Origami and the Art of Folding Sheets

Nope, we can't fold origami swans, frogs or flowers, but we can fold sheets.

Imagine Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid speaking in your ear, saying "Top - bottom, now side - side." There you have it, fold until it forms a neat rectangle. Now you, too, can fold sheets. This completes the instruction for the top sheet; the mantra for the fitted sheet goes, "left pointy finger - right pointy finger - now all corners onto one pointy finger." Square up neatly, then into a rectangle. Lay the rectangular fitted sheet on top of the rectangular top sheet (add pillowcases) and fold in each end to the middle. The end result resembles a very neat linen burrito.

We have learned to appreciate the 'zen' of laundry. While doing laundry isn't rocket science, it has its own charm and discipline.

As with anything, practice makes perfect. Towels must be folded in a consistent manner to make refreshing a motel or lodge room or even a cabin a model of efficiency.

Sheets, ah sheets - the lesson in Zen... With mountains of laundry from the motel, lodge and cabins, the art of folding sheets is sometimes a challenge but always a process... and definitely a lesson in philosophy. There is great satisfaction in watching a mountain of chaos transform into a neat stack of order through your efforts.

May you discover the extraordinary in the ordinary.

K&J

Inspiration is in the Details

All our friends and family are experiencing record heat. Even here in Branson, the numbers are high and the temps are HOT! In that vein, all efforts at entertainment have involved indoors and air conditioning...

Last week we saw Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part II in IMAX 3-D. Great fun, although a little sad to see Harry all grown up.

This week we were re-inspired by James Garrett and his Tribute to John Denver at the Little Opry Theater. The musicianship was superb and the tribute was inspirational. Garrett recounted personal stories of John Denver and provided insight behind the songs. Always loved John Denver's music and storytelling ability. The show was a reminder of how short and bittersweet life is. It served to reinspire us to remember some of our original dreams and re-focus our goals. Great show!

As a treat, we had lunch at Joe's Crab Shack at Branson Landing. The crab was great! Don't criticize the photo, crabs travel sideways anyway.

In other news, the tomato plant is thriving in the heat and producing multitudes of cherry tomatoes as a daily treat. The summer colds have passed and we are all well, if not a little wilted in the heat.

May you all find inspiration and remember your dreams.

Be cool - K&J

'S Up?

Last week's attempts to see shows was a bust - zip - nada.  Wanted to see Cirque Montage, but the Starlite Theater did not comp/reciprocate tickets and just weren't very friendly about it. So, trucked over to the mall to see 'Absolutely Patsy.' And, wouldn't you know it - she took the week off to get married. Sometimes things just don't work out...

So this week Kathy is fighting off a nasty summer cold, while Jerri is busy trying not to develop symptoms. Neither of us have much energy left to pursue entertainment. It's been a job just to get the laundry done.

On the upside, the tomato plant is thriving and doing quite well. We have been unable to catch the vermin eating on the lower leaves, but the tomatoes are growing every day. It appears to be a patio tomato plant, as the fruit is small and forming in clusters. Not too shabby for a rescued plant.

The hummingbirds still come to the feeders every day. The aloe plant has mutated into a gargantuan super aloe. If it gets any bigger it won't be able to travel with us. All the other plants are happy; the dogs are happy; and all is well (except us). Today is overcast with a slow, drizzly, much-needed rain. Just a good day to stay home and rest.

All in all, no complaints. Just wish we had more energy and felt better.

Stay healthy and safe-
K&J

This Week's Shows: The Twelve Irish Tenors and SIX

The Twelve Irish Tenors at ten and SIX at two.  Does anyone really know what time it is? 

We decided to make the most of this day off by taking in two shows today.  We got going early to see our first show at 10am: The Twelve Irish Tenors.  This group of twelve Irish/Irish-American singers were well-polished young performers.  They harmonized well, were witty and had a charm about them that won the audience over. 

After a nice lunch out, we arrived to see SIX at 2pm.  Now, if you want to see a show in Branson, this is the one to see! Talk about talent!  Six brothers sing and perform as "An Orchestra of Human Voices" unlike you have ever heard!  These guys were voted "Entertainers of the Year 2010"  and are well on their way to claiming the title again in 2011 (in our opinion).  Six voices. Zero instruments. All music.  A fabulous show that we would highly recommend. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE3ia5ug5qE

In case the link doesn't post in our blog, you can check out SIX on YouTube.

We are loving the area and feel very fortunate to be able to see this caliber of entertainment while working here.  Here's to making the most of every situation in our lives!

Love what you do and do what you love....

J&K

Having Fun at Compton Ridge

Just a quick post to keep everything somewhat up-to-date. Went to see the Doug Gabriel Show on Thursday night with a group from work. It was a fun, clean, family-oriented show. Doug has played in Branson for over 18 years, four of which he shared the stage with Roy Clark. The entire Gabriel family is very musical and interacted well with the audience.

But to back up just a bit before we forget...our first day on the job at Compton Ridge was at the beginning of the Fiddler's Convention. There is a spring and fall convention for fiddlers and is a tradition at Compton Ridge. We were serenaded by a guitar-playing, singing gentleman in the office. Great fun, but of course didn't have the camera. Who knew we needed a camera on the first day of work?

This past week brought the BTW (Brothers of the Third Wheel) to Compton Ridge. We were inundated by trikes and riders from across the country. This is an annual event here. The trikes are all custom built, very elaborate and quite pricey. Again, no camera with us at work. However, you can go to the Compton Ridge Campground facebook page to see various photos of the events.

Will have to remember to pack the camera to document all the fun we're having. We are experiencing a lot of variety, learning new things and are never bored. Even the changing weather keeps us on our toes.

Find fun in whatever you do -
K&J

Settling In and Having Fun in Branson

We have one of the nicest workamper campsites ever! We have a huge campsite with a fire ring in the back. It's a really long gravel site, terraced down the side of hill, so the wind is kind to the awning and we are able to leave it out (anchored down, of course). We rescued a tomato plant someone left, transplanted it to a bucket, fertilized it and put it in a sunny spot. We now have blooms and are looking forward to tomatoes.

 This is our S'mores pit. We are able to have a fire and our campsite drops down to a hiking trail which goes by a small cave and up to an overlook area. The dogs love it!  Lots of ups and downs - just like in life. Have to be very careful of ticks, chiggers and snakes. This is the woods after all. And, Michele, FYI - the Listerine does work against mosquitoes. Yay, Listerine!

 This is a cute photo we took at State Park Marina. This is part of the Missouri State Park system and down the road from Table Rock Dam and Lake. Table Rock is a Corps of Engineers park. They have a very nice lakefront area. The water level is still above normal. We were told it is 53 miles by water from Kimberling City to Table Rock and the lake has 953 miles of shoreline. Table Rock Lake is man made.

The State Park has 2 campgrounds and a very large marina. Lots of hiking trails and water sports - like Seadoos, kayaking, water skiing, scuba diving, pontoon and house boats. This mini travel trailer is a Shaved Ice stand, but it wasn't open when we were there.

We continued exploring the area, following where the road led. Found our way to Hollister and back to Branson Landing. Had a wonderful lunch at the White River Fish House which is the floating restaurant next to Bass Pro on Lake Taneycomo.

Wanted to 'Ride the Ducks' but ran out of time. Will save it for another day.

So much to see and do. Have to make plans to take in everything. Branson really does have it all. We constantly marvel at how much Branson and the Ozarks remind us of Rabun County and North Georgia. The geography is so similar. Perhaps that is why it feels so familiar. The geology is different - totally different rocks.

Safe travels
K&J

Jeerk and The Prince of Magic

Our philosophy has always been to work hard and play hard. We are in the right place to do both. Branson MO is definitely a 'vacation destination,' and Entertainment Capital (of at least the U.S.).

Our second round of entertainment included Jeerk, which is a young, very versatile 5-man Swedish rhythm group that is absolutely phenomenal! They are the whole package --- they sing, dance, play instruments, play percussion on anything, and are quite funny. Really enjoyed the show and would recommend it to anyone coming to Branson. BTW, Jeerk is pronounced 'Jerk' and is comprised of the alphabets of the guys last names.

These guys are so talented and quite an energy booster. Their tap shoes are specially made sneakers with tap soles on the bottom.

Second show this week was Kirby Van Burch, the Prince of Magic. First time ever for both of us at a live magic show. Kirby has also performed around the world and was dubbed the 'Prince of Magic' by the king and queen of Thailand. Our seats were 3rd row center - great seats - and we still can't determine how the illusions were performed. Especially the last act where the helicopter appeared on stage... Very entertaining, a seamless performance and crowd pleaser.

Our definite entertainment winner so far is Jeerk, with The Legend of Kung Fu coming in second. If all else fails, we can become critics, although we haven't seen a bad performance  anywhere yet.


Here's to having fun -
K&J