"If you’re not crazy there’s something wrong with you." - Willie Nelson

We were on the road again today, so I had Willie Nelson on the mind when looking for today's quote. I can assure you, Mr. Nelson, I am certainly one crazy human being, and I'm also definitely raising two new crazies.

Today started by packing up and finding a really cool nature trail in Branson that descends a limestone wall by lake Taneycomo. We went down 338 steps to see a neat little cave and a really cool grotto. The steps were laid down in the 20's by hand and I can only imagine the pain it would have been to haul that many buckets of cement. So the pain of climbing back up the steps (halfway with a 5 year old on my back) was relatively minor in comparison.

The drive back to Kansas City was uneventful, just how I like it! We unpacked, and I tried my hand at cutting open a geode with my Dremel tool and a diamond disc. The geode was 99% solid, so I had to cut it all the way, but was able to do it!  patience, steady hands, and some skills passed down from Dad meant that both halves were clean and smooth when I finished.  I then rigged up a belt sander upside down in my vice and tried my hand at making obelisks out of river rocks. So far so good, but it's slow work.

Today I learned that lapidary work absolutely requires water and that a dremel tool can only run for about 20 minutes before getting too hot to hold onto. I also learned that I'll have to work extra hard because Julianne and I share a dream of a second home in the wilderness someday.