One more day in Branson

Monday Randy fixed us breakfast before we headed out to wander around Branson. First we went to Dicks and then to my heart's desire, the Victorian Store. 

We also went through leather stores, thrift stores, and antique shops. And a candy store where we stocked up on saltwater taffy. 

Then we went to MacDoodles, a liquor store where we looked for something wonderful and failed to find it. Maybe next time. 

We went to Billy Bob's Dairy for cheeseburger, tenderloin, fries and malts. Very good. A bit pricey but very good. We did a bit more driving about before deciding an early night would fit the bill. Leftover for dinner, and early to bed. 

The next day we decided to go home, so after breakfast and laundry we loaded up Shorty and headed out. Our truck got 22.6 miles per gallon, even though there hills - love it! We felt US 65 was a 2-lane road a bit too long but it was still a good road. Having had enough of cheap motels on the way up, this time we stopped at a La Quinta. Still no good. Someone had left underwear on the floor, there was no wifi, no breakfast, and a surprise pet charge. Poo. We went out for dinner to El Portillos for good nachos and poor service. 

Next morning we were on the road early, stopping out of town at a local restaurant called Wards, but it wasn't anything special.  So on and on and on. For lunch we stopped at Buccees for a pretty good brisket sandwich. And continued until we finally made it home. That's too long a drive but we made it safe and sound. 

Any day fishing is a good day

This morning the guys went out to clean the boat, while Kris and I slept a bit longer, but by 9:30 we were all out for the day. First stop was breakfast at The Farmhouse. Since this is such a great place, there was a wait. So we put our name in and went into Dick's Five and Dime - an excellent place to spend some time. 

The Farmhouse breakfast was, per usual, great. Then we went to Randy R's nice clean boat for another cruise. This time the guys put a couple of poles in the water, to see what they could catch. 

And what they could catch was beautiful Rainbow Trout!

Soon Randy started handing off his line to me when he got a bite. I lost the first one right before we got it in the basket, but later I got the hang of it. So much fun!!

Unfortunately Randy and Kris had to head back for Monday's work. After they left we got a few groceries, then spent the evening watching movies and having Mr Gilberti's leftovers.

Back in Branson

We got up around 9 but didn't make it out until 11. No worries, we were here to relax. Randy R drove us to Danna's for breakfast/lunch, where I got my usual - baked potato with pork, slaw and cheese. Randy had the Boss Man salad with lots of good meat and a Memphis roll. That's a roll which is deep fried, then they punch a little hole in it and stick in a chuck of butter to melt inside. Such a GREAT idea!

Then we went out on Randy's boat. How nice - this is how to relax. 

Randy and Kris have had a boat here for 35 years so he knows lots of stories about the area. He entertained us until I gave in to my somnolence and napped a bit. 

Afterwards he drove us to an Amish grocery store - lots of good stuff here. 

We went back to the condo to let Shorty out and then, hey, it was time for dinner! We went to Mr. Gilberti's Place for the Andy Williams salad for four, plus spaghetti and pizza. So good. 

Wedding Day!

Randy started the day by getting the truck washed, while I started the day with beef and noodles. So good! We picked up a big lunch from Fire and Smoke for the folks at Bethalto Vet, in thanks for their support and good advice during Shorty's health crisis. 

That smelled so good that we went right back and got Fire and Smoke nachos for ourselves.

Afterwards we drove over to visit with Aaron a bit, before getting ready for the wedding. The wedding was so lovely! Everyone "knew" Aaron would get teary-eyed but it was Glenda who puddled up the most.

After the service everyone went to the Cracker Factory for the reception.  Castelli's Restaurant (aka Moonlight) catered the event so the food was scrumptious. The room was lovely and the wedding couple were so happy!

After the reception we went back to the Reddick's to pick up Shorty, then drove to Branson. Randy and Kris were right behind us. It's a longer drive than I recalled, and it was 4 1/2 hours before we pulled into their condo lot. Then we sat around talking until suddenly it was 1:30 in the morning, and definitely time for bed.

The 3 Hour St. Louis Food Tour

Today I wanted to be back by 1 so I could take photos of the reception room being decorated. That left us with almost no time to see some of our favorite St. Louis sights. Randy agreed to drive Kris and I around to make the most of what time we had. 

We started with World's Fair Doughnuts. Historically this place made Randy's favorite doughnut - old-fashioned chocolate with chocolate frosting, dipped in chopped peanuts. We learned it is under new management; the previous owners retired. The new owners are using the same recipes but it tastes just a little different. 

On to the Hill! We headed directly to Viviano's Grocers on Shaw Avenue. Before we went in we saw that Giovanni's, across the street is closed. I was afraid it was another victim of Covid 19 but no, there was a fire 3 years ago and the owner died shortly afterwards. There was enough smoke and water damage that the family decided not to reopen - so sad to see this great one gone. But inside Viviano's it was still the same wonderful place! They sell such delicious products - salami, capers, seasonings, sauces, pasta, oils, wines, olives, cookies, candies, lentils, vinegars, anchovies, peppers, clams, pesto, and bread, such wonderful bread. And oh, the meats and cheeses! 

What to choose? We couldn't take the whole store so we ended up with some bread, sauces, and provel cheese. A lot of provel cheese.

Next up was Dad's Cookie Company. The store always smells like cookies baking. Today it was their double chocolate cookies. I always thought the Original Scotch Oatmeal cookie is their best, but I have to say that their Banana cookie is just about as good! We came away with a bag of Banana cookies and a 5 pound jar of Original Scotch Oatmeal. This place is listed on our "Best Food On The Road".

On to G&W Bavarian Style Sausage Company, home of all sorts of tasty stuff like Landjaeger, weiswort, Polish sausage, and other goodies. And if there is a wait, they offer you a nice cold beer!

Time for lunch, and there is no place better than Carl's Deli. Their pastrami with swiss cheese and brown mustard on rye is the absolute best! This is another one on our list of "Best food on the Road". 

We went by the St. Louis RV Park, where we had parked for a few months before we started RVing. It's for sale now; I sure hope whoever buys it will keep is as an RV park. We went back home a different route, which took us over the old McKinley Bridge and down Route 3. This was my daily drive for the first few months we lived in the area, as I drove to work at the Bohemian Bank.

Ah, memories. Back to today, and there was still plenty to do. Randy drove us over to the Cracker Factory where everyone pitched in to help set up for the reception. It took just a few hours and was so pretty when it was done. 

Still not done for the day - on to the rehearsal at the church. That went well and afterwards everyone went to Glenda's place for some Pappa John's Pizza. 

Delicious Josephines and even more delicious Kris's

Today everyone went to work again ...except me. So Glenda picked me up and we went to decorate the church for her wedding. Although I didn't do any decorating, I just took photos of her and her two friends doing the work. 

After they finished Glenda drove me and Kris to Josephine's, where Aaron and Randy met us for lunch. 

Randy's club sandwich and salad were good, but my ham sandwich (yes, there is ham under all that bacon and cheese) and cheese broccoli soup were better.

We were stuffed by the time they brought around the dessert tray, but that looked so good that we got some for later. 

By the time dinnertime came around, we were all ready for Kris's pot roast, cooked with carrots and potatoes, and some (a lot) of home-made noodles. It was absolutely excellent and we all stuffed ourselves again. We had to wait a bit for dessert, but eventually we managed.

To each his/her task of the day

Today Randy R and Kris went to their respective jobs, Randy went to work with Aaron, and I welcomed the time to experiment with my cameras. I borrowed a camera and lens from Randy's boss Jim and needed to figure out the best configuration between them and my stuff. Eventually I came up with a combination that I think will work for the wedding photos.

In the afternoon Randy came home first, so we went to Walmart for a few things, then stopped by to say hi to Aaron. His house is almost empty but not empty enough. He has about one week to be completely out for the new owner. Glenda and he are combining two complete households, so it's likely to be a challenge to find a place for everything. 

Tonight Randy R brought home Roma's pizza and salad for dinner. So glad that Roma's is still open, although Covid is making it hard on them, too.

On to the Reddicks'

Sunday we started driving towards Illinois for Aaron and Glenda's wedding. A quick stop at Wawa for a sandwich to split kept us on the road until we made it to Tifton, Georgia. We were ready for something more substantial so we went to Cook Out Burger where, thanks to Covid 19, only the drive-thru was open. So we got a burger and fries for me and a bacon wrap with fries for Randy, which oddly enough came with a small corn dog. We had to eat in the car, which we hate to do because Shorty can't have any of our food now; he had to make do with dog food. 

We had reserved a room in Marietta, which turned out to be a poor choice. I don't mind basic but this was below that. Never again. I stayed with Shorty while Randy went to get us some dinner. The first two restaurants he stopped at were closed (thanks Covid 19) so he brought Publix fried chicken, which tasted pretty good to me!

A morning cup of McDonald's coffee and we were off again. About an hour down the road we stopped at a Waffle House for breakfast. I like Waffle House because I can get a burger for breakfast. This one was fun, too - when "All my exes live in Texas came on" came on, the staff and most of the customers sang along. Back on the road, on and on, until we took a break at the Lodge Store. Today a chicken greeted us - outside, just pecking around near the door. The guy inside it's a stray that showed up a few weeks ago. It's fat and relaxed, so it must be doing well. In spite of diligently looking, Randy couldn't find anything he needed. Well, I did - little $1 moonpies! We got a couple and were back on the road for an hour before we realized Randy's wallet was missing. We made a quick call to the Lodge store, where employee Andrew found it for us. He kindly agreed to overnight it to us, and wouldn't let us pay for it. What great customer service!

Lunch was at Steak and Shake - got to keep moving on.

We arrived at Randy and Kris's later that day, so glad to get there. They are such good friends - they welcomed us weary travelers and gave us a bedroom and private bathroom. After we visited a bit, Randy went to Fire and Smoke to bring back BBQ and sides. Aaron and Glenda joined us all for dinner, so we visited with everyone for a long time. And Shorty was so glad to see his good friend Randy!

Finally - the boat is fixed!

After several months of working on the boat motor, it's finally fixed! We have a lot going on right now but found some time on Monday to take the boat out. We had a bit of trouble with a bubble in the fuel line - for a moment it looked like we might be stuck in the middle of the lake. But Randy fixed that and we were able to get underway again. Happy day!

 

Our yard, and the busy bees we do this for