Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

Notice Rocky

The boys are so happy to see their Grandpa

Andrew working on that "wank"

The Winners!! Ok, so they don't keep score in t-ball, but..........The Winners!

storm approaching Table Rock as seen from the trolley

as we passed Observation Peninsula

patching up the earthen embankment of the dam after some core boring

Intern, Austin, hard at work wearing a frisbee

June has been a FULL month of learning and seeing friends/family.  What a blessing! God is so good to us and we do not take this for granted.  Every day we appreciate what He is allowing us to do.

progress around Scott's bench at the boat launch

Beth getting photobombed

6-13-13:  Went for my 3 mile walk on the Lakeshore Trail this morning.  When I got to the state park picnic area, I ran into my friend Beth!  

these Black-eyed Susan's have an issue with their black eyes!

Can ya see the butterfly on this patch of  Butterfly Weed?

6-15-13: We had lots of cloggers in the visitor center from Utah -- and they did the dam tours.  So I was able to get in 15,000 steps on my fitbit!  Thx again to Laura Lee for getting it for us  - and to her, Morgan, and Jason for inspiring me to use it!

this visitor broke out into song  - harmonica song - for us at the Dewey

We were kinda singing behind the counter this afternoon (not too well, I might add) & Mr. Bill and I showed off our square-dancing skills (ha) and suddenly a visitor broke out into song with his harmonica for us. Pretty sound!

A bunch of Chicory on historic hwy 165

I never get tired of the wildflowers in the Ozarks -- in any season!  Chicory is one of my faves because I love the periwinkle color!

David, me, and Jackie on the Amish built bridge at Dogwood Canyon

David and me

Jackie and me

Jackie and me heading down the trail at Dogwood Canyon

One of the many weirs in the canyon

Glory Hole

some of the beautiful ironwork at Glory Hole

 solving the world's problems

Jackie, me, and her Dave headin' on down the trail

Indian Creek and some of the rock in the canyon

Heading back due to possible storm

David spotted this water snake sunbathing

the canyon has some gorgeous waterfalls 

my sweet hubs attracts butterflies -- he's a butterfly weed!

Indian Creek

again in b & w

lots of folks like to get married in this spot because the 2 waterfalls come together as one

another weir

the bridge on the way back

Bria chasing the monster trout

6-16-13:  Got to get together with Jackie and Dave - our St. Louis friends -- and do a little hiking at Dogwood Canyon. Didn't make it to the end of the trail due to the threat of storms -- tho there are prob some caves out there we could wait it out in. But had a lovely day full of walking and catching up!

from our table at Coyote Dockside

Dave and Jackie in front of  the cafe

David and his mom always said "sammiches" -- first time I'd seen it on a menu

Jackie's mama turtle at their cabin -- she'd just laid eggs and Jackie keeps her well fed

Traveling Pecans -- Jackie candied some of the JCRV pecans I'd sent her

Afterwards, they drove us over to Coyote Dockside in the Port of Kimberling.  Had lunch at a great little on-the-water cafe.

I knitted a tunnel for Tigger -- pattern found on ravelry.com

Mac trying to figure out what it is

Tigger exploring it and saying "thx"

then he curled up and took a nap in it

6-19-13:  It's a Doo-Dah Day!  That means we arrived Wichita, which is nicknamed Doo-Dah.  Visited with Mac today and gave him his Father's Day gifts:  a Mopar t-shirt, and an orange reflector vest for the next time he falls down in the snow.  His neighbors can now easily see him.  :)  Also presented Tigger with his tunnel.

A & A discovered the Sibley bird apps on David's phone and ipad.  

I think Rocky was trying to sneek a nap behind the couch pillows

Asher enjoyed taking pix with Grandpa's phone

Grammy Longlegs on Asher's knee

Someone had us captivated

Biker

6-20-13:  reunited with Justin, Brooke, and the boys today!  How fun to see them all!  The boys really latched on to our bird apps on our phones and ipad.  They're a hoot!

Grandpa Mac, Andrew, and Asher discussing the menu at Linda Sue's

Grandpa Mac and Heather Louise

Uncle Bug getting the rundown from Asher on the bird app

the boys love showing everyone the birds and listening to the sounds they make on the Sibley app

Greg and Linda Sue very graciously hosted the McClintock's this evening at their house.  Yummy bbq and a great visit with family!  Loved the reminiscing that David, Doug, and Linda Sue did about their grandparents and the cabins they used to have. Sure wish I'd known Grandpa and Grandma Beard.  What a character Gpa Beard was!

Ninnescah River near where Gpa and Gma Beard had a cabin

kansas wildflowers in a field near the Star Casino

Combining the fields near the river

6-21-13:  David took me on a drive that I'd never been on to see the area where Grandpa and Grandma Beard had their last cabin.  The Ninnescah River was really beautiful.  And I always love watching the farmers work the fields!

Justin and his awesome backyard garden

American Smoke Tree -- nextdoor to Justin

David and I spent the night at Justin's and took over the boys' room. Andrew at first told Grandpa, "you're not sleeping in MY bed."  He must've been teasing because Grandpa got the bed. We got Andrew a Mexican Train set for his 6th bday.  After the boys went to bed, we got to play Chicken Foot with Justin and Brooke with the Mexican Train dominoes.

Andrew warming up with Dallas -- Justin coaching

Andrew pitching one back 

Asher -- our little southpaw -- warming up

it's all in how ya hold your tongue

 their neighbor, Vivian

their bestie, Sarah

Asher casually looking to see if Grammy saw him make it to 1st

Andrew staying focused

I got to meet Lukas Lynn for the first time

Asher playing first and chatting it up with the runners -- way to psyche 'em out, Ash!!

Asher

Hey Grammy!

Our Southpaw

Asher gave me the thumbs up when he made it to first

Andrew is ready for a pitched ball

Andrew getting ready to head to home

Score!

Gotta love t-ball, right Sarah?

Asher covering first

our fave t-ball players

7-22-13:  David and I had the honor -- and great fun -- of watching our grandsons play t-ball this morning.  What a blast! Justin and Brooke are the coaches and it was fun watching them in action, too.

We had so much fun on our short trip to Doo-Dah.  Looking forward to going back in November.

David captured the prettiest butterfly at our campsite

Spicebush Swallowtail

seemed to be posing for him

6-24-13:  Had such a fun day back at work today.  Just a unique and free-spirited group of visitors all day long.  Fun day!  The heat index was triple digits, but fun day!

Bruce, Phyllis, Eli

Pink Ladies -- Morgan, Sara, and me

me, Edna

David, aka Cookie, "supervising" Christopher

The awesome Dewey Short peeps

we do love to chow down

fellow workampers, Barry and Lynn

6-27-13:  Morgan arranged a wonderful cookout for the Dewey Short peeps at Moonshine Beach

Blazing Star, aka Button Snakeroot

the button snakeroot gets tall

Crabapple Tree

Grey-headed Coneflower

Grey-headed Coneflower

Black-eyed Susans

a beautiful ending to a fun day

Red Hot Pokers at the COE offices -- evening shot with David's pop color

6-28-13:  David and I went to see The Heat.  Hilarious movie, tho they dropped the f-bomb way too much. But we laughed almost through the entire movie!

The Mimosa trees are popping around Branson -- this is from the trolley on the way to the dam

beautiful Goldenrain Tree near the dam

6-29-13:  Worked at the Dewey today and went on several tours of the dam.  Love going on the dam tours because I get great exercise walking those stairs.

Edna, Bill, Mom (Gene), and Sherryl at the Tent Theater

David and me a the Tent Theater

Tonight after work, several of us joined Gala and Allan at the Tent Theater for Gala's bday.  The Tent Theater is in Springfield, MO on the Mo State University campus.  Fun production of Steel Magnolia's.  Really enjoyed this unique outdoor theater.  And the temps couldn't have been more perfect!

Carl and me

Carl grabbed his infamous chair

6-30-13:  Our friend and former dam tour guide, Carl, came by the Dewey to day "hi" today.  He temporarily claimed his chair which we squabbled over last year.  Great to see him!

Jerry Black and me

Paula, Mrs. Raschke, and Jerry at the Dewey Short

great seeing my Texarkana peeps -- I've known Paula since 1st grade and Jerry since high school

It was also a blast to see Paula, Jerry, and her mom in the Dewey this afternoon!  Tho, Paula and I've stayed somewhat connected through work and facebook over the years, it's been such a long time since we've all seen each other.  

A weird thing happened today at the center while I was on the noon tour.  A family came in and told David they were going to the 3rd floor observation deck because a helicopter was going to fly over and drop one of their family member's remains in Table Rock. What we didn't realize was that the chopper was going to buzz the dam -- way too closely -- and drop the remains in a container into the lake.  Caused quite a stir among some of the passersby and law enforcement.  Security is rather heightened around the dam.

the Missouri Evening Primrose around the visitor center have gone to seed

Looking forward to another busy month of July in Branson.  We know it's going to heat up soon, but right now we feel so blessed that the temps are much cooler than this time last year!

Until July,

Buster, Eleanor, and Sparky