WORKATION...PART II

We had such a great time at Truman Dam and Lake and I took a lot of pics of our adventure at the Harry S. Truman visitor center.  Too many to put in one post for sure.  As I said in Part I there are a lot of things to do at the visitor center.  Not only is there a conservatory to view the dam and lake but there are some outdoor attractions as well.  So here is part II of our day at the visitor center.

The visitor center is home to the Elmore Log Cabin Complex, Kaysinger's General Store and Hooper House.  They places are strewn along a 1/4 mile long walk.  A very pleasant little hike.  First stop Elmore Cabin and a few outbuildings nestled just inside a stand of tall cedars...

I love the "fenced" yard, don't you?

Sorry for the blurry pics.  Point and shoots don't always give the best quality.  This is my son, AJ, in red along with my Brother-in-law and his two grandchildren.  They were having a great time.

Upon entering the Cabin is the Cabin's sign.  You might notice it shows the Cabin was established in "1999". That is not however when the cabin was built.  The cabin is from the 1800's and was moved here to preserve it.

Inside the cabin was one room and it also had a loft bedroom, which I did not take a picture of.  The downstairs room had a dining nook tucked under the stairs...

A kitchen area...My aren't you glad our kitchens are a tad bigger these days?...

and a fireplace in the living room area.  I would imagine the fireplace was also used as a stove.  

Just after visiting this cute little cabin, and at the top of the trail is Kaysinger General Store.  This is the
newest addition to the center.  When we were here two years ago they were just finishing up building this cute little store and it was not open yet.  I am glad we got a chance this year to see it in operation.

There were lots of handmade quilts.

I loved the handmade board games.  So neat!!

I loved the handmade brooms too.  I especially liked the ones on handles.  They remind me of witches brooms.

The little store is designed to look as if it were straight out of the prairie days.  The immediate picture that came to mind upon stepping into this cute little store was the Olson's General Store from Little House on the Prairie. So cute and full of homemade wares.  Quilts, brooms, baskets, jams, jellies and much more. Even the folks running the store were in full prairie attire.  However I didn't get a picture of them as my battery went dead before I got the chance to snap a shot of them.  DRATS!!!  I knew I should've charged my battery before leaving home.

Never fear though I did get shots of the other attractions on sight because we waited until last to visit the store.  Once past Kaysinger's General Store there is an old stable and then the Concord Schoolhouse...It's a one room school house that at one time was used as a school, church and I believe a post office.

Well, when they said it was one room, they weren't kidding.  It's one small room and functioned as everything a town needed...school church, city hall...you name it.

 I bet there was a lot of reading, writing and arithmetic done on these desks way back in the day, all done on slate boards.  I didn't take a pic but they had a stack of those on a small bookshelf in the corner.

Hooper trail is set up to look like a little old time prairie village.  There are a few barns and stables, the one room school house, Hooper House and a few outhouses.  There are plenty of of things to see.  Like this little well, (with a modern day fixture)...

A threshing floor and outdoor furnace,

Cool huh?  I think my favorite little outbuilding was this cute little outhouse...

so, so glad we don't have use those anymore!!!  LOL

Well, I am going to stop here and leave you on the pot because this post is getting way too long and picture laden but I will be back later to share with you the conclusion of my workation and walk down Hooper Trail. Until then take a load off and have a great day!

WORKATION...PART 1

WE'RE BACK!  Yay, we have made it back from our camping trip.  We took a four day weekend to Warsaw, Missouri, home of the Harry S. Truman Dam and reservoir.  Also home to pretty much the biggest lake in Missouri.  Truman Lake which connects to Lake of the Ozarks.  It is a gorgeous lake with blue waters and lots of fun things to do.  Surprisingly enough I did not take any pictures of the main lake.  Shucks, I really wanted you to see it.  I didn't even take any pictures of our campsite...but there really wasn't much to see there.  Just a plain ol' campsite.   I did however take a few pictures from some of our adventures.

Today's adventure is at the Harry S. Truman visitor center.  They have lots of fun things to see and do there.

Let's start with a little history...Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake are man made lakes.  When the digging began an exciting discovery was made...Mastodon bones!  Apparently Missouri was home to Mastodons. Yes that's right, and the diggers found a huge Mastodon burial ground.

Mastodons were elephant like creatures only much larger.  They are most commonly known as the "Woolly Mammoth" and we had them right here in the good ol' US of A.  Right here in Missouri.  SO COOOOLLL!

The visitor center exhibits life size examples of some of the Mastodon bones that were found many years ago when the lake was in the making...like this life size tusk...

It's hard to tell here but this tusk is almost 5 foot long...that's HUGE!! And just take a look at this partial jawbone...It's GINORMOUS!

There was also a piece of a leg bone on display.

This is just a small, very short part of a Mastodon's leg and yet it was huge!  I couldn't imagine meeting one of these guys in real life.  Talk about feeling 2 inches tall, being around one of these guys would totally do that.  Thank goodness they were here before we were.

The upstairs exhibit is where you can get a bird's eye view of the dam and lake in the windowed conservatory...

Sorry I did not get any good shots of the whole conservatory.  It is a round room with windows all around so that you can see the lake and dam from just about every vantage point.  It is completely breathtaking and there is no way a few of my pictures could come close to doing it justice.  It was also a very cloudy day and picture taking was horrible.

This is the dam and power plant.  The dam and power plant provides all the electricity for the entire lake area.  It is huge and provides such a great service.

There is a swimming area just off one side of the dam.  A great place to swim but not on a stormy day for sure.

The visitor center is always such a fun place to visit when we come to Truman Lake and we can never leave without meeting the "Ranger"...

Who says..."Please remember to wear your life jacket"

Well that's it for Part I of my workation.  Part II will come soon and if you are ever in or near Warsaw, Missouri be sure to stop by the Harry S. Truman visitor center because as you will see in Part II, they have more than just a conservatory to visit.  Stay tuned!!!

TRENDS TO AVOID WHEN REMODELING YOUR KITCHEN...

Happy Thursday everyone!  I am really stoked today as this is my last day of work before vacation.  Well, I should call it a workation (new word I just made up).  When a family goes camping it usually involves more work for the mother than if she just stayed home.  I know you all know what I mean!

There is laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning and packing EV.ER.Y.THING., including the kitchen sink and that's before you even head out the door.  It's like moving just for a four day trip.  See...WORKATION!!!

Speaking of kitchen sinks though, I spotted an E-article about kitchen remodels this morning that I think you all might be interested in reading.  Well that is if you are planning a little kitchen remodeling in your future.  If you are already in the process of a major kitchen remodel this is a must read!!!  You might find out that some of the "now" things that you are considering for your remodel are not your best choices and why.  The title...

KITCHEN REMODEL?  AVOID THESE 8 TRENDS TO KEEP IT CURRENT LONGER.

Some of the now things YOU SHOULD CONSIDER are:

--Large base kitchen drawers to house small appliances, pots, pans and cleaning supplies.  It keeps them easily accessible.

--Under the counter microwave.  Microwaves mounted above the stove are not easily accessible and cause more burns from spills.

--Stainless steel appliances and sink.  They are timeless and will not become outdated quickly.

--Natural stone countertops such as quartz and granite.  They also are timeless and will not quickly become outdated.

Some of the now things YOU SHOULD AVOID are:

--Large custom built range hoods.

--Full wall, under cabinet backsplashes.  You only need a 4-6 inch backsplash.  Anything more is a waste of money and will be out of date within the next few years.

--Appliance garages.  These are already out of date.

--Farmhouse apron sinks.  These are quickly becoming outdated.

--Built in desk area and phone niches.  These are already out of date.

With all that said, kitchen remodels are incredibly expensive so it's important that you make wise decisions as to where and how you spend all that money.  You definitely do not want to be spending money on things that are going to be considered outdated or out of style within a year or two after your remodel.

The above linked article could help you to make the right decisions now so that you end up with a timeless, classic kitchen that is enjoyable and beautiful for years to come.  It's well worth the read!  ENJOY!

Well, I'm outta here.  Getting ready for my workation.  Hope you all have a fantastic and relaxing weekend.  Ciao!!!