If you were in grade school when Truman or Eisenhower was president then there’s a good chance that you spent Saturday afternoons at the local movie theatre watching westerns. The cowboys ruled the black and white screen – Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Rex Allen, Hopalong Cassidy and The Lone Ranger – along with their human, canine and equine sidekicks.
There was never any doubt where my loyalty lay. I was a Roy Rogers fan from the git-go and dreamed of having a golden Palomino named Trigger and that my dalmatian, Sparky, would change at my command into a German Shepherd named Bullet. And of course I would grow up to be as beautiful as Dale Evans.
Missed on every one of those!
The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum has been a Branson attraction since the mid-90s but sadly, it will be closing in early December – a victim of the tough economic times. Apparently the monthly lease or mortgage payments are $30,000 according to one employee of the museum and she told us the memorabilia will be sold to pay off the debts.
We’ve talked for years of touring this museum and decided we’d better take advantage of the opportunity today since we were in Branson anyway. When we bought our tickets I asked if there was a senior discount and I had to laugh when the lady told me, “No there’s not – the only ones who come to visit are seniors!”
She was right, judging from the others who were there.
The museum was very well done and reflected the all-American values that Roy and Dale imparted to early Baby Boomers – God, family, honesty, loyalty – and of course, the bad guys always lost to prove that crime doesn’t pay.
Our brief sojourn south also included some great time with dear friends and an opportunity to green up the Branson economy. The reason for this mini-vacation was to see the lakeside home of friends Sally and Tom and to also get together with mutual friend Bev for dinner. We gathered at Sally and Tom’s late yesterday afternoon and lost no time in getting some adult beverages and appetizers so we could sit on their deck and enjoy the fabulous view of the lake along with the fall foliage.
We had planned to eat at the Bleu Olive in Branson but decided we didn’t want to drive that far so opted instead for the dining room at Big Cedar. Burl had never eaten there and it had been a long time since I had. I remembered the decor was upscale mountain lodge and the food was good.
Well the decor hadn’t changed – but the food was only so-so. Since we’d already had appetizers we opted for the bar menu and I chose a plate of sliders with sweet potato friends and a spinach salad. The sliders were way overcooked (think hockey pucks), the buns were dry, the chips were cold and tasteless – but the salad rocked! Seems like all of us got something in our order that was “off” so we already know that next time, we will be driving to the Bleu Olive even if we have to hire a designated driver to bring us home.
We spent the night with Tom and Sally and were greeted by a beautiful sunny morning on the lake while we enjoyed our coffee on the deck. I’ve known Sally since our days at Drury and Tom and Burl have lots in common so the conversation never lagged – in fact, the time went by way too quickly but we needed to get a few things accomplished and they needed to be back in Springfield to pick up a granddaughter after school.
We headed to the outlet mall to make a return to the Gap and a couple of hours later, I had made a dent in birthday and Christmas shopping for a couple of darling grandkids.
Time for lunch and what better thing to enjoy after a late breakfast than an ice cream cone while sitting in the sun! Works for me.
Then off to see Roy and Dale and head back to our own ranch where Mulligan’s tail was non-stop for at least ten minutes. Who needs Bullet anyway?
Happy Trails To You – until we meet again! (If you can hum that tune, you really are OLD!)
