Arkansas!

August 6

Well, we did indeed get to spend time with old and dear friends while parked in Aledo, Texas at Cowtown RV Park.  The park was very accommodating.  When we got all hooked up, we noticed we couldn't open our front awning, so a guy came the next morning and lopped off a bunch of tree limbs until we could open our awning.

 

I had lunch with Wanice and as a bonus, she took me to visit her sweet mom, Janice Lane.  I had worked with Janice before I met Wanice and I have known Wanice for almost 40 years so I’ve known Janice longer.  What a treat! Wanice and Mike, Dale and Vicki and Jim and I went to Steve and Debbie’s house for dinner one night.  There were a lot of years of friendship gathered there that night.  Wanice brought a picture taken at her house in April, 1980, of the four of us pregnant so we all lined up and took another picture of the four of us today.  All the babies are grown and have babies of their own now. 

 

Brian, Jim and I went out for lunch on fathers’ day and then we went to an indoor go cart track.  Jim and Brain are all about driving fast.   I started to take a picture of the final board showing where they finished and Brian told me to wait because he would be at the top next time……and he was….the next two times.  The boy likes to speed!

 

We also took in a Ranger game while we were in the metroplex. 

 

When we left Texas we were driving into a storm so we stopped for the night in Oklahoma at WinStar Casino.  They have an RV park and the first night is free.  Well, we only needed one night so that worked out great! Then on to Fayetteville, Arkansas, or as Jim said, “returning to the mother ship”. Jim and I lived in Fayetteville for the first three years of our marriage while he attended and graduated from The University of Arkansas.  On this trip, we contacted some friends who live in Springdale and had dinner with them.  Don and Jim went to high school together in Mountain Home and I worked with Don’s wife’s mom at Wal-Mart Stores in Bentonville when it was a very small operation, 1971-1974. Her mom was Sam Walton’s secretary for many years. 

 

And now we are at Lake Norfork in Arkansas.  This is the lake where Jim’s mom and dad owned a marina while Jim was in high school and Jim’s whole family fell in love with this lake.  We camped here many times with our kids over the years always meeting up with other family members.  I must say I am REALLY glad we are not in a tent this year.  The rain has been relentless. 

 

We camped first at Cranfield Park.  On July 10, we were to go to Fayetteville for a wedding of the son of some old friends from Fort Worth.  That morning a park ranger came to our door and told us we had to be out of the camp by 3:00 that afternoon because the lake was coming up so fast that the only road in and out would be under water by later that day.  Most of the people packed up and went home.  Well, that isn’t an option when you are camped in your home.  Kathy, Jim’s sister, called her church and asked them if we could park in their parking lot.  So we packed everything up (which seems to take a couple of hours no matter how many times we do it) and parked at the church.  Then we packed all the food in coolers and an extra freezer at Kathy’s house, and went to the wedding.  Saw some great friends there and spent the night at a hotel.  Returned to the RV the next day but couldn’t move to our next camping spot until Sunday.  So we camped for a day or so with no hookups AND under attack from some renegade ants who came inside and started making their homes in our carpet.  Then we moved to Bidwell Point Park and, in spite of the rule allowing only two weeks at one park, we have been here for four weeks……….due to the fact that the spot we had reserved at another park was also under water. Did I mention the relentless rain?

 That's the road to the campground, which was cut off by rising water.

We have been quite busy during our time here. Jim, of course, works every day, family from Illinois came for a week,

The gang by the lily pad

Jake wondering, "How am I able to float without a noodle?"

"Pops" and little Millie fishing

I got food poisoning and was sick for a week and a half, we (OK, Jim) stained both decks at the vacation rental we own here with Jim’s sister,

 

 

his sister and I painted the kitchen cabinets in the vacation house, we went to karaoke night twice at the Elks Club (Jim does a mean Garth Brooks), we spent as much time as possible on the lake, Jim learned to drive a zero turn lawn mower,  we all worked one night to paint the building where our nephew has his business, 

and we went to Branson, Missouri.  We attended three shows in Branson.   All were really good.  There was one that was a show of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons songs.  Three of the singers and all of the dancers were from the UK.  The young man who did the high notes was quite amazing. 

Oh yeah, and while in Arkansas we did another thing…..ate at Arby’s.  Not a big deal, right?  EXCEPT that we discovered peach green tea.  SO yummy.  Now we are hooked. If you haven’t tried it, by all means, do!

It is a bit strange being in the same place for so long,


but we wanted to spend some quality time with the boat and, fortunately, it has run perfectly.  We have been docking it at the marina that Jim’s parents owned all those years ago.  It is still owned by the people who bought it from them in 1971.  We've had some beautiful days, gorgeous sunsets and moonlit nights.  That's what keeps bringing us back.

 

 

Today is our 44^th wedding anniversary.

 

Tomorrow we go back to Texas where we will leave the truck and the RV and fly to London to see our precious grandbabies and those two people with whom they live. J  It has been six months since I have seen them and I am suffering severe separation anxiety. 

 

And, honestly, we don’t know where we are going after that.  We know we will be back in Arkansas for a while in November to do a bit more work on the house and on December first we begin our winter sojourn in Florida where we hope to keep warm.  We had planned to go to Colorado after London, but we are having trouble finding an RV park with availability.  So there may be some wandering going on for awhile.  We’ll let y’all know where we end up.  Maybe at YOUR house. J