Last Hurrah of Summer

We took a mini-vaca this last week, thus no post of Friday. Oh, I could have pre-written something, but I never got around to it. Oh, well. We left on Thursday, but Wednesday was spent getting the house, the pets, the swimming pool, and yard ready for our departure, plus our packing. Over the years we've programmed the kiddo to learn to pack her own stuff. Just tell her how many days we'll be gone and she gets her shorts, shirts, undies, and socks in neat daily piles, plus one extra, laid out on the bed. Once we verify everything she packs her own suitcase. Her toiletry bag is prepacked, it's just a matter of verifying that we have everything.

WARNING: Loaded with links--please take a look--it took forever to put them in, the least you can do is check them out!

We drove to the Ozarks: Branson (Vegas of the Ozarks), Silver Dollar City (1890's craft village with lots of rollercoasters!), and Eureka Springs, Arkansas (artsy-fartsy town). The benefit of these places is they are within a short driving distance, 3-4 hours. The weather was awesome! It rained on the way, but that dissipated by the time we arrived at the park to ride some coasters.

Silver Dollar City has tons of craftman demonstrating their skills: candy makers, candle makers, bakers, glass blowers, potterers, wood carvers. They also have numerous shows, but we've never gone to any. Usually you have to wait in a 30 minute line before going to the show and we don't have enough patience for that.

But we do have enough patience to wait in a ride line. :-) SDC does have three water rides, but I don't do wet, unless it's at a water park. Besides, the weather was on the comfortable and cool side--70's to low 80's.
--Wildfire is our fave. It's a loop-de-loop, four seats across with a shoulder harness. Last summer, the kiddo was finally tall enough to ride.
--Powderkeg will scare the bejeezus out of you. On all these rides, the ride attendants are strict about putting anything that might fall out of your pockets in a cubby hole before you ride. We found out why this weekend. :-) The takeoff of this ride is 0 to 60+ in less than a few seconds. Yeah, you are up and over the first hill before you realize it. Anyway, a young guy in the front of the coaster must have had a wallet in a front pocket, 'cause it went up in the air a hovered while we hit the first hill. Hubster tried to catch it, but his arms weren't long enough.
--Thunderation is fun, but it is the easiest of the rides, unless you have toilet bowl (circular) issues.
--The Giant Swing scares the crud out of hubster. The kiddo thinks it's lame. And I like it. It satisfies that flying thing. Not as good a riding and jumping a horse, but as close to flying a dragon that I'll ever get!
--and another fave, Electro Spin. I used to look at this one for a couple of seasons before I worked up the nerve to try it. It took hubster and kiddo a couple more visits before they would ride. You sit facing outward as if you are on a motorcycle and the support bar squeezes you in the back. It totally looks worse than it really is. The 'sombrero' spins around as the disk slides back and forth. The best part is when you are on the top of the slide and it feels like your are going to fly off! Way fun!!

We also played mini-golf, drove go carts (the kiddo is tall enough on some courses to drive her own cart!), rode the Ducks (goofy, but fun--we still quack our quackers!), and ate dinner on the Branson Scenic Railway (DON'T do DINNER!) I'm not a prime rib fan, but what they did to that meat is criminal . . . 'nuff said. But I wasn't expecting much considering it's mass produced. And we had a celeb in our train car, Yakov Smirnoff.

On Sunday, we drove along the windy roads of the Ozarks from Branson to Eureka Springs. I'm currently writing a story set in this area so it was nice to reinforce my memory of it. I shopped on upper Spring Street and picked out two new pairs of earrings at Quicksilver for my birthday at the end of this month--yes, I have to wait to get them, but they are purty. I LOVE EARRINGS!

We ate in a hole in the wall restaurant that serves 'Arkie-Mex' food called The Oasis. This link only takes you to the location and reviews. BEST FOOD EVER! BUT you have to factor in the wait time. If you happen to arrive at the last table and there are still unfed patrons, plan to wait an hour for your nummies, but the wait is worth it. Oh, and definitely go to the bathroom, it's an experience! Sorry, no pictures. I didn't think about it, since we eat there every time we are in Eureka!

This week I'm hoping to get back on track with my writing, but it's the week before school starts so we will be doing lots and lots of errands.

Write on!