A day as simple and good as a chili dog

I elected to spend all day Thursday in my motel room in Helena, Montana, vacationing from my vacation. It's so interesting to me that I seem to be needing periodic breaks from all the excitement of my trip. I guess I haven't had much experience with this sort of prolonged stimulation, so I'm not accustomed to its toll. Still, it felt good to take a day off, not having to pack the car and check out by 11 again. I caught up on some writing and laundry and happily reorganized the contents of my vehicle.
.

Late in the afternoon, when hunger finally commanded my attention, I ventured into downtown Helena to find a place called The Parrot that I had read about on a website. The Parrot was opened in 1922 as a confectionary and lucheon counter and is still turning out delectable sweets and world class chili to this day. They have a real, full on soda fountain where they make drinks with quaint names like Phosphate and Egg Cream. When I ordered a root beer float, the gal making it started with syryp, added soda and did some mumbo jumbo with a spoon and a scoop and voila! I also got a foot long to go under some of that famous chili and when the soda jerkress put it down in front of me, I pronounced it a masterpiece. She agreed.

.

And so, the perfect straighfoward chili dog became a lovely symbol for my modest day. Even if midwesterners do think beans are an ingredient in chili. Hmmphh.