Sunday, October 16, 2005

Yeah, Foliage, Yeah

So, an exciting weekend spent in lovely Galesburg, Illinois. Not nearly as exciting, though certainly exciting, was the prettiness of Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois. Driving across the Midwest reminds me of how much I love it. Sure, there is a lot of shittiness, and I'd pretty much rather die than live in these small towns that I admire so much aesthetically, but man, I love to look. The hills, barns, cornfields, and this time of year, pretty pretty foliage makes me awfully happy, especially when accompanied by some Stephin Merritt and Yo La Tengo. Three cheers for Long Vermont Roads and Autumn Sweaters. But I was sad that I couldn't think of any midwestern bands that waxed nostalgic about the midwest, although I have to say I get a little misty every time Stephin Merritt sings 'your eyes are kansas city, one in kansas and missouri' (or something like that, quoting is not my strong suit). Surely there must be some that I just couldn't think of at the moment, or maybe I was unable to stop myself from choosing any number of the Merritt bands, which tends to happen when I'm on the road for more than 20 minutes.
So last weekend I headed north on I-29 to family in Lincoln, Nebraska. This past weekend, I-35 followed by US-34 (my fave) to Galesburg, and next weekend, I-70 to Estes Park, Colorado.
Three cheers to roadside produce stands, and Sprite and Hostess Cupcakes from the Chariton, Iowa BP.

2 comments:

Katie said...

Why the hell were you in Galesburg? Is it homecoming already? Am I that old?

ruth said...

homecoming, my dear old friend. old old old.
but don't worry, some people are older than us. like stefanie who is ancient.