Wandering America
November 2007 - Part II
| Thanksgiving at Rainbow Plantation Thanksgiving at Rainbow Plantation is a wonderful event. This was our first year but I can guarantee that it won't be our last. There were 16 tables set up with a host for each table who coordinates the dinner for that table. The Park provides the turkey and gravy and each person donates $2 for those items. I made dressing and Judy made our Patterson Family traditional lime salad mold (referred as Martian salad by our kids). The dressing was made using Pepperidge Farms mix and adding onions, celery, chicken broth, butter, and Jimmy Dean's sausage along with poultry seasoning to taste. We also had mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, as well as a couple other casseroles, and rolls. There were around 160 people who enjoyed the meal which was followed by live music and dancing. The next day there was a pot luck meal with all of the leftovers but we didn't attend.     Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River RV Park On our way to Branson we stopped over in Memphis, Tennessee and stayed at Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River RV Park which was recommended by Norm and Linda Payne. They had stopped there last summer and to quote Norm, "There is only one place to stay when visiting Memphis, Tennessee and that is Tom Sawyer’s Mississippi River RV Park in West Memphis, Arkansas." It was rainy both days that we were there but we made the best of it and enjoyed watching the barges out our back window as they made their way up and down the Mississippi River.  Beale Street, Memphis, Tennessee We drove over to Beale Street which is the home of the blues and the birthplace of rock and roll. This is the "happening" place in Memphis with clubs, pubs, and bars all hosting in house bands. Being a wet soggy Sunday after Thanksgiving there wasn't much going on, so no street musicians today - ah, shucks. But we enjoyed the walk without large crowds of people and pretty much saw what we wanted to see.   As we were walking down Beale Street we noticed these balls laying on the sidewalk just around the corner. They are made of concrete, painted, and placed in a line in front of the FedExForum sports arena. I had a hard time dribbling the basket ball - it just wouldn't budge!! Neat, huh?  Gibson guitars are known around the world for their quality and beautiful acoustic sounds. They are manufactured in Memphis just one block from Beale Street and across the street from the FedExForum. Each Gibson guitar is played at the end of the production cycle and if the sound does not measure up to their standards the guitar is destroyed as Gibson will not sell any "seconds". More manufacturing companies need to adopt this standard - I could name a few RV manufacturers but I won't. :-)  We ended our day on Beale Street by stopping by the Blues City Café for some of those famous ribs. There are two types of B-B-Q ribs in Memphis, wet ribs and dry rubbed ribs. Judy ordered the wet ribs while I ordered the dry rubbed that way we could share and try each type. They were both "finger lickin' good" but I preferred the dry rubbed and Judy preferred the wet. The key to B-B-Q ribs is the cooking of the ribs themselves. They must be cooked very slowly while being lightly smoked that way they will stay moist and tender. The sauce or rub is applied after the ribs have been throughly cooked. Blues City Café knows how to do it right and we were very pleased with our meals.   As we were walking back to the truck we bumped into this fellow. You just can't stop in Memphis and not see Elvis. We didn't go to Graceland because they want $25 per person to visit. Although we enjoyed Elvis' music we just aren't big enough fans to part with $50 to see where he lived.  We will share our Branson Tour experience and pictures with you in our next travelogue. Until then, be happy and be safe. |