will have to wait, hopefully only until tomorrow. those of you looking for incisive commentary on the massive failure of George Bush's Troop Surge™ or the general absurdity of the Global War on Terror©, my take on the democratic primary field, my opinion of this weekend's new releases or just what the hell i think is going on with the cubs will have to catch me at the bar.
scott and i drove down to st. louis a week ago friday for a long-awaited (on my part, at least) visit with nate and denise. we stopped in charleston on the way to hang out with andy laneghan and made the most of the opportunity to drink for cheap and stay up way too late arguing about foreign policy. breakfast at what's cookin' got us off to a good start saturday morning and we were on the road by noon.
thankfully we were not allowed to sit down and get comfortable upon our arrival (as i'm pretty sure i would have slipped into a coma shortly thereafter) but instead headed out to an absolutely gorgeous park for the st. louis african art festival. the heat and general humidity was pretty intense but we stayed long enough to watch an amazing troupe of african dancers; in my old age i am continually moved to tears by dance and dancers and this was no exception.
we refreshed ourselves with pitchers of beer and snacks at a bar called flewellyn's and browsed for a bit at left bank books before making plans to see as you like it in the park and stopping at the best grocery store EVER (schnuck's?) for provisions. rain had been threatening for much of the day but up until the point (literally) that we left the house to head to the park it had not actually fallen. it did so with a vengeance from that point on, causing a change in plans. nate and denise had friends who lived on our route, friends who happened to have a lovely porch perfect for sitting and watching the rain fall while imbibing wine, bread and cheese.
so that's what we did, for several hours, until the rain had mostly stopped, at which point it was decided that we would go out. chuck berry's bar, blueberry hill, was the destination and a good time was had by all until we were kicked out in the middle of a dart game. a late-night diner stop provided nourishment and much amusement but i think you had to be there to really get any enjoyment out of that recollection. how nate and denise got up the next morning (to fulfill their duties as senior olympics volunteers) i'll never know...
scott and i slept later than i'd care to admit then relaxed until our hosts returned, at which point we met kari at shangri-la, a fabulous vegetarian restaurant in a gentrifying part of town (i believe the street is known as antiques row). a cheesy grilled cheese and some tomato soup did much to settle my stomach and i recovered enough to do some shopping at a random antique store across the street. i found a set of orange and purple tea cups and saucers circa 1920s that were too pretty to pass up; thankfully the price was right.
after lunch scott and i headed to troy, illinois, where his college friend tom lives. we hadn't seen him in almost three years (since practically the time we started dating) but tom is incredibly fun and funny and his wife is very sweet and tolerant so we were able to stay and enjoy ourselves for quite a while after the official party was over. james, another of scott's old bandmates who i had never met, was also there and it was really great to meet him after years of hearing stories. james and scott have definitely taken different paths in life (he is starting at seminary in the fall) but he is a genuinely good and sincere person and it was nice getting to know him on some level.
we got back to st. louis at a relatively decent hour and managed one bottle of wine at a bar on delmar before they made us leave the patio. instead of finding another bar we were introduced to the joys of the MAN HOUSE (i dunno, it just seems like it should be capitalized), where several friends of nate and denise reside. white russians were dispensed and good conversation ensued.
our drive home monday morning was relatively uneventful but for the detour in mt. olive to visit mother jones' grave and the monument to martyred union miners that sits nearby. i think it was nice for us, a couple of disaffected lefties, to see something solemn and meaningful on a holiday that tends to be more about the waving of flags made in china while getting liquored up at barbecues. which is not to say that we didn't go to a barbecue, we did - at justin's, where i had an amazing boca burger with cheese and a delectable ear of sweet corn. an evening at the beachwood to celebrate helen's last night was followed by hours of much-needed shut-eye and a long short week at work.
scott and i drove down to st. louis a week ago friday for a long-awaited (on my part, at least) visit with nate and denise. we stopped in charleston on the way to hang out with andy laneghan and made the most of the opportunity to drink for cheap and stay up way too late arguing about foreign policy. breakfast at what's cookin' got us off to a good start saturday morning and we were on the road by noon.
thankfully we were not allowed to sit down and get comfortable upon our arrival (as i'm pretty sure i would have slipped into a coma shortly thereafter) but instead headed out to an absolutely gorgeous park for the st. louis african art festival. the heat and general humidity was pretty intense but we stayed long enough to watch an amazing troupe of african dancers; in my old age i am continually moved to tears by dance and dancers and this was no exception.
we refreshed ourselves with pitchers of beer and snacks at a bar called flewellyn's and browsed for a bit at left bank books before making plans to see as you like it in the park and stopping at the best grocery store EVER (schnuck's?) for provisions. rain had been threatening for much of the day but up until the point (literally) that we left the house to head to the park it had not actually fallen. it did so with a vengeance from that point on, causing a change in plans. nate and denise had friends who lived on our route, friends who happened to have a lovely porch perfect for sitting and watching the rain fall while imbibing wine, bread and cheese.
so that's what we did, for several hours, until the rain had mostly stopped, at which point it was decided that we would go out. chuck berry's bar, blueberry hill, was the destination and a good time was had by all until we were kicked out in the middle of a dart game. a late-night diner stop provided nourishment and much amusement but i think you had to be there to really get any enjoyment out of that recollection. how nate and denise got up the next morning (to fulfill their duties as senior olympics volunteers) i'll never know...
scott and i slept later than i'd care to admit then relaxed until our hosts returned, at which point we met kari at shangri-la, a fabulous vegetarian restaurant in a gentrifying part of town (i believe the street is known as antiques row). a cheesy grilled cheese and some tomato soup did much to settle my stomach and i recovered enough to do some shopping at a random antique store across the street. i found a set of orange and purple tea cups and saucers circa 1920s that were too pretty to pass up; thankfully the price was right.
after lunch scott and i headed to troy, illinois, where his college friend tom lives. we hadn't seen him in almost three years (since practically the time we started dating) but tom is incredibly fun and funny and his wife is very sweet and tolerant so we were able to stay and enjoy ourselves for quite a while after the official party was over. james, another of scott's old bandmates who i had never met, was also there and it was really great to meet him after years of hearing stories. james and scott have definitely taken different paths in life (he is starting at seminary in the fall) but he is a genuinely good and sincere person and it was nice getting to know him on some level.
we got back to st. louis at a relatively decent hour and managed one bottle of wine at a bar on delmar before they made us leave the patio. instead of finding another bar we were introduced to the joys of the MAN HOUSE (i dunno, it just seems like it should be capitalized), where several friends of nate and denise reside. white russians were dispensed and good conversation ensued.
our drive home monday morning was relatively uneventful but for the detour in mt. olive to visit mother jones' grave and the monument to martyred union miners that sits nearby. i think it was nice for us, a couple of disaffected lefties, to see something solemn and meaningful on a holiday that tends to be more about the waving of flags made in china while getting liquored up at barbecues. which is not to say that we didn't go to a barbecue, we did - at justin's, where i had an amazing boca burger with cheese and a delectable ear of sweet corn. an evening at the beachwood to celebrate helen's last night was followed by hours of much-needed shut-eye and a long short week at work.