Saturday, October 31, 2009

Autumnal Snapshots....

Hello and a merry Halloween to you! We are back from our adventures in the Ozark Mountains and what beautiful things we saw! The trees were brilliant, and while the weather was sometimes volatile, it was on a whole spooky and fun. Follow highway 62 B and come with...

We stayed at the always beautiful, dazzling and haunting Crescent Hotel this time. I was fully prepared for some spookyness to ensue...which it did....but most of it had to do with ancient plumbing in our room (the radiator started gurgling, hissing and spitting steam at 7:30 am our first morning....) The first evening I was sitting on the bed and the closet door just started opening....Will saw my face and said "What?" When I told him what happened, he went to the door and poked it and it was pretty loose on the hinge....why must men always be so practical about spookiness?

However, it didnt take much to make this luxurious Victorian hotel spooky.....

Built in 1886, this hotel was originally built to cater to the rich families who flocked to the Ozarks to partake of the healing effects of the natural springs so plentiful in the region. In the off-season the hotel was home to a school for well-to-do young women and then when the age of decadence faded....the hotel was bought by a quack doctor who made it a 'cancer cure hospital' where all sorts of heeby-jeeby things took place...they still have the autopsy table in the basement ;)
You can see it on the ghost tour! Or you can see the hotel explored by TAPS on Ghost Hunters, this is the link.


Audrey, however, was more interested in the food ;) everything served at the Crystal Dining Room is completely delicious, and now Will and I are addicted to the coffee served there...Mmm...
Audrey and I in the lobby....this was as close as she would condescend to sit with her ol' mama.
There are so many beautiful farms and fields and woods in the Ozarks....just one of the many little picturesque farms we saw there.
Of course, we enjoyed shopping down town in one of the cutest little downtowns I've ever seen....Wilson & Wilson Folk Art is where I left a lot of my money. Blakely Wilson, the owner, is so sweet and always recognizes us when we come in. We even happened upon a store with rabbits roaming around inside. Needless to say, Audrey almost had a fit of happiness when she saw them....she mauled many a store dog/cat/rabbit.... ;)
Then it was time to go.....
But not before we took in a little more of the autumn prettiness....
and hugged a few more critters....

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Hope these photos put you in an autumn mood! And I hope you have a lovely and safe Halloween....Can you believe that tomorrow is NOVEMBER???? How the time has flown....

8 comments:

SheezKrafty said...

I LOVE E.S! And I have been mighty spooked in the Cresent before! That place gives me the heeby geebies! Can't believe you were brave enough to sleep there! :)

Hawaiian Radiation said...

some time yous and mines need to get a room at the basin park. I can take you guys out to my granparents farm and you can see paw paw's crazy bunkhouse.

Faerie Moon Creations said...

Hi Heather! Happy Halloween! LOVE all the photos you posted from your anniversary trip. Looks like you all had such a lovely time. Your description of the inn where you stayed was appropriately spooky. We actually had booked a room at a different inn on our recent trip, but when I learned it was one of THE most haunted places in the area - I chickened out and switched our accommodations to someplace a little less "atmospheric" but just as lovely. Hope you have a great evening! :) Theresa

Bea said...

What a lovely place. I've never been there so it was such a pleasure to see your photos. Thank you.
:)Bea

jungle dream pagoda said...

OOOO,such fun!!!!!! definitely putting me in an Autumny mood....and now to dress my little trick-or-treater!

Lori Brighton said...

How wonderful! That hotel looks amazing! Glad you had such a great time.

Julie said...

These pictures are so lovely! So funny about that spooky hotel...what fun (don't know that I'm that brave : ( )! Can't wait to see the little treasures you picked up along the way! xx

Beth said...

Happy anniversary! Looks like you had another fun-filled weekend in Eureka.