August 10, 2024
Final travel day. We closed up the RV, said our prayers and headed for home. We were very nervous the entire trip. It felt so good to be home again. But we made it without incident. We got set up in the driveway and pulled our necessities out of it for the night. Gong forward, we will strip the entire RV down of all our belongings. I’ll contact the RV repair shop and we shall see what transpires from there. I’m expecting us to be without a RV for at least a year or more. I’m hoping we do not have to hire an attorney for anything but who knows. We are home. This year we traveled through 8 states and totaled 2,443 miles. Of the 8 states, only 3 were new to us but we did get to add Alabama and Arkansas to our RV map. It is nice to be home.
August 9, 2024
Travel day 3 of 4. Today’s destination is the east side of Tennessee. We are staying at Creekside RV Park in Pigeon Forge. We took Exit 407 off of I 81/40 and decided to make a quick trip into Buc-ees. Actually this was billed as the World’s Largest Buc-ees. There was room to get in and park. Yes, I did take up several parking spots but I was at the very back of the lot. It was a good spot for a necessary potty stop. This was our first time in a Buc-ees. The bathrooms are really clean! The store looked like it sold just about everything. I grabbed a couple of brisket sandwiches and left. It was Nancy’s turn. We had Bree and Ashes in the truck and it was running with the A/C. She eventually emerged with a couple of lunch meat sandwiches and we both agreed. First time and last time. Way too many people for our liking.
After we left Buc-ees we arrived at our campground about 45 minutes later. The traffic was horrendous through Pigeon Forge. We started to set up the RV and noticed a few more items looked out of place. It appeared as though the axle slid toward the driver’s side. The middle hydraulic jacks looked like they were toeing in. Once inside we noticed walls buckling, floors warping, paneling bucking, etc. It did not look good at all. We are praying we make it home tomorrow.
August 8, 2024
Another travel day. Not quite as long today though. We are leaving MO and heading through Illinois and Kentucky to get into Tennessee. We also crossed the Mississippi River again. We have been noticing a couple of issues with the RV. When we set up in Branson, the rear driver’s side slide did not want to fully extend. It lacked about an inch and a half. We figured that we would have it checked out when we got home. Also the bathroom door did not want to latch unless you pulled up on it slightly. Our first Tennessee stop is familiar to us. It is the Grand Ole RV Park on the north side of Nashville. We stayed at this park last year when we stopped at Nashville. We got set up and decided that we have not had Chinese food for several months. We found a nearby restaurant and I placed an online order and went to pick it up. I had General Tso’s Chicken and Nancy had Pad Thai. Pretty good. Two more days and we will be home.
August 7, 2024
Today is a travel day. Our destination is the Hinton RV Park in Sikeston. It was an uneventful day. We arrived after a 4 1/2 hour travel. Our site was fairly level but we still had to unhitch to get level. Check out time tomorrow is no later than noon. Our next destination is just a little north of Nashville. Should only take us about 3 1/2 hours tomorrow. Time for bed. Night Night
August 6, 2024
No alarm clock again this morning. Love it. We got up and I had my coffee. We did get some lunch around 2ish as we have a dinner show tonight. Our first show is at the Hamner’s Variety Theater. It is called Thank You For the Music, An ABBA tribute. The show was very good. The four performers were very good. The costumes matched the music. Not only was it the music but we got the back stories on some of the songs and on the group itself. Additionally there were two large monitors on either side of the stage and they would flash facts and videos of the group during the performance. On some songs they even showed clips from the movie Momma Mia! It was a very entertaining and enjoyable show. It ended just in time for us to leave and get to our next venue for our last show.
The dinner show started at 7:30PM. It was the Who Dunnit Hoedown Murder Mystery Dinner Show. The food was typical banquet food. Not great. Kind of dry. The show was hilarious and very audience interactive. They had chosen 4 audience members to be the suspects and had them on stage off and on. There was some singing and lots of comedy. I really like it when the characters would make each other break. Reminded me of the Carol Burnett Show. Pictures were not allowed there.
We left the show and went to a Casey’s for fuel. Ready to head on toward home tomorrow.
August 5, 2024
We left the RV a little early so that Nancy could have a chance to go to a store she didn’t have time for in May. The shop? Quilt & Quilts. She was a little deflated when the sign on the front door read “No pictures”. She has often visited stores and taken pictures of things she likes so she can try and re-create them later. Not today. She was finished at the appropriate time as we had tickets to go see Dustin Tavella at the Reza Theater at 2:00PM. We had followed Dustin through his America’s Got Talent (AGT) Season 16 in 2021. We both thought he was incredible. Not only for his “magic” but his back story and his ability to combine his magic with story telling. He eventually won AGT for Season 16. Not only did he receive a large sum of money but he also headlined a Vegas show. He and his wife and two adopted sons lived in Vegas for awhile. They then decided it was time to leave “Sin City”. So they moved to Branson, MO. In May while we were in Branson, we saw a billboard that advertised Dustin’s show. We basically came back and this was the primary reason.
There are no words to describe how awesome the show was. It had comedy, meaning, lots of magic, and a lot of personality. At intermission, it was announced that you could do a meet and greet with Dustin on stage, during intermission. One person and her son stood in line. Nancy prodded me to find out how much it cost. I went and asked and they told me. Not only did you get to meet and talk to Dustin, you had your photo taken with him and after the show he would sign it for you. We decided to do it. Dustin was very personable. He seemed very sincere as well, not Hollywood hype type. We spoke for a few minutes and then had our picture taken with him. Before leaving he asked if we could have a prayer together. Absolutely. He led the prayer and then we exited the stage back to our seats. The theater was not full and I would estimate a little less than 100 people. To get an idea of his show, go to YouTube.com and search for Dustin Tavella, all AGT performances. He is one of a kind.
After the show, Dustin was in the lobby signing pictures and posters or other souvenirs that might have been purchased. He took his time with each person. Even taking selfies with them. We got our turn and he greeted us with Hello again. We chit chatted briefly and then asked him if we could take a selfie. He took my phone and took a few selfies, then just before handing it back to me he decided to take some silly selfies of just him. Awesome.
It was food time again. No BBQ today. Nancy found Cheddars Kitchen. It had good reviews and was close by. The reviews were on target. After ordering, they bring a nice fluffy, warm croissant covered in honey butter. Yum! Yum! Nancy had a salmon dish and I had the grilled pork chop special. Very good. What a way to end a great day. Time to go back to the RV. two shows tomorrow.
August 4, 2024
Up at 6:00AM. I had to have my coffee. I was in the Inn at 7:00AM. My first job is to put on a pot or two of coffee. Then I went about fixing breakfast. Today’s menu is Mixed Fruit Cheesecake Salad, Pam’s Breakfast Casserole (the egg dish), Peach Buttermilk Pancake Casserole, and sausage links. Everyone is leaving today so people are moving a little quicker. I was finished putting the leftovers away and dishes completed by around 10:30AM. We changed clothes and got the RV buttoned up and hitched. By 11:40AM we were on the road.
We rearranged our previous Branson schedule to come into town today. We have one show tomorrow afternoon and then 2 Tuesday evening. Then Wednesday we are heading back to NC. It’s a short ride to Branson, MO. We arrived at Branson View RV Park. Nice campground. We got everything hooked up and set up. We have no plans for today so we just tried to cool off and relax. Temperatures are going to be in the mid 90s this week. HOT!!! After a little cool off time, we decided to go out for dinner. Nancy found a great BBQ place that we had to try, Gettin Basted. After exploring the menu we opted on a local cold beer for starters and a half pound of burnt ends. Absolutely delicious!! Then we decided to order their sampler plate called the Judges Plate. It comes with 1/3 lb. brisket, 1/3 lb. pulled pork, 1/2 rack of ribs, sausage link, 1/3 lb. turkey, 1/4 of a chicken, and two large sides. We got the baked beans and poblano cream corn brûlée. It was more than enough for our meal but we’ll have leftovers for a few more meals. The meal was wonderful. After the meal we found a grocery store that sold Boar’s Head deli meats and cheeses. We had to get some for our travels. So good to be able to get some good lunch meats.
August 3, 2024
As we are pretty well packed up, and because we will miss one of our favorite restaurants, we decided to go to PJ’s Rainbow Cafe for dinner. It has been one of our favorite places since we arrived. Of course we had our go to meal, Chicken Fried Steak. And obviously we had our pie to go. Dinner is so filling. Fortunately our friend Reda was working. This gives us a chance to say so long to The Pie Lady. Over the last few months Reda is another local that we have made friends with. There are definitely some places and mostly people we will miss.
August 2, 2024
Could be a long day today. It’s time to pack everything back into the RV to get it ready for the road on Sunday. Of course, it is very sunny and the high today should reach 94o. With lots of water/tea/gatorade breaks we got everything packed away. It was a long hot day and with the increase in possessions it was sometimes challenging to find room for things. But we are ready. Krissa and Sherry stopped by to say bye to us. We took some pictures. They came back in town to get Sherry’s car. Then they are off for a vacation.
Tonight at the Possum Club Pam Setser is playing. I have not been to see her live but she is a phenomenal entertainer. She has a very nice voice and can play multiple instruments very well. I told her I would get to one of her shows. Tonight will be my last opportunity. It was a very good show. Good music. I left a little early and decided to see how long the line was for the Music Box Ice Cream. It was not very long at all. So I decided to stop. Nancy had stayed at home tonight. I believe she still had one check in. I got us both some ice cream to go and went home. It was a very hot night and the ice cream was a welcome treat.
August 1, 2024
Today will be my last guitar lesson with Albee. I am really going to miss the lessons and Albee. We have developed a friendship with our weekly lessons. One of the things we were going to do today is look at what Mountain View Music had for guitars and possibly trade mine up for a better one. Albee looked at what was available and only found two. The first was a very small price but it would have been an amplified acoustic guitar. We decided that I really didn’t need that option. The other options was a big jump in price. Like over $500 worth. I did not want to pay that much money at the present time. However, the guitar I first purchased has real good sound and is doing me quite nicely. So I am keeping it.
After my lesson, Nancy and I went over to the Community Center to play Phase 10 with Roxanne. We always have a good time playing games. The local government commissioned a local artist to paint a mural on the wall of the Community Center depicting various stages of the town’s history. He is working on the last panel. It is absolutely beautiful.
Tonight at the Possum Club (The Meeting Place) Albee will be playing mandolin for a young man I met a couple of weeks ago. His name is Tru Brannon. He plays guitar, fiddle, and learning mandolin. Also on stage will be Carolina Mendoza. She has a beautiful voice. Chris Smith, the owner, will be playing upright bass and Jenny (sorry I don’t remember her last name) is on electric piano and vocals. Was probably one of the best shows we saw at the Club. Since I didn’t have a silver marker during my lesson, I took the pen and my guitar to the Possum Club and had Albee sign my guitar.
July 30, 2024
One of the projects we had been working on for awhile was to replace a set of stairs that lead from the dinning room to the side yard. There are only two doors in the dinning room. The main door goes from the kitchen into the dinning room and the other is the exterior door. The steps are in very poor condition. We had picked up the lumber for them a few weeks ago. Then we started with the rain and 90o + days. Work was put on a temporary hold. Today we finished the steps. The only thing left to do will be for Chris to paint them. We also redid the wood on a bench for the dog park.
July 28, 2024
There have always been a few factors that drive us either to home or to the next destination. What we had going for us in the beginning has changed. We felt it was time to go home because of changes in our situation. So this afternoon, after looking at schedules, we met with Chris. We explained everything to him and we all agreed on the final outcome. August is generally a slow month for the Inn. The only festival this month is the Mountains, Music, and Motorcycles. It’s 3 weeks away. We always told Chris we would not just walk out on him. We decided to leave Sunday August 4th after we served breakfast and got everything cleaned up. Between now and then we would finish up a couple of projects we had been working on. Another big factor is Nancy and her knee. She has been babying it for a few months. She’s had a few injections but they have not offered a lot of relief. The consensus is that once we get home, she will need a knee replacement. It is difficult for her to climb the stairs and just move in general. But it is indeed time. We had made other plans like to go back to Branson, MO and how to get Nancy back home for upcoming doctor appointments. Now we’ll just have to rearrange some things. Stay tuned.
July 27, 2024
This afternoon Krissa texted us and wanted to know if we had tickets to see Marty Stuart at the Ozark Folk Center tonight. I remember Marty Stuart from my younger years of watching a lot of country music shows with my parents. Nancy had never heard of him. She and Chris were not going so she brought over two VIP tickets to the show for us. The VIP tickets gives you great close to stage seats and the opportunity to do a “meet and greet”. We never expected these kind of tickets.
Once we entered the theater, we realized that there were no bad seats. However, we were the second row back from center stage. Awesome seats! The show started with the Music Roots Ensemble. These are the children who get instruments and lessons through school. It’s a great program and allows the children an excellent opportunity to learn and it does not cost them anything. Proceeds from the concert will go toward this program as well as the “tip” bucket they sent around. For us it is a worthwhile program. The youth were amazing. I believe the ages ranged from 6 to 17?
Then it was time for Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives. Pictures and videos were not allowed to be taken. The performance was being recorded. Once he started playing and singing, Nancy had heard some of his music. He and the Fabulous Superlatives dress old country style. By that I mean the sequined outfits, ties, different colored shirts, large belt buckles. Old style country musician. It was awesome. The music was so great. There were 3 members of the Fabulous Superlatives. They were Cousin Charlie, Handsome Harry, and Chris Scruggs. Everyone, including Marty Stuart, played multiple instruments. There were no big drum kits, or large amplifiers. They sounded great though. Cousin Charlie played 2 or 3 different guitars including a 12 string. Handsome Harry mainly played a small drum he wore around his waist and played with what appeared to be metal brushes. He did pick up a guitar for one song. Then Chris Scruggs started with the upright bass but played a real mean guitar. They were on for about 2 hours straight. Through the show, Marty would kind of step to the background and each of the Superlatives would step up and take center stage. Toward the end of the show, the Superlatives left the stage and Marty told a story and sang a song about Mark Jones, a good friend of his he met at the Grand Ole Opry. Mark was the son of Nashville Legend, Grandpa Jones. After the tribute song, the Superlatives came back on stage and they did a couple more tunes and then did about 3 encores. Super show.
After the show the 15 VIPs were ushered to the back stage area. We waited in line for about 10 minutes. We saw Marty enter a room through a sided door. Nancy made comment that it seemed like this was a chore for him. Having never been a VIP before we did not know what to expect. We soon found out. You entered the room, shook hands with Marty and maybe said hi. Someone would take your phone and they would take a couple of pictures. You were then given a Swag Bag and an autographed poster and escorted out. The whole meet and greet was maybe 2 minutes. While it was kind of neat to meet Marty Stuart, I am so glad we did not pay that much money for that particular VIP experience. While waiting for the shuttle to take us to the parking lot, someone we knew that worked at the Folk Center handed us the set list. That’s the list of songs that Marty performed, including the “encore”.
July 24, 2024
A few days ago the check engine light came on in the truck. I went to O’Reilly’s Auto Parts and picked up an OBD II tester. I got the code and it said it was a transfer case module. I called Red River Dodge and made an appointment. Today is the day to get things checked out. However, about 2 days ago, the check engine light went off. I decided to take it in anyway. They checked it out and yes, the transfer case module needed to be replaced. I guess that also explains why occasionally I would get a message while driving that I was in the process of shifting into 4-wheel drive. Not! So they replaced the module. Unfortunately I was 2,000 miles out of warranty. However, Red River explained to me that I had 2 “forgiveness” opportunities. Basically, the dollar amount is capped at $2,000 for each occurrence. They “expire” after 5 years. I’m hoping nothing else happens for the next 2 years. In addition, there were other codes. Let me preface that by saying that once I started my journey to the dealer, I got a message that the engine was regenerating and not to shut it off. The message disappeared when I arrived at the dealer. I told them about that issue also. The culprit to a lot of regens is the air filter. Apparently most 3rd party air filters have a couple of strips through them that prevents the most air flow. The OEM filter does not. So I got a new air filter. That I did pay for. Still pricey! However, the truck is running great. The dealer was about 50 minutes away in Heber Springs. What a way to spend an afternoon.
July 21, 2024
We are going from a full house, including the Cottage to no one for the next few days. It is always a bitter sweet time. We made new friends, and had a good time. One of our guests was Sherry. She is a friend of Krissa. Sherry is deaf also but so sweet. I enjoy trying to communicate with Sherry and Krissa and love when they teach, or try to teach me, more ASL. It turned out not to be so good of a day for Sherry. She got her car loaded but it wouldn’t start. One of our guest came in and said that someone needed some assistance. It was Sherry. Tim and I and the other guest gathered some tools. We pulled off the battery terminals and cleaned the clamps and poles. Put the clamps back on and tightened them. The car still wouldn’t start. We tried a jump box and jumping from my truck. We then checked the lights. She had headlights and dash lights. However, when the key was turned, you could not hear any clicking. We believe it was a bad starter. In the meantime, Nancy texted Krissa. Krissa came and picked up Sherry and took her home. All this before noon. Before Tim and Tammy left, we got a picture or two. It is always possible that in the future our paths will cross again. We discussed some interesting places to visit in and near where they live in Louisiana and Mississippi. We have yet to explore those states as well as Alabama and Texas. One never knows.
PICTURES
July 20, 2024
What a day! I had a lot of things prepped for this morning’s breakfast and I really didn’t have to start cooking for a while. However, I opened the freezer to get the sausage it just felt like it was not as cold as it should be. I moved forward with my cooking. I reached into the fridge and it didn’t feel as cold either. I checked the thermometer. It was not where it should be. So as I am cooking I had Nancy start moving everything from the front fridge/freezer to the back unit. Tim had come out of his room for coffee and sat in the kitchen and we talked. Tim is the kind of guy that instead of sitting he jumped in to help us out. It’s great to have friends like this. Since they did not go to the Square last night, they decided to go tonight. I was tired so I stayed home.
July 19, 2024
It has been one of those days. We saw and talked to Tammy and Tim at breakfast. They had an adventure to go to today. So as they went off, we went about our work. I got done around 1:00PM and Nancy had talked to Tammy and Tim. The plan is for me to make dinner. We originally thought about doing steaks on the grill. However, we could not find decent cuts of meat anywhere so I took some pulled pork out of the freezer and got everything to make BBQ Loaded Baked Potatoes. We made a bacon Caesar salad and called it dinner. After dinner Tammy and Tim talked about going up on the Square for the entertainment. As for me, I was tired and my plan was to sit outside and work on a cold beer. Nancy had talked about going to the Square also. It turned out Tammy, Tim, and Nancy joined me and we sat outside and talked and had a nice cold beverage. So relaxing. Once it started getting dark, it was time to go inside and for me to get to bed. I have been getting up at 5:30AM this week for Music Camp. Tomorrow is the last day of camp. Sunday breakfast will move back to 8:30AM.
July 18, 2024
A really nice perk to our job here is that we meet so many really nice people. Several have told us to keep their contact information and keep in touch. They have also stated that if you are in their area, we are welcome to stay there. One couple, Tammy and Tim from Louisiana visited sometime back in April or May. We really hit it off. One evening we sat in the parlor and just talked. Since then, we have friended on Facebook and Nancy and Tammy will text each other. Recently, Nancy posted on Facebook that we will be leaving Arkansas the Monday after the Bean Festival. Well, Tammy and Tim were not scheduled to return until mid November for the Fall Bluegrass Festival. That didn’t sit well so they immediately made reservations and arrived today. It was so good to see them again. Also this week we have Youth Music Camp going on. The youth get lessons in square dancing and music and instruments and other types of dancing such as Salty Dog. It really is awesome. We had a few stay with us.
After we got our work done, I had my guitar lesson at 2:00 PM. From there, I met Tammy, Tim, and Nancy and Roxanne at the Community Center. For the next couple of hours we played Mexican Train Dominos. We had a great time. As it was almost 5:00PM, it was time for dinner. Tammy, Tim, and Nancy and I walked down the street and had dinner at PJ’s Rainbow Cafe. Of course we had to get our favorite pies to go as well. We walked back to the Inn and said our good nights. It has been a long day for all of us.
July 15, 2024
This evening is the last ASL class. It has been fun and educational. We have enjoyed learning new signs and a good refresher for what we’ve had before. There have been a few challenges along the way and we have missed a few classes. However, we get to see Krissa more and she is always willing to help us learn signs. Because of this class we now have official sign names. It’s a visual thing. It has not only been fun but we have met several folks in the community as well. A real side benefit. One of those folks is Roxanne. She volunteers at the Community Center.
July 10, 2024
Its final. Nancy is still feeling really bad and is not going to be able to take the class. I am disappointed she couldn't go. However, my situation is worse. I am feeling really bad but I still need to get up early and make breakfast for our guests. Over the next few days I’ll take lots of Day Quil/Night Quill and Ibuprofen on a regular basis. By Saturday I will be just fine and dandy.