A short blog after a long day.

We leave our Richmond IN hotel at 9, and arrive at First Watch on E. 86th Street in Indianapolis at 10:30, just the time set to meet our cousins Susan and Charles L_____ for brunch. But where are they?

Turns out they are at the First Watch on W. 86th Street waiting for us. Eventually, we figured it out and had good food and much better conversation. Susan, by the way, is crucially important to 25% of my extended family for her remarkable work on a family tree.

But seriously, folks. How could First Watch decide to put two separate locations five miles apart on the same street? As we drove from one to the other, I felt the exasperation of all those in the cars heading the opposite way. So many people who went to West 86th when they were supposed to be on East 86th. There were a lot of them

Our highway driving was so smooth that I wasn’t surprised at all when, not far out of St. Louis, the gods decided to close I-70 entirely and send us on a detour, I think routing us through North Dakota. Around and about we went following the detour signs.

We finally crossed the Mississippi, and stayed on the highway until we just about reached our cousins, Donna and Ed K______, with whom we plan to spend as much time as we can. But we needed to get to our good friend Judy P___, our more than gracious hostess (and her cute and always friendly small friend, Panda).

I have known Judy since her college days at Cornell, where she met and then married my good friend Jeff, who passed away several years ago.

Edie, Judy, and I then drove to the house of our mutual good friend, Wendy O____ for what as become a St. Louis visit tradition, a delicious dinner created by Wendy and my oldest good friend, Michael B______, whom I have known for almost 80 years. (Huh? Say that again, please.)

Last night, it was a delicious salmon curry and rice, and a nice salad. Very much appreciated and gobbled up.

And, as an extra treat, we had key lime pie, home made by our friend Phyllis L________, with whom we had a chance to catch up at dinner.

That was it for yesterday. No touring at all. We now have three days in St. Louis to catch up with more friends and relatives. And, for now to ignore the bigger world. Then we go back on the road for more adventure.