Places We Have Called Home In 2019

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

August 18, 2019

Temperature 92

College of the Ozarks:  Williams Memorial Chapel – The Ralph Foster Museum

Rain or no rain?  That was the question.  A quick check of the weather forecast said absolutely no rain.  Then why was it raining on our roof?  Because we’re special?  I just think they blew the forecast which is common around these parts.  Thankfully, it only lasted for about 20 minutes and then stopped.  That was it for the day.

Today I made up my mind to finally finish the book I started over a month ago.  So I dragged out my camp chair and sat myself down and went at it.  Success!  Time to find another book just as soon as possible.

Let’s make another trip back to The College of the Ozarks.  Our first stop is going to be the Williams Memorial Chapel.

The structure, dedicated in 1956, measures 150 feet long and 80 feet wide, with an 80-foot-high vaulted ceiling and impressive stained glass windows. Attached to the chapel is the Hyer Bell Tower.   I would have loved to get up in the Bell Tower but it was not allowed.

In the front of the Chapel and off to the side sits this memorial.

These two pictures were taken during construction.  The first is the placing of the keystone during construction of the chapel.  The second is a picture of the actual construction of the Bell Tower.

Let’s move inside.  This picture is taken from the back facing toward the front of the chapel.

A closer look at the stained glass windows in the front behind the pulpit.  Absolutely exquisite.

I couldn’t resit taking a picture from the pulpit facing where the congregation would sit.  If I ever faced a congregation of this size I would probably choke up!

 Here are the stained glass windows in the balcony at the rear of the chapel.  I wish I had gotten a better picture.

Now, a few pictures of the impressive stained glass windows that are on the sides of the chapel.  This one is entitled Nativity.

This one is entitled Baptism of Our Lord.

This is The Good Shepherd.

There were also banners decorating the chapel.  Here are pictures of two of the them.

There were other stained glass windows and banners which you just have to see in person to really appreciate.  Each is equally breathtaking.

Leaving via the front door and after a short walk down the sidewalk we discovered this

We’re leaving the Chapel now and going over to a museum like no other.  I have been in a lot of museums over the past 2 years but this trumps them all.  We’re going to the Ralph Foster Museum which is dedicated primarily – but not just – to the history of the Ozarks.

The museum is named in honor of the late Ralph D. Foster, radio pioneer and philanthropist.

This is a reproduction of his office.  Take a good look.  What jumps out at you right away?

The museum is a full 3 stories tall and  houses thousands of artifacts representing archaeology, history, firearms, antiques, coins, stamps, natural history, fine arts, geology, mineralogy and so much more.  Suffice to say we were there over 4 hours and I know I missed a good 1/3 of what is housed here.

I did take some pictures of a number of the exhibits so let me share them with you.  The first is one I believe everyone will instantly recognize.

Yes, it’s the real deal.  This is the actual car used in the filming of the Beverly Hillbillies.

 

Grannies seat and even her shotgun.  With a picture of the whole crew in front of it.

The seat from which Jethro drove.

A display case of coin banks of all types.

A display case of miniature circus wagons.

Now for something really unique.  Dolls, dolls and more dolls.   Here we have an extensive display of Kewpie Dolls. 

Kewpie is a brand of dolls and figurines that were conceived as comic strip characters by cartoonist Rose O’Neil.

According to O’Neill, the idea for the Kewpies came to her in a dream.  The comic, featuring the cherub-faced characters, was first printed in Ladies’ Home Journal in the December 1909 issue.   O’Neill described the characters as a sort of little round fairy whose one idea is to teach people to be merry and kind at the same time. Today Kewpie Dolls can fetch anywhere from $200 to $20,000.

Here are pictures of some special Kewpie Dolls.

 

Moving around the room we find yet another display case of National Costume Dolls.

A display case of dolls in general.

Moving on we discovered The Edwards Art Gallery.  As we moved into the room we discovered these unique and beautiful quilts.

This is a fan quilt.

The Tree of Life Quilt.

The Pinwheel Quilt.

Among the many, many, many works of art within this room this one is highlighted.  It is considered one of the crown jewels of the Museum’s collection of artwork.

Moving toward another room I came across this.  We’ve had Chevy’s, Ford’s, Studebakers, Cord’s, Chrysler’s, and now

As expected there was also an entire room dedicated to Missouri Style Music.

It all began here

These humble beginnings led to one of the most popular radio and then TV program that was heard across America  – Ozark Jubilee.

Some of those who were once on the show.

There were also display cases of instruments.

There is so much more but time is short so let’s cover just one more room.

Now for some pictures of the big guys.

The Polar Bear – this one stands 9 feet tall!

A Grizzly Bear.  When standing they are about 6 to 7 feet tall.  They can weight anywhere between 400 to 500 lbs.  They live on average between 20 to 30 years.

The Bengal Tiger.  They are about 10 feet long and weight about 600 lbs.  Their roar can be heard over 2 miles away.

The Kodiak Bear.  They only live on Kodiak Island.  A mature male when standing on its hind legs can tower up to 10 feet tall.  They usually weight about 1,500 lbs.

Well, I could go on and on for pages and pages.  There is so much more in this Museum that I haven’t even touched on.  My advice?  Put The College of the Ozarks and all its campus attractions on your bucket list of thing you must see.  You will never regret a stop here.  I guarantee it.

Our day on The Road of Retirement has come to an end.  We had a good day overall even though about all we did is read and eat!  No matter, I’ll take the days as they come and make the most of each one.  Thank you again Lord for this wonderful life we live and the days and memories that are ours.

Thanks again for joining us on our journey.  We always appreciate your company and comments.  Till 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 17, 2019

Temperature 93

College of the Ozarks:  Tractor Museum – Weaving Studio – Stained Glass Studio 

Ah well I guess we knew it couldn’t last.  The last few days the temperatures have been rather moderate both during the day and at night.  No more.  We’re back to temperatures in the 90’s during the day and 70’s at night.  Such is life.

We are giving thanks for one thing – we’re here instead of there.  Let me explain.  Watching the weather report for the areas we’ve just come from and the picture is not pretty.  From St. Louis up the weather has been wild what with high winds, hail, and pounding rain.  To think we were in that area just a few weeks ago.

Let’s go back to the College of the Ozarks.  There is still so much to see so we best get going.

While we were there today we met a group of about 12 women who graduated from the College about 30 years ago.  They each spoke so highly of the College.  One stated that come graduation she didn’t want to leave.  The College had become her home.  Another stated had it not been for the College she never would have received a college education.  Still another stated that she left ready, able and willing to work.  Yet another stated that employers flock to the college to hire it’s students both because of the education they receive and the work ethic instilled in each student.  And so it went.  Not one had a negative word about the College.

Admissions, though, we discovered has become a lot tougher.  Over 4,000 apply each year but only 1500 are accepted for each new freshman class.  Needless to say there is an extensive waiting list.  In addition each student must maintain a C average or higher in order to remain active and in good standing.  Remember, this is while also fulfilling their work assignment.  I would say if you can make it here at the College, you can make it any where in life.

OK, let’s go sightseeing.  We’ll begin today with the Tractor Museum.  I had never been to such a museum before so I was quite curious as to what I would find.  Come on, let’s discover what’s here together.

First thing you notice as you enter is this mural on the back wall which was created by a student at the College.

This is a general overview of one section of the museum.

I found this exhibit rather fascinating.  Imagine a simple seat being viewed almost as a work of art.  But, back then they took great pride in their work.

 

Let’s look now at some unusual tractors.  First up is a 1918 Advance Rumley heralded at the time as the new light weight tractor.  Light weight?  It weighted over 6 tons!  For fuel it used a combination of water and kerosene.  The water allowed the engine to run cooler which in turn added to its longevity.

Next on the list is a 1925 Case.  It had a 4 cylinder engine and a 3 speed transmission.  It used kerosene for fuel.  I found this eagle on the grille so simple but elegant.

The brown cover visible on the radiator has writing that says in essence Do not remove until engine has reached operating temperature.

For some reason, and I haven’t been able to find out why, early tractors had their engines mounted sideways in the frame.  Anyone have any ideas?

Next up is a 1929 Hart-Parr.  It has a 2 cylinder gas engine with a 3 speed transmission.  Take a good look at what it looked like before it was restored.

Here it is after it has been restored.  Wow!  What a difference.

Again, the engine is mounted sideways in the frame.  Oh, the difference in color?  No flash then I changed to flash.

It’s got enough levers, pedals, and a steering wheel to make any gear head absolutely happy.

Here we have the volkswagon of tractors.  It’s a 1948 Allis Chaimers with a rear mounted 4 cylinder gasoline engine with a 4 speed transmission.  It was claimed to be un-equaled for precision planting, seeding, fertilizing and cultivating.  Over 30,000 units were produced.

How about a couple of trucks?  First, for our Ford fans.  This is a 1929 Ford Depot Hack.  The back was modified to carry large amounts of luggage.  These vehicles usually worked around train stations.  Remember, back around this time almost everyone traveled by train.

For our Chevy fans.  This is a 1954 Chevy Series 650 truck.  It had a 154 hp engine, a 4 speed transmission and a 2 speed rear axle.

Coming to the end of our visit, a couple of items that have nothing to do with trucks, tractors, or the likes.

Finally, we both found this exhibit absolutely stunning.

There is so much more to see here but time to go.  We’re moving across the street to the Dairy. Farm  Remember the alumni I mentioned in the beginning of the blog?  One of the women worked here as a student and she spoke about her time here with a great deal of pride.

We have to keep moving.  Down the street we go to the Weaving Room.  This is another place where students are assigned to work.  This was a description of how a loom works but no matter how many times I read it I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the process.

One of the looms set up and being used by a student.

Yet another loom.  What colors!

Here we discovered that there are any number of types of looms,  We also discovered that you can create an infinite number of patterns with all kinds of colors and as complex as one might want.

Here are some examples of patterns that you can weave on a loom.

 

Also on this floor is another craft that students work at.  It is Basket Weaving.

The process of making a basket explained.

Students hard at work making baskets that will be sold once completed.

Completed baskets for sale on the basket tree.

One more stop to make.  Don’t give up on me yet!  The next stop has some absolutely beautiful and breathtaking art work.  We’re going to the Stained Glass and Candle Shop.  Everybody wave HI to Barbara.

This is one of the front windows.  Stunning.

Students hard at work.  This young lady is working on a Nativity Set.

Another student working on a couple of different pieces.

Here are some finished pieces.  It’s hard to say which is more beautiful then the next.

Two of my favorites.

They also make night lights.

Once again I picked out two that really caught my eye.

Here is a display case of candles that they had for sale.

How about one more stop before we leave for the day?  I know, I know I said the above was the last.  But you’ll find this one absolutely delicious.  Come on we’re going to the

Students hard at work.

The fruits of their labors.

 

Barbara was on a mission!  We came home with Strawberry Jelly, Apple Butter, and Pepper Jelly.

Yes, you can even order on line.  Exactly what we needed to know.

Time to call it a day.  Honestly.  But we’re far from finished.  We have more to share with you in the coming days.  Stay tuned for we have some really neat places on campus to visit and share with you.

That was our day on The Day of Retirement.  We had another full and wonderful day, a day we spent together, traveling along, singing our song.  Each time we return to the College of the Ozarks we come away even more impressed.  We also discovered today that they now have a separate campus and are now offering classes from Kindergarten through High School.  I can’t think of a better place for an individual to get a first class education.

Thanks again for joining us today.  We always appreciate your company and your comments.  Catch your 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 16, 2019

Temperature 80

College of the Ozarks:  Edwards Mill – Hoge Greenhouse 

We’re going back – as promised – to The College of the Ozarks.  Today we’ll cover two more places that we visited yesterday.  Both places offer employment opportunities for the students on campus.

We’ll begin with Edwards Mill.  

Grist mills were once plentiful in the Ozarks due to the abundance of water throughout the area.

Before the automobile the mills were the center of community life. Around the mill one would usually find a blacksmith shop, a general store with a post office, and often a sawmill and cotton gin run by power from the mill.

In 1971 ground breaking took place for the current Edwards Mill.  How it works is really quite fascinating.  The mill like so many in the past is powered by a huge water wheel.

The water for this wheel comes from  Lake Honor which is across the street from the mill.

The water from the lake runs underground to the sluice that provides water for the wheel.

Now as we can see above the wheel is not turning and that is because when it is not in use the water is diverted at the head of the sluice to the small creek below.

When it comes time to put the wheel in motion so that grain can be ground, the gate at the head of the sluice is cranked up so that water can flow freely in the sluice to the wheel.

Moving inside we see the wheels and gears at the bottom of the mill that are powered by the water wheel.  These wheels are connected by leather belts that required regular care and attention to preserve their life and keep them moving freely.

They in turn power the Gear Heads.

Moving back upstairs this is where the power from below goes to.

Which in turn powers the two grinding wheels.

We now have power to the grinding wheels, but how do we get from the raw grain to the finished product which could be corn meal or flour?  It begins here, the grain is fed into the hopper

It then moves via this chute to the floor above

From the second floor it is fed down these two chutes to the grinding stones below

Then the grinding stones do their magic.

This top stone is mated to the bottom stone.   The two stones are 15 inches thick and weight half a ton.  The grinding surface of the runner or top stone is concave and carved in a spoke pattern.  The runner sits atop a bedstone or bottom stone.  Only the runner turns grinding the grain and as it becomes finer and finer it pushes it outward toward the perimeter of the bedstone where it is forced

down a chute to the floor below

from below it first comes here in bulk

and then moves here to be packaged for sale.

The finished product ready for sale.

That my friends is how it is done!  I wish we could have witnessed it when it was actually in operation.  Maybe we’ll come back another day and see if we have better luck.

Now to our next stop, Hoge Greenhouse.  I confess I do not know my flowers and none were marked as to what was what.  So let me just share with you some very beautiful and diverse flowers and plants.

 

 

 

 

We have a few more stops to share with you that we’ve made already but we’ll save that for tomorrow.  We also have a few more stops to make at the college over the course of the next several days.  Stay tuned we’ll bring all of it to you.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  The day was a funny one in that every time I went outside to start a project it would start to rain.  I’d packed everything up, come inside and in five minutes it would stop raining.  After two or three cycles of this I threw in the towel and will try again tomorrow to get outside.  I did get what I needed for an oil change for Graybeard and I’ll get to that Monday or Tuesday when I receive my special oil pan valve.  So the day wasn’t a total wash out.

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2019

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

August 15, 2019

Temperature 94

College of the Ozarks:  Patriots Park –  Keeter Center

Today would be our first day to go out sightseeing.  This was one that was highly recommended by the staff at the park.  Point of fact, they put it right there at the top of the list even before the attractions and sights of Branson.

A quick breakfast and we were off.  We didn’t have to go far, just about ten minutes and we were there.  There being The College of the Ozarks.

This is not you usual four year liberal arts college.  Let me explain.  According to the Wall Street Journal it is one of the most unusual little liberal arts colleges in the country.  College of the Ozarks, founded in 1906, is a no-tuition college.

The institution provides the opportunity for full-time students to work at one of more than 100 campus jobs or industries to help pay for part of their cost of education. The remaining portion of the students’ expenses is covered through scholarships provided by gifts and contributions from donors who believe in and support the programs and policies of the College. These student work programs and donor contributions allow C of O to operate as a no-tuition college.

It’s nickname is hard work university.

The Mission of the College

The Vision of the College.

We discovered this exhibit regarding the patriotic value.

Some pictures of several of the trips taken in the past.

There is so much more to see on this fascinating campus.  Come on we best be going.

Just before you enter the campus proper you arrive at Patriots Park.

Around the corner you find this inscription.

Entering the park there is a map showing where each memorial is located.

The Flag Plaza.

This statue stands off to the right in the picture above.  The statue is situated so that he is facing the American flag.  I admit I haven’t figured it out yet, hand on his chest I get, but note the clenched fist at his side.

The Korean War Memorial.

I simply could not stand and look at this for any length of time.  The anguish in the face was just too much.  Can anyone look at this and not realize that war is hell?

Veterans Grove.

War on Terrorism Memorial.

A wounded service dog.

The glass seals behind made by a student.  The Battlefield Cross in front.

Again, all too life like.

The walkway leading to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Note the divided wall – the red flowers – the memorial in the shape of a V

Across from the park I found this beautiful sign.

Gold Star Families Memorial.

There is so much more to see but time now for lunch.   We’re off to the Keeter Center.  But before we got there we discovered Centennial Park.

Now, about face and we’re off to the Keeter Center for lunch.

Barbara arranging for our seats.  Everyone you see in uniform here is a student fulfilling their work assignment.  We asked one student as to how they obtain a position and we were told at admission they list the four places and positions they would like to work at.  They are then interviewed for the position.  Many factors including seniority factor into what position they ultimately obtain.  The young lady waiting on Barbara is a freshman and stated that she was thrilled that she did obtain this position.

This is the entrance to the hall.

Note the furniture.  The wooden posts.

What a fireplace.

Look at this ceiling.

This is Cameron our waiter.  He is going into his senior year and has worked himself up to the position of Student Manager.  What a wonderful young man.  He will go far in life that I’m confident of.  When classes are not in he works a 40 hour work week.  During the academic year he works 15 hours a week.  This is the norm for all of the students.

Remember the young couple who once bought us breakfast?  We finally paid it forward in his tip.  I’m so glad we could.

Time now for lunch.  A Ruben for my lady and fish and chips for me.  Delicious!

 Time now for the finishing touch – ice cream.  But not just any ice cream.  It’s all hand made using cream from the dairy farm on campus and worked by students.

Can you say yummy!

Several students making the ice cream.

Before we leave Keeter Center a few more pictures.  The wood work, the post and beam, the peg construction is just something to behold.  Look at that ceiling.

Then I found this little guy hiding out on a shelf up high.

Time now to head for home.  But we are not finished, not by a long shot.  We have Edwards Mill, the Hoge Greenhouse, the Tractor Museum, the Ralph Foster Museum, and the Stained Glass Shop to visit and share with you.  Stayed tuned for there is a lot more to come in the next few days.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  What a wonderful day it was.  We learned so much.  We met some wonderful young men and women who restored our faith in the future of our country.  What more can one ask for?  Thank you good Lord for places like the College of the Ozarks.

Thanks for joining us again today.  We’re glad you came along and hope you enjoyed our first of many visits and blogs about this amazing college.  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!