New Birthday Postcards

I just added two new birthday postcards to my website, http://www.mysunshinecornergifts.com/.  One is good for anyone as it has bright colored gifts, and the other is more for the guys on your list.  It has a nice peaceful pastoral scene.  This was made from one of the photos I took on vacation. I have plans for more birthday postcards which I hope to develop very soon.  Then I hope to expand and get more created for anniversaries and the upcoming holidays.  Even though the economy is looking a bit bleak right now, we still want our friends and family to know we are thinking of them on their special occasions, and postcards are an affordable way to do that. Even businesses can benefit from sending their clients a birthday card.  Our insurance company does this every year.  It's nice to know they are thinking of us even when we don't have a claim to take care of and our payment is made online so they don't even see us that often.

These are the newest additions to the website.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Thursday, June 30, 2011
Not wanting to wake the relatives too early, we go to breakfast before calling for directions to their home. This restaurant has beautiful flowers in their yard.

Turns out, as the crow flies, we were only a few miles east of Elmer and Helen’s lovely country home where they have a garden that provides them with a variety of vegetables, some of which they gave to us.

After lunch we head for Arkansas. David has decided we will take the scenic route. This is not a drive to take in the dark as the road is steep and winding, up and down, and one would miss the beautiful vista provided by God. We took some photos along the highway and some were taken at a lookout point. I actually climbed the lookout tower even though I am afraid of heights, but the structure is safe and sturdy. The sign says that one can see 40 miles north from here.

We pass through Russellville, AR where the windshield gets hit by a rock causing a rock chip. This is the only problem we have on the trip and David is able to take care of most of it when we get home. We passed through Hot Springs which is definitely a tourist town.
Once we get on the interstate we realize that Texarkana is not that far away. And once you get into Texarkana, hey, we are in Texas! David decides to drive through until we reach home at 1:30 AM on Friday, July 1, 2011.
We are greeted enthusiastically by our dog, Maggie. It is nice to travel, but it is also nice to sleep in our own bed, especially when it is a feather bed.
We have been blessed by a wonderful, relaxing trip visiting family and friends and seeing some of the beautiful country we live in. We thank God for a safe trip and the wonderful memories that we now have.

The sun sets on Texarkana and on the last day of our trip.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wednesday June 29^th.
We head to John and Dorothy’s who are glad to share a meal with us and teach us a dice game and a card game that neither David or I could ever teach anyone else. It takes more than one afternoon to learn these games. I am sure playing these games keeps their minds active even when health issues suffered by each prevents them from being as physically active as they want to be. John is a retired farmer who, like his sister, suffers from COPD. John and Dorothy have been married 63 years. The day after we leave Dorothy goes in for hip surgery. Their son Rodger lives just around the corner which I’m sure is quite a blessing to them to have him close by. The Saturday before we arrived, their small town suffered from severe winds that split and toppled many large trees. They were blessed in that nothing fell on their property.
Before leaving I found out how much our annual Christmas cards have meant to them throughout the years. Just goes to show how a simple act of kindness can show a lot of love and bring joy into someone’s life.

Nearby, in Laclede, we drive by John Pershing’s boyhood home and the school where he taught before he started his illustrious military career and became one of America’s highest ranked military officers.

School where he taught

Cousin Rodger came to save the day. After I had shown family photos to John and Dorothy via my computer slideshow, I set my computer out of the way while we played games. I didn’t realize I had left it behind. Luckily for us, Dorothy found it and called Rodger who was at work and was able to track us down after we left Pershing’s historical site. So after a brief
visit with Rodger we traveled back to get the computer. Circumstances worked out in our behalf because I would not use my computer until later in the evening (at which time we would be in southern Missouri).

As we travel onward, a short distance is the Locust Creek Covered Bridge which is a state historical site. Once you leave the highway and travel down a paved road and then a dirt road, you must walk across a wooden bridge that has rapidly flowing water beneath it. I know you must be thinking all bridges have water flowing beneath them. Not true as we soon discover after walking a quarter mile through a wooded area filled with birds singing and trees that could tell some interesting history, if they could talk..

David, being in the road & bridge construction business, is fascinated by this structure.

This rabbit is enjoying a meal where water normally would be. Most of Locust Creek’s channel was straightened after World War II, leaving the bridge spanning a dry creek bed.

This bridge was built in 1868 and was situated on the main east-west road in northern Missouri. It once served on America’s first transcontinental road. Originally covered bridge’s provided shelter from wind, snow and rain for riders in uncovered buggies and carriages. That reminded us of the motorcycle riders who sought refuge under overpasses in Indiana’s rainstorm.

On the road again, now heading toward southern Missouri.

We really did not expect to see such rocky terrain in Missouri. Another thing I did not expect to see were the many Amish wagons we saw.

We find a quiet motel in Lebanon, MO which has a mattress that is firm, but not as firm as the one from the night before. Since previous motels had micro fridges, microwaves and small coffee pots we decided to prepare a meal in our room. We had purchased something simple to make when we were in northern MO, and then the laugh was on us as this place had none of these amenities. No problem, there is a place to eat about one block down the road. Tomorrow we visit another cousin and some of his family and then we head for home.