Fayetteville Visit

Well, here we are in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for three weeks. One week has already passed and it has been filled with family time, new restaurants, computer time, a bit of shopping...just the things I love to do. (Except maybe the shopping part...as I get older, I mostly shop when I have to. I had to because Randy blew out his tennis shoe the first day he was working with his tool guy and he called me and asked that I get him another pair that day.)

We spent our first evening hanging out at our place (motor home) with our niece Manon. Then she came over again a couple of days later and I made Phillie Cheese sandwiches...really good. This is a picture of her with her niece Lyssa in her Halloween costume. Manon works on her own and does remodeling and computer support.

The next aftenoon was Labor Day and our niece Paula came over. We visited over a glass of wine, then Randy suggested that we go to Panera Bread for mac and cheese. I would say theirs is "to die for", but I really don't want to die over a bowl of mac and cheese, so I prefer not to use that term. But theirs is really good!!! This is Paula. She's a banker...actually a commercial loan officer...I don't know her exact title.

 The next day my sis-in-law Linda picked me up at noon after the torrents of rain stopped...some parts of Rogers reportedly got 5-9 inches overnight. Anyway, we dropped Red Dog off at Dog Party (doggie day care) and met Manon for a WONderful lunch at Mama Z's. We opted for the special because I wanted to go back there with Randy and try the spaghetti. The special of the day was turkey and dressing with all the fixins and, you guessed it, it was WONderful!!! We spent the rest of the afternoon on errands (hers and mine), then Randy and I had dinner with Linda at Taste of Thai...another great meal. This is Linda (above) and Red Dog (below).

So you see, all I'm doing is eating and visiting.

Not so with Randy. The reason we're here for three weeks is because he's training a new tool dealer (Cornwell Tools, the oldest mobile tool company). They spent the first three days loading all the new tools on the tool truck and went out on the route on Friday. Randy will ride with him for two weeks before he's on his own, with MUCH telephone support from Randy.

Now, back to the eating part...Paula took us out on Friday night to Noodles where we had Margherita Pizzas. Not to be confused with margaritas to drink, they are actually named after a girl. They were almost to die for. Saturday morning we had a huge buffet breakfast, then went to visit our nephew John and family, Erin and Lyssa and baby-on-the-way. We toured the large addition onto their home...it's great...very roomy and colorful. Lyssa was allowed to choose the colors of her bedroom...purple and green...turned out to be a good choice! Then we got to read Lyssa a story and watch her build blocks as tall as she is (almost 3 years old now).

Well, yesterday was Sunday and guess what we ate? All the leftovers!!!

I hope this didn't wear you out. But the thing is, normally I never have this much going on. But as everyone who knows me is aware, I'm a very detailed person. Bet you can't wait to hear about this week!

Plumerias

This is how our beautiful plumerias look when they bloom.

This is the yellow one and it bloomed out while we were in Las Vegas last week. Yellow is one of my favorite colors.

These are three pictures of our pink plumeria. It's been blooming all summer.

Randy's sister, Dorothy Ann, gave us all these. They are huge and I plan to cut them back when we bring them into the garage this winter.

I also have a new red plumeria that a sweet friend brought back to me from Hawaii. She returned to Arkansas recently when her husband was deployed to Afghanistan. She brought me five cuttings and I planted one and shared the others. Mine is about 8 inches tall and looks like a stalk. I don't know how long it'll take for it to bloom...maybe even 2-3 years??

Plumerias are very easy to grow, but I don't think you could grow them further north than we are in southern Arkansas. They like sun and humidity. Rather early in the fall we bring them into our garage. They stay there all winter with no watering. All the leaves fall off. In the late spring Randy puts them back out on the deck and waters them good. Soon they begin to leaf out. They haven't bloomed every year, but now they are taller than me.

I have certainly done a terrible job on the spacing of the pictures in this post, but apparently I still have a lot to learn about this blog site. I can't get the pictures quite where I want them, nor can I delete any of them. Maybe next time...

Update

I really abandoned my blog didn't I? Here it is June 2010, and I haven't posted anything since February 2008. And I only had 5 posts before that. Hmmm...fickle woman!

The reason I'm motivated to post now is because I have a new friend Lavonda, and she has a very active blog. I love reading hers so I had to figure out how to sign into Google so when I comment on her blog, I will get an email when/if she answers back. Her husband Rick is an insurance adjuster and they travel all over the U.S. in their 5th wheel RV. When they are deployed, they have to leave at the drop of a hat and may be driving clear across country. As you may guess, we met at EZ Daze RV Park in Southaven, MS. Most of you probably know that we spend a LOT of time there for Randy's job. So Lavonda and I had a good time for a couple of days talking about the fun (and not so fun) aspects of RVing. You might want to check out her blog at http://www.writeforhim.blogspot.com/ ... I think you'll be blessed if you do.

We have a heat advisory here in Arkansas all weekend so we're just staying in, eating blt's and corn on the cob. The only other thing interesting going on is the tree croaker on our living room window. At first he was in the plumeria (our beautiful Hawaiian plant getting ready to bloom). Then he ooched over onto the window, so I've been trying to catch him moving around. And I did!

Looking at a Motorhome in Southaven, MS - Travel Supreme (Envoy)

Looking at a Motor Home in Little Rock - Monaco (Camelot)

Doe's Eat Place

Have you ever been to Doe's in Greenville, Mississippi? What a treat. According to an article in Southern Living, it is "a Greenville landmark with tamales and 5-acre steaks. (Sharing is allowed.)" We went there last night with our friends Roger and Julie. When you walk in through the kitchen, you have to get your sea legs because the floor is very uneven. You get to see all the food being prepared as you enter. Then you are seated at folding tables covered with vinyl tablecloths. Our favorites are tamales, salad, french fries and steak (usually a filet). However, if we visited there often enough, we would want to try their shrimp, gumbo and spaghetti. There is at least one other Doe's but the one in Greenville is the original and, if you live anywhere within 200 miles or so, you should experience the atmosphere at least once in your life. The steaks are so amazing!

Oh! And don't forget! Be sure to stop by and meet Doe and his son (Doe) on your way in or out. The ladies always get a hug!

We were full, but not too full to play several rousing hands of Spades when we got home. I won't say who won!

Check out these articles on Doe's Eat Place from Southern Living:

http://www.southernliving.com/southern/travel/food/article/0,28012,631149,00.html

http://www.southernliving.com/southern/travel/heritage/article/0,28012,220214,00.html (on page 2)

Randy

This is Randy... the love of my life.

He's a District Manager for Cornwell Tools. His district covers Arkansas, western Tennessee and northern Mississippi. We spent a LOT of time in Tennessee in 2007. We will be heading there in February of this year.