Van Buren Get-Away
It's been awhile since I wrote a travel story about one of those close-to-home "Staycations," like I did last year. I have a friend who likes to travel around to see new places and check out the old ones, too - so yesterday we made the pleasant drive back to Van Buren, to spend a sunny day along the Current River and share a piece of Mississippi Mud Pie at the Float Stream Cafe across from the old courthouse.
Quite by accident, we made a couple of new friends, high atop Skyline Drive, which overlooks Van Buren and the Current River. As we looked for a place with a view, we met Debra Cook, going up to check her mailbox. She graciously offered to let us view the valley from her spectacular deck. One thing led to another, and my travel buddy said, "Madeline, why don't you do a story on her?" Ah, that's all the excuse I need!
Relative newcomers to Van Buren, the Cooks operated a restaurant at the "top of the Ozarks" for several years, until the price of food got as steep as the hills. Now, Debra runs the Touch of Grace Day Spa and Salon, where she offers a variety of services, including massage, haircare, cosmetics, and something called "Reiki-Energy Work III."
In contrast, her husband, a silversmith, has a quaint cabin just up the hill, where he sells his silver & turquoise jewelry, leather items, cast iron cookware, wood burning stoves and authentic Native American art. Yesterday he was loading up his wares to take them down into Van Buren for the town's annual Fall Festival, which is this weekend.
We sat on Debra's deck, enjoying a cool, sunny October day and speculating on why this area hasn't developed into a tourist Mecca. I have no doubt that if the weather were like yesterday's YEAR 'ROUND, Van Buren would look a LOT different than it does today! (That might not be all good, however!)
In the Trading Post, I bought a sovernir t-shirt, a small brilliant green Malakite horse, and a strawberry quartz necklace. Debra gave me a Van Buren Visitor's Map with the city's website (www.seevanburen.com), and some material about her spa (573-323-1280) and the Sun-Bear Trading Post (573-323-1280).
We bid goodbye to the Cooks and headed down into the valley which houses that fabulous Big Spring, where the blue and green water bubbles up and sparkles in the sunlight. Sitting a bench in the speckled shade, my friend said, "This is as good as it gets, isn't it?"
The spring has changed very little since we were there as kids, and we wondered if it looked the same when the Native Americans and early pioneers came through. What a sight it must have been to the first settlers who set eyes on it! How can the water gush out endlessly, century after century, with no end in sight? It is truly a marvel.
Going back there, year after year, sitting on the bench, watching the water....It's a form of renewal, I think. It's good to know that such a place is there. I like to think about it in times of stress; I think it lowers my blood pressure...
This weekend Van Buren will host their Fall Festival and Craft Fair. If you'd like a pleasant day trip, hop in the car and drive over. It's about an hour and a half from Dexter, and Highway 60 just gets better and better!
From the sunny hills of rural Tillman, Mo., this is your renewed roving reporter Madeline, signing off on another spectacular Missouri October day!
Comments
Respond to this blog
Posting a comment requires free registration:
- If you already have an account, follow this link to login
- Otherwise, follow this link to register
I did a story last year about Marquand, Mo. and the renovation that they're doing to make their little town of 400 into a historic getaway. Some of the money has been provided by grants obtained through the efforts of Mayor Denny Ward, but some of it has come from private individuals like the Dursos, who've retired to their old hometown, bringing the money they earned working elsewhere all their lives.
Wonderful story! I love to see such glimmers of hope for the future of a town! It takes vision, though, and so many people are looking down into the mud, istead of looking up to the sky!