The Serendipitous Story of How I Came to be Ozark Born and Raised

I have started working on my "Growing up Ozarks" story for an upcoming Steemit contest. My fingers have been itching to write, to type, to immortalize some of the warm flashes of memories from my childhood. But, before that story gets written and posted, I thought I'd take a few minutes to tell you how it is that I ended up growing up in the Ozarks, to begin with. It is a serendipitous story, and not tooo long, so here goes. Oh, and I guess I should say that this is a FOR REAL, TRUE story (not that anyone might think I could make this stuff up)...

My Mother grew up in Kansas City. When she was 17, she met a man named "Butterfly Bobby" at a party in Kansas City. Butterfly Bobby spoke highly of the Ozarks and told my Mom she needed to go check out the scene. He said the Ozarks was full of was cheap land and lots of hippies. He invited my Mom to a party at a commune in the Ozarks. She went. I may ask her to tell you the story of that party some day, but that particular party is not what this story is about.

Something about the Ozark hills enchanted my Mother. When she graduated high school at 18 she took all the money she'd saved up from babysitting and bought 40 acres of land in the Little Northfork watershed. Her brothers came and helped her build a little cabin. She had no electricity or running water. She lived alone and earned money by making wooden toys for children (cars, trains, puzzles) and selling them at craft fairs. She quickly made friends and attended parties, potlucks, and social gatherings.

Cut to my Father. He grew up near East St. Louis, Illinois. At some point as an early adult, he decided to take off and start adventuring. So, he hitchhiked to Colorado and took up residence in a cave in the mountains. While getting water at a nearby stream, who should he meet but Butterfly Bobby-who was also living in a nearby cave. Butterfly Bobby told my Father of the Ozarks and the hot chicks and cheap land that could be found in those hills. Not too long after that my Dad decided to head off in the direction of the Ozarks. He too, took a liking to the land and ended up buying 113 acres in the Jacks Fork watershed. At some point my Mother and Father met at a party in the Ozarks (Butterfly Bobby was not in attendance). They became friends, started dating, and then I came along. I'm not sure how long it took them to realize that they both moved to the Ozarks due to the suggestions of the same man-Butterfly Bobby.

When I was growing up, my Mom worked as a writer for the local paper. She worked from home about 95% of the time, but she just happened to be in the office one day around the time I was 7 or 8...and who should walk in? Butterfly Bobby!! He hadn't been seen in the Ozarks for 20 years. My Mom overheard him ask the lady at the front desk for a copy of an old paper with the headline "Police Look for Drugs-Get Invited to Tea" and recognized his voice. She invited him home to see my Dad and to stay with us, so I got to meet the man behind the story.

We all piled into the car and went touring around the Ozarks to see places Butterfly Bobby used to roam. That night, my Mom and Butterfly Bobby stayed up talking late into the wee hours. She typed away quickly, taking notes, as he recounted the outlandish adventures he'd been on since she had last seen him. He had moved to India, joined the Hare Krishnas, changed his name, and at some point dabbled in smuggling illegal items. He told my Mother to please not tell his story unless he was dead.

I don't remember what he looked like. I don't remember his adopted Indian name. But, I do remember him getting down on my level and coloring with me. I even remember what we were coloring: butterflies of course. :)

A few years ago my Mother heard through a friend of Butterfly Bobby's passing. Since then, I've been urging her to share his amazing tales.
Rest in Peace, Butterfly Bobby. Thank you for being the reason both of my parents found the Ozark Hills, and one another. <3