Sat - 15 Feb/14

We have been so busy we waited until our last set of clean clothing (again) before doing the laundry.

I finished loading while Charlotte was checking with an craft friend she was teaching how to make the craft basket. Her friend had to go home in a view days so Charlotte had given her a "quick lesson" on how to make the basket.

A few years ago I made "Ladybugs" with magnets to mark the washers and dryers we were using.

Not too bad to remember today as they were in a row.

Many RV parks do not allow the use of clothes lines. Here they have lines for your use outside the laundry.

After putting all the clothes away in the RV Charlotte said; "The answer is 'Yes' " -  (Before I even asked the question). Enough said - we headed out for lunch.

On the way to Mt. Dora, FL I stopped at Advance Auto Parts to pick up the specialized cleaners for the RV.

Mt. Dora is bustling on the weekends. It is always hard to find a parking space anywhere downtown. I thought I had a spot when I saw a Chevy Volt backing up. I was wrong - it was a charging station reserved for electric and/or hybrid cars.

Luckily, there was a spot nearby. Mt. Dora is very inviting to tourism. They do not charge for street parking. The downtown parks have public restrooms and park benches. People often eat their lunch in the shade of the trees.

Our destination today was the One Flight Up Cafe for lunch. This is a great little restaurant with a view from the balcony patio of the busiest section of downtown. 

The traffic below included several convertibles with their top down. Being a "Car Guy" it was a treat to watch the variety of "Cabriolets". Included in the steady parade of autos were a number of VW "Bugs" from vintage to new. Others "Ragtops" ran the gamut from an AC Cobra (may have been a "Kit Car" clone) to a few Nissan "Z's". Ford was represented by a "Mint" Mustang (First Series) and Thunderbirds in a variety of colours. Curiously - no Porsches? 

We started our meal with great Frozen Lemon-Lime Lemonades. 

The sandwiches were excellent. Charlotte ordered a Turkey on Brown and I a Chicken Salad on White. Each was made fresh from "in-house" sliced meat that was tasty and very thick.

After lunch Charlotte had fun shopping. We walked several blocks downtown. 

If we were not checking out stores we were checking restaurant menus for future reference.

Near mid-afternoon we took a break. As I was taking Charlotte's picture a passerby graciously offered to take our picture. Now she has proof that she was not traveling alone.

Back at the car we saw another Chevy Volt was charging. (Look closely - cord on ground  - plugs in just below mirror).

We returned to the RV to rest before this evenings "Branson Show" in the Rec Hall. We arrived 45 minutes before the show was to begin and found the few remaining seats that were available at the back of the hall. As I have said previously:; "A half an hour early means you are 15 minutes late". This was "SRO" (Sold Right Out").

OMS (Olde Mill Stream Rv Resort) provides snacks and refreshments at many "Main" events. The staff were kept busy replenishing the pitchers of "Draft" and the snacks before the start of the show. Guests had to pick up the provided bottled water or soft drinks on their own.

This show this evening featured "The Sweethearts of Branson". The Yeary's, Denny and Shelia Renee, have been performing together for many years as one of Branson's favorite family variety shows. In the off-season they tour the country. Their venues range from the Casinos of Las Vegas and Reno to RV parks in Florida and a lot of places in between.

In his career, Denny's bass voice, could be heard with Dale and Roy Rogers for several years on their Rodeo Tour even while he was working with "The Blackwood Quartet" and "The Blackwood Singers"....one of Elvis Presley's favorite quartets. He has performed with a Who's-Who of  Country Music ranging from Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins to the Oak Ridge Boys. Denny was a pioneer in opening the first "Dinner Show" in Branson, Mo.

Their show was terrific. Their wide variety of popular songs were interspersed with humorous stories and anecdotes. A comic friend who has opened for many major shows was in the audience and he agreed to do some of his routine. He (I forget his name) was hilarious.

Charlotte picked up 3 of their CD's which the Yeary's graciously autographed during the intermission.

One of the great things about RVing is the folks you meet. Attending a concert usually means you are sitting with strangers. In an RV park there are no strangers - just folks you haven't met yet. At each event we met interesting people from various parts of the country.

Tonight we had the pleasure of meeting Sally and Ed from Oak Ridge, TN. Oak Ridge is located about 25 miles west of Knoxville. It was established in 1942 as a production site for the Manhattan Project. This massive American, British, and Canadian operation developed the Atomic Bomb.

The remote location and low population of the area helped keep the town a secret, though the population of the settlement grew from about 3,000 in 1942 to about 75,000 in 1945, and the K-25 uranium-separating facility by itself covered 44 acres and was the largest building in the world at that time. Sally worked at the "Lab" for a number of years and found it to be a fascinating experience.

To me, the most amazing fact discovered during our visit a few years ago was that Vice-President Truman knew nothing about this facility until FDR passed away. Talk about "Need To Know"!

Again, Olympics on TV until bed.