Our split vacation: Together again

At long last, it was time to head to the airport to pick up Emilyn and Daddy. (Or, as is Mommy's way, it was not quite time yet, but we went anyway!)

Allen and I spent a while upstairs watching the digital piano doing its thing with no one playing it. You could tell the Grampy in Allen desperately wanted to check that thing out and see how it worked! The digital readout under the keys let us know that we were listening to such favorites as "Autumn Leaves," "Misty" and "New York, New York."

After we figured we'd killed enough time, we went downstairs to wait outside the gates. Yikes! The arrivals board said they'd already arrived!! I just knew they'd be early! Well, I panicked a little, but it turned out we hadn't missed them. Still, I jumped for joy when I spotted Steve (he's taller) down at the end of the hallway, and I probably squeezed them both a little too hard and a little too long. Welcome home, world travelers!

Staycation: Time left for a bit of Magic

With Emilyn and Daddy safely back on U.S. soil, there was time for one last outing for the Staycationers... I know! Let's go check out the new baby nursery at the Magic House!

They opened a new Children's Village Hospital where the old TV studio used to be. (I'm just glad we have this old picture of Emilyn on camera there in 2006!) Allen had fun playing with the babies... You can dress like a doctor or nurse and weigh the babies and measure them and change their diapers.

Then we headed to the play Schnucks store, the water table, and the new, traveling "Super Kids Save the World" exhibit that deals with ecology and conservation. Allen was transfixed by the green tornado in the Ehrlenmeyer flask. And he blew the biggest bubble in the bubble room!



To see all our pictures from the Magic House (and I confess, there are too many), click here.

Staycation: A well-deserved dip

Without our Daddy on Father's Day... woe is us. But we couldn't wallow, or could we?

We walked 1.7 miles to the pool in nasty heat. I recommend it! Because it makes the pool that much sweeter! We were the first ones there, just after noon, which left Allen with plenty of space at the kids' play place. And left me lots of room to just... sit. Ahhhh. Until I got attacked by Allen, that is!

We called Grandma from the cell phone to make sure Daddy and Emilyn had landed safely, the we made the long, but less-sweaty, walk home. And look who was so happy that Emilyn was back on home soil! He actually got on the phone and talked to her! For him, that's a major achievement. He does, however, enjoy chatting online. But he usually only types "qwertyuiop." And then giggles madly.



We couldn't wait to see them on Tuesday! But we were so glad they had such an amazing adventure.

Staycation: May the frosting be with you

Or in Allen's case, not!

We spent Saturday evening making Star Wars cookies at Aunt Amy's house, and playing with Will and Wyatt.

The cookies are made with cutters... but once you frost them, something gets lost... Mine were forgettable, but Amy's came out way better. Black icing! Mmmmm. Allen refused to decorate and would only eat naked cookies! Hmph! Crazy kid.

We played around downstairs for a while... on the bounce house, especially. The boys shared their toys like real champs, and Allen was only marginally grumpy. We watched Will play around with Brian's iPad, then called it a night. It was a great visit -- and yummy cookies!!

Staycation: Keep on rockin'

Allen was wishin' and hopin' that he could get some minerals. Not rocks, minerals. Mineral Boy was very specific about this!

So, Mommy thought of a nice cool place where we could see all the minerals we could stand: Meramec Caverns in Stanton, Mo. (Coincidentally, it's much more awesome when only one person is paying to get in. The admission fee is quite a killer.)

Allen and I paid careful attention to our tour guide, Lee. The first chamber, the Ballroom, has a ceiling made of dolomite. Lee told us that when a stalactite and a stalagmite unite, it's called a pillar. Only takes a couple kagillion years... We even saw the world's third-largest stalagmite, which is still forming!

The big finale is the Stage Curtain. Its room has bleacher seating, and a little light and music show. They keep it dark, and then, BAM! When the lights go on it, it's amazing. Again, it's still growing. When the light is right during the show, you can see the water running down the sides of it. Just like one of those zen fountains you see at the mall.



Lee was so impressed with Allen, he gave him his very own piece of Mozarkite, Missouri's state rock! Later on, in the gift shop, Allen picked out a box of minerals. We also got a book about rocks, fossils and minerals. Great day!! We're real explorers!

To see all our shots from Missouri's Buried Treasure, click here.

Staycation: Elephant Rocks and Johnson's Shut Ins

So, I had the biggest Staycation event planned for Tuesday, the day with the best forecast -- cloudy, so not quite as hot. It was a trip I knew Allen would enjoy, but it was ambitious, because it involved driving 100 miles or so to get there!

We dialed in the Arch radio station (no repeats; road trip heaven) and pointed our car south on Blood Alley (Highway 21) to Elephant Rocks and Johnson's Shut-Ins, two beloved Missouri state parks.

Allen was pretty good in the car, considering what a long ride it was... He was very excited, and the Rocks didn't disappoint! It was a climber's heaven! We saw the river, and lots of lizards, and went up and down the granite boulders. He loved it!

Since we were pretty hot and sweaty, it was time to try out Mommy's favorite place... The Shut-Ins park was decimated in December 2005 when the Taum Sauk reservoir breached, sending tons of water cascading down the side of the mountain. This year, the refurbished park has reopened. I was hesitant to go down there... I didn't know what to expect!



Well, the woods that lined the highway near the park are gone, and a litter of boulders covers what was once the hillside. There is a gleaming new interpretive center, where Allen tried out a simulator to recreate the reservoir disaster. Then, we headed back to the Shut-Ins themselves, which is a section of the Black River that is lined with boulders. Basically, a wader's dream! Crystal clear water... minnows, tadpoles... And it was just as perfect as I'd remembered. Yay!

Allen had a great time in the river, collecting and throwing rocks, looking for fishies... Next time, we're bringing a net and a bucket!

Rock on! It was a great day. To see all the photos from our trip to Elephant Rocks and Johnson's Shut-Ins, click here.

Staycation: A trip to the Zoo

With the Czech adventure well under way, Allen and I proceeded to another must-see destination for any Staycation... The Zoo!

It was a hot one... Raja's mom knows how to beat the heat: We saw her taking a bath! Then, on to the Insectarium, where Allen aced the "What's a true insect?" quiz. In the butterfly area, Allen tried but couldn't get one to land on his arm. Later on, we got tickets to the stingray touch tank at Caribbean Cove. Allen threw a small fit about washing his hands, for some reason, and he refused to touch any stingrays. Oh, well. He loved the sea-themed gift shop!

Into the penguin house, where it's always nice and cool... A quick trip past the apes (Allen still wants nothing to do with monkeys), and then home.

To see all the photos from our trip to the Zoo, click here.

Day 4: On to Prague

Well, they were on their way! A Sunday evening flight over the Atlantic, with a scheduled arrival in Prague early Monday morning.

Excerpts from Steve's journal:

Pushed back at 5:00, informed by captain that we won't be leaving for 1.5 hours. ... Finally left at 6:25. Woo hoo!

The travelers were pretty impressed with the food... but a lot of clouds below pretty much spoiled the view. But Steve did note that, when he looked north, it never seemed to get dark.

Excerpts from Steve's journal:

Sunrise at 11:30 p.m. Should be close to Ireland. Solid undercast. Somebody keeps farting. Smells like rotten eggs. ... Now over Belgium, 1 a.m. New York time, clearish skies over Germany. Good bombing weather.

Meanwhile, Allen was watching our travelers over Newfoundland and out to the Atlantic. FlightAware lost them when they got out south of Greenland. That wasn't very reassuring... Steve said the sunset over Canada was the most amazing color red.

Day 3: Not much to report

Allen and I went to Bass Pro -- for the drive, and also to look at the fishies.

The boy was being very good, so he got an excellent bug magnifier from Backyard Safari Outfitters. Actually, that whole line of toys was pretty much made for Allen!

We went to a Chinese buffet for lunch... and that was the last time we tried to eat out while Emilyn and Daddy were away!

Meanwhile, from Steve's journal:

Not much going on today. Emilyn seems better; she ate a little. I hope she's better when we get over there. Printed boarding passes and found out weather is not going to be that great. Oh, well, we'll see. Saw Cindy and her kids and that's about it. Just stayed here. Found wooden Q-tips at CVS. Wow.

Day 2: Carlo's and outer space

Emilyn was feeling a little homesick (and physically sick), so she needed a diversion... A trip to Hoboken was in order, to visit Carlo's Bakery, setting for TLC's The Cake Boss. Daddy and Emilyn watch that show together regularly.

They parked a quarter-mile away and had to wait on line for an hour and a half. But they saw Frankie, Danny and Remy from the show, saw the famous back alley (where they dumped flour on cousin Anthony from the rooftop) and brought home some cannolis, cookies and tiramisu. Yummm!

Back in St. Louis, Allen and I drove to the Science Center to see the Hubble Omnimax movie, about the groundbreaking orbiting telescope (and the shuttle missions to fix it). The movie was amazing. Allen did pretty well with the big sound and the all-around-you screen. His favorite part: Where you seem to be moving through a nebula. Then, we went to the star show at the planetarium, and touched a real piece of Mars!!

To see more from Day 2, click here.

Our split vacation

Well, Emilyn and Daddy embarked on their grand adventure... with a little midair hiccup...


Traffic was stacked up over Newark, so they started circling (or is that ovaling?) over north-central Pennsylvania -- until fuel became a problem, and they diverted to Allentown-Bethlehem. For those of us watching on FlightAware, it was a harrowing experience! (I'm sure it was no picnic for the people trapped on that little Embraer either! Certainly not for the captain, who had to keep coming back into the cabin to use the bathroom, I'm told!)

So, Allen and I found ourselves all alone for 12 days... And I was jonesing for some real roast beef like we used to get at home, so he and I started our "staycation" at Kohn's Kosher Deli at Olive and Lindbergh. I had a truly spectacular sandwich, and Allen downed plenty of grape juice.

With Daddy and Emilyn safely on the ground in Newark, Allen and I were free to head to the Missouri Botanical Garden for DinoQuest. Lots of great dinosaurs, and a moody mist in the Climatron!



To see more from the first day of our split vacation, click here.