A hillside topped with a stand of oak trees, the kind that keep their dead brown leaves clinging to the branches until the first hint of spring, glowed like electric rust as the last sun rays of the day shined upon them before slipping below the horizon. A small doe made her way out of the tall brown grass to nibble on what was left of a small patch of green grass. A Great Blue Heron stepped ever so cautiously along the shallows by the bank in search of an unfortunate small fish, or two. The scenic views in this area never fail to delight the senses, no matter the season. The Lake of the Ozarks always feels like home.
When did this madness begin? How many years ago? 25 or longer, 30? It was a great idea though, why, almost a patriotic duty. A girls weekend shopping trip to help boost the economy.....the best reason ever to spend money.
It started, years ago, with the women in my family. Sisters Lela and Blanche, Mother, myself and my daughters and it always happened on Mother's Day weekend. We would leave for the lake on a Friday, shop and eat and return on Sunday.
A few years after this annual ritual began, the women on my husband's side of the family started their own money sacrificing ritual too and chose the weekend around Veteran's Day, or the middle of November. This was dubbed the annual Christmas shopping trip. This tribe includes my husbands' sisters, their daughters and his daughters (and now granddaughters) along with all the female members of aunts and cousins who live in Oklahoma.
It had been some time since I had joined the latter group. I had all kinds of reasons for not going but this year, something made me change my mind. I do not know exactly what it was, but it seemed like I was being led to attend. As my plane followed the giant, winding serpent that is the Mississippi River, up to St. Louis, a feeling of being in the right place at the right time fell over me.
The very best thing about these gatherings is not the items that are bought, nor the food that is consumed, but the magic that happens when everyone is in one place. That magic is the sound of laughter. The shenanigans that take place, whether it be playing some crazy game or reliving something that happened during the day, leave us breathless with aching mid-sections. Fourteen females, in one place, laughing like idiots made us all thankful we were in a remote area because there was definitely a disturbance of the peace going on. Laughing until the tears flow is a great way to cleanse the soul.
Sunday came all too soon. Everyone packed their vehicles and made numerous "one last time" searches to see if anything had been left behind. One last stop at the outlet mall and we said our final goodbyes.
A light rain fell as the rental car and I made our way back to the airport. I set the cruise control at the speed limit. There was no need to hurry, my plane did not leave until the next day. The other travelers sped past me in their hurry to return home. I would need to catch 70 East at Kingdom City and I wondered if I could do that without stopping. As the exit approached, I moved to the left hand lane and turned the opposite way. There, looming ahead of me, was what made me stop.
It is a giant building that sort of gives the impression that it could pass as a barn. On the peak of its roof is a huge sign that reads, "O Z A R K L A N D". It is not the only building of its kind. There are others and though this one is the only one I had ever been in, I'm pretty sure their contents were all the same. If ever there were a place to get a souvenir from the Lake of the Ozarks, this would be the place. It used to be the final stop during the Mother's Day weekend, on our way back to the beautiful land of Pike.
I pulled the car to a stop at the outer edge of the parking lot. Wow, it had been a long time since I had been in there, nearly ten years. The rain drops that trickled down the window, masked the ones that slid down my cheeks. Things change in life. People come and people go. We miss them but we know we must go on. A large sign on the middle of the building read, "Road Stop Destination". Yes. Yes it was....but not today. There simply was not room for another wind chime on my deck and I certainly did not need any fudge. Besides, I believe that somewhere there is an unwritten law that says to never go in there alone.
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