We tried our best to get up early, just to beat the heat. All four of us were up by 8:00 am, we ate a light breakfast, and were out the door and headed to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It was a one hour drive, with the final 30 minutes on winding, curvy, steep roads, the type that will make me car sick if I am not careful. We were all glad when the drive was over and the car parked in the shade. I often compare Eureka Springs to Jerome, Arizona as both are built on a hilly spot and both attract a lot of artists. Eureka Springs is a bit more commercialized than Jerome and there is more to do as this is where they have the Passion Play in the spring, there is a popular wedding chapel, and it is close to Beaver Lake for those who enjoy water sports. Of course there is an abundance of small motels, bed and breakfasts, and restaurants.
We took the trolley UP hill, disembarked, and shopped our way down the hill. This was the perfect way to shop as we knew we would not have time to walk up the street and then back down before it got too hot. As it was, we just criss crossed our way back and forth across the street so that we wouldn't miss any of the interesting shops. Julie found a black top (on sale for $5!) and a few postcards. Rainy bought a pair of shoes, slip ons that are beige and very cofortable. Hank was looking for a specific pair of shoes that he had bought in Eureka before, but the store didn't have his size in stock.
By the time we had walked back down the hill, it was hot and we were all ready for a cold drink and some lunch. We stopped in at the Local Flavor Cafe. Along with ice cold water, Julie ordered a Mimosa while Rainy had a Serrano Spiced Bloody Mary. They were serving brunch or lunch, take your pick. Edna had the turkey, avocado, and pepper jack cheese sandwich on a sourdough roll. Rainy had a pita stuffed with black beans, avocado, and salsa. Hank ordered a traditional breakfast of 2 fried eggs with bacon, potatoes, and a biscuit. Julie had the zuchini, mushroom and onion quiche served with a tossed salad and a biscuit. With full tummies, we got into the toasty warm car and drove the same curvy, winding road back home to Bella Vista.
Later in the day I made a few phone calls and found someone who had a key to Rainy's Grandmother's house. We met them at Town Center in Bella Vista to get the key, then Rainy and I drove to Jetta's house in Bentonville. I was suprised, but glad to find that the air conditioning was on in the house as it was pretty hot and muggy outside. We walked around the house, talking about things we both remembered about Jetta and the many happy visits we had there. We realized how quickly a home can deteriorate when noone is living in it. The house felt empty and abandoned, it was just a shell of the person who used to live there. This made us both rather sad. One weird thing happened.....Jetta has a room added onto the house that contains a swimming pool, we had already noticed that the pool hadn't been drained and was falling apart. But the strange thing was that the gas heater in the pool room was turned on! I went in, the room was really hot and stifling, I turned the heater off. We wondered: who turned the heater on? Why was it on? Weird. We continued wandering through Jetta's house, looking through cupboards and drawers just to get a better feel for the wonderful person who used to live there. After about 2 hours, we sadly locked up the house and drove away. We met up with Edna and Henry at Razorback Pizza, just across the line in Jane, Missouri for dinner. By the time we got home, it was after 9:00 pm, but we had time for a root beer float before going to bed.
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