I'm really tired of looking at that same post over and over again, so here's a new one.
Last Thursday we left home and stopped to float the Buffalo River on our way to Branson. We had one canoe, and the kids had a great time. We (John and I) had to paddle some, but it wasn't too bad. The weather was great, if a little warm, but it could have been worse. We went from Tyler Bend to Gilbert, and it took about 3 hours. We would float for a while and then park the canoe so the kids could play. Emily got stuck once-she had taken her life jacket off and was swimming around. She was a little downstream and couldn't make it back. When she was swimming, she wasn't moving more downstream, but she couldn't make any progress back! John waded out to get her, so I was the only one who stayed dry. We made her keep the life jacket on after that. We only saw one snake, luckily, and he was swimming away. We'll have to do that again before the summer's over. Next time I will wear more sunscreen.
After changing clothes we went to Branson. We were too tired to do much of anything, so we ate supper, walked around Branson Landing for a little while, ate dessert at Cold Stone Creamery, and went to bed. The next day we went to Predator World, where the kids got to feed the sharks.
I couldn't get a good picture of the actual feeding, but here's one of the sharks. We ate lunch and went to an IMAX movie, since it was raining. A certain little boy was getting really cranky about this time, so we headed back to the hotel to take naps. By the time we left the hotel, it had quit raining, and the sun was out.
We went to the fish hatchery and let the kids feed the baby fish. (Note to all the penny-pinchers out there: The fish hatchery is the cheapest entertainment in Branson. It costs $0.25 for a handful of fish food. We bought two, since we got there just an hour before closing time.) That was a really interesting place. It's a cold water hatchery, where they hatch two kinds of trout. It keeps the nearby lake well-stocked with fish year-round. We were getting hungry, and our thoughts naturally turned to fish. The guide had a list of restaurants around that serve trout, so we ended up going to the White River Fish House, next to Bass Pro Shop at Branson Landing. I had the pan-fried trout served in an iron skillet with potatoes and grilled corn. It was tasty! After riding the bumper boats and watching both kids bungee jump on a trampoline, we visited Andy's Frozen Custard for dessert. My Jack Brownie Funky Jackhammer was divine.
Saturday was our last day in Branson. We shopped around the mall for a little bit. I got a new kitchen scale. It's digital, goes up to 11 pounds, and has a tare (zero-out) feature.
After that we went to a park with just kid rides. Emily was too big, so I stayed with Ethan while John and Emily played mini-golf, rode the big go-karts, and did bumper boats. We left before lunch and got home around 4:30. It was nice to get out of town for a little bit. Now it's back to the grindstone. Our VBS starts June 28, and I'm in charge. I'm still nervous, but it's coming together nicely. We have some very talented people, luckily (not counting me).
