November 26 thru 29, 2007
We stopped in Oklahoma City for 2 nights so that we could visit with Gene’s sister-in-law and catch up on the happenings of her family. Then we spent 2 nights on the road at Walmarts. It is still quite cool at night. We are looking forward to warmer South Texas temps.

November 19 thru 26, 2007
We had a great time in Branson “pigging out” on shows and food. The schedule went something like this. We arrived in Branson on Monday afternoon and settled in. Our first show was the Dixieland Jazz Breakfast Show. We had an excellent breakfast buffet and then enjoyed the Jazz music brought to us by a 3 piece band and 2 female and one male singers. It was upbeat and very good music. We forgot our camera. Tuesday night we went to the Shoji Tobuchi Show. He is known for his excellent violin music. However his show has developed into quite a production with beautiful sets, singers and dancers and many people in animal costumes to entertain the children and young at heart.

Wednesday evening we were thoroughly entertained by the Acrobats of China. What was most impressive about them is that they were all young people from about 7 or 8 years old to late teens. These young people were all trained in Shanghi and are the “best of the best”. They are all extremely flexible, very talented and dedicated to what they do. We were unable to take pictures during the performance but were allowed to take them in the lobby after the show. They travel back to China for 3 months during the winter. You can read about these stars and other info concerning the troup at http://acrobatsofchina.com/en/stars.htm

Thursday was Thanksgiving and we did not go to any shows. It was a cold and dreary day. We stayed home and fixed a little turkey roast with all the trimmings. Friday evening we went to the Magnificent 7 Dinner Theatre. Dinner was roast chicken with rice, a salad, vegetables and a delicious dessert. The show was quite good. The performers sang song from the past 7 decades with elaborate sets, dancers and over 300 costume changes. We had seats on the front row and Gene mentioned as we sat down that he hoped they did not come out of the audience and expect him to help with the entertainment. Well….that is exactly what happened. He was escorted up on the stage by 4 beautiful ladies who put a Santa suit on him and sang Santa Baby. He was thoroughly embarrassed but it was fun for the audience. It was one of the best shows we saw.

Saturday afternoon we went to see SIX. This was a group of six brothers who sang a variety of music. They did not have any other people performing with them and sang acapella. They could make every imaginable musical instrument sound with their mouths and one was continually making a drum sound. They were very good and it was an enjoyable performance.

Saturday evening we saw Pierce Arrow. This was a very entertaining group. The young men and women sang great music with lot of patriotic and Christian songs. The show started off with a short in the overhead lighting. The lights in the auditorium went out and it all seemed so real. A man came out who said he was the janitor and he would have it fixed in no time. Turns out he was a comedian and an extremely funny one. He would pop out in the middle of a performance and just leave the audience in stitches. He pretty much stole the show. He came onto the stage several times as a preacher and was able, through his comedy, to give a testimony of his love for the Lord and share his allegiance to his country. It also was a very good performance.

Sunday morning we were serenaded by Twelve Irish Tenors. These 12 men were either from Ireland or had family ties to Ireland. Their harmony was like that of a Barbershop Chorus. We very much enjoyed listening to them. We were not allowed to take pictures there either. We had a great time in Branson but it got way too cold before we could get out of there. We were ready to head south.

November 13, thru 18 2007
While in Springfield we spent one day at Roaring River State Park. It is a beautiful setting in the Ozark Mountains. The road into and out of that area is very, very curvy and up and down the hillsides. It is gorgeous country but very tiring on the driver. The trees had already shed most of the fall foliage which is such a spectacle in the autumn. But we did enjoy walking around the area where the fish hatchery is and where the water flows out of the earth and forms the Roaring River. Some beautiful pictures and statistics about Roaring River Springs, one of over 29 recorded in Missouri, can be found at http://mdc.mo.gov/areas/hatchery/roaring/spring.htm.

We shopped till we dropped, numerous times at the Springfield Mall and at Bass Pro. Next to Bass Pro is a fairly new museum, the American National Fish and Wildlife Museum - A 220,000 gallon shark tank, 140,000 gallon freshwater pond, live otter pool, bob cats, a 90' cave and a Walk in the Ozarks, are just a few of the exciting tourist attractions in Springfield's new, world-class museum aquarium! Includes many stuffed animals and information about their habitat. Of course we went out to eat a time or two

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