Within a couple hours we were in Memphis.We came upon a terrible accident on the highway that circles around the city. Memphis has something I've never seen before, it's some type of accident rapid response team. They must have arrived shortly after the accident and had several vehicles positioned just before the scene, effectively funneling traffic around the area. A bottleneck was minimized, EMT's were working, a tow truck was on the scene. It was an amazing scene and I felt they had this emergency totally under control. It's probably something that every large city should have.
We arrived in Hot Springs and picked the keys to our rental house, which turned out to be the nicest house we've rented in the village. We take our dogs along with us and generally the rentals that allow pets are not as nice. This was a very nice place with master bedroom suite on one side of the house and another bedroom and bath on the other side. The Mother had her own suite of rooms.
One of the very first things we do in Arkansas is to visit The Pig. It's a restaurant which is actually called Shorty Small's, but since we go there specifically to eat ribs, we call it The Pig. They have the best ribs we have ever eaten and I'm sure their pulled pork is equally delicious, we just can't order anything but ribs. The Mother likes the food too. She's a willing participant in the feast.
Look up on the wall. What do you see? The pig!
Now that I look at this picture, it's actually pretty scary. His head moves around. It probably frightens children.
Our best friends joined in the feast. Did I mention that we always order an onion loaf? A whole mess of onion rings formed into a loaf and fried. Holy cow.... good.
A good time was had by all.
In the title I mention the word guidelines. My mom is what I consider a "super senior", someone who is 80 years or older. There are special considerations when traveling with an older person, especially someone who has mild dementia. The idea is to make the experience enjoyable and not stressful. Older people feel most comfortable at home, in their own surroundings. When you take them out of their sphere they become anxious. Routine is important to them and traveling upsets that apple cart.
We keep all activities to a minimum and try to avoid big noisy places or parties. It's difficult for them to follow conversations and lots of noise overstimulates and confuses. We really try to avoid the overload which would make her anxious. I wanted it to be a wonderful and memorable experience for her again this year.
One thing that we both like to do is to look at houses while were in town. There are lots of open houses and we drive around and stop at any we find.
Look at the view from this deck.
It is incredibly quiet here. You can actually hear yourself think. Can't you just imagine watching the sun rise while enjoying a cup of coffee?
We toured a new home that had this amazing shade of blue painted on the walls in the bedroom.
And the tray ceiling was painted that beautiful milk chocolate color. It was really beautiful and peaceful.
Stop back tomorrow and we'll talk about MORE southern food, and more vacation talk.
2 comments:
You are amazing, you know... I can't even talk to my Mom on the phone anymore, she is so offensive. My Sis won't even accept mail from her anymore. That is a beautiful view.
Hugs
Glad to see you back! I always love when you visit Hot Springs as that's where my dad lives. His new wife (way to old to have a stepmom!) is from the Village. We always have eaten at McClards. I'll try "The Pig" next time I visit!!
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