Lunch with a Purpose

We made it to Hannibal, MO for lunch on the second day. The minute we opened the car doors, I knew I was getting closer to home. The temp was around 93 and the humidity was well over 100%. It was a far cry from the mid-70s that we left behind in Minnesota the previous day.

Before we left Mount Pleasant, I had searched the web for places to stop for lunch in Hannibal, MO. I found a place called Twainland Cheesecake Company. From the map, it looked like it was right on the historic Mississippi Riverfront. And they had cheesecake. I was sold.

What we found was an amazing small-town story of determination. As this article and another article elaborate, the woman who runs this restaurant was once herself on welfare and didn't have a high school diploma. She founded her business to lift herself up -- and now helps women in similar situations.



The walls of the restaurant are filled with pictures of Lynn (the owner) receiving accolades from sentors and governors. She was the focus of a speech given in the U.S. House of Representatives on people moving from welfare to work.

We got the chance to meet her as we left (after an excellent slice of Oreo cheesecake). I told her she had led an amazing life and I was really impressed by her story. She thanked me, but then came around the corner and knelt down by Frankie. She said "hi" to him and he waved "hi" back.

She was nice enough to tell me that I was leading a pretty amazing life. All of her staff had been talking about what a nice guy Frankie was -- and how patient and loving I was with him (Frankie had had major ants in his pants during lunch).

As we left, Frankie blew her a kiss and she returned the favor. We told her we would definitely stop again on our next trip down to Saint Louis.

You know, in the movie CARS one of the themes is how people miss out on small town life and small town gems by just traveling on freeways. Our chance encounter with an amazing person like Lynn Carr is proof of that.

Great Start to Day 2

We left Mt Pleasant, Iowa around 10am, after a fine breakfast of freshly-made waffles in the hotel lobby -->

Frankie Graduates!

Wow ... in the rush to leave town, I can't believe I forgot to post the fact that Frankie has graduated from kindergarten! I don't know which is more odd ... Frankie being done with kindergarten, or the fact that he'll soon be in FIRST GRADE!

Here's a pic of Frankie with his diploma ...

... and his cap, which he was not crazy about wearing:

The day after the graduation, Frankie's class celebrated with a picnic in Loring Park. Here's Frankie with one of his favorite teachers, Miss Gloria:

Frankie's school (Fraser Academy) is a year-round program, so he'll be back in school on July 17. That still gives us two more weeks to hang out and enjoy lazy summer days!

Heaven in Iowa

Here's one of Frankie's favorite pools -- the Family Aquatic Center in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.



In the background, you can see the big waterslides. It's a hike up the hill to get there, but Frankie loves sitting on my lap and riding down with me.



We got to Mount Pleasant about 6pm. We quickly checked into our hotel, put on swimming suits and headed into town to dive into the pool. We spent about an hour at the pool. Frankie looked so relaxed (and happy) floating on his back all around the pool. He even jumped in off the sides a few times.

Then we headed to our favorite Mt. Pleasant dining spot -- Little Mexico --- >

The Journey Begins

Frankie and I left two weeks ago to visit my sister and her kids in Saint Lous. We had a rotten Internet connection while we were down there, so I didn't get to update things from the road. I'll hit the highlights of another fun vacation with my favorite travel buddy.

Here's a picture of Frankie starting the trip in stride along I-380 just south of Waterloo. He slept for about 2 hours, which allowed me to make up some time we had spent playing at a playground at a rest area just south of Albert Lea, MN.

We drove that first day to our favorite halfway point on the way to Saint Louis ... Mount Pleasant, Iowa.