The reason for our trip was a family reunion of the descendants of Susana and Henry Shier, Andrew's great-grandparents. After we decided to go, Andrew's parents (from New Mexico) and his brother Steve and his family (from Pennsylvania) all decided to attend as well, so it was a great chance for the boys to spend some time with their grandparents and cousins. I'd never been to Missouri outside of airport terminals in KC and St. Louis - what a beautiful state!
Sunday found our little parade of three cars driving up and down the streets of Higginsville, MO because none of us, um, knew specifically where in Higginsville the reunion was. All of us cleverly left our invitations at home, assuming that the more responsible members of our family would bring their invitations. HA! Well, we eventually found the reunion:
Me, Sue and Kate:
Ben, Maurice and Susanna:
Jane, Max, Ben and Susanna:
After the reunion, we headed out to Carl and Helen's house for a fish fry. Here is their recipe for heavenly fish:- good fish. Carl caught the crappie himself. (You can see how it's spelled, but everyone pronounced it "croppy." Probably would have a hard time getting people to eat it if it was pronounced how it's spelled.)
- about equal parts cornflake crumbs and flour
- salt
- pepper
- a pot of hot oil
- God's country
Not sure where you find "God's country" at the grocery store, but oh my goodness, the fish was delicious! They had a big ol' pot of hot oil in the driveway and just fried the breaded fish right up. They also fried up hush puppies with jalapenos in them. Seriously amazing.
Carl, Susanna and Steve:
Carl and Helen are retired hog farmers, and these days, just have cattle, corn and soybeans. Carl refers to his somewhere-around-400-acres as "not much more than a garden these days." Just for comparison's sake, here's our garden: 
and here's Carl and Helen's "garden": (Keep in mind, they don't even have to irrigate.) 
After the fish fry, we headed to Wilma and Jim's place for melon and cookies, where the boys saw and caught fireflies for the first time in their lives.After the reunion activities in western Missouri, we headed off to Hannibal (on the eastern edge of the state) the next morning to check out the Mark Twain stuff. I have mixed feelings about Hannibal. They kept saying things like "This is where Tom Sawyer painted the fence"
or "This is where Tom and Becky ran into Injun Joe" and I kept wanting to shout "but they're FICTION!" But I restrained myself, and tried to enjoy it in the spirit in which it is intended. We took a ride on the horse-drawn carriage:
Max got to steer for a bit, which is why I took the following picture. I was not just trying to show you a horse's behind.
The historic downtown area (notice the mighty Mississippi in the background):
The Mark Twain cave:
That evening, we headed south to the St. Louis area to have dinner and some great company with one of Andrew's cousins, Tamara, and her family. I'd never even met Tamara before! Here are all the kiddos, Liza, Andrew, Susanna, Oscar, Jane, Ben, Max and Carley:
or "This is where Tom and Becky ran into Injun Joe" and I kept wanting to shout "but they're FICTION!" But I restrained myself, and tried to enjoy it in the spirit in which it is intended. We took a ride on the horse-drawn carriage:Max got to steer for a bit, which is why I took the following picture. I was not just trying to show you a horse's behind.The historic downtown area (notice the mighty Mississippi in the background):The Mark Twain cave:That evening, we headed south to the St. Louis area to have dinner and some great company with one of Andrew's cousins, Tamara, and her family. I'd never even met Tamara before! Here are all the kiddos, Liza, Andrew, Susanna, Oscar, Jane, Ben, Max and Carley:Tuesday we parted ways with Andrew's parents, brother and family; they headed back to Pennsylvania and we headed west.
West of Kansas City, we took what I have dubbed "The Man Exit" off I-70. This exit has the Kansas Speedway, 
Cabela's, and the Agriculture Hall of Fame. There was only one other family at the Ag Hall of Fame with us on a Tuesday afternoon, and everything is completely hands-on. What a great place to visit!
This is where the boys thought they'd died and gone to heaven. (All together now, "Is this heaven?" "Nope. It's Kansas.") 
Milking a fake cow:
This was the biggest hit, sending corncobs through this machine that stripped off the kernels
and then grinding up the kernels into cornmeal, which we then fed to the chickens: 
Riding the little train: 
That night we stayed in Topeka, enjoyed some barbecued ribs, and then safely returned home Wednesday.
Cabela's, and the Agriculture Hall of Fame. There was only one other family at the Ag Hall of Fame with us on a Tuesday afternoon, and everything is completely hands-on. What a great place to visit!This is where the boys thought they'd died and gone to heaven. (All together now, "Is this heaven?" "Nope. It's Kansas.") Milking a fake cow: This was the biggest hit, sending corncobs through this machine that stripped off the kernels and then grinding up the kernels into cornmeal, which we then fed to the chickens: Riding the little train: That night we stayed in Topeka, enjoyed some barbecued ribs, and then safely returned home Wednesday. 
1 comment:
hmmmm....I really want a farm.
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