My Kind of War Between the North and The South

About last night - it was - well - a full night!

Last night - I drove my husband plum nuts.  And - I can’t say it was in such a - good way - that I would - otherwise impose.

We went out on what men would consider to be - a Chick Date - I guess.  I say that because of the following.

Unlike the pissing and moaning I could have done - like - when we went fishing at Reelfoot Lake - and my kidneys ended up bruised from sitting in a John Boat for a few days - in the middle of a 12 foot deep shallow lake - that maintained white caps - the whole time - I discovered my husband is one of those men that piss and moan over the petty little snags that can happen during - Chick Dates.

It’s just different - as far as they’re concerned - when it doesn’t include fishing hooks - stink bait - gunpowder - or - Camo.

Actually - to an extent - it did include gunpowder.  But first - we had to make a little drive to get there.  For everybody familiar with the Texas Gulf Coast area - it was like driving from Galveston - to Spring - in the middle of the afternoon commute.

And we had to park way in the back - and walk.  I wore heels.

And we - both - had to go pee when we got there.  Oh, C'mon - everybody does that!  Even all the hoards of people herding into the joint!  But - I compromised.  I was fair.  I kept our place in line and let him go first.

Yep!  We hit Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee!

And I don’t care what complaints my husband may have - I have no qualms about telling on him.  He did a lot of smiling - laughing - oooohing - and aaaahing.  Okay - well - maybe not the oooohing and  aaaahing.  More like - “ That was pretty cool ! “

There are signs that say not to use cameras.  The flash on cameras can/will cause nightmares.

Do the math - 1096 human beings eating dinner with their fingers - livestock animals - loud speakers - fireworks.  Put all that together with one more thing - like - cameras flashing all around the joint.

Smart people go ahead and use their cameras - because they know how to use them - and they shut off the flash!

And thank God!  Because tails even come up for - special events - without cameras flashing.  Even while human beings are eating - with their fingers.

There was so much going on - while we ate.  The entire show was packed full of furious fun and entertainment!

I was lucky to get any shots - period.  I mean - my hands were dealing with Creamy Vegetable Soup - Roasted Cornish Game Hen - Smoked Pork Tenderloin - Biscuit - Corn on the Cob - Baked Potato Half with Herbs - and iced tea in a canning jar - most of the time!  My most favorite was the fried Apple pies - made with Philo pastry!!

But don’t feel sorry for me.  I got to eat my dinner while it was hot - unlike a few others.

Feel sorry for these grown adults - on stick horses - some from the North - some from the South - refreshing minds about the war between the North and the South.

And the kids that were yanked out of their seats to chase chickens in a race. ( But they did get something else really - really special - from Dolly!  Books - from her Imagination Library Program ! )

Oh, there was the young lady that kept disappearing out of barrels on wagons that were running around - like the shell game.  She was afraid of horses.  But she managed to jump from one wagon to another so fast that I couldn’t even get a blurry picture of her!

There was so much competition - and it was fun!  I didn't even manage to catch half of it all in photos.  Believe it or not - the South won most of the races and competition on this particular night!

And some of that competition was real - these guys were current logger competitors from around the country!

They helped with the part about when the west was won - later - down the road in history.

And this guy - Skeeter - he was all over the place!  And he was hilarious!

It was so awesome!  It was educational!  It was entertaining - exciting - and included interaction with all of us while we were eating dinner!

And even before all of that…

Guess who came to say hello and sing a song for us during the Pre-Show!

This was a special weekend for Dolly Parton.  All the proceeds collected this weekend from The Dixie Stampede - Splash Country - and Dollywood are being donated to help flood victims from the storms that hit Tennessee during the first week of this month!

I was so overwhelmed!  I got to enjoy spending a few minutes sitting in the same room with Dolly Parton - listening to her sing.  I love to listen to her sing!!!

And for the very last photo - I’m gonna pull a stunt.

GO!  Make plans and - Just DO IT!