Branson, MO
Jul. 4 - Jul. 10, 2021
Sunday, we headed out about mid morning for St. Louis to meet up with some friends who have just moved there and some friends who are from there originally. We arrived to find that our hopes were fulfilled. We have a great view of the Arch from our hotel room. We spent some time walking around the Gateway Arch National Park to see if we could spot the barge they will be using for the fireworks. We did not see the barge but the park area is beautiful. We found the Eads bridge, it was the first ever steel truss bridge in the world; the first to depend entirely on cantilever construction; and the first to carry railroad tracks and regular traffic. It was also beautiful. It was quite warm and all that walking around led us to The Lou Eats & Drinks for a couple of refreshing beverages. We stayed at the Hampton Inn - Downtown @ the Arch where we met up with our friends Dianne and Eric for dinner and fireworks. The four of us walked down to for dinner. I think they are having trouble finding wait staff because the service was not very good. The food and beer was good though. After dinner we went back to the hotel room to watch the fireworks. It was great! We got to watch the whole show from the comfort of our AIR CONDITIONED room. They put on a nice show.
Monday, we started the day with lunch at Snarf's Sandwiches with Dianne and Eric and there Chinese Crested pup named Justina Mae. They made some good sandwiches. Next we strolled around the area a bit to see if one of the other Hilton hotels would offer as good a view of the Arch as the Hampton does. We got some pretty good pictures of the Arch and the old Courthouse. We ended the day with dinner with the Denner's. Dave and Denise Denner picked us up at the hotel and took us to "The Hill" area for dinner at Charlie Gitto's On the Hill. The Norris' also joined us. It was wonderful and they all insisted that we try another local gem, Ted Drewe's Frozen Custard. So yummy, THANKS Bob and Dorene for insisting we go there for dessert.
Tuesday, we headed back to Branson after having breakfast at the hotel. It was a quick but fun visit to St. Louis. We stopped at a few places on the way "home"; a knife outlet, The Rocking Chair Restaurant, and the J and J Cheese Factory. I found some wonderful cheeses to enjoy.
Wednesday thru Saturday we did not do much of anything. We enjoyed our neighbors and the hummingbirds. The birds have found my window feeder and the wars have begun. They are so fun to watch. I have one that I've named Alfalfa, he has feathers that stick straight out on the back of his neck. I also found a great little quilt shop here, The Quilted Cow. They had a great quilt with embroidered barns as the blocks and each barn has its own barn quilt. Of course I had to have that pattern. It was a good week.
Make Life an Adventure!