Packed up Sunday, after the banjo championships – Gary Davis (who we met at Kaufman Camp) took out the National Banjo Championship for the 4th time. That is the record! He first won it when he was 16 and when you win, you are not allowed to compete again for 5 years! Not sure how old he is now! Rocket fast though!
A quick trip to the car wash to try and get the mud off the car and then we headed off acroos Kansas – land of the yellow brick road. Long flat rural roads, with barely a hill in sight. I drove most of that in peace and quiet as Peter slept in the passenger seat… he’d been out late the night before exploring Pecan Grove on the other side of the camp site…. the dark side of the Winfield camp site where people party all night long! I think if we go again, we would head over there!!!
Overnight in Springfield, Missouri…. DOH!…. did you know there is a Springfield in every state in the U.S.A? Then on to Eminence to stay with Laurie and Linda – in the beautiful Ozark mountain/riverways area. Gorgeous little stone house with horses and sheds beside a lovely creek/river. A gorgeous themed guest house to stay in – you can choose the Cowboy room or the Indian room… Peter chose the Cowboy room! Linda rides in big trails every month and has the role of ‘dragging’ at the end of the trail, making sure no-one gets lost or left behind. Apparently 100’s of people come to ride the trails for a week every month. We’ve done some picking with them, and checked out Laurie’s banjo workshop in the shed, went and watched the local high school volleyball game and been out for an Ozark breakfast before driving up to some beautiful forest area for a walk. We’ll be back on the road tomorrow, heading for Bean Blossom festival for the weekend and then straight down to Nashville on Sunday for another crazy week at IBMA. Laurie and Linda will be there too, with a stall at the Convention. Will try and add some photos soon.