Holidays and Family Time

Our blog has been rather quiet for a while, as we've been spending time with family in St. Louis, Ohio, and Jacksonville. We're staying put in Jacksonville through January, catching up with friends and family, counting our blessings, and planning our travels for 2010. To all of you who follow our blog, best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and may 2010 bring you good health and happiness. From Buddy, Drew and Linda.

Deja Vu View

It's Fall again, and we're workamping at KOA. Sound familiar? But this time we're in the St. Louis area, not Tennessee. We happened upon this workamper job while visiting family and agreed to stay until the KOA closes for the season Nov. 1. The Fall colors are beautiful and we don't even have to leave the park to enjoy them.

Precious Moments

Yes, we've had some great moments visiting with the grandkids in the St. Louis area since August 12, but this post is about the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, Missouri. On a trip to the RV dealer in Carthage, MO, to have some work done on the motor home, we took the opportunity to drop in at Precious Moments for a tour. Inspired by Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel in Rome, Precious Moments artist and creator, Samuel J. Butcher, designed and constructed the Precious Moments Chapel as his way of sharing the joy of his faith with the world. Each of the dozens of murals were hand painted by him. The mural “Hallelujah Square” celebrates the lives of real children whose lives ended too soon, but whose stories continue to bring a message of love, hope and peace.

Let's Hear it for the Boys

We just completed our volunteer work at the United Methodist Boys Ranch located on the South end of Tenkiller Lake near Gore, OK. We've been away from good wireless speeds, so I've gotten a little behind on my blogs. Drew and I worked in the residence buildings, painting and repairing. The Boys Ranch is for "at-promise" teens and pre-teens experiencing problems which prevent them from living at home or in foster care. There is an on-site school for the boys in the residence program. After "graduating" from the residence program, those youth in the independent living program are allowed to attend public schools. An unusual component of the Ranch is the Animal Therapy Program where the boys learn to care for animals (horses, cows, chickens!) and their skills are showcased when they host an annual rodeo. You can read more about this wonderful place at: www.circleofcare.org/site/03residential/umboysranch.html. Donations always welcome!

Oklahoma--OK!

In truth, Guthrie, OK, is more than just okay. It boasts the largest contiguous district on the National Register of Historic Places, with over 400 blocks and 2100 buildings. The old downtown area's brick beauties once housed banks, bars, bordellos, and more. It's an interesting area. You can stroll down the streets and read the histories from the brass standards mounted on the sidewalks. Or you can go inside, as we did, and partake of the current proprietors' offerings.

Cattlemen's Cafe Cuisine

Steaks and stockyards--highlights of Oklahoma City. Cattle auctions are still held weekly at Stockyards City in the heart of Oklahoma City. For decades, when cattlemen and cowboys (tourists too!) come to town, they stop at Cattlemen's Cafe, which is the state's busiest restaurant. Operating since 1910 and expanded numerous times, Cattlemen's is THE place for steaks. Desserts too. Yessir, we agree. Yum.

Do you know the way. . .

. . .to Santa Fe? We do. And it's a wonderful town full of culture and artistry. Palace of the Governors is the oldest continuously occupied public building in the U.S., dating back to 1610. Native American artisans abound and display their work under it's portico and in the neighboring plazas. The architecture in this olde town area is mostly adobe style and is filled with cafes, galleries and museums. The perfect place for an afternoon stroll.