Rain in Forecast/Hurricane Felicia/Best Cancer Treatment

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Tropical Atlantic is quiet. In the Pacific, Enrique is a tropical depression. Felicia should start to weaken soon. But according to the National Hurricane Center, a weakened depression over tropical storm strength version of it should move over Hawaii late Monday. More to come on that.

Ridge is shifting eastward and it is going to be a very hot weekend from the southern plains into the southeast with middle and high 90s and highs humidity. There will be thunderstorms in many locations but the severe threat will be in the northern plains and western Great Lakes states.

Houston hit 99 on Friday. Some isolated storms brought 1.5 inches of rain to Sugar Land and 1.3 inches in League City. Isolated storms are possible again on Saturday with highs in the middle to upper 90. Looks like there will be some scattered storms on Sunday with slightly cooler temperatures.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do tratimiento, pronounced trah-tee-mee-EHN-toe. There is a unique cancer tratimiento in Houston. Learn about it in the AND MORE section.

Our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, is on the shelves of Barnes & Noble store throught the US. Please look for it and encourage your family and friends to purchase it. We are being tested. We gave them 650 DVDs and in 6 weeks, 43 have sold. I was told by our distributor that is excellent for an educational product in the summer. It should keep us in Barnes & Noble's good graces. But, it sure would help if we sold more. You can also order your copy from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
I put a picture of the MD Anderson Proton Therapy Treatment Center to the right. This is where my stepdad recently completed a course of treatment. This is more than just your standard radiation treatment. This is a very specific radiation that starts and ends at precisely the right point to avoid damaging healthy tissue ahead of and behind the cancer area. There are only 2 facilities in the world which have this kind of technology and this is one of them. My stepdad was able to lead his normally crazy busy life with a minimal impact. We are happy to report that he has completed the course of treatment--I believe there were 38 sessions. His followup will be in 3 months.

As I've mentioned, I am on the board of The John C. Freeman Weather Museum. The associated Weather Research Center does lots of research including tropical meteorology. Their forecast for this year is 7 named storms, 4 of those hurricanes. On August 4th (3 days ago), Dr. William Gray and colleage Dr. Phil Klotzbach issued a revised forecast for this season (partly based on the El Nino which as developed). They are now calling for 10 named storms, 4 of those hurricanes, 2 of those major hurricanes. They forecast issued in early June called for 11, 5, and 2 respectively. An average season has 10, 6 and 2 respectively. The following is an excerpt from a report recently released by the Weather Research Center discussing how we have had no storms yet and how that does not guarantee a problem free season (as proven through previous seasons with slow starts).

"Since Weather Research Center [WRC] does not update their Seasonal urricane Outlook during the season, they continue to expect a total of seven namedstorms in the Atlantic with four intensifying into hurricanes. There have been 30 otherhurricane seasons when the first storm formed after August 1, since 1900. There have been only four seasons [1941, 1920, 1914 and 1905] when the first storm formed afterSeptember 1. The last time we experienced a similar late season start was 2004 whenAlex formed on August 1, according to Weather Research Center [WRC] meteorologist Jill F. Hasling. However, a late start does not mean a break. For example, Ivan theTerrible occurred in 2004 and in 1988, Gilbert became a large Category 5 hurricane.And who could forget Hurricane Alicia in 1983 which was a Category 3 hurricane whenit made landfall in Galveston.The peak of activity for the Atlantic Hurricane Season is from August 15 to September15 so we still need to be prepared.WRC’s 2009 outlook gives the Louisiana to Alabama coast the highest risk ofexperiencing a tropical storm or hurricane. Additionally, the outlook anticipates seven hurricane days and 47 tropical storm days during this year’s season.Below is a table of the date of the first named storms in the years indicated. There were 30 years from 1900 to 2008 when the date of the first storm was after July 31. There were 18 years whenthe date of the first storm was August 15 or later, 12 years when the date of the first storm wasafter August 20, and four seasons when the date of the first storm was after August 31. Thelatest date for the first named storm was September 15. In other words you have 27.5% chanceof having the first storm after July 31st, 16.5% chance of having the first storm after August 14th, 11% chance of having the first storm after August 20th and 3.7% chance of having the first storm after August 31st."

Speaking of The Weather Research Center, they have a wonderful model page. If you want to see some of the models meteorologists enjoy reviewing, go to this link:

http://wxresearch.com/model.html

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

EcoFriendly Home Extermination/The Shack/Heat Advisory

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Tropical Atlantic is quiet. In the Pacific, there is Hurricane Felicia and Tropical Storm Enrique. Felicia is forecast to head toward the Hawaiian Islands (but weaken to a tropical storm or weaker before it affects the islands late Monday). More to come.

Louisville was hit hard by heavy rain on Tuesday. There was a record 4.5 inches. Today, the rain is over but more rain is possible for the end of the week. Area rivers, especially in southern Indiana are rising with some moderate flooding forecast. Some homes will be impacted.

Excessive Heat Warning is in effect through Thursday for Phoenix again.

On Thursday, the ridge which was parked over the central US will slide eastward eventually setting up the southeast US with a moist flow off the Gulf. That means rain will be more likely in Texas and the southeast by late in the weekend.

Thursday's highs will be in the 90s and 100s in Texas and the southwest. There will be a few 90s in the southeast as well as some thunderstorms. Along the west coast, Great Lakes and northeast, there will be highs in the 60s to 80s. Look for severe weather in the northern Rockies and northern Plains to the Midwest.

Houston is under a Heat Advisory until Thursday evening. There is a slight chance (10 to 20%) for thunderstorms, but the ridge should prevent any major outbreaks. Highs will be in the upper 90s to near 100. Highs in Houston on Wednesday and Monday were 100. Look for scattered storms started Sunday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do book or libro, pronounced LEE-broh. Find out what I think about the libro, The Shack, in the AND MORE section.

Speaking of reading, one of the things we do in our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco is show the words as they are introduced. This way the kids can see the word while learning it. Order your copy from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Today was a day of celebration!!! Megan graduated as a Veterinary Paramedic from the program offered by HCC. This program is 12 months (3 semesters) with quizzes or tests almost every day. It is very intense. Words can not explain how very proud we are of Megan. She worked so hard. Factor into that her learning disabilities and you can believe that she worked very, very hard. She is very passionate about animals and she is going to make a wonderful employee for some clinic. Her interest area is mainly dogs and cats. If you know of anyone looking to hire for this role, please let me know.

I won't belabor this, but I will share a brief anecdote about something that happened to Gordy and me. Last fall, we were contacted because someone with Gordy's name wrote a hot check at a Beall's in another city. Gordy has never even shopped at a Beall's. XPressChex sent us a letter demanding payment. When I called they insisted that it was my husband as they had his driver's license number. After numerous phone calls and a couple months, we wrote a letter explaining that they had the wrong person and to check my husband's signature against the one on their check. We copied a letter to our attorney. All of sudden yesterday, we are contacted by a collection agency/attorney and they insist that we pay up. After many hours of phone calls and searching, we were finally contacted today by XPressChex and they had re-looked into the matter. They said that the cashier at Beall's had written the driver's license number down with one number incorrect...and that incorrect number just happened to be the one belonging to Gordy. Because there is a publicly available database where you can look up someone by their DL, we were located and blamed. There is more, but you get the idea. Make sure to question the DL accuracy if this ever happens to you.

A few days ago, I mentioned that when we got back from vacation, we had ants in the master bath. My good friend Peyton said they have also noticed more bugs getting into their house. This brings me back to doing home exterminating. I have some wonderful eco friendly stuff. I started treating my own home when I got curious and did some research. I use a product called EcoExempt, produced by EcoSmart. This stuff is safe for humans--deadly for insects. It is made of 10% Rosemary Oil, 2% Peppermint Oil, and 88% Oil of Wintergreen, Mineral Oil USP, and Vanillin. The directions say that if swallowed, do not induce vomiting, but get medical help if you feel nauseated. The only complaint I have is that the peppermint smell is very strong. After I do an application, I always see dead bugs for several days. Just get a home sprayer and mix with water according to directions. Check out their web site:
http://ecosmart.com/

I finished the book, The Shack, over vacation. It was a fairly quick read. I think this is book is very good for anyone who has had a terrible tragedy. I recommend it. I am not gushing about it, but I think it was healing.

Have a terrific Thursday!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weather Shift/Poll Results/New Poll about Tiger Woods

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Tropical Atlantic and Pacific are quiet.

Strong ridge over western US eases eastward this week. As it does, all of Texas will be scorching again for the early to later part of the week. The ridge will slide into the eastern US and that means wet weather for the central US starting the end of the coming weekend and into the early part of the coming week.

I took the liberty of posting the 3 month temperature and precipitation outlooks for the US (August through October). Notice that much of the south and southwest is expected to have above normal temperatures while some of the central US and Rockies will have wetter than normal weather.

On Monday, look for 100+ for much of the Intermountain West up to Oregon and into Texas. Phoenix has an Excessive Heat Advisory through Monday. There is a slight risk of severe storms in the the Midwest, but thunderstorms are possible in the southeast, Great Lakes and southern Rockies.

Houston will be very hot and humid with extremely low rain chances. Look for rain to return next Sunday and increase early in the following week. This is going to be a very hot and steamy week.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do injured or lesionado, pronounced leh-see-oh-NAH-doh. Tiger Woods and other players sometimes get lesionado. But, how well do they recover? See the AND MORE section for a discussion.

As I mentioned in yesterday's blogs, we will be dealing with feelings (including being sick) in the upcoming Volume 2 of our DVD series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. Sad is one of the words. Volume 1 has won 2 major awards and covers topics like Home/Family/Eating/Drinking/Play. Order your copy from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE

Our poll about economizing is closed. More than one answer was allowed. 33% said they are eating out less, are purchasing fewer luxuries, are reusing and recycling more, and are using coupons. 66% said they are buying fewer clothes, working harder to find bargains, and working more. 0% said they are going on less expensive vacations, taking staycations, other, or are not economizing at all. Thanks to all who participated.

Our new poll is about Tiger Woods. What is your opinion about his playing ability? More than one answer is allowed. Thanks in advance for participating.

We're back from our trip and busy with all those settling back in chores. Noticed some ants in the bathroom. Last time this happened was before Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. Animals do act differently before weather changes. But as you might note, Rita and Katrina did not directly hit Houston. So, maybe this is a good sign. We'll see! With last year's Hurricane Ike, we did not have any ant trouble beforehand. Hmmm.

Have a wonderful week everyone!!!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Records in Weather/Severe Threat/Vacation Memories

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Tropical Atlantic and Pacific are quiet.

An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect for Phoenix and the Seattle area hit a record 103 on Wednesday. Seattle had 3 days of record heat in a row although Saturday’s high should “only” be about 90. It’s that ridge—remember the ridge that brought so much record heat to Texas? Now, the West has been getting the same treatment. Happy first day of August!

As the weekend begins, the ridge is flattening a bit. There is still some troughiness over the northeast US and that is allowing some weak cold fronts to move through the Oklahoma/North Texas, and Arkansas. This will set the stage for thunderstorms and as is the case for today’s weather—some severe cells.

Houston, another hot and steamy day with some scattered showers and thunderstorms. There is a heat advisory for the coastal counties where higher humidity will lead to more stressful heat. Look for even more of the same on Sunday with slightly cooler temperatures due to more rain.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let’s do sad or triste, pronounced TREES-tay. It is so triste when vacation is over.

Feelings are one of the things we cover in our upcoming Volume 2 of our DVD series, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. Sad is one of the words. Volume 1 has won 2 major awards and covers topics like Home/Family/Eating/Drinking/Play. Order your copy from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.


AND MORE
Heading home from Table Rock Lake. Taking the more scenic route through northern Arkansas. It is not very far from Little Rock to Branson…but on the road we take with hills and turns and little towns, it always takes longer than say an Interstate.

Last year when we were heading home, we stopped at this little restaurant called Kelley’s in Marshall, Texas. There was only one waitress on duty (I think the other one was sick) and the place was packed to the gills with locals. They all gave us that look as we walked in (you know—you aren’t from these parts are you?) Well, the poor waitress was running around like a chicken with her head cut off. So, one of the old-timers got up and started pouring coffee for everyone. It was a really good breakfast—just took some time to get it.
Well, back to this year’s trip--
On Wednesday, we hit the lake early. There are some restaurants on the water where you can dock. One of our favorites is a place called Campbell’s and that’s where I lost my camera. That was a special day though, because Jeremy was with us. Jeremy is the older brother of Lindsay and Kylie. I got some great pictures of him with his sisters right before I lost the camera. That was such a bummer, because Jeremy does not like to have his picture taken. And, he actually had humored me—cooperating and smiling. But, alas, those photos were lost. So, I took one with my picture phone. Unfortunately, the window of opportunity had passed. Jeremy wanted to sleep as he was about to drive back to Chicago. So, all I could get was the photo at righ with Jeremy sleeping while his sisters (so kind and obliging) gave me more nice smiles. Happy to report that Jeremy made it home safely and caught the Cubs/Astros game the next day. He was sure to let us know how bad the Astros were beat. Jeremy had arrived on Sunday evening—a nice surprise for Joni—she didn’t know he was coming.

Thursday was rainy. So, we headed to Branson Landing (on the east side of Branson). That’s on Lake Taneycomo. Lots of your favorite shops, but what we girls really enjoyed was Cantina Laredo. The sign said gourmet Mexican food and I’m thinking “gourmet Mexican”—what in the world is that? Well, now I know. The spices were different than your standard Mexican fare—but not weird—they were unexpectedly delicious. I would love to watch the chefs and see what they use. I had the tortilla soup and chalupa (with chicken). I wouldn’t change a thing about the soup…just perfect. The chalupa was a feast for the eyes with lots of colors and the chicken and some tortilla chips artfully and colorfully arranged. As I looked around at the other plates, they were also works of art. And the dishes were colorful and varied. They also offered both mild and hot salsas with perfectly crisp and non-greasy chips. The wait staff was attentive and just the right amount of friendly. Even though the décor was upscale, the treatment was not ostentatious. I thought with the décor , that the servings would be tiny, but they were substantial enough to allow everyone to leave satisfied if not slightly full. We ate there at lunch and my entrée was only $7.99. I thought that was surprisingly reasonable. See photo at right.

Well, here’s the funny part…as we were leaving, I noticed some newspaper articles which they had displayed in the entryway. The chain was started in Dallas and there happens to be one on Westheimer in Houston. I had never heard of it. So, I guess we’ll be going to check it out.

At the end of Thursday, the sun was out and Friday, we had an absolutely perfect day on the water. Took Sarah for a long ride on the jet ski. The faster the better with her. Just watch her or she’ll try to make it take off on you. We didn’t even get back to the cabins until about 6. None of us wanted the day to end. But alas, it was time to pack up the boats and cabins.

Aunts Creek Resort is slowly being sold off—the cabins beings offered for purchase. Several have already been sold. There is a very good chance we won’t be able to stay there next summer. So, we will be looking around for another location. This has been a trend in recent years. The resorts used to have 3 months of people staying. But with sports and August school starts, the time people can come is getting shorter and shorter. A lot of these resorts just can’t make it on only 2 months of rentals.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Static Weather/Casualty on the Lake/Job Training for Disabled

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Tropical Atlantic is quiet. There is an area of disturbed weather in the tropical Pacific about 1400 miles east of Hawaii. According to the National Hurricane Center, it has less than a 30% chance to develop. Will keep you posted.

Upper pattern has flattened a lot...so much so that an asssociated frontal boundary has drawn up mostly stationary over central Arkansas causing training of rain cells and flooding. This pattern will change little over the next few days--with minor flucuations in the north south position of rain producing storms.

On Thursday, there will some severe storms in west Texas (see figure at right). Highs will be in the 90s and 100s in south Texas and much of the desert southwest. The west coast of California will be in the 60s. The rest of the country will be in the 70s and 80s. Much of the country will have rain.

Houston will continue hot and very humid. Look for scattered thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday (Friday being cooler due to more cloud cover and rain cooling). Over the weekend, there is only a slight chance for rain. But, it will still be hot and humid.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do camera or cámara, pronounced CAH-mah-rah. Find out what happened to my cámara in the AND MORE section.

We used a different kind (and much more expensive) cámara while shooting our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. Order your copy from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,
www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Well we had our first casualty of the trip...on the dock of a restaurant called Campbell's, I was doing my 2 handed still camera vs. movie camera when I dropped the still camera. And although I thought it would stop below my feet, it rolled and skidded right into the water. Now I don't care that much about the camera...but I had snapped about 20 photos...many of which were very meaningful. I watched it sink as the turtles and huge fish (catfish?) tried to nibble at it. The camera was ruined the minute it hit the water, but there is always the hope that the memory stick might retain the photos. No point in thinking about it--it is dangerous and too deep to dive for anything in the dock water. Besides, I'll be some of those fish are 3 feet long.

We drove into Branson yesterday. Sarah loves the arcades. We also decided to stop at The Toy Museum. There was an amazingly large number of toys (more than 1 million come to find out). They claim to be the biggest toy museum anyway. Made me feel a bit old as I say some things on display that I had played with. Worth seeing at least once.

I am so proud of Megan, my step-daughter. She did not get to make this trip as she is completing finals for becoming a veterinary technician. You see, we set up this reservation a year in advance because these places book up. Poor girl has been checking in with us frequently. This is her first year to miss ever. She is making the grades!!! Monday will be her last exams. You go girl!!!

Started a new book (thanks Mary Ann--that's my mother-in-law). It's called The Shack (by William Paul Young). Will let you know what I think.

My good friend Leslie has written another fantastic article for the Chronicle. This one was especially of interest to me because it discusses how to train disabled young adults so they can get jobs and make a living--it's called SUCCESS. Please share this with your friends who have children with disabilities like autism, mental retardation, Asperger's
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/fortbend/news/6550990.html

Don't forget to answer the poll about you are economizing.

Gotta close and visit with the family. These times are too few and too fast.

Have a terrific Thursday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Rain all over/Table Rock Lake

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Tropical Atlantic is quiet. In the eastern Pacific, there are two areas of disturbed weather with a low chance of development (according to the National Hurricane Center). Will keep you posted.

Lots of locations in the US have a shot at rain on Tuesday. See Storm Prediction Center figure at right. Highs in parts of the Intermountain Region, desert southwest will be in the 90s and 100s. There will be 80s and 90s in the southern plains and southeast. Elsewhere, highs will be in the 60s and 70s.

Houston, there will be another round of showers and thunderstorms on Tuesday. Rain chances drop a bit on Wednesday and more substantially on Thursday. It will be hotter in the afternoons as rain become less prevalent. Conditions will continue muggy regardless.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do lake or lago, pronounced LAH-goh. We are having one at a very nice lago near Branson, Missouri. Find out more in the AND MORE section.

It's fun to swim and do other kid friendly outdoor activities. That's why we including an entire chapter with Spanish words about play in our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. Order your copy from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,%20www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Spent the day out on the lake (see photo at right)...Table Rock Lake extends from southwest Missouri to northwest Arkansas. It has 800 miles of shoreline and is a favorite for skiing and fishing. The lake is manmade...formed (in the 50s) as a result of a floor control project which included Table Rock Dam. The lake is a little cooler than other summers because it has yet to hit 90 degrees here.

Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Rain for Many Areas/Toad Suck Park/Table Rock Lake

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Tropical Atlantic and Pacific are quiet.

Ridge is beginning to flatten and retrograde as a trough begins to dig southward into the central US. On Monday, highs will be in the 90s and 100s across the southern plains and southwest with highs in the 70s along the coastal sections of California. Highs will be in the 70s and 80s across the rest of the country. Many locations will have a chance for thunderstorms but no severe storms are predicted by the Storm Prediction Center.

On Monday, Houston will have some thunderstorms Monday and Tuesday. Chances decrease middle to later part of the week. But there will still be a few Wednesday through Friday. Highs will be in the low to middle 90s early in the week and middle to upper 90s later in the week.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do restaurant, or restaurante, pronounced rehs-tair-RAHN-tay. Check out the AND MORE section for the name of a restaurant that we think is unique.

Speaking of eating, your kids will love learning the spanish words for several words associated with eating (and drinking). They are presented in a fun, musical way in the first volume of our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. Order your copy from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,%20www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
We're staying in Aunts Creek Resort, which is near Reeds Spring and Kimberling City, MO (outside of Branson) on Table Rock Lake. On the 12 hour drive from Houston, we usually stop at a restaurant in Hope, Arkansas called Dos Loco Gringos. Well, first of all, if that name was correct it would be Dos Gringos Locos--2 crazy white men. But, anyway, we find the Mexican food interesting and tasty and we stop there almost every time we make the trip. I asked Anthony (one of the waiters) how that name came to be. He said that years ago, the two men who bought that restaurant, already owned 2 other restaurants and their friends said they were crazy to buy another one...since they were "white" guys, they came up with the name "Dos Loco Gringos"--literally translated--Two Crazy White Guys. Now you know.

For years, we've seen the exit for "Toad Suck Park" outside Conway, Arkansas. And we've always wondered what in the world it was all about. Come to find out it is a recreation area run by the Corps of Engineers. But we wanted to know the origin of the name. And I pulled the following from the Conway Chamber of Commerce web site.

"Long ago, steamboats traveled the Arkansas River when the water was at the right depth. When it wasn't, the captains and their crew tied up to wait where the Toad Suck Lock and Dam now spans the river. While they waited, they refreshed themselves at the local tavern there, to the dismay of the folks living nearby, who said: "They suck on the bottle 'til they swell up like toads." Hence, the name Toad Suck. The tavern is long gone, but the legend and fun live on at Toad Suck Daze."

Hi, it's me again. Toad Suck Daze is a festival Conway has in the spring. Check out these sites for more information.

http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/toadsuck/index.htm
http://www.toadsuck.org/

It has been rainy on and off for the past week in the Table Rock/Branson, Missouri area. But after the morning fog lifted, we had a spectacular day. Check out the photo at right--the view from the deck of the cabins we are staying in.

Have a great week everyone!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman