It's a family affair - Day +16 to Day +20

Bethany arrived in St. Louis from Vermont on Wednesday the 9th (day +16), and the three of us caught up over an Italian dinner at Anthonino's. The next day we ambled through the Missouri Botanical Garden. The fall colors still hadn't much appeared, but other signs of the changing season were evident. We found some fountains turned off and drained and Christmas lights being hung high in the trees.

Amy's plane from Las Vegas came in that evening. The sisters shared a corner room with two views, including one of the downtown and Arch. They also had the good treats - wine and Amy's homemade cookies - so we dubbed it "party central."

Friday afternoon (day +18) we expected the St. Louis Zoo to be quiet, but the school children must have had the day off because there were families everywhere. From the bales of hay, plenitude of pumpkins, and gigantic inflatable black cat, the fall and Halloween decorations were abundant. We strolled through the habitats of the "lions, tigers, and bears," the monkeys and apes, and the zebras and giraffes before Bob finally admitted that he was tired.

Yes, tired. Over these two days, he'd done an incredible amount of walking compared to his usual three laps around the hospital floor. He also hadn't brought a cap with him to St. Louis and refused to buy one or some sunscreen, so his hair-challenged head, having never seen the light of day, became a bit sunburned. The pink of his head made his white fuzz look pink too, and he called himself a "pink chickie PeeP." We decided to "dine in" that evening and ordered two small deep-dish pizzas to go from Pi Restaurant at 400 N. Euclid. One was the south side classico with mozzarella, sausage, mushrooms, green bell peppers, and onions, and the other was the kirkwood with mozzarella, Italian meatballs, red peppers, and basil. The pizza has won many awards and the company claims that it's President Obama's favorite, and it was good but not as good as Papa Del's in Champaign.

Amy had a wedding in Champaign that she wanted to attend on Saturday afternoon, and she and I drove north. While she enjoyed her friends, I was able to clean to make the house Bob-friendly (dust free). Sunday before we trekked back to St. Louis we visited with Dave and Kathy to wish them a happy 17th anniversary, and stopped by Kent and Lana's to give our birthday wishes to Kent.

Meanwhile, Bethany got to see Noah start in the Washington University varsity soccer game. Bob and she were able to share time and meals with Noah over the weekend. And, Noah gifted Papa Bob with a Wash U cap that Bob badly needed and loves.

Bethany flew back home Sunday afternoon, and Amy left a few hours later. Then Bob fell into bed. He slept for twelve hours, was up for less than an hour, and then slept five more hours. Yes, he admitted he was tired but said it was all such fun that he wouldn't have changed a thing.