“You’re in big trouble, Lav, with these G-Men,” ex top athlete Eddie whispered to Lav, taking her aside. “You stole an extra bbq meal in front of hundreds of people and even in front of a US Senator! The Lions members, Mr. Winterbottom and Duke Looney are witnesses as well. It’s lookin’ bad. I think we need MG here to help and use some of her ten dollar words.”

Lav looked depressed, “If you think so, Eddie. I’m not sure MG can afford
ten dollar words, especially after the Deadwood trip. Those slot machines really hypnotized her.”
Art Columbo and Smart Kojak, came closer. Mean, intimidating  and menacing were words that came to mind as Lav and Eddie stared. And those words were free.

“We need you to come with us for questioning M’aam. Winterbottom and Duke haven’t filed charges. They might go easy on you. However, you can ride in the back with the Senator. First we have to drive by the Murdo/Odrum town sign though, so the Senator can stop by it. He likes to clean and polish it and see his reflection in the sign.”

Eddie looked surprised. “Really!?! So you won’t need my help? I can draw a complete sketch of the auditorium and even the backstage scene of the so called crime, if you like. I can also outline one of our big bb games we played here!”

Just then MG ran up to the stern, mean, intimidating, menacing… you get it…G-Men.
“What are you doing to my Cousin?” she yelled.

Eddie blurted out, “They’re accusing Lav of stealing an extra meal she didn’t pay for, MG.”
“What? Lav is my cousin and she is just trying to get her $35 worth. Granted, she is cheap, in more ways than one, but I can help her. I will pay the extra $35 meal ticket, plus I will throw in a copy of my latest book…autographed even. Please forgive her.”

As Art and Smart thought about this, the Senator quickly walked by them coming outside from the auditorium with his bottle of Windex and micro fiber rag in hand. “Let’s go, men. I am ready to go clean up the sign outside town,” he said. Officer Smart ran after him to the black SUV and opened the door for the Senator.

“So we’re all settled on the stolen meal then, Mr. Columbo?” MG asked.

“Well, okay. Mrs. Columbo would like me to look the other way in this case and besides, we can’t usurp Murdo PD’s jurisdiction. We’re clear here. Oh, wait. One more thing. Officer Braveheart sent you a message. He said to tell you he misses the Brickhouse gang, but he loves his promotion to top Secret Service adviser at another house. A white one. ”With that he was gone.”

Lav gave her cousin a big hug, Eddie shook hands with them. The good old friend (some guy named Ralph) texted Lav:

-come out to the Buffalo. Do you know what their special is? Let’s meet up. I want you to see this cool mug I won today.

We’re Art, Smart and Braveheart…or something like that. We’re going back to the big house…er we mean the white house…yeah, the white house…

Disclaimer: For the protection of the innocent, the Triple E Drive in has entered into the witness protection program, hence the new name.

Pt 7: After the huge Murdo All School Reunion parade, MG took her cohorts
to the Triple AEIOU and sometimes Y drive in. She wanted to thank the people who carried the Murdo Girl banner, the ones who  sat in the back seat of the now famous Jag throwing candy to  the crowds and to the most careful driver ever. (The driver had to avoid masses of people trying to approach the car. They wouldn’t even step back after we threw candy at their heads!)

 Anyway, MG bought us all something after the parade, something  more valuable than burgers and fries, more delicious than onion rings and cokes. She bought us all milkshakes- any size we wanted –
any flavor we desired. (She quickly pointed out that she got a discount if we ordered size small and rhubarb flavor.)  Lav said she was showering us with thank you gifts that MG bought with her Deadwood Casino winnings, so I knew she’d be very generous, with a capital G. After all, she had spent a small fortune on the candy we threw. This would be big, as in the size of her crown, which barely fit through the sunroof – BIG.

Then she had her picture taken with the “rhubarb shakes and sundaes” sign at the drive in and some of us joined in the photo op. We sure felt special and we were still flying high from memories of the parade and the yells and loud clapping as our group drove down Main Street with MG, except the magnificent banner people who walked. MG kept  popping up through the roof of the car, a giant crown atop her giant…uhhh…beautiful head!
What a generous, kind gal!  I hope the Coyote can fit it all on one page.

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Prince Ken:  Who is that weird lady in the royal blue top
walking around looking at the old wagons and doll displays? How did she get in here? Do they let just any commoner in here now?

Bride Barbie:  I don’t know, but she
is about as old as the antique wagons.
Who is she fooling? No one said business casual on the invitation. She’s dressed in “old business swept under the rug casual”.

Barbie in blue and white gown: Right, how did they even let her In here?
It’s by special invitation only. I could reach out and touch her or maybe push her!  How can she dress like that and be out in public? Probably another sleezy tourist.  We only allow Guests in here.
Why didn’t someone tell her those pants are awful and faded in back? Besides this is a Royal Event.  What an embarrassment.

Clueless LAV:  (Thinking to herself.)
Maybe I can crawl up into one of these wagons and hide. Yeah, I could even take a nap in there! Plus I’ve seen enough. Dolls everywhere you look. Some are beautifully dressed.  Boy, these dolls look almost real. Spooky.  Hope I don’t get my jeans dusty and stretched out. I’ve only had them for 24 years.

Added the video below because we didn’t get enough photo’s of cousin Andrea’s truly amazing Doll Museum..The Long Barn…

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Pt. 5: The tour guide took the group out for breakfast. It was a sunny bright busy day in Deadlumber.  The young busy waitress was running around busily taking orders. The restaurant downstairs was busy with families and tourists enjoying their morning meal.
Their busy as a bee waitress took the group’s order. First the waitress took Lav’s order.  Gus went next, but the waitress paused and said, “I can’t take your order …. I can only take orders in clockwise order.”  The tour group looked at her, all eyes focused on her. Time stopped. The tour group took a breath.
Gus looked surprised, he stopped, staring, then politely said, “All right. Go ahead MG.”
MG and the tour guide followed directions. The waitress took their orders in clockwise order around the table.  (We knew we were just tourists.)
This was after all, the most important meal of their day. A busy day. After breakfast and packing up, saying good bye, the Tour Guide drove the group for two hours to their next destination:  Odrum Mackenzie.
It was a long drive to Odrum, but our tour guide kept us entertained. Somehow. Also, MG was interviewed via satellite inside the car by a very important news reporter, BARBARA Walters. But she kinda looked like Lav Yeckel.
As the tired tour group checked into their Odrum motel, they were happy to be told by the motel hostess that they each had their own room.  They were given info cards to fill out and keycard envelopes with strange codes written in the corners. The road weary warriors set down their heavy suitcases and bags. They waited for the guide to park the limo… they waited a long time because it wasn’t a limo. It was a car.
Lav asked the motel hostess, “Where is my room ? What room number do I
have? When is breakfast served?” (Lav asked a lot of questions.)
“Tut tut!” Interrupted the motel hostess. “I will give complete instructions and go over your orientation after all in your party have filled out your cards and are together here in front of my front desk!”
She was handling us like the tourists we were, tired, impatient and stressed.
“Do you want us to stand here at attention and in alphabetical order? We are used to being addressed in a clockwise order, if that helps,” MG informed her.
“Now, now, motel protocol requires I give the lecture, er, informative directions after you are entirely registered. I am NOT telling you individually.”
Our group waited. After all, we were only guests. (WHOOPS TITLE OF FILM SHOULD SAY TOURISTS NOT VISITORS…VISITORS ARE GUESTS…TOURISTS ARE NOT GUESTS, GET IT? GOT IT? GOOD!)

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I was waiting for Kip and the dogs to wake up from their nap so I thought I would make a video. Isn’t that what everyone does? I didn’t want to do the video over so if you can get through the short medley of tunes, I think you will enjoy hearing about and seeing Grandma Sanderson’s beads.

This evening, I will post cousin Lav’s next episode of our Deadlumber and Odrum trip. I have already read it and I LOL’d a lot. Lav uses the most descriptive words and she is so fun and funny.

Lav blew right passed solving the mystery in part 2 or 3. We’ll get the rest of the story later. I really want to know who used her toothbrush and why MG lost her head and feet.

Meanwhile…Lav gives us Part4

Part 4. Our tour took us all over Historic Deadlumber on the first leg of our exciting journey. We could hardly contain ourselves.  Gus pointed out the Courthouse, which doubles as the Post Office.  We looked at many old buildings.
Finally, Lav got to eat breakfast on the third day. It was at a quaint place called the Pit Stop, an old gas station converted into a bagel haven. Lav had a bagel with egg and cheese, as did MG and the Guide. Gus had crunchy oatmeal with four sides- raisins, brown sugar, chopped nuts and a side of mushy oatmeal. We all snapped pictures and talked while waiting for our food to arrive. It all arrived in time for lunch. We deleted most of the pictures taken because MG and Lav decided they both looked hunched over, tired and too laid back in the photos. However, the tour guide flashed a big smile the entire time. Such a mysterious guy.

Gambling was next on the tour. Lav excused herself from the casino leg of the tour to go buy postcards and souvenirs.  But first the tour guide had to take a nap.

Lav didn’t want the excitement and hysterical fun times to end so she slipped into the Adams Museum. She rushed past the host asking for donations, because she knew this museum had always been free. Grandpa Sanderson had always told us that. She was shocked to see a valuable old poster hanging there on one wall.

Holy Plumbing Shop! Could it be…was it possible …it was there at Adams museum….the painting her cousins had searched years to find?

MG speaking…

Boy, that Lav sure likes cliffhangers. What cousins? Did they confirm it was really the painting that hung above Lois Jaide’s desk at Francis Plumbing and Heating? What was the name of the painting and what did it depict? There might be some clues in the movie.

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You are in for a treat! Lav wrote part 3 of our trip chronicles. I don’t know what happened to part 2, but she hasn’t called me back, so we will go with part 3. It makes sense to me. What? Wait! It’s a mystery…It all happened at the Martin and Mason Hotel in Deadlumber, SD.

P.S from part 1: Lav told me later that she indeed had no dinner after arriving in Deadlumber town that night , and MG took a hungry Lav downstairs the next morning  at the M & M Hotel for breakfast and true to the town’s name, it was Dead…Closed for breakfast lunch and dinner on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. But we did get free tea and coffee and Lav had about ten teeny tiny white half and half containers full.  Wonder what’s for lunch? FAST FORWARD TO THAT NIGHT

Lav’s Mysterious Story…(She writes in 3rd person. Spooky movie at the end.)

Lav was sleeping soundly that night in the plush bed with the extra soft silky blankets and plump cushy pillows at Cuz Blake’s boutique hotel in Deadlumber, SD when she thought she was in California. It was dark, it was quiet and it was a sweet night in the suite MG and Lav shared, when the bed began to quake – as in an earthquake – maybe jerk is a better word. Wait, she thought, I am in this luxurious bed and half asleep. I need my beauty sleep. Turning over, she went back to sleep. 

In the morning Lav looked in the mini fridge. What? The tacos from the night before were gone as were her half eaten bag of potato chips. Lav loves a mystery but this was too weird. Also, 3 cans of Berry flavored ginger ale sat on the kitchen counter. Whoa. Then  M G appeared from the staircase, half asleep. “I had rested leg syndrome last night. Sorry if I woke you up,”she said. “I was in such pain. My meds help but it took a while for them to kick in.” (Kick is right.)

“I was wondering why the bed was shaking and quaking, but glad you’re okay. Can we get ready and go eat downstairs?” Lav said.

As Lav got ready to finally go eat, she noticed her toothbrush was in a different place on the beautiful white marble bathroom sink counter and another strangely colored toothbrush had taken it’s place. Dang! This was a mysterious old hotel. Lav was intrigued. Who was this MG roomie and why did she disappear in the night? More importantly, where was she getting all the ginger ale? Nothing beats a good mystery.

WHAT? YOUR GOING TO STOP THERE? Talk about a cliffhanger. Does rested leg cause people to steal toothbrushes? Does it have anything to do with being 70ish? I guess we’ll have to hide and wait to hear the rest of the story.

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