ROAD TRIP TO CANADA: part 1

A friend of mine, Jackie Monies, asked if I had a passport. When I told her I did have one, she asked if I wanted to ride with her to Ottawa, Canada to pick up a boat she wanted to buy. I thought it would be nice to get away and see some country that I had not seen before, so I gladly accepted the invitation. Jackie lives in Oklahoma, and would pick me up in Tulsa. I booked a flight to Tulsa, OK. The best arrival time was 1:35pm on Monday, but the plane stopped in Denver first.

When we arrived in Denver, everybody got off the plane. That should have been my first clue, but I thought nothing of it. At the baggage claim in Tulsa, I stood there and watched bags being picked up one by one, until I was the only one standing there....and without a bag. Crap!!! I knew it!!! I should never check my bag. My bag is being sent to Quincy, IL, where we will pick it up on Thursday. 

Jackie picked me up at the Tulsa airport and we headed north. Our first night was spent at Boots Motel in Carthage, MO. When we arrived, the office was locked. Another guest walked around the corner and asked if we were checking in. They said to look in the mailbox for our key, that the owner had gone to dinner. Sure enough, the key was in the mailbox with a note. This motel is from the 1940s and was regularly visited by Clark Gable. The town is full of history and old majestic homes. The park had a wonderful fireworks display by both individuals and the commercial production.

After breakfast and a stroll around the town square, we headed back on the road. Instead of following the interstate, we took back roads and saw rolling hills with pristine homes. We were driving along and suddenly past a sign that said "CIRCUS". We had to stop and go back.

Another stop we made was to see some concrete statues. In the back of the lot were some life-size figures. When I got close, I noticed a close resemblance to myself. It was as if I had modeled for this statue! We could be twins!