How Was Your 4th?

Isn't it crazy how things sometimes turn out differently, despite what we might attempt?...and usually turn out just fine...

Poor Bruce...he is just tied to the town and to the radio station. With not being able to find anyone stable to work for him, or willing to stay longer than 3 or 4 months, or to actually WORK, heaven forbid, we are pretty much forced now to stay within a certain proximity at any given time. He really wanted to be able to go somewhere this weekend for the 4th of July holiday, and his birthday is the 3rd, but someone has to be at the station on Sunday mornings to put on the Mt. Calvary church service on the air. Mary was gone (and hasn't been able to get it on the air correctly at least the last 2, possibly 3 times anyway), so we couldn't go far or stay long.

So Friday night, after much agonizing and feeling sorry for himself, Bruce announced that we were going to go to Excelsior Springs, Missouri (just outside Kansas City) to The Elms Resort & Spa. It has historically been one of our favorite hotel spots to return to time and time again. In fact, we went there the day following our wedding for our one-day honeymoon (we had a longer one a month later). The Missouri Food and Wine folks were sponsoring what they were calling a Food and Wine Festival on the back lawn of the hotel on Saturday, and the hotel/city was going to have fireworks in the evening. Okay....

So we get up and drive to Missouri on Saturday morning; we find a fun flea market/antique store in Excelsior Springs, spend some time there, and arrive at the hotel around 2:00. No parking of course because of festival, plus this hotel usually has one or more weddings on any given weekend, etc. Okay, parking finally found. It's a nice day, but HUMId...sweat dripping ... did I mention we do have Allison in tow, and she's a real trooper!

Admission on website says $15 per person for tasting (remember it says "Food and Wine"); oh, wait, no food...the hotel has a concession stand set up with $2 hot dogs, $5 hamburgers, and $10 fruit and cheese plate, however). Oh wait again, if you didn't buy your ticket in advance, then it has gone up to $20 per person, although the website did NOT mention this, which did NOT make Bruce happy.

We go ahead and go in, feed poor Allison a hot dog, and walk through the tents...there were probably 6 or 7 wineries there....I hadn't eaten yet that day, so guess what? I'm going a little numb...LOL We go sit in the hotel bar for a bit, allison has two Sprites, Bruce has two beers, and I have two frozen strawberry daiquiries.....I'm feeling really good now! We finally go to our room at the hotel; i take a nap LOL, and Bruce takes Allison to the swimming pool...her reward for being a trooper.

They come back up to the hotel room, and we decide to go to dinner...we are headed to our FAVORITE BBQ restaurant, which happens to be in Excelsior Springs, just down the block...Wabash BBQ. They are Fabulous! So, we walk down there, and notice that the parking lot looks very empty. Let me remind you...it's the 4th of July. Yep, they are CLOSED!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...say it ISN"T SO!!!! But, yes, it is....

Oh, my .... utter sadness and despair.... We walk back, very disappointed. Excelsior Springs is not that big of a city.... we get suggestions from hotel clerk. The first place is...closed; the second place is....closed; thank goodness the third place is an Applebee's....they are open.

While we are at the restaurant it starts to rain. Thankfully it does not last long. We are able to go to the hotel, find parking a mile away, walk and find chairs by the pool, sit and listen to some music, it's about 8:00 or so; fireworks won't start until like 9:30; after sitting there for awhile we find out that they won't be visible from that side of the hotel. Upon thinking about it, we discover that our hotel room overlooks the front of the hotel...perfect vantage point, right?

We head to the air conditioned comfort of our hotel, only to realize that the fireworks are actually to the side of the hotel, not the front. However, as luck would have it, we have yet another window to the side, as we are in an end room.

So, see, I tell Bruce, things DO work out in the end! :)