Thanks to Our Friends on the Road

As Max and I meander along the highways (and even gravel roads!) on our cross-country roadtrip, we are having fun with family and friends, new and old. Here are a few of them:


Kendyl Nitschke of Raleigh, NC


Gwen & Larry Brody of Freck, AR


Roger & Kay Branson of Edmond, OK


Katie, Chris & Lydia Stavinhoa of Houston, TX

We're off to Austin, now!

Tourist Branson and Writer's Camp

OK, so I didn't make it to a show, but Max and I walked up and down the Branson strip for a day or two, and spent the last day in historic downtown Branson, MO, as a bonafide tourist:



After Branson, MO, we headed to the roaring metropolis of Freck, AR, where Cloud Creek Institute for the Arts is located, home to TV Writer Larry Brody and his famous TV writing class...The town is soooo small that there are more residents here than in town:



Max had a great time chasing bunny rabbits, sniffing chickens and cowering from the world's largest dogs--called "horses."



We spent a night out in the deep, dark woods of Arkansas where there are NO GHOSTS, despite what everyone said and despite the fact that Max kept growling at something I couldn't see and followed it around the cabin we stayed in...

Thanks to the Brody's for their hospitality and large movie collection...I finally saw Doubt and Revolutionary Road, saving me about $10 at the video store...and for all of the encouragement and advice...Larry was smart enough to marry a woman from the big city of Ada, OK, so he can't be all bad - despite his long tenure in LA.

After a relaxing couple of days, it was off to OKC down the winding road of US Highway 412...

Branson, MO

Two nights in my namesake town was quite enough...It was weird to see my name posted everywhere...even weirder to see people who look like my family everywhere...Max did a little exploring of his own--under the bed:


...and he is the one who noticed the arrow to the scenic view -- it overlooked an amusement park ride:

...and it is he who noticed the placard stating that we were at the outlet mall only a day or two before it's 15th anniversary:

...so of course we shopped...he found a nice new water bowl from Coleman and a cool bungee cord leash (not from the outlet mall but from Branson Paw Place):


...enough with the buffets and country cooking...my waistline can't take it.

Off we go today to check out a writer's colony just an hour south of here, across the Arkansas border...we took a GREAT TV writing online class (using video) from Larry Brody of TV Writer ...tell them Juli and Max sent you!