Back home in Mississippi

We finally made it back home Monday after the tire blowout fiasco on Sunday.  That was no fun.  We are settled in at Timberlake Campground.

Our site. 

We got to see the grandkids on our first day back. They have really gotten big. 

John and Shelby.

Mom, Robert and Ava. 

Shelby

Me, Shelby, Ava and Dad.

Ava, John and Shelby.

Shelby.

After visiting for a while John went by Renaissance Mall to see about a work schedule.  He was called in that night and worked until 11:00 p.m.  He has worked everyday since. 

We have an appointment Monday morning to get an estimate on the damage caused by the blow out.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

Mississippi bound but the tire had another idea.

We were up early this morning to meet Betty and Joe for our traditional breakfast at Starvin Marvin's.  It was rather foggy out this morning.

Joe, Betty, John and me.  I think I look half asleep. 

Joe and Betty. 

 As always there were lots of laughs.  We will miss them very much.

After returning to the campground we got things ready to go and said goodbye to friends Steve and Jannel.  We fueled up and were Mississippi bound.  Things were going great until we had blow out on the right front tire in Gould, Arkansas.  It sounded louder than a shotgun to me.  Fred was freaked out and ran to the bedroom.  Poor doggie.  John got the rig stopped and went to the door to go check out the damage but he door was stuck. You know that was not a good sign.   

This is what it looks like.  

I finally coaxed Fred into going outside. 

We were on a two lane highway with a middle turning lane so John was able to pull to the middle until he could get it off the road.  A lady whose driveway is directly across from where we stopped came out to talk to John.  She told him we could park in her driveway.  We are very thankful that this is the only damage and no one was hurt.  John called Coachnet and they had to locate someone with the right size tire.  Finally, around 8:00 p.m. the tire man arrived.  Yeah!!

He was finished in less than a hour.  Because it was so late we decided to drive a few miles up the road to McGehee to Wal-mart to stay for the night.  What a day it has been.  

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

A day on the lake with friends.

We spent Friday on Table Rock Lake with friends.  The guys fished a little bit but the fish weren't biting.  It was rather chilly but by lunch time it was nice and warm and sunny.  A great day to be out on the water.

Betty, Maggie and Barbara.

Barbara and Jimmy.

Joe, Jimmy and Billy. 

Billy, Maggie, John, Betty and Joe.  There were lots of laughs.

Billy, Maggie and John.

Barbara, Jimmy and Joe.

We had such a fun relaxing day. 

Of course later on we played lots of 10 Penny....and got beat. 

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

Betty and Joe have arrived.

Sunday morning our friends Betty and Joe arrived from Kentucky.  Joe's brothers and their spouses were still traveling and arrived later in the day.

Look what Betty brought me from Kentucky.  Yeah!!!  Anyone who knows me knows I love Tab.  I ran out and in Branson you cannot find Tab.  Thank you Betty. 

We have been enjoying lots of good food, laughs and card games. 

Joe, Jimmy and John. 

Maggie and Billy.

Barbara and Betty.

Barbara trying on hats.  Look out sheriff Barbara is in town. LOL 

Awe, look at that shiny hat. haha

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

Fun with friends and sunny skies.

Looks like the rain is gone. We have been enjoying sunny skies and warm temperatures the last few days.  It got down in the 40s a few nights but warmed up nicely in the 70s by the afternoon.  I can live with that.

Our site.

Friday John and I joined Steve and Jannel to go see Sons of Britches at the I-Max theater.  Sons of Britches is a trio of men who perform a wide variety of music from country, cajun, zydeco, bluegrass and a little rock and roll.  There was a fiddle player a guitar player and a mandolin player.  After playing a couple of songs the band asked the audience for song requests.  They were able to play all the songs that were requested.  Very very talented musicians.  We all enjoyed the show. 

Yesterday friends Susie and Don stopped by for a visit.  It has been two years since we have seen them.  It was fun catching up with them.  Later on last night John and I went over to see Susie and Don's new RV and play Mexican Train.  John was the winner.  My score was, shall we say, laughable.  We all had a great time.

Don, Susie and their little dog Stevie.

Hannah, their big dog.    She is so sweet.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

Lunch with Glenda and Jeff.

Yesterday the rain finally moved on. Yeah!!!  So glad to finally see the sunshine.  John and I met fellow RVers Glenda and Jeff at Starvin Marvin's for lunch.  The last time we saw them was in 2011.  Can't believe it has been that long.   We enjoyed catching up and sharing travel stories.   Hope to see them again down the road real soon.

Jeff and Glenda 

Today we enjoyed sunny skies and temperatures the 70s.  That was very nice.  Later in the afternoon we went out for a grocery run.  Other than that, not much going on.  

Fred taking a nap. 

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

34th Anniversary and a little rain.

Friday, October 10th was our 34th wedding anniversary.  Our favorite Italian restaurant, Luigi's, was just a few miles up the road in Fort Leavenworth, KS so our plan was to eat there to celebrate.  Unfortunately the restaurant is closed due to an upcoming move.  They are remodeling a new place right up the street from the original location. Well, that really sucked.  We ended up staying home and cooking our own meal.   After dinner we drove over to the festival grounds in Weston to check in with the volunteer coordinator.

Saturday morning arrives and we are up early as we are scheduled to be at the Weston Irish Festival at 9:00 a.m.  It was 43 degrees.  Oh no ....I was not liking that.  We dressed in layers because, not only was it cold it was overcast and damp from all the rain the night before.   Lucky for us the sun came out, warmed up and it was a beautiful day to be outside. We worked with a very lively group from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. then were free to enjoy the festival.  There was lots of music, food, people and, of course, beer.

The nice weather didn't stick around for long.  Sunday morning we woke up to overcast skies and a light mist.  John checked the forecast and it showed heavy rains coming our way on Monday.  We decided to leave Weston on Sunday instead of Monday to avoid driving in all the ucky weather.   We arrived at Treasure Lake in Branson around 4:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon and were able to get a site in our favorite area.   After getting settled in John checked his email and noticed friends Steve and Jannel were also at Treasure Lake.  Of course we couldn't resist stopping by for a visit.  It was good to see them again. 

Today we met friends Sam and Donna for lunch a Mel's Hard Luck Diner.   This was our first time to eat here.  The wait staff take turns walking around in the diner singing.   Some very talented young people.  

Sam, Donna, Me and John.  (Thank you Sam and Donna for treating us to lunch)

Afterwards we went back to our place.  Fred enjoyed all the attention. 

Fred and Donna.

Fred and Uncle Sam.

It was so good to see them again and catch up.  

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

Weston Bend State Park

We have been busy traveling.  After leaving Rend Lake Gun COE park in Whittiington, IL we moved on to Lazy Day Campground in Danville, Missouri.  Lazy Day Campground is located just outside of Montgomery City.  This was our third time to stay there.  Fred enjoys the large fenced dog run.

Our site at Lazy Day Campground.  The sites are a little close together but it is a nice park. 

Fred enjoying the dog run. 

He was more interested in sniffing around than playing with his ball. 

While in Danville we drove over to Hermann to sight see.  The little town looked the same as the last time we visited.  They were having October Fest so there was lots of people, beer, wine and music. 

Monday we traveled on to Weston Bend State Park in Weston, Missouri.  This is our first time staying in this park.  The sites are nice and large. 

Our site.

We drove into town for a few groceries and noticed the leaves have started to change. 

Saturday John and I will be volunteering at the Weston Irish Festival.  We will be beer pourers. That should be interesting.  The weather has been nice so far but the forecast is showing rain starting tonight and lasting until late Friday and cooler temperatures will be moving in. Uck!  This is not my favorite kind of weather.  I am hoping the weatherman "guessed" it wrong.  

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

Rend Lake Gun Creek COE Campground

Up early and on the road by 9:30 this morning.  Our trip was uneventful and we made it to Rend Lake Gun Creek COE Campground around 2:00 p.m.  When we arrived we heard thunder and saw a few dark clouds.  Lucky for us the rain held off until much later.

Our site.  The leaves on the trees in the campground have started to change colors.  

The view from our site. 

This is the view from our front window.  I had a front row seat to watch people parking.  Anyone who knows me knows I like to watch people parking their RVs.  What can I say....it is cheap entertainment. LOL   

Tomorrow will be another travel day for us.  Our destination will be Lazy Day Campground in Montgomery City, MO. We have stayed there before and like it very much.  Fred will have a good time as they have a fenced in dog run. 

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails. Stay safe. 

Fun with friends.

Monday night Betty and Ellen returned from their Mississippi trip and we all went to Morgantown for dinner at Garcia's Mexican Restaurant.  Someone in the restaurant told the the server that it was Betty's birthday so they brought her a dessert to the table along with a sombrero. 

Betty's actual birthday was September 11th so we thought someone was playing a joke on her.  Of course no one would own up to doing it. 

Our time here has flown by.  Tomorrow will be a travel day for us.  We played a game or two of 10 Penny,  and got beat, shared some good food and lots of laughs.  Thanks Ellen and Braxton for letting us camp out at your place.  

Braxton and Ellen

Theresa chilling out watching TV.

Joe, Me, Betty and John

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.