Sail it away! Mountain Top drive at tee box 13 with Daly, Allen, Chapman, Frost, and caddies
They call it Mountain Top! A links-style course designed by Gary Player and Johnny Morris – a splash of Scotland in the Ozarks
Jesper Parnevik at Mountain Top, one of three venues for Legends of Golf 2018
Legends of Golf Tournament of Bass Pro Shops at Big Cedar
Now in year five of its sponsorship, Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops rolled out the greens for another great Legends of Golf Tournament with PGA Tour Champions.
Seventy-two golfers in teams of two compete for a prize purse of $1.8 million over 4-days (67-holes) at three Johnny Morris courses: Top of the Rock (9-hole par-3), Mountain Top (13-hole par 3), and Buffalo Ridge (18-holes).
YES! I win the prize. In my 2017/Legends Blog, I amused myself with the idea Mark Wahlberg would play this year in the Celebrity Skins Shootout at Legends of Golf. Now it’s news.
For the Legends Celebrity Shoot Out, Wahlberg teams up with Gary Player. Kid Rock teams up with Jack Nicklaus, a winning duo in 2017. Other celebrities to grace the greens, Johnny Miller (1973 U.S. Open Champion) and Larry the Cable Guy; golfer Larry Nelson/Austin Dillon (race car driver)/Richard Childress (NASCAR team owner); golfer David Graham/sportsman John Paul Morris; Lee Trevino/Willie Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame.
Crowd gathers to hear announcement at the Great Barrier Reef Exhibit
USA Today readers vote WOW America’s Best New Attraction 2017 – No Surprise There!
I was on the staircase, Jan. 5, 2018, all ears when Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Parson announced USA Today readers voted Wonders of Wildlife, America’s Best New Attraction in 2017.
Quite the feat since WOW opened to the public on Sept. 22, 2017. Two months on the books, and it received more votes than any other new attraction 2017 AND in the history of USA Today in that category.
Of course, I hoped to spot Johnny Morris among the dignitaries at the announcement, but he was traveling, fishing for Goliath Groupers with pro-fisherman Bill Dance. Parsons read a letter from Johnny, who wrote of his gratitude for the award and his thanks to the public who voted for and embraced this work of conservation.
The award announcement came with a donuts-and-coffee-bar and great fanfare. A banner dropped the length of the 37-foot aquarium at the Great Barrier Reef Exhibit to announce We did it! Inside the tank, a diver held a sign, “America’s Best New Attraction,” while curious fish swam by, no doubt thinking, “We did it!” Continue reading Johnny Morris Wonders of Wildlife Awarded Best New Attraction
I like to Volunteer at Bass Pro Legends of Golf, and thought you might want to know why. Think green lawns, sandy bunkers, legendary pros, media, eclectic crowds, divine landscapes, swans, boats, ponds, and waterfalls — christened with rain — all that at the PGA TOUR® Champions Bass Pro Shops® Legends of Golf® at Big Cedar® Lodge, played on premier courses at Top of the Rock and Buffalo Ridge.
Why I Volunteer
Volunteer? Friends and family chuckle when I volunteer at the tournament because it cost $50 to volunteer and it takes 3-5 days of my personal time. Some think I am starstruck, but – no. Volunteering for me is the big picture of what this extraordinary event brings to me personally, to golfing, and to our area.
Kid Rock styling in camo for the Skins Shootout with Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Lee Trevino
The tournament is held in April, my birthday month, and it’s a gift of entertainment to me.
It supports Missouri tourism and conservation.
Love the color green, and the most beautiful greens in the Ozarks sprout in the spring.
Love hearing the birds, watching the swans, and walking the beautiful courses that host the tournament.
You never know what to expect. This year Kid Rock played in a Skins Shootout with Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Lee Trevino. You had to be there. I’m banking on Mark Wahlberg next year.
“Service Beyond Self” Medallion presented at the gate to military and civil servants by sponsor H.E. Williams Electric
I volunteer to celebrate the conservation efforts of Johnny and Jeannie Morris to make golfing a premier event in the Ozarks. [Fun fact: Golf became an Olympic sport again at the 2016 Games in Rio.]
I like crowds and meeting interesting people.
Top of the Rock overlooks Table Rock Lake, an idyllic setting.
The tournament expands each year. (Johnny Morris recently announced his purchase of the Legends of Golf franchise for another four years.)
It’s meritorious to volunteer at this prestigious golf tournament that not only celebrates golf but also raises money for education at College of the Ozarks.
Finally, you get back much more than you give, thanks to the generous support of Johnny Morris and the tournament sponsors.
Fun trip to Silver Dollar City, 1970 – nothing like a mule ride!
I am an Ozark tourist every day. It’s one of the perks of living in Harrison, a burgeoning city in the Ozarks.
Because I have lived in the Ozarks for over 30 years, I officially attribute “hillbilly” to my nomenclature.
Travelers flock to the Ozarks because (1) it is an amazing place for family vacations and (2) it is within a day’s drive from the big cities of St. Louis, Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas, Oklahoma City, etc.
For instance, over 71 million tourists have passed through the gates of Silver Dollar City, alone, since it opened in 1960.
Shoe Essentials for an Ozark Tourist
Trout, caught in the White River
Campers and RVs roll into Branson, filled with fishermen and show goers. When the tourist season rolls around, I become a tourist, too — I throw on my flip flops and sun glasses and off I go. That’s the beauty of living in a tourist region.
Further, in a mountainous terrain filled with lakes and rivers means countless occasions for entertainment. Suggested shoe wear: cowboy boots, wading boots, hiking boots … flip-flops, boating shoes, water shoes, sandals, tennis shoes, loafers, golf shoes, pumps, slippers, and heels. Continue reading Ozark tourist at heart! Travel to the Ozarks
Selling a Kokeshi doll lipstick and perfumer brought back memories of our travels to Cabo San Lucas and of Canada, the mailing destination for this sale on eBay.
It’s a small world
Filling out the shipping label to Canada brought back some dubious memories of two Canadian tourists we met in Cabo San Lucas on vacation in 2008.
Darrell and I took an eco-tour with the promise of seeing fossils on the Baja Peninsula. The brochure had in big letters, Wear hiking boots or other well structured footwear.
When the shuttle stopped to pick-up two Canada tourists who were joining the group tour, they were sporting slip-on, wedge sandals. The tour guide looked disapprovingly at their flimsy footwear as they boarded.
“It’s all the shoes we have,” they said.
So, we fossil hunters were limited on our exploration. We could only hike so high up the mountain before it became too dangerous for the ballet shoes the Canadians were wearing, forcing us to abort our search.
That happening left an altered view in my mind of Canada as a country without hiking shoes or tennis shoes.
Flash forward to 2010 Winter Olympics and Canada
I had another glimpse into the heart of the Canadian people as I sat in front of the TV watching the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. I would have hopped a plane to Canada if I could.
NBC showcased the beautiful country and lifestyle and took viewers on nightly tours of restaurants.
Then I was reminded of Canada’s hospitality after 911 and was ready to sing Oh Canada.
NBC’s Tom Brokaw reported on Gander, Newfoundland, and how they welcomed 7,000 passengers in 2001 when U.S. closed air space over New York following the attack on the Twin Towers.
Now, 9-years later, watching the report and reunions of U.S. citizens with the generous Canadians who welcomed them into their homes in a time of national distress endeared Canada and its people to me.
Kokeshi dolls for your purse, a lipstick and perfumer
A note regarding the Kokeshi dolls: They are Japanese in origin. The taller one is a lipstick tube and the shorter one a perfumer that holds a lasting, rich perfume scent.
The outer canisters have remarkable craftsmanship, making them mini sculptures of art from a country of artisans.
All tourists aboard – fossil hunting in Cabo
Darrell wearing fossil hunting gearOur guides referred to their rig as a Mexican limousineGuide says fossil is real if it sticks to your tongueAlvin, an engineer and tourist from California, found a fossil that stuck to his tongue
Visit Estate Trinkets & Treasures
Visit my Made in Japan page on Estate Trinkets & Treasures to see other objects of art, made in Japan.
