We just had a FABULOUS dinner at the Whole Hog Cafe in Little Rock. Truly the best BBQ I've ever had but let me tell you about the flight today....
We were getting ready to leave Tampa for Memphis when they let two people on really late. Since they were seated in front of me I could tell by the sound, demeanor, and scent that they had been drinking heavily. They were cussing and making a fuss when they set down - apparently they were in the bar and they didn't hear when the airline was paging them.
They were only on the plane a couple minutes before anyone in ear shot knew a) they were brother and sister, 2) they were going to Paragould Arkansas, and c) their mother had suffered a heart attack. Loud, obnoxious people. And what does the flight attendant do? Sells them more alcohol. Ugh. The good news is that they only sold them one drink.
Now it gets interesting. Something happened between the two and they started to argue, cuss at each other, and shout. Then she started to hit him. It got really out of hand. Passengers were ringing the flight attendants bells but when they came the couple was somehwat better so they did nothing. When they started up again passengers started offering to have one of them trade seats. Eventually a passengers told the flight attendant to tell them they had to trade with him and it worked.
Once they were seperated things improved; however, the passenger who traded to sit by her turned around and bought her two more drinks! I don't understand that at all. My "row mate" thought perhaps he was trying to get her to pass out. I was concerned she would puke. When we touched ground, but still had to taxi to the gate, she tried to light up a cigarette. The guy who traded had to stop her a couple times. When it was time to go she somehow ended out in front of me and was hollaring that some f****** stole her luggage and she was trying to go toward the back of the plane against the flow of traffic. What a nightmare. I was disappointed at the lack of concern by the Northwest crew. If me and all the passengers around me immediatley recognized these folks were drunk, why in the world did they sell them more liquor?
Crossing the Mississippi at Memphis. Couldn't take my eyes off the road to snap a photo of the muddy water.
Bypass near Hardy Arkansas. The town road is so narrow that large trucks were knocking the side mirrors off cars so they blasted through the moutains to make this road to bypass the little town. The town is a shopping Mecca - full of antiques and quaint stores.
The school where my mom and her siblings went to school in Paul's Switch near Bono Arkansas. I couldn't get close enough to get a photo where you can read the name etched in the arch above the door opening - it was just too muddy. My Aunt Joyce said there are three different rooms in the school. (Paul's Switch is not to be confused with Ponder Switch which the area where my Dad grew up. LOL)
This used to be Knight's grocery store at the end of the road where my mom's family lived in Paul's Switch. My dad's parent's owned a similar store up the road a piece near Ponder Switch.
I saw this bumper sticker more than once. There were many more photo opportunities that I missed that would have spoken to the local culture.
Cool old house in Imboden that my mom and I want to restore after we win the lottery, LOL.
I couldn't believe how many abandoned, run down houses I saw on my trip. This one was in Mountain Home. I just want to go in there with a crew from HGTV and fix em up!
Love old barnes. I used to see more near the road but on this trip I would have had to get out in the mud and snow to get photos and I just didn't have the right footware for that.
Old water wheel somewhere in the Ozarks. One of the few photo ops with a safe place to pull over. Remember, these are mountain roads curving up and down through the hills all the while snowing. Wasn't willing to pull over in an unsafe spot for a good photo.
