We usually make at least one kid-free trip to the Lake of the Ozarks area each year. Since we’re fans of the Netflix show Ozark, we couldn’t resist pre-dinner drinks at a little bar along the strip down by the dam–Marty Byrde’s Bar and Grill. If you’ve seen the show, you know that Marty Byrde is the central character of the show played by Jason Bateman. How can you not check out this place? Just to be clear, we’ve never felt unsafe like the show may make you believe. You also won’t find casinos on riverboats. Sure, you need to exercise regular caution as you would anywhere, but the show is fictional. One thing I always like to do is take a drive down by Bagnell Dam to see the little strip of bars and shops, especially as the sun goes down. If you want to read more about this area,…
If you were anywhere near the path of totality for Monday’s solar eclipse, you could feel the sense of suspense as people prepared for an event that hasn’t occurred in the U.S. in the continuous 48 states in over 30 years, and even then a total eclipse was only visible in the northwest part of the country. In 1991, parts of Hawaii were able to see a total solar eclipse. But this was different. For about two minutes, a swath across the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina would be known as the Path of Totality. With this eclipse being available to so many people across the country, it was inevitable that excitement of the eclipse would grow over the weeks leading up to August 21. To be honest, I wasn’t planning to write about the eclipse. I was excited to see it, but I didn’t think it would become…