It's still "Duh-gah" I presume?

I just haven't been in the mood to write. Or maybe, I haven't been my usual introspective self. There's been parties to go to and friends to catch up with. Kim, Diane, and I had our typical get-together which amounts to lunch in the French cafe across from where Kim works followed by a little shopping spree in Kim's shop. She brings me things to try on which I buy (what a great friend I am.) I now have a beautiful new dress that begs to be worn somewhere special. Actually, I've done my share of clothes shopping since returning from Mexico. I think I was feeling deprived. However, now on the verge of our cross-country camping trip I have an unsuitable wardrobe--one more geared to urban living. Didn't I notice the "dry clean only" tags?

Julie and I met for dinner on the Plaza (excuse to dress up.) We visited the new Bloch Building at the Nelson-Atkins, but got there too late to have time to take it all in. There is an impressionist exhibit running, but mostly the gallery houses contemporary art. For all the modern art I still get taken in by Renoir and Degas. I like my paintings "pretty and painterly." The building itself is more impressive than I imagined. Some people think it looks too industrial--kind of like a row of mobile homes, but the inside space is really where the beauty lies. I liked it more than I thought I would and felt a little proud for Kansas City. (BTW, the museum's recorded information line not only gives faulty info but the speaker's pronunciation of museum as "myoozee-um" {emphasis on the "myooz" rather then the "e"} irritated me greatly. I hate when somebody thinks it's clever to change pronunciations on us common-folk: HaRASSment becomes haris-ment. Data {long A} becomes data {short A.} And when did it become fashionable to drop the "an" for "a" before "historian" and "historic?" Grrrrr.)

Good to get my fill of fine eats and culture now as the countdown to the Airstream adventure begins. It will certainly feel like I've entered another reality once we hit the road. We'll be sleeping in RV campgrounds, touring roadside attractions, reading road maps and tourbooks, and probably be eating a lot of bad food. Are we really doing this? And why? I forget, but the commitment has been made and our trailer awaits us in Colorado. But before we go on this crazy trip we are making a quick run to the east coast to visit Robert's sister, Sherry, and family. We plan to see the sites in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. including a lot of myoozee-ums.