Osmosis Amebas!

Oh, the Ozarks.  We are wrapping up our 2013 stay in Branson. The people here hold a special place in our hearts and the beauty is breathtaking -- in every season.  Looking forward to returning in 2014.

Branson Creek course

this pic was an oops -- but very cool

this Great Blue Heron is ready and waiting to fish for some golfballs

Murder Rock clubhouse can be seen at the top of the hill

great surroundings

Ron on the fairway

nice

this hole is called The Cave

purdy

Ron getting back to the fairway

Check out the magnificence of Branson Creek Golf Course.  Ron and David played that this month.  There are so many great courses in Branson, all beautiful. 

One of Rocky's last swims in Table Rock due to changing water temp

clear lake

waiting for that stick to land

resting afterwards with his hedgehog

Rocky never got enough swimming in Table Rock Lake.  He could do that all day long and always slept like a "rock" once we got back home and dried off.  The last couple of weeks we were there, the water temp started changing and he was usually ready to call it quits after about 10 minutes or so.

Whatcha doing, Rocky, huh, huh?

enjoying hanging out at Uncle David's and Aunt B's

whatcha doing now, Rocky, huh, huh?

We got to keep Cooper one day while his parents, Dawn and Ron, took a trip to Eureka Springs.  He's such a sweetie pie.  He and Rocky do great together.  But Rocky does sleep with one eye open when another dog is around.  

see the Pileated Woodpecker?

huge

in flight, heading to another tree

10-25-13:  David and I were sitting in the camper when he looked out the window and noticed there was a Pileated sitting on a branch outside our window.  What a beaut. I grabbed my phone and ran outside.  He grabbed his camera and it was dead.  Of course by the time I got outside, it had flown off the branch.  So I played my Sibley sound and listened.  Sure enough, he started drumming on a tree in the campsites.  I walked ever so quietly over there and took pix with my phone.  Not great pix, but pix.  The greatest thing is I got to watch him drum and fly for about 10 minutes.  I followed him from tree to tree until he finally flew across the highway.  We have been seeing these guys for 2 years up here, but can never get a pic.  They are fascinating.  If you've never seen one, they are about the size of a huge crow.  Wingspan will put you in mind of a buzzard.  Beautiful Woody Woodpecker birds!

then Patrick gave me the boot 

And I gave Joan a couple of new hooters 

Fun, relaxing day.  Ron and David played Holiday Hills, Dawn and I hit the resale shops.  Then just enjoyed camping.

Howard, Patrick, David, me, John, Dawn, Morgan on far side
Gary and Sherryl on this side

David, me, John, Dawn, Morgan, Jason, Ron, Joan, Sherryl, and Gary

Jason taking a pic of me taking a pic of him -- and Ron

Kentucky Woman - Joan

Sherryl, Gary, and beautiful Faith

10-27-13: After David and I worked today, several of the ORHF peeps met at Little Hacienda in Hollister for supper.  On the way over, we saw a hot air balloon floating across the holler around Hollister.  Cool sight. Fun night with our peeps.

Abby

Sara

Magnificence!

10-28-13:  Today is our Silver Anniversary! How blessed we are -- living the dream each and every day.  God is awesome.  So thankful that He placed us together and that we still have each other.
Today we got together with a couple of our fave college girls long enough to say "bye" and to catch up on their news a little.  Both Sara and Abby were interns at the Dewey the last couple of years.  We are so impressed with them!  Wonderful, positive, busy women!  Blessed to know them.

Then David and I decided to catch a little color which is really popping.  We drove out to Ozarks Memorial Park (cemetary) to soak in the brilliant maples.

Kevin

this is one way to display your order numbers

10-29-13:  Went to see SIX this afternoon with Dawn and Ron.  Glad to see the show once more before leaving.  It's always great!  We didn't get to visit with Kevin, our spiky hair friend, but we did get to do some catching up with his wife, Shannon, before the show.  Mighty good folks. 

The 4 of us enjoyed Danna's afterward.  Gonna miss this place!

I missed a riddle on facebook and "had to" post this cute face as my profile pic for 3 days

Howard smelling my britches

I kept smelling something gassy today at work.  Seemed to be everywhere I went.  About halfway thru the day I realized it was my new jeans -- even though they'd been washed and dried.  Meanwhile, the men spent most of the day talking about a classy lady that went on the tour the day before and how great she smelled.  They couldn't quit talking about her.  The whole time I'm hanging around smelling like propane or something.

my avatar

Thx to "stepdaughter", Crystal, I've discovered bitstrips.com. Fun for facebook posts.

10-31-13:  Thank you to Bill and Edna and Ranger Jeremy for stopping by the Dewey today to say "bye" to us on our last day!

no stress for Gala, right?

David fixin to go out into the rain

Can you believe it? Ron and Dawn are accidental twinks AGAIN!

Tristan keeping Tammy entertained

David, Leah, Sherryl, Tammy, and Tristan at the Dewey potluck

Morgan with her Texas Brown Owl

gas and diesel prices are falling

how's this for a reference letter from the boss lady?

Ron, Dawn, and Cooper heading back to their camper

Lost a fellow JCRV winter Texan -- RIP, Jim Peterson.  Your smiling face and friendliness will be missed each winter.

crab apples by the lake

fungus beauty

shroom

black walnut 

giant tarantula on the shore?  just a mass of roots.

cool caterpillar on Morgan's desk

birds nest fungi at the Dewey -- look closely and you'll see the "eggs" in the nest -- these are smaller than a dime

cattails in one of the bioswales

 one of the countless Eastern Bluebirds (the MO bird) near the Dewey

rose

sunset across Table Rock

Virginia Creeper and Poison Ivy are among the first of the fall color

love these webs -- they're like upside down umbrellas all over the woods

maple leaves

David and me working hard, Dawn enjoying her day off  -- Cindy is all business in the background

Upon leaving, we gave Ron and Dawn "the boot"

color at the canyon area on hwy 165

pix just can't do this justice -- the rays spread as far as the eye could see across the lake

orb spider at the fist hatchery -- compliments of a Dewey visitor

fog rolling over the dam toward Table Rock -- I guess that would make it dam fog

hard to get pix due to locations -- put the persimmon trees are really loading up

Monarchs are still passing through - saw this one on my walk home for lunch

this guy didn't care that my phone was in his face -- he was focused on the purple sage

they are beautiful front and back

Above are a few misc pix of Ozarks fun and beauty.

pink sunset afterglow over the dam during one of my walks

The Dewey is just a building - but it holds precious memories and experiences for David and me

11-1-13:  Rolling out today.  Heading to Wichita where we will spend November with McClintock's.

We've so loved workamping for the Ozarks Rivers Heritage Foundation here at the Dewey Short Visitor Center for the last 2 years.  We have great appreciation for the people we've volunteered for and with.  They've taken care of us and taught us more than I can put into words.  Friends for life.

Until 2014,

THREE