HEE HAW ARKANSAS

 

From Hannibal, we headed south to Branson.  We stayed 3 weeks in the Escapee Park in Hollister, just over the bridge from Branson.  Branson is the Bible Belt’s answer to Las Vegas.  Probably well over 100 shows in town, all family oriented, with a little Gospel and always a tribute to the Veterans.  There may be a few bars in town, but you would have to look real hard to find them.  Eateries offer beer or maybe wine, but they don’t remind you of it.  The first offering is sweet tea.  Bus loads of old folks come there, to attend shows and eat.  Every where you look someone has a deal for you, cheap show tickets, but there is always small print.  Listen to our presentation, look at our condos or lots, or special travel deals.  We checked around and found the least offensive and least time consuming “deal” and agreed to a sales pitch at a real estate development south of Hollister.  1 hour max!!!!!  And for that we got tickets to 4 shows for $59 instead of $180, plus a few extra things added in. 

So we went.  The real estate development was beautiful, and the area growing with lots of money in evidence.  The salesman was from Colorado, the company history checked out, and the long and short of it: we bit.  It appears as if our business building in Golden will sell in the next few months, so a reinvestment makes sense.  Branson and the Ozarks are beautiful, and perfect for retired rich people who want a new first or second home.  We shall see how it plays out.

Who’s law is it that says if it can go wrong, it will????  I actually prefer to think of it as lessons to be learned will be learned.  Soon as we signed on the dotted line for the property, the Jeep started rebelling.  We towed it behind the coach on a winding beautiful drive on Sunday.  Upon unhitching, there was no power in the power steering.  The ranger gave us a good reference, and the Jeep made it there, but no further.  No of course nothing simple as the power steering fluid, the whole rack and pinion shot.  Not sure what that is, but I sure see the results.  So we rented a car from the nearby airport, and came home to the coach, parked in the Ouachita State park and a beautiful sunset, gorgeous lake front setting, and no hot water.  So David has worked the last 2 days figuring it out, to conclude the fuel pump on the furnace/hot water heater was faulty.  We learned how efficient and effective the heat pumps are.  What a relief,!!!!!!!!!!! as it is cold here, at night especially.  We were able to buy a new fuel pump today at an auto parts store (3 tries) and he will install it tomorrow.  So we are still learning, spending and supporting the economy.  Hot Springs looks to be a nice place, one of everything you could want, but the state park is spectacular.  We will be here till Fri, if all goes well, then head out to Texarkana Texas, or just beyond, to a “pickin park”, listed as a music park, pickers welcome.  Looking forward to seeing just what that means, and what it looks like.  We are gradually getting to warmer clime, and are fortunately warm and cozy here.  We  are about a week behind our plan, but who needs a plan.

The Arkansas park we are in is just south of Booger Holler, and Coon Nob Hill.  We are definitely in the state of Arkansas, folks are friendly, kind, and helpful.  The names of places and businesses often make us smile – Billie Bobs BBQ,  LuAnns coffee shop etc.  Lots of hills, trees, lakes, narrow roads, and folks seem happy and mostly poor, at least along the back roads.  Somebody's making money around here from the number of pricey looking hotels and condo establishments, but lots of closed businesses too, so they have been through hard times here.  Maybe they don’t notice.  Life seems a little slower here, centered around being good and doing good, even making the local news with the projects. 

Till next time. 

Resting at a restful place

 

Since joining the Unity Church in Arvada, I have been curious as to the history and administration of the domination.  I knew of Unity Village in Lees Summit, south of Kansas City, because David and I had driven passed it several times on our way to and from Canton, Ohio.  So it became one of our destinations on this trip. 

After we left Litchfield, Ill, we drove here via Hannibal, Mo.  We were there with the Ramblin Recs, our RV club from Denver.  We had 10 units there, so 20 people, and stayed in a campground about 15 miles from Hannibal, at Landing, Mo.  It was close to the shores of Mark Twain Lake, and during the summer must be a lively place.  There was a water park there, and lots and lots of RV parks where many were permanent rigs, installed for summer use, as if they were a vacation cabin.  About half our campground were permanents, but the property was well maintained and very nice.  It was out in the country, and not very busy anywhere, so we had good access to restaurants, etc.  We spent one whole day in Hannibal at the Mark Twain festival, taking a river sightseeing cruise, and visiting all the street vendors on Main Street.  We didn’t go to Sam Clemens home, or any of the museums, out of laziness mainly.  I walked all day, used my cane just in case, but was no worse for the wear.  The venders for the most part were pretty unique, local artists and craftsmen, local churches and non profits out to make a few bucks.  It was hot that day, and tiring.  The river trip was a nice respite.  We had dinner at an old restaurants together, and were glad to be home.  Sunday we went on a dinner cruise on the same river boat, and had a delicious dinner, a 3/4 moon rise, a cool night, and a peaceful cruise looking at the lights and bridges.  It was their last dinner cruise of the season, so not very well attended.    Our group was half the customers, so we enjoyed being able to talk in the quiet atmosphere. 

We stayed over Monday to rest then drove on Tue. to Unity Village.  Our camping spot here is out in the woods east of the main part of the village.  Unity Village is an incorporated town with a zip code, but no post office.  After we found the place, I discovered to enter “Unity Village” into the GPS and up it came.  The address was useless, as we had to enter by the hotel in order to check in.  They have hotel and motel space for probably 800 or more, and could feed up to 1000 once a day.  The buffet restaurants here is beautiful and serves very good food.  Most of the compound is on a 4 day work week, and we met some volunteers here performing various jobs.  The publishing house is out-sourced, but the Silent Unity Prayer service is 7/24 accessible by phone or email.  They receive bunches of mail, and we were told go a long way to supporting the operation by donations they receive.  The school of ministry is here also, but they also train ministers by independent study and email.  It would be a great place for a conference such as AGNT or Mile Hi retreats.  In fact, Lyn Twist of IONS was supposed to be here this week, but cancelled for some reason.  Probably lack of registration sufficient to make it work.  I was sorry to miss her.

The fountains here have recently been restored, and the rose gardens surrounding them are MAGNIFICENT.  moved me to tears.  Some of the components of the place need attention, but for the most part upkeep and maintenance is pretty good.  It is a peaceful place peopled by gentle souls .

Pictures are coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                             Nurse Mary Ann checking my sore foot.

The group at cake time.  Paris took the picture.  Mary Ann chose a cat clock with a wagging tail for me.  Very appropriate.  We have it hanging in the coach. 

 

Wayne and Jimmy on clarinet and trumpet.  Jimmy is into jazz and attends a group where he is learning to improvise.  Wayne bought himself a clarinet lately is is resuming his old skills.  Pretty well I might add. 

 

 

The girls took a drive and shopping trip to a local farm market for apples, bakery stuff, and it was cold – the wind blowing a gale.  We enjoyed Paris’ world and the drive. 

So much for my first successful effort at getting  pictures on here.  I have more learning to do but my teacher and friend, Leslie, will be staying here as we travel on.  But at least I know enough to experiment more successfully.  She fixed all my mess ups.  The computer came close to crashing a few weeks ago, and we found the right guy near by in Miami, OK who did a wonderful job of cleaning it up and re installing the hard drive.  David spent days and days re-installing all the programs, so we are back up to date and running well now. 

I’m back–hopefully

Well, the computer came within an nth of crashing (for you doubters, nth is a scrabble word.  more of that later), and now it is all new – $$$$ later, and hours and hours of David's work, I have to muddle through.  It all looks different.  So bear with me.

I don’t even know where and when I left off.  I think in Indianapolis, and my birthday party.  We parked in front of Rod and Paris’ house.  Wayne and Mary Ann (my brother and wife) came to their son’s house (on my invitation) for the occasion, and a good time was had by all.  My brother’s grandson is a very intelligent college freshman, aiming for a degree including aircraft    ( So I got one picture in there, not the one I wanted, and I don’t know how I did it, but it is progress)

technology and air traffic controller.  For kicks in his spare time, he listens to JFK airport traffic control talk on his Ipod – or some little gismo.  My brothers job was to break airplane engine turbines, his son’s job is to build airplane engines, and his grandson’s job will be to tell them all where to go.  Wayne thought that was quite a legacy.  Indeed it is.  All the family brains went to that bunch. 

After we left there we went to a beautiful campground in Litchfield, Ill, the heart of Abe Lincoln country.  We went to Springfield and saw his house there and heard all the Abe stories.  It is all a National Park now, right in the middle of Springfield.    We stayed 2 weeks, and it was peaceful there.  From our front window all we could see was a beautiful field with trees gradually becoming fallish. 

Then we went to Unity Village in Lees Summit, Mo.  This was an exploration for us, as we have recently joined a Unity church and were curious to see the birth place of the movement.  The rose gardens and fountains brought me to tears, but the buildings are aging, and it seemed pretty sparsely populated to us.  Our camping spot there was on the property, out in the woods east of the main campus area.  We had one neighbor who was there for classes.  We went to Independence and did the Harry S Truman thing, his house and library and museum.  Could have spent days there, but were impressed with the depth and reverence given him.  It was memorable. 

(Actually we went to Hannibal before Unity Village, but I don’t know how to move the paragraphs around)

Then we went to Hannibal Mo for the Mark Twain festival.  We met up with our Denver RV club there.  We had about 12 rigs there, and travelled about 20 miles from a very nice campground to Hannibal, for the street fair, Mississippi river boat ride and a dinner cruise on the same boat, dinner and a Mark Twain impersonator show.  He was good, but no Hal Holbrook.  No one could surpass him, but we all enjoyed the show in a very small theater where, we were given to understand, Old Abe himself once stabled his horse (it was once a livery).  History everywhere. 

Then we went south to Coffeyville to visit Co Chapter Escapee friends who part time work camp there for Amazon.com.  They are supervisors now, but work 3-4 months before Christmas sending out all the stuff you all have ordered from Amazon.  The town was flooded out 3 years ago, so a lot of the town just isn’t there.  History abounds:  The Dalton gang was all killed there, as they tried to rob 2 banks at once, in about 18????.  The town stood up to them, and they are buried there.  It is near b y to Baxterville, where the rush to OK for homestead land took place.  I am amazed that it happened there, as that end of Ok is rolling hills and tons of lakes.  The lakes may be more recent, the result of dams which I haven’t located yet.  but it is beautiful fall here, reminding me of the rolling hills of Arkansas, with lots of water and resorts.  We came from Coffeyville to Grove OK, amongst the lakes, and lots of little towns.  It is Cherokee country, the most famous of which was Will Rogers.  We went to his museum nearby, and found all the wonderful restaurants in a 50 mile area. 

From here we will go to Hollister Mo (Branson) to the Escapee park there.  I have some work to do on the itinerary before then, but from there we will wander to Livingston Tex, where the Escapee headquarters is.  We may be able to volunteer there, full time or a little time.  We will be there for Christmas more that likely, and who knows after that.  We are cozy and warm as fall turns cooler, still having beautiful days and cool – cold – nights.  Punkin is happy as long as a lap is available some part of the day.  My hips do well.  My body gets stiff with weather changes, but if my body felt as good as the hips I would be dancin!!!!!But alas, my bones tell my age, and the hips enjoy the technology and skill of Dr. Chaing.  I shan’t complain as I am so much better than before the 2 surgeries.