Phannie

Phannie
Photo taken near Monument Valley, Utah

Friday, November 23, 2018

Thanksgiving at Branson

At Treasure Lake RV Resort, Branson, Missouri...

It would be difficult to find a better place than Branson for a family with kids to get together for the Thanksgiving holiday, especially if the weather is beautiful, as it mostly has been this time. With this in mind, we planned this trip months ago and made our reservations at Top of the Rock for their awesome Thanksgiving buffet. Mindy and Tyler flew with the kids up to nearby Springfield, Missouri and then settled in at the Grand Country Inn in Branson, a hotel and entertainment complex where there are almost limitless activities for kids. They spent a couple of days at Silver Dollar City, a large theme park west of town, decorated to the hilt with more than six million Christmas lights. Here's a sample:



To say that the boys were enthralled would be an understatement. Each night they would fall into bed, exhausted from their full days of excitement.

Thanksgiving dinner at Top of the Rock was especially nice, as we had our own little alcove where we could eat and visit. We were there as the sun set, and the view over the Ozarks and Table Rock Lake was breathtaking:



Here we are with Mindy, Tyler, Pryce and Mason in our private dining alcove at Top of the Rock:




Sandy is in heaven with her boys, Mason and Pryce. They love their Mimi:



The boys seem to tolerate their Poppy pretty well:



We mentioned in an earlier post that Mindy is expecting, so we have another grand on the way. Now we can disclose that it will be another boy. We are so excited! There is indeed so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We trust that all of you had a wonderful holiday.

On the one and only cold and rainy day during this trip, I decided to cook up a pot of soup, and Sandy made crackling cornbread. Both were new recipes for us, but they turned out really tasty.  The soup was my take on Olive Garden's creamy Zuppa Toscana, made with sausage, potato, onion and kale, I think. Since I'm not all that fond of kale, I tossed in a little cabbage, and it turned out really well:



Sandy made crackling cornbread by a new recipe, and it was absolutely scrumptious:



We also had the good fortune of running into our friends Larry and Carolyn while we were at Treasure Lake. 



We are so thankful for all our friends like these in the RV community. When we began this adventure, we had no idea that we would become acquainted with so many wonderful folks along the way. There is a common element, I suppose, in that most are retired and enjoying themselves, free from the constraints of work and raising families. For those like us who are fulltimers, their surroundings can change from one beautiful place to another merely by turning the key in the ignition. At this stage of their lives, with their days of confinement, struggle and drama behind them, it's easy to see why they're happy. And it's not hard to make friends with happy folks.

In a few days, we will return to the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails through the Christmas and New Year's holidays before heading to the Rio Grande Valley for the rest of the winter. But first, we will stop in Livingston, our residence city of record, to fulfill our civic duty. Sandy and I both had received jury summonses over the last several months and, because we are rarely in the state to comply, the district clerk simply excused us when we called and asked that we volunteer for duty at a future date. This is a rather remarkable accommodation for us fulltimers, but not unreasonable, I suppose, due to the importance of Escapees to the little town.


Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; 
please forgive me if I don't appreciate it as I should each day.

You don't stop playing when you get old; you get old when you stop playing.

15 comments:

  1. I love reading your blog! You are always so upbeat but thankful for the life you have worked hard for and the way you so enjoy sharing it with the family that you love! Love is all there is...

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    1. What a delightful and profound comment! I'm glad our values come across in that way. Thank you for stopping by and happy holidays!

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  2. Nothing much bette than to enjoy some time with family over Thanks Giving and Branson a wonderful place to do it as well, Enjoy your time in Livingston we are loving the weather here in Willis Texas an area we enjoy.

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    1. I can't believe you guys got to Willis just after we left for Branson. Hope you'll be there a while.

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    2. We leaving Tomorrow for a 7 day Caribbean cruise back next Sunday then leave for Arizona Tuesday morning Dec 4th.

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    3. Doggone it! Looks like we'll miss you this time. Safe travels, my friend.

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    4. Darn so close too, one of these days we hope.

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  3. Hi, Mike! Alan and I have had some discussions about visiting Pigeon Forge at Christmas time. We love it there, but have been wondering if it would really feel like Christmas. Your experience at Branson over the Thanksgiving holiday makes me think that it might be a delightful adventure. Thanks for sharing - and I love those family photos!

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    1. Oh, I think visiting either place at Christmas would be great, Mary. We plan to make this a family tradition, I think. Hope yours is a wonderful holiday season!

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  4. What a wonderful time in such a beautiful place. . .grands onboard was a great bonus!

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    1. So true! And you know how it is with grands, for sure! See y'all soon!

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  5. What a wonderful Thanksgiving for you and your family. Branson is such a wonderful community, with so much to see and do. We are members at Treasure Lake so maybe we'll run into you and Sandy someday. We love it and try to spend time there several times during the year. The soup and cornbread looked wonderful! Congratulations on another grandson. The two you have now are sure handsome guys! I always look forward to your blog posts!

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    1. You're very kind, Cheri; thank you! We love Branson and Treasure Lake. We have been coming up here a couple of times a year, so maybe we'll run into you one of these days; it would be a real treat.

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  6. Amen Mike Haven't been on your blog in a while,good to be back.
    Branson is a fun town,know you all had a great time,have a blessed holiday.
    Happy travels.Bob here in Md

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    1. I missed you, Bob. It just wasn't the same; welcome back!

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