Misgivings

It’s official. We’re headed to Table Rock Lake for the first week of our summer vacation. Kimberling City, to be precise.

I’ve got a few misgivings. I don’t really know much about the area, but the more I learn, the less I like. This wouldn’t have been my first choice. Or my second. Or my 1000^th.

For one thing, it’s in the orbit of Branson, MO. I’ve never been to Branson, but I’ve heard stories. It really doesn’t sound like my cup of tea. In fact, there’s a website where you can put in your dates and get a listing of all the shows that will be playing when you’re there. And there are a bunch — like 60 or so. Yet not a single one of these shows looks even slightly appealing to me.

For another thing, my boss said the area is “crawling” with people in the summer months. And you know what kind of people these will be: Americans on vacation. Just like me. Ugh.

I’m afraid this may be the Myrtle Beach of the Midwest.

So why are we going there? It was just about the only place we could find an available condo this late in the game. Such is the nature of hand-me-down time-shares.

And maybe it won’t be that bad. The lake itself certainly looks nice, from satellite. There might be some good hiking and canoeing. The resort has a pool (an absolute requirement for Xy) and tennis courts and so forth.

But if anyone has any suggestions on what to do — or what to avoid — I’d love to hear ’em.