Saturday, May 14, 2022. Oronogo/Carthage/Joplin
We had a very comfortable night in the RV thanks to the power connection John installed. He was off to a classic car rally with two other friends who arrived in a Karmen Ghia and Chevy Nomad, and drove off in his ‘38 Ford Coupe roadster.
Before it got too hot and while the sun was still low in the sky, Ben swapped out the LP regulator on the RV’s main tank. This fortunately resolved the problems with inadequate pressure. Ben ran the generator, air conditioner and water heater for 10 minutes to assure this was the problem. After shutting down the generator and water heater, there was still the sound of a little propane flowing through the regulator, and the faint smell of gas around the RV, so maybe the gas valve in the furnace is not closing completely. So for now, we’ll close the main valve off and open it when we need to run the generator, water heater or furnace.
Gloria’s son Phillip stopped by for a visit with his son Price (2-1/2yo) and daughter Wren (aka Birdie, 10-1/2months).
It is amazing how much sound and energy two children of that age can generate. Gloria made us breakfast and cousins Ron and Gail arrived for a visit.
We bundled up into Gloria’s truck and Ron’s SUV and drove into Carthage to see the old farmstead where the Hancock family had summer reunions every other year while Janet was growing up.
The original stone house where Janet’s mother was born is now a shop and the two story house where they spent their reunions stands adjacent.
Janet’s cousin John is currently living in that house and is leasing the pasture land from Janet and Terri, but subleasing it to someone else who is running some cattle on the acreage.
Janet and her sister Terri each own 10 acres behind John’s property, adjacent to an elementary school. Developers have been buying up land and putting in homes all around the old farmstead.
We had lunch at a local Mexican eatery “El Churro”. We learned that Mexican restaurants in the Midwest often serve queso (cheese dip) along with salsa and chips. The queso is a rather thin white cheese sauce. The soft drinks came in huge 32oz tumblers and included free refills if you could manage to get through the 32oz first pour.
After lunch, we toured the local cemeteries where the founders of the Hancock family are interred and then toured downtown Carthage.
They have a town square with the county courthouse at its center, and shops and offices all around the perimeter, including the Carthage City Hall.
