Sunday, September 27, 2009

Road Trip!

This weekend I had a great time in Columbia, MO.

Earlier in the week son Brian, who lives in Columbia, extended an invitation to the Roots ’n Blues ’n BBQ Festival. He and his fiancée Nicole have attended the festival the last few years, and they promised it would be a good time. The festival started Friday night, but I had an early morning meeting on Saturday that I couldn't miss. However, I got on the road as soon as it was over. Two hours later I was in Columbia. Son Donald came separately with a friend; we all met up at Brian and Nicole's house at lunchtime. After a quick meal we piled into the car and headed downtown.

The forecast called for clear weather, but it started drizzling as we walked out of the parking garage. We headed to a nearby Starbucks for a cup of coffee, then sat outside at an umbrella-topped table where we could hear a bit of music from the closest stage. When the rain stopped, we headed over to the festival. We exchanged our tickets for wristbands and got ready to have some fun.

There was a incredible variety of music being played on the three stages. Over the course of the day, we heard a bit of reggae (The Itals), some gospel (Blind Boys of Alabama), country (Junior Brown), Newgrass (The John Cowan Band), and R&B/blues/soul fusion (Booker T). We missed the BBQ contest portion of the event, but there were several vendors selling BBQ and other goodies. It's never a problem finding food at a festival!

At the end of the night, we went back to Brian and Nicole's, where Donald and I got to be their first house guests. I used the spare bedroom and Donald slept on their new couch. My bed was great, and the bathroom was stocked just like a hotel's with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. They even thought of a tube of toothpaste!

Sadly, after a great breakfast, it was time for Donald and me to leave. I threw my suitcase in the car, wondering when the festival will be held next year.

5 comments:

  1. So glad that you have had a great time!
    Family can be the best!
    smiles.

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  2. Glad you had fun! Wish you could have stopped by.... It was a really slow sunday and I locked the office and meandered through my park....making a mental list of things to repair, improve, etc. It was great to have a slow day.

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  3. Kathy-I actually came by on Saturday about 10:30, but the store was all locked up. I'll try again next time!

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  4. Oh no; you should have knocked on the house door. Husband was in charge and he tends not to open up on time. I was probably out in the garden....or the shower!

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