Branson, MO

Friday was a very fun and busy day. Judy and I went to see the show, Broadway, along with the Parsons and the Bodins. It was a really great show and we really enjoyed it. It peaked my interest in wanting to see the show, Chicago. Jim's niece, Karen, came to visit from Tulsa, OK with her two children, Daniel, 28 months, and Chloe, 9 months. (Pics 1 and 2). We have never met Chloe, so that was a real treat. That evening the whole gang met up with Mason and Flo Young (Pic 6) and their neighbors for dinner at the Grand Plaza Hotel restaurant. We were treated to the wonderful entertainment of Kenny Parrott, who sang and played the guitar. It was such a fun evening. (Pics 3 and 4). Chloe was really enjoying the music, but after dancing her little feet off, she fell fast asleep on my shoulder. She was all danced out. (Pic 5) After dinner we all went off to see different shows. Mason and Judy and Jim and I went to see the Tony Roi show which he calls the Elvis Experience. He is probably one of the best Elvis' we've ever seen. We thoroughly enjoyed the show. Saturday morning, we decided to go on a mission of buying Daniel and Chloe some Croc shoes. Daniel was fascinated by Jim's Crocs so we decided to get him his own pair at the Croc outlet we discovered in Branson. We had a lot of fun watching Daniel trying on all sizes of shoes. He was fascinated by all the different colors of shoes. We finally found a pair to fit him and got him some widgets to put on the shoes. Jim has a Republican Elephant widget for his crocs so he wanted to get Daniel his own Republican Elephant. We all got a kick out of watching Daniel the rest of the day because he just kept watching his feet. Karen said when he was in the car, he was talking to his Crocs like they were his new best friends. We did a little more shopping for the kids in Carters and then we went to lunch downtown Branson at the Farmhouse Restaurant. That afternoon Jim and Mason went to see a comedian, Yakov, which they really enjoyed; and Karen and Judy and kids went shopping at the Branson Mall. I went home and spent a quiet afternoon with the dogs. Later that afternoon, Karen headed home to Tulsa, with the kids -- we were worried about the Hurricane due to pass thru on Sunday. Meanwhile the rest of the gang went to dinner at MarFarlands and had another wonderful dinner together. After dinner we all went to see Mickey Gilley. Judy and I went and Jim and Mason stayed at home battening down the hatches getting ready for the storm to come. The Mickey Gilley show was fantastic. We loved it. When we got out of the show, the predicted rain from the storm had started; but by the time we got back to the motorhomes, it was starting to ease up. However, about 2:30am the eye of the hurricane, Ike, passed right over us. We were lucky though the winds were only about 30-35 mph but it was still enough to make us all a little nervous. However, by 4:30am the storm passed and all was quiet. By daylight, the sun was shining. Jim and I left for home about 8:30am. The Halsteads left around 9:30am and Mason and Judy left for home around ll:00. The others decided to stay another night to let the storms clear out. Jim and I had a sunny ride the rest of the day. Our first stop on the way home was at a Flying J in Evansville, Ind. The storm has already passed through here too so we are safe and sound. Overall it has been a wonderful trip and we had so much fun visiting with friends and family and taking in all the great shows. Until next time.......