The trouble with dually's

Branson Stagecoach Campground - Branson, MO 

June 16 - 29, 2014

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RV LIFE:
Now why didn't I think of that!

What a great idea!!!! Take a photo of where you've been in each State. Instead of just crossing out the state, or filling in the blank with a marker, cut out your own photo in the shape of the State and tack it on the map! I so wish I had seen this 3 years ago!!! I may try to search out my photos and try my hand at this anyway.

When we first were planning our RV life, and after we decided to live in a 5th wheel instead of trailer or motorhome, we knew we would have to get a truck to pull the 5'vr. Scott was totally opposed to a dually. For those who may not know (as I didn't know at the time), a dually is a pick up truck that has 6 wheels instead of two. Two wheels in front and 2 sets of double wheels in the back. This makes for a very wide vehicle. Since this would be not only our towing vehicle, but also our run around town vehicle, we did not want the bulkiness, which would cause problems maneuvering around small towns and fitting into parking places.
So our plan was a 250 pick up, with crew cab. We ended up with a 350 crew cab, long bed dually. Even though parking is a PIA, I'm so glad we went with it. I feel more secure with the double wheels in back and also the extra power of the 350. Maybe if we weren't fulltiming and pulling so much weight, a smaller vehicle would have been fine. With all the above being said. Look what I found on my windshield the other day!

Here's proof of the problem parking a dually truck. "Please keep vehicle between the lines." Really? Maybe the lines should be spaced just a touch further apart.

Hey parents and grandparents! Here's a very cool idea for the youngins. I found this from Land of Nod. No, I wasn't LOOKING for children's items. There are no children in my life and that is fine with me.

How cool is this!!! My brother and I used to love to make takes in our bedrooms. We'd take the blankets off our beds and use chairs to drape them over to make our own tent. Do you notice, there's even a fake fire? It looks like a pillow. Oh to be young again. But I still would not have had this tent. My parents couldn't afford it.
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TN HOME:
While doing a little window shopping in old town Branson, I picked up my first purchase for the house.

Sure, I could make this, but for $25.00 I thought it was worth saving the labor. I'll have plenty of other things I can make. I plan on decorating the TN house with wood & stone and experiment with splashes of color on the 2nd hand furniture I'll repaint. I'm usually fairly conservative in my color choices, but I've seen so many samples on Pinterest of people with a unicolor room, but bam! there's a pink chest of drawers, or bam! those pillows are orange! It's only a can or two of paint. I can always repaint to a safer tone if need be.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
Billy Bob's Dairyland - Branson, MO
Our rating 3.5 out of 5
Just a "fast food joint" next to a gas station.
As I was searching Yelp as I usually do when we arrive at a new place, Billy Bob's had very good reviews. Scott loves hamburgers and these were supposed to be good. I've grown to enjoy cheeseburgers now. I used to prefer hot dogs at cookouts, but now, give me a burger. That is more of Scott's influence on me.
The burgers were a hefty size & juicy. You can get practically whatever you want on them. The platter came with a side of fries. The fries just looked like crinkle cut frozen, but boy were they good! I think it is something about what kind of oil they are fried in. We also ordered onion rings. Again, the batter was no big deal, but there was some subtle flavor that I think is from the oil.
Even though I was full, I ordered a malted milkshake to go. We wanted a Black & White (vanilla milkshake with chocolate syrup mixed in), but the waitress looked at us cross eyed. We both settled for chocolate malts. I was very disappointed in the shake. First, I did not taste any malt and second, it was so thick, that it was more like a Wendy's frosty or soft serve. There was no way to slurp it up through a straw. I ended up putting it in the freezer for later.
Since I heard about their fried pies, I also ordered a peach fried pie to go. Now that was a delicious snack. It was like a peach filled empanada or similar to a McD's pie. Really great crust that was deep fried. Not a heart healthy place to eat, but I would return definitely for the fried pies.

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MOVIE REVIEW:

Cinderella Man - 2005

Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti

Our rating 4.5 out of 5

With the temperatures being in the high 80's/90's and high humidity, I've been spending my days inside. Of course Scott almost always has to have the TV on. So I sat through a movie or two with him.

What I'll remember most about this movie is the GREAT ACTING!!!!! 

This is basically a boxing movie, but it is also so much more. The movie is set in the Great Depression years. It gave us an inkling of what life was like. Begging for jobs, borrowing from friends, not enough food and going without to feed your own children. In spite of the down and out times, the love that holds the family together.

What a man will do for his family. Work at whatever he can, no matter how he feels. Beg or go on public assistance at the cost of friends feeling sad for your current state.

A true story about a has been boxer, and then his comeback because of the strength from his family.

I concentrated on my knitting during the fight scenes. I just can't handle that. The movie is a definite roller coaster, emotional roller coaster that is.

Renee Z. did a phenomenal job of portraying the loyal, loving wife and mother in dire circumstances. I truly could feel her making the most of a sad situation.

And Paul G. as the trainer, manager was also wonderful. I could feel my chest tighten with emotion as he fought for his friend's reputation in the boxing world.