40 Years of Wedded Bliss

August 19, 1978

We celebrated our 40th anniversary last weekend. Even seeing those words in print does not make it any more believable to me. It doesn't seem possible that those two starry-eyed kids are now looking retirement in the face. It's been quite a ride, and I am so glad that I had Jim in the other seat as we have taken this journey.

When we got married we were fresh out of college. Jim had taken a job in St. Louis, and I stayed in Des Moines for the summer, living with my parents and getting everything ready for the wedding. We had little money and college debt to consider, so flying off to the Caribbean or Hawaii for a honeymoon was out of the question. I reserved a room for us at a nice hotel for our wedding night, but then we headed up to Appleton, Wisconsin to camp and do a float trip on the Apple River for several days. We had purchased a used tent from Iowa State University when they were selling off their old supplies. It was a heavy canvas that had an off-smell and didn't breath at all. Great in August, right? Not so much. But we were young and in love, and we did didn't mind it.

Fast-forward 40 years to when our anniversary falls on the same weekend as the SWT float trip, which was being held this year at Echo Bluff State Park. Camping and floating for your 40th anniversary is every girl's dream - or not. I looked everywhere for a hotel, B&B, AirBNB, VRBO for Jim's partner and his wife to stay in along with us last weekend. There was nothing available. I explained to Jim that there was no way I was camping out in August in southern Missouri. I told him to have nice time, because I wasn't going.

By divine intervention we were bumped to the top of the wait list for a cabin in Echo Bluff. Being part of the design team has its perks. We ended up with a 3 bedroom cabin that was amazing. It was definitely glamping at its finest. We spent Friday and Saturday nights there, and kayaked on the 9 mile river route Saturday. The weather was perfect other than a little rain Friday night. We were in a cabin, so we sure didn't care!

Echo Bluff and the Current River

Rich's Famous Burgers

Heading back to St. Louis Sunday, we stopped at a hamburger joint in Steelville for lunch. The waitress overheard Jim's partner saying he would pick up the tab for our anniversary. She asked us how long we had been married, and I told her 40 years. I imagine she and the table of people across from us were thinking, "Wow, 40 years and her husband took her to get a hamburger in Steelville!" We all laughed about that in the car. And that laughter is what has gotten us through 40 years of whatever life has thrown at us. I'm eager to see what the future holds and to hopefully, like Robert Frost, take the road less traveled.

Memorial Day Weekend 2018

It was a hot and humid weekend here in the Midwest. I guess that was a boon for the swimming pools, but it was hard on the rest of us. We did some work around the house on Saturday, and then Sunday morning Jim went out for a motorcycle ride. My friend picked me up at 7:00 in the morning, and we made the trek down to Eminence, Missouri to see if we could find the wild horses again. There are some new colts, including one that is only a couple weeks old.

Regular or Unleaded?

We did not find wild horses at either of the two fields we had visited in April, though we did see many domestic horses. Riders were everywhere, including at the gas station where we stopped to buy cold drinks and use the restroom. It is a big equestrian area of the state.

We came to the conclusion that we would not see any of the wild herds due to the heat and the fact that the area was teaming with tourists floating on the river. Determined to make the most of it, we photographed flowers, an old car, and other items that struck our fancy. We had lunch in town, and then tried to go to Rocky Falls Shut-In, where we could not get anywhere near the parking lot. It was packed!

Eminence, Missouri

We decided to head for home, and just as we rounded the curve at the entrance to Echo Bluff State Park, we spied part of the Echo Bluff horse herd. The two mares and the newest baby were munching on grass along the side of the road. We couldn't believe our eyes! We pulled over to take pictures, and those darn horses decided to stand in the middle of Highway 19 and eat who knows what off the pavement. We were so frightened that they were going to get hit as there are blind curves in both directions. My friend was waving at approaching vehicles to get them to slow down, and we stayed until the horses decided to stroll up the entrance of the park. Only then did we resume our trip back to St. Louis.

Eminence wild horses

Monday I met up with a few members of our female photography group at a local coffee shop. The gal who started our group moved to Las Vegas last fall, and she was back in town for a visit. Then later in the afternoon, Jim and I drove to Jefferson Barracks Cemetery to see all the flags that had been placed on the military graves by local Boy Scouts. It was an opportunity for us to pause in remembrance of those who died keeping America the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery

Wild Horses Couldn't Drag Me Away

wild horses of Shannon County

Friday afternoon, while a bit cloudy, was warm enough for us to eat lunch outside at the Creekside Grill in Echo Bluff State Park. But it began to rain shortly after we checked into our cabin at Riverside, which was actually located quite a distance from the motel - far enough that we drove to get to it. And the five cabins were, oddly enough, on a gravel rode stuck in amongst cabins owned by other establishments. We had been advised that we were the only ones using the Riverside cabins Friday night.

Riverside cabins

We threw our stuff into the cabin, and then sat out on our patio to watch the river flow by. It was very peaceful - then. As it was raining more heavily, we drove back to the motel shortly before 7:00 to meet up with the other photographers who were participating in the workshop. There were only four of us, plus the instructor, which was great. The instructor went over settings on our cameras that would be most conducive to photographing moving horses, as well as safety instructions to being around these wild animals. Then we were advised to meet in the parking lot at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday.

But some excitement was in store before our 5:30 wakeup alarm. Around 9:00 the storm began in earnest, with high winds, lightning, thunder and torrential rains. We had no cell service in the area, and particularly none at the cabin. The motel's wifi didn't even work there. Next the tornado sirens went off, so I quickly put on the television to find a weather report. There were tornado cells to the southwest of Eminence, tracking to the northeast.  In other words, heading our way. Additionally, flash flood warnings had been issued for our town. As we were contemplating where exactly we should go to be safe, the satellite went out! We had no basement, of course, and no bathtub to climb into. We were in a small cabin, after all. We didn't know if it was safe to leave in our car, or if the town of 600 some people even had a storm shelter.

I relaxed a little when the tornado sirens ended, though in the pitch black I had no idea how quickly the nearby river was rising. But the sirens went off a second time, and I could only hope that the owners of the resort or the town sheriff would check on us if the river threatened to carry the cabin away. Needless to say, very little sleep was to be had that night between the stress and continued booms of thunder, and we were both awake before 5:00. At that point it was still too dark to see how much the river had risen during the night, but it wasn't coming in under the back door of the cabin so that was encouraging.

We gathered with our group a little before 6:00, and while the day was pretty gray the rain had fizzled out to a light mist. We loaded up in two cars and went to the first field to see if any horses were around. There was no chance of sunrise shots with the herd of three that we found, and the lighting conditions made taking pictures a bit of a challenge. As the day progressed the light improved somewhat. We spent an hour or so at this location before driving to a second field where around a dozen horses were hanging out.

small herd of wild horses

I should mention that the instructor has a way of communicating the the lead mare of each of the herds. She would enter the field by herself at first, and once she established that the leader was okay with us being there, we could follow her into the space. It was quite something to see. The second herd less skittish than the first, so we spent quite a bit of time with them both in the field and then in the woods nearby.

We went for a late breakfast, then headed to our respective rooms to rest up a bit. We were pleased to see the river was nowhere near our cabin, and we settled in to look at our morning pictures as we were to each bring several to the instructor's room at 2:00. When the group reconvened we reviewed photos, and were given suggestions on other things to try when we went back out at 5:00 to try for some sunset photos. While the sun did peek out for a bit late that afternoon, there was no sunset. All the rains from the last 24 hours did create a pop up pond in the field, though, and that made for some great reflection photos.

larger herd of wild horses

Saturday night we had dinner together at the Mexican restaurant across the street from the motel, and turned in early as we were all exhausted. Sunday morning we met at 6:00 for one last photo shoot. Again, there was no sun and in fact we had some rain during the morning. The temperature was only 37 - what a contrast from Saturday morning when it was 60 as we started out early in the morning! But we found both herds again, and got some great pictures. Then we had one last breakfast as a group before everyone took off for home.

I think Jim summed it up best when he said to everyone, "Best Christmas present I have ever given my wife!"

crystal ball horse photo

Horsing Around in Shannon County

Wild horses of Shannon County

Last weekend we photographed the wild horses in Shannon County, Missouri. But I almost didn't get to go. Wednesday afternoon I was working away on the computer when it seemed that my left eye was not focusing correctly. When Jim and I went for a walk that night, I noticed that it had gotten worse, and I was seeing a blob out of the left eye. It was moving like a floater, but it was rather large and shaped like a vertically squished circle. But then I saw some white flashes like lightning on the left side of the eye, and that was very disconcerting.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology website lists these things as possible indicators of a torn or detached retina. It further warns that if prompt attention isn't paid to the eye, blindness can occur. Well, that certainly sounded scary. The next morning I called my ophthalmology practice and explained what was going on. They agreed I should have it looked at, and scheduled me with the retina specialist at 12:40. I skipped my morning pickleball just to be on the safe side. After thorough testing, the retina doctor said she could see what I was referring to, but my eye pressure was good and there were no signs of any tear or detachment. She explained it was just a big old floater, and that each eye will most likely have something like this. The average age is 67 when it occurs, but she added that nearsighted people get them earlier. In 85% of the cases they disappear on their own. If I am one of the unlucky 15%, I can decide if I want to live with it or have it removed by laser surgery. Unfortunately it cannot be removed when I have the cataract surgery done. So, bottom line was good news and a clearance to make the drive to Shannon County the next day.

For Christmas Jim had given me a gift certificate to attend a workshop about photographing the wild horses in Shannon County, Missouri that was offered through the Academy of Nature and Wildlife Arts. As background on the horses, it is believed that the herd formed after residents left their livestock behind during the great depression. Though there was an effort by federal officials to remove the horses in the 1990s, local protesters intervened and petitioned the National Park Service office in Shannon County. Legislation was passed to protect the animals, with the condition that the herd remain at 50 horses. When the number grows, the Missouri Wild Horse League rounds up some of the younger stallions, who are tamed and then adopted by local farmers. The herd roams free on land located in the Mark Twain National Forest.

Echo Bluff State Park

On the way to Eminence, where our base would be for the weekend, we stopped at Echo Bluff State Park. A project of SWT Design, I had heard about the park for years and had seen many pictures of it during and after construction. But I had not yet seen it in person. Missouri's newest state park opened in 2016, so everything is still pretty new and sparkly. It will take time for the added vegetation to mature, but in terms of camping or glamping, the park has something for everyone. Tent campers will find themselves on wooden platforms, the campers and RVs are on a nice concrete pad with good facilities nearby, the main lodge offers rooms and a restaurant, and cabins built for singles and large families are also offered. The lodge is located near the echoing river bluffs, from whence the park got its name. The park has been so popular that reservations need to be made a year in advance for weekends or any day during the summer. It has also become a wedding destination, which was not something that was anticipated. It is a wonderful park, and I appreciate how they kept several of the old structures from when the property was Camp Zoe.

Following lunch at the lodge, we got back on windy, hilly, narrow Highway 19 and made our way to Alley Spring. Located in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri's 7th largest spring discharges 81 million gallons of water each day. The grain mill at the site was constructed in 1893, replacing an earlier mill that had been built in 1868. It was a wheel-less mill, operating instead on a turbine system. The mill closed in 1918. It has been preserved by the National Park Service, along with a one-room schoolhouse that is located nearby.

Alley Spring

By late afternoon we made our way into Eminence and checked into the Riverside Properties. Located on the Jack's Fork River, the choice of accommodations includes the motel or cabins. Some cabins are located along the river while others are across Highway 19 from the motel. We could have stayed anywhere around Eminence, but the workshop instructor had a room at Riverside and would be having meetings with the group there. We opted for one of the cabins along the river so we could have some cooking facilities and the ambience of the river out back. The cabins went under water when the river flooded last year, so they were touted to be recently renovated. The decision to stay in the cabins ended up to be a cause for concern that evening when turbulent weather rolled into the area.

Riverside cabins along the river

Stay tuned...