Sam is old enough this year to go fishin’ with the boys. We get out of town as soon as possible after Charlie finishes his school day at the Greenhouse (The Greenhouse is a one day per week school for home-schoolers).
We detoured through Springfield to see if Joe Rogers Chili was open. It is never open on race weekends, so I was hoping we might catch them with the doors open, but no such luck.
Explaining that Joe Rogers was rated one of the top-ten chili parlors in the USA got Grandpa (me) started on one of my long-winded tales. It involved not only Joe Rogers, but Charlie Parkers, a Springfield breakfast spot in an old Quonset hut, famous for giant pancakes. Free to anyone that can eat three of the pizza-sized hotcakes. Sam must have been listening very carefully.
We stopped for the night west of St Louis, and the next morning headed down 44 to Rolla, where we caught 63 southward. In Licking, MO, about halfway to Cabool, we spotted the Coffee Pot, and it looked like a good spot for breakfast.
They had good breakfasts, cheap specials, and to Sam’s delight….pancakes! He ordered pancakes, and proudly polished off the short stack of plate-sized cakes. “Are they free now?” he asked. I have to take him to Charlie Parkers someday!
We detoured through Springfield to see if Joe Rogers Chili was open. It is never open on race weekends, so I was hoping we might catch them with the doors open, but no such luck.
Explaining that Joe Rogers was rated one of the top-ten chili parlors in the USA got Grandpa (me) started on one of my long-winded tales. It involved not only Joe Rogers, but Charlie Parkers, a Springfield breakfast spot in an old Quonset hut, famous for giant pancakes. Free to anyone that can eat three of the pizza-sized hotcakes. Sam must have been listening very carefully.
We stopped for the night west of St Louis, and the next morning headed down 44 to Rolla, where we caught 63 southward. In Licking, MO, about halfway to Cabool, we spotted the Coffee Pot, and it looked like a good spot for breakfast.
They had good breakfasts, cheap specials, and to Sam’s delight….pancakes! He ordered pancakes, and proudly polished off the short stack of plate-sized cakes. “Are they free now?” he asked. I have to take him to Charlie Parkers someday!
We rolled on to Gene’s, getting there in the afternoon.Sam’s first trip was a good introduction into the joys of being a boy in the country. Charlie patiently showed him the ropes: the pond, the horses, Buddy and Bear the dogs, Meow the cat, “the Girls” which is what we called the herd of cows in the adjoining pasture, tree-climbing, and chimney-climbing.
Bear missed Charlie.
Sam’s use of maybe two thousand different lures netted a keeper for him!
Racing to and from the pond!
Genes house has many cowboy themed carvings, including a cow carved in one of the stones in the chimney.
Charlie has been practicing his rock-climbing skills for a couple of years on Gene's chimney, with a goal of "touching the cow".
Sam attempts to touch the cow:
Charlie demonstrates the correct chimney-climbing technique:
The boys: Charlie, Sam, Gene, and Scott:
It's hard to leave Arkansas, but Mary is happy we came back home:
