"You can sell your paintings on the sidewalk..."

It's been a rough year, a tiring past six months, and a b*tch of a few weeks. It was decided that getting away was necessary, if not imperative! So we chose Eureka Springs and a three day weekend to accomplish this goal. I'm pleased to say the trip was a success. We came back less tired, more refreshed, and no longer snapping at innocent people who had the gall to speak to any of us. *L* Seriously, it was that bad - but it's better now.

Eureka Springs was somewhat different than I had imagined and it's a very unique place. Kind of like O.C. in that, once it was a grand and elegant place to go - now it's fun and kitschy, a little faded around the edges but still worthwhile as a destination. I've put some pictures in the album - go here if you'd like to see them.

Eureka Springs has become a community of artisans. You can find craftsmen (and craftswomen) working in just about any medium you could name - paint, beads, needlecraft, glass, metals, and others. There were wonderful little boutiques and a crazy touristy t-shirt shop. There were antiques and fine jewelry and handsewn clothes and, yes, an artist selling his paintings on the sidewalk in the park.

The restaurants in the historic area are also interesting - ranging from fine food to pub grub. Outside the historic area was your basic motel restaurants, BBQ places, and one McDonald's. *L*

The hotels go from your typical chains like Days Inn and Best Western to cabins in the woods that you can rent to little B&Bs. In the historic area downtown the hotels are also historic and tend towards the Victorian era in decoration. Yes Victoria, that means tiny beds and small rooms and LOTS of stairs. We stayed at a place that had slightly hard beds, an okay jacuzzi in each room (not as big as was advertised), and a really nasty pool - so we didn't get to swim. If we ever go again I think we'll opt for one of the chains - at least with them you have some idea of the quality you're getting and you have an option to complain if the pool isn't as advertised. *L*

The people of Eureka Springs are very friendly and they really don't make you feel like a tourist. You know how some artists get a major chip about staying true to their art even when they have to be a bit commercial to survive. These people have come to very graceful terms with it - they KNOW they are artists and in order to do the art their soul inspires them to, they have to make a living. They're very comfortable with this and I didn't see a one of them look down their noses on the creations they made to sell or on the people who bought them. Mind you though, some of the artists are...ahem... extremely proud of their art. *L* Several things were way beyond my bank account.

Another tidbit that I did not know about the place - it is very "alternative lifestyle" friendly. There is a thriving gay community in Eureka Springs and, while they don't advertise this fact, they also don't hide it. I admit that I didn't pay much attention to the propensity of rainbow flags and such around but it made sense after I spent some time there. After we had come back I was talking about the trip at work and one of my friends mentioned it. She had gone with her partner and they met several other couples from the town. She said they both felt very comfortable there - more so than almost any place else they had gone together. I was glad to hear that - both she and her partner are very nice and I'm glad they found a place where they can relax and be themselves.

Some of the pictures you'll see are a recreation of the "Great Eureka Springs Bank Robbery". Apparently some desperados from Oklahoma (doesn't it figure) thought they'd grab some quick cash by driving over to a small town, robbing the bank, and heading back over the OK line to get lost. Well, apparently the bank had a silent alarm that sounded in the other businesses along Spring Street. They hit the alarm and the other business owners responded with guns ablazing! The outlaws were killed and the money was saved. They recreate this each year during the Classic Car celebration. We had no idea those would be going on the weekend we chose but they were pretty cool! *G*

We also made a visit to the Cosmic Cavern before heading for home. I haven't been to a cavern like this since many years ago at Luray. It was pretty cool - the cavern is still growing and they still haven't found the end of it. We took the regular tour but there is also a "Wild" tour that takes you into the undeveloped parts. You have to sign a waiver of course - and you have to wear a hard hat and be prepared to rappel and climb in and out of small spaces and be dressed a certain way to do that tour. Our guide said that at one point in the wild tour you have to climb straight up about two stories or so. Maybe not much for a climber but Toto-ly impossible for ME. *L* As it was I enjoyed the formations and the small lake with the blind cave trout. Oh, and when they discovered the last room on the developed tour it made the news and one of the cable channels, maybe National Geographic, did a special on it and the room they call the Crystal Cathedral. The last room they call the "Oh My God" room - since that's usually what people say when they see it. We had a little girl named Rachel on our tour and she did very well. We all got a bit of cave mud/slime on our hands and she got some on her legs. When we got back to the surface she and I shared some wet paper towels to get cleaned up. *L* Then her mom gave her a baby wipe and got the rest of the mud off. I have some pictures but haven't added them to the albums yet.

When we left to come home we drove down by Beaver Lake. Absolutely beautiful! Also have pictures of these but not posted yet.

And before leaving Ark. we stopped at Pea Ridge Military Park. Lots of history, every bit as moving as any of the battlefields I've visited on the East coast. Again, pics, but not yet posted. *L* I'm such a slacker. Probably the most moving thing there - they have an actual part of the Trail of Tears running through the park. It's amazing to look down at a worn down path and realize whose feet wore those grooves into the earth - and why. It gave me a very eerie feeling to stand in that path and wonder what they saw and what they felt - and to know that I'll never know. I can read about it. And I can take what other's have surmised and draw my own conclusions, but it'll never be exact. That should never stop us from learning from the past.

All in all it was a very nice, bohemian sort of vacation and I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

"That old wind had finally found it's way home..."

Patrick Swayze
1952 - 2009

May you rest in Peace.

"He isn't much in the eyes of the world..."

"He'll never make history
No, he isn't much in the eyes of the world
But he is the world to me."

Happy Father's Day Poppy!!!

I love you and I miss you - always!

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

I've been trying to figure out how to embed a widget so you could, if you choose, listen to some of the songs I currently have on my mp3 player. I decided to try this one on the recommendation of Blogger. Please let me know what you think of the player and what you think of the music.

Some of these you might recognize, even if you don't know why. If you haven't already figured it out - both "Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop" and "Sweet Pea" are the full songs from AT&T commercials. *L* Hey...what can I say, I really like the songs! Just click on each song icon to listen - single click, if you double click it won't play. To hear another song just click on the grey X to return to the list. And don't forget to have your sound turned on!! Hope you enjoy!

"Science fiction.....double feature..."

"Dr X....will build a creature
See androids fighting.......Brad and Janet
Anne Francis stars in........Forbidden Planet
Wo oh oh oh oh oh
At the late night, double feature, picture show"
from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"

So...we went down to Houston to see Phillip and
Stephanie and Bryan last weekend. Phillip and
Steph were very good hosts and we did several interesting things. One of their ideas was to go to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Katy, Texas. Phillip currently teaches at a school in Katy, that's why we chose this one. Anyways - this was truly a unique 'dinner and a movie' experience!

We saw the new "Star Trek" movie - which in my opinion was pretty good, very funny, and quite enjoyable. In each theater there are the usual rows of seats (very comfortable too) but with a bar type table running in front of them. You choose your seat, peruse the menu, write what you want on the order papers and place them in the holder at the front of the bar table. A waiter/waitress comes and gets your order, then brings your dinner to you. It's an eclectic menu - everything from pizza and chicken strips to Asian salads. We all had pop but of course you can order from an extensive selection of beers and wines. The wait staff will come back and check on you frequently but they don't disturb you during the movie. You can order up until last call which is about 30 minutes before the movie ends. During the movie I had the potato skins, which were REALLY good, and the chicken strip dinner. The barbecue sauce was a bit odd - it had a kind of citrus after-taste - but the chicken was good and the fries were wedge-cut steak fries with a seasoning over them. All in all it was delicious! I wish we had something like this in Oklahoma - I would definitely be a more regular movie-goer!

To see more about the Drafthouse Cinema they have a web site at http://www.drafthouse.com/. As I said, we went to the one on Mason in Katy.

"M is for the many things she gave meeeee...."

To the woman who:
- endured numerous choruses of the seven-part harmony of "Are we there yet????",
- received enough macaroni necklaces that, if they were diamonds, she would have been richer than Bill Gates,
- cooked enough spaghetti / bean soup / beef stew to feed an army (and she did! *LOL*),
- worked in enough classrooms to qualify as a teacher,
- baked enough birthday cakes to truly be the "Ace of Cakes",


HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY NANNY!!!

"Oh nothing can stop the U.S. Air Force!"

I don't know if this is only in Oklahoma...but I sure hope not. Awhile ago I was at Wal-Mart picking up a few things. I walked out into the parking lot headed for my car. Directly in front of me was a young Black lady dressed in fatigues - obviously from Vance AFB.

As we walked up the aisle of the parking lot and she reached a battered pickup truck, we both heard a loud rumbly yell, "HEY LADY!!" The young woman almost jumped out of her skin and turned to look in the direction of the roar. I stopped several feet behind the young woman to make sure she would be okay. An older caucasian man, easily 60-65 years old, big and burly, jumped out of the passenger's side of the truck. She looked pretty frightened - then he snatched the hat off of his head and yelled, "Thank you for serving Ma'am! I appreciate it!" I saw all of the tension drain out of her and she stood up straight and faced him directly and said, "You're welcome sir, it's an honor!"

I watched her walk to her car with her head up high and pride in her step. My face was wet by the time I got to my car and I was thinking that I sure hope this isn't the only place that happens. I hope it's happening everywhere!

Please remember - the branch of the military doesn't matter - if you see a soldier, airman, seaman, marine, etc., thank them! These days there is no such thing as "Peace time service".