MORNING ON THE LAKE

 We’ve had the opportunity this trip to watch the sun consume the dark…

on the Mississippi and Shoshone rivers and now on the Lake of the Ozarks.

One thing I love about the way the sun, each day, repaints the sky…

Is how…no matter what the water is named…

every sunrise is beautiful and no two are the same.

In the early morning as I sit by the lake…at this moment devoid of crowds…

the sun is just beginning to add a dab of color to the clouds.

There is silence on the river this morning…not like there was the day before….

The boats from yesterday are sleeping…the only sound…they waves along the shore.

The sun has yet to make her entrance…she’s still hiding behind the trees….

A hummingbird just hovered by to say hello…then flew off on the breeze.

When I sit back to watch and listen…as the lake before me flows

there is a shimmer to her surface…a sparkle…a gleam…a glow…

I am not an expert…but from the information I’m compiling…

again I can’t be sure…but I believe the lake is smiling.

Two fisherman in their boat…as if not to disturb the flow…

quietly move across the water…their engine set on low.

They whisper to one another as their reels they release….

In deference to their surroundings…not wanting to disturb the peace

They quickly float upriver…their fishing in this spot is done…

leaving me alone upon my perch…to enjoy the lake, the clouds…the sun.

Which I do for as long as I can…glad at this hour to be awake…

to enjoy another new day’s birth…another sunrise on the lake.

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT A HORSE

 I love every kind of animal …from the smallest to the largest I wholeheartedly endorse…

but after spending time on a ranch…I’ve got to say…

there’s just something about a horse.

At first their size can be intimidating…it even comes as a surprise….

But you’re immediately put at ease by the gentleness and the wisdom in their eyes.

You wonder how something so big and strong can be graceful…then your stunned…

The moment you see them walk…the moment you see them run.

As you watch them run…they take your breath away

your heart begins to sing…

And you wonder if the birds are ever jealous

how horses can fly without benefit of wings.

Each horse’s beauty is different…but you’re hit with the same emotion…

Horses when they walk or run…are true poetry in motion.

They are a wonderful blend of quiet strength and beauty…

that has you wondering hypothetically…

if the horse is the animal the creator wanted all of us to strive to be.

As I say I love all animals…

if you look you’ll find something wonderful about each one in due course….

but after sending only one night on a ranch I must repeat…

there’s just something about a horse.

CHOCOLATE FACTORY

 Knowing we’d be heading across the middle of Kansas on Interstate 70

Perry, a friend, asked us if we planned to stop at the Russel Stover Chocolate Factory.

Wait!  A chocolate factory along our route in Kansas…while on our two month long vacation!

How, when we were planning, could we have missed this critical information?

We thanked Perry for his thoughtfulness…He’s a kind and generous chap…

and immediately after finding out…we unfolded our map.

Google told us the Russel Stover chocolate factory is in Abilene…and we quickly did the math…smiling at one another when we realized…she was directly in our path.

We give ourselves time when traveling for moments such as these

to stop and smell the roses…see the sights…and visit chocolate factories.

Our GPS knows us quite well by now…so at the beginning of the day…

as soon as I typed in Russel Stover…she said…”No Problem…I know the way”.

“Is this heaven?”. I asked surrounded by chocolates…with chocolate aroma filling our heads….with a shake of her head and a smile, “No, this is Kansas." the store clerk said.

We bought two bags of chocolates…again the math is elementary…

so as not to get them confused…one for Deborah….and one for me

When our chocolate high subsided…as I sat in a chair…reclined…

I said, “Deborah, while I was sitting here a question popped into my mind”.

“When it came to Pike’s Peak the other day…you remember the one with the 14,000 foot drop….would you have been less anxious if there was chocolate waiting at the top?”

“Knowing donuts would be there certainly made the ride easier." she said giving my hand a squeeze…”But if there was chocolate waiting at the top…I would have crawled up on my hands and knees”.

So a big thank you to Perry for suggesting…for our GPS for seeing us through…

And….I know I’m forgetting someone..oh yea…to Russel Stover too.

The next time you’re on a road trip…or for that matter driving anywhere in your car…

If you’re blessed to have each other, family, friends, donuts and chocolate…

remember how lucky you are.

THE HORSE HOTEL

 After leaving Colorado Springs…on our long journey back to NC

we spent one night in Kansas at a hotel for horses…that was also an Air B & B.

Yes, sleeping with the horses (and goats) was actually part of our original plan.

It helped fulfill our desire to have as many different experiences as we can.

We didn’t actually sleep with the horses and goats as I may have led you to assume…

but there was a distinctive horse and goat aroma that permeated our room.

The room itself was adorable…upstairs in the barn…it had everything we needed…

“Don’t worry…you’ll get used to the smell.” Deborah…with a smile…to me…conceded.

I did…and it was a wonderful addition to our adventure…as it totally reinforces

the love we have for animals…like dogs, cats, goats and horses.

It was a working ranch and as we all watched the sun rise together in the dawn…

It bolstered this feeling, once again, how we all need to share this planet we are on.

Once retired to our bed…down below us…we could hear horses whinny, neigh and shout…and as we began to fall asleep I wondered…what do horses dream about?

We woke up to a golden sun trying her best to burn away the fog…

thinking how the two of us, 

with the odors 

and with horse noises…

both…slept like a log…

Glad to have slept on a horse farm…fulfilling one of our trip’s wishes…

After all….sleeping the the goats and horses…

beats sleeping with the fishes.

LITTLE THINGS

 On this trip we’ve seen some of the giant things nature has designed….

from the most enormous caves we’ve ever walked in…to the tallest lodgepole pines.

We’ve seen mountains reaching to the sky…with Bison on their slopes.

We’ve see grizzly bears and elk…we’ve seen llamas and antelopes.

We’ve seen geysers whose steam spouts high into the sky…then on the wind will glide

We’ve seen mud volcanoes, waterfalls…we’ve seen rivers long and wide

Yes, we’ve seen some of the most humongous things nature has ever let loose…

BUT…in all our travels to date…we have never seen a moose.

In fact…since no moose has ever shown its face…it is with confidence we express:

We don’t believe they exist at all…ah…but I digress.

For though we’ve been impressed by the tallest mountains and the deepest canyons and ravines……Today we’d also like to celebrate all the little things we’ve seen.

The chipmunks who once they see we’re watching them…scurry on their way

The squirrels who chase each other up the trees…it’s fun to watch them play

The tiniest of flowers …when we get close enough we can smell their sweet perfumes..

the butterflies and bees who land upon their blooms.

The tiniest birds…some who show their faces..others who stay hidden in the trees

whose voices have enchanted us as they float along the breeze.

It’s the big things that make us sigh…that feed our souls but we know before we depart

It is the little things that capture our imagination…make us smile and caress our hearts.

The big things are what catch our eyes…when we see them…at first glance…

but it is the little things that have a way…to make the big things sing and dance.

It seems to me they need each other….when I sit back…reminiscing

If they weren’t both here to amaze us…something would be missing.

So here’s to the big and little things we’ve seen…

and the feeling of wonder together they induce…

which certainly more than makes up…or this country’s lack of moose.

DONUT THERAPY

 As we talked about driving to the top of Pikes Peak…a drive one hour in duration…

with switchbacks and no guardrails…Deborah voiced some reservations.

She’s not one who enjoys flying…she’s a little anxious in her seat…

Let alone in a car…flying off the side of a mountain at 14,000 feet!

So how do you get someone to overcome their fear of a 14,000 foot drop?

Well, in Deborah’s case, it was the allure…of donuts at the top.

Their called high altitude donuts…served only at Pikes Peak

They’re made hot and fresh every day…

700 per hour…

6000 per day…

seven days a week.

The question was…would hot fresh donuts be enough to inspire…to excite…

and help her overcome her misgivings…her genuine fear of heights?

One picture tells the story…look on the top of Pikes Peak…

there is Deborah standing next to me!  

a triumph for her to be sure

as well as a ringing endorsement for donut therapy.

WHEN WE SHUT OUR EYES

 We’ve seen so many awe-inspiring wonders on this trip…so many sights and sounds filling our heads….that at night we’re so beautifully exhausted we fall asleep the minute we hit the bed.

I have never given much thought…at least not too profound and deep…as to why we close our eyes at night…why we need to sleep.

I understand the science…how we need sleep to survive

how sleep allows our body and mind to recharge…so we wake up more alive

Still I’ve often wondered if we close eyes to sleep because the theater must be dark…allowing the perfect setting for our dreams to disembark.

Our senses have worked from the time we rise until the time we sleep…and all times in between….Sleep gives them a chance to rest while our mind processes all we’ve touched, smelled, heard and seen.

And these days that’s is not a task that is completed easily….

processing everything we hear…and everything we see.

Taking everything we’ve experienced…every moment large or small…

trying to make some sense and find some meaning in it all

Take this trip for instance we’ve seen the wonder of the world around us…witnessed the beauty of the snow in a mountainous terrain….while hearing horror stories of what Russia’s is still doing to Ukraine.

We’ve seen all kinds of people helping one another….leading us to believe people are kind as a general rule….while in a tiny town in Texas we hear more children are shot and killed in school.

A trip like this leaves us with mixed feelings….sometimes feeling blessed…other times distraught….wondering how we can be so happy…while so many others in the world…are not.

Perhaps sleep is here to remind us of how life is supposed to be…

for in sleep there are no prejudices…no senseless killings…no wars…no cruelty.

It’s a place that’s calm and tranquil…where peace and quiet rule supreme

where nothing bad can happen…and all we have to do…is dream.

As we witness the beauty the world has to offer…and the horrors that make us weep…we wish more people could be blessed…to find the answers in their sleep.