OZARK SHARE AND CARE EXPEDITION!

I remember decades ago, when I lived in Harrison, Saturday morning was the day of the week set aside for local organizations to stage a fund-raising event in the center of the town.    I first saw this put into practice when my Girl Scout troop would gather up donations from folks who had "too much", or had outgrown shoes/clothing, then have a "Rummage Sale".  Back in the fifties and sixties of the last century, the courthouse lawn was the location for these Rummage Sales.  We would string rope between the maple trees on the lawn, to make a place to hang up the clothes that were donated.  The endeavor taught us girls that something we had grown tired of, could be a treasure to someone else.  Over the years, as the economy flourished and Americans began to experience the "Affluence Affliction" (sometimes nicknamed Affluenza), individuals began to have SO MUCH STUFF, there was no need to wait until an organization was asking for donations for an annual rummage sale.  Instead, they could simply lump their abundant possessions they no longer needed, into piles in their garage, and have the then-trending "Garage Sale".  However, most people who were having garage sales, did not sell everything.  So, someone hypothesized that if there was a central place where people could take these unsold items, and they could be given away free of charge;  or, if sold, the funds received could be used for charitable purposes.  Eventually, a non-profit, 501c3, was formed, that would meet these criteria.  That organization was called "Ozark Share and Care".   A member of their staff is shown below, along with one of the trucks the organization uses to pick up large  items being donated.

But then they found that if they had a bigger truck, they could pick up bigger loads, and hence you see the truck below, that has an elevator lift, for loading large/heavy items.

To maximize the effectiveness of the service they provide where they come to the donor's home to pick up large items, they try to schedule them only on certain days of the week.

The colorful cornucopia basket, with produce flowing out of it, is a familiar logo, for indicating abundance.  It is a reference to the Share and Care main focus, of providing nourishing foods (at little or no cost) for families in Boone County, but will not turn away someone in need from outside the county. 

After the workers finished getting items out of the garage of the donor's home, they determined the items on the bottom floor could be more easily loaded, if they backed their truck down the slope, so that the lift attachment on the back would be at ground level.

These are the two very congenial Share and Care staff members, who came to assist our project.  The photo was taken in front of the empty truck, BEFORE they had worked diligently to fill it to the brim.  However, I can assure you they still had pleasant attitudes to the very end, despite the hard work!

Their kindness is especially remarkable, considering they were loading furniture from three stories, up and down these steps!

And there were several narrow hallways, twists, and turns they had to navigate as well!

So I want to commend the "pioneers" who originally saw the need for  Share and Care, (way back in 1987!), and worked to bring it to fruition.   Ozark Share and Care began, and continues to be "Faith Based".  They are supported by at least 14 local churches, as well as several schools, businesses, organizations, and private donors.  The services they provide, in the name of Jesus, are remarkable! You can find out more at their website, www.ozarkshareandcare.org or phone 870-741-3130.  In addition, they post photos of new donations of items to their thrift store, as well as menus for  the weekly meals they serve, on their Facebook page. 

One of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com)  memory verses relates to this attitude of "Share and Care".  It is the quote from Matthew 19:21 :  Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me."  Perhaps this verse can be a reminder that Share and Care also takes CASH donations, and they are tax deductible, since this is a 501c3 entity.  You can find them at 102 Highway 62-65 Bypass, Harrison, Arkansas  7260l, phone 870-741-3130.   I predict helping this organization through donations of physical items, cash, or, your time as a volunteer, will give you "MILES OF SMILES", just as it did for me!  Tricia

 

"TRIAL AND ERROR" PHOTOGRAPHY EXPEDITION!

Over a decade ago (August 15, 2011), I published a blog about Crystal Cove State Park on California's Pacific coast, that included several photos and comments about the assortment of colorful beach umbrellas, that sprang up from the sand like springtime flowers. Here is one of the photos I included in that blog:

That blog was picked up by Hearst Publications, so it made me realize that I am not the only one who finds pleasure in seeing these "made for shade" devices in photographs!  Since I live in a land-locked state with no oceans, I had never thought of owning a beach umbrella.  However, on a recent trip to the Florida coast with family members, I purchased one of these umbrellas (as well as a beach chair), and brought it home with me to Arkansas, with the goal of doing some photography "experiments" with it.  

Before carrying the awkwardly-shaped items to the actual location I had in mind (which required crossing two creeks, while carrying the items under my arms), I did a "trial run" before wading the creek, to see if I was able to get the umbrella to stand up in the gravel.  An internet search before I started showed that plastic bases can be purchased to serve as an anchor for beach umbrellas.  Knowing this, I also had with me a collapsible bag that I could fill with gravel and use as a base, in case the umbrella pole would not stand up on its own.  Fortunately, the small gravel at this location worked quite well for supporting the pole!

I was successful in wading across the two creeks carrying these items to my desired location, which was an outcropping of flat rocks on the second creek.  It does not take a genius to figure out that a pole is not going to stand up by itself on top of flat rocks, so I had to find a little patch of gravel between the rocks to use as a base. 

Once I saw that the umbrella would stand up on its own, I stepped back to get a photo of the umbrella and chair, with the small waterfalls in the distance. 

 

Out of curiosity, I also took a photo of the chair by itself, facing the waterfalls, and the umbrella not in the picture.

Then, I waded across the creek, and shot a picture with mostly creek in the foreground, umbrella on the right, and waterfalls on the left. 

 

Standing beside the waterfalls, I took a photo of the chair and umbrella in the distance.

 

The next photo was intended to show the rock "bridge" that crossed the creek at this location, creating the one foot drop that caused the waterfalls 

While I was spending all this time on the flat rocks,, I noticed they had some similar attributes to the "Turtle rocks" I have photographed at Petite Jean State Park in Arkansas.  (See blog dated April 16, 2015 for info on that state park visit)

Here is a photo of the placard at Petit Jean State Park that tells visitors about the turtle Rocks:  

My plan was to come back to these turtle rocks on another trip, and bring my tent, for a photo shoot. (After all, a tent is basically an umbrella that goes all the way to the ground!)  I have always dreamed of taking a photo of a tent after dark, with it glowing from a lantern that was on the inside of the tent.  Knowing the logistics of such a shot would be a challenge for me, because it would involve hiking in the dark, carrying a tent and lantern on my back, while wading across creeks, I thought perhaps I should do a "practice run"  of such a photo, closer to home.  The first step is getting the tent set up:

I managed to get it set up, and did so in the daytime, so it would be easier.

 

My "TENT IN THE DARK" photo is less than stunning!

 

 

Even though I was not at all pleased with the photos in the dark, it was a valuable lesson.  I learned that mosquitoes will find me and bite me at twilight, even though it is February!  One reason I was doing this photo experiment in the winter is because ticks and chiggers are less likely to bite me then.  So it did not occur to me that I should have put on mosquito repellent if I was going to be outside at twilight .  Also,  I realized that there is no need to carry the tent the long hike to the waterfall , because the waterfall would not show up in the dark, without some special effects such as "light painting" that I have heard renowned photographer Tim Ernst discuss.  If you Google "How to take a photo of a glowing tent at night", there are numerous video/text tutorials that give details on obtaining such a photograph that could be used for advertising or gallery exhibits.  They were more than I wanted to tackle, as all I wanted to use was my iPhone and no tripod!

Another thing I learned by spending the time outside on this unseasonably warm February day, was that it was a good time to look for a "root" photo, that would be a visual aid for me to learn one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses.

Sycamore trees are prevalent along the creek, and often their roots are exposed, as they cling tenaciously to the bank, to keep from falling over 

The verse I am trying to memorize is from Revelation 22:16 of the New Testament, and says

I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.

Can you see in the photo below how an "offspring" is coming out of an opening in this ancient sycamore tree??

The bright light shining though the top of the photo can remind me that the verse includes the phrase "bright Morning Star"  .    Even thought this photo shoot did not produce any particularly stunning photographs, it was such an enjoyable day to be outside in God's Great Outdoors, and it gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!!  Tricia

SYMPOSIUM EXPEDITION!

Each year, the College of the Ozarks hosts symposiums for the students and the public, that feature well-know individuals, with a variety of backgrounds.  This blog is about the visit I made to College of the Ozarks, to attend the program featuring James "JB" Brown.  I arrived at the college several hours before the event start time, so that I could take a stroll around the campus, seeing some "new-to-me" locations, (and get in my 10,000 step activity goal!).

College of the Ozarks is a fully accredited, Christian, liberal arts college, located just outside Branson, Missouri.  The vision of College of the Ozarks is to develop citizens of Christ-like character who are well-educated, hard-working, and patriotic.  To achieve this vision, the College has Academic, Vocational, Christian, Patriotic and Cultural goals.  The reminder of that patriotic goal , can be seen in Patriot's Park, near the entrance to the college.  This photo shows a plaque at Patriot's Park.

There is an impressive array of flags at Patriots Park.  The park also includes other types of memorials, such as bronze monuments and a grove of over 100 sugar maple trees, planted in honor of specific veterans. 

The picturesque waterfall landscaping shown in photo below, can be found in front of the Keeter Center, the College's largest workstation (hence, a part of the vocational goal of the college).  The facility was recently voted a Top Small Hotel in the U.S., by TripAdvisor.

 

Inside the Keeter Center, there is a gift shop that sells a wide variety of student-made products, such as those shown in gift box below:

Student-made fruitcakes are a signature item of the college, and I can testify that they are delicious!  Groups and individuals who take guided tours of the campus, get to visit the fruitcake kitchen, and are given a complementary sample of this luscious treat!

 

The statue of our country's first president, George Washington, stands in front of the Center for Patriotic Education.

Near the front door of this building is a metal partition, with stars cut out of it, in a nod to our nation's "stars and stripes" flag.  I speculate that this custom item was made by students in the college's metal shop.

 

There was a charging station for electric vehicles that sat in front of the engineering building, and it had a Tesla hooked up to it.  I asked a staff member inside the building if there were other charging stations around the campus, and he replied, "not that I know of."  He went on to comment that the engineering department had received this particular charging station from a grant that was provided,  to promote the use of electric vehicles.  With thousands of cars, belonging to students, faculty, and visitors on the campus every day, there would be a very long line to use this one charging station, if, indeed, the use of gasoline-powered vehicles is completely outlawed!

The symposium I was attending was being held inside Keeter Gymnasium, and the photo below shows the view I had from my seat on the gymnasium floor.  This building has seen some very famous world figures as speakers, including Great Britain's Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, General Norman Schwarzkopt, Colin Powell, Newt Gingrich, Dr. Ben Carson, Tim Tebow, Arkansas Governor Sara Huckabee Sanders, and television personality, Mike Rowe. 

Since I enjoy photography, I chose a seat behind the seat that was reserved for the official photographer of the event, because I thought it would be interesting to see what kind of equipment he was using, and to observe his "modus operandi" for capturing great images. 

 

 

 I was not disappointed, because I was able to observe him using a variety of lenses, and I carefully studied the "work harness" he was wearing, that had storage bags for a variety of cameras, back up batteries, flash equipment, etc.  When I attended the Tim Tebow and Governor Sara Sanders speeches, I sat in the area cordoned off for the media, to the immediate left of the platform.  Those seats put the media guest closer to the speaker, but I would agree with this designated event photographer's philosophy, that the "official photographer" gets the best view points, directly in front of the stage. 

 

The event moderator reminded the audience that James "JB" Brown comes from a sports background, and as an athlete himself in the past, was used to walking into a gymnasium with the roar of the crowd, led by cheerleaders and team mascots.  So, College of the Ozarks had their cheerleaders and mascot, get the crowd "fired up", with applause and rousing rhythms, as Mr. Brown entered the room.  It was a very fitting tribute, to an athlete with such a remarkable sports record!

Before I went to the event, I wanted to get background information, so I checked out Mr. Brown's social media platforms.  Screen shots of these are shown below:

The talk Mr. Brown gave that evening, through a "Q and A" type format, was informative and inspiring.  I could see that despite his many accolades, he remains humble and service minded.  Since one of the awards he has received is being named the recipient of the National Association of Broadcasters Distinguisheded SERVICE Award (the organization's highest honor), it seemed fitting to use this symposium featured speaker, as the visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses, that deals with SERVICE:  "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."  Matthew 20:26-28

I felt doubly blessed because I not only got to be present at Mr. Brown's symposium appearance, but I was also invited to attend the reception afterwards, at the Keeter Center. Since my Master's Degree is in Foods and Nutrition, I find it intriguing to see the creative ways the food service team at the Keeter Center captures the eye, and the appetite, with their dazzling array of refreshments.  For example, notice this custom-crafted metal "tree", designed to hold individual cones, packed with colorful appetizers!

Likewise, platters full of  "S'MORES ON A STICK" were a perfect treat for a chilly fall evening.

The students in charge of the hot apple cider service, also had a lovely display.

The student shown below is the one I asked to take a photo of me, and she kindly allowed me to also take a photo of her, as well!

Besides wanting a photo to remember what I wore to the reception, I also wanted a photo that showed the variety of harvest-time produce and flowers, that the school grows on their own campus.  Visitors can see a variety of plant species, including fabulous orchids, at the Hoge Greenhouses on campus. 

There was another giant "centerpiece" arrangement in the reception area, that I wanted to remember with a photo.   I hope the photo of the harvest-themed decor, and my smiling face, illustrates that this fantastic experience at College of the Ozarks, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!  Tricia