Silver Dollar City, Thanksgiving 2011

Another Thanksgiving, another fun long weekend in Branson. This year we got lazy. We went to Silver Dollar City on Thursday, we went to Silver Dollar City on Friday, and, you guessed it, we went to Silver Dollar City on Saturday as well. In our defense, the weather was tragically rotten on Saturday morning, when we normally would have gone out golfing or over to the lake, and when the rain stopped, it was time to head for the City!

Kel didn't spend his usual hours in the kid's play area, where I get my beautiful light photos on the lake while he entertains himself, so we've got a pretty sparse offering here. He's more into the rides these days and I'm usually on the rides with him. And in between the rides, he doesn't want to stop for photo ops because we need to hurry up and get to the next ride! He did at least let me snap a quick photo of him with the snowmen outside of the Frosty show. We always need our snowman photo op.

On Thanksgiving, we were lucky enough to arrange to spend our first day at Silver Dollar City with my dear friend, Sam, and his three kids. They live a couple of hours from Branson, in the deepest Ozarks, and decided to head for civilization and join us for some Thanksgiving festvities -- and the Black Friday shopping, of course! They don't have that in the deepest Ozarks.

The kids. Tyler (18), Caty (16), and Jodi (14) with Kel. They took Kel on all of the spinny rides so that us adults could enjoy some chat and relaxation. Without the sick stomachs.

Some random not-very-good photos of Kel with lights. They don't even begin to do justice to the awesomeness that is Silver Dollar City during their Old Time Christmas celebration. The holiday season doesn't start for me until I've been down to Branson.

Kel took this photo of me. It was sunset. He thought that it would be pretty. The sunset, maybe. The mom, not so much.

Sam and the kids coming off of Thunderation. Kel actually finally went on it the next day. He hated it and wouldn't go again, but brave man, he gave it a try. And that is all that I ask. Hopefully one day soon he'll be my ride partner on all of the big coasters. I dragged Nic onto a couple of them this year, but his poor terrified face and shaking legs when we get off, it just isn't worth causing him the misery.

Kel on what is still his very favourite ride at Silver Dollar City. The horrible spinny pirate ships. He makes me go a few times, but usually resorts to going on his own when he gets sick of my whining and begging and pleading to please please please not have to ride the spinny pirate ships again.

The boys in front of the entrance sign to the park. We love our Silver Dollar City!