Now we are not clothes and mall shopping folks, the only shopping I like to do is grocery shopping and as you all know, that is because I love food! We do enjoy specialty and unique type shops though. Ralph needed a couple of shirts and they did have a kitchen store there, so off we went.
Ralph found some shirts and I found another kitchen gadget I couldn't live without.
On the way home we stopped at an overlook. Ralph spotted a bald eagle soaring above the sky and he landed right below where we were standing. How exciting that was to see this magnificent creature, it gave me goose bumps to see this bald eagle soar over the water and land on this branch. They are so majestic looking.
We drove pass the Hollywood Wax Museum. There is the Duke, Elvis, Marilyn and I don't have a clue who the 4th person is.
and of course here is King Kong.
On Saturday, June 20th, I headed out for my walk to Branson Landing. It was a wonderful walk along Lake Taneycomo. I got a nice treat when a mother duck and her 13 babies swam up to say hello.
They also have a paddle wheel boat to take you around Lake Taneycomo.
One of the shops at Branson Landing is Dino's 24 Karrot Cake and Cafe.
With the help of Wikipedia, here is some interesting info. on Dino Kartsonakis. He is an American pianist of Greek heritage and is known as the Christian Liberace because of his flair, costumes, pianos and jewelry. He plays classical, gospel and Christian music and has performed at Carnegie Hall. He performs in his own show here in Branson, and he is also 72 years old.
In 2007 Dino and his wife Cheryl opened a bakery in Branson, because baking was his passion second only to music. They are a major supplier to the Neiman Marcus stores and cafes. Some of his clients are Denzel Washington, Beyonce, Tony Orlando, Neil McCoy, Bobby Vinton, Mike Huckabee and Billy Graham. Dino is known for his 24 Karrot Cake, but they have many other flavors also.
In 2011 Dino and his wife lost their home during a flood in the Missouri area. Dino lost all of his possessions such as his grand show pianos as well as all of his costumes, industry memorabilia and awards. The Kartsonakis' then started helping the community by doing fundraising concerts to help other victims rebuild their lives and homes.
As I said earlier, he is known as the Christian Liberace.
Here are some of his stage jackets on display at his bakery.
I kid you not, you can smell the cakes, cinnamon rolls and specialty
coffee's way before you get to the door and here Dino is to greet you teasing you with his tantalizing 24 Karrot Cake. I entered the bakery and it was just cozy and beautiful inside with nice seating.
I would like to have a slice of each please!
My plan is to stop here with Ralph and split a piece of Dino's signature Carrot Cake!
I love the open air mall at the Branson Landing Shops with the brick walkway. It was fun admiring the beautiful buildings.
Kilwins is a well known sweet shop with homemade fudge, chocolate, fancy caramel apples and ice cream treats. All homemade.
We can send a man to the moon, we have all this technology, why can't they make a pill to remove all the calories when you eats sugar and fat?
Heading back across Turkey Creek I got a treat and saw this crane.
An early morning boat ride on Lake Taneycomo.
I have always liked the beauty of spider webs.
I got cleaned up and Ralph and I headed to Springfield, MO. about 45 minutes away. A well known and huge western store called PFI was sponsoring the Mule Jumping Competition also known as Coon Jumping.
Mules are a cross between and female horse and a male donkey. The donkey part gives them the muscular characteristics that enable them to do a standing high jump.
A little history on Coon Jumping with the help of Wikipedia. The idea for the competition began many years ago with raccoon hunters riding mules deep in the southern woods of the United States.
During the hunt, there were often fences in the way of the chase. The riders would dismount and throw a blanket of jacket over the top wire, making it visible to the mule.Standing on the opposite side, the rider urges the mule to jump from a standstill, thus avoiding a long walk to the nearest gate.
It was not long before people were trying to see whose mule could jump the highest so competitions were formed.
Of course there are rules, a mule must stand in front of a canvas curtain placed on a horizontal bar and jumps from a stand still. Mules must come to a complete stop for one second before attempting a jump. Each mule is allowed two attempts to clear the jump. The handler cannot touch the mule but must encourage it over the bar with voice commands. After a successful round, the height is raised.
There are several classes depending on the size of the mules. There is miniature mule class, a class for under 51" and over 51". The world record is 72" which is 6 feet.
Before we left, the mules were reaching 54". We left before the the big mules competed. It was quite hot and humid and we were in the sun for a few hours already. It was an exciting day and we sure had a fun time.
Until next time................Happy Trails!
One time I was cutting hay with the swather across the way from us on the neighbor's place. I saw this mule on one side of the fence--the next time I looked up he was in the same field as me--yep, his owner said he could jump any fence!
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