What a Unique Place...

From time to time Deb and I sneak away for a couple days and this past weekend we took advantage of g-ma Appleby's generosity to watch the boys and headed to Eureka Springs, AR. While I have been close to (yes, broken arm park - Lake Leatherwood) ES I had never been TO/IN the town; that is no longer the case.

Friday afternoon I made it over to Jake's track practice where they had the 2nd Annual 'Cheeseburger In Paradise Run'. It is a tough speed workout (especially since it was raining on and off) with numerous repeats of 300m, 200m, and 150 blasts. On the final 150, prior to departure, each trackster has to consume a cheeseburger (donated by Burger King) then finish out the workout. It is highly recommended to wear you best beach/Hawaiian outfits and to keep the burger down once eaten. Jake ended up sporting a grass hula skirt and a tube-top (makes a father proud... sigh) while several of his teammates wore bikini tops (thought I was back in the Motherland with armpit hair and string tops). Only one 'up-chuck' victim this year; thanks Mike Jones for the display and sound effects.



Got home and helped Deb prepare for Saturday's garage sale.

Woke up early Saturday to dark rainy looking clouds; not good for Deb and her friends who were having a garage sale at our casa. Mid-morning Jake and I grabbed some breakfast at Brenda's before he headed off to do some school related shadowing/observation work with the SBU athletic trainers Between showers Ian and I worked prepping a corner of the yard for some shrubs. Pretty much the morning and early afternoon were relaxed and enjoyable.

Mid-afternoon Deb and I hugged the boys and loaded ourselves up for a much needed get-a-way weekend (Saturday afternoon through Monday evening) in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. As mentioned above neither Deb nor I had spent time there and at the advice of Ira we made reservations in the downtown/hippy area instead of the upper rim; great advice!

ES is a quirky place and one to which we will come back from time to time, but not often. It is amazing the buildings/structures still in place in such a vertically challenged area. The Basin Hotel was the right choice for us and one I'd recommend. It either rained or was overcast much of the weekend, but for our lazy weekend plans it was fine.

Saturday evening we ate at a decent Mexican spot (Casa Colina), walked around a little bit, grabbed some late dessert, and called it an evening...

Sunday's late wake up was just in time for me to catch L-B-L while Deb kicked back with a book. The rest of the morning and afternoon was spend wandering the shops, historic places, and residential areas of town all the time fitting in food, snacks, and cafe mocha. Once again ES is a odd place that I really like.



Deb and I brought a kit and shoes for hiking one afternoon and I thought about taking her over to the scene of the crime (place I dumped and broke my arm), but with all the rain the trails were too nasty so on pavement we stayed.

Sunday evening had us at the hotel restaurant for dinner, later at a local spot for a couple liquids(but no dessert as the place started rolling up by 9pm) and a late night stroll back to the hotel.

Monday morning Deb and I were up and at'em for breakfast at the Mud Street Cafe (solid coffee, muffins, and top three pancakes ever had). Afterwards Deb hit the spa while I kicked around town until departure a little before noon.

The drive in and out of ES are picturesque and worth the occasional 'pull over' views.

Headed over to Branson for a little shopping, lunch, and then hit the road back home. Intended to immediately hit the bike before dark, but one look at the yard made me hop on the mower for a little maintenance. Kept going as the evening progressed and got the shrubs in place and ready for some finishing touches. Spent some quality time with the boys before each drifted off to bed.

Got some ACT scores back for Jake and it turns out the boy isn't only fast, but also has a solid brain in his head (just a joke as we always knew). Between ACT and GPA he is going to rake in some nice academic scholarships to where ever he decides to go (nice for my wallet). He may look like me, but we all know he's got Deb's smarts (thank goodness).

Weekends like this are a must from time to time for Deb and I. I love my family and our time together, but need quality one-on-one time with my best friend. I am glad we both feel trips such as this are a top priority and I believe it is good for the boys to see how much we love and enjoy each other's company. Already making plans for the next one...