criplomats

Elk in Boxley

We are so enjoying our time in Arkansas, and keep commenting how good retirement looks…!

We spent time with David, Alison, James, and MaryBeth in the early part of the week, with a BBQ dinner one night and a picnic on the boat the next day – it was a gorgeous day.

On Thursday we drove to Fayetteville, stopping in North Little Rock for lunch with Doug and Deb. We stayed with Phillip and Michele but saw a lot of Pete and Ginger. Ginger took me to a fun flea market, and I picked up a cute table at Goodwill (I’ve been on a flea market kick this trip and have hit several – fun!).

We meandered home via back roads on Saturday and got lucky in Boxley where we saw elk babies! We tried hiking to Hawk’s Bill crag, but I got too tired after 1.5 miles so we turned back. (I’d love to try again when we’re better prepared). We had a great Whattaburger at the original place in Russellville, then continued down Hwy 7 to get home – great trip!

Red-bellied woodpecker

Turtles

James, Marybeth, David, Alison

Pete

Happy John

Pete and Ginger

Little waterfall in Boxley

On the road to Hawk’s Bill crag

Baby elk!

The week flew by! We are slowly getting over jet lag. We’ve done some shopping for the house and are just generally relaxing.

We had a great rib dinner at David and Alison’s last night, along with their good friend Peewee, who we always enjoy seeing. Earlier in the week, we went on a boat ride with D & A to celebrate the lake’s water level coming back up.

James and MaryBeth drove up from Texas today – they came over with D & A this afternoon. It’s so nice to see them!

The lake is so relaxing – we are really enjoying being home!

John and I finally got a break from work, and are back home in Hot Springs on R&R! We’re thrilled. It’s been a long 15 months with no leave. The trip was really long – over 40 hours total, but we eventually made it to Hot Springs in one piece and are enjoying the little condo we bought down the bay from David and Alison.

We arrived a little after midnight Sunday morning. Thanks to Jackie and Alison, we had food and all kinds of goodies waiting for us – it was so wonderful of them!

We’re thrilled with the condo. It’s so peaceful here, and we have a great view facing east. The first day, there was a lovely afternoon rain. There are ducks paddling around, and we wake up to honking geese and birds singing. Just what the doctor ordered!

There’s a doorway across the street from us that I guess leads to an upholstery shop, because often there are sofas and chairs in an array of colors  on the sidewalk. The other day, I saw a truck carrying a loveseat unlike anything I’ve seen: it was white with gold trim, and the back of the loveseat was about four feet tall – very throne-like. It made me wonder whose house it was going to.

Across the street from the sofa place are several small houses/storefronts with an alleyway that leads down into a little neighborhood. There are always a lot of people sitting on the sidewalk talking, and usually several babies crawling around their feet. For a while, there would be a woman bathing her toddler son in a plastic tub as I was coming home from work. Often there will be a line of used appliances for sale on the sidewalk. Sometimes it looks like one place is serving food. There’s usually a table with two or three folks playing a board game of some sort. Lots of activity for a 60-foot space.

For those of you who remember how much trouble I had trying to bend my leg again after that bad break in 2019, look at this! I can cross my legs and get about 95% into a yoga baby pose – yay!

Yay!