Tuesday, October 27, 2015

A Cross Country Adventure - Day Three!




Hello ... or welcome back. This is day three of my Cross Country Adventure Event. If you missed the first two days, make sure to check them out. We've already visited some amazing places and there are two prizes posted so far. I'll be adding an additional prize each day.

So, let's continue my cross-country journey.



Thursday, October 5, 2006

"We covered a loot of miles yesterday, traveling across the state of Kansas. I fell in love with the countryside. The gentle rolling hills and open prairies surprised me. It was so beautiful! I think the Kansas scenes from the movie The Wizard of OZ corrupted my mind, but thankfully it has now been refreshed. 


As we made our way across the state I felt as if I may have been born in the wrong part of the country. Kansas felt like home. I imagined myself growing up on a farm or ranch in the open country there where I could ride my horse through the deep grasses and wild flowers. I was taken by surprise because, to be honest many Oregonians, including me, believe that Oregon is the only place to live. It is a beautiful state, but I now see there is no "only" place to live. All of God's creation is glorious and worthy of admiration.


We made stops to investigate small towns and even lost our way a couple of times when our satellite navigation went on the blink. I was told by one gal that she thought the cause was approaching storms. Yikes - storms in Kansas? The Wizard of Oz is again on my mind.


In spite of our wandering I found a perfect hamlet for a turning point in my story - Salina, Kansas. I even managed to connect with two great gals, Carolyn a nurse and Amy who registers patients at the Salina Regional Health Center. They were both willing to answer lots of questions for me. Now I know just how the scene that begins in a local Walmart will play out. 


Poor Taylor. And we find that old grouch Tom can sometimes be extra grouchy.





By the way, I really like Salina. It feels homey.

We moved on toward Missouri and the winds picked up and thunderheads formed while the clouds darkened. I started to worry about severe weather. The open prairie didn't seem like an ideal place to be, under the circumstances. I tried to come up with practical solutions about how we could duck for cover in case of thunderstorms that might include hail, lightening, and tornadoes.


We managed to reach Branson without encountering severe weather, but there were some impressive thunderheads to the east. As always, I took lots of photos.




Branson's a great town, a mix of country and city. The surrounding countryside offers steep hills and dense forests of oak and pine. The most unusual thing here is that the city and country is mingled. It's quite remarkable.


We've had help finding our way around town. We're spending our time here at a World Mark Resort where members of the staff, Mairini, Becky, and Chuck have answered all our questions and told us about some of the great places to visit. I also met a gal, Joanna and her sidekick Roger, at the Christian Gift Outlet. They felt like instant friends. Joanna told us about a scenic route we ought to take just out of town and so we went (the picture at the top of the page is part of that). It was a great drive, showing off a lot of the beauty of the area.




Greg enjoying the view from our room.

I love Branson. It feels like a small town, but offers a lot and the people are friendly. it's also a wholesome place to have fun. There are over 100 shows to see, but we only made it to one, the Jim Stafford Show. It was great fun. He is a funny man and a terrific musician. 

The characters in my story will love it here. I'm planning some unique experiences for them in this special place.


Tomorrow, Greg and I will be heading for Lexington, Kentucky. We don't know what to expect along the way, but know God has the journey planned out for us. I'm sure it will enrich our lives and give me lots more story ideas. 

I'll be writing again soon to update you on our finds."



I can't wait for tomorrow. We discovered some really wonderful places for our soul and very cool sites for my story.

I'm giving away another gift. All you have to do to be eligible is answer a question for me. Today's gift is two movies that I always watch during the Christmas season.




And the question is:

What is your favorite kind of entertainment? Have you been to see a special program, concert, play or ...? Tell us about.

See you tomorrow. Grace and peace to you from God,


Bonnie

8 comments:

  1. I love outdoor entertainment. A favorite memory was an outdoor ballet I went to years ago with my Mom and kids.Blanket on the grass, picnic dinner, beautiful evening! Joni Post riverbearred@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous10:55 AM

    My fave is any musical my darlin' dot Meagan is presently in! She's gone from classical, to musical comedies--directing and playing-- and it brings more joy to my soul than I can handle! I always secretly wanted to perform in musicals---she grew up listening "ad nauseum" to my Broadway cassettes and we'd sing along at the top of our lungs. Next one starts in Nov.: You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown! I know every song, every breath--it's marvelous. She's the musical director, and no big surprise here, Schroeder! Another fave is to go to any church where she's doing music for her Lord and His special peeps. That's been a fun joy here in Central Oregon...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Joni, I love outdoor entertainment too. I have a little trouble attending these days because of my decrepitness (is that a word?).

    And an outdoor ballet sounds awesome! What a beautiful memory.

    Hugs.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Patti, I knew you were a natural "ham". You would have been fabulous!

    How amazing it must be to enjoy your daughter's musical gifts. There is a lot of musical talent in my family that I didn't get. Both of my daughter's are musically gifted. I used to love attending their concerts when they were in school. Maybe they will step back into that again one day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sue Bakken12:00 AM

    My mom and I go to see plays at the Spokane Civic Theater a couple of times a year. I enjoy them because some of the same actors appear in each show and it's fun to see them "become" a different character each time. Most of them are local area residents who love to entertain and it shows. Plays are also sometimes unpredictable which adds to the fun.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Watching movies on dvd.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I enjoy southern gospel concerts. But I also love me a well done high school musical. Haven't been to one in awhile. My absolute favorite show/concert of all time was seeing The Five Browns (siblings that play five grand pianos together!)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you all for participating. I love your favorite entertainment. I'm going to try some.

    Bless you.

    ReplyDelete

ShareThis