Hello Branson, Hello Kavika!

The next morning, Matthew woke up early, excited about our coming visit with Kavika and his family.  I dragged myself out of bed, reluctantly leaving the coolness of the air conditioning, and we both got back into the car, the scene of many adventures of the day before.  We took off toward Highway 60W, Springfield, and then Branson!  Although the rocks were relatively flat-lying, the slopes became sharper, and there were Road Cuts!  Fascinated, knowing nothing about the geology of the area, I remembered that the Ozarks are there because of the weight of the sediments deposited in the Gulf.  It’s the same principle as sitting on the side of one of the old steel-wire mattresses.  If you sit on one side, the other side rears up…  So this made sense, and I was satisfied with just enjoying all the rocks and the scenery.  Highway 60W was an old friend, and I was definitely grateful to be off the winding road of 160!

We drove and drove, and finally we saw a sign that said:

What fun!  The city isn’t a large one, about as large as Murray, KY, (population 10,000), but filled with everything one can imagine.  It was just like Gatlinburg, TN, without the wedding chapels.  They also had a Walmart, a MacDonald’s, and a Wendy’s—we could survive…

Naturally, I got lost trying to find the hotel, which was off the main road, onto a secondary loop, but we found a lovely overlook spot, and gave us a panoramic view of the entire city.  WOW!  It was hot.  Very hot!  So, we didn’t stay long, as we were melting in the sun, but it was a great place to see, if not understand, the layout of the city.  Heading back to town, I stopped at one of the “Buy Your Tickets Here!” places and asked for directions. 

After we checked in to the hotel, and rested a bit, Matthew had seen a restaurant he wanted to try—Pasghetti’s, which specialized in, you guessed it, pasta!  The food was really good, and the restaurant was decorated to look like a street in Old New York City, so we were both pleased. 

Leaving the restaurant, two very large, very drunk couples tried to climb through the macaroni they had on the sidewalk.  They were actually 24” PVC pipes with an elbow in the middle, painted yellowish to look like pasta—very ingenuous idea!  As we got into the car to leave, they got stuck, and were too drunk to turn over to bend their legs to get out.  Gales of laughter came from the macaroni, and I must admit, gales of laughter sounded in our car, too…  They must have gotten out somehow, because they were gone the next day!

This is the inside view of the restaurant-- there was so much to see, it was hard to eat!

Then, we took a drive down the main road of Branson-- so much to see!!!  Too much to do!!!  Just like Gatlinburg.  Clothing outlets, shows, thousands of tourist traps...  We could have stayed a month and not seen it all...  But, like Gatlinburg, Bring Money.  Bring LOTS of money...  

Kavika had given me very explicit instructions on how to get to his house, which was amazing—most of the directions we have been getting haven’t been that clearly stated—and we drove a bit, and then, There was Kavika, waving us into his driveway!  It was like seeing a long-lost brother!  Red came out to meet us, too, and I must say, a lovelier woman would be very hard to find!  We got to meet the girls, Annie and Wiki, and both of us fell in love with them, in a heartbeat.  Red served us a delicious light lunch, and then Kavika took us on a boat ride.

This is the view of Table Top Lake, where Kavika and Red live-- isn't it beautiful?

We used to have a boat, many years ago, and my husband always drove it hell-bent for leather, as it skipped across the top of the waves…  My chest would slap down on my thighs, then bounce back up to hit me in the face, so Kavika, bless him, tootled us around without a bunch of bouncing.  Thank you, Kavika!!!  There are some beautiful houses around the lake, and most of them were friends of Kavika’s and/or Red.  Kavika’s house was gorgeous!  And WHAT a view!

But nothing could equal the kind hospitality, the generosity of spirit, that was Kavika’s and Red’s…  We will be forever in their debt for their kindness and patience with these two ‘Hicks from the Sticks’.  Thank you, dear Kavika.  I will never forget either of you, and remember our visit with great joy!!  Kavika and I yakked and yakked, and Red and I yakked and yakked, and it was like catching up with one’s family!  Family that you haven’t seen in a long time, but will always love.  Wiki and Annie were both such sweet dogs—I would welcome them in my home any day!

This is dear Wiki, Kavika's sweetheart, who was rescued from a gas station out west somewhere, (he can fill in those details).  What a darling little dog!

And this is the dear Annie, who Kavika and Red rescued from being dumped outside their subdivision.  Annie had fended off coyotes and had really fought for her life-- until Kavika and Red brought her home...  Such a sweetie!

We had taken Kavika some ‘Ordovician Seafood’—an Ordovician aged rock, (about 450 million years old), that had a bunch of fossils, but one was really good—a Platystrophia.  They have renamed it to Vinlandstrophia, which just confuses things…At any rate, if he leaves it out in the rain, the Platystrophia should weather out fairly quickly.  This rock came from Shelbyville, about 25 miles east of Louisville.  We had also taken some other small gifts, and they liked them!  An answer to many prayers and good wishes!  We were also able to buy him a piece of fluorite—part of Mr. Clement’s collection.  I’m so glad he has a piece of this fabulous collection! 

I won’t publish the picture of all of us without Kavika’s and Red’s blessing.  However, I must say, I looked unusually weird.  I put my hair up, which is cooler than leaving it down.  So, I resemble a very old, stout lady, with glasses.  My smile hasn’t changed, but the rest of me has!  Just cal me Aunt Bea…

We had so much fun!

More to come—the trip to Farmington, and the usual car trouble…

Thanks for coming by!