Sunday, September 20, 2009

An Evening with Friends



David and I shared a delightful evening with friends, Steve and Lynne Bourn. Steve and Lynne are lots of fun and I hope we do something like this again.

We walked through the Art Fair and I found some photos and art work I liked very much, but David and I have quite a few photos that we have taken but never enlarged and framed. Why would I put up something that someone else had taken when I have something similar or better. David takes such beautiful photos and one of my number one projects (you can have more than one number one, right??) is to get them hanging on our walls.

There was a concert going on this evening, the Liverpool Beatles Tribute Band, and there were quite a lot of people attending.




You could bring your own chairs (which we happened to have in the car), sit on the grass, or you could sit on the walls and steps around the main courtyard in front of Bravo restaurant.




The band was entertaining and everyone was having a good time...




some more than others. :)



I enjoy watching people just let go and have a great time! No pretense, no hesitation, just let the music take you and get you moving. Age makes no difference. To dance with abandon in front of a bunch of strangers....that must feel wonderful and so confident. I have to say, I admire this man. He is doing what I dare not, even though I would like to at times.

During a break, we went to Tomfoolery's for a drink and ended up just staying there waiting for the second happy hour that started at 9:00pm. David and I had eaten a hearty lunch and weren't hungry at 6:00pm, but when it got to be 9:00 we were ready for some food. It was good food at a good price!

What a great night: good entertainment, good food, good weather, good friends. What more could you ask for?

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Going Home



Well, the rain did us in, it just keeps pouring and the weather forecast is for rain the rest of the week. Granted, the chance of precipitation on Friday is only 20% but that also means no days with sunshine. So, we are headed home. Packing was fast and furious and we were out of the condo by 11:00. We're going to try to stop at Grand Gulf State Park in MO. Hopefully, the rain won't be as heavy in Missouri.

Wednesday Rain

Whatever happened to beautiful Arkansas days? This entire week has been rain, with more rain coming. It doesn't bother me, but I know that David is starting to feel cooped up and fidgety. This is especially hard when you know the weather in Kansas City is beautiful, which means the rain will probably follow us home.

So, what to do today? We'll have to wait awhile and see if there is a break in the weather. We can always go to the rec center and swim or get in the hot tub, which actually sounds good since I'm cold right now.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

A Place to Retire?


David and I awoke to dreary skies and more rain, but we were not going to let that deter us from seeing all we could see while we are in the Ozarks. Our trip today was to Cherokee Village, a retirement and resort area close to Ash Flat and Hardy. I was pleasantly surprised at the beauty and wealth of opportunity to fish, play golf, canoe, participate in arts and crafts...whatever you want to do. There aren't any high rises or outlet malls or Saks in this area, but then you don't really need them to live here. You are surrounded by beauty and if shopping is your thing, you shouldn't retire to this area.

There are a number of golf courses here, enough to keep you busy, if that is what you like. There's also tennis and swimming if that is more your style. I have come to the conclusion that people in the Ozarks like to bowl. We have found more bowling establishments than you would expect in such a small area. I wonder if they have senior leagues??:)



It started raining pretty hard and these golfers decided to come in. I don't blame them.

There are quite a few lakes in this retirement area and the homes around the lakes are nice and well kept. I can just see us on our pontoon out in the evening tooling along and meeting other owners for cocktail hour! Works for me!


I picked up several information sheets about homes for sale, but by the time I had picked up 4, I was soaked. We may try to make it back to Cherokee Village to find out more about the community.


Mountain View and Calico Rock, AR





Time to write about yesterday's trip to Mountain View and Calico Rock, AR. I know I should post on the same day as the trip, but David had trouble with his computer and the air card. It's frustrating to have photos you want to post and your internet just won't coorperate.

The day started with pouring rain. What else? We always plan our trips to include rain. :) We waited it out and when the clouds lifted a little, we hopped in the car and took off. Our first stop was only about 25 miles or so from our condo, but the roads in this area of Arkansas have lots of tight turns and roller coaster hills. It is beautiful though.

Our first stop was Pepper Sauce.


This is an old ghost town behind Calico Rock. Pepper Sauce was very interesting and I wish we would have had better weather and could really get out and do some exploring. There is an area that looks like an industrial area, several old buildings and houses.......


another view....



and lots of "stuff" laying around (an old forklift, part of a car).



We did find some nice rental cabins up the hill, mountain, from Pepper Sauce with fantastic views of the countryside.

While in Calico Rock, we went down to the White River.


This river is a great place for fishermen. Lots of trout (some of the best trout fishing in the world), bass, catfish, walleye. You name it, it's probably in there. There was a huge bluff along the river but the trees were so close, it was difficult to really see the bluff.

Mountain View is a very nice town, clean and perky; not as big as Branson, MO, but it has lots of music and history. The musicians in Mountain View carry on the musical traditions of the past and teach others the true mountain music so that it will never be lost. We were not there at the right time of day to catch the music in the park and on the street, but there is always another day. If you want a hand made dulcimer, visit Mountain View and you can find one.

We made our way over to Blanchard Springs where I had a chance to use a remote on my camera.


It makes the water look soft and fluid...



I did get a few shots that I liked, but nothing fantastic...




I would like to have tried different lenses, like David did, but after perspiration dripped off my nose, I knew it was time for me to take a rest.


I watched David do his balletic moves, and that was entertainment enough.




Through the trees and over the bridge....just like a fairytale....






On the way home, we stopped a Mirror Lake. This was a nice spot and I would like to go back and spend more time here, maybe with a fishing pole!




We walked along the stream feeding into the lake and found an old mill....



The lakes and streams in the Ozarks are beautiful. If you like clear, cold water, this is the place to come. The Ozarks have some of the best canoeing rivers rated class one to the ultimate class five, the Cossatot. If you like spelunking, there are caves to be explored. There is so much to do here: hike, fish, canoe, kayak......you should never get bored (unless it rains...).


Sunday, September 13, 2009

Horseshoe Bend, AR

David and I purchased some Sky Auction certificates for one-week stays at a number of resorts. A couple have been very good and one was a disaster. I think these certificates are actually for units that are rented, not those for regular time share owners. They are much nicer than hotel rooms (at least some of them are) and much cheaper. You can't complain when you have a nice bedroom, bath, living room, kitchen, dining room and access to the resort facilities. However, you need to think about where you would like to visit. The places you might like to visit may be where everyone else would like to visit, and there may never be a unit available for you to choose.

We have to make reservations to use our certificates by the end of the year, although we can make the reservations as far out as June of 2010. I was looking at areas around Kansas City and found the Crown Point Resort at Horseshoe Bend, AR. Now, I'm from Arkansas and what follows is allowed since I am from Arkansas.

The Ozarks are very pretty mountains. They are not impressive like the Rockies or the Cascades, but they are still nice. But to get to our resort, we had to go through quite a few little dots on the map that are not so pretty and some that are downright ugly. This area is not affluent and the homes aren't always kept pristine and neat. You see lots of trash and old cars and just junk in the yards. It's sad to see, but the people that live here probably don't even notice, and what is distasteful to some may not be distasteful to others. Clutter and tons of knick knacks drive me nuts. I feel closed in. I could not live here!

I was starting to get very nervous about where we were going to be staying, especially when we turned off the highway and the area became very rural. The roads were not marked well, our Nuvi couldn't tell us where to go and if I hadn't seen the sign directing us to the resort, we would be in Little Rock now.

When we finally found the resort, we were pleasantly surprised. The resort is so nice and our unit is right on the water.




We have a nice deck with some rocking chairs and I'm going to make some coffee and go out there and sit, maybe read. I'm going to take it easy....I'm afraid to leave, I may never be able to find my way back to the resort!! Ha, ha!

Align Center


More to come, later!