kc
Branson, MO

WOW!  It's been about a month since I last wrote, and it's been a wild and crazy time, here at Branson Lakeside RV Park!

First off, let me apologize...

The Internet connection here is about as slow as slow can be (I guess it's true - you get what you pay for, and since we're not paying.....), and it's highly dependent on how many people are in the park.  Since we've been full as can be, we have had rigs blocking our sightline to the antennae, as well as about 100 other computers vying for bandwidth.  Last time I updated the photo albums, I spent 5 (yes, FIVE!!) hours (yes, HOURS!!) going nowhere, and got terribly frustrated.  And I was simply dreading the next attempt.  That made it really easy to procrastinate, sorry.

But, here were are today, and so far, it seems to be so-so, so I'll get out what I can.  I'd also like to thank everyone who sent off a prayer for Carla's recovery - from what I've heard and our recent conversations, she's doing much better.  Her fractured skull appears to be mending (proving she's not quite as hard-headed as we all thought), and the headaches are not quite as bad.  She's still dizzy (abnormally so!!), but she's working on that.  A little more time, and she'll be good as new, so thank you all for your concern and support.

 

In no particular order, here's what's been going on in Branson:

 

Eat, sleep, eat, work.

Eat, sleep, eat, work.
Eat, sleep, PLAY, eat, and play some more.  For 4-5 days at a time!!

We've been to see Mickey Gilley (He's still very good, and very much the rebel, but his life has caught up with him, and he's aged quite visibly.), Mel Tillis (He's about the same age, but apparently, he's not had such a rough life, and he doesn't look the 75 yrs like his buddy Mickey.), Magnificent Seven (musical & dance show spanning 7 decades of songs - got kinda boring, and to be honest, I didn't recognize a LOT of the songs, on both ends of the spectrum!!), Silver Dollar City (a theme park, similar to Dollywood) and Sunny's new veterinarian. 

 

Oh yeah, how could I forget?  We went geocaching in Eureka Springs, of all places!!  And what a NEAT little town that is!  Kinda like Hot Springs in VA & AR, it was founded by the Indians, who revered the natural & healing waters that sprang forth.  We have some really cool pictures, and I'll post them as quick as I can.

 

Our 100th find (a milestone, in the geocaching community) was at the Crescent Hotel, one of the oldest continuously operated establishments in this country, and known to be haunted.  We almost crashed a wedding, with our searching, but luckily for them, we were about an hour ahead of their schedule.  On the way up the steps, we were enthralled by the roadrunner, who was so obviously, posing for his picture.  Of course, as soon as Sunny spotted him, he was off and running!!  Meep-meep!!!  I felt pretty stupid, too, when I (excitedly) pointed him out to a young couple, and she brushed me off with, "oh, yeah, he's here all the time!!" 
C'mon, Tim & Staples, you have GOT to get going.  I know that you two are stuck on 39 found, and you've not been back out since last year.  Yes, it's true, you have cached in NEW ZEALAND, of all places, so you definitely have us beat for "farthest away," but you were so right about this sport taking you to neat places.  We think of you every time we go out and find one!

 

Branson held an Arts & Craft festival in downtown a couple of weeks ago and that was kinda neat.  Brought in HUNDREDS of campers, believe it or not!  They were both vendors and patrons.  Next week, we are home to the Branson Car Collectors Auction, where classic cars will be the stars.  I've peeked at the catalog, OMGosh, these cars are sweet.  Really pretty.  And pricey, too, I'm sure.

For those that are keeping up and care, Sunny's meds and low-protein diet are working, and her kidney failure seems to be in check.  She's lethargic and sleeps a lot, due to her age, but at least she's not wetting herself (and the carpet) all the time.  Of course, we are walking her little legs off, and making every effort to keep her on a schedule, so I'm sure that has something to do with it.  And for those of you that DON'T care, well, may your armpits be infested with the fleas of a thousand camels!!  j/k!!!!!!

A little birdie tells me that my work-boots have been filled by TWO "proteges" - I wish them both the best.  I know that one of them has been working toward that position for several years, and I hope that he finds my encouragement and teachings beneficial and productive.  Check out Susan Bulloch's website for some advanced learnin's, my friends.  She & her cadre of friends will offer an amazing array of talent and tidbits, with humor, to boot.  Can't do it from work, tho, sorry.  A link is provided on our home page, and she links to lots of HER friends.

Speaking of work, I did get the chance to sell some of my sewing...I invited a couple of our guests to look at Dick's truck, where he was putting in a light, to see if they could get a bracket or screw, or something (they were going to Lowes, while their wives went shopping), and they saw me sewing.  One sent his wife over to place an order, then her friend decided she wanted a couple, too.  Kept me busy for a few days, and I loved every minute of it!  Can't say I made a profit, unless you discount ALL the labor, but at least I made enough to cover the cost of supplies.  Plus, was good practice and kept me out of trouble for a few days.

Oh, I almost forgot!!  I've learned how to write "incident reports!!"  Yeah, imagine that.  It's policy here, that anytime anything happens that might get the city "in trouble," or come back to haunt us, we have to write up what happened, who witnessed it, what the weather conditions were, etc.  You know, anything that might matter down the road.  Well, you guessed it, trouble finds me!and I find trouble.  Nothing new there.  First a lady came running to the office, saying her husband has had a stroke and she needs help, then Dick & I happened upon 2 co-workers who had fallen (yes, they couldn't get one of 'em back up), and then I fell out of the camper (our own, thank you), then we had to call Animal Control (who doesn't work on the weekends, btw) who refered us to the police.  Nothing like having a cruiser with lights pull up to your front door.  When it rains, it pours.  At least I can type quickly!!!

Well, I know this was short, and long overdue (thank Goodness you aren't charging me late fees, like the library would!!), but I really do have to get going.  We have an appointment at the Rec-Plex.  I cannot imagine that I'm going to voluntarily DRIVE, to go walk around a track, but that's what hubby wants to do, so off we go.

Y'all take care, and thanks for being patient!  I'll try to get the Eureka pictures posted soon, and I'll try not to let so much time go by before the next post!