Despite unseasonably warm weather in the Heartland, autumn has arrived in the Show-Me State. The morning skies are blue and sometimes speckled like a mosaic. The leaves are changing to their seasonal palette.

Sunrise is sometimes a molten spectacle as photographed below from the lakeside BRC upper back deck. As daylight grows shorter, our weekly bluegrass jam sessions may adjust their hours.

When temperatures drift down into the 30`s, the lake becomes a steamy vision at dawn with a tiny “sun glint” dot occasionally noted on the water.

From the BRC:  Stay warm and keep on pickin`.

At our weekly Wednesday afternoon jam sessions near the sprawling Lake of the Ozarks, we convene once a month in the activity room of a nearby community senior center to entertain its clients. Our mandolinist (seated foreground) frequently brings along her pet miniature collie to the gigs. This diminutive canine is a remarkable model of good behavior. The tiny dog quietly stations itself in front of its beloved and seated master throughout the performance. The pooch sometimes naps and only occasionally arises to study the tapping feet of nearby musicians.

Our small four-legged visitor is an impressive study of commendable conduct in a small and kinetic musical environment. In the background, the BRC musician holds a treasured Baldwin banjo.

Every few months, the band travels to a large extended care hospice center in southwest Missouri to perform for the in-patients. The gig is staged in a spacious auditorium in front of a large and appreciative audience including many patients in wheelchairs. The venue has a marvelous sound system. Our tiny mascot joins the band on the back of the stage and usually dozes-off to only rarely arise and study the musicians.

On the infrequent occasion when the sleepy canine becomes curious and embarks to investigate the audience, the owner softly foot-taps the collie’s leash to gently remind it to remain with the band. The dog then retreats to its nap at the rear of the stage.

From the BRC: Enjoy the autumn season.

For more than three decades, the Hillbilly Junction curiosity shop was a landmark in the Ozark Mountains region of southern Missouri. It was a small Mom & Pop enterprise offering memorabilia to visitors and tourists who were guided to its doorstep by a surprising cavalcade of colorful roadside billboards.

It was situated at a small roadside rest stop and offered gifts like corn cob pipes, floppy hats, T-shirts, and locally crafted rocking chairs.

Although the store closed its doors more that a decade ago, it presented visitors with a unique glimpse of regional culture from years past.

Are you old enough to remember the popular radio song “I Dreamed of a Hill-Billy Heaven” sung by Tex Ritter circa 1961 or the hit TV series “The Beverly Hillbillies” (1962-1971)?

From the BRC: Enjoy your autumnal travels.

The BRC domicile is located at the end of a street that courses between two lakes. Our breakfast table overlooks the smaller lake, and its view each morning offers a telling forecast of the day`s weather.

Early summer brings sunny days and an occasional rainbow.

In the late Fall, intermittent freezing temperatures will sometimes crystalize the lake surface.

When Winter arrives, the lake freezes over and is blanketed by stormy snowfalls.

Springtime brings sunshine that thaws the ice-bound lake, and hot air balloons begin to reappear on the horizon heralding the arrival of summer.

The glowing ember of a setting sun is visible only from the east end of our upper deck by viewing westward across an isthmus of land that we call Zephyr Point.

After the molten sun has dipped below the horizon, a rosy skyscape frequently emerges above the lake treeline across the street from our BRC home.

From the BRC: Enjoy every Season in your locale.

The end of summer brings kinfolk and friends to the sunny shoreline of the lakeside BRC domicile. Our home is one of two alternating venues where the G&F musicians convene weekly on Thursday evenings for fun jam sessions, and listeners are welcome.

This last week, out of town relatives and local neighbors attended our lakeside pickin` session to enjoy an evening of live Bluegrass music. The throng enjoyed spirited hoedown tunes and familiar sing-alongs. The BRC banjoist (center) played a custom built mandolin that he had fashioned by a local luthier thirty-three years ago. For the back story on this 8 string instrument, enter mandolin in the search engine and tap enter.

From the BRC: We hope you have enjoyed a splendid summer.