Thanksgiving Leftovers

Got sidetracked doing our Christmas message so I haven't had time to finish up the tale of our Thanksgiving journey.
Saturday - Harrison and I started the day with a hardy "Breakfast of Champions", pie! Jo opted for the more conventional buttered toast while Jr. downed a big dish of leftover potatoes and gravy. After a hasty cleanup of the cabin, the car was packed and it was time to head back north. There was a round of "fond adieus", "Wanda" was programmed and we were off. Next stop, cheap gas in Missouri. (we actually saw one station with unleaded at $1.35 a gallon)
I have a few unrelated remembrances of the long ride home that I will relate in no particular order.
• Towns in Missouri have no shame when it comes to naming themselves. You can find town names copied from every state in the union as well a lot of foreign countries. We passed Paris, Mexico, Cuba, Lebanon and even Beverly Hills (not a movie star in sight).
• Towns in Missouri have no shame when it comes baring their fetishes. (see water tower pic below)
• Industrial areas of Missouri display a good sense of humor. (see pic below from St. Clair)
• Missouri tends to overestimate its ambiance. Saw a cemetery named "Grand View". There was a burial in progress and not one person seemed to be enjoying the view.
• Missouri has an abundance of passing lanes on their highways. Although they only occur on straight, flat stretches and never on curves or hills, the places where passing is the most difficult.
• It seems that the Missouri highway department has chosen to economize by limiting the number of kinds of road signs they print. Near the end of ALL of the passing lanes mentioned above there are signs stating, "Road Narrows Merge Right". If you follow this advice, you will either end up in a ditch or down a deep gully. At least 9 out of 10 times, the right lane ended or merged into the left lane.
• An interesting pastime that Southern Missouri and it's neighbor Arkansas share is making stuff out of roadkill, mainly Armadillos (or is it Armadillae?). If you're lucky enough to run across (not over) a freshly hit Armadillo, you have the opportunity to turn it into a useful personal appliance. Like, a purse, sewing basket, ash tray or (ugh) candy dish. So, when traveling down southern roads be watchful of the ever present "Army" army cruising the shoulder looking for their next garage sale treasure.
"Wanda" got us home safely and I'm sorry to say I've forgotten most of the really funny stuff that I thought of on our ten hour drive. Now that I have finished my 2008 news roundup (Christmas letter) I'm waiting for the snow to let up so I can fire up the old snow blower for the fourth time this week. See ya'll on the far side of the drift.

The happy campers stuffed and ready for launch

Don't know if this means you're in store for a good whompin'
or treated mighty kindly. Didn't stick around to find out.

A little water tower humor

Pull over this un looks ready for craftin'

Thar it be. One fine lookin' critter basket
You don't get this kinda stuff from Ronco!