Good-bye Spring, Hello Train

I still can't believe that I got to see Train!  They were the closing act last Saturday night for our first ever Show Me Music Festival weekend concert series.  I gave up an arm and a leg for a 3-day pass just so I could be there to see Train.  I was a bit upset the next month when 1-day passes suddenly became available. Oh well, at least I was there and ever so close to the stage.  

Unfortunately, I did not catch the hat when Pat Monahan threw it into the crowd, but I will nonetheless see that he is immortalized in his "cowboy" moment.  Most of the concert was country music; Train was the major exception.  In a nod to the country music majority he donned a cowboy hat and quickly sang a country-style song of which I didn't understand a word but thoroughly enjoyed anyway.

Then came the bad news...a storm was fast approaching and, with the Joplin destruction fresh in mind, Train was given time to sing only three more songs and then, for the safety of the concert goers and and performers, the concert would have to be cut short. I was crushed, to put it mildly!  We barely had an hour with them and then they were gone.  They sang "Drops of Jupiter" last, then quickly left the stage.  As the crowd drifted away the lightning began to flash and the tornado sirens began to sing.  Having seen a tornado up close a few years ago, I take the warnings very seriously.  Still, if only Train had been able to finish the concert...

Springtime in the Ozarks

On Memorial Day this year we took a road trip to Powersite Dam and saw many interesting things, though unfortunately I can't seem to get very many of the pictures to load on the blog, probably because of their size. So you'll just have to take my word for it...we saw lots of cool stuff.  Above is a view of Lake Taneycomo, formed when a branch of the White River was dammed almost 100 years go.  What you can't see, or hear, are the bazillions of 13-year cicadas that are absolutely everywhere and make a continuous prickly, humming sounds that is about a thousand times louder than a mosquito.  They bust out of the ground every 13 years, do their thing, then disappear for another 13 years. They always make news because there are so many of them and they make so much noise.

{Sigh} I'm having a terrible time with these pictures. They won't go where I want them to go.

Anyway, the second picture is what's left of a STOP sign right below Powersite Dam.  All of the lakes and rivers in the area are flooded and the dam gates have frequently been opened, leading to even more flooding.  Powersite Dam was completed in 1913 and is the oldest dam in the Ozarks.  I'm not sure of the typical lifespan of such a structure, but I can't help but think that 100 years is pretty darned old for a dam. What are the ramifications of a region containing a large population of aging dams?

Spring flowers are everywhere, quietly waving in the breeze.  They seem so peaceful and dignified compared to the noise of the cicadas and the rush of the flood waters. 

I'm having computer problems so right now I'm borrowing my husbands laptop.  It may be few days before mine is ready from the repair shop.  I've been having terrible internet withdrawals.  Thank goodness for smart phones that allow Twitter and Facebook access!