Arkansas Memories Tour of 2009 – Day 2: Morning
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:15 pm by Dee O'Neil Andrews
The time changed during our first night in the rental house, giving us an extra hour to “sleep in” after the traumatic trip up in the van the day before from Memphis to outside Gassville (GASS-vul), Arkansas, but we all awoke early. The house and surroundings were gorgeous.
Here’s the back of the house:
This was our view out the back:
The inside of the house was just as nice:
It was Sunday morning and we had all wanted to go to the Baptist church over in Cotter, where the boys attended growing up, but couldn’t find the service times in the area phone book the night before and the landlords said many smaller churches in the area had changed or consolidated.
However, we’d found a brochure about a supposedly phenomenal Sunday breakfast buffet at a place called Gaston’s, which was directly next to the White River and just a few miles away. Thus, food quickly won out over the eight of us trooping into a strange church somewhere without knowing anything about it, including the time of services. After all, we had quite the fellowship going by this time.
So, we called to make reservations there. We were all starving, but the earliest we could be seated was 10:30 a.m., so we drank our coffee and planned for the rest of the day’s activities while we waited.
Tom (Steve to his right, Jim to his left) got his laptop out as the guys lounged in the living room. Dickie (far left) decided to “rest” his eyes, and declared he didn’t go to sleep, but this photo shows otherwise:
The “girls,” meantime, (from L to R – Debbie, Joyce, me & Arlinda) actually did something constructive, working on menus for dinner and the next night’s dinner at “home” and a grocery list for the much needed delayed trip to the Super Walmart back over in Mt. Home sometime later in the day:
Finally, we all clambered up into the van, Tom set his GPS and we headed off hungrily for brunch. I had a road map, as well, and it was a good thing because the GPS could not for the worth of it (about zip at the moment) find Gaston’s, or even the road it was on. Tom, frustrated (huh? Tom frustrated for the first time with his technological wonder toy?) by now, handed the GPS back to me in the seat behind him, where I panned out a good ways to see the bigger picture. (While also reading street signs and watching for Gaston billboards and arrows along the road on either side – a method that has worked well for me for many years . . . fellas.)
Sure ‘nough, we missed the turn, reached the Bull Shoals dam and had to cross over and come back before we got on the right road heading to the right road where Gaston’s was. It was 10:30 a.m. exactly when we arrived and was a beautiful resort, with golf course, cabins, a landing field for small planes, a gift shop and the restaurant.
We got perfect seats next to the best buffet we’ve been to in years with all sorts of different kinds of things, including locally caught smoked rainbow trout with remoulade sauce.
Here we are – Jimmy, far left, his wife Arlinda, Tom & me, Steve & Debbie on the far end, then Joyce & Dickie:
Jimmy asked who wanted mimosas, and several of us did. Dickie was sitting next to Jimmy, but can’t hear very well, so asked what they were.
Jimmy told him they were “orange juice with champagne.” Dickie said no way did he want one, but Steve ordered one for him, anyway, thinking he’d really like it or else someone else could drink it.
When they arrived, the waitress put one in front of Dickie, who said – “What’s this?” Jim said, “A mimosa. Orange juice and champagne. Try it.”
“Ohhh,” Dickie said. “I thought you said “oysters in champagne’ and I thought that sounded horrible.”
Those of us at the table (some were at the buffet) laughed until our sides hurt. And, of course, when each returned from the buffet, we had to repeat the story because they wanted to know what all of the uproarious laughter was about. The more we told the story, the funnier it got. I mean, just the thought of oysters in champagne . . . well . . . you don’t even want to think about it.
It was after noon before we finished eating, including several desserts from the dessert table. Now we were off to meet and pick up their cousin, Oliver, who was driving up from Philadelphia, Mississippi to spend the next couple of days with us.
That meant a drive all the way back over to Mt. Home to the parking lot of the (remember biggest in Arkansas) Super Walmart. And, we had yet to reach any of the little towns we’d come to visit.
To be continued . . .
Blowing off church (on the road of course
)for a breakfast buffet – my kind of family.
1) I am shocked at the above comment from an “alleged” church elder! Oh, wait … you were going to a Baptist church service and he is a quasi-coC elder. That would make sense.
2) Tom may need to update the GPS … or just give it to a local charity.
3) I would pass on “oysters and champagne” too!
Sounds like a lot of fun.
it was sound like fun, even to a hermit like me
that first pic, looks like it could be around here.
A mimosa at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday morning–in Arkansas? Ya’ll were living dangerously! Great pictures.
Excuse me Dee:
Greg, I think we can take “coC” out of my label and just call me a “quasi-elder.” We’re so non-coC now and it feels good.
Cec: Not until you guys change the name on the sign and letterhead!!
Dee: You may now have your blog back.
Hey Dee, I am finally caught up on your trip…
Wow!! What an adventure and what fun.
I am s-l-o-w-l-y getting back in the groove, or at least trying. I really enjoyed reading of your adventures though and especially the humor and sarcasm.:)You do have a gift with words. Oh, and lest I forget, I love the pictures too.
I’m looking forward to the rest of the trip.
Dee – Hold on for a minute.
Greg – Does the website (cocoachurch.org) count?
I am really enjoying your trip. Thanks for sharing.
I think your trip is interfering with my debate with Cecil!
Cecil: No. A web address does not count. I can show you in the Bible the name, church(es) of Christ. You cannot show me in the Bible anything about a web address! No matter the translation you use (and it SHOULD be King James as that is the language God speaks), no where will you find anything about any “dot org” … I rest my case.
Thank you, Dee.
this is better then what’s one Tv!
Greg & Cecil: Might I interject a comment here for a moment (being as how once-upon-a-time, this WAS my blog, but I digress) in the midst of this good ol’ ongoing old-fashioned days long now Biblical (see Greg’s last comment above) debate?
I mean, I haven’t seen THIS much action since in the early 60’s when a brilliant young cofC minister in Lubbock, Texas, Bill Banowsky, held a terrific debate on the campus of Texas Tech with Anson Mount, the religion editor of Playboy magazine (yes, you read that right – Playboy mag had a religion editor) on “The New Morality.” (Mount debated that morality is situational, including sexual behavior, while Banowsky defended from the Bible that morality is a matter of God’s truths and a matter of right or wrong, no matter how we may act in the “gray” areas of life. And Banowsky did a great job.)
Anyway – Greg – even though you challenge Cecil to find anything about websites or dot.orgs in the Bible (in the version God dictated it directly to King James –
– and I’m sure if we searched thoroughly enough we might find those letters somewhere in a row, d-o-t-.-o-r-g, the way MOST cofC purists would do when they wanted to prove they were right), I’m SURE there’s a way we can amicably settle this.
We just agree that we could Google all of this and could come up with just about any research favoring either side of this debate and so call it all off and declare a truce.
Either that, or we bring in a professional, like Patrick Mead, our man of great intelligence and wisdom, who can conduct online dispute resolution counseling with you two for however many years it’s going to take to work this out.
I mean, I’m even willing to offer my services here for you to use my blog (comment section only, though, please, as this is enough pulpit for this debate between a former cofC minister and what started out to be an “alleged” elder of a “quasi-cofC elder,” but who has now been downgraded – by his own words – to a “quasi-elder” of some sort of a church, what manner it is being the subject of this debate).
After all, as JEL says, this is great entertainment, much better than TV.
I opt for Patrick as mediator, because I think this is way above MY level of being able to mediate, even though I tried to do as much of that as I could as an attorney. I mean, Greg – you have all kinds of training in dispute resolution, and yet here you are – in the midst of a great debate.
Yep. Definitely, we need Patrick.
Okay. That’s my humble opinion. You may now have your debate back. But, you ARE going to have to carry it on in newer blog posts, assuming a I ever get around to writing any, since I have to move on here.
Cheers! And, keep the debate “clean!” ha!
Dee
P. S. “Clean” meaning no more digs about Baptists. Some of my relatives now are (having graduated from some “quasi-cofCs” of the far right conservative kind), and they have VERY sensitive feelings! ha!
ya know they could use one of my blogs if they want,
not much writting goes on over there!
that’s the most entertainment I’ve read in along time! and Sir Patrick, would be a good chose!
Dee – Thank you for being so gracious with both the use of your blog and potential services. I would take the fact that most of your response was directed at the knuckle.., I mean my good brother, Greg, well, lets just say he has “issues.”
At least (in the highest tradition of elders making decisions by no-decision) that’s my quasi-opinion.
I wouldn’t vote for Patrick. I know him.
The thought of traveling with that group is already terrifying… but on Sunday morning after they’ve had a few mimosas? Oh my goodness…
[...] to go there again to take Oliver. However, fate had other plans because when we arrived at the Gaston Resort near Bull Shoals Lake on the White River, the electricity had been out for 45 minutes. We were [...]