As I write this blog, I am on the third leg of my summer road trip. One reason I am motivated to write is because there is a lovely, gentle rain this morning. I have not seen rain in so long that I forgot how it "feels" to watch it.
This trip was quite spontaneous. Ron, Alex, and I were originally going to Mountain Harbor this week, but the triple digits caused us to postpone till cooler fall temps. Ron suggested I go ahead and visit my friend in Little Rock. I turned this idea into a bigger adventure by first going to Oklahoma City to see Robert and Mandy, next heading to Rogers, Arkansas, to see my cousin, Anita, and now in Little Rock with my life long friend, Kay Allen. This has been an incredible week and isn't over yet. However, it is time for me to start writing before I forget the details! :)
My stay in OKC was a quick 24 hours. Mandy had commitments so it was a 24/7 mother/son bonding with Robert! ha We had a great time just hanging out together. We ran errands, watched movies, ordered pizza, and had lots of great conversation and laughter. I got to get to know my GrandCats who were somewhat reluctant at first, but later were quite at home with me.
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| This is Archie. Archie is the newest member of the family and cute as can be. |
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| Meet Vicki Vale. She is a girlie cat through and through. |
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| Vicki decided my lap was just the place for her! |
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| Vicki was there to help me get ready Sunday morning. |
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| Robert and I consider our coffee time sacred every time we get together. Sunday morning we had an incredible breakfast at a place called The Hatch. |
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It is never easy to say good-bye to this guy.
After breakfast with Robert, I packed up and pointed my car toward Rogers Arkansas, to visit my cousin, Anita Jones. Anita and I always have a great time together. We have known each other since we were babies. As Anita loves to say, "We took our bottles together!" Anita and I spent most of our time spontaneously doing whatever we wanted to do. Unfortunately she took me to a darling boutique where I supported the owner quite well! We did a lot of exploring and we ate very well! We got our nails done, drove the backroads and spent time with her dear friend, Linda. I got to see her precious grandchildren and their parents. Great Visit!
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| Don't tell Anita but this is the main reason I go to see her. This is Mac and if Anita would have looked the other way, he would be my lapdog in Texas. Mac loves his Aunt Rosie! |
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| Just look at that precious face! |
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| This is a little peek at Anita's beautiful backyard. |
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| Cousins! |
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| You can see that this dog loves me! |
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| Anita with one of the owners of Soul Food. |
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| We ate at a place called Soul Food. The owners are from Des Arc, Arkansas! We got a vegetable plate of southern food that was absolutely incredible! |
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| Onyx Coffee Lab in Springdale, Arkansas |
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| There is always time for a delightful cup of coffee. |
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| Can't roam around without stopping at The Mercantile of Elm Springs. This was a wonderful antique store with a charming owner. |
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| Mike, an intern at this KYYA chocolate store, attends the University of Arkansas. However, he is from Dallas! |
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| This bag represents the shopping that took place at Wisteria Lane in downtown Rogers! |
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| Here I am leaving the hills of Northwest Arkansas and heading to Little Rock. Beautiful drive!I had a wonderful time visiting with Anita and Mac and look forward to my return. |
I always look forward to coming to Little Rock to visit Kay. We have a way of making our own fun. When I arrived on Thursday, Kay was getting ready for one of her million group of friends to come over for potluck. I had not met but two of these ladies before, so it was a great opportunity to make new friends.
On Friday Kay and I went to Beebe. Kay needed to visit some friends at the nursing home, so I took her car to go by my parents' graves. I first went to the Armed Forces Memorial to see where my dad and brother's names were engraved. Unfortunately, there had been damage to the slab that had their names so I was not able to take a picture. I took a picture of the American flag as it was flying beautifully with the blue sky in the background.
From there I went to the cemetery. Even though I know they are not "there", I find myself talking to them. This time I thanked them for the way they raised me and how their influence had affected the lives of my own children. I decided to take a picture when I realized there were no flowers in the little pot. The picture was going to look really bare, so I looked around, and when I knew no one was looking, I walked "next door" and borrowed some pink flowers from the "Hutchinsons" and put them in the little pot by my parents' graves. After I took the picture, I returned the flowers. I don't think the Hutchinsons minded! ha Well, after I left there, I decided to stop at a little shop across the street. Low and behold, there were some beautiful yellow jonquils (fake) in a tub by the door. These reminded me of the real yellow jonquils that used to line our backyard. So, I bought the flowers and took them back to the cemetery and put them in the little flower pot by the graves. I felt much better and was glad that the cemetery police didn't get me for "borrowing" the Hutchinsons" flowers. :)
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| The stolen flowers! |
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| After my theft! I finally got it right. |
After picking up Sandra Garrett, we traveled back to Little Rock to get ready to go to a David Phelps concert in Benton later that night. David Phelps is an outstanding tenor who is a spin-off from the Gaither Vocal Band. We were able to go to a meet and greet beforehand and the picture below shows him talking with the audience. The concert was not a disappointment. My very favorite song was when he sang, Nessum Dorma. It was absolutely incredible.
While we were at the concert it rained cats and dogs! I had not seen rain in weeks so it was a welcomed relief. The rain brought cooler temperatures that were really enjoyed the following day. I went outside during the intermission and snapped a quick picture of the night sky after the rain. We had a great time with our friend, VaLynn Mills also joining us.
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| David Phelps visiting with the audience. |
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| Beautiful night sky after the rain. |
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| Three girlies in the crowd! |
On Saturday we were off again! We picked up Moppy, one of Kay's besties, and headed out to a couple of estate sales. Fortunately for me, I didn't find anything that I couldn't live without. We then drove out from Little Rock to a place called Morris Antiques. This place had been in business for fifty years and today was its' last day to be open! So, we were a part of history as we walked through most of the nine buildings to see what was there.
The real treat, though, was where we went next! We went to a place called "Charlotte's Eats-N-Sweets which is known for its pies! The place had people standing outside, waiting to get inside. We were lucky and told we could go sit "at the long table in the back". Yes, we were good and ordered great salads to balance out the mile high meringue pies. Kay and Moppy got coconut and I got chocolate. For those of you from Beebe, it was much like the pie you would see at Anderson's Grill back in the day. Anyway, we shared and it was heavenly. The cool part about this place is that there is a board that lists the pies available. And, as they sell out, they flipped the signs over. You will see the Before and After signs. It was a hoot.
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| After 50 years, it is closing and we were there on the last day. |
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| This is where the best pies in the world are made. |
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| These were the pies that were available when we arrived. |
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| All the pies were gone by the time we left. |
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There are no words.
I now have to take a moment to include Kay's dog, Alvin, in my blog. As you can see in the picture, Alvin took a liking to me. Between Mac and him, I have certainly had my share of being loved by their furry animals.
We ended Saturday by a great get-together with more of Kay's friends. Kay cooked an incredible Southern type meal and it
was so enjoyed by all!!
On Sunday morning we woke up to temperatures in the 60s. Kay and I took our coffee outside and really enjoyed the beauty and peace of the morning before getting ready to go to her church.
After church, Kay, her sister, Merilyn, and I went back to Beebe to attend a special service of music at The Lighthouse Pentecostal Church where we were special guests of our friend, VaLynn. She is an unbelievable musician and we really enjoyed it. We spent most of the time there then returned to Little Rock and chilled out for the rest of the evening.
One of the highlights of my trip was to be able to spend time with my brother. Rob treated Kay and I to breakfast on Monday morning and we had a wonderful visit. I am so proud of my brother and love him very much.
One reason I stayed an extra day is because I wanted to get my "Lifetime Pass to the National Parks before the deadline date soon in August. :)
This has been an incredible Road Trip being able to go to Oklahoma City, Rogers, and Little Rock. I always love to see my friends and family from my home state because I care deeply about all of them. Tomorrow I will be leaving early to get back to Texas! After all, I have a hair appointment and that is one event that I cannot afford to miss!
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