Memorial Day Weekend Part I: Ha Ha Tonka Castle

Memorial Day weekend I took a day off work and headed to Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri with my friend, Kati. Normally when I go to Lake of the Ozarks I spend my time boating, but since we weren't going with boaters this time we made plans to hike, dine at the lake, and shop at the local outlet malls/tourist shops.

I took quite a few picture during the trip so I thought I'd break them up into a few posts.

The first day at the lake we headed to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. We didn't even stop at our hotel before going to the park. It was a gorgeous day and we wanted to take advantage of the weather.

 

Besides having several trails and beautiful views of the spring and lake, you also get to see the stone castle ruins. This makes for a beautiful mix of architecture and nature. The ruins are from an old hotel originally designed by a prominent Kansas City businessman. It is my understanding that this was going to be his house, but he died before the completion. The hotel was finished in the 1920s and it was destroyed by a fire in the 1940s. Thankfully, the state of Missouri purchased the grounds and castle in 1978 and made the area a state park (Wikipedia). 

 

 

The views of the lake and spring below the castle were gorgeous! There were quite a few great look out points near the castle ruins.

 We walked a few trails-a lake trail which took us down to a little dock, and another trail which took us to the old water tower and a cool cave area.

I was very impressed with this park and I'm looking forward to exploring it more someday!

Vietnam caves

These images of Vietnam caves from National Geographic's January 2011 issue are incredible! The largest cave discovered, Hang Son Doong, is large enough to accommodate a block of New York skyscrapers! It's amazing to think of exploring these caves and seeing this whole other world.
One of my favorite field trips was when my high school biology class went spelunking in Illinois caverns. It was a small cave, and there were a few tight squeezes, but overall I really wasn't scared (unusual for me). I loved seeing the stalactites and stalagmites and wading through the underground streams. I remember one area where the water was rushing and we slid down the rocks like a water slide! It was a fun little adventure.

Now I'll just have to explore through pictures.....







Photography by Carsten Peter
More cave photos here

Innisfree Garden

These beautiful images of Innisfree Garden, located in Milbrook, NY take me to my happy place. There are waterfalls, streams, and a glacial lake throughout this amazing 150-acre public park. Wouldn't you love to spend an afternoon there?

photos via Innisfree Garden via Elle

Super cute terrarium

I love this terrarium that my stepbrother's girlfriend made! How super cute are those little mice? And the sweet fortune cookie message? So cute, so sweet.

Definitely wanting to make some terrariums for my next place. Right now space is very limited, since I'm back to living at home with my mom, so my terrariums will have to wait.

photos by Valerie Marinez

Fall Toast

These pretty images from Toast's Fall catalogue leave me wanting to be near a lake or a river this Fall. I am always happy near water, be it a river, ocean, lake, or pond. Something about the water always calms me.

Images from Toast