Day 8 and 9 and 10

Ahhhhh, a little break from driving. :-)

After a quick jaunt (1 1/2 hours) from Carthage, we arrived in Branson, MO. We spent 2 nights here, and could have easily spent a week - there is so much to do... and it's mostly family friendly. The area has a Christian heritage with many of the attractions based on the book "Shepherd of the Hills", written by a pioneer pastor who settled there. Our highlights included: "The Dixie Stampede" (a dinner-theatre, most of it done on horses)... Jared and Jenny even got involved as they were selected to join in one of the competitions! "The New Shanghai Circus" - a show with some AMAZING acrobatics. And "Silver Dollar City" - a fun amusement park with a 1800's Ozark theme... we had a great time despite getting soaked to the bone from the rain!

On Day 10, we had to pack our bags and hit the road again - this time we had EASY driving, with no winds! PTL!! We arrived in Sikeston, MO around 8pm and asked the hotel clerk if she knew of any good local restaurants... boy did she ever! Pastor Chuck would LOVE "Lambert's Cafe" - he had suggested we search for some good ol' Southern cookin' along the way - and Lambert's fits the bill to a T. Now I would normally not bother to mention a restaurant, but this is not just a place to eat - its an experience! It's known as the home of the "Throwed Rolls" - because they throw these softball-sized rolls to you from across the room. I can't even begin to describe how much food they give you - and all for pennies on the dollar. Let me just say this - we ordered $40 of food for 7 people, and after absolutely stuffing ourselves - we boxed up about $50 of food to take home. :-) Courtney said afterward that she only ate the "pass-arounds", the 6 side dishes they give out before, during and after the meal - things like fried okra, crispy potatoes and onions, black-eyed peas, etc. We probably had 6 waiters and waitresses constantly stopping by to top off our drinks and pass-arounds - all with that sweet Southern hospitality. There are 3 Lambert's in the midwest, 2 in Missouri and one in Alabama. We were wondering if Mike Potts has been to one? If so, did you ever try the frog legs and hog jowl that they have on the menu!!?? Noone in our family was brave enough. : )

After all that food, I'm really sleepy. Good-night.
-David