After three out of four previous nights of frost that froze our bird bath water hard, we left for Harrison Arkansas on Wednesday, April 24.
The first day of driving from Albert Lea was a beautiful day for driving. We took I35 out of Albert Lea to Des Moines, Iowa and US 65 to Marshall, Missouri where we stayed at the Comfort Inn.
Some of the fields in Iowa were planted with corn, but no soybeans yet. Many of the fields in Missouri were planted with the corn rows just starting to show.
After leaving Marshall, Missouri we stayed on S.S. 65 to Harrison, Arkansas, staying at the Quality Inn in Harrison on Thursday til our departure for Albert, staying at Marshall Missouri and arriving back in Albert Lea on Wednesday, May 1.
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Genie went to the 13th annual Harmony in the Ozarks.
I enjoyed a meal at the Cliff House Restaurant overlooking the Grand Canyon of Arkansas Tree Mountains. I also looked for the elk along the Buffalo River, but didn’t see any.
It rained a lot every day with tornado warnings and watches, so that wasn’t the best for outside activities.
The following is Genie’s three-day retreat in the Tree Mountains of Arkansas. (As near as I can tell, it was a 3-day over-nighter of ladies reliving their youth!!)
Genie went to the 13th annual Harmony in the Ozarks in the beautiful tree mountains of Arkansas up from Jasper, AR. (April 26-28, 2024).
The theme this year was “Feathering our Nests with Joy, Peace and Love.”
We stay in a beautiful retreat house called Harmony. 14 gals stayed overnight all weekend. 22 gals participated.
Lots of fun, food, snacks, laughter, and not a lot of sleep.
It rained a lot, so we stayed inside and dry.
No swatter ball, fly that balloon. Bummer! (Due to rain) We had a wonderful skit that kept all the gals laughing. “Yeehaw the sheriff’s in town with a bubble gun.”
In case you are wondering what “swatter ball” is - we play with flyswatters, two teams and swat a balloon back and forth. Some games require quite a few balloons as they break! We use a piece of yarn across the lawn as a net. We have a score-keeper and play 21 points.
We all go to “The Cliff House” Sunday for brunch, which overlooks “The Grand Canyon of Arkansas.” Awesome! Hummingbirds!
The drive home to Albert Lea was the same route staying overnight at the Comfort Inn, Marshall one night.
It had rained a lot since we drove down to Arkansas. The ponds and rivers were bank full with a few touchdown tornados.
We stopped at McDonald's in a suburb of Des Moines and talked to a couple whose house was hit by the tornado. They said their damage wasn’t bad compared to some neighbors who lost cars, house and all inside possessions.
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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in New York. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.