December 31 - Resort Adventures, New Years Eve

New Years Eve, 2018.

A 2nd and 3rd Generation Graham at the Pool

Here we are with another year in the books for the Resorts. 2018 was an excellent year. (No floods for one thing) But beyond that, it was a year that we dedicated to figuring out exactly what the resorts were capable of as a business. It's the first year that we put in 100% of our own effort, minus housekeeping and some maintenance, to see what they could produce. Our customers have always loved the different places and many of them consider one of the cabins or a room or the Rainbow Haven Pool to be their second home. We've figured out that we have quite the contingent of guests that have been making Rainbow Haven their summer home for over 20 years. This year we also discovered one of the guests used to stay at our Cross Timbers location back about 40 years ago. But the all time "Most Dedicated Guest" is a gentleman named Rich who has bee staying at Rainbow Haven, previously Duck Harbor, previously Longview Resort for now 56 years. His home away from home for as long as any of us know has been Room 10 at Rainbow Haven which has a great view out towards the lake.

As far as the day is concerned, we added a number of reservations for the upcoming Spring and Summer today. I guess people are already getting Cabin Fever. It's a good sign for the coming season. We do have opportunities to add services to the Resorts this year. We are still deciding what that will look like. One of the big additions in 2018 was new Jon Boats with tiller steer motors. They fill in the gap for people who want to get on the lake on a budget. We got them toward the end of last season so they were not used a lot, but they did get out as people realized that we had them. Our "Project X" would bring some dining and entertainment opportunities to the Resort guests. (Still working on that one) but regardless, There will be something new here this year.

The year wasn't completely without challenges. We did have to enforce some new policies to keep the environment a bit more family friendly. We had a few mechanical challenges that weren't a big problem but weren't convenient in their timing. But all in all, 2018 was a remarkable year and we are certainly looking forward to an awesome 2019 season.

Strap on the Seatbelts. The Resort Adventure Continues!

December 30 - Resort Adventures, Week 52 in the Books

Well, here we are, closing out week number 52 at the resorts. This week has been the typical Christmas/New Years weekend kind of week. We've had a rush of families in where most of them have spent at least one night at Silver Dollar City seeing the Christmas lighting spectacle there. Most have also taken part in last minute and post-Christmas shopping. We even had some fishermen in for most of Christmas week. The lights on Christmas Island were beautiful this year. Wind and rain have taken their toll on them the last few days, but they survived the full season through Christmas pretty well. Shelley and I made it out on five Saturday nights to visit Santa, the elves and the coffee and cookies. I've also noticed this year that the number of businesses and homes decorating for Christmas was up a lot from last year and way up from years previous to that. Perhaps the effort to light up the island is having a ripple effect through town. If so, it's a nice effect.

The treehouses were also busy and beautifully lit this year. We were there on Friday and I am amazed at the number of reservations that were coming in during the few minutes I was in the office. If you have plans on staying in one this year, better call early. The progress on the Old Fashion Water Mill Treehouse is good. The framing is done for the most part and the roof will be going on I'm sure during this coming week.

We are closing in on decisions regarding the Fisherman's Hide Out resort property. The property will start receiving our attention on Tuesday or Wednesday this week. Shelley and I visited one of our favorite "Resort Inspiration" destinations last night for coffee and dessert that helped with our decision on the Hide Out. Big Cedar Lodge is our Resort Dreamland. I often tell people that when I grow up I want to be just like Big Cedar. If you look closely, you would see the "Big Cedar" influence at our treehouses. What that means for The Fisherman's Hide Out is that while it's location is great for a small fishing resort near a premier trout lake, it doesn't line up with our current goals as a lodging destination. For this reason, we will make it suitable as an economically priced lodging option or sell it to perhaps someone wanting to start their own "Resort Adventure". If you are reading this and are interested, you can all me at 417-234-4394 or email me at alliedps1818@gmail.com

Today is Sunday before New Years Eve. I think my biggest adventure today will be coffee, sorting a little bit of fishing tackle and gift inventory, but mostly watching bits and pieces of College Football.

The year is winding down but the Adventure continues!

December 29 - Resort Adventures, A Three Year Flood Anniversary

It is Saturday and we are at day 62 of our 90 Days Until March 1 countdown. I failed to mention a couple things over that last couple of days, The first was that reservations for the New Years weekend came storming in on Thursday and Friday. We had a couple of reservation days that rivaled a lot of weekends during the busiest part of the Summer. That's always good to see this time of year, even if it's simply fueled by a holiday. The other thing I forgot was the anniversary of the big Christmas Day Flood that occurred three years ago this week.

2017 April Flood at Rainbow Haven Resort

The gentleman that we bought the Rainbow Haven Resort from was here when it happened. On Christmas morning, 2015, the water from the lake was high but in it's banks and seemed to be stable. He went to Branson to see friends that day and upon returning home, he found the water had quickly flooded the area all the way up to close to seven feet deep in the lower levels of the resort. This meant that rooms 4, 8 and the office were all seven feet deep in lake Taneycomo water. The picture to the right is from one of the 2017 floods. The 2015 Christmas flood was about three feet deeper and came up to about one foot from the upper level deck. It was devastating mostly because it lasted longer and actually destroyed a lot of finished space which was everything on the lower levels.

Memorial Day 2017 Flood Survival crew

In 2016 when we purchased the resort, we decided against redoing the lower levels and simply left them empty. That proved to be a good decision in the Spring of 2017 when we experienced two floods. One in April and one in May. Neither came up to the level of the 2015 flood but both were a nuisance regardless. The decision to leave the lower level empty had proven itself to be a good plan. in both of the 2017 floods, we were back open and operational in less than 24 hours of each of the events. In fact, the May flood happened on Memorial Day weekend and we had a full house of guests. Some of which thought it was a big Resort Adventure and were wading around the parking lot in water taking pictures. Some actually slept through it and by the time they woke up and came out in the morning, everything was already back to normal.

By the Way, there is a funny story related to the group of ladies you see in the picture and the May flood. It was close to midnight when water began to flood the parking lot and cars needed to be moved. This group was a "Girls Get-Away" group that happened to be watching a creepy/horror/slasher movie on TV when we started pounding on their door to get them out to move their vehicles out of the way of the rising water. They REFUSED to even come anywhere near the door for fear that a slasher was ready to murder them all! Of course they were safe and we finally coaxed them out to take care of their cars. They spent the next 2 hours splashing around in the parking lot taking silly pictures of themselves. They said it was the best "Get-Away" they'd ever had. I asked if it was okay with them if I did not arrange to have a flood entertain them the next time they came to town!

Thank goodness there have been no floods to make up our Resort Adventures since the May, 2017 flood. I'm COMPLETELY okay with not experiencing another one for at least 20 or maybe even 50 or 100 years!

On a brighter note. We are open for business and have a surprising number of rooms and cabins occupied this weekend. We even have a former Rainbow Haven Resort owner and former Rockaway Beach mayor visiting. Larry and Paula owned the Resort many years ago and were passing through this weekend. It's good to see them again!

December 28 - Resort Adventures

The Ghost of Mrs. O'Leary's Cow

Friday began with a humorous, sarcastic look at an on-going quest that I have been on for a couple years. It does concern resorts, at least in the respect of the negative attention caused by a burned house in proximity to some of the cabins that we will be beginning work on next month. For some reason, there seems to be nothing the town or any individual can do to deal with it. I decided to turn to sarcasm to see if that works. When it's ready to be published, I'll make sure to include a link. I can only say that the story will have something to do with "The Ghost of Mrs. O'Leary's Cow".

At some point I read that entertaining a prospective guest works better as a marketing tool than a constant barrage of sales material. I hope it's true because I would much rather entertain than sell. If it's true, then I suppose the question really is whether or not I'm any good at it. When the Ghost Cow story goes public, I guess you can decide for yourselves.

I never noticed it much, but getting into the winter season does seem to be slower that even I thought. Not that we don't have a lot of things to do to get ready for Spring. It's just that since I've been journaling our days, I noticed that getting up and going at 9:30 in the morning is much more common than I would have thought. But that's okay. I remember thinking to myself back in April that I was not ready for the 12-16 hour days that we would be locked into through September. I was too tired for it clear back then and the summer was a long and busy one. This winter season, I am already beginning to feel rested and it's not even January yet.

Resort Adventures...….. I'm enjoying the sleeping late and coffee drinking by the fire more this year than I have in a long time!

December 27 - Resort Adventures

Warm Weather Office

I could hear rain all night outside and it was still persisting this morning when it began to get light. What is the significance of that, you may wonder? It meant that I did not make it in to my office until about 8:30. And I don't mean like, "Drive across town to the office", I mean "Walk across the living room to the office." I actually have 2 offices if you don't count the several swimming pool offices. (Some of you know what I'm talking about). No, my two main offices are my warm weather office and my cold weather office. Both are located at the Rainbow Haven Resort. The warm weather office is where I work from during most of the year. It's also the tackle shop, the gift shop and where most of the reservations are managed. The cold weather office is slightly more organized and quiet. It's where I retreat once the temperatures get colder outside. The tackle shop would be okay when its cold but you would need to wear a coat because it's not heated. It gets residual heat from the house but not enough to be very comfortable. Perhaps I may remedy that, but not this winter. too many other things going on.

It is now 64 days until March, but it's only five days until property tax time. That lovely time of year when county gets their share. So I will be taking care of that today, but we aren't going to dwell on it. So on to better things.

In this case, better is we just received our first shipment of "Campfire Mugs" for Branson Treehouse Adventures. I was proud to be the first customer and now that Christmas is over, I can put away the snowman mug and get back to my assortment of camp and cabin mugs. (by the way.... They come in four colors and are available at the treehouse gift shop)

December 26 - Resort Adventures

Here it is, the end of December and the most predictable reservations of the year (outside of July 4 weekends) are starting to happen. The rooms and cabins with jetted tubs are now coming on strong. I just took reservations for the Rainbow Haven Resort room with the big tub. While popular throughout the year, they really stand out in the winter. Who doesn't love relaxing in a quiet cabin with a big tub when it's cold outside? The one at Rainbow Haven is in a room that faces out over the lake which makes it extra nice, especially when the December temps are in the 50's and 60's like today and tomorrow. But I see that we are due for some 20's at night and 40's for daytime temps coming up by the weekend. Any time you take a notion to try out one of the tub cabins, they are Room 5 at Rainbow Haven Resort, Cabin 3 at Cross Timbers and at the treehouses, they are Belle Arbres, Misty View and The Captains Quarters.

While messing around the tackle shop today, I noticed the pump in the minnow tanks humming. It's usually shut down this time of year because the main need for minnows is for the Crappie fishing which is best in the Spring. The hum of the pump made me pause for a moment and think; "Crappies will be moving in again in just a couple months." and it's true! only a couple months now and Shelley will be back at it. She became somewhat of a celebrity last Spring.  A fishing celebrity, that is. Once she figured out that I was okay with her bringing fish home for supper, she would simply disappear at odd hours of the day and come back with stringers of Crappies and sunfish.

Shelley and our daughters, who are also prolific fisher-girls, decided to print up a T-Shirt for the gift shop that has been a favorite. Especially among the Ladies (And the men who's ego's can handle a good fisher-girl in the relationship) I am proud to say that all the girls in our family qualify to wear this shirt with pride. If you need one of these or there's a fisher-girl in your life that needs one, we have them in sizes from small to extra large in Black, Sapphire Blue and Purple (shown in the pic) You can get them at our Rainbow Haven tackle/gift shop or order by phone and have them shipped to you (417-234-4394)

It's now 65 days until March 1 and the cabins are ALL OPEN. and Crappie fishing is about that far away too.

The Adventure Never Ends!

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December 25 - Resort Adventures "Christmas"

Christmas Morning, 2018. Knowing that we were scheduled to cook up the Christmas Family Breakfast Tradition this year at our son's house, we were very specific on when the breakfast was to be ready. 10:00 am was the decided upon time. That meant, engineering everything in reverse, we could sleep in until 8:30, be ready to leave at 9:30 and still arrive in Galena MO by 10am. In theory, that's the way it would work. But in 'theory", theory works like practice, but in "practice", it doesn't. So...…. at 7:30am, I received a call that everyone was up so we might as well get breakfast going!

The Traditional Christmas breakfast is Mennonite Waffles. What makes a Waffle a Mennonite? That..... Is a good question! I'm not sure but it they consist of Waffles, smothered with a cream sauce, topped with a blueberry reduction, this if that wasn't enough to put you in a comma, we add a pile of whipped cream on top! (If I get enough requests for the recipe, I may post it, but I have to warn you that it may be "Confidential", "Family Secret" kind of stuff!

Now what you are looking at in the picture is the "Girlie" version which is two - quarter waffles with some stuff. The "Manly" version is two full waffles with double everything! Which covers the whole plate about three inches deep.

Wherever and whenever this tradition started, I can't remember. I can pretty much say with confidence that it will not likely die out anytime soon, or actually, ever! The kids will not let it! But that's okay. I guess as long as Mennonite Waffles are part of the Christmas tradition, then the kids will always do their best to be there

Last Christmas included a "Special" Gift that was the announcement that we would become Grandparents for the first time. Our grandson Callahan was born during the summer and has become the center of attention of the family. He's the "Ham of the Fam". He's become the official spokesman for the resorts, the coffee company, the "everything in general" face of the "Fun" part of what we do. I can't wait until we can get some good pics and video of him having fun by the pool, firepit, boats and everything else.

Resort Adventures...…………...

December 24 - Resort Adventures "Christmas Eve"

Christmas Eve at The Resorts. While we do have guests both at the Treehouses and at Rainbow Haven Resort, it is a quiet day and peaceful day. We drove over to Branson to pick up some supplies for our annual family Christmas Eve get-together...….. However peaceful it is down here by the lake, it was exactly the opposite in town. I suppose it was the "last minute Christmas shoppers" that had streets and stores clogged up to the point of misery.

It's now 67 days until March and the beginning of Spring (in my calendar) We are open for business at all locations all winter but surviving until March is always the very first wintertime goal. Our day was spent mostly in the company of family so we were gone pretty much all day. Our guests assured me that they would be around the area visiting family as well so there was nothing to worry about. The weather has been so mild that it really doesn't feel like Christmas. But that's coming from someone who was born and raised in central Iowa where Christmas is usually white.

Our home/office/warehouse/workshop/global headquarters is where we display the tree and it shares a space with just about everything we do for both work and play. This year the space includes "infant toys" as you can see in the background. This year we celebrate Christmas with a new grandson (our very first "grand") We enjoy his company three to four times per week and that alone makes the season special.

Merry Christmas from all of us at the resorts
Rainbow Haven Resort
Cross Timbers Cabins
Branson Treehouse Adventures
The Fisherman's Hideout (Soon to be "The Black Bear Cabins" or Cottages or something!)

December 23 - Resort Adventures, Week 51 "In The Books"

Could you tell that today was longer than yesterday? No? Well it was, Today is day 68 on my 90 Days until Spring countdown. I know I'm messing with people on this but March 1 is my own personal "1st day of Spring".

During the summer when things are so busy you don't have time to think, I usually reserve Sunday nights for my "Week in the Books" report. It mostly goes to facebook followers but I will occasionally include bits and pieces in other places. It gives our guests and prospective guests an idea of what goes on around here. We are currently at week 51 in the books at the resorts. From a business point of view, we had an excellent year in most aspects. there have been a few bumps along the way. One thing I did this year was getting pictures on the lake at sunrise. I didn't get one everyday, but the trend seemed to catch on with our guests. I began seeing more and more guests getting up before sunrise to get their own amazing photographs of the lake.

So this weeks "Week in the Books" included just two guests. One passing through for a night and the other just getting a short "get-away for a couple nights. Honestly, I didn't see either of them while they were here. We arranged a self check in for them due to either a late arrival or us being gone when they arrived. Both seemed very content with that.

We've begun to consolidate our inventory of gift shop items. Most of that includes T-shirts, hoodies, a variety of coffee cups, custom roasted coffee, ball caps, magnets, and other souvenirs. I always start the year intending to keep better track of it. But once things get really, I resort to the order and sell and order and sell routing until I'm almost completely lost on what we have. So, by the end of this week, I should have a good idea of what I'll need to plan for going into Spring.

Finally, Christmas is only a day away and while resort activities will be minimal, once we get past that, the week between Christmas and New Years is reserved for me to begin organizing the plans for the coming year. You wouldn't think it would be that complicated, and it's not I suppose, but experience has taught me that it's better to do some planning and projecting that just leave it to itself. So that will start on Wednesday or Thursday.

Week 51 is In The Books at the resorts!

December 22 - Resort Adventures

Our day began with a two hour "Project X" meeting. The exciting and scary thing about this project is that it would greatly expand the value of what we have to offer at all of the resorts by adding _______ and _________ (Wow, was that uncalled for or what???) The problem is that we are still negotiating for both the property and the financing and I'm not certain of the outcome yet. SO...….. you'll just have to deal with the secrecy.

Project X...…… Moving forward!

After that, we stopped by the treehouses and checked out the progress so far on the "Water Mill" treehouse. SO those of you with analytical thinking are probably trying in vain to visualize a water wheel in a treehouse. Have patience, it's actually coming together relatively quickly. One interesting side-note is that this treehouse is bigger that the first two homes that Shelley and I owned. Measuring in at right around 900 square feet, this treehouse cabin will be HUGE as treehouse cabins are concerned. One of our camp workers suggested a name for the cabin that I really like. As soon as we get a consensus on it, we'll announce it.

Evening ushered in the last Saturday night event for the season out on the Christmas Island in front of our Rainbow Haven Resort. We had some close friends show up to experience the lights, coffee, hot chocolate, cookies and pictures with Santa. They came in bearing gifts of freshly made Tamales. Which were both delicious and "Gone" by the end of the night. The group included kids and grandkids and all had a wonderful time. They even had a "Cookie Frosting and Sprinkling" station set up so the kids (and adults...…. and Martins) could design and decorate their own Christmas Cookies.

Christmas is closing on us fast and we have virtually no shopping done and may not even really do any. The exciting thing is that four generations of the family will be able to get together on Christmas Eve. A few will be missing from the festivities but they'll be with us in our hearts.

December 21 - Resort Adventures "Winter Solstice"

Friday, December 21. Winter Solstice 2018.

Technically today is the beginning of winter and I certainly will not dispute it. However, my winter began at the beginning of December and will end on the 28th of February. How is it possible to disrupt the Celestial timelines of the Season's? When living the resort life, at least in SW Missouri, Springtime kind of begins on March 1. The Rainbow Trout season in the state trout parks around here opens March 1 and people just seem ready to get back out, rent some cabins and get on the lake. Obviously, the fish don't really care what the date is. Some of the best trout fishing occurs in the winter months, especially the bigger Brown Trout. But as mild as the winters normally are in this part of the world, it still takes a hearty, determined fisherman (or woman) to spend much time out on the water in January and February. (For our friends to the north...….Yes, our water stays liquid all winter!)

Last night, upon returning from a day of crawling around on the floor installing carpet at our house, I ended up in the easy chair with a cup of coffee, a fire and a movie. (Yes, I am STILL restricted to "Christmas Coffee Cups) I'll be glad to get back to my Base Camp Travelling Coffee Cup. I'll fill in the details on another date on what that's all about, but meanwhile, you can see a few pics at our Travelling Cup Pinterest page.  The nutshell version is that wherever the cup goes, I go. Except around Christmas time when it's banished from use and confined to the cabinet so the Christmas Mugs can take their turn. One of the obnoxious habits of the cup is photo-bombing as many pictures as possible. If you ever buy one, it will attempt to upstage you at every opportunity!

We introduced our grandson to the Coffee Shop up the hill today. He stole the show as usual. Babies have that knack. Who could argue with that though.

On the Resort front, today saw business in the Gift shop with Rockaway Beach Hoodie sales, more coffee and a couple of December reservations. AND guests from somewhere in Florida will be arriving late tonight.

Other than all that, it's been a fairly quiet and relaxing day at the resorts.

December 20 - Resort Adventures

So it's Thursday night and I'm really too tired to do this but perseverance will need to prevail. Today was another day of not so much resort stuff. HOWEVER, if you count the things going on at the treehouses, then there is some cool things happening. The treehouse that will resemble an old mill. (complete with 10' tall waterwheel) is really getting going. It will have two bedrooms with king beds and a large hot tub on the back deck when complete. One funny story about this one is that four years ago, we ran across a HUGE gable end Picture Window for a really good price. We bought it and have had it stored for all this time. Because of it's shape we basically had to design a cabin around the window. Well...….. This is the one!

The walkway in the picture is only temporary. Randy, our treehouse master, insisted on no more cable bridges during the construction phase. He said we can build as many cable bridges as we want to after he's done hauling all of the lumber and materials out to the cabins. So, the final approach to this treehouse will be more interesting than it is now, but gotta keep the builder happy!

I guess there is one more "resort" related piece of business from today. We were working within about 3 mile of our coffee roaster and stopped by for some new flavors. This one is fantastic and will become a regular here at the resorts. "Highlander Grogg" is a coffee with a Butterscotch and Rum flavor. We routinely ship coffee and have sent it as far as 852 miles away. (That's the record so far) SO..... if you want to give any of our blends, roasts or flavors a try, just call me at 417-234-4394. We can hook you up!

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I think it's time to go sit in front of the fireplace and fall asleep in the chair.

December 19 - Resort Adventures

72 Days until "My Spring" starts

Yesterday, I eluded to my "90 Days 'til Spring" countdown. It's my self defense mechanism to help me get through December, January and February. I even wrote a blog article about the mindset I've developed to help me cope with winter. It's called "The Incremental Winter". In the past it's been an agonizing stretch. Mostly because money gets tight and figuring out how to keep the bills paid until business picks back up in March can be a challenge. This year however, I think we are actually going to enjoy the slow season. This summer, all of the resorts pretty much pulled their weight during the summer and it feels like we have reserves to make it to Spring.

The Resorts will be taking a back seat today to another task. We are nearing completion on renovations at our home in Ozark (our official home) Once completed, it will be going on the market to sell. We are a little bit of carpet away from having the interior complete. Along with a little landscaping to finish the outside. We bought this home in 1993 (26 years ago this coming Spring) I suppose you can see the "Cabin" trend was going on quite a while ago.

The carpet, pad and tools are on site and believe me, some of it is actually installed. Looks like tomorrow will be another carpet laying day though. We slept in until 9 o'clock today recovering from those early morning, grandson babysitting days on Monday and Tuesday. Maybe we'll start a little earlier tomorrow...…...Maybe not!


I would really rather be sitting on the deck, looking at the lake and sipping Ice Tea!

December 18 - Resort Adventures

Today I've pretty much confined myself to the office  to get some marketing done. It's not a glamorous job but it's a job that cannot be ignored. It's a job that I estimate takes (or should take) about 20% of my time. The fun "Resorty" stuff doesn't happen when working on marketing. Things like fixing broken water pipes, boats or gas lines, but without at least some marketing going on, the rest wouldn't matter. Among other things, trying to help create interesting attractions in town also helps with marketing. The Christmas Island is one such thing. It was started in 2017 and has survived through 2018, so that's a good start. It's mostly a community driven event that lasts through November and December. It does attract guests for the lights, pictures with Santa on Saturday nights along with complimentary coffee, hot chocolate and cookies.

As far as the other marketing, I won't bore you with details (Besides, most of it is "Secret Agent", "Need to Know" kind of stuff anyway!) At least that's what I've convinced myself! The pic to the left is what I see on my marketing days. Computer, chips and spinach dip, Gatorade, stack of bills that's being ignored. (Oh wait, I hope my bankers aren't reading this!) It's okay, I'm sure they like to imagine it that way anyway. As a matter of fact, this is a lot what my view looks like on bill paying day as well. Except for the addition of a box of tissues that need to be handy when paying bills.

Besides the resorts, I had mentioned that we are attempting to purchase another property. It's not a resort, but it is related in the entertainment and food business. Our negotiations moved slightly forward today but they also appear to be slowing to where I'm not sure we will reach the magic mark on price and terms. Plus, the banks we are dealing with are doing their best impression of......Banks. They remind us how they all want to be our bank and work with us, until we actually bring them something to work with. Then they look at us like we are holding a dead skunk. Well, we've been there before and prevailed and we've been there before and failed (to get financing that is) So the game goes on.

Otherwise, today was a BEAUTIFUL day with temps in the upper 50's. We are at Day 73 into my "90 Days 'til Spring Coundown". I'll explain that tomorrow.

Life is Great at the Resorts!

December 17 - Resort Adventures

Current Color Scheme

One week from today is Christmas Eve and one week from that is New Years Eve. Then on to 2019 and a new year and new resort season. January 1 will also be the day we bring 8 more resort cabins into the Base Camp Resort and Cabin Co collection. A lot of the next two weeks will be spent working on a plan to get them, or at least a few of them, ready for guests by Spring. I'm sure I'll be sharing my thought process as we move forward with this. Planning and strategies ahead of time make up the bulk of whether a small mom and pop resort is successful going forward. This will be no different.

Possible Color Option

The current color scheme is tan, green and brown. I think it's okay, but when we look at giving the cabins an overall facelift, it's probably a good time to change up the colors as well. One option is the one on the left with more of a natural stained log and rustic gray. We'll see. There's a lot of possibilities and potential available. 

Last week we shipped almost all of our coffee out to customers so today is a coffee run to the roaster kind of day. By request, we recently added a very dark roast to the "Lost" collection that has been pretty popular. We call it "Lost in the Dark". We actually did sell completely out of that one. Our Private Label custom roasted coffee makes up a small portion of our Base Camp gift selections. In a way, part of our "business" has been to get involved in things we like AS businesses. That way, the things we get to deal with the things we enjoy in life as part of the "Business". This is true for cabins, boats, fishing tackle, swimming pools, coffee and who knows what all else we may add to the mix. At the treehouses, we've added Pirate Ships and Zip Lines. What's not to love about all that.

Back to the coffee. Our roaster is a great guy with very cool equipment. His shop is the BEST smelling workshop I've ever been in. Last fall, we had him make up some seasonal flavors to fit the Autumn and Winter. Today I suggested a flavor combination of something I tried over the weekend, He pulled out his magic selection of flavors and oils and we settled on something to try. I'll be picking up the actual coffee sample of it this Thursday to try out.

I LOVE THIS BUSINESS!!!

December 16 - Resort Adventures

Sundays at the Resorts are crazy in the summer but much slower in December. We do have guests scheduled in later in the week but for now we do our best to relax. I do plan to finally get the gas line to the fireplace fixed today. The weather is perfect for getting a few things done outside. I plan to try my hand at yet another skill today. I was loaned a GoPro camera and will be attempting to film some of the activities around here for your entertainment. You may not think that general maintenance around a resort could be very entertaining BUT, you have not seen me maintaining things yet!

For example we had a number of guests throughout the past summer express concern with a thumping noise emanating periodically from the cabins. (I was certain it was not Al Capone's Ghost.....See the link and ask me more about that later) It was finally determined to be a pressure control valve on the incoming water main. I played with it off and on all summer to try to make it behave. Finally, it simply had to go. I considered trying to video the experience. I decided against it because I didn't have a lot of time. There were incoming guests due to arrive, the water had to be shut off, the water main cut, the valve removed, the water line put back together all in about three hours...…….. What could possibly go wrong?

The first thing to go wrong was that after I cut the line, it began to rain, so I spent the rest of the job being wet.

Second problem: while cutting the water main, the pipe split back into a "glued in" shut off valve, which now also had to be replaced. Meaning that the "Main" main needed to also be shut down, (not just the "sub" main.)

Third problem: the "sub" main valve had to be cut out which extended deep into the dirt through the side of the man-hole wall and almost impossible to reach.

Fourth problem:  The manhole was now filling with water from the draining main line.

Fifth problem: I am getting wetter. I am loosing patience. I am running out of time. I'm hanging upside down in a muddy manhole and I don't have sufficient language to express my frustration!

Sixth problem: The Coast Guard Auxiliary shows up to inspect my boats. (I pointed to the marina and told them, "They're over there. Knock yourself out!)

After sucking enough water out of the manhole with a vacuum cleaner to get, at least temporarily, dry pipe fittings, I glued the new pipes in and only had a very small leak to contend with when it was done.

WHO wouldn't have thought that all of that was entertaining! I would have had to give the film (had it been made) a Hollywood film rating that would not have been G and not PG. Possibly PG-13 or perhaps even R for threatening language and violence.

So back to today...…… It's done! 

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December 15 - Resort Adventures

It's Saturday and even though Saturday's are typically busy, this time of year not so much. December marks the first real month of "Down Time" in the business. You better make it from April through November, because it's thin from December through February and starts to pick back up in March. One of the big challenges in the business it to try to figure out how to extend the season through as much of the winter as possible.

The picture at the right is from last night out on our deck welcoming visitors to the Rainbow Haven Resort with a little Christmas Spirit. December "down time" means spending time doing things not so Resort related. Today it's dinner with the entire clan from Great Grandparents on down to the newest 5 month old member of the family. There even a few deviled eggs left to go around! (see yesterdays post for the explanation of that)

One left over piece of business from yesterday was the gas line connecting the fireplace...….. Well...…. Didn't happen today either. Maybe tomorrow. We are experiencing some unseasonal warm weather right now so I guess it's not too important yet.

One of the smaller "Hide Out" cabins

As the resorts are concerned, one of the challenges we will be facing before next season arrives is how we will be proceeding with the Fisherman's Hide Out. For the last two years, we've had it under a lease agreement from potential buyers. From the looks of it, we will be running it gain by January first. That means making a lot of decisions on how we plan to develop the property. There are a lot of options on the table but we are interested in developing it into a unique experience for guests/customers. and that could look like a lot of different things!. This will be an ongoing subject in the "Resort Adventures" articles.

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December 14 - Resort Adventures

Base Camp Premium Coffee

When in the Resort Business, it's important to make every decision count when it comes to income. At least that's true if they are relatively small properties. One of the things we decided to add to our Rainbow Haven Resort Gift Shop this year was Premium Roasted Coffee. We had researched this for over a year looking for the right roaster and getting labels made. It took longer to get going than we planned but by last Spring we had our coffee.

Starting the morning with a good cup of coffee is excellent, but boxing and shipping coffee is almost better. It fills the office with the aroma of fresh coffee that brings a smile to the face. Today I started by shipping a case of coffee to North Dakota.

My Future Deviled Eggs

Don't let this next part scare you. Occasionally, we have resort guests that will offer to leave us their unused groceries when they prepare to leave for home. Sometimes that's good, sometimes not. In this case however, it worked. A very nice group of roofers were in town for a few days replacing a roof on a local business. Upon leaving, they offered us over half of a 60 case of eggs. 31 eggs to be exact. I can usually eat two for breakfast or maybe three in an omelet. BUT, deviled eggs...… I could possibly eat all 31. So, Deviled eggs it is. (I suppose I'll even consider sharing a few of them with the rest of the family tomorrow) …… (If there are any still left by tomorrow)

Since it rained all day yesterday, I'm going to make another attempt at getting the fireplace going today.

3 hours later...….. Still raining

2 more hours later ……….. Still raining!  I suppose getting wet isn't the worst thing that could happen!

It's now dark outside aaaaannnnd…. It's still dark in the fireplace.

I ended up doing other resort business this afternoon by meeting with the Mayor of Rockaway Beach about some business related issues. I think that was productive (unlike my gas line, flare tool, reconnect the fireplace project in the rain!)

Tomorrow is another day.....Life at the Resorts

December 13 - Resort Adventures

Tommy on the left, Martin on the right

Today began as a rainy, dreary day. PERFECT for a stop at the White River Coffee Shop. The regulars there are Dean (the proprietor and Coffee Connoisseur) or as he refers to himself, "The Barista", Greg who is also a coffee guy and home grown potter and coffee roaster (which he roasts in a pop-corn maker) that's a story in and of itself. Soon Tommy, Jerry, Jackie and others arrived to catch up on the "goings on" around town. Around Town refers to Rockaway Beach, Missouri. A booming center of tourism from the 1920's through at least the 1970's (or maybe 80's)  but much slower and less well known now. Branson Missouri, which is only a few minutes to our west, dominates the tourism scene nowadays however Rockaway still enjoys it's own charm and heritage dating back nearly a century.

Today, many of the same world problems were solved as other days, at least in theory. Of course our world pretty much stretches about a quarter mile outward in the general direction of the four compass points. While there, I received a text from our Treehouse Builder Randy. It simply said "Christmas Squirrel".

The balance of the morning included tracking down a simple, inexpensive tool called a flare tool. I own three of them but in two weeks of digging around, I cannot find a single one! (I guess that's part of the "Adventure") More like part of the aggravation! between the four resorts, with a smattering of tools at all of them, I cannot find any of my flare tools. So in reluctance, I called my much more organized mechanic friend Joe. I hate borrowing tools mostly because I hate it when people ask to borrow tools. But I am determined to not own four flare tools and Joe understands...…. At least I think he does. I'll have to be generous to him at Christmas.

So what is a flare tool, you may ask? It's the specific tool I need to get the gas fireplace blazing in the house at the Rainbow Haven Resort, thereby bringing peace to the house once again!

December 12 - Off to the Treehouses

It was a gorgeous day for mid December. The morning included a treehouse agenda. We were scheduled to meet over marketing, look at the new construction of what is now our 10th treehouse cabin, and have a little fun with a "Bigfoot" story.

Resort Life includes the fun and the mundane, but today was mostly fun. The idea of a treehouse resort is a spectacular experience. It's also a spectacular challenge. Randy is our main treehouse builder and seems to enjoy the challenge. You can see him in the picture peeking over the edge of the floor.

Rachel takes care of our social media content for the treehouses and is ramping up some video ideas of a more serious variety that we will be rolling out soon. Meanwhile, she helped me with a special project today that has it's roots in a Rockaway Beach project. We decided to film it at the treehouses mainly because Pat who lives and works there is Bigfoot fan. Pat claims to have been rescued and raised by Bigfoot(s), or Bigfeet...or whatever you may call a group of them (insert eye roll here) While telling his story we had an actual sighting occur! If you feel the need to get up to speed with all of that, go to this link: Bigfoot Awareness Month. 

After taking care of the Bigfoot duties, We moved on to a meeting where we are negotiating the purchase of an entertainment venue in the Branson area. We're still not sure how all that will turn out but it's like all the other projects. We will pursue until we get it done or don't get it done. Which is a pretty good philosophy for growing businesses. 

Life at the resorts...……. Yu never know what your day may include!

A Day in the (Resort) Life

I've been tempted to do this for years but never could justify the time. Now I realize that I still really don't have the time, but, my day to day routine is just too...…..interesting...…... to NOT take the time. If for no other reasons than to give the kids something to laugh at in my old age.

So here's the short story. In 2011, we bought a property with four small cabins on it for our family's enjoyment. As we renovated them, random people started showing up wanting to rent them. After counting the number of times we could have rented them to guests, we decided "We may as well be in the resort business". Like anything else in life, one thing leads to the next. In our case, one thing "necessitates" the next. In our case, the "necessity" was a pool! So in 2012, we bought a pool...…... It came with another resort property connected to it comprising a house and seven more cabins! Along the way, we expanded on the first set of cabins by purchasing an adjacent 3 bedroom house which we thought would be our home. And it was, for at least a year when demand for a multi-bedroom cabin began to over-ride the need for a place to call home!

Our "Home" became a guest cabin in 2012. All was great until 2014 when we decided that cabins alone weren't enough of a challenge so we moved into the arena of Treehouse Building. Our treehouse adventure also took us into the Campground and RV park business. (Like that was a big surprise) Our home became a Fifth Wheel camper for the next two years as treehouses sprung up around our little corner of the Ozark mountains. More on that later.

Finally, in early 2016, a lakefront resort was added to the ever growing collection of cabins and pools and adventures. This move brought with it an array of new challenges such as a marina, boat rentals, marine gas sales, tackle shop and more. The most challenging of the Lake Adventure was learning how to answer the fishermen who naturally, however incorrectly, assumed I certainly must know where every single fishing hotspot in the lake would be on any given day!

So, that's our story...…. up until today. The thing is that as of today, the whole process is still growing. Where and how? Well, we have an idea because we are currently negotiating a couple of deals that will certainly expand our "Resort Adventure".

You may be wondering how this is all possible or perhaps how you could even make this a reality. It's not as complicated as it may seem. It's actually easier that you probably believe. Even from a financing and business point of view, the process is remarkably within reach. All four of our current resorts were either "No Money Down" type of deals or very close to it. (And we're not that smart! so nearly anyone can do it) In fact, here's a teaser link that I figured out along the way.  How to Get Your House for Free!

So..... Back to today. My intention is to begin to "journal" my daily "Resort Life" or "Resort Adventure" experiences. Holding nothing back. It will be the Good, Bad and Ugly of the business.