Razorbacks defeat Ole Miss!!

We got to attend our first Razorback game of the season and experience our first win over former coach Houston Nutt since he left three years ago. The game was delayed twice for a total of and hour and a half due to lightning - but in spite of the long game, it was quite an entertaining and satisfying victory. Ben got to come for the game and we resumed our tailgating with our long-time college friends Kent and Angie Doss and their sons Nick and Brian. Football in the Ozarks in the fall,enjoyed with family and friends is hard to beat. Got to visit with my Dad and his two brothers, Ferrill and Melvin, at half-time; Dad is able to attend the games since he has his motorized wheelchair and he has a big time - probably is an education to him with his vantage point overlooking the student section - probably good that our student days are long past. Nick, Angie, Brian, and Kent Doss; Kent and Angie have been our friends for decades!

Roaring River State Park

Took a day-trip up to Roaring River State Park in Missouri to visit Charlcie's sister Tami and husband Kevin and their friends Kurt and Jerry who were camped there for a nice autumn week-end. The fall colors are already appearing there, a little ahead of our part of Arkansas. Tami, Charlcie, Kurt, and Jerry - Kevin is MIA (had to work on Friday)

Back with the Tabors

As we complete the circle, we stopped in Ft. Smith for a few days to see my Dad and the rest of the Tabors. Most were able to come over to Dad’s on Sunday evening to feast on Dad’s very tasty homemade pizzas. It was great to see them all after being gone for such a long time – lots of hugs, tall tales, and laughter. There’s nothing like the love of a great family! Was so caught up on the visiting that I didn't get pictures - will take pics on our next visit to be posted later

Visit with Ben and Myka

We were anxious to see Ben and Myka, so we drove down to Little Rock to spend a few days with them. Ben had to work on Friday, so I got to hang out with Myka and Charlcie on a short shopping trip. That evening, we had dinner at ZaZa’s, a cool new salad/pizza/gelato eatery in Little Rock. Saturday morning we were up early to participate with 45,000 other folks in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in downtown Little Rock – Charlcie and Myka walked while Ben and I were part of the “3-miles of men” on the sidelines cheering them on. We then joined some of Ben and Myka’s friends at Myka’s parents to watch the Razorback football team lose to Auburn. But not all was lost as Rick and Janice treated us all to some very tasty grilled burgers and all the fixins. Bad outcome to the ball game, but we sure enjoyed getting to visit with everyone again. We always value the time we get to spend with our “kids”, so we were glad we got to work in a few days with them as we wind down our journey.

Back in Arkansas

It's a very short trip from Branson down to Arkansas. We are enjoying seeing the familiar scenery in the Ozarks. The trees have just begun donning their fall colors, the days are still warm with a hint of cool in the shade, and the nights are getting chilly - we're looking forward to witnessing the full brunt of autumn in Arkansas. As always, we had to stop at Neighbors Mill in Harrison for breakfast, but mostly to load up on the best cookies in the world, their White Chocolate Macadamia Nut (with oatmeal). Our stop in the Mountain Home area was to initiate our search to find a home to rent while we begin the process of building a home. While here, we treated ourselves to a stay at PJs Lodge on the White River (pjslodge.com). We had enjoyed their fine dining on previous occasions, but had never stayed there as part of their B&B package - but are glad we treated ourselves to a night at the lodge. We would highly recommend a visit to PJs - their fine dining in an incredible atmosphere is worth the drive (you had better call ahead for reservations as they book early). And now we know their rooms are very nice, with plenty of nice little touches and great beds! Les and Julie Stevens are fantastic hosts and make any visit very special. As many of you know, our current house plans incorporate a contemporary version of the Ozark vernacular "dogtrot". We have included a picture of the Wolf House in Norfork, AR to give you an idea of the original design from back in the day. On our departure, we had to also make our obligatory stop at KTs BBQ in Gassville to get a family pack to carry to Ben and Myka's for dinner - consistently excellent BBQ! White River Valley Estates; our future neighborhood Wolf House in Norfork, AR. Dogtrot in the center of the house. Room #7 at PJs Lodge B&B View of PJs from the river

fire and fish

We enjoyed another great visit with Tami and Kevin. Capped off the trip with the christening of their new patio (great job Kevin!) and fire pit - a very nice fall evening for sitting around the fire and having a weiner roast - the best-tasting hot dogs we've had in a long time. I was also excited to go fishing for a couple of hours two-days in a row on the Table Rock Lake tailwater (Lake Taneycomo) - and was excited to catch a couple of nice fish both days.

Arriving in Branson

We are taking a circuitous route back to Northwest Arkansas, to include stops in Branson to visit with Charlcie's sister Tami and husband Kevin, a night in the Mountain Home area to check on rental property, to Little Rock to see Ben & Myka, Ft. Smith to see my family, Siloam Springs to see Charlcie's dad, and eventually to the Fayetteville area, and then we'll see what develops. As we've said before, being homeless and jobless is not a bad gig so far. Of course, soon we will have to get serious about getting a place to live while we arrange to get a home built. We have not lost the travel bug, and at some point will hopefully have opportunities to do some more, but at the moment we are happy to be back "home". From Yellowstone, we have enjoyed following the autumn southward - we have been so fortunate to follow the colors of autumn and the very agreeable and refreshing weather along the way, and arriving in the Ozarks just in time to continue the trend. Once in Branson, we not only get to enjoy our visit with Tami and Kevin, but were pleasantly surprised that our nephew Ryan was home for the week-end for a bachelor party, although we missed his wife Kalen who had to stay in St. Louis to take care of previous obligations. We got to cheer for the Razorbacks as they defeated Texas A&M - in summary, we were fortunate to win as we played slightly less sloppy than the opponent. A highlight on Sunday evening was a boat tour on Table Rock Lake on Kevin and Tami's pontoon boat, with dinner at anchor in a cove as fish were feeding on the surface all around us - disappointed I didn't have my fly rod. Tami, Ryan, Charlcie Captain Kevin, first mate Tami, and pampered tourist Big Cedar Lodge