2018 Schedule

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Ahead of Schedule..........



It is November 30 and the weather is beautiful in Southwest Missouri. We normally wait until the cold blustery days of Winter to begin building our inventory of papercrete containers for the Spring/Summer show season but the demand for our containers has been great all Fall. I was suffering with a sore back so Peggy began to sell on the craft show circuit and has been well received. Increased sales has caused us to concentrate on working ahead of our usual schedule to maintain an inventory.

Show exposure with a unique craft item results in lots of invitations to additional events. Our 2014 event schedule is filling rapidly. Between the new events and finding groups to host our papercrete classes it seems that the coming season will be hectic yet fun. We had a goal of completing 1000 pieces to be ready for the '13 season. That goal was met and we expect to double that for '14.



Sunday, November 10, 2013

Things We Like........


It was the middle of February and the weather was unsettled as they say in the Ozarks. Peggy and I had driven to the Portland area on a buying trip and had not experienced any bad weather or driving conditions on the way West. Portland was experiencing a week of rain yet well above freezing so it was tolerable. On our way out I had asked if there was anyplace special we should see since we had the weekend to kill before business on Monday morning. Peggy’s only request was to see the ocean.

Oregon 26, the road between the Portland area and the coast would turn out to be a smorgasbord of weather and driving conditions. It was touch and go as we experienced rain, sleet, snow, hail, and road conditions to match. Slow and steady we made our way to Seaside, Oregon the end of the Lewis and Clark trail. It was traveler’s luck that as we approached the last few miles to the coast the skies opened the sun bore down and we had a wonderful day exploring the quaint town of Seaside and then traveled South to Cannon Beach State Park. The scene was almost surreal as I captured a picture of my lovely bride doing the Hillbilly Strut down the beach with shoes in hand.


Absolutely fascinating is what I call the interaction of flora and fauna in nature. Sixty plus years has not dampened my desire to see just how ingrained we are with everything that surrounds us. I remember once hearing a quote that said, “man owes his existence to six inches of topsoil and the fact that it rains”. That illustrates the fact that we survive in an environment that is both fragile and resilient, It also provides those who seek to understand its’ mysteries a world of entertainment.
Thousands and thousands of symbiotic relationships occur in nature every day. It does not matter if it is hot or cold, wet or dry, dark or light, nature continues on. The environment is open seven days a week twenty fours a day. Feel free to go out and see what interaction you might find.