Cool and 'Shroomy

It's almost creepy how cool it's been in the Ozarks this August!  But loving every minute of it!  Most days have been in 70's and 80's with evenings dipping down into the 50's.  Last summer was unusually hot and this summer unusually pleasant.  I'll take the unusually pleasant!  And I never get tired of rain in the mountains -- we've had a lot of that this summer.

Gus, Morgan, and Laura Lee

8-4-13:  THX for the precious past blast, Lisa Siegel!  Such fun kiddos!

Storm heading across Table Rock Lake -- see the unusual white streak in the middle of the pic?

prob a break in the clouds, but looks cool

the fog is on the Taneycomo side -- note the waterfall up next to the dam

first time we'd seen this -- it's water from the bioswales

The Ozarks have had a LOT of rain lately. We told everyone at the VC to tell the Corps that if they need to open the flood gates to plz wait til we get back!

Gus and me

Chloe gave him a tat (it'll wash off soon)

Rocky watching for David and me while at Cranford's and Kathey's

Couldn't believe Cranford had a shirt with David's fave saying -- we found the shirt when we got home tucked in a corner of our bag.  Thx K and C!

Edith and me

Rocky and Spice have become friends

8-7-13:  Had to make a quick trip to Texarkana so I could get my driver's license renewed.  I'd recently been bragging about not having to do that in person, always online.  Well, my luck ran out.  My pic is finally old enough that it doesn't look like me any more.  So we had to go get it done in person and were able to stay a couple of nights at Cranford's and Kathey's.  Enjoyed some time with Gus and Edith while we were there.  And a couple of nights of Panties with C and K. One morning as we were leaving their house (they were already gone for the day), I noticed one of their newer cats was dead on one of the outdoor mats.  The funny thing is that I called Kathey to ever-so-carefully break the news and she's like all chipper and saying, "Ok!".  Not at all broken up about it. She told  me where they usually "bury" them.  So David got a shovel and proceeded to dig a hole.  Texarkana hasn't had a whole lot of rain, so the ground was HARD.  He had the bright idea of jumping onto the shovel.  I was pretty amazed watching him do that!  But at the same moment, the shovel broke, the handle hit him in the forehead, and he fell onto the ground and did a cute little roll!  So I texted Kathey and told her we'd had a little mishap which I'd tell her about later, and that we'd just have to toss the deceased kitty in the woods instead of burying it.  She texted back and said that's what they usually do anyway if the grandkids aren't around.  David said, "Now she tells me".  He had a good lump on his forehead the rest of our stay.   I did wait until the evening before I laughed.  He knew what was coming so he beat me to the punch in telling the story to Gus and the Graves. Just sorry I wasn't recording it all.

After a nice 2 day visit, we had to get right on back to Branson to "work".  And just as our vibes had told us, the Corps opened 5 of the flood gates while we were in Texarkana.  Tho our peeps were sending us pix, we were eager to get back to see it for ourselves since that is a rare sight!

Tho there are 3 beds in the truck for Rocky, this is how he likes to ride on trips

Rocky's selfie

David took me on a little side trip on the way home through Greer's Ferry

Kathey, Linda, Connie, and Carolyn on their bday trip -- sorry I missed this!

on our way back to Branson, we really watched the odometer!

It hit the mark once we got back

view of the 5 floodgates opened from the top lookout

in view is the powerhouse and the water being generated next to the floodgates

view from the fish hatchery

David and me enjoying a piece of history

from the Hwy 165 overlook -- Dewey Short VC on left

Lake Taneycomo is pretty dang full

Sunset over the floodgates

8-9-13:  Made it back to Branson in time to get some pix of the flood gates.  The water level got up to around 920.10 ft about sea level ( normal is 915) so they opened 5 of them around 1 ft.  Not a record, but still a sight to behold.  One of the 4 generators has been having maintenance done for several weeks and some speculate that if they could've run all 4 of them, they may not have had to open the gates.

Christena and me with the 12 Irish Tenors -- tho only 11 show up in this shot

Will and Christena got to town today and we all went out to see the 12 Irish Tenors tonight.  Fun show and great talent!

foamy stuff in the water at Dogwood Canyon -- looked like a large bundt cake

Will and Christena -- the weirs and low-water bridges were loaded with water

sweet couple

with their fave Aunt Becky

W and C under the waterfall at Great Spirit Shelter

Howdy!

Christena the spelunker

This is for you, Aunt Pam!

Arkansas!

Will and Christena at Wishbowl Falls -- no clear water today after all the rain we've had

skinny little Pawpaw tree that looks like an umbrella

Pawpaws are dubbed Ozark Bananas

the Segway rider assured me it's fun and worth it!

8-10-13:  David had to work today, but Christena, Will, and I hiked Dogwood Canyon.  Perfect day temp-wise!  There has been so much rain lately and it made the falls and weirs very beautiful.  BUT, there was no clear water out there and no trout to be seen!  The monster trout are one of the main attraction at DC, but we had a wonderful day and enjoyed a lot of God's beauty!  (And Johnny Morris' beauty, too)

At Dixie Stampede

8-11-13:  All 4 of us enjoyed the Dixie Stampede tonight.  Good food, great entertainment, and spectacular company.  (And of course we sat on the South's side).  We've so enjoyed this visit with Will and Christena!  Such a special couple and we love them so much!

While we were visiting with W and C, Laura was in TX visiting Jessica.  Aren't they beautiful?

sweet ladies

And Lissa's Wyl was having a big day in Tuscon!  Artist Talk. Yay, Wyl!

I've been watching the Cardinal flowers in front of the Dewey

Love how the red blooms out more and more as they grow

I've also been keeping an eye on the Butterfly Weed behind the Dewey.  

never knew until recently that they have pods like this when they got to seed

florists like to use the pods in this state for their arrangements

later the pods start opening

they burst open and the seeds are ready to fly

these beetles were all over them -- these 2 seem to be joined "at the hip"

8-12-13:  I never get tired of all the beauty around where we are staying!  We're so blessed.

Morgan:  "I mustache you question"

beautiful moth with see-through eye spots

8-13-13:  Today is my big day -- 57 years old.  We worked today and the boss ladies provided root beer floats all around!  Fun, fun! I'd been having such a craving for root beer floats!  It's like Gala is psychic!  I was blessed to have so many fun messages on FB from friends and family.  And the sweetest videos from Andrew and Asher singing HB to me and from Lacey and James singing to me.  Sooooo precious! Tonite I had a date to Little Hacienda with my man.

This bagworm was found outside -- my first to see

cool pods, but I don't know what kind

Charlie trying to untangle one of many owl chimes we rec'd tangled up

John wanted to use his pocketknife, but he refrained

Gala signing autographs on the postcards she published

this plane and chopper were a little too close to each other to suit me

probably photographing each other

Morgan had to spend a few hours in jail for MD

These plastic owls serve as scarecrows for birds that are nesting on the Dewey's lower deck. As I was walking Rocky one evening, I looked up and it served as a scarecrow for me, too!  

Just a few pics around the Dewey Short above.

This fella visited our camper one day -- Rocky was not impressed

this little chipmunk was foraging around under the bird feeder with the squirrels

he froze in front of a tree so I could take pix

striking a pose

purdy feller

heading off into a hole in the base of the tree

Aside from the gorgeous birds we have around our camper, sometimes we see some other neat critters.

Puffballs  -- edible

Lepiota

Lepiota

bird nest fungus

Lepiota - poisonous

Reddening Lepiota

8-17-13:  Another thing an abundance of rain provides is new mushrooms and fungus.  These were all taken around the Dewey Short.  I'd love to be able to identify them all, but I'm a total rookie.  I'm guessing at some using a MDC publication.  If you know names (or corrections) of any of my pix, plz let me know so I can fix them!

David and the singer at Charlie's

8-18-13:  David and I went to supper at Charlie's the other night.  First thing I know, there's a mic in his face and the pretty lady is sitting with us.  On an unrelated note, I'm thinking about starting to cook more.



Much Love,

Alvin, Eleanor, and Theodore