Friday, September 28, 2007

Cracker Crust Pizza & Armadillo Eggs at Main Street Pizza in El Dorado.

El Dorado is known as Boomtown, from the big oil boom down there around the turn of the century. In the past ten years or so, it's picked up the title again and ran with it -- with the rejuvenation and promotion of a fabulous downtown. There are all sorts of great shops and places to stay, and unusual sights, too -- like those neat red phone booths you see in England and sometimes even horses and carriages.

But there's a treasure you might not know about -- just because you can't see it from the town square. And if you don't know about it, that's a real shame.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Whatta-Memory - A Tech Grad's Look Back at Feltner's Whatta-Burger.

An updated version of this story appears here.

In almost every city or town in America, there is one local hangout that's been around for ages and ages... the place you send out-of-towners to when you want to share a bit of your roots and culture.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Rail History, Gimmick Free Aboard the Branson Scenic Railway.

The Branson Scenic Railroad is something you might not expect in Branson -- something that is completely historical and not the least bit gimmicky.

That's not to say that there aren't gimmicks to get you to go. You can find the flyers and schedules right along with the show pamphlets and attraction brochures wherever you find Branson information. It's just as glossy as any of the other ads you'll see.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Bridges and Strings - A Chat with Violet Hensley.

Violet Hensley plays the fiddle. She makes fiddles. You could say she’s spent a lifetime, fiddling around.

And what a remarkable woman she is.

But this particular Friday morning, there was a nip in the air. A cup of cider would have been nice, but instead Violet kept her eyes to her work.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Oh, gee, the Duttons aren't just talented...

they're one heck of a funny family.

This is the very first story I wrote for Tie Dye Travels, on September 10th, 2007. They've come a long way. Check the postscript at the end of this article. ~ Kat

Went to the show the night of Monday, September 10th -- a dark and rainy night, when the clouds hung in the air like thugs outside a movie theater in a seedy neighborhood.

But inside this Branson theater is a good natured family of interesting and talented people who just happen to be related to each other.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Kat's photo gallery


Here is a selection of random pictures not included in Tie Dye Travels, but that still deserve a viewing. I'm just a hobbyist when it comes to photography, but I'd love your comments. And, if you'd like to use any of these images, please contact me.

A church in El Dorado, AR, about a block from Main Street Pizza. This was taken on an August afternoon when the air was almost perfectly still.