Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Home Is Where We Park It:  Turkey Creek, Hollister, Missouri

August 22, 2019

Temperature 80

Irish Tenors and Celtic Ladies

Today was our last venture out.  Starting tomorrow it will be maintenance and only maintenance before we hit the road next Wednesday.

Here we go.  First stop was the UPS store in order to return an item to Amazon.  We checked and double checked and we knew we had ordered the right item.  Unfortunately, they sent the wrong one.  Back it went for we had no use for what they sent.

Time for a quick lunch.  Well, how about that right across the street was one of our favorite fast food restaurants.

We ordered our food, went to our booth and that’s when we discovered this lovely group of balloon artists 

that went by the name of

They are a Christian group of three that makes and shares balloon sculptures at Senior centers, Assisted Nursing facilities,  schools, and so many other places.  They explained that every Thursday they come together for a practice session.

Take a look.

And this little green turtle who is now proudly sitting on my dresser.

Lunch over it was time to get ourselves to the afternoon performance of

The billing for the show indicated that this talented group of Ireland’s finest singers would be performing a wide variety of music.  It would include the popular music of the 20th century including opera, swing, pop, and of course a large number of famous Irish classics.  The show did not disappoint.

Here they are performing their opening number.  It’s such a shame that you can’t hear them as well as see them.

Let me share with you some more pictures from the show.  The Celtic Ladies

Oh could they dance.

The Irish Tenors

They could sing and they could act.  This is the leader of the group singing and performing MacNamara’s Band.

There’s more.  They did a tribute to the Beetles.

Now we’re going to Murphy’s Irish Bar.  The music, the energy, the dancing was absolutely fantastic!

Then they went down into the audience and came back with Sallie who was sitting in the front row.  With her back on stage the fun began.

 

The ladies doing Mr. Sandman

How about some river dance.

The ladies singing Isle of Hope Isle of Tears.  It tells the story of the first person to enter America through Ellis Island – a young Irish girl named Annie Moore and talks about leaving everything behind and starting over in a new place.  It compares Ireland – the isle of tears – and the Isle of Manhattan – isle of hope.

Their final number Bridge Over Troubled Waters.

That is just a small taste of this delightful and wonderful show.  I took close to 500 pictures but I don’t think anyone has the patience to sit through all of them!  This is a show I would recommend to anyone who is visiting Branson.

Our day on The Road of Retirement has come to a close.  It’s been a delightful day, a day we will remember for a long, long time.  Oh yes ,there are so many other shows we could go to, but to do so we would have to go back to work in order to afford them.  Another year, another month, another day and we’ll be back for more.

Thanks again for joining us today.  We always appreciate your company and your comments.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s two human soul mates.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!

 

 

 

 

Where We Have Called Home In 2019

Home Is Where We Park It:  Turkey Creek, Hollister, Missouri

August 21, 2019

Temperature 76

World’s Largest Toy Museum Complex – Final Post

DONE!

Both seams are sealed and oh am I glad.  I don’t ever want to tackle that project again.  Every muscle in my body aches from the way I was all twisted up on the roof getting it done.  Now I have to ask myself, why?  I thought this was the seam between the roof and the side wall.  I thought if water got in there the side walls would be done for.   In fact in one section I did find water.  But I also discovered  that what was right under the seam and what the water was in was a drip rail with drain holes in certain spots.  There is no way water could get past the drip rail and get into the walls.  So I have no idea the reason for the caulk.  But it’s done.

Ready for some more toys?  This will be the last blog with pictures from the Toy Museum.  We’re almost finished with building one and and will be moving into building two tonight.  So let’s get going.

We begin with the Christmas Carol.  Someone put a lot of effort into this.  Take a look.  Scene one is where Bob wishes Scrooge a Merry Christmas and receives the expected Humbug in reply.

The visit from the ghost of Jacob Marley.

The first ghost takes Scrooge back to his boyhood and a ball he once attended.  Here he sees how everyone is so happy and his heart is very sad.

The second ghost takes Scrooge to the home of Bob Cratchit.  He discovers them preparing for a merry Christmas despite their poverty.

The third ghost takes Scrooge to the future where he overhears some business men discussing his death with apparent joy.

Scrooge awakens a changed man and orders the prized turkey to be sent to the Cratchit home.

Scrooge on the street on Christmas Day wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Time to go there is so much more to see.

Time now for the circus.  This is a real labor of love designed, planned and built over a 14 year time span by Mr. Charles Russel.

Time to move to Building Number Two and the

Outside the entrance.

The Lobby

Here we have a Carnival.

Moving on, remember the song Happy Trails to You

Here are some more lyrics for you:  Born on a mountain top in Tennessee
Greenest state in the land of the free
Raised in the woods so he knew ev’ry tree
Kilt him a be ‘are when he was only three

Do you recognize the name Orvon Grover?  I’ll give you a hint.  He was nicknamed The Singing Cowboy,  he was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician and rodeo performer who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades beginning in the early 1930s.

How about this line A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty, ‘Hi Yo Silver!’

Then there was the guy with the magic ray gun.  First sold in 1934 the Buck Rogers rocket gun was the first ray gun ever produced.  Manufacturers went on to produce multiple versions during the decades long popularity of the show

Do you remember who lived in Doodyville?  Buffalo Bob Smith and Howdy Doody!

Here is an easy one The Force Be With You.

Does this sound familiar:  I’m Givin’ Her All She’s Got, Captain!  This is my all time favorite TV program.

We just have to include this young girl.

Then we have this adorable rag doll.  Raggedy Ann and her rag brother Andy are the world’s best known and adorable rag dolls.  More than just rag dolls they were characters possessing attributes and outlooks reflecting trustworthiness, kindness and spunk.

Time for the bears!

Boyd Bears to be exact.  I remember going to the Gettysburg factory store when it was still open.  What a fascinating place it was.

Boyd figurines.

More Bears.

A game of checkers anyone?

There were also airplanes of every shape and form.

What would a toy museum be without a model railroad.

One small section.

What a background.

So our visit to the Toy Museum has come to an end.  Oh no, this is not all that is there.  Trust me you owe it to yourself to someday visit it first hand.  Put it on your bucket list and make it a point to get there.  You’ll love it!

Our day on The Road of Retirement has come to an end.  Seams caulked.  Blog updated.  A drastic drop in temperature.  A full and interesting day all around.  I’ll take it.

Thanks for coming along again.  We always appreciate your company and your comments.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s two human soul mates.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Home Is Where We Park It:  Turkey Creek, Hollister, Missouri

August 20, 2019

Temperature 98

World’s Largest Toy Museum Complex – Part 2

Ah, finally it has cooled off.  We’re only at 98 degrees today with a heat index of 111 degrees.  Sooner or later this is going to break.  When we’re in Arizona for the winter they’ll probably have record low temperatures!

Today I started working on the side seam on the roof.  Unfortunately, I planned it a bit wrong and ended up working with the sun on one part of the roof.  I lasted long enough to get all the old caulking out on the passenger side.  Now, I need to clean it up and then re-caulk.    I’ll finish this side up either later this afternoon when the sun goes behind the trees or first thing tomorrow morning.  The driver’s side I’ll get to tomorrow.

UPDATE:  Though there was no rain in the forecast, guess what, it poured this afternoon.  And the seam is wide open.

About that re-caulk.  Amazon sent the wrong caulking.  However, thanks to the internet we found an RV dealer within 30 miles that had what I needed.  That was our mission of the morning.  Now that I have it in hand I’m ready to go at any time.

Time now to get ourselves back to the Toy Museum.  Yesterday we covered cars and trucks, and all things related to them.  Let’s look at some of the other toys that were there.

We’ll start with Beanie Babies.  Introduced in 1993 they rose to an obsessive level of popularity during the late 1990’s.  Though generally inexpensive several special editions were offered from time to time.  Some of the rate items can fetch up to $2,000 today.

Anyone remember Betty Boop?  She was a cultural icon in the 1930’s.  A symbol of the bygone roaring 20’s she was a hit first with adults and then later children.  She was outspoken about the old values asserted by her parents and the previous generation.  What real life woman inspired her.  No one knows for sure.

Here we have the Cabbage Patch Dolls.  In 1976 Xavier Roberts was paying his way through art school when he designed a doll with an unusual head.  They were first called Little People dolls.   After a 1980 TV appearance on the show Real People their popularity spiked sending kids into a Gimmie frenzy for the next several years.  It is said that parents fearful of disappointing their children on Christmas of 1983 camped outside of toy stores for hours.  By New Year’s Eve over 3 million had been sold.

Here we have the California Rasins.  The concept was originally created for a 1986 Sun-Maid commercial when one of the writers, Seth Werner came up with an idea for the new raisin commercial, saying, We have tried everything but dancing raisins singing I Heard It Through the Grapevine.  To his surprise, the commercial became wildly popular, paving the way for several future commercials and opportunities through other media.

Need a thirst quencher?  They say that Coke is the Real Thing.

From a bygone day we have Blushing Willie (left) and Down the Hatch (right).

As the sign said We all had them!   Fisher Price.

In 1998 the newest electronic toy craze hit the market – Furby.  Though it spoke Furbish it could be taught to speak English and to shower you with endearments.  They sold 1.8 million in 1998 and a staggering 14 million in 1999.  It’s signature phrase was I love you and it stole the hearts of kids and adults all over the U.S.  We had one for the longest time in the RV but some how, some time it disappeared.

Can you recall the blockbuster movie Gone With The Wind?  Here to help you remember are these dolls.

We had a stable of these Little Ponies throughout our house for years when the girls were growing up.  Introduced in 1982 by Hasbro they were extremely popular with girls of all ages.

I found this fact absolutely amazing.  But then again when you stop to think about it, I can definitely see how it can be true.

While here I learned something new about Mickey Mouse.  

The most recognized cartoon characters the world over – Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the whole gang.

My all time favorite and a guy I have on the top of my bedroom dresser even today.

This sweetheart by the name of Strawberry Shortcake was introduced by Kenner Products in 1979.  She was originally designed like a typical rag doll with freckles, a mop of red hair and a bonnet with strawberry prints.

How about a collection of outlandish but lovable dolls called the Trolls.

We can’t forget Warner Brothers Cartoons.  One of the most successful animation studios in America Media history.  They were primarily responsible for Loonie Tunes and Merry Melodies.  The characters featured in these series included Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester and Tweety,  Willy E. Coyote and the Road Runner.  The studio shut its doors for good in 1969.

Still popular today.  And why not!

Did you own one of these?  I did and really enjoyed it.

There was an exhibit on Ventriloquism.  Did you know that it began in the ancient temples of Delphi, Greece?  Jump forward to modern times and we find it was viewed as a way for performers to showcase their talents.  The most successful ventriloquist from 1903 to 1978 was Edgar Bergen and his side kick Charlie McCarthy.  Today my hands down favorite would be Jeff Dunham. (sorry I messed up the picture)

Remember when these rides were in front of just about every store in America?  I can remember pleading with my mom, Can I please have a quarter for just one ride?

We’ve almost made it through building number one.  But we’ll call it a night for now and pick up again tomorrow.  Wait until you see The Christmas Carol set from days long ago.  It’s a true work of art.  We also have Boyd Bears.  Star Wars and Star Trek.  And so much more,  Stay tuned.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  I got started on the roof.  And I’m ticked beyond measure at the weatherman.  Remember what I said yesterday?  They never get it right around here.  I should have heeded my own words and pushed through the heat and gotten the one side completed.  First ray of light tomorrow I’ll be up there.

Thanks for joining us again today.  We always appreciate your company and your comments.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s two human soul mates.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Home Is Where We Park It:  Turkey Creek, Hollister, Missouri

August 19, 2019

Temperature 101

World’s Largest Toy Museum Complex – Part 1

Another beautiful morning when we awoke.  But the temperature was climbing quickly and it would continue to do so.  That temperature in the heading is no typo it is the actual temperature by mid afternoon today.  The temperature at 7 pm was still at 91 degrees.  Oh yea, it’s a bit warm in these parts.

Today would be another first for us.  We were going to another museum but none like we had been to before.  All we knew about it was from what we had read on line.  It sounded good so why not since we didn’t know when we would be back in this area.

Up and dressed and off we went.  First stop was at McDonald’s for breakfast.  That finished we continued on our way.  Within minutes there it was and now having been there I can honestly say that line about Over a Million Toys is not lie!  The Museum began in  1988 in West Texas when Tom and Wendy Beck bought The Don Bauer Toy Museum.  After adding extensively to their collection they made the decision in 2001 to move to Branson, MO.  A building was obtained to house their new to Branson toy museum.  They continued to search out new additions, donations were accepted, and soon they were out of room.  To make a long story short, the building next store became available and was added to the original building.  Today it is the largest toy museum in the country.

Before you even get inside you’re treated to some neat sights.

Come on, we’re going to tour building one today.  You’ll love it.  You’ll also probably find yourself saying time and again as we and so many others did I remember having that toy!

This is the lobby.  Here are two ready to greet you.

This guy will help too.

Even the rug is kind of special and one off.

Before you even get to the hundreds upon hundreds of toy display cases we find Micky and Minnie out for a spin.

I know we’re here to see toys.   So toys it will be from here on in.  We’ll start with cars tonight and after that, well after that just you wait and see!

Here is our first display case, cap cars and battery operated cars.  The cap cars were used to startle unsuspecting neighbors with a loud pop; and, the battery operated cars often had working headlights and moved on their own.  Both were usually fashioned after vintage cars of the day.

A display of vintage race cars.

Look what I found in the one display case.

There was a display case devoted to the cars of NASCAR.

Remember the VW Beetle?

Who doesn’t love buses?  Looking at them brought back memories of driving a school bus for some 15 years.

Who doesn’t love Hot Rods?  There was my 1952 Chevy with a small block V8.  The days I worked at the drag strip.  Now those were interesting days.

Remember Hot Wheels?  They zoomed onto the scene in 1968 and were an instant success.  Decked out in flashy colors and decorated exteriors kids couldn’t get enough of  them.

Anyone out there ever have this?  They were one toy makers response to the Hot Wheels Cars.  Their claim to fame is that they were faster than any other die cast car at the time.  They had a small hook under the front bumper so that they could be propelled by a lever driven catapult.

What toy collection would be complete without a motorcycle or two?

We have fire engines also.  Lots of fire engines.

When I came upon this display I thought immediately of my son, Adam.

Then there were trucks, all shapes, sizes, makes, and models.

I used to have an extensive collection of Hess Trucks.

Remember these?  I had one or two as a kid.

Sure can’t forget the RV’s

Tonight we’ll end with this, some of the toys that Barbara recognized as once having.

In this picture the arrow points to the doll that she once owned.

OK, we’re going to call it for tonight.  More to come tomorrow.  I promise no more automobiles.  We’ve got a wide variety of toys to view tomorrow.  So stay tuned.

Oh, if you’re wondering I sure did get a new T-shirt.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  We had a wonderful day in a really fascinating place.  Like I said wait to you see tomorrow what else we discovered.  We went expecting to spend only about an hour, well that one hour turned into four before we left.  Honestly, I don’t believe we saw it all even in that time.

Thanks again for coming along with us.  We always appreciate your company and your comments.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s two human soul mates.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!