Exhausted

These tiny river towns are nice. Sitting on the edge of the mighty Mississippi, they die slow deaths each generation of residents smaller than the one before. Few chain stores or restaurants have ventured into them. Minus a few rehabbed homes, they are the same as the pictures from the 1950s.

I spent two days in these towns yesterday and the day before. Visited with some great people and spent time in stores time trapped twenty years earlier. I enjoy these towns very much. But for some reason they sap my strength. Driving into each one drains me a little bit more. All I want is good sleep and a nice restful weekend.