Christmas Adventure

My family finally broke with tradition after decades of spending Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day at Mom's house. ML and Harry from the Gulf Coast had problems boarding Lilly, the (big boxer) dog, so we agreed to move our Christmas celebration up to Saturday, December 15. This news promptly put Wifeunit in action: Time to plan another road trip! So after tending to some gift-giving, we would be free for several days of time to ourselves.

Gift giving includes my favorite little treat, Oma's Own Peanut Brittle. I happen to know Chef Rene, the creator of this culinary masterpiece, and gladly vouch for the outstanding quality of his product. Though his website does not mention this, I am told that the peanut brittle is sometimes prepared while recordings of Beethoven symphonies are played, possibly another secret flavor enhancement.

Our Christmas adventure destination was Hot Springs, Arkansas, a mere 5 hour drive away. I really don't mind driving on these trips, particularly when it's on a route I've never taken before. You never know what interesting things you may find on the road.

This sign is actually in Flowood, Ms. not far from my home. I think I know what is meant by "clean dirt", but it still seems a little strange.

Farther along on Louisiana Highway 65 north of Tallulah is the little town of Transylvania. Maybe it's a great place for a Halloween visit. It's really just a small farm community near the Mississippi River with a distinctive name. I like the bat touch.

Driving on a beautiful December afternoon through the flat expanse of northeast Louisiana and southeast Arkansas is a great chance to break the boredom by counting hawks. We counted 64 Red Tailed Hawks, along with several Kestrels and a few Northern Harriers.

We checked in at our hotel, the Embassy Suites in Hot Springs before dark. Not being certain what restaurants would be open during our stay, we were determined to experience some "fine dining" before Christmas Eve left us with just a room service menu. We even dressed for the occasion - including coat and tie for me - just to celebrate. We chose the Belle Arti Italian Ristorante on Central Avenue, the main drag through Hot Springs' Bathhouse Row and the National Park. The food was great, the service good and there was even a pianist sharing his versions of Christmas music. We could have skipped the fancy clothes, though. Soon after we ordered, a young couple was seated near us, he wearing a camo T-shirt and hunting cap and she with a gym jacket. She eventually made him take off his cap. Oh well, we still felt special and really enjoyed our meal.



For Monday, Wifeunit scheduled a spa visit for both of us. I would get the "Gentleman's Package", a hot tub bath, massage and pedicure, while she had the full menu including something involving seaweed. That was nice and a first for me. I might try it again sometime.

Hot Springs at Christmas was very nice. The weather was cold and clear, and we walked around the shops and down the park terrace trails. Of course we had to see the cheesy tourist attraction, the Josephine Tussaud Wax Museum. It was bad enough to almost creep me out, but kind of fun. I still had to keep my half-marathon training going, so early Monday I ran from the hotel to about halfway up Hot Springs Mountain. On Wednesday I set my sights on reaching the tower on top of the mountain. It was difficult and I had to walk a few times, but coming down was exhilirating. It was about a six mile out and back, and I coasted down the mountain all the way to the hotel.

We had our Christmas Dinner at the hotel, a "reservations only" special menu. My selection was prime rib and it was yummy. At night we watched movies in the room, "Ratatouille" and the latest Harry Potter. The trip was almost perfectly relaxing, except that it rained the entire way home. I recommend a trip like this just for a chance to relax and be pampered. It's not an exciting place or particularly special, but it has some nice features and the mountains are pretty. I think we'll go back someday.