We started the day by visiting the Oklahoma City Memorial. It was beautiful and moving. The bombing was hard to explain to the girls... They are older now than when we took them to the concentration camps in Poland, and they asked probing and insightful questions that defy explanation. At the heart of each one... Why? We were too early in the day to visit the museum, but we were lucky to meet a National Park Ranger who spoke eloquently and honestly about the Memorial and what it meant to the City of Oklahoma. The themes of healing and remembrance resonated with both M&M, and the ranger encouraged them to leave a chalk message in the plaza.
The remainder of the morning and part of the afternoon was spent driving to Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, MO. We have been billing this big to the girls, so they were every excited to arrive. Our cabin is small (we are staying at their Fish Camp Cabins - the only part of the property that allows dogs), but it has a beautiful view of Table Rock Lake! We went to two different swimming pools, and then enjoyed a BBQ dinner on our deck.
On the agenda for tomorrow... horseback riding, and more swimming!
Day 40
We started the day with horseback riding (for M&M), and a long hike for Bill, Kodiak, and I. The girls really enjoyed their ride and are hoping to do more in PA. The hike through Dogwood Canyon was beautiful... And, it was nice to have some time for conversation with just Bill!
After lunch in our cabin, we hit the pools! Big Cedar Lodge has several, but we returned to the two we had visited the day before... M&M loved the waterfalls and the lazy river... And, I did too! ;) After some pool time, we headed to the lake! Martha and Bill took out a canoe, Mary and I took out a paddle boat. It was soooo hot, I was ready to head back to the pools!
We ate dinner in one of the hotel restaurants... Walked around the lodge and shop, and roasted s'mores with some of the other guests. We ended the evening by changing our plans to visit Asheville... Kentucky, here we come (after our visit to Tennessee first!)
