Catching Up

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.

Mont Rest

a boarding pass from London to Bellevue

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.

Turbo SUCKED

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...

opening the gates

I wouldn't go out on the ocean in that

and a tour...

eek

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!