Melissa & Marks – Fall 2025
We arrived at Melissa & Marks on Saturday, October 4th and stayed for a month. This time we stayed at their "Garage Property" a few blocks from their house. It was mostly quiet, except for the coyotes that howled occasionally at night. We saw deer and lots of unique birds like cardinals and buzzards.
We made so many great memories on this trip. Here are the highlights:
- Attended the Harvest Festival in Mansfield, MO, for the second year in a row. We love the bluegrass music, the fresh baked cinnamon rolls, the piles of pumpkins and gords, and the large vegetation
- Went to the Ironworks Festival at Miramec State Park for the 2nd year in a row. It is such a wonderful event held in a beautiful setting, with craft booths, good food, horseback rides for the kids, and making items out of iron from beginning to end
- We explored Miramec Springs, a place where a large spring that emits millions of gallons of water a day out of a hole in the ground, and it becomes a river
- Witnessed a big thunderstorm that lasted all day and night, before becoming a windstorm that rocked our trailer most of the night, fortunately, the isolated tornados didn't materialize near us
- Visited the Uranus Fudge Factory, and the hundreds of puns that go along with it like the one on the police car "To Serve and Protect Uranus"
- Spent a weekend at Riverfront campground while some of Melissa's friends competed in a 12 hour Rucking-Kayaking-Biking endurance contest
- Witnessed the Dixon Elementary School Halloween parade through the streets of Dixon. Enjoyed seeing Evelyn, Piper and Mark III in costume.
- Carved pumpkins with Mark, Melissa and the grandkids, hadn't done that in years!
- Enjoyed Melissa & Marks numerous farm animals including their dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, Guineas and goats
- Visited the Neon Park in St. Robert
- Went for 3 mile walks among the farmlands near Melissa & Marks place
- Welcomed their two new livestock guard dog puppies
- Worked out with Melissa and her Cross-fit friends, Brian, Jess and her husband Chris
- Had a great lunch with Melissa and Mark at Jackie's Snackette
