Branson Vacation 2015 (continued)

Day Five - Misery

We left Branson at 8:00 this morning and stopped for the night in Hattiesburg, MS and we are both tired and a little grumpy.  We had about an hour driving through the Ozarks appreciating the scenery.  I was drinking my Diet Dr. Pepper and eating ginger snap cookies and all was well with my world.  Then things went south both literally and figuratively.

Everything turned flat and there was nothing pretty to view out the window.  The sun was shining in so bright I thought my leg would start smoking.  There were no rest areas.  The one that said welcome to Mississippi was just small and dirty.  The towns we passed through were small and we couldn't find a place to eat when we wanted to stop.  The roads were rough and bouncy.  We were on the road ten hours and we still have at least six to go if all goes well.  BUT we're in a very nice Hampton Inn tonight, ate supper at O'Charley's and it was fast and delicious.  Now it's time to relax and enjoy the wonderful air conditioning in this room.

I guess the ride is always more enjoyable when you're going to a place and you're looking forward to what's ahead.  I think we both enjoyed Branson.  Sure it is similar to a Pigeon Forge type place, but it has not reached that point yet as far as number of people so that in itself made it more enjoyable.  This is probably my last post about this trip unless something interesting happens on the rest of the way home.  At least I know we will have good rest areas on I-10 and since we have travelled that way many times, we know some good places to eat.  And the road is smoother.

I think we have both decided that we would not enjoy driving out west.  I can't imagine several days in a row like today just to get there.  We'll figure out something.  I think I would like to go back to Branson in cooler weather.  Who knows?  

"Not all who wander are lost." (J.R.R. Tolkein)

Branson Vacation 2015 (continued)

Day Four - A Perfect Day at College of the Ozarks

This morning I told Bubba not to eat much breakfast because today was going to be all about the food.  We had reservations at Dobyn's Dining Room at the College of the Ozarks.  I posted a link to the lunch menu hoping to get some help about what to choose.  I got the following text from Amy:

Sister-in-law Winifred let me down on this one.  Of course Amy wasn't a lot of help because she pretty much advised that we order one of almost everything.

Bubba poses by a college plaque at the entrance.

We arrived early and located the restaurant.  Then we followed a simple map to the fruit cake/jelly making kitchen located on campus and run by students.  The map was simple, but we still got lost.  

I'm sitting by a pool and waterfall at the entrance.
Loving my little purse!

We were shown around the kitchen by a student from Haiti.  We didn't actually see them mixing the cake but she opened one of the four ovens that were baking cakes they had mixed earlier.  They bake nearly 30,000 fruit cakes in a year from a recipe that has been used for 30 years.  They don't bake during November and December because they spend those two months shipping cakes all over the world.  They had samples and it was a delicious fruit cake.  They had jars of jam on the counter that they had made that morning - elderberry.  Students were in the process of packing fruit cakes that had cooled in tins.  I didn't even think about taking pictures there, duh.

The entrance to the restaurant/lodge is in the background.

We went back to the Keeter Center to enjoy the air conditioning for a few minutes before lunch.  There was a hall full of pictures of famous people who had visited the college for one purpose or another.  Among them was the first President Bush with Barbara, and the next President Bush with Laura, General Colin Powell and General Norman Schwarzkopf, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

I love what General Schwarzkopf said about leaders.

Lunch was all we expected and more.  We started with fried green tomatoes. Then our server, Alexis, brought some of their whole wheat rolls and whole wheat cranberry biscuits with butter and apple butter.  These are homemade by students using the flour from their own grist mill located on campus.  Bubba had the special of the day which was not on the menu.  It was slow cooked beef brisket in a raspberry/chipotle barbecue sauce served on a ciabatta roll and topped with provolone cheese and red onions with sweet potato fries on the side.  I ordered the chicken fajita salad.  Both meals were so good.  You would think that would be enough food, wouldn't you?

No way!  We were there for the full experience.  Our server recommended the chocolate cobbler with ice cream and it did not disappoint.  The two of us trying really hard could not eat it all.  The entire meal including a $10.00 tip for Alexis was $53.00.  I think that was very reasonable. This was really an elegant dining experience with an incredible view.  I can see why Trip Advisor says that it is the #1 restaurant in Branson.  If I could do it over again, I would eat all the bread.  I was afraid I was going to get full too quickly so I restrained myself.

Before

After

After lunch we went to the museum which is located on campus.  There are three floors of interesting things to look at from furniture to guns to stuffed animals to military uniforms.

This is the Beverly Hillbillies car.

Me with a big moose (obviously)

Me with a big bear!

On our walk to the museum, Bubba noticed an interesting building and we stopped for a look.  It was the Star Schoolhouse built in 1910.  It was set up with books and furnishings from when the school taught all grades in one classroom.  Can you imagine that today?

Bubba is looking through an old textbook.

The College of the Ozarks was well worth the trip to Branson even without the shows, etc.  I love the idea of students working for their education.  They graduate with a good work ethic and no debt.  You can't beat that.  We saw young people working in the flower beds, driving trucks loaded with construction materials, manning the visitor sites, working in the lodge.  I think it would be great if more colleges operated like this.

This is a $20 fruit cake, but it seemed like the thing to do.

,Right now we are back in our motel room and the thermostat says it is 69 degrees in here.  We both got showers and got into our comfy clothes and we are just chilling out.  Bubba swears that he is not going to eat another bite today, but it's 5:30 and I'm starting to feel a little hungry.  He's asleep so maybe he'll wake up just a little hungry.  If he doesn't, I have plenty of snacks packed so I know that we will be fine.

Don't we look like fun people?

Tomorrow we head toward home.  Tonight we have to choose another route.  We don't want to go back through Memphis and Birmingham so we will probably go towards Jackson, Mississippi.  We'll see how that goes.

Branson Vacation 2015 (continued)

Day Three - 102 Degrees

We slept until about 7:00 this morning after our late night with Shoji.  I relaxed with coffee and my computer while Bubba checked out the free breakfast.  He brought me back a couple of donuts to go with my coffee and they were actually very good.  After lazing around for a bit, we got dressed and punched the directions to Branson Landing in our navigation system.

Branson Landing is similar to shopping in Destin or at Pier Park on Panama City Beach.  The Bass Pro where Bubba wanted to go was at one end and Belks where I wanted to go was at the other.  Our destination for lunch, Famous Daves Barbecue, was in the middle. We started out with a light breeze that lasted for approximately ten minutes.  I used my phone to record our walking and by the time we were finished at Branson Landing, we had walked 4 1/4 miles.  The good news is that we (I) burned off some calories which I'm sure I will soon replace.

This is at Branson Landing.  Don't know why I'm standing by a gorilla.

At noon we watched the dancing fountains show which was the National Anthem with dancing water and flashes of fire.  It was impressive.

The fountain show is in the background.  You just can't see it.

The same friend who recommended Shoji and McFarlains Restaurant also recommended Famous Daves.  We were seated at a window and had a great view of everything happening on the lake.  There was a zipline that we watched and by the time we finished eating I was thinking I might want to try it, but did I say it was HOT?  We had ribs which were delicious.  I had mac and cheese for my side dish and it had corn and jalapeno peppers in it.  I loved it.  Of course there was a corn muffin with the meal that was very good.  Corn bread is a big deal here which is fine with me.

That's us!  We had a great view, just too much sun for a good picture.

We returned to the motel for a break and some cool air.  I returned to the gift shop to purchase our tickets for a show tonight.  After some consultation with the expert, I chose Pierce Arrow.  It is also in a theater within easy walking distance from our motel.  It doesn't start until 8:00.  Can you believe the late hours we're keeping?

I guess Pierce Arrow was a good show but it didn't measure up to Shoji.  They had an excellent comedian and a wide variety of music styles.  The bass singer has held  the record for the lowest bass note for a number of years.  My favorite song by the quartet was "Your First Day in Heaven".  I couldn't help but think of our beloved 90 year old neighbor and friend, Fletcher, who is declining rapidly in his battle with cancer.  Better days are ahead for him and I wish he could have heard this song.  He's a real people person and I know that he will be smiling and greeting all the saints who have gone before.

Tomorrow we are going to the College of the Ozarks.  According to all the reviews, there is a lot to see there.  I have reservations at their restaurant for 11:15.  It is ranked #1 in Branson on Trip Advisor. I've been looking at their lunch menu and already thinking about what I want to try.  What would you get?

Branson Vacation 2015 (continued)

Day Two - We're Here!

I'm happy to report that after driving through so much flat land, we came to some beautiful scenery with hills and valleys that were reminiscent of the Smokies.  No pictures because unlike the Smokies, there were no places to pull over and take any.

We arrived at our motel, Best Western Music Capital Inn, at about 2:00 and were able to check in.  I was reluctant to make a reservation here because of my motel phobia but I went by recommendations on Trip Advisor and wasn't steered wrong.  My thinking is that people are more likely to go online to write a negative comment that a positive one.  I can't say I like it better than the Fairfield Inn we stayed in the night before which was newer, but it feels clean and is in a great location.  The staff here are amazing so I am satisfied.

Tickets for the various shows for which Branson is famous were available in the gift shop.  They had a place set up so you could sit and select what you wanted.  The lady there was very helpful.  We chose to see Shoji Tabuchi on our first night.  She told us that he is considered to be the #1 show in Branson and I can see why.  His theater is directly across the street from our motel and it was worth seeing as an attraction itself.  The bathrooms have been featured on a tv show as the #1 most luxurious and they were indescribable.  Shoji is a very talented violinist/fiddle player and his show had something for all ages.  His daughter is part of the show and she is very talented as well.  It was amazing to learn that Shoji is 70 years old.  He certainly doesn't look it.  I was told that he does three shows a day during the peak season. What is truly amazing is that Bubba enjoyed the show as much as I did.  He has already asked what show we are going to see next.

We had supper at McFarlains, a restaurant nearby that was recommended by a friend.  It started with a big piece of cornbread with butter.  Bubba chose the liver and onions and I got the hamburger steak.  It was very good.

We were out until 10:00, but thankfully we just had to walk across the street to be back at our motel.  

Branson Vacation 2015

Day One - The Adventure Begins

An early start was suggested by Bubba for our first vacation to a new location in a long time.  We are headed for Branson, MO.  I've never been in Missouri or Arkansas so that will be a first for me.  I had trouble sleeping so 5:00 came faster than I would have liked.  

I drank my morning coffee while I got last minute packing done and got dressed.  We loaded the car and set out only to go a mile before we had to turn around.  The warning light was on indicating that we had a tire problem.  Bubba checked the pressure in the tires and aired up the one that was a little low.  However....the seed had been planted and it was several hours before he seemed to relax about the tire.

We drove until around 6:00 and ended up in Jonesboro, AR.  This was about three hours farther up the road than we had intended.  We didn't have a reservation, but had no problem finding a very nice Fairfield Inn for the night.  I have a phobia about motels.  I guess I've watched too many of the news reports showing the disgusting habits of cleaning staff in motels, even the more expensive ones.  This one is perfect.  I just hope the one I've reserved in Branson is this good, but I won't hold my breath.

Other than that I can only report that Arkansas is flat with a lot of soy bean fields.  We've already decided that we will go a different route home.  I went online to see what attractions we might like in Arkansas and found that there are none.  I'm certainly not interested in the Clinton Museum.

Branson is less than four hours away so we should get there in plenty of time to explore tomorrow.

Vote YES for Longer Summer Vacations

I don't know that anyone is putting longer summer vacations on their agenda, but if someone would do that, they would be my candidate.  The summer may seem long in terms of number of days of hot weather, but it is way too short when it comes to time available to spend with family.  Amy and Amelia will go back to school on August 6 and of course Amy has pre-planning "stuff" prior to that.  That means there isn't time for Amelia to come here for another beach camping trip.  There isn't time to meet up with Joe and Judy to spend time with cousin John.  There was just a few days for us to go up for a visit with them and then, bam, summer is over and it's back to school.

We went up on a Sunday in heavy traffic.  We left early so that we could avoid the crowds returning home from the local beaches, but eventually we ended up in the city traffic that is always in Atlanta. 

Atlanta Traffic - UGH!

Finally (PTL), we were there and as always Amelia greeted us with lots of hugs and kisses.  She was very eager to introduce us to her new puppy, "Billy".  Billy was very happy to meet us and was properly excited.  Amelia adores Billy.  Let it be known that I've now been kissed by lips that have kissed a dog.  I guess I'll accept that as long as Amelia is the carrier.

Darryl grilled steaks for supper and I'll admit that I ate every bite of the biggest one on the table.  It was so good and I love steak so much that I enjoyed every single bite.

Amelia wanted me to play video games with her.  We started out with Wii bowling and ended up playing a princess game that had many "worlds" and "chapters".  We played for a couple of hours and had barely finished one world before it was bedtime for Amelia.  I got to tuck her in after she read to me for a little while from a Junie B. Jones book.  Amelia told me that Barbara Park, the author of this series of books had died.  She said, "There will still be Junie B. Jones books, Nana, because I'm going to continue them for her.  I'm going to be an author when I grow up."

The next morning, Amelia and Amy left for a tennis lesson.  There is a teacher in their subdivision and this was a trial lesson to see if they wanted Amelia to continue with him.  Things went well and Amelia had fun so I'm assuming this will on her agenda for the coming school year.

In the meantime, Bubba had noticed oil under where our car was parked at their house so Bubba set out for the Hyundai dealership in Buford.  It turns out that when the local dealership changed our oil the week before they had used an "aftermarket" plug and no gasket.  Bubba immediately called them to complain.  I mean, when you get your car serviced at the dealer you expect to get Hyundai parts.  They have a lot of groveling to do before we're satisfied.  The service department in Buford was great.  They fixed the car in a timely manner and explained everything in detail to Bubba.

Jaemore Farms near Alto, GA, was next on the agenda after lunch.  We loaded up on fresh Georgia peaches, plums, tomatoes, squash, and boiled peanuts.  We enjoyed a cup of their homemade peach ice cream which is the best ever.  This place never disappoints us with the quality of their produce.  Then it was back home where Bubba stayed with Amelia and allowed Amy and me to go shopping for a while.

Yummy Peaches

Amelia introduced Bubba to the princess game and he played with her for another two hours.  Her directions to him were, "Follow me and do everything I tell you."  When we were ready to go home, Amy received a call from Bubba telling her that the puppy had pooped on the carpet.  Paw-Paw draws the line on cleaning up puppy poop!  Later on when I pressed Amelia to tell us who she loves best, Billy or Paw-Paw, she said, "That's easy.  Paw-Paw, because Billy pooped on the carpet!"

That evening we ate supper at a Mexican restaurant and returned home where I played the princess game with Amelia again until it was time to go to bed.  I tucked Amelia in, she said her prayers, and I was almost ready to leave her room when she reminded me that I hadn't sung Jesus Loves Me yet.  I sang to the best of my very limited vocal ability and Amelia said, "Nana, you may think you can't sing very well, but I think you sound beautiful." (She says the sweetest things, but I know that I am not a singer.)

Tuesday we met my cousin Vicky for lunch.  We caught up on family news and enjoyed a good meal.  Afterwards we made a few quick stops and we were home again.  Amelia and I continued on with the princess game.  We were approaching the end and Amelia was very excited about it because the golden dresses would be unlocked and our figures (princesses) would be able to wear them.  While Amelia and I played, Amy started putting together a feast for our supper that night.  Eventually Amy called Amelia to help her with a blackberry cobbler, because as Amelia said, "Have you heard that I want to bake something every day?"  Later she mixed up corn muffins that were the specialty at our house when she came for a visit.

Corn Muffins

Baked Creamed Corn with Jalapenos and Red Bell Peppers and
 Tomato Feta Salad

Grilled Pork Chops
Sorry no picture of the Blackberry Cobbler, but it was GOOD!

Right after supper Amelia and I went to play the last level of the princess game.  She was so excited she was shaking.  I asked her why and she explained that we still had to defeat the witch.  We did it and put on the golden dresses!  Yay!!
Amelia told her mom that the next day  she would show her around all the worlds we had opened. (I know Amy was excited about that.)

I know that this sounds like way too much time on a video game, but we had fun together and a lot of interesting conversation.  I know that Amelia is very much against anyone being mistreated by a bully.  I think she would befriend someone in that situation and try to make it better.  I don't remember how it came up, but I asked her if anything ever upset her.  She said yes, when she has to do chores.  Then she told me, "When I need to calm down because I'm mad at my mom for telling me to do chores, I just lie down on my bed and think of all the nice things about my mom and I feel better."    

Other sweet things were all the hugs and kisses she had for Paw-Paw.  One night he went to bed without saying good night.  Amelia scooped up Billy and headed for the bedroom so they could both give Paw-Paw a good night kiss.

The next day as we were saying our good byes, Amelia hugged me and thanked me for playing the princess game with her saying, "I've never been that far with a friend before."

Bubba actually let me drive for about an hour on the way home.  I think he might have gone to sleep with a proper pillow. This is a huge step for him.  He may finally admit that I'm a decent driver and quit holding the collision I had in his Corvette in 1966 against me.

Rocky Bayou State Park was HOT

Camping in the summer in Florida is HOT.  We met Joe and Judy at Rocky Bayou State Park  Niceville, FL in middle July for three nights of camping.  It had been a while since we camped with Joe and Judy at Lake Eufaula so it was good to see them and catch up on all the news.  When we made these reservations in the spring, we noted that it was supposed to be dark nights and Joe and Bubba were looking forward to floundering.  Joe brought his boat and they floundered for about two hours and called it quits.  They didn't even see a sign of a flounder in that amount of time.  There was some discussion about getting up in the middle of the night and trying again when the tide would be better but then they both decided that they were just too tired to do that.

Floundering Buddies

Judy and I discussed ahead of time what we were going to do for meals and we decided that we would have sandwiches and eat out.  We took nothing to grill because it was just too hot.  We had several meals out that were good and nobody had to get hot cooking.

One day we got in a 2.25 mile walk that was ..... hot.  I had sweat dripping off the tips of my ears, off my nose, and running down my back.  The good news is that I felt like I had really accomplished something.  I got a nice shower, washed my hair, and rested for about an hour before getting ready to go out to eat.

We all headed home on Thursday.  Judy had peas to pick (she hoped) and we needed to get ready to go to Atlanta for a visit.

Bubba and I are going to Branson, MO, soon but we will not be camping.  It has been years since we have done a vacation by car and stayed in motels.  Our last few trips have been to the mountains where we always rent a cabin.  I have watched so many things on tv where they expose the habits of housekeeping staff at motels that I really have a phobia about staying in a motel, but I have studied the reviews on Trip Adviser and I've got my fingers crossed that I've selected a really clean place to stay in Branson.  I'm thinking that anyone taking time to write positive comments must have really been pleased.  I usually want to "write a letter" when I have a bad experience but seldom take time to let an establishment know that I was pleased.

I think I'm going to take my computer with me and work on my blog every night.  If I wait a whole week, I'll probably forget something.  Stay tuned!

Welcome to the World, Baby Caroline

With only one picture on Facebook to tantalize me, I decided it was high time to visit the newest addition to the family, Caroline, who was born on June 30 to nephew Brandon and his wife, Lacey.  I really had to twist the arm of the new grandma, sister-in-law Winifred, to get her to accompany me.

Caroline is a beautiful baby, so cuddly and sweet.  We took turns holding her for a while.  I think this is one proud grandma.

Then Brandon took us on a tour of his latest venture which is farming.  He has cows, chickens, pigs, and rabbits and intends to produce meat more organic than what is available at the grocery store.  His knowledge of  farming history and techniques was impressive.  It was great to see someone his age both highly motivated and hard working at a new endeavor.

As we left, Brandon presented me with a dozen eggs fresh from the hen house.  I've told Amelia about our visit and she wants to go sometime.  I think she wants a chicken to sit on her shoulder.