October 15, 2018. Cold and Windy.

 

October 15, 2018.  Cold and Windy.  A cold front moved in after yesterday's rains.  It was close to freezing overnight and today's high temperatures were in 40s.  The cold air was pushed along by a brisk wind from the northwest.  The seasons are changing, too soon.  

The pictures above are from yesterday and today.  There are more sights along Highway 76 and the Grand Village which has several Christmas shops.  The Santa is a real person.  There were numerous ceramic Santas which were not.  Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference.  The one shaking Annie's hand is ceramic, but she still didn't trust him enough to sit on his lap cushion.  That Annie is a cautious person.  I am doing my best Edith Ann impression in the big chair.  A big chair that can make me look small is a really big chair.  

Today, we went to The Landing, an upscale shopping center in old Branson.  We bought nothing.  Red maple trees are the first to turn and these border the north end of The Landing.  They also are the first real fall colors we've seen.  The final pictures are taken at the condo.  There was a beautiful sunset off the deck tonight.  

I just asked Annie what we are doing tomorrow.  She gave me a blank stare.  I've seen that stare before.  Sometimes, it means "don't do that again."  Sometimes, it means she has no idea what I'm talking about.  Tonight, I think it means she doesn't know what I am talking about or has no answer to my question.  I don't have an answer either.  Maybe I'll have an epiphany overnight.  If I don't, maybe we will do nothing.  We've done that before and it is fun.  One thing is clear, I am not going to get any help from Annie.   

Goodnight.    

October 13, 2018. Yep, There's More To Do Here.

October 13, 2018.  Yep, There's More To Do Here.  Branson is an unusual place.  It is hidden in the Ozark Mountains in southern Missouri.  In the late 19th Century, a group of vigilantes called the Bald Knobbers dominated the area.  The name originated from their organizational meetings which took place atop a grassy bald mountain in the area.  The purpose of the group was to aid law enforcement in maintaining the peace.  However, they soon became a law unto themselves and harrassed locals that they simply didn't like.  They soon embarrassed the authorities and were ultimately dissolved.  The federal courts played a role in the elimination of the Bald Knobbers.  

Branson began its life as a tourist attraction in 1894 when Marvel Cave was opened for tourists.  The Herschend Family leased the cave in 1950 and modernized it by installing electricity.  The Herschends opened Silver Dollar City in 1960 initially featuring five shops, a church and a log cabin.  Branson is now a thriving small town featuring scores of theaters and occasionally nationally known performers who are looking for an audience and a slower life.  

We arrived yesterday and met our youngest daughter and her husband.  We had lunch and then went to see "Samson," the story of the biblical strongman.  It was presented in a state of the art theater with very impressive scenery.  The production was not great, but the sights and sounds were.  If you are in the area, it is worth your time.  

Today, it was back to Walmart to stock up for the next ten days.  There are other things we'd like to do.  Top of the Rock gets good comments.  We may return to Silver Dollar City to see if I can get Annie on a roller coaster.  Oh, there is a Tanger Outlet Mall here, too.  There are scores of other entertainment offerings, too.  

The pictures show you some of the sights along Highway 76 and the theater.  Also shown is the view from our deck.  We are near Silver Dollar City on a finger of Table Rock Lake.  We can hear the screams from the roller coasters.  

Tomorrow is Sunday, a day of rest.  We will likely do just that.  The streets are jammed with weekend tourists.  We'll wait until Monday to venture out again.  

For now, goodnight.  

October 11, 2018. Last Day at the Lake.

October 11, 2018. Last Day at the Lake.  After 11 days here, Annie finally insisted on going out for a nice dinner.  I kinda know what she is talking about.  We have eaten at Panera Bread and three Mexican restaurants.  The last Mexican place we went to should be renamed El Comida Para Perros Mecican. According to the Google translator, that loosely means The Place of Mexican Dog Food.

I wasn't terribly hungry so I just ordered nachos. The presentation reminded me of dog food, kinda brown and moist. The chips were so soggy I had to eat them with a spoon. It is one of the few times I haven't cleaned my plate.

So, late this afternoon, we went to JB Hooks. According to Trip Advisor, it is the number one restaurant in the area. It lived up to its billing. The dining room overlooks the lake and a bridge across the lake. The sun was shimmering on top of the lake and dinners could see seven miles of water in each direction. Its gets five stars from Annie.

So tomorrow, we will change locations. We are hoping there will be more to occupy our attention there. I am pretty sure there is. If nothing else, there will be new and different subjects to photograph.

About the pictures: The red tree is showing the most color we have seen here. We are too early for the fall colors, I suppose. There are a number of pictures taken on our walk around the condo. As you can see, each unit is five stories high. The unit we are staying in is on the third floor. You can see our deck on the right side of the building above the covered pool.

On the way to dinner, we crossed over the top of Bagnell Dam. There is a photo of Dogpatch, one of the enduring tourist traps along the Bagnell Dam Strip. It has been there since my first trip to the lake in 1964.

That's it from here. The next entry will be from 200 miles southwest of here. My youngest daughter and her husband, the Professor, are there now. We will connect with them and do something together tomorrow evening.

But, for now, goodnight.

October 9, 2018. Nearing the End Here.

October 9, 2018.  Nearing the End Here.  Friend and faithful reader, Fred, alerted me to the "white out" appearance of the narrative in the last blog.  I don't know how that happened.  It was fine after I posted it.  Then, overnight, the words disappeared while the pictures remained.  I have tried republishing it to no effect.  I have changed it slightly, then republished.  Still, no effect.  

But, I have discovered a work-around.  If you put your cursor at the beginning of the white out, then drag it down the page, viola, the words appear.  Just between you, me and the two or three other people who actually read this drivel, it probably isn't worth the effort.  

We walked around the condo yesterday (and today) and then went back to the outlet mall in search of another book.  I found one in the history section.  The title is "The Earth is Weeping."  It tells the story of the Indian wars in the second half of the 19th Century.  I have just begun to read it.  It is an attempt at a balanced treatment of the conflict which existed between cultures as America stretched westward.  I may have an assessment of the book later, assuming I get far enough into it before the trip ends.  

The pictures above show the tall cylindrical water tank which provides fresh water to the island.  There is a sewage treatment facility nearby.  I spared you pictures of it.  There are a couple of photos which show the first signs of fall colors around the lake.  There is a dilapidated truck just waiting to be rehabbed, a shanty which I thought was an outhouse until I saw the electric meter affixed to the front.  Then there is an A-frame which is symbolic of many of the homes between here and Osage Beach.  Oh, I tossed in a dead tree for my second daughter, who loves dead trees as much as I do.  Finally, I've shown you the parking lot of the outlet mall to put the lie to the story told by the optimistic store manager who predicted "big crowds" over the holiday weekend.  

That's it for tonight.  I'll plan to do one more before we move on to the Branson area.  Don't be disappointed if that doesn't happen.  I have shown you about all there is to see and my creative juices aren't flowing.  I hope this doesn't disappear, too, once it is posted.  If it does, you won't know how to fix it, will you?

Goodnight.  

October 7, 2018. Rain, A Movie, Mexican Food and a Rainbow.

October 7, 2018.  Rain, a Movie, Mexican Food and a Rainbow.  Yes, I still have a pulse.  It rained here most of yesterday.  At times, there was a deluge.  There are two boats in the first picture above.  The rain was so heavy at the time, you can barely discern their form.  They were about a quarter of a mile from our deck.

In another picture, you see a man and woman in a bass boat, wearing rain gear.  They disappeared shortly after I took the picture, seeking shelter in an empty slot in the boat dock.  In yet another picture, you can see water rushing off the roof of the dock and splashing into the lake.

Today, we saw “A Star is Born.”  The movie is getting a lot of Oscar hype.  It stars Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.  Both deliver outstanding performances.  Cooper doubled as the movie’s director.  I was surprised by Lady Gaga.  Not only is she a talented vocalist and instrumentalist, she is an excellent actor.  Cooper is not only an excellent actor, he has a distinctive, well-trained singing voice.  I didn’t know that about either of them.  The only negative is the overuse of language many will find objectionable.  That said, it is not my kind of movie.  I am more of a cowboy/comedy/history kind of movie-goer.  

Tonight marks our seventh night here.  We move on to Table Rock Lake on Friday.  I am not sure what else we will find to do here between now and then.  Annie doesn't want to rent a boat and go out on the lake.  I am not sure I do either.  We didn't bring fishing gear or the bicycles.  This area is too hilly for recumbent bikes, anyway.  And, I finished the only book I brought with me.  Here's an idea.  We could go to a bookstore.  That would give us an excuse to get off the island and it would provide me something to read when we return.  Yes.  That's a good idea.  We will do that.  

Goodnight.