Party time at the rally

                              Here's Harold & Stan putting the new decals on Stan's HitchHiker.

One large peperoni and small big sloppy pizza at Sam & Ella's Chicken Palace.  We have some in our freezer now!  Excellent excellent pizza!

We did a lot of the above.  Mornings, afternoons and evenings in large and small groups, just visiting.  Wes smoked some VERY good brisket and ribs on Friday (rain was forecast Saturday and it did rain) and we had the big pot luck Friday evening.  Judy made her German potato salad.  Saturday afternoon after the rain we all had leftovers.

Chicken Creek rally

                                               Stan & Harold removing some bad decals.

HitchHiker row.  There are 15 RV's here for this years rally.  We had to relocate from the Chicken Creek Corps of Engineers park in Cookson to Indian Village Campground  in Tahlequah.  Due to the US government shutdown all the COE parks are closed as they are federal.  I send messages to my senators, representative and the president expressing anger and frustration with the federal government.  They should all be removed and civil unrest would not surprise me.

Here's tonight's happy hour.  The men in the close area and the ladies further back.  After this some of us walked next door to an Italian restaurant for some food.  Wes took several out on his pontoon boat this afternoon on Tenkiller Lake.   

Tahlequah, OK and the HitchHiker rally

On Monday Stan & Connie and Judy and I made the 160 mike trip to Tahlequah, OK for the CCC rally.  We took the back roads which were scenic and very hilly and twisty.  Here we are set up at Indian Village CG.

There are 7 or 8 of us here now, here's some of us enjoying the weather and happy hour.  We were going to a Corps of Engineers CG called Chicken Creek were the 5 previous rallies were held but our incompetent federal government decided to shut the COE parks down and congress is TOTALLY incompetent.  The CG closing was a minor inconvenience to us but shows how polarized the government is.  They are leading us down a path destroying the USA we grew up in.

Most of us went to Fish's BBQ for lunch today  We did get some work done forst, we managed to repair Wes' non functioning brake and turn signal then install two LED lights inside Stan's HitchHiker.

 

 

Branson fun

One afternoon we went to Shepard of the Hills to have dinner and then a 2 hour show by the Sons of the Pioneers.  It was an hour too long.

The next rainy afternoon we went for a boat ride.  Here's Judy and you can see Branson Landing (shopping mall) outside the window.

                                                          Captain Gus at the helm.

The ladies table.

 

Harold & Karen and Stan & Connie have never been to Lambert's, home of the throwed rolls so we all went there Sunday morning.  Harold & Karen were on their way to Chanute for service while we rode up and back with Stan & Connie.

 

 

If you have ever been to Lamberts you know how much food you get so here's the ladies with their bags of leftover goodies.

SIX

This evening we went with Stan & Connie and Harold & Karen to see Judy's favorite.....SIX.  The family has 10 brothers (no sisters) and 6 of the guys perform while the other 4 work behind the scene.
It's hard to describe but there are no musical interments, these fellows make all the music themselves and sing.  Sorry, no pictures during the show as they are not allowed.  For a taste here's a link to their website,,,,,  http://www.thesixshow.com/   Even I will admit I really enjoyed their show.

                                This will show you how HOT the show was!  We made it out OK.

Well, there was not a fire, at least not when we were there.  But some pictures in the lobby showed that there was a fire. sometime.

Branson, MO

 

The day after we arrived Stan and Connie pulled in.  We went to Branson Landing to see the water fountain show accompanied by the Star Spangled Banner.  After that we stopped at Aunt Annie's for a good soft pretzel.

                       Here's a couple shots from an overlook of the White River and some of Branson.

Stan & Connie have some fiends from Texas that are work camping at Table Rock Dam so we went there to take the dam tour.

Here we are with Stan & Connie.  We went with them and 4 other couples they winter with at Johnson Creek in the Texas Hill Country to see a show called Pierce Arrow and tonight we'll see Six.

A couple days later Harold & Karen pulled in on their way to their winter site in California.  We all went out to have a late lunch at Hard Work U (College of the Ozarks) where the students pay no tuition but are required to work 16 hours a week plus 2 weeks during the summer.  They have a Culinary Arts program and an excellent restaurant.  Some make 30,000 fruit cakes a year.

The University Chapel.

 

                  Judy still finds time for Patches' maintenance even if the cat doesn't think it's necessary.

 

Hollister, MO (Branson) and Turkey Creek

It rained most of Saturday and was very foggy this morning so the ground was soaked.  We were wondering if we'd have any trouble getting out of the grass site onto the paved fairground road.  A motorhome near us that tried to leave yesterday had to be pulled out.  I kept the truck in 2 wheel drive as at test and she slipped & turned the grass to mud but we made it out OK. 
We made the 160 mile trip south up and down & up and down the Ozark hills to Hollister, adjacent to Branson.  We are in the Escapee Turkey Creek park, the last time we were here was late 2007 just after we started RVing.  Great memories!  Tomorrow Stan & Connie are due to arrive.....party time!