What Happened To The Weekend?

Wow, it was just Friday, and we were doing all that cleaning inside and out...when Jim and Ellie arrived in Tunica to claim that site we were holding for them. They got settled in, we all caught our breath for a minute, had dinner, and the fun began.

We spent the evening showing Jim and Ellie around casino row and finally settled in at Harrah's were we each spent our allotted funds. But, what a fun way to spend your money. I get more enjoyment out of my $25 at the casino than I do at the movie theater buying popcorn. We had fun evening, but it had been a long day for all of us, so we went back to the RV Park and settled in pretty early. Then, sometime in the night the rain also settled in and remained with us for the entire weekend. Thank goodness, it was just rain, rain, and more rain...but no severe weather.

We did not let the rain stop us...and on Saturday we decided to drive up to Memphis for lunch. We ate at the famous Neeley's Interstate Barbecue as seen on Food TV. Mark and I have been there before, but Jim and Ellie wanted to experience Memphis Barbecue. Now, they can mark that off their list. It is good food, but they said in comparison it wasn't as good as the barbecue they ate at Aurthur Bryant's in Kansas City. I guess I am going to have to go there to judge for myself.

After lunch, it was still raining, so just did a little site seeing from the car. We drove them by Graceland. I am sorry to report that we did not see "The King" out anywhere. Then we drove by Davis Motor homes where we purchased our Phaeton. His lot looked like he had a few motor homes to sell. We then stopped at the grocery for a few items and then it was back to Tunica where we spent the rest of the rainy afternoon at the outlet mall. I think Mark and Ellie are the only ones that found something to spend their money for. As for as Jim and I, we were saving ours for the casino later that night. We decided since it was raining, we would just stay at the Hollywood and Resort casinos which are the two casinos located next to the RV Park. We started at the Hollywood and then walked over to The Resorts. However, once again, I am pretty sure we each left our allotment with the casino. Better luck tomorrow!

We woke again yesterday to still more rain, but with the promise of it letting up later in the day. We just hung out until about noon and then we headed to Harrah's....straight past all slot machines, up the stairs to have lunch with Paula. Yes, once again Mark and Jim had a date with Paula Deen for lunch. It was more than yummy. Mark and Jim tried it all. Ellie tried the chicken, I had pork roast and grilled oysters. And, all the veggies were very tasty. I think it has something to do with all that butter she uses. LOL Then...the desserts were to die for and absolutely up to Paula's standards. I had my all time favorite bread pudding and sampled the Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake. Ellie chose Gooey Chocolate Butter Cake, while Mark and Jim tried pecan pie, ice cream, peach cobbler and who know what else. Needless to say, that was our only meal for the day. We all think her buffet at Harrah's is better than eating at the restaurant in Savannah. Be sure to put this place on your list. The only thing that would have made our lunch experience better was for John and Bridget to have been there to enjoy it with us. They were suppose to drive up from Jackson yesterday, but Bridget hasn't been feeling well the last few days. Hope you are better soon and I hope we will catch you guys down the road sooner than later.

Well, now after that big lunch, we decided that we should work off some of those calories by walking around the casino and dropping a few coins in the slots. Sounds like a good exercise to me. I am not sure about the official outcome of the afternoon, but I do know that at one time Jim had paid for one lunch and I was working on paying for our lunch. I think I finally won enough for lunch and to have a little left for the evening. At this point, we decided to head back to the RV Park for a while...but on the way, and even though it was raining, we drove to the Tunica Riverwalk. This is a little museum on the Mississippi River and where the Tunica Queen, riverboat is docked. Sorry, no tours today in the rain. So, we sat out on the big covered porch for a little while, watching the river and the birds. I was sorry it was raining because they have a beautiful nature walk trail. Maybe next time.

Last night we decided to try our luck at Fitzgerald's Casino, which is Mark's favorite. We arrived and all headed out to look for which game was going to accept our money for the evening. Mark went straight upstairs to the back corner where he likes to play. Ellie and Jim too disappeared. I spotted a new video slot game I hadn't played before, so I was off to try my luck. Well, it was pretty nice to me and I got to go to several bonus rounds pretty close together and before I knew it I was up several dollars. Okay, I had enough fun there, so I was off to find another game. However, not so much luck at this slot and there went my extra bucks. I am still ahead for the day. It was then I decided to settle in at another game I hadn't played...and like the first one, I was getting bonus rounds left and right. It was one of those bonus games that finished with well over what I started with. Okay, I could play this some more, but...that is when I heard Joe, (Speedy) saying....CASH OUT! I heard you Joe, pushed the button, and walked away. He would have been proud of me if he had been there.

Okay, I was off to catch up with the others. I found them all upstairs hanging out at the hot dog vendors. Well, that is Mark and Jim. They were spending their last few dollars on supper. Ellie too had found a game that had been really nice to her. And, yes, Joe...she cashed out too.

By this time, we decided to call it an evening and head back to the RV Park as tomorrow, which is now today is a travel day for all of us. When I woke up before 7 this morning, Mark was already up drinking his Kona coffee that Ellie had shared with him. Well, that pure coffee must have really wound him up because he was ready to get this day under way and I found myself pulling out of the park by about 8:45. LOL....Ellie, said, no more Kona for him. It is really okay, as we needed to be out early anyway as our destination for today is Shreveport, LA. That makes us travel about 350 miles today. That is a big day. Then, tomorrow we will be heading into our home base in Fort Worth. We will be there for the next six weeks or so. Ellie and Jim also will be traveling today into Sheridan, Arkansas as they start the trek across to Colorado Springs where they will be visiting with family and friends for the next month. Safe travels and see you guys in Custer if not before.

As I post this journal, we are traveling south down Highway 61 in Mississippi from Tunica to Vicksburg. There we will pick up I-20 West into Shreveport, LA. The weather is rainy, but with a promise of sun a little later. I had a phone call just a little while ago from our friends, Weldon and Sandy. This was the weekend they have been in Canton, Texas at The First Monday Trade Days, where they are vendors. We were going to try to meet up with them on the way to Fort Worth, but it didn't seem like it was going to work out. Well, now it looks like they will be in Fort Worth before we can get there. I am glad we are going to get to see them, but, the main reason they are coming to town is to make a trip to Camping World just south of Fort Worth. It seems that their refrigerator has gone out and they are having to replace it. OH NO! Camping World had to order it, so it will be tomorrow or Wednesday before they get the work done. We all hate it when we have to do things like that, but these RV's are really no different than having to take care of a house. Things do break, go out, get old, etc. We still have to plan and still save for those things. Hey, Sandy, don't spend all your money at Camping World...we need to make a trip to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and I know a really good Mexican Food Restaurant. Hope you guys can plan to stay on with us for the rest of the week so we can get in a good visit. See you tomorrow.

I guess that is all the news from here on the road for now anyway. I had some pictures to post, but can't seem to get them out of the camera right now? Maybe later. So for now, I am just going to enjoy the journey...may each of you have a blessed day where ever you are.