We're in Recovery Mode After the Wedding

After a hectic six days of wedding preparation, we were ready for some relaxation time. But we still had some projects to finish up, as Denisa had scheduled medical appointments for the next day. She had a mammogram, as well as her first bone density test. Not a fun way to spend the day, but at least she got a red rose send-off from the breast imaging clinic.

Then we went to the home of the newlyweds, to plant the flowers we used as decorations for the rehearsal brunch. With the help of Denisa's sister, Connie, we planted flower pots. Then we brightened up the flower beds to welcome the newly-married couple back to their home after the honeymoon.

The next day we made the long trip back to Kansas City. Since we've made this trip so many times in the last month, we tried a new route. We stayed on Route 66 for the first leg of our journey. We've already seen many of the Route 66 sites along the way, but we had never stopped in Bristow, Oklahoma. Denisa took a walk around town while Mark dozed in the car. She found this great public meeting area nestled among the brick buildings on Main Street.

It leads down to the train tracks, and the old depot that now serves as the Bristow city museum.

After being gone for a week, it's nice to be back to the motor home. It's still in the campground south of Kansas City, now into its second month parked in one place. Of course, our first order of business was going to see our new granddaughter. She is growing so fast!

After a week of wedding preparation, it is nice to get some exercise outside. So we were up early for a bike ride.

We had heard of Missouri's famous Katy Trail. It's an old train route that is now a bike trail stretching east to west across the entire width of Missouri. Years ago we rode a portion of that trail. Today we found a new spur called the Rock Island Trail, that joins up with the Katy Trail. We are resting beside one of the bridge crossings. The numbers above the "big creek" sign indicate we are 255 miles from the beginning of the Kay Trail on the east side of Missouri.

We were up early this morning, trying to beat the summer heat that is plaguing the midwest. We were glad to have shade on most of the trail this morning. At one point, we were also surrounded by the sweet scent of white blooms on both sides of the trail.

Occasionally there was a break in the trees, and the view opened to show the beans, corn and wheat growing in the fields around us.

It's a tranquil agricultural community with big barns and silos framed by purple thistle blooms.

Those purple thistles are intricately beautiful up close.

Even the immature blooms are lovely.

After seven miles on this gratefully flat trail, we turned around to pedal back towards the car. As the sun was higher in the sky now, we lost much of the shade for the return trip. We had to keep moving to keep a breeze as the temperatures reached over 90 degrees.

We rewarded ourselves with ice cream in Pleasant Hill, Missouri--the quaint little town close to the trail head. We now have a map of the bicycle trails in the Kansas City area, and we're looking forward to more morning bike rides as we continue recovering!