Off we go again, mom and me. This time flying to Tulsa, renting a car and driving over into Arkansas. We were so grateful to be able to stay with our awesome friends for a few days while checking out the area as well as getting to visit with my cousins who live about an hour from my friends.
As is our usual fashion (I’m working on changing this) the flight from Montrose to Dallas left late and so we barely made our flight from Dallas to Tulsa by the skin of our teeth. Something about weather in Dallas delaying the flight coming to Montrose blah blah blah….. On the upside, mom and I got to thoroughly enjoy our $24.00 Bloody Mary (in the fancy plastic cup) at the Montrose airport while we waited… [Yes, insert eyeroll here.]
Making to our flight from Dallas to Tulsa was super exciting as we had 20 minutes to go from terminal A to terminal C. Again, thanking God that mom requested a wheelchair and it was there waiting (with someone to actually push it) and we made it to our gate and passed the entire queue of folks in line on the jet bridge to get on. Fortunately, it was the south and people were kind and accommodating.
Getting to Tulsa, the wheelchair guy was again waiting – bonus – but mom was his last customer of the day. So when he saw his ride waiting for him just outside he parked her at the doors and said “Go to the parking garage to get your car” and took off running. That was a lovely mile-long walk but hey, at least she didn’t have to walk from the gate.
Got the car and we are off for our 2+ hour drive to Hindsville, AR. Still light out so that’s a plus. My map gal on my phone was apparently in a pissy mood so she would not work. After fiddling with things, we figured out mom’s map guy would work so we asked him to tell us the way.
When we managed to get back on the right road, the map guy is explicitly saying stay in the left lane to go onto (whatever road) so I did. About 2 seconds later Mr. Smartass says “in ¾ of a mile, make a U turn …” EYEROLL AND SIGH!
After all the excitement, we had an uneventful drive to our destination. UNTIL we got to Kelly’s road. Just as an aside, for those who may not be aware, Arkansas country roads at night are dark. I don’t mean you can see a speck of light here and there – I mean DARK. The beautiful trees are so lush and thick that the moon couldn’t buy a spot to shine into. And another little tidbit – Arkansas doesn’t really have a logical system to naming or numbering their roads either. (at least in THAT area)
SO, after a rather harrowing drive up a steep dirt road, Kelly said I’ll come get you at the gas station. Whew – it would have been a long night otherwise!
Friday morning was time to visit Fayetteville, run some errands and have brunch. We went to First Watch – which I had never heard of. But apparently there’s one in Grand Junction – just down the road. And all over the front range too. Great food and the Million Dollar Bloody Mary was yummy!
Friday afternoon by the pool! My very favorite-est getting to lay in the sun and enjoy some heat and humidity. LOVE LOVE LOVE! While enjoying, Skipper, the chocolate lab, entertained us with his fetch and swimming antics. Sweet baby. An awesome, relaxing afternoon.
Saturday mom and I head from Hindsville to Harrison where my cousins Lynn and Bill live. We had lunch with them at Jamie’s Restaurant. (Or Jamie S Restaurant depending on where you see the name in print…) Mom had to have some fried catfish so that’s the spot. We got to experience deep fried bacon for the first time. It wasn’t bad, but meh… (I’d rather have a nice crispy piece of bacon.) Catfish and one of my favs –deep fried pickles were great. And awesome visit with family!
My cuz Bill inherited his dad’s farm up on Gaither Mountain. He took us up and showed us around the farm as well as the Hilltop Cemetery nearby where a lot of their side of the family are buried in. Beautiful place. And while Gaither Mountain is “only” 2,150 feet in elevation, it has some amazing views. Plus I just love all the trees – spectacular foliage, super green and lush!
Sunday morning we went to Granny’s Kitchen for breakfast in Huntsville. What a sweet little place with great food and unbelievable prices! Cheap as and worth much more than we paid. She even offers biscuits with chocolate gravy. Now, my family has a chocolate syrup recipe that has been passed down and we eat it on pancakes. So of course mom and I had to try the chocolate “gravy.” We decided it was more like pudding than gravy but it was still tasty.
Then we got to tour Eureka Springs – what a cute, cool town! They have a t-shirt:
Homos &
Hippies &
Harleys &
Hillbillies &
Holy rollers
Pretty apt! We took the trolley tour around town and saw some really amazing sites. [That’s a whole blog post in itself.] The town has so much history and trivia in addition to the beauty. If you’re ever in NW Arkansas or near there, it’s worth the visit.
That evening we went to the wine bar “The Stone House.” Perfectly named as it is a house made of stones. And the wine and charcuterie we had were fantastic. There was a sweet lady in there who was celebrating her (deceased) husband’s birthday and she made his favorite dessert to share with us all. Apple pie with cheddar cheese. I had heard of it before but hadn’t ever gone out of my way to have it. I mean, I like apple pie and I like cheddar cheese but don’t see how they go together. So I tried it. It tastes EXACTLY LIKE apple pie with a piece of cheddar cheese on top. LOL. I guess it’s all about what you’re used to. But we sang happy birthday to her hubby and showed her some love.
Monday morning was a relaxing morning just repacking our carry-on’s and getting ready to head back to Tulsa. Our flight back to Montrose leaves at 6:00am on Tuesday morning so we spent the night at the Hilton Garden Inn next door to the airport. Nice place with attached restaurant and a shuttle.
Another great adventure with mom is now in the books. I’m truly blessed and grateful for our adventures even though sometimes we have a little blip. See you when I write the next one up!
Click on the photo to see full size with description.
As is our usual fashion (I’m working on changing this) the flight from Montrose to Dallas left late and so we barely made our flight from Dallas to Tulsa by the skin of our teeth. Something about weather in Dallas delaying the flight coming to Montrose blah blah blah….. On the upside, mom and I got to thoroughly enjoy our $24.00 Bloody Mary (in the fancy plastic cup) at the Montrose airport while we waited… [Yes, insert eyeroll here.]
Making to our flight from Dallas to Tulsa was super exciting as we had 20 minutes to go from terminal A to terminal C. Again, thanking God that mom requested a wheelchair and it was there waiting (with someone to actually push it) and we made it to our gate and passed the entire queue of folks in line on the jet bridge to get on. Fortunately, it was the south and people were kind and accommodating.
Getting to Tulsa, the wheelchair guy was again waiting – bonus – but mom was his last customer of the day. So when he saw his ride waiting for him just outside he parked her at the doors and said “Go to the parking garage to get your car” and took off running. That was a lovely mile-long walk but hey, at least she didn’t have to walk from the gate.
Got the car and we are off for our 2+ hour drive to Hindsville, AR. Still light out so that’s a plus. My map gal on my phone was apparently in a pissy mood so she would not work. After fiddling with things, we figured out mom’s map guy would work so we asked him to tell us the way.
When we managed to get back on the right road, the map guy is explicitly saying stay in the left lane to go onto (whatever road) so I did. About 2 seconds later Mr. Smartass says “in ¾ of a mile, make a U turn …” EYEROLL AND SIGH!
After all the excitement, we had an uneventful drive to our destination. UNTIL we got to Kelly’s road. Just as an aside, for those who may not be aware, Arkansas country roads at night are dark. I don’t mean you can see a speck of light here and there – I mean DARK. The beautiful trees are so lush and thick that the moon couldn’t buy a spot to shine into. And another little tidbit – Arkansas doesn’t really have a logical system to naming or numbering their roads either. (at least in THAT area)
SO, after a rather harrowing drive up a steep dirt road, Kelly said I’ll come get you at the gas station. Whew – it would have been a long night otherwise!
Friday morning was time to visit Fayetteville, run some errands and have brunch. We went to First Watch – which I had never heard of. But apparently there’s one in Grand Junction – just down the road. And all over the front range too. Great food and the Million Dollar Bloody Mary was yummy!
Friday afternoon by the pool! My very favorite-est getting to lay in the sun and enjoy some heat and humidity. LOVE LOVE LOVE! While enjoying, Skipper, the chocolate lab, entertained us with his fetch and swimming antics. Sweet baby. An awesome, relaxing afternoon.
Saturday mom and I head from Hindsville to Harrison where my cousins Lynn and Bill live. We had lunch with them at Jamie’s Restaurant. (Or Jamie S Restaurant depending on where you see the name in print…) Mom had to have some fried catfish so that’s the spot. We got to experience deep fried bacon for the first time. It wasn’t bad, but meh… (I’d rather have a nice crispy piece of bacon.) Catfish and one of my favs –deep fried pickles were great. And awesome visit with family!
My cuz Bill inherited his dad’s farm up on Gaither Mountain. He took us up and showed us around the farm as well as the Hilltop Cemetery nearby where a lot of their side of the family are buried in. Beautiful place. And while Gaither Mountain is “only” 2,150 feet in elevation, it has some amazing views. Plus I just love all the trees – spectacular foliage, super green and lush!
Sunday morning we went to Granny’s Kitchen for breakfast in Huntsville. What a sweet little place with great food and unbelievable prices! Cheap as and worth much more than we paid. She even offers biscuits with chocolate gravy. Now, my family has a chocolate syrup recipe that has been passed down and we eat it on pancakes. So of course mom and I had to try the chocolate “gravy.” We decided it was more like pudding than gravy but it was still tasty.
Then we got to tour Eureka Springs – what a cute, cool town! They have a t-shirt:
Homos &
Hippies &
Harleys &
Hillbillies &
Holy rollers
Pretty apt! We took the trolley tour around town and saw some really amazing sites. [That’s a whole blog post in itself.] The town has so much history and trivia in addition to the beauty. If you’re ever in NW Arkansas or near there, it’s worth the visit.
That evening we went to the wine bar “The Stone House.” Perfectly named as it is a house made of stones. And the wine and charcuterie we had were fantastic. There was a sweet lady in there who was celebrating her (deceased) husband’s birthday and she made his favorite dessert to share with us all. Apple pie with cheddar cheese. I had heard of it before but hadn’t ever gone out of my way to have it. I mean, I like apple pie and I like cheddar cheese but don’t see how they go together. So I tried it. It tastes EXACTLY LIKE apple pie with a piece of cheddar cheese on top. LOL. I guess it’s all about what you’re used to. But we sang happy birthday to her hubby and showed her some love.
Monday morning was a relaxing morning just repacking our carry-on’s and getting ready to head back to Tulsa. Our flight back to Montrose leaves at 6:00am on Tuesday morning so we spent the night at the Hilton Garden Inn next door to the airport. Nice place with attached restaurant and a shuttle.
Another great adventure with mom is now in the books. I’m truly blessed and grateful for our adventures even though sometimes we have a little blip. See you when I write the next one up!
Click on the photo to see full size with description.
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