a vestige of thought...

Several months ago my aunt and uncle moved from Cincinnati to Hermann, Missouri, where they opened Time For Pie, a pie/coffee shop. My grandma is originally from Hermann, and her sister (my great aunt) and neice (my second cousin) also live there, so for my fall break, Sam and I met the rest of my immediate family in Hermann to relax and eat pie. It has been great. I've enjoyed three different kinds of pie, as well as some excellent tea and hot chocolate.

While we visited a few other shops (including The Chocolate Box, where I got an amazing chocolate-covered pretzel), the vast majority of our time was spent in the pie shop. It was amazingly entertaining to spend so much time in a little shop like that. I was amused at the people who came in early in the morning and ordered a slice of pumpkin pie, or who came in once only to return later in the day, in a very cheery mood, after having a few glasses of wine from one of Hermann's many wineries.

I've been to Hermann a couple of times over the course of my life, but I think this is the first time I have been aware of just how strong the German heritage is here. Apparently a guy from somewhere in PA moved to Missouri specifically for the purpose of starting a German town. For a long time the majority of classes in schools were taught in German so that all children would speak the language fluently. There is sauerkraut everywhere, most last names, it seems, end in -mann, and the name of every bed and breakfast (there are a lot of them here) ends in Haus. Hermann is home to a number of German festivals including Maifest and Octoberfest. Beer and wine all around. Hooray for Germany.

Tomorrow Sam and I are driving the long way back to Asbury so that we can pass through Indianapolis and see the exibit of Roman art from the Louvre at the Museum of Art. It should be good times. Road trips are wonderful.