We made it to Kentucky...

Well this was the last leg of our stretch to get here a day early and surprise Paul. I was hoping for the Kentucky stateline during daylight, but I reached that at about 10:30pm in a narrow, dark and long stretch of highway in a dense forest of VERY tall trees. So... needless to say, I did not stop for a picture with or of the sign. But there was a shrill party had in the Caravan at that point. After sleeping over in Paducah with the kids for a night, we headed out early to get to Campbellsville and meet Daddy after three weeks of being apart.

In this last stretch the restlessness was even getting to me, as evident of the lead foot welded to the gas peddle. So we had ourselves a little game, with each bridge all hands off and hit the roof. There were quite a few bridges so it turned out to be quite entertaining.

Now to capture Kentucky with a lens... though first I must recoup...

PS We did find what seems to be tobacco crops. Some are in the process of drying them out. Most farms use these enormous barns out here to hang the crops to dry out. It is an interesting site, and even beautiful, for me who doesn't get out much. I may have to venture out tomorrow to share that image with you...

Natural Bridge @ Ha Ha Tonka State Park

It was IMPOSSIBLE to get a picture that captured the reaches of this natural stone bridge. As it looks, there was a wash from a river that grooved beneath this stone. As the river is no longer, it has created this natural bridge here. This first picture is from beneath the bridge in the wash going back up.

My three characters are like magnets to sticks and stones, no matter whether its in the woods or in a parking lot in the city. So this was a discovery trove for them to explore... up and down trails, paths, and steep inclines with rungs of tree roots to climb. It was our children's paradise without Sponge Bob and Dora, to realize fun is experiencing the real thing.

Yet, just as Hannah got the nerve to venture down a trail and hike up to the bridge... COMPLETE DOWNPOUR. Being under the canopy of the tall trees kept us from being pummeled by the downpour. But in the clearing just near the underside of the bridge they had their moment. Standing in the clearing of the woods to get the full effect of the downpour, it was like a scene of self-actualization to see the joy in them. It was like the ultimate in experiencing nature's beauty and all its dew-y-ness after the rain...

This was a discovery that has long been worth the wait... I hope you enjoy our experience captured here.

Missouri's State Park... Ha Ha Tonka

Ever since I heard my G.Mama describe her visits to Ha Ha Tonka State Park in the springtime, I was dying to go... maybe it was just the fun of saying 'Ha Ha Tonka', or the thrill of taking pictures of castle ruins... or just seeing the children enjoy the discoveries outside our hometown. Yeah, I think it was a bit of it all rolled up into one... since anyone could hear us chanting 'Ha Ha Tonka Willy Wonka' while we hiked around searching for the balanced rock.

While my grandparents were at work, my cousin Bekah, the kids and I drove about an hour out to the Ha Ha Tonka State Park, which is along the Ozarks in Missouri. It was gorgeous and terribly easy to get around to visit the different sites here. There wasn't any large groups of people there so it still felt like you had fallen off the beaten path and made some wondrous discovery all your own.

Now, the pictures here are the grounds around the castle, the water tower and overlook to the springs. I didn't realize... but swimming was actually allowed in the springs with the waterfall. It looked like it would have been surreal to swim in this spring water of amazing shades of blue and greens. It was tempting... no, not really. I'm not a fan of water, no matter how tropical and surreal it may seem. There was so much more we didn't get a chance to see and enjoy, but enjoyed what we could for the afternoon. I want to take Paul and go back in the spring for the blooming dogwood.

Here is a link with the original home and the history of its beginnings at http://www.mostateparks.com/hahatonka/history.htm

Snapshots... from the Bluffs

I spent some time at the bluffs in Monegaw Springs with the kids while visiting my G.Mama on our way to Kentucky. These bluffs are infamous. They are sentimental. They are historical... well by the way of our family anyhow. They are historical... in that they always seem to bring us together... even when it doesn't seem likely.

My mother and her parents, and theirs before them... and so on... have all come to these bluffs. You will see what is left of the bridge along the river here... it was a swing bridge and the only access across the river.

(You will notice I didn't get much pictures of the actual bluffs... as I was corraling three kids on the cliffs and afraid to lose my balance while shutting my eyes to peer through a lens...)

Despite that, it is a beautiful spot to return to... again and again.

On the road... and saying goodbye...

Well it has been little said if any, here on the blog, that we have moved to Kentucky. It seems with this move I don't quite have the words to express or explain our move from Independence, KS.

In the blink of an eye... that about sums it up.

Don't doubt my love, support or faith in Paul... he has worked harder than ever to make this life for us. I thank him for all he does in the name of family. I am blessed to have the opportunity he has given me.

With that very 'opportunity'... ahem... I was able to drive me and the kids from Kansas to Missouri... and then on to Kentucky. And kuddos to Paul for trusting me with such an expedition. So, my latest adventure...

ROAD TRIP!!!

And so... without further ado... this is US!! On the road heading to Kentucky... this was our side note in saying adeu to Kansas and those rows of sunflowers in the summer sun.

ADEU... we will miss all of you!! Terribly...