Saturday, September 1, 2012

A Pleasant Evening in the Country

by Pa Rock
Weary Traveler

I am half-a-continent away from where I went to sleep last night - safely in West Plains, Missouri, the birthplace of Dick Van Dyke  and hometown of Porter Waggoner and Jan Howard (country singers), and Preacher Roe (baseball player).   My son, Nick, whom I am visiting, had a favorite teacher (drama) at McDonald County High School - about 200 miles from here.   That teacher was Elwin Roe, Preacher Roe's son.

West Plains is beautiful, though so economically depressed that few who live here can probably fully appreciate the beauty of the area.  The grass and trees are green, the breeze is cool, and nature abounds.  When man finally disappears, it will just be a matter of months before nature obliterates all traces of the temporary intruder.

The Ozarks are everything that Phoenix isn't.

My flights today were from Phoenix to Denver in a big jet - and then on to Springfield, Missouri, in a commuter jet.  Flying across Kansas we slowly approached an extremely tall bank of white clouds which was the tail end of Hurricane Isaac.  The plane finally entered the wall of clouds about thirty minutes before landing in Springfield, and I drove two hours through a light rain to reach West Plains.  This area was parched by the drought this summer, so all rain is appreciated - and Isaac brought a pleasant soaker that was truly beneficial.

The storm that devastated New Orleans and parts of several southern states, came north and helped to end the awful drought.  One weather system with a wide range of consequences.

Did you hear the one about the out-of-touch frat boy running for President who told the homeless hurricane victim to go home and call 211?    Gotta love the human touch!


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