Mom was nodding off again. We later found out she has sleep apnia. She didn't sleep during the show!
Day Nine—Monday, July 28, 2003
We started the way we had finished the previous night, by eating at the Golden Arches Dinner Club. The girls, including Mom, decided to go shopping. Dad wanted no part of that, so he decided to stay in his room and watch TV. I decided to work on the expenses and to get caught up writing in my journal.
Paul Harris
There are always more things to write about then there is time to write it.
By the time the girls returned it was time to check out of the hotel. We weren’t leaving Branson right away, but we weren’t staying here another night either. We checked out and Dad and I could no longer avoid shopping, so we tagged along as they checked out a few more shops. It didn’t last that long and we broke for lunch. We had a nice country meal at Baldknobbers Restaurant. The Baldknobbers is one of the oldest theaters in Branson. They long ago expanded to include a restaurant.
Our final show in Branson was to see the comedian, Paul Harris. None of us knew anything about him, but the reviews I read on line were universal in there praise.
Paul Harris doing "Otto"
It sounded like a good bet, so I had pre-ordered the tickets. It was an afternoon show, so we headed there right after lunch. Paul Harris was headlining his own theater this season. In prior years he had been the house comedian for a singing group. But, his following had grown large enough to pay the rent on his own place. We were hoping that all of this would add up to a good show. He did not disappoint. Dad, who is universally known as a stoic and as unexpressive as Mr. Spock, was wiping tears out of his eyes. Margo was complaining that her jaws hurt from laughing so much, and Jessi and Arielle were red faced. He was hilarious and the highpoint of our visit to Branson.
It was not just a comedic show. Paul’s best friend, Clay Cooper, took care of most of the musical portion of the show. He had a very good voice, reminiscent of Buck Owens. We all liked him, too. So much so that we bought his CD, and about $76 worth of other souvenirs.
Our second day in Branson we saw Paul Harris. He is comedian and very funny. We laughed (even Dad) until we cryed. We bought a coupld of his CDs to shorten our ride to Kansas
Both, Paul Harris and Clay Cooper made themselves available for pictures and autographs and we got down in the thick of it, with the other lemmings. It was fun.
We were staying in Joplin, MO tonight, instead of Branson. Not because we didn’t like the hospitality or accommodations in Branson, but because we wanted to be closer to our ultimate destination for tomorrow. Early tomorrow evening our plan was to be in Dodge City, KS. That would be 430 miles from Branson. We could easily drive that in one day, but we also wanted to stop in Coffeyville. But, all of this is getting ahead of myself. The bottom-line for today is that we had 70 miles to drive today. But, not before some ice cream. We got a snack at “Cakes and Dreams” before we left town.
With Paul Harris was Clay Cooper. He is a singer and also talented. We got one of his CDs, too
I called the Joplin oxygen company to confirm delivery of Dad’s supply. The guy knew all about it, but begged me to meet him in Springfield, which was on our way. It would save him a trip to pick up the empties in Branson and an additional two hour drive. I was kind of hesitant, because these kinds of things have the potential to act like a shaken can of beer and blow up in your face. But, I’m either a nice guy or a sucker so I let him talk me into it. We made plans to meet in a Wal-Mart parking lot, just off the highway. We got Wal-Mart about ten minutes before the arranged meeting time. Not one to waste a stop, we all went into Wal-Mart to at least prevent bladders, if not the situation, from exploding. By the time we finished that, getting some ice for our cooler, and unloading the empty oxygen bottles, he was there.
Paul Harris. If you have the chance, see him!
The exchange took about three minutes, and we were on our way.
We arrived at our motel, another and our final Motel 6. They had left the light on for us (I’m hilarious, huh?), but I think it would have looked better in the dark. It was slightly better than Nashville’s example, and way better than Memphis’, but this final stay only cemented by resolve to forever cross this discount chain off the preferred list. I decided that Margo and I are just too old, fat, and pampered to sacrifice the little things that a better hotel would offer. Like a room to change your mind, an elevator, or even cigarette burn free furniture. But, I digress. In truth, it was fine for one night, and we were all tired. Not just physically, but mentally too. It is hard being cramped in a mini-van, with five other people, for a third of your day. Then to do it for a week? Oh, well. It was still better than working and we were having a blast once we got to where we were going. Tomorrow we would seeing some cowboy stuff, and Dad and I were looking forward to it.
