It's been an eventful couple of weeks...
Two weeks ago, I was invited to a Titanic-themed dinner at
Mont Rest Inn, a local bed & breakfast that was once a private home.
Everyone dressed in period costumes (provided!) and ate an incredible dinner based on the meal served to the First Class passengers that final night on the Titanic.
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| Mont Rest |
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| a boarding pass from London to Bellevue |
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| start from the outside & work your way in |
The next night I went to a movie.
At a drive in!
I'm lucky enough to live only 30 minutes away from
61 Drive-In, one of only four drive-in movie theaters in Iowa.
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| Turbo SUCKED |
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| it's very popular, even when it rains |
That Wednesday, replicas of the Nina & Pinta came through town (The Santa Maria is too big), and I was invited by the Lockmaster at Lock & Dam 12 to get a closer view...
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| opening the gates |
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| I wouldn't go out on the ocean in that |
and a tour...
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| eek |
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| not reassuring |
Later that day, though, I got a call from my brother. My dad was here...
He had passed out at home and couldn't get back up.
After a series of tests, the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with him, which is a relief on the one hand (no heart problems, etc...), but also frustrating because they also can't do anything to prevent it from happening again.
I was less concerned about that (people pass out for all kinds of reasons), than I was about how unsteady he was. He could barely stand!
Since there was nothing medically wrong with him, he was moved into a nursing home (ugh!) temporarily for physical and occupational therapy to try to regain his strength.
He's doing MUCH better now (went from a wheelchair to a walker to a cane) and should be going home sometime this week.
Then what? I don't know. It's scary to think about him being alone.
With my dad getting officially getting better, I could focus on work.
We're having an art festival this coming weekend and are serving beer from nearby
Potosi Brewing Company, so of course I had to check them out. (Again, I have a rough job.)
The food was incredible!
(The beer was good too!)
In the midst of all this, I found this recipe for
Cracker Barrel Hashbrowns. They were SO good, and so easy.
Ingredients:
2 lbs frozen hash browns
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (10 1/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F
Spray an 11 x 14 baking dish with cooking spray
Mix the above ingredients together and place in prepared pan
Bake for 45 minutes or until brown on top
I hear the Cracker Barrel lima beans are good too. Maybe next time!
(I love You & I Both!), Elton John - Greatest Hits, and 
Elvis Presley The Number One Hits.
