On to Omaha and July 4th!

Continuing with our road trip to visit family in both St. Louis Missouri and Omaha Nebraska...

When we're heading from St. Louis on up to Omaha, we always take US Hwy 61 north to Hannibal Missouri and then US Hwy 36 west across the state.  That keeps us off of the super busy, more dangerous and stress filled I-70 between St. Louis and Kansas City.  US Hwy 36 is a 4-lane highway all the way across Missouri.  The speed limit is 5 mph lower than the Interstate but US Hwy 36 features limited vehicular traffic, especially truck traffic.  However, less traffic means less opportunities for both fast food and sit down restaurants.  Thanks to GPS and the Internet, we have learned where dining opportunities exist...and it was time for lunch.

For the rest of the trip, I had one little problem.  I'd left my camera in Bill's SUV back in St. Louis...and I don't carry or want a cell phone.  Laurie wasn't too happy that I'd forgotten the camera as that meant that any photos we took were hers to do on her phone.  I didn't request very many photos for the rest of the trip...but, as you'll see...she did take some for my eventual use.

In any case, thanks to her smart phone, she found Robyn's, a local restaurant in downtown Cameron Missouri.  I borrowed the preceding photo from this restaurant's website.

Thanks to Laurie I can show readers that the interior decor at Robyn's Restaurant is decidedly southwestern.  The website states that the menu also reflects southwestern cuisine but, to me at least, it featured a nice basic diner style selection to chose from.  

FYI, Cameron was founded and prospered in the 1800s as a railway town.  Weirdly, parts of the city are located in 3 different counties.  Cameron has a population of about 8,700 residents.

For her mid-day mid-drive break, Laurie ordered the Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich, opting for cottage cheese vs French fries as her side dish. ($8.99) She said that it was one of the better BLT's she's had when dining out in quite a while.  Translation - There was plentiful bacon!

In addition to other basic sandwiches, Robyn's offers a number of appetizers such as fried pickles, fried mushrooms, cheese curds and sweet potato fries. Wraps and dinner salads are also featured.  

My luncheon entree was this Hand-Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich. ($10.99) The pork tenderloin was breaded with seasoned cracker crumbs, then fried and served on a buttered toasted bun...with lettuce, tomato and onion, all accompanied by French fries.  

From what I could determine, the Fried Catfish at Robyn's is very popular.  I also noted a truly unusual sandwich specialty.  It was the Salted Caramel burger with sea salt, caramel and bacon. ($9.99) If a customer wanted to 'jazz up' this sandwich, they will add peanut butter to the sandwich.  Hmmm...

FYI...Friday night specials include a 12 oz. Ribeye Steak with salad, vegetable, roll and potato for only $21.95 and a 13 oz. Catfish filet dinner for only $17.95.

Robyn's is located at 115 East 3rd Street in Cameron Missouri.  They are only open for lunch on Monday and lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday.  They are closed on Saturday and Sunday.  Food was good and the prices were right.  With 528 Google reviews, Robyn's has registered 4.7 out of 5.0.  Website: https://robynsofcameron.com/.  

Our next stop was our son and daughter-in-law's home in Omaha Nebraska!  One of the first things we noticed upon arrival was this grouping of my mother's hand painted tiles in the kitchen.  The tiles are among the large selection of family related art work that we've given David II and Amy for display in their home.  Laurie and I have always loved these tiles but we just didn't have any appropriate place to show them off.  There is one tile for each month of the year, each with a scene that fits what might have been happening that month in times gone past in a northerly state.

These two tall (6'4" +) young fellows were the key reason for this particular trip to Omaha.  Emmett Lee, on the left is 21 and he has been off to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln studying computer science and business management.  This summer he had an apartment in the Kansas City area where he had a summer internship with Garman Ltd in Olathe Kansas.  David III, 23, attended New York University and he's now living and working in Evanston Illinois.  The odds of seeing the two together are slim to say the least.  David II and Amy are now adjusting to being empty nesters.

This is David III's girlfriend Ryanna.  She has graduated from college as well and is about to start her career in the field of social work.  We were fortunate enough that she was part of the July 4th family gathering and food fest.  It gave us a chance to get to know her.  Despite her being in Omaha and David III being in the Chicago area, they do travel back and forth to spend time together. 

Alas, Emmett attended the July 4th festivities without his girlfriend Carly.  They both attend the same school at the University of Nebraska Lincoln but Carly was off in London England for her own summer internship.  This photo was taken at the WWI museum in Kansas City.  School will be back in session very soon now so they won't be apart for long.

In another upcoming post, our grandson's parents will be included.  But for the moment, it was all about Laurie and I plus our very tall grandsons.  I used to be just a hair over 6' tall...probably 5'11" now...but 'the boys' just tower over both of us.

As I was without a camera and didn't want to keep bugging my better half to take photos, I don't have any photos of the big July 4th food feast that David II and Amy prepared for the family.  It was all about tacos with grilled chicken, sliced steak and more, with all the related accompaniments...including watermelon and adult beverages.

Fortunately, the family's deck sits up high and it overlooks a huge field/shallow valley used by residents for sports, games, etc.  Although the trees around the perimeter have grown significantly over the past few years, there is still good visibility for fireworks viewing.  The area was completely lit up, whichever way we looked.  Explosions rattled the scene.  Laurie did manage to capture a handful of fireworks photos... We hope that everyone else had a great July 4th!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave