Arkansas Visit

Thought I would share some photos from our trip to Arkansas to see my Dad on his 81st birthday. I will save the birthday party photos for a future post.

This was our airport breakfast. It was stuffed with ham & cheese. All the restaurants were open at 8:30 in the morning - even Popeye's serving chicken. I was surprized when I saw that pile of fried chicken that time of morning. Oh, has anyone else noticed that if you have a drink in the gate area that security people walk around and stick something in it to test it?

This is the Monticello Healthcare facility where my Dad is staying. One of my high school friend's mother is also there. They used to be next door to each other but they had to move my Dad closer to the nurses's station so they can get to him faster - when he wants up, he wants up right then. He's taken some falls and one resulted in a broken hip.

He doesn't like it when his hair gets too long (I should remind him of his photos from the 70's, LOL) so we found a barber shop.

After the haircut. I think she gave him an extra short cut because he went so lkong between haircuts that this cut would buy him some time.

A typical meal when in Arkansas - fried catfish, hush puppies, okra, and corn fritters. I don't remember corn fritters when I grew up in Arkansas. Inb fact the first place I ever had them was in Anchorage but they are good. I don't believer Jerry has ever been to Dumas without eating at Catfish Kitchen.

I'm In Arkansas

Trip was uneventful which is a good thing when you are flying ;)

We had a little birthday party for Dad last night - it was his 81st. I have photos but I probably won't post them till I get home because not downloading them to Dad's computer.

Today we took him for a haircut and then to have his car serviced and then lunch. He's gotten skinny so it felt good to watch him eat well.

Last night driving from Monticello to Dumas was eventful. We saw a deer, a possom, a coyote, and unfortunatly, we ran over an armadillo. Someone on FB told me that God made armadillos so that Texan's could enjoy possom on the half shell :)

In Dumas Arkansas

I'm at my Dad's house - just got here a few minutes ago. Been with him at the hospital for the last couple nights with no internet access. Seems like a reasonable thing to put in a hospital room to me :)

He was moved to the rehab wing late yesterday. I peeked in through the window a couple different times today to watch him do physical therapy. On the weekends they do one group therapy session for 3 hours. During the week they do two 1 1/2 hr session and they are individual with speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. I will go back to Pine Bluff tomorrow to be with him.

With the excess of rain in this area everything is so green! Looks like Kodiak or Seattle, LOL. Maybe I will get lucky and see an old high school friend of two!

Vacation Photos - Dad's 80th Birthday

It's gonna take a while to catch up on vacation photos and stories. I'll start with the most important reason we went to Arkansas and Missouri - Dad's 80th birthday. After a great time in Branson with the cousins, Dad, Jerr & I returned to Dumas (where there was no wireless available) on Tuesday, October 14th. My step-siblings cleaned the house and decorated for the party while we were in Branson. They made steaks, salad, twice-baked potatoes, and a birthday cake with 80 candles on it!

Siblings Justin & Hannah - two of the three kids of my stepsister Ann & her husband Eddie

My step sister Ann. It ended up taking 4 of us to get all those candles lit at once. Needless to say, there was a lot of wax on that cake.

Jarrod, one of two sons of my step brother Terrell & his wife Phillis. I graduated high school with Phillis. In the background is Eddie, Ann's husband.

My Dad all full from a big dinner. Ann make him a special hamburger steak smothered in onion and brown gravy.

Party scene clockwise at 12 o'clock: Paul (my step sister Reba's husband), Justin, Lawrence (my step sister Judy's husband), Judy (backside), step sister Reba (backside) and my step brother Terrell.

My step sister Reba on the left and Phillis (Terrell's wife) on the right.

My step sister Samantha - the baby!

The last one is of Andrew, Ann & Eddie's boy.

Leaving Branson

We're up early, had our coffee & breakfast, and just finished packing up to head to Dumas. Today is Dad's 80th birthday and we are having a celebration for him at his home.

Last night we went to the steakhouse in the hotel parking lot but I had catfish. Yesterday was the perfect culinary day = biscuits & gravy for breakfast, BBQ for lunch, and catfish for dinner, LOL. After dinner we went to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum and brosed around for about an hour. It was interesting and low impact.

We are leaving shortly and planning a stop in Little Rock for lunch (Whole Hog Cafe) and to purchase a couple of potted mums for the house. Jerry no longer wonders how/why I got this seasonal decorating bug as everywhere you look people have scarecrows, bales of straw, pumpkins, and potted mums adorning their entries ways or driveways. I love fall in this area of the country because the weather is perfect, the treees change, and everyone decorates!

I probaboly won't blog for a few days because my Dad does not have internet. Heck, my cell phone doesn't work in Dumas either. We are heading to Murfreesboro tomorrow and I really doubt I will have internet or cell phone their either.

Dumas Tornado

In February 07 I drove my dad back to Dumas Arkansas after he spent a couple months with us. About two weeks later the town was devistated by a tornado. While some homes were destroyed, the majority of the impact was on the commercial business area. These photos were taken by my Dad and I will do my best to describe what these were before the tornado but honestly, it's sorta hard to tell.

This was a nursey/garden center. Nicely merchandised interior with garden accessories and then a greenhosue area - of course the shadecloth green house is gone but I see that most of the plants are gone as well.

This was a gas station. The same gas station associated with a murder the year before but that is another story.......

This was a Sonic Drive-in. The way they are designed I am not surprized that it collapsed with that metal open-roof area - tornado bait.

I believe this was the steak house called Butch's. If was a good restaurant and made of metal, wood, and stone. Looks like it was made of match sticks in this photo. I remember they had really good photos of President Clintonon the walls from some BBQ contest they entered.

I am thinking this is the civis center but can't be sure with so much debris. If so, at one time it housed Hurricane Katrina victims.

This is a factory where I believe they made dog food. Look closely at this photo to get the impact of the destruciton - that coiled metal is NOT a rollar coaster although it looks like one.

Another shot on the highway where many of the businesses were. Lots of metal buildings in that area. I believe what you see in background used to be the Wal-Mart. They had closed up prior to the tornado and left an empty building.

Pretty sure this WAS the Mad Butcher grocery store which was rebuilt this year and now open again.
Not sure about this one - it seems to be residental by the grass and no road/highway. The tornado destroyed the town because it destroyed so many businesses and services but luckily it did not take a human toll.