Impressions of Branson, Mo.
   Why Branson?  One could ask the same question about Vegas; why that lone spot in the desert surrounded by blue sky, sand, windstorms, and cactus.  On the other hand, Branson is hilly, green, in the heart of the mid-west bible belt where it's all about God, mother, and country--providing you are white, straight, and Christian.  Entertainment abounds, but there's no billboards of risque showgirls, no street corner pimps, and no advertisement of alcohol, lottery tickets, or casinos--although all exist in Mo. and you can get liquor in stores and restaurants, but it's not obvious and not pushed.  Rather refreshing.  Of couse, this is Branson and grey hair predominates.  They come in by the bus load from Pennsylvania, Long Island, and all surrounding points.  Families are welcomed and kids can be entertained with water slides, miniature golf, and go-karts.  Adults have swimming pools, golf courses, and show time.
  We like Branson.  Of course we have only touched the surface and recognize that there's most likely rumblings of disconnect, disagreement, bad marriages, troubled kids--just like anywhere else, but what we see is God, mother, and country.  In Branson, once it is known you're a veteran, it's a handshake and a thank you Brother/Sister for your service, Welcome home.  This is the Vietnam Veterans town, where those veterans are honored, without controversy, every day of the week.  Where a Veterans group we met on board a dinner cruise on the lake believe we won the war in Vietnam, we showed them!  When I asked what we won, the responses were more muffled and uncomfortable, and I didn't press it.  I didn't want to.
   The country here is physically beautiful.  Rolling green hills with just the first blush of fall color (we're told the third week of Oct on the pallette beats the best the North East can offer), and a promise of what's coming.  There are no straight roads.  Instead, they loop and rise and fall with the hills, traveling north and east or west and south, looping back to the beginning.  It's difficult to get a sense of how far you've gone, or where one spot is in relation to another.  And everywhere is Table Rock Lake, created by a series of dams, and stretching for miles into small fingerlet waterways for tens of miles of lake front shore line.  This would be a difficult town to traverse without the help of a GPS.  No right turns on red. The posted speed limited is the traveling speed.  Rarely heard a horn blare, except for tonight in the parking lot coming out of an Oak Ridge Boys concert.  People we've met seem happy,  comfortable in their skin, liking themselves and their lives just fine.  This is our first time spending any time in the mid-west and a needed reminder that what's happening isn't just about what's happening in our coastal cities.
   I don't want to jump too far out of sequence, but this afternoon we visited the College of the Ozarks where the on-campus museum features the original Beverly Hillbillies auto (Stu and I had our photo taken in it--to follow), where the campus restaurant takes reservations, grows all its own food, and supports the culinary school.  College of the Ozarks is a small, liberal arts, Christian based college that is tuition-free to all full-time students.  In exchange for an accredited degree students agree to abstain from smoking, drinking (on or off campus), and work 15 hours a week at one of 80 campus jobs, and 40 hours in the summer.  You leave this undergraduate school debt-free, with degree in hand.  The campus banners state "Hard Work U", and line "Opportunity Avenue."  And everyone is smiling.  Once you get past the Stepford syndrome, the students we spoke with seem really happy with their choice.  Not bad to espouse hard work, clean living, as foundations for a career.  The school is very white, we saw a single black student working in the restaurant alongside her white peers, but 'born in the US' seems to dominate.  I have lots of thoughts about the lack of diversity, and while I know that being a Jew in this town would be tough, (we had lunch with, perhaps the only other Jew here) when you're with your own kind life is simpler.

  This has been the perfect week for separating from the stress of our lives at Trilogy, the politics, the law suits, truly time away.  We haven't had the TV on but once in 9 days.  I don't listen to much news, although some headlines do come through so we're aware the UN is meeting, Iran is sounding more friendly, there's been massive killings in Washington DC, Kenya, and Pakistan, and Congress continues to fight over the budget and Obamacare--but, I just am not caring very much right now.  It's a bit like dropping out in order to drop back in to yourself.  Branson has had that effect on me, and I like it, I really like it.
   Stay tuned for tourist info and photos.
Adrienne and Stu