~ Take Me To The River ~

There's nothing like stepping out of my daily routine to help me see the world with new eyes.

This past weekend, I went on a girl's road trip to St. Charles.

Three women...a few bags...

In my mind it went something like this:

In reality it looked more like this.

 Shopping, laughing, sharing as only we women can do 

was the perfect antidote for what ails me.

St. Charles, Missouri was our destination.
St. Charles was settled primarily by French-speaking colonists from Canada
in its early days and was considered the last 'civilized' stop by the
Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1804.

A title this little gem of a city embraced and still wears proudly today as she was dressed up in her
finest summer hat for this street fair.

Her charms did not go unnoticed as we strolled the 

cobblestone streets along this historic river-front town.
Hello, you had me at cobblestone.

After an early morning storm cleared the air,
the rest of the day was perfectly set for shopping

There was nothing little about the annual 'Festival of the Little Hills'
The sellers tents seemed to stretch on for miles.
We couldn't have seen more than 1/3 of the vendors before we gave out.

A little retail therapy goes a long way. 

Then it was time for a lengthy stop at the famous Lewis and Clark's for lunch. 

Reflecting on the historic nature of my surroundings got my creativity bubbling.

I could almost feel the centuries of stories in the brick walls.
Stories and lives that had been carried along with the current of the old
Missouri River just steps away.  

I'm always attuned to my surroundings,
 taking in the sights, sounds, smells, the feel of a place and its people.

Filing away information for a future story or character, 

even when I'm unaware that's what I'm doing in the moment.

Writing even when I'm not writing.