We went to the "Rock House." I thought Laura wrote her books in the big white farm house. But no. She began in the rock house that their daughter Rose had constructed for them.
This house was prefabricated and could be ordered from Sears and Roebuck as a kit. Eric saw it in the catalog inside the house, now a museum.
Some took the path from the rock house to the white farm house.
I LOVE this photo in black and white!
I would like to acknowledge that spirits who have graduated from mortality do not usually hang around their graves, but it does provide a physical place for us to feel closer to our loved ones who have passed on. With that said. Almanzo and Laura and their daughter Rose are buried in the local Mansfield cemetery - so we checked it out.
The ward that we are moving into invited us to their pioneer day celebration: A dinner at the church and then swimming at the local pool. We brought chips and donuts to contribute.
I have had certain foods I have eaten during each of my pregnancies. With Amelia, it was crumb donuts. We lived just a few blocks from a Hostess outlet store, and I found myself driving by at every opportunity. Ohhhh, crumb donuts! Amelia had never tried one. She hesitantly took a small bite, then began chewing very slowly to savor the flavor of every morsel. She LOVES crumb donuts. I find it interesting how that works. I crave it and eat it during pregnancy - they love it!
Amelia eating a crumb donut for the first time.
The dinner was so well attended that three additional rounds and one rectangular table were added. The pool had lots of people there too!
A few boys were daring each other to do a belly flop.
Scott overheard and decided to show them how it is done.
I decided to take the onions on an "Ozark day tour," leaving Eric to work in peace.
This is Eric's set up.
I decided to go see what was around the place we are going to be moving to.... Mills and historical houses, A mountain pass of significance. A lake.
An Abbey is the SAME THING as a monastery, but the words abbey and monastery are NOT used interchangeably. Okie dokie. I went to 4 years of Catholic high school, with a monastery nearby. I still have no clue. The building was not that great to look at, but we did buy apricot preserves. Pancakes here we come!
2nd stop - Rockbridge Mill. It is a fishing resort. There is a nice restaurant, a small boutique and stables for horseback riding. They also have a fish hatchery.
The Rockbridge Mill
We ventured under.
The water was so clear we saw 2 good size rainbow trout swimming around.
The little dam is lovely.
The onions got to feed the fishies at the hatchery.
The fish hatchery raises about 350,000 rainbow trout per year. They stock their section of the river with these fish, and sell about 1/2 of them to Texas.
Then we drove down the road to see the bigger fish.
These are the 5-10 pound breeding females.
There was a golden in the bunch.
We were there during feeding time.
On our way from the fish hatchery to our next destination, we saw this! Absolutely beautiful.
Hodgeson Mill. It was constructed in the late 1800's and was in operation until 1977. It is one of the most photographed sites in the state.
And on to Dawt Mill, the largest operating mill in the Ozark area.
hotel and cottages
garden
We missed the mountain and trail head.
I was driving along and I came over a small hill to find a car coming toward me, in my lane some ways away, but not far. I knew it would not pass before it got to me. And it did not brake and go back. I had a car behind me, so rather than slamming on the breaks, I slowed as quickly as I could and pulled off the road onto a gravel driveway. I don't think the car behind me saw the oncoming car until I pulled out of the way. I fully expected to be slammed into as the car behind me passed. This was much closer than a narrow miss. This was an accident averted by inches in a split second. It was all a slow motion blur for the few seconds after I pulled off and completely stopped.
We talked about it as I pulled back onto the road and tried to relax me fingers in white-knuckle position. Amelia, very pale and sitting in the front, admitted that she thought we were going to die. I thought we might. But my thoughts were focused on escape. Naomi was overwhelmed. Heavy breathing, loud voice, totally surprised that she was even talking. She too thought we were going to be hit head on. She was beside herself that we didn't crash. Scott, confident and full of faith, said he knew I wouldn't let them die by getting hit by a car. I agreed and quickly said I would have ruined our car and driven straight off the road sooner, faster, sharper, had I needed to. {Would I? Could I? Am I that fast? I certainly hope so!}
How fragile and valuable life becomes when I am confronted with the real possibility of death.
A historical house in Gainsville, MO. It used to be a restaurant and attraction. Not anymore. "Permanently closed." Bummer.
We have been struggling with getting along and being respectful, so we had a "core day," and an early bedtime. Eric took a last minute call for work and the onions were making a bit of noise. Naomi came and got me. I came into their room to find this.
All 5 onions in a 30" x 72" space. They all fit!
And we are buying a house that has a bedroom for each of them. Why?
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