Sue Spitulnik

Day 13 – Rt. 66 trip

The last picture I posted last night was of our new Irish acquaintances dancing. After the musicians finished, four of them and we went to dinner, at different tables, in the hotel dining room. The restaurant called, Peace, Love and Avacado, had a full, interesting menu. What I didn’t take a picture of was my southwest chicken salad. Some of you are telling us we will have to diet when we get home and some are even claiming we are making you gain weight. I want you to know that when we aren’t eating we are usually in the car, getting to another tourist stop, which I share with you, or another food stop. Today I took quite a few pictures from the car to prove we are doing something other than eating.

But first; our guide book let us down again. We went to the Rt. 66 Diner in Albuquerque only to find the open sign not turned on and the door being “guarded” by a very thin, seemingly old female that we guessed was a street person. On the loading dock next door there were two young men that also seemed to be street people. They had looks that said, you lock your car, we will still relieve it of its goods. I was glad the diner wasn’t open. We asked Siri where to eat and she sent us to The Shop. We had to order our food at the counter, and for the second time on our trip I was told, “We don’t serve decaf.” Bob got a burrito that was huge because it was filled with potatoes and I got my “usual,” Huevos Rancheros. As usual it was different than any I have had, but delicious. I ate most of it.

Our next stop was at a very nice quilt shop in Corrales, NM. I got more fabric for this trip’s memory quilt and Bob had a grand time chatting with the ladies. One of the fabrics has “cat”tus on it. Bob groaned. I bought it. We will be getting a new cat, or two, when we finish our travels.

I haven’t found any good bathroom signs lately, so thought I would post this one for the ladies. Eleanor Roosevelt was a “tuned in” woman and the saying is too true.

Leaving Corrales, I was able to get a picture of a typical adobe style house. All day I kept saying, “They are so small and they are all the same color.” Very few have an actual grass yard. It gives, go outside and play in the dirt, a whole new meaning.

The mountains off in the distance were beautiful. Most were so far away, they were lost in the haze, but this one was pretty close.

We dove highway 25 North to Santa Fe. Again the speed limit was 75 mph. Places are spread out, but still accessible.

A first floor retail store and upper floor apartment in Santa Fe. The same color as everything else. Not to my liking.

We found Marcy Street and discovered the town square of shops, street musicians, local jewelers trying to sell their creations and very interesting people to watch. Bob told me if I saw something I wanted in one of the stores to not hesitate. I decided the fur coat I loved in one of the shops, for $3,400.00 might make him have a heart attack, so I didn’t buy it. I did tell him about it, but he didn’t tell me to go back and get it.

So many jewelers and musicians with Spanish or Native American backgrounds, and here is a blue eyed, blond, cellist. Bob listened to the chamber music he was playing while I drooled over the furs.

A church. I know nothing more except it’s the same color as every other building.

Leaving Santa Fe on highway 25 north. Some beautiful scenery.

Another shot of scenery on 25 north.

The small town of Pecos is also on 25. This is what I call a full service stop. Food, liquor, groceries, gas, and the necessary room. I didn’t see any ammunition, but it might have been there.

We were getting short on time so we decided to take Rt 3 south to Rt 40 to get back to the hotel. Well, we had a beautiful, peaceful ride mostly by ourselves on a road through the mountains. The curves kept us at 30 mph for the first half of the route, so it was not a shortcut, but we didn’t mind. We crossed many “cattle or deer guards,” that were as rough as a bad train crossing. (Deer grates, mostly derived from the cattle guards long used on ranches, allow your driveway to stay open while keeping out the deer. They do this by placing a massive grate in the ground that deer generally will not or cannot cross.) We eventually ended up back on Rt. 40 so stopped at Clines Corners, a truck stop that touts it is the largest in New Mexico. We concur. I found some slippers I have been looking for and some good postcards.

The picture below of a turtle is especially for our friend Rhonda. It’s not as nice as the painted one we found. but it’s pretty unique.

We hadn’t eaten since breakfast to we stopped in Moriarty because Siri told us this place was good. We can agree. The building is the same color, but the semi-like trailer next door where they do all the food preparation was shinny red and silver. Dinner, shown below, was excellent. We have enough left overs for a snack in the morning before we get on the road.

My two sides are potato salad, which is like a lumpy mashed with seasonings and relish, and the other is a chopped coleslaw. It has seasonings I can’t decipher, but I enjoyed it. See, another vegetable. The corn bread was dry and crumbly, but yummy.

While at the Wild West, I had the chance to talk to a deputy. He said the bars on the windows and doors is “just a thing.” The crime in the local area is not all that bad.

We ended our day in the hotel lounge with a couple of “toddies.”

09/14/2019 2

Day 12 – Rt 66 trip

I want to take a minute to thank a couple of people that have helped make this blog process a fun thing to do. I belong to an international writing group called Carrot Ranch Literary where we write 99 word flash fiction stories. Charli Mills is the lead buckaroo. She led a writing retreat in Vermont this past July that I was lucky enough to attend and she introduced me to an author by the name of Craig Childs. Craig’s books are step by step “walks” through canyons in Southwest USA. He wrote about a time his walking partner looked for him and he was scribbling in his notebook. From that example I learned to scribble in a notebook at all our meals, during tourist breaks, and in the hotel room. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to give you all the details I do, sort of in the right order. Also at that retreat was Ann Edall-Robson. She had a camera with her and took many pictures of the same thing then later picked one picture to share. So I take many shots, and before I send the pictures from my phone to my computer, I check for the best ones and delete the extras. You, my friends, get the details and the best. Thanks for sharing our trip with us and thank you Charli and Ann for teaching me.

Bob and I live in a suburb of Rochester, NY. The Monroe county population is 748,000. We have nice neighborhoods and not so nice, but I have never seen the number of examples of expected crime as I have since we hit Oklahoma. The below sign was at our hotel in Amarillo, but we have been noticing bars on windows, businesses with not only fences, but barbed wire on top of the fences. The farther into the southwest, the more noticeable the security becomes, even on personal, inexpensive real estate. What a sad testament to our current society.

We enjoyed our dinner at the Big Texan last night so much, we went back for breakfast. Once again there were big rigs parked along the side street. If the truckers get off the highway to eat someplace, you can bet it’s good. We could get close enough to the building for good pictures this morning.

Just west of Amarillo, Texas is the Cadillac Ranch. The story goes, a rich man bought a Cadillac years ago and it was a lemon. He got mad and buried it nose first in his field. To prove his point, he continued doing it. I don’t know when the “tagging” started, but found out today you have to take your own paint, park 200 yards away and walk to the site. Last week some “person” decided to burn one of the cars. Today it is almost all covered in paint again. The only real damage was melting the tires off the rims. (Rhonda, it’s all right!)

Below is the line of cars. All but the front one have their tires.

We have seen little trash in the fields and along the roads, except here. Loads of empty paint cans and smashed remnants. Sad, but almost expected.

You never know who will talk to next on the Mother Road. The fellow that owns the van shown below is from Switzerland. We figured him to be in his mid to late thirties. He shipped the vehicle and his Rhodesian Ridgeback (hound) dog over so he could travel Rt. 66. We didn’t get a chance to ask if the dog had to go through a quarantine process. We did ask which language the dog answered better to. The answer was, “It’s about equal.”

As we left Amarillo, the speed limit went up to 75 mph. Among the windmills, cows, and brown range, here goes a UPS truck down the road in front of us at 75 mph.

We made our first stop in New Mexico in the town of Tucumcari. Below is a typical RV park. Really! No trees, no pool, no nothing, except a place to park. Not to my liking. And my niece and her husband are now traveling through the mountains in Washington state. Now that’s some scenery compared to this.

Below is the inside of the Pow Wow Restaurant and Lizard Lounge also in Tucumcari. Take a look at the booth and figure out how many people are eating. Four, right? Wrong. The older couple are painted on the wall. They fooled us too. The paintings above the booths are top notch. The next picture is a mural of the Lizard Lounge. We were disappointed we didn’t get to experience the night life there.

Below is a new apartment building in the same town. Bob works in construction so we are always interested in buildings, bridges and steel structures. He sent this picture to his office to see if they were interested in building this type of structure in New York. You can guess the answer. Next to our car, on that truck, is our needed Wyoming license plate. We are still missing some of the east coast states and Hawaii.

Below is a good example of how, even residences, are barred and locked.

Our three hundred miles to cover today, that we thought would be a grueling day in the car, turned into only 4 1/2 hours with the 75 mph speed limit. The roads might be a little bumpy, but they are straight for the most part. We did change elevation gradually, which I only realized because my ears popped a couple of times. We got in to Albuquerque about 4 pm. I took a quick nap, a shower, and now I am writing this is in a jumping hotel lounge with live music as an accompaniment. The bar tender is ridiculously slow, but the “floor show” is great, and we even got to dance to a Patsy Cline song, before dinner!

Ray and Eva performing in the lounge with only a lead guitar and a tamborine. They played old country, spanish folk songs, and other songs the crowd knew.

The crowd, some from a tour traveling on a Carolina Tours bus, some from the local area, and us. What a blast. Now we need some dinner in the restaurant located in the hotel. And I’ll get to bed before 11 pm. Yeah.

09/12/2019 3

Day 11 – Rt. 66 trip

Let me start with a moment of silence for the 9-11 victims; the ones who died, the ones who live but suffer from PTSD and all their families and loved ones. On this date, 5 years ago, I lost a dear friend. Bear with me while I remember Dack, Howard Ackerly Stapley. I am fortunate to be able to stay in touch with his wife and daughter.

Bob knowing how the late nights were getting to me decided today we would stay on Rt. 40, doing 75ish miles an hour, only make our morning and lunch stop and get into Amarillo, Texas, in time for me to do laundry, start my blog, then go to supper and maybe find some country music. Read on to see if he accomplished his goal.

Red dirt in many places in Oklahoma. This was in Elk City on a new road project.

We had breakfast at Pedro’s. Above is their colorful, carved and painted booths. I love the colors and happy feeling. Below on the left is Bob’s Mexican skillet which he really enjoyed. Closer to you is my huevos rancheros. This is a favorite of mine and I haven’t had it the same way twice from restaurant to restaurant. You’ll see more examples.

After breakfast we went to Elk City’s National Rt. 66 museum and Old Town Museum Complex. If you are from western New York state and have been to the Genesee Valley Country Museum, it was much like that. It had many examples of the old buildings, offices, and trades. Because we had seen Jesse James hideout in Missouri, the following wanted poster fascinated me. Do you know how much $25,000.00 was worth back then? I guess the railroad could afford it.

Below is a 1953 Lincoln Continental. You figure out why the date is important to me.

Below is an example of an exam table in a dispensary. Notice the overhead light. The instruments and set up seemed so archaic it gave me the willies.

Below is an Elk City train depot replica. The elevation says 1920 feet. That is interesting because even though the terrain seemed so flat to us, my ears “popped” due to the elevation.

Above is an old fashioned windmill display and below a fence made out of wagon wheels, tractor seats, and tools. I love the creativity of the fence. I’ll bet one could pick up these old tools at antique shops and make a unique fence for your personal use.

We are glad we didn’t miss this complex in Elk City. We wouldn’t have known how nice it was if we did, but we felt like the time spent there was well worth it.

We got back on Rt. 40 and traveled on to McLean, Texas, to the Devil’s Rope/Old Rt 66 Museum. Devil’s rope is barbed wire. I grew up in farm country, I know what barbed wire is, or thought I did. Yesterday in the cowboy museum we found out there were probably 100 different kinds of barbed wire. Today that information was solidified. The tools used to make it and then string it to make fences are almost as varied at the wire itself. What an education. I took the picture below to show once again, how popular Rt. 66 is with both Americans and non-Americans, besides, the Texas shaped plaque lets you know how far west we have traveled.

In the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, in the USA, Burma Shave was a popular men’s shaving cream. Below is an example of their unique advertising. In many locations, including where I grew up, one could read these signs, spaced every so many feet apart, as you traveled along a road, until you got the whole sentence. They all ended with “Burma Shave.”

Below is a photo of the only “Cottage Court” between Oklahoma City and Tucumcari, New Mexico in 1923. I imagine the tourists that could afford to make the trip in those days, in an automobile, were the affluent. Looking at all the memorabilia and then talking about the ease of life and traveling we can do today made us feel very privileged.

Still in the McLean museum I almost spoke to this “waitress” as a female was called back then. Notice the white uniform and counter set with glass plates and silver. If you have a touch screen you can enlarge the menu and see a 1/4 chicken dinner is only $.90. Since she refused to speak back to me, we bought some postcards and got back on the highway.

We made it to Pam’s Quilting Corner at 3:30 pm. I am planning to make a Rt 66 quilt and this shop netted me six different fabrics for the project. Linda cut the fat quarters for me and in the course of conversation we took her down memory lane as her father was a 33 year Air Force veteran. Bob being an Army vet and myself the ex of an Air Force vet we had a lot in common. It’s fun to reminisce with someone who has moved as much as I have and been to some of the same bases around the globe. It was almost hard to leave. In the parking lot was the pink SUV pictured below, next to our red baby. When we pulled into Pam’s parking lot Bob’s comment was only a quilter would drive that color car. We didn’t find out who it actually belonged to, but Bob insisted I include it. Personally, I don’t care for that color on a car; it would be great in a blouse or as a flower in a quilt.

I have to admit one of my foibles is sometimes entering the wrong information into MAPS on my phone and we end up in an unexpected place. When we left the quilt shop I entered what I thought was the address for the hotel. When we arrived, we were in a not so nice part of town, and in a very rutted driveway of an unloved tiny house. We were glad no one came out and started yelling at us while I figured out what information I had given incorrectly. Bob was nice and just said we were sight seeing in Amarillo and we drove back the eight miles we had gone and went the other way a couple more. Sometimes it’s a good thing we are long married and not on our first date.

Tonight we are staying in a very new Best Western. It is contemporary, spacious, and very comfortable. I took a picture of the hallway rugs as an idea for a modern quilt. I also had the opportunity to do a load of laundry because I needed to. During the cycles I finally wrote postcards I have been collecting for the grandchildren. They will probably all arrive at the same time.

When the laundry was done, and Bob finished working for a couple of hours we drove back across town to the Big Texan Steak Ranch. Oh my goodness it was delicious. The parking lot had multiple semi’s lined up on the back street because the truckers were eating there too.

Above is the inside of the Big Texan, full of visitors and decorated with animal heads. Our server, Mike, told us they projected to serve 1,600 meals today counting breakfast, lunch and dinner. The beers are from their brewery and the desserts looked good enough to order one of each. Luckily we have limited space, so left the desserts there. My prime rib was about the best I have ever had and Bob’s strip was also very good.

Below, are two gentlemen that sang us a Willie Nelson tune while we dined. They were aged, excellent musicians and I finally got a taste of country music in Texas. It was a restful, though still as long, day.

In the gift shop of the Big Texan is this pretty creature. No trip to the southwest would be complete without seeing at least one rattle snake. Let’s hope it’s the only one.

09/12/2019 5

Day 10 – Rt 66 trip

We are having to admit, we can’t see it all. When I made all the plans for the excursion I rarely had us traveling over 200 miles a day. Except I figured all that out using maps which calculates highways. I didn’t know Rt. 66 would be hard to locate and follow from town to town. I didn’t know the speed limit would be about 45 mph in most places and I didn’t allow enough time at each stop. So, ten days in, we are getting to our destination later than expected so take the next morning to explore it which gets us on our way to the next hotel about noon. Gotta figure out a way to break the cycle.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Bob and I both like to eat. Diners and good food abound. Tally’s was our breakfast spot this morning. April took good care of us. The retro decor was the best we’ve seen and the employees seemed to like being at work. I had a Popeye Omelette which had spinach, bacon, onions, and mushrooms inside. Bob had the Tally’s Bomb plate. Both were delicious and huge portions. We ate our leftovers for lunch.

Bob had the Tally’s Bomb plate.

Retro look inside Tally’s Cafe.

After we ate we went looking for the Rt 66 Harley Davidson store. Bob still wears all his Harley shirts and the good polo shirt he has needs to be retired. The picture of the bench that is the lead photo for today was in the store. Bob did get a new shirt. It will probably show up in a picture before this trip is over.

Next we went in search of the Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza. He is considered the “Father” of Rt. 66 because he was instrumental in bringing together representatives from all the states involved to build a continuous road from Chicago to California. Below, with a messy background, is a statue depicting the change from horse drawn buggy to automobile. The statue was life size, detailed and a beautiful piece of art.

A walking bridge with the Tulsa Medical Center in the background. And you know who in the foreground. We heard no sirens last night.

I have mentioned the EZ66 Guide we are following. The guy in the blue shirt is its author. Jerry McClanahan lives in Chandler, OK. He is an artist as well as an author. In the guide is says to stop by and meet him and he will autograph the guide for you. He was very friendly, gave us some updates on road changes, and was happy when we bought a print of one of his paintings. He could flip through the pages of the book like it was his child’s baby book.

Our next stop was in Arcadia, to see the Round Red barn above. It was built by slaves in 1898. A pencil drawing of the innards had Bob figuring prices. Below is just a contrast in size of our Mini Cooper to a tour bus. It made us smile, so we had to share.

Also in Arcadia is a 66 foot pop bottle replica. The store and diner it advertises is called POPS. They have any flavor pop you can think of. Who knows what some of them taste like. Below this picture is the flavor I’m sure my dog enthusiast grandson would pick. For lunch I picked an Australian ginger beer and Bob had something that was grapefruit flavored. It was called KISS and made in Mukilteo, WA.

It was just after 3:30 pm when we got to the Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City. We stayed until it closed at 5 pm. Inside there were exhibits about rodeo riders, old time cowboys, Native Americans and the TV stars that we all know from playing both on the big screen. It deserved more time than we had to give.

Leaving a museum in one city with 100 miles to go to the next city where your hotel is booked means you deal with 5 o’clock traffic because of poor planning. And I thought I had done a fantastic job getting all the stops in a row. We got on the highway and made time. There is not a whole lot of scenery in Oklahoma and you can literally see for miles across the plain. The first picture below, if you look closely at the haze in the background you can see windmills. We couldn’t guess how far away they were. The last picture is of some windmills right next to Highway 40 that we passed on our way to Elk City. The curious thing, in this area, most houses are fenced with gates. When we asked why, we were told to keep the cows out of the yards. The little black dots in the plains picture are black Angus beef cattle.

Once we arrived in Elk City, we went to dinner at the Prairie Fire Grill. Sara our server was helpful and bubbly. Bob said his pork chops were delicious, but my Chicken Caesar Salad couldn’t compare to last nights salad. One surprise, I have heard many times about the country music scene in Texas and Oklahoma. Last night we too tired to go in search of a honky-tonk and tonight the Grill was playing classic rock. Nothing wrong with that type of music, I was just expecting to hear country. Maybe tomorrow night.

09/11/2019 3

Day 9 – Rt. 66 trip

I have not been sleeping well, but then again, I often don’t at home either. So this morning, Bob got up before me and went to the Branson Tourism Center to get back the deposit we paid to hold our seats for the time-share sales pitch. I thought they had said it was non-refundable so I was happy to be wrong. They didn’t give him a hassle so they got some points back if anyone is keeping score. The hotel recommendation was top notch, so we left town with another belly full of Clocker’s Café food and coffee.

It was already 83 degrees at 10:30 am so we deemed it a top-up, air conditioning day. It was nice to not have the sun beat down on me all day. We drove back up to Springfield to pick up Rt 66 and head west. Bob filled the gas tank at $2.79 for 91% octane. The little Mini does not like regular gas. We have not noticed much change from what we see at home in the trees, flowers and weeds so far. Our big lesson of the day was most attractions along Rt. 66 in small towns in South West Missouri, South East Kansas and North East Oklahoma are NOT open on Monday. When you plan your trip try to be in a large tourist area on Monday.

That being said, I will continue with photos and captions. Lucky you.

A tribute to the individuals that lost their lives storming Normandy. On the Branson Strip, Rt. 76, Branson, MO

Multi-branches of service memorial in Branson, MO

Long, straight road over hill and dale between Branson, MO, and Springfield, MO

1940’s era stone building Phillips 66 station. Many similar stone buildings in the area.

Above, war memorial in front of Tendercare lawn care company in Carterville, MO.

Below, the sign to go with the memorial

I liked the name so it rated a picture. Unfortunately not open.

Above. There is only 13 miles of Rt. 66 in Kansas so it was a photo stop.

Below. The retro station was not open.

A nice mural to prove we were in Kansas.

We hit the jackpot. The pharmacy was open. Kristal made our ice cream lunch for us.

We made about six attempts to find the Vintage Iron Motorcycle museum in Miami, OK, only to find it not open, but gone. Our EZ66 book let us down today. The website for this place looked great and said it was open all year.

Above, world’s largest totem pole near Foyil, OK.

Below, also at the totem pole site. Gift shop closed.

Aha, a necessity room near the totem poles. I love the name. It was clean and stocked.

Love the turtle. He was about four feet tall and seven feet long. Just sitting on a corner a few miles from the totem poles.

We are staying in downtown Tulsa, OK tonight. Across the street from our hotel is a four story medical center (hospital) with a nearly empty parking lot. Sure doesn’t look like home and we haven’t heard a siren yet. Let’s hope they have a quiet night.

We had dinner next door at Baxter’s. My Southwestern Cobb salad was above par and Bob’s Cajun Alfredo chicken and penne pasta was yummy. I stole a bite. I try to remember to do a check-in on Facebook when we eat so you can keep track of how far we have traveled and where we end up at the end of the day. That page is under Sue Carmichael Spitulnik. See you there.

09/09/2019 0

Day 8 – Rt. 66 trip

I don’t know if any of my readers have noticed but the days of our trip coincide with the day of the month. No, I didn’t think about that in advance it just happened. It does make keeping track of what day it is and our reservations easier.

I was hoping my readership would grow day by day, but it seems to have leveled off. I would add more humor, but that isn’t my style. I’m glad some are commenting on the funny signs. I’ll keep sharing them as I find them. Even if I don’t become a famous writer by sharing our trip with anyone who happens to look for it or finds it by accident, I will have created a great memoir for when my husband and I can’t remember what we did, on which day, or in which location. We have already started watching the weather differently by being concerned for places we are now familiar with, and wondering what’s going on in the cities we are headed toward. I also already know more geography than I used to.

Just so you know; because I have been writing this after a full day’s activities, I am tired and make lots of mistakes so it takes time to correct and edit. It also takes time to send myself the pictures from my phone, download them and then edit them into the blog. There is probably a faster way to do that process, but I’m notaware of it at the moment. I don’t mean to sound like I’m whining. I’m just sharing it takes me almost two hours to accomplish each night’s blog.

We rarely use housekeeping when traveling except to ask for more coffee packets. I travel with my own pillow and cotton blanket or flannel sheet and Bob sleeps sitting up due to shoulder and hip problems, plus it helps him snore less. So, the first thing we do in a hotel room is tear the beds completely apart and make them my way. We don’t think it’s fair to ask a housekeeper to remake them each day just to tear them apart again. You are probably thinking we should leave a note to not make them. We’ve thought of that, but often the housekeepers don’t read English where we have been visiting. What does this have to do with anything. Nothing, just adding some observations on a slow news day.

We rarely eat in chain restaurants so ask the front desk for locally owned recommendations. This morning we drove 3.7 miles according to Google Maps and it took us 25 minutes. It’s easy to turn right on the “Branson Strip” but not to go left. Traffic is constant so you have to allow plenty of time and be patient. In this situation our standard shift baby is not so much fun to drive. At least she has a governor so you don’t roll backward when your foot is on the clutch and you have to move your right foot from the brake to the gas. Those of you who only drive an automatic probably won’t understand that last statement. That’s ok. We ate at the Clockery Café which you can imagine is decorated with lots of clocks. The food was good. I like a place that will give you a pancake in place of potatoes and toast for no extra charge. We were told it is where the locals eat and one of the servers proved that by asking two different tables of men to come help her cut firewood tomorrow. She offered breakfast as payment. They both said yes but didn’t agree to the hour she wanted them to arrive. On another table I watched a guy mush all that was on his plate into one pile, then ask for jelly, added a few packets of that and some splashes of hot sauce, remixed it, then ate healthy mouthfuls. It made me think of a garbage plate that Rochester is noted for, but made with breakfast food. Not something I would like. We enjoy a good “floor show” while dining and this morning was very entertaining.

River Walk on White River, Branson, MO

River Walk. Can you imagine the price of the property on the bluff?

Cherokee Nation license plate. The second one we have seen.

Another news item I have yet to share. The other day, with the top down, a bug splatted on the side of my head, leaving a blob on my glasses. Ick. I thought I had it all wiped off, but later in the room discovered a dried something in the fold of my ear. Knowing it was bug guts kind of turned me off. I washed my ear a few times. Now it’s laughable; just one of the pitfalls of traveling in a convertible. Good thing I’m not usually squeamish.

After breakfast we walked on the waterfront board walk and found a Paula Deen store and restaurant. I could have spent a lot of money on new canisters and cute sayings to hang in the kitchen but resisted. Through the windows we could see that the diners had matching plates, then the food was delivered in pottery ware bowls to be shared. It looked like a big dinner with lots of people at the table, but was breakfast for two. If we see another such place on our travels I will want to stop and enjoy the experience. It was so hot, 92, but felt like 97 degrees, that we retreated to the hotel room, air conditioning, and even a nap.

The Titanic. A building made in the shape of the ship which houses a museum about it.

We went out again at 2:45 to go to the Showboat Branson Belle for an early dinner show cruise on Table Rock Lake. We have discovered there are alternate routes around town, so saw some new scenery. We had paid extra to not have to wait in line and had better seats and a choice for dinner. Our server, Eve, was a delight. Attentive, friendly and very helpful. The music wasn’t as good as last nights show, but was fine. The MC, Mike Bliss, also a magician, was a lot of fun and we laughed a lot. The food was good but not exceptional. Having never been on a paddle wheel boat before the goal was to fulfill that desire. Well, I have to compliment the captain. We didn’t know when we pulled away from the dock, nor when we redocked. The scenery was wonderful, the smoothness a little disappointing, and the heat drove us back inside before we were called back for dessert and the music show. They took our picture as we entered the ship and we sighed in a we don’t care attitude. Much to our surprise the picture is very good. (I am not photogenic!) They got us for a few more bucks, but now we have a great picture of us.

We had to drive across this damn to get to the Showboat. Eerie to see water on one side and a deep green gully on the other.

We paid for this picture. Worth the money.

Like I said, Eve was very helpful. She gave us the name of a bar to go to after the cruise called the Cheeky Monkey. As we entered, we were met with a personal welcome and a complimentary shot concoction called the Monkey Fuel Cocktail. We met some nice people, saw the workings of a healthy business, got ideas to improve places we go at home and had a grand time. The only drawback, we both smell like smoke. Been a long time in NY since smoking in public places has been allowed. Now we wish we had a few more nights in Branson, but the Mother Road calls. It’s back to Rt. 66 tomorrow.

What a fun place to have a cocktail.

One reason the bar is a success.

I decided this exotic elephant coloring is used to determine how much someone has had to drink. If they know it’s an elephant they are all right and if they think it’s a zebra, they have a problem. Just a guess. It sure is pretty.

My one disappointment in Branson is I thought the place focused on Country music. I was wrong. It’s a general mix of music, minus jazz, and it was all worth listening to. I just wanted more country. We would come back again, with more time to spend, but I have to be honest, the place won’t call like New Orleans does. And remember, book your own shows so you don’t get sucked into sitting in on a presentation to buy a time share.

Another side note; at home there is a big stink going on about a new flashing light on a bad corner a few streets from ours in a residential neighborhood. You wouldn’t believe how many posts are on Nextdoor about it. Outside our hotel room is a large Ferris wheel with ever flashing lights. I said sarcastically to Bob, “Should I complain about the lights?” It was a rhetorical question. I think it’s beautiful to watch change. And no it doesn’t keep me awake.

Outside our hotel window.

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