B*r*a*n*s*o*n

This lovely photo is of Table Rock Dam in Branson, MO. This is really a beautiful area. 5 lakes. Rolling terrain. Lush greenery. A population of only 6,000. (It balloons to about 1 million in the summer season.) An endless supply of time-share opportunities - both RV and condo. Convention centers. Tourist attractions. Restaurants. Did I mention theaters??? And very high prices to remain entertained. All this and the opportunities to get discounts at every turn. All you have to do is sell your soul for 90 minutes....sit through a little bit of high pressure sales...and Branson is your for the taking! More about that later...





This another view of Table Rock Lake. There is a huge paddle boat (on which you can enjoy a meal and show for $45/per person) that is claimed to be the largest still in operation. It's even staffed with lovely ladies in hoop skirts.


We're staying in a very nice RV park near the lake. Just across the road and on the lake is a state park. We took Finnegan for a 2.5 mile walk on a beautfiul paved trail along the lake. I continued my training, he barked and lunged. Ed pretended he didn't know us...

This is part of that walk. The trail ran along the shore.

More of the trail. (Hey, Lady! Where'd you get them thar legs???)

My two favorite boys.

And now for the rest of the story: Just about 30 miles outside of Branson we stopped at one of the many Visitor Centers to pick up some info on Branson and all it's goodies. There we were offered $5 tickets to shows of our choosing. (Tickets normally cost about $30-$35.) We plunked down our $20 and signed our souls to a vacation club for 90 minutes.

We picked out the Twelve Irish Tenors (most just had distant Irish relatives) - everything from Nessan Dorma to We Are the Champions; and Six - 6 brothers who do a wonderfully entertaining 2 hour show using nothing but their voices to create the sounds of almost anything you can dream up. Very high energy in both shows. They perform on an empty stage and use lights and mist to create mood. The music for the tenors was organ and pre-recorded. The owners of the campground provided van transportation to and from the theaters. Since traffic is almost always at a standstill on the main highway through town, we were grateful to exit the theater to find our ride just outside the door. They know the backroads and were able to bypass the traffic jams.

We dragged ourselves out of bed on Sunday morning, put on our most interested faces, and paid our debt. It's amazing what some people will spend $10,384 on - you read that right! We're free again!!!

Ed is off exploring the town - easy translation: looking for book stores; and I'm hanging out at home, baking bread in the crockpot, and paying attention to Finn who is deep into his bucket of dog toys.

This is an interesting city. It completely lacks any sort of sophistication...but it can be fun.

All is good with us. We'll leave tomorrow morning and head for Independence, MO.