Which equals twelve. (Hours on the road)
Long, long drive, with rain or mist much of the way. Summer in Texas. Late spring in Little
Rock. Early spring (or so it seems in the dark) here in Whitewater. Still winter (by all reports) on Manitoulin. So, in a way, we are once again following in the footsteps of Edwin Way Teale, and traveling "North With The Spring."
...and that takes some doing.
About an hour's worth of backup on I30 east of Texarkana, but we made it to our lovely Little Rock oasis well before dark. Halfway home from a fine time.
On the road tomorrow.
Live oak forest.
Sandy terrain.
Of course, one more visit to Captain Benny's.
Warm and windy.
Luna, the rescue horse. She likes apples.
It's been a summery spring break.
We skipped the boards but expect others won't. Best time to visit the pool is noon to two, the lifeguard said. Then you can have it almost all to yourself.
NCAA basketball tonight.
The best place for oysters, shrimp, and fish tacos this side of the prime meridian. And today, it being Wednesday and we getting there early, not overly crowded.
Another warm and sunny day.
Interesting weather pattern here, in place ever since we arrived:
At night the wind drops and the humidity seems to build. In the predawn hours everything outside is dripping wet—through the partially open bedroom window I can hear drops falling from roof to patio and everything else below. Morning comes late (being at the western edge of the central time zine at this time of year and with daylight savings in effect). When the sun finally does rise it’s hot and bright and the atmosphere is muggy. By mid morning a wind has come up and the humidity has dropped. The thermometer starts pushing towards 80. By late afternoon the wind has built to a strong blow, and the air no longer feels humid. Then the sun sets, the wind quits, and moisture again settles over the land.
Little trip down to Port Aransas.
Miles and miles of beach. Water warm enough for swimming.
The south jetty, with a shrimp boat and freighters (way off).
Pax got into his wave chasing game, the one in which he races along biting the rollers. This time he found that the waves didn't taste so good and wanted a good long drink of fresh water once we got back to the car.
Both celebrated here in sunny, south Texas warmth. Long walk in Memorial Park, bike ride, hot-tubbing, steak dinner--various activities distributed amongst us. Happy birthday, Mimi.
Note on this map of today's bike ride how I was able to ride quite a way out into the bay. It's kind of like skiing barefoot. The little hook near the beginning of the trip (green dot) was a quick detour to the swimming pool. The angular jog fairly near the end is a walk through the woods from one road to another.
...around Rockport and Fulton.
Looking for some of the fabulous Texas costal bend avian wildlife.
But all we found flightworthy was this.
A nice little park on Copano Bay, by the airport.
Copano Bay.
And then Los Comales for dinner. Yum.
... whistling ducks, kiskadee, etc.
Boat-tailed grackles, which his and seem to spit when perturbed.
Lunch (oysters, shrimp, etc) in paradise—Paradise Key Dockside Bar and Grill.
Shorts and t-shirt weather, and even then shade felt good. Nice way to segue out of winter. Shopping, walking, bike riding, shrimp for dinner, basketball. Had to spray all the salt and road grime off my bike but after that bike riding was great—going one direction. (Almost impossible the other way.)
On a different note, Bri has provided links to a couple of videos of the recent Nite nationals.
Here's one:
And here is another:
...we would take an airplane.
Long drive. Not fun but we got it done. Now for some relaxing.
Big day in Little Rock.
Bear uses the dog door into our place to visit from time to time. (NB: This is the same rug we have in whitewater, only much nicer.)
A bit of downtown Little Rock, which really is quite a small town.
The big line waiting to order at the Flying Fish in downtown LR.
The restaurant's wall is covered with trophies, including these.
Late breakfast at Roots, a funky but fabulous pace just a block from here. Line out the door when we arrived and still there when we left an hour later.
A long walk around the neighborhood (the historic Governor's Mansion neighborhood), mostly built in the 1880s and now transitioning from run down to rehabilitated, maybe even gentrified someday. At the convenience store at the corner of Broadway and Spring Street a long, animated, discursive conversation with Amexem Alumuur (of Morian Temple Services) about ethnicity, evolution, and human origins. We both had a good time.
A short drive and then a good walk along the west bank of the Arkansas River (Murray Park). And then dinner at the Flying Fish, downtown (10 minute drive) of catfish and shrimp. Once again a long line—the place somewhat reminiscent of Snoopy's south of Corpus Christie on Mustang Island.
And, sometime during the day we came to the realization that we are just one block away from the place we stayed at on our way home last year. Duh. (Our current place is much nicer.)
Rode a chilly north wind south. Six inches of snow and 12 degrees when we left Whitewater. Snow showers, sometimes heavy, until well south of St Louis. Only 40 WJJDegrees in Little Rock, although the trees have leaved out and the azaleas are starting to bloom.
Now ensconced in an 1882 carriage house in old Little Rock. A remarkably nice place—spacious, well appointed, lots of comfortable furniture, two bedrooms, two baths, a well stocked kitchen, and a big fenced-in garden-yard where Pax and Bear (a cute Yorkie) can pal around.
Getting set to hightail It south.
Pax is already keeping a close eye on all the exits.
Six-thirty and there's still plenty of light? Yes, we have sprung ahead, but the sky has clouded over and an east wind has come up, still carrying the recent chill. All that adds up to a Winter Weather Advisory—possibly seven or more inches of snow overnight and into tomorrow.
While we have light, we don't quite actually have spring. This is the kind of March I remember—the kind of March when southern locales beckon.
However, Bri and Tony had a great time at the Nite national regatta in Escanaba, where they acquitted themselves well. (more imagery later).
Qwerty
Bri and Tony at the Nite national regatta on Little Bay De Noc off Gladstone, Michigan. Thirty-five boats. The guys will not win hardware, but they are doing well and having fun. Cold and windy there today—and here, too.
Brief stop at Fox Point, then with Ab, Kate, and Will on to a tacquira on Milwaukee's north side. After dinner Mimi and I trekked another block south to Boswell Book Company where Dan Egan was speaking about his just released book The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. Overflow crowd, suggesting the Great Lakes are a topic of wide iterest.
Almost calm.
This is where we didn't walk yesterday—our normal route through the park.
And here is where we walked today. Last time here the prairie was shoulder high. Now ashes. Quite sure it was not burned during the gale.
Pax had his annual checkup today, in preparation for travel south. He is in perfect health, weighs a half pound less than last year (hard to believe), and according to two Veterinary Technicians and one Veterinarian, just about the best all-around dog they have ever met. I agree.