Fairs, Festivals, and Fitness in the Ozarks

2019 was the 8th year of my retirement and my husband's first.  Plenty of time on our hands and we found plenty of ways to utilize it!  Remodeling our vintage 1978 house in earnest this past decade always included a balance of fun with community fairs and festivals that typically began in late summer through the month of October here in the Ozarks.  There were several months of chaos caused by completing all main level flooring, repairs, and painting while we lived in both the main and lower levels.  When all the work was done, it was time to play!  It is about living a balanced life.

Together throughout the year we always stayed as busy as we wanted to be doing volunteer work with the local gardening group and enjoyed garden-related workshops with some of the larger county groups which expanded our knowledge as well as our relationships with other like-minded people.  It also got us outdoors more and the exercise kept us fit.  The annual Harvest Festival in Wheatland highlighted our main service project which is planning and caring for the gardens at Settlers Village where the festival takes place.  There are several posts in this blog that have details about this annual festival and our gardens as it has been our project for many years.  As with most all the fairs, festivals, and fitness-related subjects mentioned in this post, more details can be found by using the Search tool located on the home page of my blog.  Many of the past events were currently more of the same and we always love to attend or participate when we can and likely will continue doing more of the same in the future. It keeps us bonded to our home area that we chose to move to in 1978 while reaffirming that moving here was the best decision we ever made!    

Keith and Beti volunteer their time at the Hickory County Master Gardener Booth both days of the annual Wheatland Harvest Festival.

Missouri State Fair in Sedalia is attended most years.  The Missouri Department of Conservation, Art, Floral, and live concerts are our usual favorites to see!

Humansville Fall Festival doesn't change much over the years and is one event that is very close to home and was even closer when we lived on 50 acres nearby.  The parade is the most interesting with any kind of vehicle paraded whether it moved on it's own or pushed through the route....always entertaining! 

Stockton Black Walnut Festival is always a pleasure to attend with many craft booths, live entertainment, parade, and great food choices!  This trip we took the free tour again of the famous Hammons Products Company to see the process and buy some wonderful black walnut products. 

Cole Camp is an old German settlement that really knows how to party with dancing in the streets with live music, amazing German foods, beer, & wine, several streets filled with antique shops, and interesting people to watch and visit.  The history documented everywhere is amazing!

7 Springs Winery is our closest outdoor winery now that Sugar Loaf has closed after being our favorite for several years.  The awesome landscaping and fall changing colors in the hills pairs well with our favorite Norton wine and some great foods.  There is also live entertainment on the weekends in the afternoon.

Truman Heritage Days in Warsaw is our all-time favorite fall festival!  There is so much to do that it takes two days to get through it all.  Up by the Truman Dam in the encampments, old-time skills and crafts, settlement history and re-enactments.  In the town of Warsaw and along the harbor are numerous craft tents.  Below the dam is convenient parking with wonderful shuttle busses that take you to both areas as much as you want for both days.  Exceptionally organized - rain or shine!

Beti is "taking in the vapors" at Hot Springs, Arkansas!  This 4-6 day yearly Spa Trip has been a big part of our October plans for most of the past 20 years.  We always stay at The Arlington Hotel as seen in the background above.  I am so happy to have my brother and his wife join us again this year!  Hopefully, my other brother and his wife will join us next year as both my brothers and my husband retired in the same year and have the time to join us.  Maybe other friends and relatives will make it too!

Hot Springs, Arkansas tradition has been a horse-drawn carriage ride around the city on a Saturday night.  The service is available on the weekends in front of The Arlington Hotel.

Keith and Beti pose at the usual scenic stop overlooking the Ozarks on Scenic Highway 7 south of Harrisonville, Arkansas.  Many photos have been taken at this location since the kids were young.  It's a great place to stop and climb the tall overlook tower and shop in the small shop.

Pomme de Terre Lake Shore Clean-up was one of my volunteer projects this year just a few miles from home.  This is my 6th year as a member of the Missouri Master Naturalists, Lake of the Ozarks Chapter.   The greatest number of my required volunteer hours involved this PDT Lake.  It was such a  mess this year due to higher than average waters.  I was unable to safely take water samples from my kayak for 6 of the 8 required sampling times through the 2019 season in my 6th year with Lakes of Missouri Volunteer Program (LMVP).  The group above consisted of volunteers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Missouri Stream Teams,  Master Naturalist, and local citizens.  I'm in the back row, blue jacket.  We left the lake shore area better than we found it!  

Silver Dollar City in Branson is one of the largest theme parks in the country.  We have been here countless times since we moved to Missouri in 1978 and our daughter had worked here as an EMT for several years as a young, single adult.  It is as amazing as it is big and it's been awesome to watch it grow over the years along with the City of Branson and the massive highway system that supports it south of Springfield.  Last spring I won 2 free day passes to SDC at one of the gardening workshops Keith and I attended!  Definitely NOT a cheap place to visit!

Ha Ha Tonka State Park Castle Ruins is our most frequent state park visited close to home.  We started coming here before it was a state park and way before the fences and boardwalks were built to service the large crowds that come here in recent years.  So many photos had been taken with family as we all crawled and climbed throughout the ruins and cliffs along the rough trails.  Now it is all protected from excessive deterioration that comes with crowds.  It is still a great place to hike and enjoy.  The park also includes the lower spring area which has a great kayak launch area and is part of a 13-mile water trail that I volunteered to produce with the Master Naturalist group.  A great place to picnic, fish, hike, and kayak and we enjoy it all as much as we can!

I am thankful to live in a great area that includes a diversity of community activities that all contribute to a healthy lifestyle!  Since I turn age 65 about a year ago, I took advantage of free membership at the Bolivar YMCA which supports the Silver Sneakers Program covered by my health insurance.  Although I have been a member and/or participated at the Southwest Baptist University (SBU) Wellness Center for the past 25 years, it was only intermittent from January through May each year and I had to pay for it.  This past year, I have benefitted from the YMCA the most as I have lost 17 pounds with continuous and regular attendance.  I am happy that Keith joins me sometimes as programs and activities encourage opportunities to be social which is a big part of a good healthy lifestyle!

Being healthy, happy, and fit all contribute to the positive energy needed to enjoy our only grandchild, Kayleen.  Staying involved in community and socializing helps keep us interesting with a zest for life that we want very much to pass along to her for as many years as God blesses us to have.  Many opportunities are close to home and right in front of your face!  It does help if you have something to offer and recognize the joy you receive in return.

Bobi Copes with Chaos

It was a challenge coping with all the chaos created from remodeling our living space as we did most all the work ourselves as we lived in it.  It was good that the most stressful of it was during the months that had warm weather and we could balance the man-made chaos with the calming order of nature outdoors.  We had only to look to Bobi, our American Bobtail cat, to see the world through his eyes and observe that we could reduce stress while being close to its source.  We have plenty of nature right in our yard which made it easy to step away and find a good balance.  It's all about perspective.  

Bobi sits on my lap every morning beginning at daybreak on the front patio.

After my morning beverage, I start out on my walk-about around the front and back yard; Bobi follows.

There were 3 broods of bluebirds this season we enjoyed watching from the front patio.  There were also a variety of birds at the feeders, butterflies, and all kinds of pollinators on the flowers.  Bobi was always aware of them but hardly ever caused a disturbance.  The squirrels were always entertaining!

There were magical imaginings at the faerie tree including a real mushroom for awhile.  

Real bandits on several occasions in the vegetable gardens kept us busy re-locating!

Know-it-all neighbor was seen watching us from the electrical line.  Who?

Even a reporter from Fox Network stopped by most every morning.

There were some days that moved rather slow but steady.

The energetic activity from hundreds (mabe thousands!) of hummingbirds at the feeders inspired us to stay busy.

By the time Fall came around, we were done remodeling and began decorating.  We were ready for a much deserved break from all the work.

The weather was changing with the cool mist that settled in at night rising in the early morning meeting the sun.  

Frost flowers replaced the plants of summer.

Now it is time to stay indoors more and enjoy the fruits of our labor in our newly remodeled kitchen now complete with new flooring.

The final garden harvest is done...

...as the sun sets in our newly remodeled dining room filled with the last of the garden's flowers, hebs, and vegetables.

The living room is back in order with a new accent of fresh cotton in a can.

Through it all Bobi coped well with the chaos and showed us how well it can be done!

Eureka Springs, Arkansas - 45th Wedding Anniversary

Keith & Beti
Harding Springs at Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Eureka Springs, Arkansas is only a couple hours south from our home in SW Missouri.  We have visited many times since we moved to Missouri in 1978.  It just seemed right to celebrate our 45th Wedding Anniversary in a place that is most familiar and holds many fond memories.  It is a place full of uniqueness and interesting people.  It is edgy and eccentric.  It is full of unusual history.  No wonder we feel comfortable here!  It was a time to make some more memories.

There are so many things to do and see, I cannot begin to write about it all here.  I can share the collection of photos I took in this music slideshow.  It was an amazing happening.  This is us.

  

2018 San Diego Adventure Part 1 of 2 - The Indigo Hotel, Liberty Public Market, and Balboa Park

For a couple of people that have lived together in the midwest for 40 years in the county's largest city of about 400, going to a large city like San Diego, California is quite an adventure!  This is my third trip to San Diego and my husband's second.  This is where our son and daughter-in-law live and work in as many years.  We had eight full days which covered several returns to favorite places and a few new experiences.  This year we flew out of the Springfield, Missouri airport instead of the Kansas City airport which shortened our driving time significantly and was worth the extra expense!

Sunday was our travel day which put us in San Diego early that evening to get settled in the beautiful Indigo Hotel after our son picked us up at the airport and showed us his new condo which he and our daughter-in-law had just moved into the day before.  Soon after we were all settled in for the night to be rested for the next day which was Labor Day.  Woke up to made some coffee and sit looking out the huge window in our room amazed at all the LABOR it took to make this view!

Hotel Indigo morning view looking west from our 11th floor room with a full wall window

New home for our son and daughter-in-law located cater-cornered from The Indigo Hotel.

Zoomed-in view from our hotel of the San Diego Bay a few blocks away.

On Labor Day we all slept in late and then got together for an afternoon at Liberty Public Market which has all the best that San Diego has to offer.  It was a good time to walk around especially after we all found our favorite foods and sweets!

Beti, Jake, & Keith standing in front of amazing succulent wall

Beti with favorite jacaranda tree which casts a "purple haze" all around especially when the blossoms fall 

Cora & Keith in the courtyard

Tuesday was the first of two days Keith and I had to ourselves as both Jake & Cora went to back to work.  We would meet again for late suppers.  We can always find things to do at Balboa Park.  Last year we easily mastered the trolley system which was just a couple blocks from where we stayed.  This year we were challenged somewhat as Keith used a knee-bike and walking cane due to foot issues.  It was back to taxi-time which was easy but cost more.  I had an easy time with taxis my first year when I traveled alone.  We also don't need a smart-phone as one would need apps for Uber and it's not that much cheaper anyway.  We were smart enough on our own!  

First order of business at Balboa Park was eating before we spent the rest of the day walking!

The Prado Restaurant  had the best meal of the whole trip!

Prado Paella
fresh fish, mussels, shrimp, calamari, chicken, chorizo, lobster saffron broth 

Beti in Casa Del Prado Courtyard Patio

Keith in The Casa Del Prado Courtyard Patio

The Casa Del Prado Courtyard Patio

The Casa Del Prado Courtyard Patio

The Casa Del Prado Courtyard Patio

Our favorite place in the whole park is The San Diego Museum of Art and we spent hours here including a tour where we learned a lot more than we would on our own.  Below are several of my favorites! 

Lovely walks through varandas make for a great choice in any weather!  Access to most venues can be done through continuous pathways.  Sometimes this is where musicians set up and play.

Always enjoy sitting at the Plaza de Panama which is in the center of everything and has awesome plants to enjoy!

Plaza de Panama Fountain 

Plaza de Panama view 

Plaza de Panama view of California Tower at the Museum of Man

After a long day at Balboa Park on our first day on our own, we got back to The Hotel Indigo and enjoyed more time by ourselves as Jake worked very late and Cora had to stay overnight on ship.  Lucky for us the hotel has an outdoor lounge on the 9th floor terrace wrapping around 9th Street and Island Avenue with a great view of Petco Park Stadium and all the lights around the East Village and Gaslamp District.  We ended everyday of our trip here enjoying the nightlife from above when we weren't below walking around.

Beti on the 9th floor Hotel Indigo outdoor lounge with Petco Park Stadium on the right (Home of the San Diego Padres Baseball Team).  The lighted dome on the left is the library.

Late night snacks included hummus & pita with veggies & olives and a small pizza.  A couple nights we had the best chocolate lava cake with salted caramel ice cream!

The next day started with a good breakfast at The Indigo Hotel.  Most mornings we sat at the corner table at 9th and Island so we could see Jake's building as sometimes he joined us after walking the dogs.  We had a variety of breakfast items during our stay which included Eggs Benedict, French Toast made with brioche, bacon & eggs with sourdough toast; all with fresh fruit and coffee.  The best crispy rosemary potatoes seemed to be a signature side dish in the area as we knew from previous stays.  Definitely included here as well!

So our second day at Balboa Park began with a morning walk around the Rose Garden.   I took so many wonderful photos so I put them in this music video which also includes other plants around Balboa Park and The Botanical Gardens.  Best viewed at full screen!

Lunch at The Prado was yummy Fish Tacos this day.  Then we walked a long ways afterwards to the Automotive Museum.  This was a new place for us both.  We had the best time looking at all the old motorcycles, cars, and strange vehicles!

1916 Harley

1926 Harley

1942 Harley

1969 Easy Rider "Captain America" Harley (good to see it didn't really crash & burn with Peter Fonda!)

Brings back memories of my chopper rides in the early 1970's (a minor crash and a little road burn!)

1977 Pontiac Firebird - all original interior

1977 Pontiac Firebird - all original exterior including paint

Evil Knieval's Stratocycle

1947 Indian

By now Keith's foot was getting pretty sore from the long walk which included hitting a pothole so he settled in around the Plaza de Panama while I climbed the California Tower which I had never done before.  Here's a few photos and a video I took from the top.

Beti at the top of the California Tower

The beautiful dome as viewed from the top of the California Tower

I called Keith from the top of the tower while he was below on the Plaza and we waved at each other!

After another full day at Balboa Park, we taxied back to The Indigo Hotel and took a nap.  After awhile we awoke and went down a couple floors to the outdoor lounge on the 9th floor and ended the evening with a lava cake and sea salt caramel ice cream enjoying the city lights.  The next day we were spending with our son who had the rest of the week off work.  Cora would have Friday off also and we could all be together.  Those days were pretty full so I will add another blog post which includes these Family Time days.

City at night as viewed from our picture window room on the 11th floor of The Indigo Hotel