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From Cows to Canoes, From Zion to the Ozarks

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I was there for everyone’s worst day. After 15 years of working as a first responder (3 years as an EMT, 12 years in law enforcement), I was well versed in working with the public. Unfortunately, for me to interact with this public, someone had to call 911 for police or an ambulance and that almost always constituted that someone’s worst day was about to occur; whether loss of life, property or freedom. Many times, men and women in those roles of our first responders can get caught up: caught up in feeling not appreciated by a society who is taught to hate them, caught up in feelings of being overwhelmed, tired and stressed. The saying goes “Try not to take your work home with you.” But sometimes the work follows you. Sometimes, the same people you have arrested for a crime, figure out where you live. Sometimes, the stress of almost losing your life that day, causes you to be checked out at home. Sometimes, you can’t find the words to explain the traumas you have seen, and you feel alienated from your family who can’t fathom what you have been through, even if they are trying really hard to provide support.

It was time for me and my family to heal. I left law enforcement and the city and moved to my family’s cattle ranch in Utah. Being surrounded by family, cows and Zion canyon desert helped me to find myself again. I was able to appreciate the daily interactions with people and learn to stop looking over my shoulder. I was able to learn so many skills that have been neglected working 12 hour shifts 4 days a week for 15 years. I was truly present in my kids’ life and was able to appreciate the importance of family and working with my hands.

Our family’s cattle ranch is being sold. There are multiple facets that lead to this decision: family dynamics at play, government regulation with the sale of meat, drought. We will miss our ranch immensely and look back on those years spent there fondly as it was equal parts harsh and unforgiving and beautiful and rewarding.

Our next adventure is something we have thought of doing for the past 10 years but didn’t even know where to begin. There are moments it has truly felt heaven sent and guided by God. We are now the proud owners of Beaver Creek Campgrounds, Cabins and Canoe Rentals in Ava, Missouri. We made the difficult trek from Utah to Missouri, spent our time simultaneously moving, selling property, learning and taking ownership of a brand-new business. It has tested our strength, patience and endurance, much like the ranch did for us.

We are a family-friendly campground, located right on Beaver Creek and next to Mark Twain National Forest. 

We offer:

  • Canoe, kayak and paddle board rentals.
  • Tent camping and 3 concrete pads with 30-amp electrical hook up for smaller RVs/ travel trailers.
  • 1 cabin that sleeps 12 with bathroom and outdoor kitchen
  • 2 rustic cabins that sleep 4 with electricity
  • 1 cabin that sleeps 2 with full amenities including a kitchenette and personal bathroom.
  • All of our cabins overlook the creek.
  • We have a small general store.
  • We even have 2 covered wagon rooms with air conditioning.

Since we have been here, there have been amazing neighbors that have offered their assistance in any way possible to transition our new lives here. Running a campground will be a learning experience for us and I am sure there will be lots of failures, I hope the successes can be enough to keep us pushing forward. I am ready to now be there for everyone’s best day.

We hope to see you at our campground and be a part of this journey with us.

www.beavercreekcampground.com

For reservations, please call or text: 417-796-2336

Use discount code Beartaria for 10% off on lodging accommodations

By Perspective96Bear

Business

3000 Members In Our Business Group!: This Week On Our Community App!

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Our thriving business group hosts 3,000 members, from small solo entrepreneurs to developed companies. This week, we aim to give more exposure and introductions to the businesses of Beartaria.

We encourage the businesses of Beartaria to introduce themselves and what they do in the business group and the local state groups. We invite our community to jump into these groups to see what is going on!

This can help the wider community know that you are on the app and what you do.
As a community app that doesn’t do paid ads, lots of generic posts that just advertise your business can be a little bland.

Let’s add some value to it, here are some ideas that can help make a good introduction:

  • What do you do?
  • How did you get started?
  • Where are you located?
  • Why do you love what you do?
  • What are your goals?
  • How has Beartaria helped your business, whether directly or through the integration of values and practices?
  • Do you have any big lessons learned through your experience that could help others?
  • Let’s see some pictures or videos of your work!

We look forward to seeing all the great businesses and professionals at work in Beartaria!

Sincerely,

The Beartaria Times

If you are interested in joining our community app, you can try it out with a 7 day free trial at App.BeartariaTimes.com

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Former NASA Mechanic Secured To Design Classical Learner’s Elementary STEM Program

“Skills create opportunities, and we can use those skills to guide our children to become young entrepreneurs and create opportunities for themselves.”

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We have received word from Brett Pike at classicallearner.com that former NASA mechanic and industrial engineer Mark Thaxton has been secured to design Classical Learner’s homeschool elementary STEM program.

Mark has vast experience as a helicopter mechanic in the Marines, a wind tunnel mechanic at NASA, and currently an industrial engineer in the truck industry.

This is big news for the growing homeschool curriculum and social network.
While Brett’s expertise in American history and entrepreneurial education has launched Classical Learner and Homeschools Connected to success, the new STEM program is set to take Classical Learner to a new level of in-depth science, technology, engineering, and math studies.

Brett told a reporter at Beartaria Times,

“We as parents can teach our children real skills for the real world from a very young age. Skills create opportunities, and we can use those skills to guide our children to become young entrepreneurs and create opportunities for themselves.”

Brett Pike

Engineer Mark Thaxton added,

“I aim to help the youth truly understand the most basic fundamental concepts used in making and designing all we do and see.
We can erase the stigma that engineering language and concepts are too abstract for anyone to learn and understand.
I want to eliminate the “magic” behind the way things work and give that “magic” names, logic, and ways to use them throughout life.
The ultimate goal of these lessons is to use basic fundamental concepts as the base of your learning castle. I sincerely hope that when learning something new and complicated in the future, our students will be able to draw a parallel to these courses, which will aid in understanding those future concepts.”

Congratulations Brett and Mark!

We are excited to see this develop and the response from Classical Learner’s growing community of homeschoolers.

@ClassicalLearner on The Beartaria Times to connect with Brett.

@Thaxton Bear on The Beartaria Times App to connect with Mark.

For a three-day free trial and to support Beartaria Times, you can sign up to Classical Learner’s Homeschools Connected platform with an affiliate link,

ClassicalLearner.com/Beartaria

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One Man’s Trash…

The smooth, soft feel of the flats and curves. The smell of the copper oxide on my skin and the sound of the various pieces as they fell into one another. It all intrigued me and seemed to intensify as time passed. 

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By: MrWhitBear

As a lifelong copperhead, I found myself wondering what I was going to do with this industrial storage tote filled to the brim with all things copper.  It was a treasure trove collected from years of being a commercial plumber. From the early years of re-plumbing our family’s laundromat business with my Pop to the water conditioning business, we started together that failed. That tote had been many a mile on more adventures than anyone of us could account for. After that final attempt, we closed that tote up and packed it away. 

I would open it from time to time to get something or drop something in and reminisce over pieces that brought me back to that moment and place. The jobs my wife and I worked together to make ends meet; So many pieces and parts in various states of patina. 

The smooth, soft feel of the flats and curves. The smell of the copper oxide on my skin to the sound of the various pieces as they fell into one another. It all intrigued me and seemed to intensify as time passed. 

We had always intended to just take it to the recycling center, and albeit nearly did when things got really lean in the last few years, (that’s another story.) 

But God in his mercies had another plan

Those rosey-colored bits of beauty were called out of that dusty old tote into the light and brought back to life for another purpose that I could have never imagined. 

Then one day, I realized that in my love for all things copper, I was not alone. 

Imagine my surprise when listening to a Biocharisma podcast and seeing the sultan of the Gardenians light up like a kid talking about copper garden tools. My mind wandered off to that tote. 

“Huh, I wonder.” 

Over the years, all sorts of odd inventions were created from that box of scraps, but this was by far on another level of magnitude; could it be done?

My dad’s voice echoed through my head 

“See a need fill a need, son.”

The Bears need copper tools to make their gardens flourish. Many tools were forged out of that treasure trove of leftovers, and we’ve had to buy most of this year’s supply to keep up with demand. 

The first trowel had to go to Topher as a tribute to the legend for the inspiration, of course. Unfortunately, the prices of components prohibit keeping costs as low as we’ve wanted. We still keep it near cost for our Bear families, and thanks to them and the grace of God, we’ve grown in skill and productivity. 

Now my hobby pays for itself, and a bit left over for the bee’s new boxes and some fresh paint this season.

Bee Alchemy helped me turn copper into liquid gold…

It was great meeting so many of you at the Festival!

God bless.

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