Table Rock State Park, Branson, Missouri
Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. ~ Luke 23:56
Holy Saturday. The day between Good Friday and Easter.
In 33AD, the Jews knew it as just another Sabbath. A day when no work was done. The first Holy Saturday would’ve been a day of great mourning for Jesus’ followers. A day to reflect on the fact that their assumed Messiah, their much-loved rescuer, was dead. And for the women closest to Him, a day to wait before they could prepare His body properly.
It had to be agony for them. It had to be a time of great confusion and loss of faith for all Jesus’ followers, but especially the Eleven. Not only did they mourn the loss of someone they loved beyond words and believed in, they also feared for their lives; as they most likely feared they could be rounded up by the Romans or the temple guards. It was the beginning of a time of waiting for them, as they pondered “What now?”.
For us, there was more rain and cool temperatures, and we spent the morning waiting to see whether or not we could go out. Meanwhile, we did some research on whether or not we want to visit Graceland when we get to Memphis in a couple of weeks. We vacillate between what we feel is an exorbitant price and the fact that it’s a piece of iconic American history. I mean, it’s Elvis, right?!? We still have time to decide, but I have a sneaking suspension we’ll go.
We also did a bit of menu planning. It’s more difficult than it used to be when I was planning dinners for four. I don’t know why. I used to sit down once a week surrounded by cookbooks and grocery store sale flyers and my mind filled with ideas. I’d make a shopping list (which included the sales – like butter or chicken breasts are bogo, so buy 10 and put them in the freezer, etc.). Once I determined what we were eating for the next week, it would be written in pencil on the calendar. And off we’d go. And it rarely changed, unless we had too many leftovers at the end of the week.
Blaine and I talk about what we want and buy some of the stuff. Fresh veggies are bought throughout the week at various times, because we may change our minds about what we’re actually having. Case in point – – we had menus planned for this week, but then decided to stop for pizza tonight instead.
By lunchtime, the rain held the promise of stopping, so we bundled up and drove back to the dam museum for a few minutes.
Remember this view as you skim over the building project pictures. : )
That’s a small boat filled with stuff people were trying to save.
They brought the concrete in and dumped it using those little buckets sliding down the wire.
This is the view from where the Visitor Center is now.
This was during a flood.
The information in the Visitor Center film said the men raced
to try to complete the dam in time to ward off the flood of water, but they didn’t quite make it.
Power production began in May, 1959
The concrete portion is 1,602′ long.
In 1957, the Table Rock Dam on the White River flooded this area and the new dam helped to bury the old bridge of Kimberling City, putting it in the waters of Table Rock Lake forever. Here is one of the old photos which show both the 1927 Kimberling Bridge and the new one that we use today. They both still exist today, the new one above, and the old one below the waters of Table Rock Lake.
With the promise of no rain, but cautious as the weather forecast around here seems to change constantly, we stuffed raincoats into packs and visited a couple of trails in the area. First was a City of Branson waterfall. It was quite the adventure to get to the waterfall area, as we had to cross a stream/creek/small river (?) several times, but we made (and back) in good shape, which was pretty surprising all things considered.
But there was also less water.
Still, it was deep enough to soak your shoes should you go in.
with dogwood blossoms.
This one was about the size of thumbnail bed.
This crossing was easy though. : )
You’re not crazy and neither am I.
You can only see two of the falls in this picture. : )
Not as nice of a picture, but you can see all three falls now.
It was on Blaine’s plant ID app.
After that, we went to the Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation area. We decided the skies were bright enough we could ditch the raincoats permanently, but kept our jackets on.
Paul has a very interesting history! Read the next picture to the end if you’d like know what he’s most noted for!
The boys are climbing the ladder.
Oh, and we remained dry. Thank goodness!
In case you’re wondering about the numbers, we did the trail backwards. : )
That’s a Park Ranger looking at a stolen car!
As we returned to the lot, he wanted to know if it’d been then when we arrived and we told him yes.
Then he wanted to know if we’d seen any “weirdos” on the trail,
and we told him we’d seen no one at all.
Thank goodness!!
Pizza at Rocco’s was quite yummy! And priced reasonably. Probably because they’re outside the actual Branson touristy area. We had enough leftovers for a second meal. Which just proves my point. Another unplanned meal. 😊
Plus, we were really hungry. : )
In the evening, I visited BR’s Salon (Blaine Ronald 😊) for some much needed color, and we watched the 2014 movie, “Risen”. It’s the story of Jesus’s death and resurrection as told through the life of a Roman Centurion. We’d first seen the film around the time of its release, and remembered the basics of it. We were surprised that it was more ‘secular’ in its presentation. But I suppose that was the point. A pagan Roman soldier with doubts trying to figure out the amazing truth and what it means to him. And in the end, it still left you wondering exactly where he stood, but he’d left the service of Rome and was wandering around the country on his own. It’s sort of a waiting scenario, fitting for this Holy Saturday.
I keep telling them they should pose for those pictures that come with picture frames. : )
