LABORING
Cindy Maddera
6 Likes, 1 Comments - Cindy Maddera (@elephant_soap) on Instagram: "Halloween decorations. I've named the doll Suzanne"
It has started to become a Labor Day Weekend tradition to meet my brother (Randy) and sister-in-law (Katrina) at their place near Rockaway Beach. They have some land there that holds a small cabin and a storage shed, with room to park their camper. There's electricity and water hookups. All the things you need to camp comfortably. Before we got our camper, we'd go and stay in the cabin. The Cabbage would end up sleeping in the camper with Randy and Katrina. Part of this tradition also included the Cabbage. We always had her for Labor Day Weekend, which is also the weekend before her birthday. So Katrina would have a cake and a birthday present. We would have a moment in the afternoon where the Cabbage would blow out some candles and we'd eat cake. Then she'd take her new Barbie or whatever into Randy and Katrina's camper to play and watch TV.
The Cabbage is slightly disappointed in our choice of campers. We do not have a TV.
Any way, the calendar worked out weird so that this year we did not have the Cabbage for Labor Day. This was the first time we've made the trip without her. It was also the first time we made the trip with our own camper. There were a few days of planning before we got there and Katrina and I were kind of at a loss for things to do. We were so used to planning our weekend around kid friendly things that now we were all "what do adults do?" Turns out that adults do a lot of things. We went to a distillery. We went to a few thrifty antique shops. I found a sack of Howdy Doody heads of various sizes. I also found Suzanne. I decided that she could take the place of all the baby doll heads I had planned to fill the lantern with. She is spectacularly creepy and Michael can't even stand for me to mention her name. He's already that disturbed by her presence. I can't wait to set her up that lantern with a butcher knife. I'm so in love with her creepiness that I am even considering using her in this year's Christmas card.
On Sunday, we made a last minute decision to drive over to Eureka Springs. It was only an hour away and Micheal had never been there. I hadn't been there in years. There was a time when Eureka Springs was the weekend getaway place. We camped there regularly when I was kid. I remember one trip where J and I rode the trolley car all day long while our parents roamed the shops. Later on, Chris and I would make trips there together. The Mud Street Cafe was our favorite place to eat and when Katrina suggested we go to Eureka Springs, I declared that this is where we'd eat lunch. Some things have changed in the little town since the last time I visited. There are new shops and some even empty shop spaces. My favorite jewelry store where Chris bought my pearl earrings so long ago is still there but the jewelry has changed styles. Mud Street Cafe has not changed a bit. It is still one of the busiest places. They still have the coffee mug of Trivia cards on the table. The food is still delicious and, dear Lord, the desserts are still the best, most decadently wonderful desserts. I ate cheesy grits with vegetables and slice of coconut cream pie. I left with a goal to learn how to make that pie and go on a coconut cream pie diet.
The best part was that Michael also loved Mud Street. He usually is disappointed in most places. There's always something that he complains about. It could be the service or it could be some aspect of the food he ordered. But everything at Mud Street made him happy. In fact, he even told our waitress that he had never worked or been in a restaurant where everything was done so well. He also really enjoyed the town of Eureka Springs and we talked about visiting again some day soon. It was a good trip. It was a good weekend, so good that I have struggled to get back into my normal routine this morning.
I'm still dreaming of coconut cream pie.