Kansas/Arkansas/Missouri trip

[gja1000]

Hi Everyone! Missed you all!!!

We had a GREAT trip. So much fun. Hubby did really well, no breathing problems. Our only glitch was the EXTREME distance between terminals in the Houston airport. We finally flagged down electric carts to carry us to out gate. We also had to unload a bunch of our medical equipment and the like because my backpack would not fit under the seat or in the overhead of a 50-seat jet. It was a little crazy, but worked out OK. We were prepared coming back and got a smaller bag to put those things in so we could gate check my backpack.

We flew to Kansas City and then drove 4 hours with Hubby's sister to Eureka Springs, Arkansas where hubby's aunt and uncle have a home on Beaver Lake. Absolutely beautiful!!! We spent a couple of days there with his 3 sisters and aunt and uncle.

We toured Eureka Springs. I'd not been there for 30 years, and it looked exactly the SAME!!! :)


Next we drove to southern Missouri to stay in the Big Cedar Lodge - owned by the Bass Pro Shop. Stunningly beautiful. We had a 3 bedroom, two story, log cabin. It was so wonderful.

We ate dinner one night in a restaurant, Lambert's, where they threw hot rolls at you. NO KIDDING!!! Servers walked around with a basket of hot rolls and if you wanted one, they threw it at you and you had to catch it!!! :eek: And I mean sometimes they threw it from across the room. They also came round with fried okra, fried potatoes, black eyed peas, and macaroni & tomatoes. If you wanted some, they just plopped it on your plate. There were nine of us eating together, and the flying hot rolls made for lots of laughs!!!

I'm so sorry, but I forgot my camera. My sil is sending me some pictures she too, but who knows when she'll do that. So, I took a few with my phone, they are not very good, but here they are.

1. my sister-in-law decorates cakes. This is the cake she made to commemorate our stay at Big Cedar Lodge. I don't know how she transported it all the way from Oklahoma to Arkansas, but she managed!!!

2. ditto

3. a gorgeous chandelier in Big Cedar Lodge

[gja1000]

And a few more pix

1. a gorgeous cedar chest in our bedroom - the TV was behind the top doors.

2. The fireplace went all the way to the ceiling which was up to the second floor.

3. Lobby of the Big Cedar Lodge

Hopefully, my sil will send me some more good pix soon!

[lynne b]

Wow!! sounds like you had a great trip. Glad hubby was feeling well enough to enjoy it. Can't wait to see more pic's and hear more about the trip. Glad your back though.

[Janet]

I'm so glad you and hubby made it back safely. The pictures you took with your phone were good, but I'm still looking forward to some your SIL may send you. I would have loved seeing rolls flying through the air....that had to have been so fun!!!

Your SIL is a very talented cake designer...bet that one took awhile.

[AngieDoogles]

It sounds like you had a really nice trip. I'm so glad everything went well and hubby didn't have any breathing problems!

Your sister is really talented. That's such a cute cake! :)

[DianaB]

I'm glad that you're back home and had such a great time. I've been to Eureka Springs but it's been years ago. Driving around there is so interesting especially to see how the homes are built right on the hill sides! They have some really neat little shops there and loads of bed and breakfast inns.

You ate at Lambert's!!!! That's one of our favorite places to eat when we're down in that area!!! Weren't the rolls delicious? And yes, they are thrown!!! And they're right from the oven!!! YUMMMMMMM............It's certainly not a place to go into if your dieting because of all the fried food.

The lodge sounded wonderful! I didn't know that the Bass Pro shop had places where you could stay! I'm sure that it was beautiful!!

The next time you come this way we're going to have to work out a place to meet on your drive down to Eureka Springs!!! You passed pretty close to where I live!!!!

[gja1000]

YES DIANA! The rolls at Lambert's were TO DIE FOR!!! :D And yes again, it's no place to eat when dieting!!!!! :o

We will be going back to the Beaver Lake area in May, unfortunately, we'll be driving up from Texas and going through eastern Oklahoma to Siloam Springs and then on up to the Beaver Lake area - and won't be coming down from Kansas City. We'll have our travel trailer and won't spend the entire time on Beaver Lake, so maybe we'll be near enough to you to meet somewhere! I sure hope so!!!!

[Gina]

Gail sounds like you had a great time! I am glad that Gary is feeling so much better.. Hmmmm hot rolls being thrown.. they sound yummy ...lol and sounds like a fun place...

Btw your SIL did a great job, she is talented , did it taste good? I bet... Welcome Back !

[DianaB]

YES DIANA! The rolls at Lambert's were TO DIE FOR!!! :D And yes again, it's no place to eat when dieting!!!!! :o

We will be going back to the Beaver Lake area in May, unfortunately, we'll be driving up from Texas and going through eastern Oklahoma to Siloam Springs and then on up to the Beaver Lake area - and won't be coming down from Kansas City. We'll have our travel trailer and won't spend the entire time on Beaver Lake, so maybe we'll be near enough to you to meet somewhere! I sure hope so!!!!

Keep me posted. Tulsa's only 2 hours away and I have an aunt in Muskogee, if you're close to there. We'll see what works out!!!!

[gja1000]

Keep me posted. Tulsa's only 2 hours away and I have an aunt in Muskogee, if you're close to there. We'll see what works out!!!!

Will do - definitely!!! I have a niece in Broken Arrow, so we may go by there to see her. We'll go through Muskogee - unless we totally take a different route! Hopefully, we can see each other. We'll have our boyz, Rex & Rowdy too!

[gja1000]

Here are a few better pix

1. a picture of the river where Gary can fly fish for trout

2. cute picture in the main lodge

3. the lodge lit up at night

4. the stained glass window in our cabin

[gja1000]

a few more

1. waterfalls in front of the lodge

2. somewhere???

3. river again

4. fireplace with critters in the main lodge

[gja1000]

and finally,

1. a pic of our cabin from across the pond

2. ditto

3 one of the main lodges

4. ditto

[DianaB]

What a nice place!! I was showing your pictures to my husband and he was interested in it. I think that it would be nice to go and stay for a few days!!! Maybe sometime in the future!!

[Shada]

Sounds as though you and Gary had a wonderful time!!

The pictures were great... makes me wish I could take the same trip...:)

[gja1000]

What a nice place!! I was showing your pictures to my husband and he was interested in it. I think that it would be nice to go and stay for a few days!!! Maybe sometime in the future!!

Yes, Diana, I know your husband and family would really enjoy it there. It's about 10 miles south of Branson. I'm also sure it would be even more beautiful in the summer when the trees had leaves or in the fall with all the color!!!

[judy]

What a fun time you had. The lodge is beautiful.

You guys sure get around!

[gja1000]

You guys sure get around!


This is true Judy. Gary has a chronic illness (heart failure) that will limit his life span. On average, a person lives for 8 years after diagnosis. He was diagnosed 5 years ago. I think he will live longer, but you never know. All of us could die today of course, but when you know your life is limited, I think you do things differently, or at least it helps you to look at things differently. One of the things he wanted to do was travel, so we have tried to do as much of that as possible!