Ten Things of Thankful: A Missouri and Arkansas Edition

 

My daughter and I stand in front of the dome car of the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad train

I recently returned from a vacation to Missouri and Arkansas with my oldest daughter. We flew out of Seattle to St. Louis, Missouri one Saturday and returned the next. In that one week's time, we packed in a lot of sightseeing: some typical, "touristy" places, and some highlights that were meaningful to us, but perhaps not on the state tourism board's top ten list. 

1. I'm thankful to have been able to spend so much time with my daughter. She is a kind, intelligent woman and she is my friend as well as my daughter. 

2. I'm thankful we got to visit with my cousin. I hadn't seen her in years, and it was really great to spend some time with her. 

3. I'm thankful we were able to find several cemeteries where relatives are buried, and to be able to find the gravestones. The smallest cemetery was on the property that used to belong to my g-g-g-grandpa. It was down a dirt road and there were "no trespassing" signs all along that road, along with lots of broken-down vehicles. Initially, I turned around and returned to the hotel to ask the hotel owner if the cemetery was also off-limits, or if I could go. I also emailed a distant cousin who had given me some local advice and asked him if it was OK to continue driving down that road. Both assured me it was fine, so we  returned. There were not any "no trespassing" signs at the entrance to the cemetery, and no one questioned our presence there. Several of the oldest headstones were broken, but I was glad to see that the grass had been mowed recently, as I had been forewarned to watch for ticks and chiggers. 

Rows of headstones in the Kimes Cemetery

When we arrived at the largest cemetery, we were not having any luck in finding the headstones we were looking for--those of Matt and George Kimes, notorious bank robbers  in the roaring 20's and second cousins of my grandma. A man drove up to us, told us he used to be the caretaker of that cemetery, and asked us who we were looking for. We told him, and he was able to show us exactly where they were. 

4. I'm thankful we were also able to find the location of homesteads of some of my other ancestors, and the old school that my grandma attended. 

The old weathered No. 12 School near Chester, Arkansas

5. I'm thankful that Greg Shephard, a distant cousin I haven't met, wrote a book (Earthstains) about Matt and George Kimes, and has graciously answered my emails and spoken with me on the phone regarding family history and places to see in the area.

6. I'm thankful that Royal Wade Kimes, another distant cousin I haven't met, responded to my email and gave me advice of where to stay and what sites I should visit while in Arkansas. I didn't realize that the small town of Chester had lodging until he suggested the Beard and Lady Inn. I enjoyed staying in that historic hotel!

The Beard and Lady Inn, an old two-story brick hotel, is the main commercial building in the town of Chester, Arkansas

7. I'm thankful for just how nice the people we met were. We attended the Wilder Days celebration in Mansfield, Missouri, one soggy afternoon. Locals had set up booths around the park, and we were walking around admiring the wares. One booth was advertising the Little Farm Store. We started chatting with the man and asked him if he knew where we might find a pawpaw to try. (We had seen that Chester was going to have its 1st annual Pawpaw Festival, but we wouldn't be in town for it.) The man immediately responded, "In my refrigerator." He picked up his phone, called his dad, and let us know that pawpaws would be on their way! We enjoyed trying a new fruit, and his extra-mile answer to our question left us with a positive impression of Missourians!

8. I'm thankful for a wonderful meal at the restaurant at Baker Creek Seeds in Mansfield, Missouri. You might know Baker Creek for its wonderful seed catalog. They have a smaller free version, but the big catalog is worth the price; it's in full color and has so much good information about the various seeds and includes recipes, too. As wonderful as the mail order catalog is, visiting in person is even better. The restaurant features dishes made with whatever happens to be in season at the time. It was our best meal of the entire trip. We had a butternut squash pasta dish, a green salad with homemade dressing, and homemade guava "ice cream" made with coconut milk. It was so good! I forgot to take a photo of the food. Guess I'll have to go back sometime!

The restaurant is housed in a wooden building with "Ozark Hotel" on the front, though I don't think it actually operates as a hotel

9. I'm thankful for the cooler weather, and even the rain we experienced. I'm still "enjoying" (haha) triple digits here in October in southern California. Missouri and Arkansas gave me hope that fall will come. (And if not, we will be returning to Utah at the beginning of November, so presumably the triple-digits won't follow us there.)

10. I'm thankful for John. He encourages me to go and have fun, and he's still working hard. Retirement is on the horizon, and I'm happy for him!

What are you thankful for this week? What are the hidden gems in your area that deserve a visit? 

Be sure to check out the other blogs in the Ten Things of  Thankful blog hop, and please join us! Rumor has it that Clark is looking for more co-hosts, so if you are interested, let us know that as well!

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