Go, Go, Go...

I've been very busy since I got back from Houston.

We've had to hunt all over for bathroom fixtures, get paint and many other small things for the house construction.

Mom and Pa took a break from all the running around and wandered to the bridge one afternoon to check the sights. This skunk was on the side of the road. Notice his nearly white back? His head and feet are black but the rest of his body is white. Mom was able to get some good shots with Pa's new camera. This is the best one.

Traveling...

The chair, which is faded, worn and torn in places, is about 25 years old. I had decided to get rid of them when Echo claimed one as her own. Flint claimed the other one. Since I didn't want my good furniture in the house until we're further along with building, the chairs were a natural choice to bring in. Echo immediately claimed hers!



Flint likes laying on the floor and staying cool. Notice my refrigerator in the background. We had the electrician run the wire and receptacle so we could plug it in. The very hot summer meant lots of cool drinks and my little camp fridge was getting overworked trying to keep the liquids cool. Hence, the big fridge came into the house. Its great because we can also store food and snacks in it.



In other news:

I zipped down to Houston to help my daughter and her boyfriend move to another apartment. It was pretty tough work, even though she hired movers to take the big stuff! I lost 7 pounds (much needed weight loss!) and toned up pretty nicely. So I am happy.

The apartment they got is much nicer, in a prettier neighborhood and bigger, too! So they are happier, too.

I took several scenic routes to get there - driving through Arkansas on Highway 71 - who KNEW the state was that pretty? I thought it was only known for those family trees that don't branch and the Hill(ary) Bill(y).

I also made note of the signs - I'm a sucker for imaginative advertising.

On a billboard with directions to a quilt shop: "Scream until your husband stops the car!"

On a church sign: "Pastor told me to change the words on the sign. So I did."

On the curving mountain highway: "Road ahead is steep and curvy, drive carefully." - NO KIDDING! The good news is that EACH curve was marked with plenty of yellow signs and the speed limit you should do as you rounded it. And the scenery! That section of the Ozark Mountains is one of the prettiest places I've ever seen!

And lest we forget - The Joy Juice Liquor Store!

There were resorts in the National Forests there. Some cute names on some of them.


Winding Stair Resort - sounds pretty! This was also the name of a forest there.

The Last Resort - a misnomer. There were at least three other resorts on either side of it!

Bear Woods - Ummm...if there ARE bears in the woods, not sure I want to stay around for them.

Then there were the eating establishments - Arkansas restauranteurs seem enamored of names with the word "hole" in them.

The Catfish Hole Fine Family Dining - I'll take your word for it.

The Crawdad Hole - No thanks!

On the return trip I came through Oklahoma right up the state line on Highway 259. Very pretty through the Piney Woods of Texas and lower OK. I enjoyed both drives. Not a lot of traffic and some seriously beautiful scenery.

And I didn't take a single picture! I was so busy at the apartment and then wanting to get home, I just forgot!

Along about the time I crossed the state line it was getting dark and I wanted to be home. I dropped the hammer and cruised at 85 mph for a bit, then called husband to tell him I was in the state. He advised slowing down because of the deer-in-the-headlights issue. Sigh. I slowed down. I rolled in at home around 10:30 pm. 15 1/2 hours to return. It only took me 13 1/2 hours to get there! Despite the winding switchback Highway 71, its a shorter route.

Color My World...

Being in the woods means that nature surrounds us. The past few weeks have been butterfly and moth season. They are all over the place! The variety is incredible, too. We've noticed at least 6-10 different kinds flitting around the property.



Actias Luna, a species of Saturniid moths. This Luna moth is one of the rarest seen or collected in North America! Sadly, the poor thing had a broken wing. The next day when we went to see how it was faring it was gone.



I chased this butterfly for 3 days with the camera. Every time I snuck up on one as soon as I clicked the photo the danged thing would flutter off! I had lovely shots of my gravel, my grass, my cedar deck and my dirt...but no butterfly. I went out to take a picture of the new steps and when I returned to put the camera away there it was sitting on the gate. I got that sucker this time!

This is a Red-Spotted Purple Or White Admiral Butterfly. The designation of "OR" is because the White Spotted Admirals and the Purple Spotted Admirals will hybridize when they are found together and the "new" butterfly has characteristics of both parents! This one is definitely a hybrid as I've not found photos on the 'Net of any looking exactly like it. It has one more red spot on each forewing than the pictures I've found. Its blue/green hindwing also is very irridescent. (I have no idea if I spelled that right and I've got other things to do so I'm not looking it up. Just call me ignorant and be done with it).



Flint is normally a white dog. Not cream, not tan, white. In the heat he went and rolled in the dry, dusty dirt and Richard was so surprised that Flint was now BROWN that he took this picture. I brushed him out later and my white dog came back.

Coming home...

Mine and Richard's next car...NOT!



All I could think of was the line in the song, "CONVOY" - "a bunch of friends of Jesus in a chartruese mini-bus..."

And on the back window of this little gem it said "Soul Of Jesus Savior" and something else I wasn't able to get close enough to read (tourists were all around it). The driver was wearing bib-overalls with no shirt, had long curly blond hair and a red kerchief hanging out his back pocket. He carried a straw hat in one hand. He ignored everyone at the rest stop as if we weren't there. My take was that he was free as a bird and enjoyed flaunting it. Some of the other comments I heard from fellow travelers were not as discerning and a couple people shied away as if the machine had leprosy. Only God knows for sure.

Vacation in Washington DC...

So, off we went to Washington DC and various relatives and friends there.



This is me and Darlene discussing the issues (grin) at my daughter's place. Darlene is my best friend from Mississippi. I've moved a number of times and have a best friend from almost every place I ever lived. Multiple best friends are a bonus - they live all over and I can visit just about any direction and run into one!



This is my favorite cousin, Eileen, with me. Again, I have multiple favorite cousins all over, too. Keeps the peace in the family! LOL



We decided we had to do the usual thing in DC - visit the Smithsonian...and the Aerospace Museum is always on our list of fun things to do there. Richard played with his camera and took photos of the various planes, rockets and space ships.



Part of the Aerospace Museum has been commandeered by the Museum of American History while it is undergoing renovations. The museum staff selected several famous exhibits to place in this new small space. One was the signpost from the television series "MASH." I lvoed the show so had my picture taken by it.



Our real goal was to go see the new Museum Of History Of Native Americans. This dance dress was one of the featured displays. Although the museum was very interesting we didn't enjoy it as much as we had hoped. The bottom two floors were a museum store - and many of the items were made in China or by non-Native artists. There was some new jewelry by Native artists which I loved. However, nowhere in the museum was a display of any of the wonderful silver/turquoise/shell/stone jewelry of times gone by. There was a restaurant on the bottom floor, too. It sold food that the Native Americans used for cooking. That was pretty unique and the food was good.

The remaining two floors had some displays but a lot of them were on an interactive television wherein you touched the screen and it would show a picture of what was on display in drawers locked below the displays. If I wanted to see TV I'd have stayed home and watched the specials on PBS and the History Channels.

My other issue was that about half the displays were about South American Natives...and except for a reference concerning kinship, one of the largest tribes in America was pretty much under-represented - the Navajo. There was no active display of anything Navajo that we could find. Also - Zuni, Hopi and the Cherokee had little or no representation. The only Cherokee with a small display concerned the North Carolina survivors. No mention of the Oklahoma Cherokee at all. A lot of Native American history - the Five Civilized Tribes, The Trail Of Tears, the famous men and women (where were Sarah Winnemucca and Elaine Miles?) weren't mentioned or represented at all.

That said - It was interesting to see the various tribes represented. Just wish there'd been more representation from our United States of America tribes.



And of course, outside the Smithsonian...Richard calls this the "VOTE FOR MERRY STAHEL FOR PRESIDENT!" picture. All you voters...you know what to do. LOL

Vacation with Todd

We decided we needed a break from housebuilding so we took off for a vacation. We had three goals. Richard, Mom, Pa and I went to visit my baby brother in Ohio. Then the parents went on to meet some friends from West Virginia to camp. Richard and I continued our journey to visit our oldest daughter in Maryland.

Here are some photos of the week we spent with Todd...



The first night out we camped at Leiber State Park in Indiana. There was a federal property nearby where people could picnic so we went to check out the waterfall and the old covered bridge there. VERY PRETTY place.

When we got to Todd's, he was so proud of his new custom bike that he wanted to show it off. I, being the intrepid soul that I am, insisted on being taken for a ride. And hey! When a body is riding a custom chopper, one MUST have a do-rag of one's own, dangit! We had a blast going around the block! Not something I could do every day, but sure was fun.



Todd, me, the bike and my do-rag. Note the granny eyeglass necklace (yes, I lose my sunglasses all the time, its the only way to keep them safe!).



Todd took us to the Botanical gardens which were lovely. They had a whole room dedicated to bonsai. This willow tree is about 25 years old. They had one tree in there over 100 years old!



While at the Gardens, they released a new crop of butterflies in the sanctuary. We chased all over taking pictures of various ones. Richard took this stunning shot with his new digital camera.



Todd also took us to the Motorcycle Museum. It was pretty interesting although the museum really focuses on Moto-Cross. Still, there were some pretty interesting and unusual bikes in the place. I believe this one is an Indian.



And I got to see my best friend from Guam, ElizaBeth. We had a great time with them catching up on our families and all the passing years' events.

Driving around...

We like to drive around and get to know our new home. Someone at one of the shops told us the Swinging Bridge was now open to foot traffic. Mom and Pa have lived in this area 7 years and this is the first they've been able to check it out. So we all went together.



That round building off in the distance on the cliff is the Truman Dam Visitors Center. The water is an arm of Lake Of The Ozarks.



Mom and Pa wander across the swinging bridge. This bridge used to be the only one across to Warsaw and CARS drove on it! They closed it to cars sometime in the 1960s. Its only recently been repaired and able to handle the tourists walking across to the other side.



I stood on the side and told Richard I was going to jump! Jumping on the bridge makes it swing. Pa and I tried to get it to really sway, but we could only get it to move a little. We need more volunteers. (grin).

Dam water!

The lake is experiencing a crisis from the flooding. The overflowing rivers have uprooted many trees and shrubs. As they float downstream, they are creating log jams. The Dam is working to clear the one that has stopped in front of it!



The log jam.



Truman Dam has opened the tailrace gates to allow water into Lake Of The Ozarks to bring Truman Lake's levels down.



Another shot of the water boiling out of the Tainter gates.



I have no idea why anyone would throw the rocks fisherman anywhere, but apparently casting them off the cliff walk is typical...or maybe not. Perhaps they meant that people shouldn't throw rocks off the cliff because fishermen were below?

Sac-Osage Rivers

The Sac-Osage Rivers meet in Mid-Missouri...this photo is where a Confederate Army camped on the island between the courses of the rivers. The island is mostly underwater due to the recent flooding.

Echo takes control

Echo is in control...of the remote.

The flooding of the Midwest has affected us minimally. However, in town it is much worse. This is the road to another small hamlet in our vicinity. The whole are is a small lake.

Congratulations, America!

Happy Fourth Of July!



And Happy Birthday to our contractor, Dave, too!

Glory Days

Last Saturday, Mom, Pa, Richard and I went to Glory Days in Clinton. The bad news was that it was raining buckets. The parade was cancelled and the amusement park was shut down. The good news was that people stayed away! We had most of the Square to ourselves. We specifically wanted to go to the Henry County Museum. The docent let us in TWO hours early - they had re-scheduled because of the parade and weren't supposed to open. She gave us a personal tour of the museum and it was wonderful.

The town of Clinton used to be a destination for sick people who came to the natural springs for health and rejuvenation. A whole industry was built around the health spas. Eventually the spring dried up although the park is still there.

The museum also house a collection of articles from opera legend Courteney Thomas, who's stage name was Vera Thomas. A few other famous Henry County residents included the man who invented Cheerios and the man who invented the cattle poke - a special rigid metal brace that held the cow's head still for various cattlework. There were displays of local pottery (We have a lot of clay around here!) and a military room with scenes of Civil War battles and various weapons.

The museum has grown since I've seen it last and I'll be taking guests who are interested in for a visit.

We had lunch and then we went to see Jim Raysik's personal collection of old automobiles. Raysik is the local Chevrolet dealer and has maintained his collection in the old DeSoto Building on the square. The building houses an old fashioned looking car parts area with bubble gum machines and a coke machine that dispenses glass bottles. Very period looking! Here I am in the arch of the museum quality Parts Department.



Our next stop was the Quilt Show put on by the Golden Valley Quilters Guild. We saw lots of lovely quilts and I even bought fabric from one of the dealers.

Our last stop was the Dorman House. This home is on the National Register and has been carefully restored with some of the family's heirlooms and with donated period furniture and textiles. Judge Dorman was a prominent figure in Henry County's early years.

We had a realyl great time touring the Square despite the rain.

Around the property...

The rain has brought plenty of water to our area. A creek runs on our property but for about 11 months out of the year the creek is dry. However, with all the rain we're flowing pretty good.



This is my little creek, which we call Flint Creek after the rocks in it...and our dog, Flint. Usually, it is about a foot wide with maybe 1-3 inches of water when it is flowing. As you can see, its about 6 feet wide and has about 5-10 inches of water!




Richard and I went for a walk to the bridge. Our creek empties into this creek, which then empties into the lake. This creek is usually running with about 2-3 feet of water year-around. At this point, it is about 6 feet deep.



This little entity (don't know if its male or female!) was scurrying across the road as we walked home. If he was in my house, I'd probably run screaming, then gather up my courage, find the biggest shoe I could and smash his sorry ass into oblivion. However, since he was not invading my space I let him live. Lucky spider. Stay away.




We walked past Mom and Pa's house and the deer were feeding. Most of the neighbors feed the deer corn out at the edges of their properties during winter. Because of the unusual weather patterns some of their normal spring and summer feeding grounds didn't produce their usual food. Everyone is still feeding deer for now. In years past Pa stopped feeding the deer about a month before hunting season so they'd stay away and not get shot in the yard by hunters. Hunting has greatly declined in this area so we have quite the little herd grazing.

Saturday drive and relaxing...

So we went on a Saturday drive mostly to go to the Missouri Archeological Society's Arrowhead show...www.artifactnews.com - that's the website for those interested.



While out and about we ran into some interesting photo opportunities...this old Plymouth was along the way.



The Leeton Opera House.



And we got home to Echo and Flint relaxing after working hard at supervising all the construction work!

Pa's Woodworking...and mystery flowers

This mystery flower is not in any of our Audubon Guides...the neighbor down the road whose lived here all his life says its a Missouri Primrose, but according to our book, the primrose's leaves are quite different. Anyone know?




My Pa is a fabulous carpenter and is known for his lovely tote boxes. As the grandkids come of age, if they ask, he gives them one of his wooden totes filled with the tools they will need when they are out on their own. He's also made some for other people as gifts.

My tote box is made of a lovely cherry wood and I asked that it be smaller for my sewing stuff. I carry my scissors, pin cushion, safety pins, threads, needles and other bits and pieces about in it when I am sewing or quilting.

These two are gifts made of walnut. He says now he wishes he saved the wood for gunstocks, the "wood tears" and "fiddeleback grain" buffed out to a beautiful natural wood pattern.

Truman Lake Dam Visitor's Center

In between getting estimates for roofing shingles I finally took Richard to see the Truman Lake Dam Visitor's Center. The center is cantilevered over the water on a cliff so the view is spectacular. Usually there are turkey buzzards and other birds riding the thermals around the Center. The US Park Service has preserved several old buildings from the surrounding areas on the acreage around the Center. There is a log cabin, The Hooper House (prominent family), The Quincy School dated before the Civil War and a few other smaller buildings and items of historical note.



The view. This was taken with the smaller digital camera from inside the Center. The view is really lovely and I'm not sure this photo does it justice.



The log cabin. The inside was simple - a single room downstairs and a single room upstairs. By our modern standards it was small, but Richard and I both found it cozy and took pictures in the event that we will someday have a guest house and can emulate some of the cozier aspects we liked.



This lantern was in the school house. I'm not sure if the wrought iron holder is authentic or not. I've never seen an oil lantern displayed this way. But it sure is pretty!

Richard takes photos...

After indentured servitude in Saudi Arabia, Richard deserved a special treat. He bought a super-duper, deluxe, all-the-bells-and-whistles, extra-special expensive digital camera. We've been so busy he's not really had time to take pictures. However, yesterday during a lull in the construction we wandered down to the bridge with the dogs. Echo and I ran ahead (I'm trying to lose weight) and Richard and Flint meandered. Richard found some lovely flowers and Flint...well, Flint found deer droppings to roll in...sigh.



A butterfly on what is called butterfly bush around here. I'm not sure what kind of butterfly it is, I suppose I should look it up in Pa's book.



And Flint looking like the great white hunter. That look of satisfaction is because he successfully rolled in deer shit and I wasn't there to stop him like last time.

A rose by any other name...

This is a rose on Mom's property - Pa took the picture! Mom has 4 rose bushes - a white, a red, a dark pink and a light pink. All are doing quite well between the rain, the fertilizer and the generous application of deer repellent!

I'm glad, because I would like to have a rose garden like the one I had in Pennsylvania. We had over 20 varieties and they were a source of enjoyment for everyone around us. The lovely blooms which I gave to everyone and my own house....scented with bowls and vases of roses in every room. I liked it.

Talking To God...

When I was a little girl of about 7 years old, my mother bought me a Bible. The Bible had six classical art pictures in it. Each one was painted by someone famous in the Renaissance style. Each one was an image of a famous event where God spoke to people. In each one, to represent God, there were rays of sunlight coming from the clouds in heaven.

Being a small child I thought whenever I saw those rays of sunlight coming from the clouds that God was talking to someone.

The whole family now refers to this natural effect after rainstorms as "God is talking to someone."

Yesterday, God spoke to us as we stood in the doorway of the Airstream...(grin).



Since the light is so intense, I'm taking it that he approves of our homemaking abilities.

Echo's Packin'...

I'm working with Echo to teach her to pack things around. I'd like to take her with us on some camping trips. I think she'd enjoy the outdoors. So I figured she needs to learn to pack her own food and water. She was afraid to move when I put the pack on and I couldn't figure out why because she wears her orange vest during hunting season with no problem at all...turns out I didn't have the pack tightened enough and it was sliding as she walked. Fixed that and she was off and running.

I'll work with Flint later to teach the same skills.

Beginning...

Richard was on the couch so Echo took over the mushroom chair!



And in other news, we'll begin the house building in a few short weeks! ACK!

We already bought the windows, doors, doorknobs, tankless water heater and water softener. We're still waiting on a bid for the lumber. Once we determine who has the best price, we'll put in the order.

Other than that, only the usual life happenings. Walking dogs, eating, shopping and enjoying the last of Spring in anticipation of Summer.