Tour of Missouri: Table Rock State Park

We traveled to Branson, Missouri over Father's Day Weekend to enjoy Table Rock Lake and Table Rock State Park. This is our third state park of the year. What a better way to celebrate the father and step-father of my children than taking him to his favorite place.

We also had a meal he has been wanting to have for a long time. We had a shrimp boil at the campsite. It was a winner and we may have to do it again!

The weather could not have been more perfect. It was sunny, breezy, and warm. The men folk enjoy fishing below the Dam at Taney Como. It is a great place to go trout fishing, which is exactly what they did bright and early Saturday morning.

The Husband had very little luck on this fishing trip.

His friend Allen had better luck fishing.Maybe it is beginner's luck as Allen is just learning how to fly fish. Either way, he did well.

But, not as well as this guy. The Papa. This is The Husband's dad and he is the king of fishing. He is also the king of eating! We lady's had to make a trip into Branson and Krispy Kreme had their light on. My friend Rose taught me to stop when the light is on. That is when you get a free doughnut.

Saturday afternoon, we were given a treat. The Husband has connected with a friend of his from high school that he has not seen since they graduated from high school. He lives close to Table Rock State Park and he brought his family and their boat down so we could play on the water.

The water at Table Rock is deep and beautiful. It is also chilly! And green. The little girls showed no hesitation in jumping in.

The girls were treated to some tubing. The water was super choppy as it was windy and the lake was busy. The girls did not care one bit. As the parents were biting their nails with worry, the little girls were chanting, "More, More, More!"

Sunday, Father's Day, the men took their little girls out fishing. While they were gone, I was given another special treat. One of my high school/college friends lives in Branson and she brought her family out to the campsite. As close as we were then our lives have taken us in different directions. I have not seen her in close to 18 years. I so enjoyed our visit and we both promised to not wait so long for our next visit!

On Monday, our last day at Table Rock, we once again went out to enjoy the lake. The wind was gone as were the crowds. The water was as smooth as glass. The scenery was beautiful!

If you look carefully and pay close attention you might see some wildlife. We saw a spoonbill fish swimming near the boat.

We also noticed two large turkey buzzards sunning themselves high on a cliff. Can you see them in this photo?

What about now?

What about this blue heron? He was just trying to find some breakfast.

The Short Chic loved the boat ride and the trip. She also loved studying the clouds for shapes. She really is good at finding things in the clouds. What do you see?

Before we ended our ride and our trip we had to boat past the Branson Belle one last time. The Branson Belle is a riverboat that runs up and down Table Rock Lake. Of course, it is a showboat. Would you expect anything less from Branson?

The girls love boating up close to it. It is a huge riverboat.

It was a great weekend. We only have two more state parks left on our goal to reach five. Our next adventure is the end of June when we head back to the Katy Trail.

My Weekend Project: A PVC Camping Lamp Post and Flag Holder

I have seen a few of these around campsites and I knew I would like to have one. The only problem that I had is The Husband. He already thinks we drag too much stuff with us when we go camping and if I had told him my desire to have a PVC Camping Light Pole he would have shut it down quickly! So, that leaves a girl with only one choice: Figure out how to do it by herself. I did some internet searching and found a few road maps on RV forums. They seemed easy enough! I visited the local hardware store for the supplies: An exterior post lantern light 2 inch PVC pipe (I used 5 feet but had to purchase a 10 foot piece) A 3 inch toilet flange A 3 inch to 2 inch Reducer PVC Glue A 12 foot electric cord kit 2 - 3/4 inch PVC Caps I also used a few supplies we already had on hand: White Spray Paint 3 1/2 foot - 3/4 inch PVC Pipe Drill Bits (1 inch and 1/2 inch) Tent Stakes The first step was preparing the lantern light. I could only find black i

Tonsillectomy (Warning Photos!)

The Short Chic came down with a pretty nasty case of strep throat back in April. So, when The Boy started complaining about his throat hurting about 12 days later, I was pretty confident that he had inherited his sister's strep. Instead, The Boy was diagnosed with a peritonsillar abscess growing on his right tonsil. We had to immediately see an ENT Physician who took a needle and drained the abscess. He removed about 5.5 cc of puss from The Boys throat.and then told us that once you have a peritonsillar abscess you were high risk to keep getting them. The Boy's tonsils were now compromised and needed to be removed. We were told to plan for a two week recovery so we worked a surgery into our summer plans. Between family vacations, summer sports, and the beginning of school The Boy had his second surgery. A tonsillectomy. Pre-surgery prepping went well. It must be nice to be young and have healthy veins for an IV! The Boy had lots of pre-surgery visitors. My

Liver Cheese: A Family Tradition

Today is an anniversary date. One of those dates you wish you did not have to remember but there is no way you can forget. Fifteen years ago today,two days after his birthday, my father died of lung cancer. He was a lifelong smoker and his cancer was aggressive. His battle was short. He fought for six short months after his diagnosis. He knew the chemo was not working and that his time was limited. When he came to this realization he became the best dad in the world. In the days before my father's passing, my family shared some memorable moments. One of those moments centers around the deli meat: Liver Cheese.I would not be surprised if you have never heard of it, or even never tasted it. But I was raised on it as it was one of my Dad's favorite things. What is it? Well, it is a German food that is actually called Leberkase. It is bacon, corned beef, pork, and onion that is ground together and baked. It comes with a

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