St. Louis

We made it back yesterday- all in one piece and unscathed; refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to go back to work. All my fears of getting mugged or sleeping in bed bug infested hotel beds were  totally unfounded, I'm very happy to report. The trip didn't start off so well. I had an appointment with the dentist the day  before we were to leave and made arrangements to fly on Wings of Alaska. When we got to the airport the agent came to meet us and said the flight would be delayed for over an hour because of maintenance issues, so we had to scramble to get a flight on a different airlines for an additional $60.00 one way. Needless to say, the clouds of pessimism were circling around my head and gaining strength. To add to my distress, I realized that I had left my camera behind once we departed Hoonah. While it would seem like a total bummer, it wasn't so much. If I had lost it somewhere I would have been devastated. Going through airport security is such a hassle that not having to worry about the camera was a blessing in disguise. One of the things I should have left behind was my pocket knife, but being the forgetful buffoon that I am, I didn't. Of course I didn't realize I had it with me until I was standing in the line waiting to be screened. Fortunately I was able to leave it at the Wings counter in Juneau to be picked up on our return. I won't go into all the details of what we did in St. Louis right now, I'm kind of pressed for time with the fishing season cranking up and my boat still out of the water. I will mention that if you are ever in St. Louis and need a hotel, I highly recommend the Parkway. I've never been treated so good. The hotel was clean and comfortable, there were snacks available twenty four hours a day and the staff went out of their way to be helpful. It was such a delight to be there. The only down side is that now that I know how great a stay can be, I will be using them as the standard. It will be difficult for the other hotels to meet that standard I'm afraid to say.It's amazing how quickly you can become accustomed to luxury.  Of course the primary reason we went down was because my family came together and purchased tickets to the Yanni concert as well as covering the hotel bills and a friend and his wife, knowing that I love Yanni, donated their airline miles so we could go. Its all pretty overwhelming to be the recipient of so much love and kindness. Anyway, the concert was held last Sunday night at the Fox theater. I wasn't sure what to expect- I've never been to a live concert before. Inside the theater, which is a beautiful, ornately decorated, older affair, with the rich, red carpeting and heavy drapes and marble, there were a couple fellows selling Yanni souvenirs; DVD's, CD's,  T-shirts, cups, programs, all the things you would expect. Folks were lined up four deep trying to buy stuff, so I joined the melee and ended up getting  three videos and five CD's. I needed to let the kids know what the concert was about. When they let us in and showed us to our seats I was like a kid in a candy store. The seats were located right in the center and just the right distance from the stage. I watched the stage  hands setting up and was surprised when one of them brought out a tape measure and measured the distance that the piano bench was from the the piano. I don't know if that's standard or not. It seems like you would just move the bench if it's too far away or close. In any event, promptly at 7:30 PM, the concert started. I wish I could describe how exciting, how exhilarating, how uplifting that music was. There is just no comparison to watching a video of a performance and being right there in the midst of it. The music was loud and beautiful and you wished it wouldn't end. The crowd was enthusiastic and a bond between us and Yanni was established as people would shout out to him and he answered back. I can honestly say it was one of the most enjoyable evenings I've ever had. Sooo...kids, Bob, Glenda, thank you all for your generosity. It was wonderful.