This morning we visited The College of the Ozarks, just south of Branson. It has nick-named itself as Hard Work U; its students work on campus for their entire time here in various jobs and trades, from hospitality (cooks and waiters), agriculture, administration and marketing, etc. As a result, there is no cost to the students for tuition and housing. The college obviously also has generous donors. Most students are lower income and from the Ozarks region; they also have students from many other parts of the country and from other countries.
We gathered in the admissions and visitors center; we were given an overview of the college by a student, a senior.
After the information session we headed off to explore the campus. This is the Williams Memorial Chapel, built in 1956 by students. Try as I might, I could not find out who the architect was…
The interiors are quite beautiful…
After the chapel we visited the mill and store, and the greenhouses…
Of course, no visit would be complete with a visit to the tractor museum. Most of these tractors were originally in use on campus, and they were restored by students…
After our walking around we had lunch in the college restaurant, prepared by students, from ingredients grown by students, and served by student-waiters: The menu? Beef brisket, chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans! Except that this time it was fresh, farm-to-table, not out of a can! The table setting was even perfect: the silverware was properly placed, not rolled up in a paper napkin… The meal was as good as a mass-produced banquet meal can be expected to be. The servers were top notch and very professional…
We returned to the Villa to warm up… It is COLD!
This evening we attended Dolly Parton’s Stampede. I expected a tryical country music show. Boy! Was I wrong!
Walking towards the entrance we were given a hint:
The “theater” looks more like a rodeo arena. (Luckily for me, this is NOT a rodeo… As much as I don’t like killing animals for sport, I don’t like torturing them for fun, either…)
Of course, this being a dinner show, we were served a dinner of soup, corn on the cob, potatoes. and chicken…
But first the MC rode in…
More horse and riders appeared… They rode around in fancy circles…
And then the bison came into the arena…
And then the covered wagons and the “settlers”…
Finally the chicken arrived on our plates. A whole chicken!
This next part was fun but it didn’t photograph well. It was the pig races!
Of course there was the obligatory tribute to veterans and patriotic song…A good show, but something I never would have selected. That’s the fun of caravans – I do things I wouldn’t ordinarily do…
Lunch today was different! Florentina’s RistoranteItaliano. Plastic flowers and all… The food was decent, and a nice break from typical Southern fare… Even the Southerners enjoyed it…
Our show was Irish Tenors and The Celtic Ladies and the Irish Dancers…
Intermission gave us a chance to stretch our legs and catch up on the college football…
More singers and dancers… It was a good show; I particularly enjoyed the dancers – they sort of reminded me of soccer players, jumping around without using their arms for anything important…
After the typical veterans’ tribute and patriotic songs we returned to the Villa..
Lynda turned in early and I watched football until the large hours…
Table Rock Lake is an artificial lake or reservoir in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas in the United States. Designed, built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake is impounded by Table Rock Dam, which was constructed from 1954 to 1958 on the White River.
The lake is a popular attraction for the city of Branson, Missouri, and the nearby town of Shell Knob, Missouri. There are several commercial marinas along the lake, and Table Rock State Park is located on the east side, both north and south of Table Rock Dam. Downstream from the dam, the Missouri Department of Conservation operates a fish hatchery, which is used to stock trout in Lake Taneycomo, which begins immediately downstream from the Table Rock Dam. The cold water discharged from the dam creates a trout fishing environment in the lake.
We are here to enjoy a lunch show on the Showboat Branson Bell…
The original plan, of course, was to have a cruise around the lake, whilst enjoying lunch and a show… However, the weather was not encouraging, so the boat never left the dock.
(Apparently river boats do not like 40 mph winds… On December 11, 2010, due to high winds that had come up suddenly, the Showboat Branson Belle ran aground while cruising on Table Rock Lake. The incident stranded 567 passengers and 76 crew members overnight.)
Showboat Branson Belle is a riverboat—more specifically, a showboat—on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri. The lake is landlocked by the Table Rock Dam on one side and the Beaver Lake Dam on the other side. Being a showboat, it hosts lunch and dinner shows throughout the year.
The boat was constructed at its port at White River Landing and was launched on August 12, 1994. The boat was launched into Table Rock Lake at a speed of 14 knots (16 mph) on launching rails lubricated with two tons of bananas. The bananas were used for lubrication because they were biodegradable and would not have polluted Table Rock Lake as grease would have. The boat is claimed by its owner to be the largest ship on a landlocked lake in the United States. According to the plaque on the dock, the boat weighs 2,500,000 lbs.
So we waited to board…
Once on board, we walked around and explored the boat…
While the showboat looks like a typical excursion riverboat, it really is a 2,100 seat theater and a large kitchen…
The showboat is powered by a diesel-electric power plant, much like modern train locomotives. It is actually propelled by the twin stern wheels…
One giant smokestack…
Two giant smokestacks…
Now, back to the show…
But first! Our lunch was served – pork, chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans… What is it with these Southerners? The good news is that the food was WAY better than at the Whodunnit Hoedown…
A little light entertainment before the real show…
The show was great – very up-beat and flashy. Dancers were great! It’s fun to watch tap dancers in person…
At intermission a magician performed some rope tricks, with one of our Airstreamers helping out… This was fun!
There must be a law or something that every show must include a tribute to veterans, with patriotic songs…
We enjoyed the show, and we then returned to the Villa. Happy hours ensued…
While I worked on the blog, Lynda went to the clubhouse for fun and games, Airstream style…
The day started with a nice sunrise reflected in our neighbor’s Airstream…
We wanted to check out souvenirs, so we drove to “historic” downtown Branson. Not surprisingly, it was very touristy, and we did not find what we were looking for… However, the store aisles were narrow and there are many, many, very large people here in Branson, most of whom use wheelchairs and walkers…
We moved on and took a short drive out into the “country” (as if Branson isn’t all country all the time…). We passed this granite wall along the road. There are many quarries in the area, and apparantly these hills are all solid granite. This tells us why they do so little grading when the build roads… roads go up and down and around the hills…
Our destination was the Missouri Ridge Distillery…
It was not busy, and we tasted some of their whiskey and “Scotch”… We treated ourselves to Old Fashioneds, sweetened with their own maple syrup that is aged in their used Bourbon barrels. Tasty!
In the evening we experienced the first of many Branson shows; tonight is the Whodunnit Hoedown, a murder-mystery dinner show…
The theater complex has many forms of entertainment, with different shows rotating through the theater on different nights.
We had quite a wait outside, but we did enjoy a lovely sunset…
We had great seats, 2nd and 3rd rows…
The food was barely edible – dry chicken, bland green beans, sticky mashed potatoes, and some sort of sweet pork that looked like it had been through a blender. All of it was out of a can, I’m sure….
As bad as the food was, the show wasn’t much better… Silly corny jokes, no plot, no mystery…
We were happy when the “show” was over… We returned to the Villa and an enjoyable time was had by all…
Sunday was a free day! No scheduled activities. So that is what we did – nothing…
Therefore, you get to see the annual school pictures of our grandchildren…
Evelyn Joy – Age 4 1/2
George Xavier – Age almost 7
Ian Philip – Age 8
Roisin Marie – Age 9
On Monday we did a LOT! First we walked around the campground…
Then we drove a few miles to Bentonville, AR, to see Crystal Bridges, the famous art museum on the outskirts of Bentonville…
As you can see, I was much more interested in the museum buildings themselves (designed by Moshe Safdie)….
Many of the buildings are actual suspension bridges, perched over a flowing stream, which has been dammed to create reflecting pools…
This was a mirrored room with glowing orbs, reflected to infinity…
Atticus Fitch and Scout, behind the screen door…
Some neon art…
A Calder mobile…
Finally: The Frank Lloyd Bachman-Wilson house. The house was moved from New Jersey, where it was threatened with constant flooding… It was fully restored and installed at Crystal Bridges…
The orientation structure before we entered the house was designed by architecture students at University of Arkansas, the head of which was E. Fay Jones…
Retaining walls on the site are made of native stone…
The approach to the house showing the carport on the left. Can you find the front entry door?
Is this the door?
Yes, this is the entry door, as approached from the carport…
The rear of the house, showing the mahogany siding and the cantilevered balcony…
The clerestory windows with the cut-out inserts, a favorite of Wright…
We toured the interior of the house. (No photography allowed…) We had seen the house in 2019, but I was much more impressed this time around…
We walked back to the car and came upon a display of Chihuly glass…
Now it is time to drive to Bentonville, AR… It is a great little town, full of nicely maintained buildings and vibrant businesses. Again, we had been here before in 2019.
This is the location of the second store owned and operated by Sam Walton…
We met up with the rest of the Airstreamers at the Walmart Museum…
It was interesting to see Sam Walton’s Office…
Lots of information about the history of Walmart. Lots of propaganda, too… An interesting thing is happening these days. As you know, the original Walmarts were located on cheap land equidistant between two small towns. Since Walmart could charge much lower prices, soon the small stores in these towns went out out of business… This model was repeated all over the South and Midwest. However, 50-60 years later these small towns are dying and people are moving away. Now Walmart is opening Walmart Neighborhood Markets, small grocery stores, in these very towns, just to keep them viable so that the big Walmart in the country can stay profitable…
After the museum we visited Pressroom. We had also been here in 2019. We enjoyed a cocktail before we headed to dinner…
We found what might be the only French restaurant in Arkansas!
We enjoyed a lovely dinner!
We returned to the Villa, and an enjoyable time was had by all…
We have a mostly free day today. Time to stay relaxed and to watch some college football!
We walked through the park… There was a craft show/flea market/car show…
There was also great beauty. Lynda gets all excited about “fall colors”. I just see dead leaves…
Mid day we drove the few miles into “downtown” Bella Vista. It is really just a few shopping centers…
But the real reason for the drive was to see the Mildred Cooper Memorial Chapel.
Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel is a chapel in Bella Vista, Arkansas, designed by E. Fay Jones and Maurice Jennings and constructed in 1988. The chapel was commissioned by John A. Cooper, Sr. to honor Mildred Borum Cooper, his late wife. The chapel was designed to celebrate both God and his creations.
Located on a wooded site along Lake Norwood, the chapel has become a popular tourist destination in Northwest Arkansas. It is also popular as a venue for wedding ceremonies.
Architect Jones apprenticed with Frank Lloyd Wright, and designed a building with numerous windows open to the landscape.
Jones used 31 tons of steel and 4,460 square feet of glass to create a series of tall, vertical Gothic arches that run the length of the chapel. Though it looks like an open-air structure, the chapel is glass-enclosed and air conditioned.
We managed to sneak in for 5 minutes between weddings… It is a stunning place!
We returned to the Villa to watch some more college football…
This evening we visited “Simple Pleasures”. This is a rural event venue which features lots of old and classic cars and lots of nostalgia…
1958 Cadillac convertible. Perry Mason drives a black one like this in several episodes…
1959 MGA. Note the license plate…
SPEBSQSA is the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America. Their motto, “We sing that they shall speak” denotes their activities in charitably supporting people who cannot speak…
I am very familiar with SPEBSQSA. When I was in college I sang in a Barbershop Quartet. Due to the fact that there were no math majors in our group, we had 12 members…
But I digress…
Here is a 1958 Chevy Impala. My brother had two of these… A black one in high school, then a gold one later on…
We ventured “out back” to another car barn…
My father had a 1941 Buick. Of course, it was not a convertible…
He bought it just before WWII. After the war, with the car shortage, he sold it and used the money to buy a house…
Lynda’s family had a 1959 Chevy like this…
Frank Lloyd Wright loved to drive Lincoln Continentals like this. He always had them custom painted “Cherokee Red”, his favorite color. (If you look at the photos I post of Wright houses you will see this color often. It was often used for the color of the concrete floors…
This is a 1957 Continental, just like David Rockefeller used to drive from New York City to his weekend house in Sleepy Hollow and to his summer home in Maine…
This collector know his continentals…
It is not a Lincoln! Continental was a separate division of Ford and had no connection to the Lincoln division…
After viewing the cars we returned to the main building and had a lovely dinner, followed by some silly games, and ice cream sundaes…
After the event we returned to the villa. We watched more college football.
Another travel day is upon us. We had a nice catered breakfast, and a drivers’ meeting.
We left Eureka Springs, and headed more or less west to Bella Vista. This is a big motorcycle rally weekend. We bypassed most of the traffic, but we did see great groups of motorcycles traveling along the roads…
The geography and topography changed again. Flatter fields, straighter roads, and fewer other cars on the roads.
WE stopped to stretch our legs is Pea Ridge, a nice little town…
We arrived at the RV park and were soon set up…
The RV park is located in a city park. We had many places to walk about…
This evening we had a pizza dinner, and celebrated another anniversary…
After a leisurely breakfast we headed out to the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge.
No, this is not a Tiger. It is a Li-tigon. More on this later…
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) is a 459-acre wildlife refuge for abused, abandoned, and neglected big cats.
The Eureka Springs, Arkansas, refuge houses 100 or more animals. It mainly specializes in tigers, but there are also lions, leopards, cougars, bobcats, black bears, ligers*, servals, a monkey, a coatimundi and a grizzly bear.
In 2015 Turpentine Creek reached Verified Status from the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.
In 2012 Turpentine Creek rescued 34 big cats from a breeding facility. To accommodate this number of cats a secondary area was built, which is now referred to as “Rescue Ridge”. Many of the cats rescued from the facility were not used to human contact. To reduce stress on the animals this area is not open to the public.
Turpentine Creek spent the past few years working to expand the refuge. The original area, now referred to as the “Compound” that contained smaller cages with cement flooring has been emptied. Turpentine has built spacious, grassy habitats ranging in size from 1/4 acre to 1/2 acre for the animals to live in over the past 14 years.
By September 16, 2015, all of the small concrete cages that used to make up the majority of Turpentine Creek were emptied. On September 17, 2015, demolition of the old “compound” area began.
Turpentine Creek has an on-site Veterinary Hospital for the animals who reside at Turpentine Creek. The vet hospital is on Turpentine Creek’s property and makes giving the animals medical attention easier. Having a vet hospital on-site is less stress to the animals and reduces the risk of the animals, or any human around them, from getting injured.
A very interesting fact, heretofore unknown to me, is that almost all these animals have been bred in captivity and many are hybrids:
Liger: Lion father and mother tiger
Tigon: Tiger Father and Lion Mother
Ti-Liger: Liger Mother, Tiger Father
Li-Liger: Liger Mother, Lion Father
And so on… Of course lions and tigers never see one another in the wild: they live on different continents…!
These animals were rescued from homes and apartments, where the cats were “pets”, fake zoos, breeding farms, and the like. Most were abused before they arrived here…
The black panther was asleep, but later awoke…
After the tour we had more animal talk…
These are some of the toys that the big cats regularly destroy…
We had a leisurely breakfast in the Villa this morning; then we headed into Eureka Springs for a Trolley Tour of the historic town…
Eureka Springs is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas. It is located in the Ozark “Mountains” (elevation 1,260′) in northwest Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 2,166.
The entire city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Eureka Springs Historic District. Eureka Springs has been selected as one of America’s Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Eureka Springs was originally called “The Magic City”, “Little Switzerland of the Ozarks”, and later the “Stairstep Town” because of its mountainous terrain and the winding, up-and-down paths of its streets and walkways.
It is a tourist destination for its unique character as a Victorian resort, which first attracted visitors to use its then believed healing springs. The city has steep winding streets filled with Victorian-style cottages and manors. The historic commercial downtown of the city has an extensive streetscape of well-preserved Victorian buildings. The buildings are primarily constructed of local stone, built along limestone streets that curve around the hills, and rise and fall with the topography in a five-mile long loop. Some buildings have street-level entrances on more than one floor and other such oddities: the Basin Park Hotel has its front entrances on the floor below first, and a ground-level emergency exit in the back of the building on the fifth floor. The streets wind around the town, with few intersecting at right angles. There are no traffic lights.
The tour was fun, and there is lots to see. Our tour guide has lived in Eureka Springs all his life. We’ll take his word for it. Some of the other things he told us were definitely not true…!
This picture of us on the tram is compliments of Lynda Polk…!
The Crescent Hotel is one of the larger hotels in town, and it is certainly a fine place…
A lot of the houses are built with native stone…
Tour Guide lie #1: “This house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and is pictured in many of the “coffee table” picture books of his work.”
Truth: No, it’s not. It is like virtually all houses built in the US in the 20th century: It was “influenced” by the work of Wright…
The hills are full of these beautiful rock formations…
Tour Guide lie # 2: “This house is the smallest Victorian house in the US”,
Truth: No, it’s not. There are over 600 Victorian houses in Redlands, CA, and many of them are much smaller than this…
The downtown streets are quaint, crowded, and quite touristy…
After the trolley tour we joined other caravaners and had lunch at “Local Flavor”…
After lunch we drove the five minutes up the highway to view the Thorncrown Chapel
Thorncrown Chapel is a chapel located in Eureka Springs, designed by E. Fay Jones and constructed in 1980. The design recalls the Prairie School of architecture popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright, with whom Jones had apprenticed. (Jones was the only apprentice of Wright whom Wright thought was any good…) The chapel was commissioned by Jim Reed, a retired schoolteacher, who envisioned a non-denominational pilgrimage chapel set apart for meditation. The design of Thorncrown Chapel was inspired by Sainte-Chapelle, a Gothic church in Paris, France, pierced by numerous stained glass windows. It held some of King Louis’s medieval Christian relics, including the Crown of Thorns believed worn by Christ. This relic inspired the name of the American chapel.
The chapel’s unusual artistry has been recognized worldwide. It was selected for the 2006 Twenty-five Year Award by the American Institute of Architects. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, a status not granted to buildings fewer than fifty years old unless exceptionally significant.
The chapel stands 48 feet high, 24 feet wide, and 60 feet long. It has 425 windows, which add up to 6,000 square feet of glass. During the design process, Jones decided that in order to preserve the site’s natural setting, no structural element could be larger than what two men could carry through the woods. The structure was constructed using organic materials indigenous to northwestern Arkansas, including pressure-treated Southern pine and flagstone for the floor and surrounding wall. The small ornamental roof skylight was later enlarged to provide additional natural lighting throughout the chapel.
The chapel looks like an open-air structure, but is, in fact, an enclosed and air-conditioned space that seats up to 100 people. It is open daily from March to December with free admission. It is closed January and February except for weddings and other special events. Non-denominational church services are held on Sundays from April to December.
Note the attention to detail: All the screws are oriented in the same direction…
Some of the flagstone on site…
It was with much regret that we had to leave this beautiful and awe-inspiring place…
Tonight we have a hamburger cookout…
We returned to the Villa; an enjoyable time was had by all…
Adventures in the Villa 
