InTheOzarks

Is 54 days before we leave too early to start a blog?... read more

Really gorgeous day - we even spent some time on our porch for the first time since we've been here. We went to a nearby conservation center and took a little walk around. We think we saw a glade, which is a relatively tree-less area with lots of grasses and wildflowers. (Sounds like a clearing in the woods to me, but it's a 'glade') It was nice, and a great day for some walking around. On the way there, we noticed that there was about ten times more traffic in the area than there had been during the week. Besides the normal weekend visitors, this weekend there is a big classic auto event here that brings in even more people. On our way to our 8pm show, it took us 50 minutes for the same trip ... read more

Only around 90 degrees with much less humidity. We went to Eureka Springs, Arkansas today and had a great time. It's a very interesting little town - very artsy shops run by ex-hippies and artists. The buildings were mostly Victorian style from the late 19th century. Most of the city seems to be a historic district, and all of the homes and shops and grounds were beautifully maintained and painted. And everything is on a insanely steep hill - the next street over is really the next street up. Lots of pictures for you to see, plus a couple from around our resort. Tomorrow - the canoe trip. To prepare, today I got a T-shirt that reads "PADDLE FASTER - I think I hear banjo music ..." ... read more

so we did 'inside' stuff. Allison found the Butterfly Palace. In this building they have recreated a tropical rainforest and imported hundreds of butterflies from around the world. You just walk around and they are everywhere, even landing on you occasionally. The entrance/exit is sort of an air lock to make sure you don't accidentally leave with a butterfly 'hitchhiking' on your body, thereby introducing a 'foreign' species into the US. Then we went to Talking Rocks Cavern - where it is always 62 degrees! (That felt good.) This was a BIG cavern and we went down a couple hundred feet. Some amazing limestone formations - the pictures don't do them justice. Tomorrow supposed to be the last very hot day, and then we hope to get some relief starting Wednesday to do some 'outside' stuff. ... read more

Jeff & Allison head out to the Ozarks for a week - August 3 - 10, 2008. See some mountains and lakes, go on a canoe trip on the Buffalo River, see a show or two in Branson. A little more laid back than the three-week whirlwind tour of England last year.... read more