Friday in Franklin County: AmericInn of Hampton

Friday in Franklin

As you age you watch the community around you evolve and grow. Part of those observations for me is remembering when the AmericInn of Hampton was built. Now, it’s a staple in the community!

On July 3rd of 1998, the AmericInn of Hampton was opened by previous owners.  They saw a need in Hampton and jumped at the opportunity!  I remember, at the time, it was a huge deal that Hampton was getting a chain hotel that was locally owned.  Now, the hotel is owned by Bharat Patel who is very involved in the community and continues to keep the hotel updated!americinn 2

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Hollywood Entertainment Center: Branson

Hollywood Entertainment Center:  Branson

#FlintsTakeBranson is all over: Done, finale, finished! One of our MANY stops was the Hollywood Entertainment Center on the main drag in Branson.  We actually made it our very first stop of the trip because we were that excited about it.

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The Hollywood Entertainment Center in Branson consists of four different aspects: Shoot for the Stars Miniature Golf, The Hollywood Wax Museum, Maze of Mirrors, and Castle of Chaos.

The marker and narrative display at each hole!
The marker and narrative display at each hole!

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Garden Update: 7/18/2016

Garden Update: 7/18/2016

We’re back for another garden update which means it’s been two weeks already! Those two week periods seem to be going faster and faster as the summer rolls along! I don’t have a lot of words today, just a lot of pictures for you, so I hope you enjoy!

garden 1The North bed is doing great!  The Tickseed that I purchased from Natural Plus Nursery this spring is blooming like crazy (the red & yellow flower).  The phlox are finally in full bloom and they are some of my favorite as they are so vibrant!

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Saucy Beef Sandwiches

Saucy Beef Sandwiches

Summertime meals are a funny thing, but what isn’t funny is how crazy good these Saucy Beef Sandwiches are!  What are your favorite foods or dishes to make during the summer?  We grill a lot which is fantastic, but I’m always looking for new things to try without heating up the house!

I find the seasons of Iowa to be fickle.  During the summertime I get tired of “summertime food” and crave a cold day and a good casserole.  During the cold winters, I just want to be able to eat a grilled burger!  Well, recently between our normal grilling and camping, I was really tired of grilled food, so I threw a roast in the crock-pot for supper that day.  The next day I decided to make some barbecue beef sandwiches, but plain old, run of the mill sandwiches held little appeal.  I wanted something with a bit deeper, richer taste!

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Waterhawks Ski Show

Waterhawks Ski Show

Free, family fun!  How great is that combo?  The Waterhawks Ski Show gives you just that!  4th of July weekend, T and I headed to Waterloo to camp again just like we did last year.  I made the declaration that we were going to try something new, go somewhere new, etc.  Thanks to the help of the Waterloo Convention & Visitor’s Bureau I learned about the Waterhawks Ski Show and I decided that it would satisfy my desire to “take in” something new and hopefully hold T’s interest!

Waterhawks Ski Show

So, Friday night we followed the directions from their website  to their lake to see what this was all about.  The Waterhawks Ski Show is free to the public to attend.  You just drive in, park, and find a place to sit.  You’re welcome to sit on their stands or take blankets and lawn chairs.  We were there early enough (not knowing what to expect for a crowd) that we were able to back our truck up to the viewing area and set up our chairs in the back to get a perfect view!  Then, we walked around and checked out the facilities and grabbed something to drink from their concession stand.  While there is no charge to get into the event, make sure to grab a snack from their concession stand  to help support them.  You can pick from drinks (alcoholic & non-alcoholic), candy bars, pizza, popsicles, and chips!

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