Our RV Adventures

Out and about today, our first stop was the Santa Fe Post Office to get the last of the Christmas gift cards in the mail, via Priority Mail, so that’ done.

Then it was on up to Webster for lunch at Twin Peaks once again. And like our last visit right before Thanksgiving, the week before Christmas is another ‘dress-up’ time.

Sylvia, our regular server, who always remembers everything we always order, made her own little skirt to be a little less ‘cheeky’, but many of the young ladies don’t seem to worry about that. Jan says she never knows which way to look.

Somehow I don’t seem to have that problem.

Jan says that this time of the year they should call the place ‘Twin Cheeks’.

Of course you can see a lot more skin any summer weekend on the beach at Galveston.

It does seem that the Twin Peaks dress code has changed a bit in the last 8 years. Here’s Lauren, our then-favorite server from 2013.

Jan got her favorite Spicy Chipotle Chicken along with a cup of the Tomato Basil soup.

And as usual for me, I got the Half BLT and a Bowl of the Green Chile Chicken Soup, along with fries.

Leaving TP, we headed right across the Interstate to Costco. Yes, Costco 4 days before Christmas.

But as our visit to WalMart this past Sunday, it was crowded but not overwhelmingly so. Even the check-out went fast and smooth. Finishing up, we were back home by about 4pm.

Later in afternoon, we got a couple of things from Amazon, shirts for both of us.

I got this one.

Jan says that it is so true.

Then she got this one.

I said that it was so true.
 

Thought For The Day:

“Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, one by one.” ― Charles MacKay, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, 1852

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Today was another day in the 50’s, going down to the low 40’s again tonight. But by Christmas day it’s going to be back in the 80’s again. Not exactly Christmas-like.

And certainly not like December 2017, just a couple of months after we moved down to Santa Fe from Conroe.

But not much chance of that this year.

Here’s another catch-up blog for December 6th, our first full day in Branson, two weeks ago.

Last Time I Died . . .

Today was our busiest day with 3 shows and exhibits booked, with our first stop being the Titanic exhibit right on the main drag.

The building is said to be the same basic size as the Titanic, but only half the length.

This was also one of only two places where we had to wear a mask. Of course the bow of the ship should have been a giveaway.

Merry Christmas, indeed.

The other place that required a mask was our Showboat Branson Belle non-cruise Dinner Cruise, due to Coast Guard regulations.

When you enter, the first thing you see is the famous Grand Staircase.

This staircase was built from the original plans using all the specified woods and materials of the original.

We were told we couldn’t take any photographs inside the exhibit, but somebody did it, resulting in all the online photographs like the one above. Don’t know what the problem is. Are they afraid someone will take a lot of photographs and then build their own museum?

It’s here that they give you a random card with a passenger or crew member’s name on it, and then at the end of the exhibit you can check the passenger list to see if you lived or died.

We did a traveling version of this in Houston years ago, and that time I was a Third Class Steward, and I died.

This time I was a young, healthy male 1st Class passenger who certainly wasn’t going to up HIS seat in the lifeboat for any Third Class riff-raff, so I survived.

They had a lot of really neat exhibits with artifacts recovered from the ship. In addition there were a lot of interesting facts along the way.

The Titanic was not fully booked. Capable of holding 2,566 passengers and crew, there were only 2,240 onboard for the maiden voyage.

If every lifeboat had been filled, they would have only held 1,178 people. But the ship was ‘ unsinkable’, right? So why would you need more than the 20 lifeboats onboard?

The iceberg became visible to the the lookout in the Crow’s Nest only 37 seconds before the impact.

And

If the Titanic had hit the iceberg head-on, it almost certainly would not have sunk.  The ship had 16 water-tight compartments, and could stay afloat with as many as 4 flooded.  So a head-on collision would have breached 1, or maybe 2 compartments, leaving the ship afloat.

But because the Titanic grazed along side the iceberg, ripping open 6 compartments, the ship was doomed.

After our 90 minute Titanic visit it was time for lunch. We had been asking locals about good places to eat, and Billy Bob’s Dairyland kept coming up.

And since it was right down the Strip, we were off.

And although there were other obvious tourists like us there, it was easy to tell the locals, who were greeting each other, and joking with the waitresses. And the burgers make it obvious why the locals like it so much.

Jan had the Cheeseburger with Sweet Potato Fries.

I had the Cheeseburger with a side of Chili. And it was easy to see why the locals like the place so much. Nothing fancy, just a delicious burger.

Then after a nice nap back at the room, we were off to our next show, Legends, at the iconic Dick Clark American Bandstand Theater.

First up was Dean Martin, complete with the Golddigger Dancers.

This guy was really good and passed my test. When I closed my eyes, I was listening to Dean Martin.

Next up was the Blues Brothers, again dead on, including the dance moves.

Also really good.

Next up was Whitney Houston, who was just amazing.

Her voice was just fantastic.

Last up was Kenny Chesney, of You Had Me At Hello, and She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy fame.

Also very good.

Then they wrapped up with everyone on stage.

A  really great show!

After another rest-up we were off to our 3rd and final show of the day, SIX. We were looking forward to seeing them again, having seen them 11 years ago during our last visit to Branson.

Made up of six brothers, they sing acapella, including making the instrument sounds. They’re really amazing.

All 3 of these exhibits/acts are much recommended.

And now tomorrow we do it all over again.
 

Thought For The Day:

I’ve reached that age where my brain goes from “You probably shouldn’t say that” to “What the hell, let’s see what happens”.

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