What a fun week this was! Sunday we spent the afternoon with Elaine, a roommate I had in Connecticut before Dick and I were married. Elaine and her husband Bill live in Lees Summit, MO, just a few short miles from our RV site in Lake Paradise. It's been almost 30 years since we've seen one another, but only a moment to pick up where we left off those many years ago. Lunch was served on the patio: lamb chops, salad, potatoes and fresh fruit. YUM! (We were reminded that it's really "Lady Elaine" and "Lord William" Coleman, as they own real estate in Scotland...:-D)
We looked at photos from back in the day (my glasses were HUGE!). Elaine, one other roomy, and I lived on an old estate in a house that had been converted from a barn. In our backyard was a river and an old stone grist mill, with a waterfall. (The Fall colors were unbelievable!) Lots of memories from that time, not the least of which was the time we caught a river rat (18" from nose to tail) in our kitchen, after it had moved a loaf of bread from one counter to another and eaten half of it!
Lunch on Monday was at the Courthouse Exchange in Independence, MO (across the street from the courthouse were Harry Truman served as judge). Another attraction in the area is the Harry S. Truman Museum and Library, which we'll have to catch the next time we come through here.
Afterwards Elaine took us on a tour of Birds Botanicals, where she works. Located in an old limestone mine in Kansas City, it's the only place in the world where orchids are grown underground. David Bird, owner/horticulturist, does an amazing job of cultivating over 100 species and hundreds of varieties of orchids from all over the world. We were (almost) speechless as we walked through the aisles, listening to Elaine as she shared about orchids. As a Master Gardener, she knows her stuff! I'm including a few photos of the orchids, as well as her business card, so if you're ever in Kansas City, you might find this interesting. This weekend was an orchid expo in downtown Kansas City, so David and staff were busy getting ready. (Due to the grow lighting in the cave, some photos may appear yellow.)
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| Limestone mine/cave parking area outside Birds Botanicals |
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| Notice the limestone ceiling. |
We woke Tuesday to a partly sunny day and wind. Temps reached 80 degrees, but the wind kept it bearable. Dick spent part of the day repairing his Mongoose bicycle, which had blown over in the wind on Monday, damaging the derailer.
Wednesday our friends Bea and Mike picked us up for lunch. (If you've followed our blog, you may remember we met them in Grand Portage, and subsequently had lunch with them in October, while we were staying at my mom's.) We dined at Cascone's, a regionally infamous Italian restaurant in North Kansas City: lasagna, salad, Italian bread...YUM! (Kansas City lore says Cascone's was closely tied to the Kansas City mob. Couldn't find anything on this, tho...hmmm...)
Thursday we woke to a 38 degree rainy morning. Brrrrr! We stayed in, although I did make a trip to the laundry. Good to get 3 loads washed and dried in an hour, thanks to commercial equipment!
Friday we load up and head to Jay, Oklahoma for a week at Pine Island RV Resort. Situated on Grand Lake O' the Cherokees near Grove, OK, our site is on a bluff overlooking the lake. Beautiful! Just another reminder of God's creation; thank you, God. The weather promises to be sunny all week, with temps in the 60s during the day. Wonderful.
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| Our site at Pine Island |
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| View of lake from our door. |
Hope this finds you all well, and hope you enjoy our blog and the photos. We're havin' a ball!
Love and miss you all.
Gail and Dick
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