Day Tripper, Part 2......

Another Day Trip. This time to far northern Missouri. Trust me when I say it was...."way off the grid". Our destination was the EcoVillage of Dancing Rabbit, near Memphis, Missouri. Now, I can say that I have been to Nevada, Versailles, Paris, Manchester, Trenton, Carthage, California, Odessa and Memphis. And, they are all in Missouri, USA.

This EcoVillage was founded about 25 years ago and has a population of around 60 folks. Rick's youngest son is a long-time resident of the compound and has recently purchased a home there. Rick, his other son Craig, friend Richard, and I decided to take a day trip up there and look around.

Tess did not go with us, on this excursion. I drove my trusty Ford Escape, roomy enough for 4 adults and a couple of coolers of snack provisions. Driving to Dancing Rabbit is not a quick easy trip. It took us right at 4 hours, and only about half of the journey was on 4-lane, divided paved highway. 

Upon arrival, we had a nice tour of the village. We saw the common houses, the vegetable gardens and the swimming pond. The new house turned out to be aptly named, The Tree House. It sits on a platform, held up by large Osage Orange logs. Most homes (house, yurts, pods or tents) at Dancing Rabbit do not have running water for kitchens or bathrooms. There was electricity in some of the buildings. This is not easy living, for the 21st Century.

Citified Nancy was happy to get back on the road, and headed for civilization and flush toilets. We had one very important stop, on our way home. We drove to Sumner, Missouri, to take a quick look at "Maxie" the giant Canada Goose statue in the City Park...and visit the public facilities. Maxie is mammoth. A vision to behold. He's quite a duck!

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Dear Lord. You have created all of us with individual gifts, graces, needs and wants. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We were created in Your image. Help us all to appreciate Your gifts to us. 

 * more information on Dancing Rabbit, can be found at their website.

 

"Day Trippers, yeah!" Part I.

                    Today, I am writing Chapter I, of my Mid-America Summertime Adventures. 

Last week, we had a Day Trip (from dawn to dusk), to our neighboring state of Arkansas. 

Our mode of transportation was the super reliable, but slightly stubborn EV. I call her Tess, and she can drive us anywhere, with only an occasional complaint from her humans passengers. Usually, our conversation goes like this....."I didn't want to go this way. Why is she taking us this way? How can this be the best route? This car is so stupid." Later, we almost always discover that there is a big back-up on our preferred route, due to lane closure or a detour. Tess has actually saved us frustration and time, as a result of her "self-driving" navigation.

But, back to the Day Trippers. Tess took us from Stilwell, Kansas, to Joplin, Missouri (Tess needed a re-charge) and then down to Bentonville, Arkansas. Bentonville turned out to be a charming little town, that seems to be booming economically. 

Our first stop, basically the reason for the trip, was Crystal Bridges Art Museum. Even though it was the middle of the week, it was packed and parking was difficult. Thankfully a shuttle was provided from the parking lots to the museum entrance. The architecture of the facility is quite stunning and the grounds (woods, paths, sculptures and water features) are worth seeing. The museum features American Art, mostly 20th century items.

Then, Tess drove us to downtown Bentonville. Lunch was a stop at the Flying Fish Cafe. Or maybe it was the "Frying Fish" Cafe. Fried fish fillets, fried hushpuppies, french fries. Yummy and greasy!!! Our next stop was right on the square in Bentonville. Lots of quaint shops and stores. It's also home to the WalMart Museum. We enjoyed looking at the artifacts of a young Sam Walton's empire, the old advertisements and some intriguing plans for the future. An amazing man with a dream. American entrepreneurial spirit at it's best.

We turned Tess off, and drove our "own" route home. We chose to drive over some familiar two-lane highways and visited some old childhood haunts. After all, living a long time, allows for storage of many memories, and it's fun to revisit them. However, I am eternally thankful that current memories can be made, every day.

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Dear Lord, Thank you for our many blessings. Thank you for the opportunity to create new memories.