Happy Holidays

A Very Merry Christmas to All of You!

Christmas Eve Frost

It's quite a frost too!  Everything is white.  It's so pretty.  I noticed it getting cold all night and everything frosting over, but I had no idea what the morning light would bring.

What a sight!

Hawthorn Growing Up and Kansas Being Cute

A couple days before Christmas and Hawthorn is growing like wildfire and Kansas is just as cute as she's always been.

Full Moon

When I took my Saint Bernard out, I saw the full moon.  I just had to grab my eCAM and capture it.  Here are my photos.

The snow has melted and the dew is frozen and sparkly on the ground.

First Snowfall 2011

These are flakes, but the camera captures them as streaks, which is a bit disconcerting.  Perhaps I need to learn the tricks of how to capture snow falling to look like it really does.

I shot a quick video too, but now I've got to teach myself how to use video editing software to get it just how I want it, so I'll be back later to post the video.

It's accumulating pretty fast.  I'm one of those folks who likes snow.  I think it's pretty.

Okay, I got my video edited.  I'll share about that process in a sec, since you may want to know how to do quick edits to your own videos.  I want you to know that it's a very steady snowfall and it's coming down very quickly, even though in the video it appears patchy.  All I can gather is it must be determined depending upon the direction of the camera whether we see the snow coming down or just blackness.  Not sure why there could be that many snowflakes falling and the camera just picking up pure black.  Another one of those learning curves I'd have to understand when it comes to capturing the beauty of weather.

I used a pretty typical video editor at first, but it was far too complicated for me.  I found Avidemux and it's super simple to use.  It does the most obvious thing you'd want a video editor to do when removing a section of video.  You mark the beginning of the clip you want gone by clicking A and the end of the clip by clicking B, then hit delete.  You'd think that's the most obvious thing ever, but it's not.  Most video software gets so overly complicated, it's unbelievable.  The key to remember with Avidemux is you must include your extension in the file name when saving your video.  Be sure to tack on AVI or MP4, or whatever format you're using after the period.  For instance, firstsnowall2011.AVI, and that's all you need to know to be able to use it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cute Kitty Poses

I spied Hawthorn on the wicker couch and couldn't pass up another photo op.  She was napping, but as soon as she spied the camera, she opened her eyes.

I'd say based on that look on her face, she was none too pleased with me disturbing her.  And she looks like such a roly poly butterball, doesn't she?  She loves to gobble up her canned kitty food, which I have to keep under control because I think she'd eat til no end.

But let's just get cuter . . .

Never did I expect she'd start doing cute kitty poses for all of us.

She's not done yet. She's got some stretching in her.

I initially grabbed my eCam to capture her in her various stages of growing up because I know she'll grow up so fast and I'll regret it if I don't have cute pictures of her all along the way, but I sure didn't expect to get such sweet and fun kitten attitude.

Aww! Photo Moment

When I saw this, I jumped up quick and grabbed my eCam.

Both girls lying on the same wicker couch - Hawthorn, the pretty Ragdoll kitten and Kansas, the sweet Saint Bernard.  Glad to see they know they're a pair.  Just us three girls.

Vintage Delight

I believe I yelled, "Stop the car!" when I saw this building.  There was no way that I was going to allow this vintage charmer to escape my camera lens.  Don't you just love it?

Now I just need to dig up some history on it.  The inside is quintessential 1940s and 1950s, maybe as far back as the 20s or 30s.  I don't know.  It'd sure help if I had my Mom with me on trips like this because I could ask her when she was growing up if the places were similar.

I know it reminds me of one of the rare Woolworth's lunch counters I glimpsed that amazingly still existed when I was a very little girl in the 1960s.  I can still see that counter in my mind's eye to this day.

Central Dairy is located in Jefferson City, MO.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I owe the first two to Granny Mountain, one of my favorite blogs.  They are so funny!

Saint Charles

I promised to write an entry and share my photos of Saint Charles, Missouri, just outside of Saint Louis, after making a quick visit on my trip to pick up Hawthorn, my sweet Ragdoll kitten, who is doing wonderfully.  She is so full of fun and energy.

Saint Charles is old, so old in fact it is the oldest city on the Missouri River, the third oldest city west of the Mississippi and one of the original five counties of Missouri.   It's been settled since 1769 and interestingly, it was Missouri's first state capital and home to the first railroad bridge to span the Missouri River.  It's been hit by tornadoes and floods and survived beautifully.  It's been home to Daniel Boone and it was the starting point for the infamous journey of Lewis and Clark.

Being located on the Missouri River is of particular interest to me because I'm drawn to towns located on the banks of rivers.  They're something special and it's a great place to spend time and to walk or run.  When I lived in Parkville, another Missouri town situated along the Missouri River, but on the opposite side of the state being next to Kansas City, I used to run the riverside trails in pretty English Landing Park.

I was fortunate to see Main Street firsthand after seeing it on the Internet several different times.  The 13-block stretch can't be done justice via pictures.  It's something to see.  It reminds me of Massachusetts Avenue in Lawrence, KS in the sense of the length.  There's not many cities and towns that can boast such impressively long downtown main streets.  I'd say the architecture in Saint Charles is far more impressive though and makes much more of a statement.  It's very reminiscent of Boston.  One thing I've always liked about Saint Louis is its similarity to New England and the East Coast.  I adore these architectural building styles; if it were possible to stand in one spot for all eternity, I'd do it around architecture like this.

Saint Charles is home to one of the nation's largest Christmas festivals.  There's a museum for Lewis and Clark as well as the home Boone shared with his family.  Suffice it to say, there are so many festivals, fairs, events and places to visit, I may just come back and write another post detailing all there is to see and do in Saint Charles.  If you'd like to dive right in, I suggest the Saint Charles pages on greatriverroad.com as an easy-to-read guide.

I'll be back to take more pictures.

Missouri's Capitol in Jefferson City

I've traveled 48 states and I grew up in two capital cities and seen a good many of the others, but funny enough, I'd never seen Missouri's capital of Jefferson City.  Here's some shots of the capitol building taken with my new JVC Everio GZ-HD500, which I absolutely love.  Now I've got that clear JVC quality which I so missed.  I sold my Sony Handycam on eBay to a buyer in Brazil, so good-bye irksome pictures.

The journey to pick up my precious Ragdoll, Hawthorn, resulted in a return trip via Highway 54.  When I looked at the map, I saw that 54 cut right down to the Ozarks from I-70 quite nicely.  It's a road I've not been on before, so bonus, plus it covered three places I've never been, but have wanted to see:  Jeff City, Osage Beach and Buffalo.  I've seen Lake of the Ozarks before, but always from Highway 13 when I'd come down from Kansas City, which is the very western edge and not the true heart of it.

I really enjoyed the ride down 54 and it's a highway I want to do a lot more exploring on.  There's a lot to see along it.

Welcome Hawthorn!

 

This is Hawthorn, my new Ragdoll kitten from Saint Louis.  I just went and picked her up on Tuesday.  She is so sweet and cute.  She bounces everywhere and loves to chase balls across the floor.  She sits on my lap and sleeps with me, which is just what I wanted.  She is the top right kitty in the first photo and the one climbing out of the basket in the second photo.  I named her after the Missouri state flower.  If you want your own Ragdoll, visit GloryBeRagdolls.

View to the Lake

The view to the lake from the house is opening up now that leaves have started falling.  I even took this shot inside.

I finally got fed up with my Sony Handycam, even though I've always had a soft spot for Sony.  Perhaps it's because mine is standard definition.  If I can't get over my Sony fixation, I'll give high definition a try someday after I ensure via YouTube that a high definition takes good videos first.

But for right now, I went after a brand that I know has sharp and clear photos and videos, JVC.  In my search for a JVC, I got a little crazy and once I started shopping, I just couldn't stop, so I ended up with three different camcorders.  Keep in mind one only cost $10 and the other one wasn't too pricy either.

I'll introduce them all individually.  This particular photo was taken with my ematic eCAM.  It's a pocket camcorder that is super simple to use and takes great photos and videos.  I'm very impressed.  Now if you go shopping for one, watch out.  I've seen the prices range all over the place.  I found mine via Amazon for a nice and comfortable $34.95, brand new, free shipping and with everything you need to go with it.

I'm very happy with this camera and its design, so you'll be seeing more from it.  If you'd like to see the ematic eCAM and watch the video that convinced me of its quality, I've included the link.

The Old Y-Bridge in Galena

The cool old Y-Bridge in Galena, MO is off Highway 248/265/413, which is just one road.  The bridge closed in 1986 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It crosses the James River and opened the year my sweet Mom was born in 1927.  It got its name from its shape.  It does look just like a Y.  It allowed drivers leaving Galena heading east to cross the James River and to make either a left and go north or a right and go south onto then Highway 43/44, now 248/265/413.

Here we have each end of the bridge.

I got a few shots from above of the beautiful underlying structure.  When I return, I will indeed be taking the gravel drive down to the river's edge so that I can capture the bridge from below.

Here's the James River to the south.

And to the north.

You'll notice a train trestle to the south and the current highway bridge in operation for 248/265/413 to the north.  Now I know we came to the Y-Bridge on this same highway, so talk about confusing.  Keep in mind that the highway comes to a T just a bit up the road from the Y-Bridge, so it runs both north/south and east/west.  At the T intersection, you can go right and take 176 and head east or you can take a left and continue on 248/265/413 to the west.

And the James River shore.

And the neverending Ozark hills.

And here's the infamous Y.

Autumn Images

Here's a photo I took today while exploring the old Y-Bridge in Galena. In the last few days, seasonal colors have really become apparent on all of the hills.  I've got quite a few photos that I need to go through for the Y-Bridge and when I'm done, I'll post them.  I did put up my first YouTube video of a walk across the bridge from one end to the other and it includes the James River.

 

I finally got fed up with the lack of quality, so I'm learning how to use the advanced features on my Sony Handycam DCR-SX40, so you should see my photos increase in quality over time.  I did discover the Picture Motion Browser (PMB) software and now I can do an Autocorrect that makes a difference.

For instance, here's a photo before and after Autocorrect.

It really brings out the depth of colors while staying true, and sharpens it up quite a bit.  I would rather be able to do this on the camera itself when the photo is first shot rather than doctoring them up afterwards, which feels wrong somehow.  I'm just hoping there's something I can learn to get the colors, focus and sharpness a lot better from the get go because the dark faded colors and fuzziness in my photos are really bugging the heck out of me.

Foggy Morning Video

The fog is so pretty this morning.  I've always liked fog.  Here's a very short little video.

Rural Novelties

I opened the mailbox today and saw this blue plastic Package Marker.  I read it and turned it over in my hand.  Hmm, this is a first, I thought, certainly a new one on me.  I wonder what this is all about.

I know I've never seen one of these before, have you?  Don't you just love the little guy driving the mailbox and the birds flying around?  Chuckle, chuckle.  I also love, "Please Return to Mail Carrier."

For you former urbanites, what rural novelties can you share that you never encountered until moving to the countryside?

Quick Photo of Table Rock Lake

I didn't want anyone to think I fell off the planet since I started posting here more frequently.  When I came across this nice shot of Table Rock Lake I saw for a property listing on Murney, I wanted to share it as it's such a lovely shot.  I'll be talking more about the lake, you can count on that.

Vintage Butternut Delivery Truck

I don't know the year of this old Butternut Truck.  I saw it on my grocery trip to Walmart in Branson West this afternoon.  I just had to take a picture.

If anyone knows the year or more about this truck, let us know.  Also, there seems to be a total lack of history on Butternut.  I didn't even know whether it still existed or not.  I guess it's part of Hostess and does exist, but other than that, I couldn't locate any cool history on the brand.  If anyone has anything to share about Butternut in the past or has any fun Butternut stories to tell, please do.

A-Frame Paradise

I don't know how many A-Frames I have posted about, but I like them so much, I'll always be putting them here when they come on the market.  I'm going to have to go back and do a count of my A-Frame posts because now I'm curious how many I have.

I particularly like this one.  It has a very good feeling and I like the look of it.  It appears that a coat of interior paint would do the trick.  I wouldn't be surprised one bit if I end up living in an A-Frame when I go to buy my home.  I'm starting to wonder if it's fate with the amount of A-Frames I've come across.  It sure is nice to return to my habit of posting on real estate, especially now that I'm down here and up close and personal.  It makes it so much more real that I'll be owning a home in the Ozarks someday.

Is that countertop in the kitchen not to die for.  I love it!  It is so long, you could do so much prep for cooking and baking on it.  That is fantastic.  I like the outside too being nestled in the forest as it is.

I found this via BidSelect, which is a HUD site.  I don't typically find rural properties there as they tend to offer more city properties.  It is 663 square feet, which is the ideal size for me, and two bedrooms with one bath for a mere $27,000.  It is located near Lake Taneycomo in Merriam Woods Village which is right next to Rockaway Beach, not far from Branson.

Here's the listing broker's contact information:

RE/MAX Associated Brokers
109 North 6th Street
Branson, MO  65616
Phone: (417) 334-1374
Fax: (417) 334-5959
Email: Kelly Grisham

As usual, if you buy it, invite me over.