The day started in Indy at 4:00 AM. In a stroke of luck that could not be planned my departing flight left IND at 7:05. My BIL, Jake, was leaving for a missions trip and his flight left at 7:00. The entire house was up and bustling by 4:30 AM. There was time for me to see Jake's team checking luggage and taking care of last minute passport information. I then headed off to my gate to begin my journey.
After an uneventful flight I touched down in Kansas City and waited for my parents to meet me (driving down from Omaha). I got to spend some quality time in the Kansas City Airport. When looking out the windows your eyes are not sure what to make of the massive tarmacs, with gigantic airplanes coming and going and nestled just behind the concrete are acres and acres of.....grazing cows and farmland. Only in the Midwest!
While heading south of Kansas City some of our time was passed on the phone with Jami who excitedly relayed the story of mechanical trouble with the plane Jake was on which caused the airport to swap out planes--only it was a smaller plane. Passengers were being bumped and 11 members of his team made it on. The trouble being that there were 12 members, and number 12, Jake, didn't have a seat. He stood in the airport, completely alone, trying to figure out how to meet up with his team. One by one stand by passengers names were called. He realized he had all of the team's cash in his backpack. Finally, his name was called. The very last person to get a seat...
Meanwhile we were having to make our own important decisions. Namely where to eat lunch. We hadn't seen too many options for a while so when the first place popped up we headed towards it, despite the fact that it was an A/W Root Beer and Long John Silver. At the very last second as we were turning in I saw what could have been the letters "BBQ" on a building. We turned the car around, and found this:
Hopefully, the money they saved in repairs and upkeep was spent in food. We walked in and it was a tiny, little room with 10 or 12 tables, dark brown paneling, and a handful of customers. We seated ourselves and a pleasant woman approached the table. No uniform or name tag. She said today's special was chicken and something or other and....(I kind of zoned out).....everything is homemade and the mashed potatoes are peeled and mashed by hand. My attention was back. Ah. Pay dirt. We had hit pay dirt. I knew it. And I was right. A few thing were pre-made(buns and chips), but the rest was made from scratch. There was nothing fancy about the presentation. White plates. Serving sizes that were in line with what the average human should consume and not the mega portions we are used to from most restaurants--and the prices reflected portion size. Dessert was homemade coconut cream pie with homemade crust. It was amazing.
I've heard that if you are in an unfamiliar town and do not know where to eat to observe where the locals go. The locals went here. Really. Aside from our table and one other table EVERYONE knew each other. As one customer entered the waitress simply said, "today is the noodles". He nodded and seated himself. In one corner there was a group of people that could have perhaps been the Dukes of Hazzard, 30 years later after neglecting their dental work, hair care and all attention to fashion. Uncle Jesse was there, as were Bo and Luke. Daisy joined them at one point--the years hadn't been kind to her. They were loud and happy and very much enjoyed their fellowship around the table....and with everyone else that entered. Not being at their table was not seen as a reason not to visit with others.
It was a great find.
Up the road a bit we stopped at Gordon's for some peaches. I think their editors were on vacation this week. There was a sign advertising home "growen" tomatoes. There was also this sign I noticed as we were paying for the peaches:
I was so confused. Are they lucky because if you purchase two you might only pay $.25? If you ask for one do they make you take two? How would pricing work for three? Does this special make sense and I just don't get it?
The view from our table at supper.
This view is why I enjoy Branson. If I have to drive past the Osmond Brothers and Mel Tillis to get there, so be it!
good read, I'm enjoying my vicarious vacation.
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