Monday, March 24, 2008

Crossin' the Mighty Mississip'

Growing up in the Andrus family, we had our share of unique family traditions, a.k.a. quirks. It's not every family that concludes family prayer with a chant of "one two, I love you" (Callie's version) or "One two three, I love thee" (Kara's never-to-be-outdone rendition.) However, few traditions bring back memories as vivid as those connected with crossing the Mighty Mississippi during our many minivan marathons. You always knew when you were crossing those muddy waters because the whole vehicle erupted into spontaneous song about how it was "a treat to put your feet on the Mississippi Mud," immediately followed by soul-felt soliloquies to the barges "flickering light."

This past weekend we were fortunate enought to relive some of my childhood memories by traveling to St. Louis with our friends Bruce and Brittney. It was so fun to lie on the green grass and gaze up the white Arch silhoutted against a bright blue sky. The arch was still as tall and grand as I remembered from my field trips there as a Brownie scout, with the cars still appearing just as tiny from the top. I hope that someday my own girls will come back with their children and reminisce about their quirky parents, passing the traditions on to even more generations.

Oh, and in case anybody wondered whether or not the Mississippi is any higher than usual, the last picture is worth a thousand words...




5 comments:

Talyn said...

What a fun tradition. Although, to tell you the truth, I'm glad my family didn't have it because we would have had to do it several times a day. But at least the bridge is short that far north. I'm sure your girls will...have quirky parents. :) And reminisce about them too.

Anonymous said...

Kara McCall ...
Don't you think we should keep such "Mississippi Mud" and "Barges" songs in the quiet cobwebs of our memories instead of renewing them by imposing them on young impressionable grand children? It is one thing for a quirky parent to do such a thing to his or her own children ... but I'll not tolerate such behavior around my grand daughters. ... [Actually, I'm rather pleased you remember these traditions ... I recall having to wake you up a few times in order to get the event partially registered in your memory. ... Good for you. Bye the way ... did you play "name that tune" with Brooklyn by whistling songs for her? All the best to you all.] Love, Papa K.

Justin said...

Haha! I'm curious to hear those songs, in a sick kind of way. Looks like you guys had fun. The picture with Brooklyn heading off on her own trajectory away from the camera is great...very representative of her independent personality. :)

Bleen said...

Kara- I'm in love with your camera (and your blog isn't too shabby either)!! All of your pictures are so crisp and professional looking! What kind is it if you don't mind me asking?

Kara said...

Rachel, I'm glad you like our pics! My husband's actually the real photographer. He's got a fantastic digital SLR--a Pentax istDS. The pictures that I've posted are taken on a Sony CyberShot. They're not quite as snazzy, but it still takes great shots, especially for an amateur like me.