Don't let the bedbugs bite

Yesterday was another fun day on the road. We left St. Louis and found our way down to Joplin. We went through Bourbon and Cuba ("Mural City") and Waynesville. We saw the world's largest rocking chair and a giant hillbilly. We visited the original (and by far, the most humungous) Bass Pro Shop. Shortly after leaving there, Weston lost his first tooth! And we witnessed first-hand the devastation left behind from the recent tornado in Joplin. But one of the most memorable events on this leg of our journey happened after we got to the KOA. While the rest of the group was at the pool, Clay and I were in the cabin. Clay was lying on the bed while I was putting the day's pictures on my computer. He began to fuss, so I went over to replace the pacifier. That's when I saw a little bug near his blanket. I brushed it away but soon found another. Then, there was another. And another. And then I found one crawling on Clay's back, and that was it. I gathered Clay up and ran over to the pool to find Jeff. We then gathered up the owner, and he came to inspect. He saw one immediately and proclaimed them to be bedbugs. Ick! The owner quickly set about the task of moving us to another cabin, while Jeff and I got to work on removing our things from the bug-infested cabin and washing and/or drying EVERYTHING--whether clean or dirty. And we continued with that until about 10:00 pm--which is why this isn't being posted until today! I guess wherever there is adventure, there is bound to be misadventure. I hope we don't encounter that particular one again anytime soon, though.

Old Bourbon water tower

Welcome to Cuba

"Bette Davis visits Cuba"

Amelia Earhart

"I once caught a fish THIS big"

World's largest rocker--and world's cutest kids

"The Grandaddy of all outdoor stores"

Checking out the turtles at The Bass Pro Shop

Building bird houses at Bass Pro

It just needs a little more paint

Snaggletooth

Another nod to some of my relatives

Joplin tornado aftermath

Apartments in Joplin

Joplin mess