Tuesday Night Drive

Tuesday night we went to Landry's Seafood Restaurant in Branson.  We got there in time for happy hour so Ron had a beer and I had a gold margarita and we shared three appetizers: crab balls, onion strings, calamari and spinach, artichoke & crab dip w/tortilla chips.  And me without my camera ~ take it from me it was pretty tasty and was only $26 for the drinks, food and tip so not too bad. 

And then we went for a drive ~ looking for gas stations/restaurants that have those motel coupon books (looking for ways to advertise Branson View Campground.  Didn't find any but what  a nice drive. 

First I commented to Ron that wasn't the sun beautiful and that's all it took and Ron was off to find the spot.  And we found it, it was a dead end into someone's driveway so I took a quick pic:

The sun going down on the horizon.  This was taken through two trees in someone's yard that we pulled into that we thought was a road :)

As Ron was driving I was looking/reading signs and saw this sign for Sycamore Log Church and that sounded interesting.  So off we turned and drove down just over 2 1/2 miles and this is what we found:

Sycamore Log Church ~ built in the late 1920's by the community and the Jones' family.

Little picnic area across from the church.

Other than the electric meter and lights it is just as it was built all those years ago.

Another view of the front of the church.

Not a very clear picture but it was made as a memorial to the founding family and there is pencil drawing also in the plaque.

We couldn't figure out how to turn the lights on so we were pleasantly surprised what pictures we got with the flash.  The pulpit was made from a tree stump that was cut down in 1933.

A stove to heat the building.

The piano with lots of flowers.

Looking from the pulpit out the door.

Another view of the front of the church.

And this was taken standing at the door looking in.  Was pleasantly surprised with all the colors!

And then we continued on our drive, having no idea where we would end up and we both laughed when Ron said "I hope it doesn't dead end somewhere:)"

The road narrowed to less than one lane and just as we started under the tressel a car came roaring up so Ron backed up so she could get through!  So glad she didn't hit us head on.

Beautiful view!

Coming up on another corner.

Looking down over a creek bed.

Looking the other direction.

A peaceful place to sit and relax.

Told each other this is definitely a place we would like to come back and walk/hike around ~ now only if we can find it again.

Looking over a meadow and the horizon.  Such beautiful colors.

One of many large homes we drove past.

This is looking at the campground from the business across the street.  Ron has worked hard getting all those lights to be working ~ and many guests have commented how nice it looks especially in the late evenings.

And that was our night ~ sure hope you enjoyed traveling along with us.

Motor home Remodel ~ Part 1

Have you been wondering what we are doing?  Well after a lot of talking, drawing and what have you we had a plan to do a little remodeling in our rig.  We rarely sit at our dinette - it is usually used to hold things.  We had baskets on the bench, stuff stacked under the table and even a 3 drawer cabinet sitting on one of the benches. 

So the plan was to take out the table and the two benches and put in a desk with a file cabinet giving us more counter top space (oh yes, the convection oven was sitting on top of the table).  Found the desk and two file cabinets.  Demolition day was set for Wednesday, June 27th!!

And this is what we found:

This is the dinette area with the table & benches cleaned off and a glimpse of stuff underneath.

Any idea what this is?  Found under the table in the back corner?  Answer to be revealed at end of post :)

Dinette area without the table

And the cushions are gone!

And what do we find?  Electrical box for power to the front of the motor home and the built in vacuum cleaner.  Umm, now what??????

And under the other bench ~ the wheel well, furnace ducting and more electric outlets.  Ummm, now what???

So now to plan B...

We talked about cutting down the benches giving more room for walking in the rig.  But wait we need the back of the bench by the door ~ it has electric outlet in it, holds the banister for climbing into the motor home, holds the magazine rack.  Oh, and we use it to balance when stepping out of the rig.   And then it was time to go work ~~ all the above happened before 8:00 a.m. :)

So we talked some more, discussed Plan C and came up with getting a cabinet for across the benches, giving us a little storage under the center cabinet.  And so off to Walmart we went.  Bought a cabinet and a file cabinet with two wood drawers.  In the boxes they looked the same color.  Also bought new curtains for the kitchen window and the window behind where the dinette was.  I went back to work leaving Ron to do some demolishing and building.

And this is what I came to after work:

Cabinet in place.  Lighter color cherry wood.  File cabinet is dark cherry wood ~ uh oh, clashes together.  But I got the curtains up:)  Just have to hem them as they are about 6" too long.

Now to plan D,

So we bought two 3 tier cabinets for each side of the cabinet.  And voila ~~~ here we go:

Inside cabinet: center section with my cookbooks!!!! And food storage on either side.

Right corner.  I put contact paper on the benches :) 

Corner with wine cabinet (behind the mirrored door) and my new pigs that hubby bought me the other day.  See the pig picture that I cross-stitched for in our sticks & bricks house.

Another view of right corner.  Not sure if going to leave tray with cactus plant or just put plant directly on the cabinet top.  Ideas???  The lady pig in the top corner is one I bought in 2003 when I went to Georgia to spend time with my longest friend ever, Merel.  She has traveled many miles. 

Stuff under the middle of the cabinet.  Will be buying a couple of baskets to slide under there instead of having stuff just tucked under there that can roll around when we are on the move.

Center & Left of cabinet.  Convection oven on top left.

Left side of cabinet.  Spices are now in top drawer of 3 tier shelf and away from the stove top.

A front view of the remodel.  The board to the right of the picture will be cut out once we get a saw to do that. 

Continuing with other remodeling this weekend: new curtains in the living room, covering the box that hubby built above the driver/passenger seats.  Once that's all done, will post another blog post with pictures.

Whatcha think?  Any suggestions for the top of the wood cabinet?  Not sure I like the tray with the plant, pig, frog...do I leave the tray or take it away and just put those items directly on the cabinet top???

A Day in the Life of a Full-time RVing Campground Manager

A day in the life of a full-time RV'ing Campground Manager.

What can I say, each day is different from the day before and the one that will happen tomorrow.  I want to just give you a glimpse into our life as we are the campground managers at Branson View Campground, Branson, MO.

The Office at Branson View Campground

 Our campground is small, 41 full hook-up sites w/cable, electric, water & sewer and occasionally wif-fi when I can get it to stay on.

Hubby is the Outside Manager and I am the Office Manager.  Other titles for us include: Bathroom Cleaner, Maid (for the cabin), Garbage Picker-upper, Pool Maintenance Guy, Errand Runner, Greeter and Potluck Coordinator.  I am sure there are other names but can't think of them right now.

My typical day begins around 8:30 in the morning in the office.  I have to do the daily reports, count the till, answer the phone, reply to email, post a morning greeting on Facebook ~ oops, forgot to do that this morning, will do it when I am done with this post :), put outgoing mail in the box and then later in the day collect the mail that was delivered, clean the bathrooms ~ there are two on the lower level and two at the upper level by the group picnic area, sweep the office ~ there are so many bugs here in Branson ~ sometimes I wonder where do they all come from.  I also clean the laundry room, dust the shelves in the store, keep the store fridge stocked with cold pop, bottled water and Gatorade.  We have candy bars, cookies and ice cream bars for sell as well along with the typical RV supplies that campers need to pick up occasionally.  Oh and give out the keys to the bathrooms.

A note about cleaning the bathrooms ~ I have to wonder how grown men can pee on top of the urinal which is 4' from the floor?  So far no one has been able to give me an answer that makes any sense.  Also, after cleaning the bathroom after Memorial Day weekend I did wonder if people are as dirty/messy at home as they are here when using a public bathroom.  Toilet paper laying on the floor...ummm  let me see, if you drop the paper on the floor don't you think you should pick it up?

We enjoy being campground managers 99% of the time but there are those times we do wonder what did we get ourselves mixed up with?  Like having to show someone how to start the dryer..umm the button that says START - push it :)   That one made me laugh.  Hubby did not think it was too funny because he couldn't figure out how to start the dryer either :)::))

We enjoy swimming in the evenings and visiting with guests when they check-in or while we are out working in the campground or visiting at one of our Potlucks. 

Our beautiful and clean swimming pool :)

We were so blessed in May to host the Amber Waves Band (the Costello family) and they blessed us back with holding a free concert for us here in the park.  You can check it out at here.  

What a feast!

Eating and listening to the some great music!

Not the best picture, the Costello family singing and playing!

We had a ton of fun and are looking forward to our next Potluck which is going to be a BBQ Potluck.  If you are here we would love to have you join us on June 17th at 5:00 p.m.  Bring your own meat and a side dish to share.  Give us a call to make reservations for your stay here.

Some of the things hubby has on his daily list is to clean & service the swimming pool each day.  We are loving having this amenity to use every day!!  He also does a garbage run, cleans the sites of people coming into the park and the lawn mowing & weed eating.  One of the projects we have done here at Branson View Campground is to clean out and open the Activity Room for guests.  They now have a place to come and read, watch TV, use the internet and soon will be playing games here.

We usually take a lunch break about 1:00 for an hour and then back to work till 5 or 6 depending on the day.  But alas our work is really never done since we live in the park.  We have greeted guests after hours, assisted someone who ran out of gas and coasted into our park ~ they were talking really loud and woke us up at 2:00 a.m. and hubby went out to see what all the commotion was about.  Made me wonder don't people usually try to be quiet when they are outside in the early morning hours at a campground ~ guess not :)

Oh, one of our other wonderful benefits here at Branson View Campground is the huge ice maker in the back room :)  We sell bagged ice for $1.50 a bag but we get all the free ice we want.  Let me tell you it sure comes in handy after a long day  and strawberry margaritas are calling your name.

Hope you enjoyed a peak into a day in the life of Campground Managers.

We've Been Busy

Hi Everyone!  Thought y'all might be wondering what we have been up to since we landed in Branson, Missouri ~~~  so let me share with you!!

We came to Branson, MO for a part-time Assistant Manager job at Branson View Campground.  Well actually the job was for Ali.  Ron said he would look for work once we were settled.  With Silver Dollar City just 4 1/2 miles from the park and with Ron's experience from working with Funtastic Shows we did not think he would have a problem finding a job.  

This was taken on our first day when we arrived on April 15, 2012.  I need to take a new picture now that we have beautiful sunny days and not through the window of the motor home :)

 So began my short stint as Assistant Manager.  I was the Assistant Manager for all of three weeks.  Because you see, Carol & Kevin decided to accept a job in North Dakota at a campground that was just 50 miles from her family.  So we applied for the Manager position and got the job :)  God is so good and we are so thankful for the many doors/opportunities that he provided for us after leaving Hondo, TX.  And so on Sunday, May 6th we started as the Managers of Branson View Campground.  We each work 40 hours a week with fluctuating days off, split shifts and creative scheduling.

And this is a glimpse at what we have been doing ~~

Ali has tackled the office cupboards, shelves and updating of a couple of signs.

On the left is the BEFORE of what the sink looked like.  On the right is the AFTER it has been cleaned & organized.

The copier & sink are right next to each other.  The picture on the left is the BEFORE and the right is AFTER it was cleaned and organized.  All the loose plastic ware has been sorted and bagged.  There are two bags of spoons & knives and five bags of forks!!  Lots of SweetnLow, small paper plates, coffee stirrers, and some plastic wine glasses and paper cups.

No BEFORE pictures, oops forgot.  The picture to the bottom left is under where the computer sits; the bottom right is the part of the counter where guests are served and the top picture is the long cabinet which is used for work space.

This is the drawer closest to the wall above the cupboard pictured on the bottom left above.  On the left is the BEFORE and the right is the AFTER of the newly organized drawer.

  Still have three more drawers to clean & organize.  Will post those pictures at a later date.

Here are the two signs that were updated today.  The one on the left is where we will be posting upcoming events.  The one on the right is where  guests who arrive after the office is closed can pick up their registration packet along with a map showing where their campsite is.  Also listed are the open sites for those guests who pull in without a reservation.  The registration packets go in the clear holder.

All my time has not been spent in the office.  There are lots of things for me to do outside of the office.  One of those other duties is cleaning the 4 bathrooms/showers each day.  Definitely not one of my favorite jobs.

We also have a Cabin that is available for rent.  I have been working at making it a little more comfy.  It's not totally done but this is how it is looking now.  We are looking forward to adding a few more things in the next week or two. I see a trip to the Dollar Tree in my near future :)

So all our friends and family can come and visit us here in Branson as we have a cabin you can rent while you are visiting Branson and US!!!  Call soon to reserve your date!!!

Upper left is the front porch.  Upper right is the bed area ~ we have added some bedding & pillows, directly across from the bed is a nice TV for watching from the bed or the couch.  Lower left is the dining table and the TV.  Behind the wall to the right of the TV is a small closet.  Bottom right is the cupboard next to the sink.  We have added a coffee pot (with coffee & filters), two coffee cups, a toaster and stocked some extra paper towels.  We have silverware also in the cabin; will be getting some plates, serving bowls and glasses in the next week.

This is one of many projects that Ron has been working on - the row of trees is the divider between Highway 265 and the top road of the campground.  Ron trimmed all the trees along that road and now it is nice and clear under the trees.  Makes lawn  mowing so much easier.  He had 3 loads (trailer & mule cart) of branches and cuttings that he hauled away.                  Doesn't it look sharp???

Here is Ron making new stands to hold the solar cover for the pool.  The other stand had rotted away and fell apart.

 

 Doesn't he look cute in his doo rag?  He wore one when working for the carnival and now wears them to keep the sweat from running into his eyes.  And yes he is wearing his sun glasses inside the garage ~ he knocked his regular glasses off while working yesterday and the frames broke.  Went to Wal-mart but they didn't have frames to fit his lenses so tomorrow he is off to get an eye exam and order new glasses.  

As THEY say, if it's not one thing it's another.  We are just thankful that we have jobs and can pay for an exam and new glasses.  Again, God is faithful and supplies all our needs :)

Hope you have enjoyed seeing a little of what we have been doing.

A Beautiful Day

NOTE: This is being posted also at Alice's Restaurant ~ Dishing Up Food for Thought so I apologize if you have already read this.  If not, enjoy!!!

What a beautiful day the Lord gave us today!!!

I began my day having coffee and "chatting" with my friend Mary L.  Even though we are thousands of miles apart and have a two hour time difference we were able to have our coffee and chat for over an hour.  The internet is wonderful at times and today I am thankful for having it.  Looking forward to our next coffee time :)

Then I was able to Skype with Stacey L.  She had her coffee and I had mine.  We talked about our kids ~ the joys and frustrations, what we had planned for the day.  So fun to catch up with her.  Need to make sure to do that more often :)

And then Ron came home from some training time with K here at Branson View Campground.  I have more training tomorrow with C and we both have a little bit of training on Saturday afternoon before things are turned over to us late Saturday afternoon.  K & C are planning to leave early Sunday morning to start their new adventure traveling to North Dakota and starting a new job there.  We wish them a fun and exciting journey and are happy for them that they will be closer to family.

After catching up on a few things here in the motor home we decided it was play time.  First stop was the Grand Country to see if we could get tickets for New South: Gospel Show.  And we were successful.  The show starts at 3:00 and since it was noon time we decided to use our Applebees gift cards for lunch (thanks Brandon, Danalyn & boys for the gift).  We then walked around an antique/craft mall.  From the outside it does not look very big but let me tell you it is huge.  We walked around for almost 2 hours in there.  And we gathered lots of ideas for birthday & Christmas gifts.  We will definitely be going back there.

And then it was off to the New South Gospel Show.  What a blessing: old hymns were sung, choruses that we had never heard, sharing of the gospel by the performers and ending with an old fashioned sing along (think Gaither Family show).  It was a great show and we were truly blessed and the best blessing of all it was Free!!!  Ron & I have been gifted with season passes for all the shows at Grand Country.  By being able to attend the shows we can recommend them to our guests at Branson View Campground.  Works for all of us.  And tomorrow we are going to the Morning Show at Grand Country :)

After enjoying the show we went across the street to Outback Steakhouse & Oyster Bar  for their half price appetizers.  What a fun restaurant (not connected to the Outback Steakhouse chain).  Ron started with a Black & Tan beer and I had a Koala Kicker ~ yummy!!!  We then had cheesy potato skins and BBQ wings w/celery and ranch dressing and again we were not disappointed.  We had three different waiters and were they delightful to chat with.  While paying our bill, Vince came by our table and gave us discount cards to use for future visits.  They like to give those cards to the locals and since we will be living/working here we get them!!  Another blessing from the Lord!!

We then returned home with full tummy's and happy hearts!!!  Thank you Lord for your many blessings!!

And the Adventure Continues!

No one could ever say our life is boring ~ if they did they would be so wrong!

We were sad to hear that Carol & Kevin would be leaving Branson View Campground to go on a new adventure for them but we are so excited to announce:

We got offered the full-time manager's position and we accepted!!

God is so good to us and sometimes we don't understand why things happen but like His Word says  in Romans ^26-28 Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. 

We don't know why we got terminated the way we did from the Alamo Area SKP Co-Op (yes we know what we were told, we know also what has come out since we left the park ~ only God really knows the truth) but we do know that God is in control of our lives.  We trust in Him, we love Him and we seek His guidance in how we live our lives.  

And God has truly turned a very uncomfortable and unsettling situation into a wonderful thing for us.  And that is full time work, in a setting we enjoy and in an area we have never been before.  And it gets us closer to Georgia where we hope to meet up with some good friends and Ron's Uncle Mervin and his family.  

Thank you all for your encouragement and prayers as we moved forward in a blur, with one foot in front of the other and now rejoicing in the clear skies, lovely sunshine and lots of green trees here in Branson, MO.