Scattered Leaves

The common Poor Man's Eclipse Well, Saturday was interesting! We started the day by heading to the Old Courthouse in STL to get some tickets to ride to the top of the Arch. Along the way we noticed a cool phenomenon. Something I dubbed a "Poor Man's Eclipse", where the sun was being blocked by the Arch. It looked pretty cool and with the weather forecast calling for clouds and possible thunderstorms...it may be the closest to an actual eclipse that we get to see (we hope not). The Arch was quite the specimen and if you're ever in the area, you should definitely check it out. We watched a video documenting the construction and design of the Arch and it was really something to see. Those men and women who worked on the Arch must have been made of steel themselves. Many were 600 feet above the ground walking around without any safety harnesses (it was the 60s after all, where either they didn't give a damn or they didn't have time to be scared). We rode t...

It was a long drive, but we've arrived in Saint Louis. The kids did great and the traffic wasn't too bad yet, which makes me happy. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? I noticed a few of the traffic signs in Illinois stated "Eclipse Aug 21. Expect possible delays through Aug 22." We'll be hanging around the city for the morning and early afternoon before heading south to our temporary home for the next few days. Right now the forecast is predicting a chance of a thunderstorm on Monday...I sure hope that forecast doesn't hold up! It's still a few days out, so we'll see what happens. On a side note, the Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch is fantastic. I can't recommend it enough. The patio outside the pool is outstanding, offering a great view of the Old Courthouse and the Arch. They offer free drinks and some food (hot dogs, chili, nachos, mini tacos, salad) from 5:30-7PM, so we didn't have to spend a dime on dinner for the night. Lunch consis...