Landing in Paradise

Home away from Home.  Lots of shade trees
and bushes for privacy.

The cobweb-free patio seating area. 

First morning waking up at our home away from home.  This place is so beautiful and tranquil. The lot we bought is surrounded by huge trees - gotta find out what kind they are. One side is an easement for electrical and it's been planted with all kids of bushes and flowers that give us great privacy from the neighboring lot. The wifi tower is also right there!

Got here about noon yesterday, had some lunch, got the boat launched (SOMEONE didn't button down a cushion and it went flying out of the boat.  Thank you Mya for risking life and limb to pull it out of the lake!)  and then spent some time cleaning up the place.  It's been vacant for awhile so the spiderwebs and bird poop have had a chance to take over. (There are a lot of birds here - yes, hello Mr. Mockingbird - but you know what that means!) I told Jeff we needed those pointy cone things that they put on marina light poles to keep the seagulls from pooping all over the posts.  Anyway - I got the patio table and chairs all scrubbed clean and we found some beautiful, like-new seat cushions in one of the storage bins so we enjoyed our first toddy (or two!)

"Walls" of Table Rock Lake.  Need to learn more about
the geology of the area.

looking out over the golf course and lake.

The girls seem happy to be here - Jade was happy I was de-cobwebbing everything; she's a bit of a freak about spiderwebs and such.  We went for an after-dinner boat ride just to get a sense of our surroundings.  I've only been out on the lake once in my kayak and not very far. Jeff has never been on the lake.  It's huge!!! There is a marina just around the corner from here so we can get gas easily. The lake is fed by the White River and this area must have gotten a lot of rain like we had in Texas because the shoreline is littered with all kinds of logs. People have been going around and stacking it into piles.  Don't know if they plan on burning them.  We did see one huge pile close the the marina and it had been lit and was smoldering.  Kind of tricky on the lake too because there are a lot of logs floating in the water. Jade and Mya both got to drive the boat last night.  You should see there faces when they get it going fast - grins from ear to ear!

Hwy 540 up to Fayetteville, AR.  My kind of country

Hwy 311 - We're not in Dallas anymore, Toto.

The drive yesterday was uneventful.  I absolutely LOVE this part of the world.  Lush, green rolling hills and dotted with pastureland. This area we are in seems to be the home of the Tyson chicken and Butterball Turkey farms (Hwy 311).  There are signs at the various farms but you don't need a sign to know you've driven by one; the smell is enough of a sign - phew!  "Jesus" (our GPS) tried to steer us down some dirt road but luckily we had looked at the route ahead of time and I knew enough to turn on 311, not 811.  Jeff tried to get me to take a road that "looked okay" on the map.  I chickened out (no pun intended - har!har!) and decided to go the slightly longer but safer route.  And since I'm always in the lead driving, he just followed.  I said to Mya, "I can't believe he is following me.  After 24+ years of getting us lost, he is a brave soul!"  There has been no chance to fall asleep at the wheel with both girls laughing, singing, giggling, and playing with the dang

radio stations.  They've discovered that radio reception is a bit weak out here in the sticks so they just try to sing louder than the static.  It's a good thing Jeff is in the car!

I could just stay here forever.  Got everything we need.

Well, it's 11:30 now and Mya is finally up. Haven't heard a word from Jade. It's either go to the pool or take apart the patio lights and clean out the cobwebs. Hmmm?  Decisions. Decisions.

June 10th - Jeff's birthday.  Dyslexia has it's benefits;
Jeff is only 46! Thanks Mya:-)