Sunday, November 29, 2015

Cupcake Wars and Thanksgiving Travels


Taylor and the Cupcake (Wars)

We spent Thanksgiving with my mom in Hot Springs, AR this 
year, gathering at a neighbor's house where everyone brought
their special dish and enjoyed an afternoon of delicious food
and good company.  The weather is still relatively warm there,
this was one of the first years they did not eat outside. Still,
much warmer than the St Louis (MO) area. A blanket of rain
was on the way so there were a few spits here and there
but we were able to linger on the deck for a great deal of the time.

We ate at our favorite Hot Springs restaurant, Mr Whiskers,
which offers shrimp, catfish, oysters, chicken and hamburgers 
among other things.  They make their own sauces and the 
food is cooked to perfection. It's delicious!  We talked for
days about what we were going to get when we arrived in 
Hot Springs.  Yes, it's that good.

On Friday I helped mom decorate while Tom drove Taylor into
town for a quick trip to one of her favorite stores and some bbq.
The downtown is store after store, small businesses, with pretty
things to wear, delicious restaurants, interesting things for tourists
to do and of course the bath houses for which they are famous.

Taylor stopped into the cupcake store, Fat Bottom Girls, and standing right 
in front of her was the winner of Cupcake Wars.  
Taylor must follow this show because my husband 
said her eyes lit up and she could only ramble on about how
excited she was to actually meet the winner.  
Apparently it was "the greatest day in her life!"
The owner gave Taylor a free cupcake which she
ate of course but also brought the box home to show her mom.


The weather was so nice we sat outside on mom's deck
watching the lights on the dam and listening to the 
occasional dog bark or boat drive by.


Mom has many carolers that she displays during the holiday,
these are only the ones on the mantle.


We decorated her tree.


I found an ornament I made back in 1980.


This one Mom made back then too.


We drove back Saturday, in the driving rain but fortunately
ahead of the flooding they anticipate.  It was still a rough go 
through parts of Arkansas, the asphalt roads gathered a stream
of water where the tire tracks were causing a lot of hydroplaning,
streams were roaring, coming out of their banks.  The Lake Hamilton
dam (Carpenter Dam) was wide open with the river so 
high on the river side that I wondered if anyone was being flooded there.  
They lost the bridge one year when they had to quickly open the dam.
There is a series of lakes starting with Lake Ouachita which leads
to Lake Hamilton and then Lake Catherine.

I posted this photo from our last trip of an abandoned barn.  A few
months later it has collapsed.  I couldn't get a good photo this year due
to the rains but I was sorry to see it go.

We're back home now and ready to do some pretty good
pre-Christmas cleaning.  I'll have the hubby get out the decorations
and put the tree up soon. It sure is a lot colder up here!  I'm missing
that light jacket weather!

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving.

6 comments:

HIBISCUS HOUSE said...

Fun times you won't forget!

LindaG said...

Glad to hear you had a great Thanksgiving and a safe trip!
Hope you all have a blessed week. ♥

Powell River Books said...

We had some nice sunny weather in Southern California for Thanksgiving but are heading north now to return to Powell River. It's even colder than before because we got spoiled with the warm sun down south. I've seen Cupcake Wars on TV. They sure make some fancy ones. I've always wondered how a store that sells only cupcakes can stay in business. - Margy

Kathy Felsted Usher said...

That's pretty much what they sell, different fancy varieties. It's right on the main street and it is very much a tourist town with a lot of businesses downtown. I guess you stroll by and pick up a few for breakfast in the office or maybe you are shopping early.

Lisa said...

I put up my Christmas tree in 70 degree weather. It just doesn't seem right. I sure would like some cooler temps so I can wear my Christmas sweaters! Glad you had a great time. Cupcake Wars is a great show too!

Harry Flashman said...

You were brave to travel on Thanksgiving weekend. I never venture out on the roads on holidays.

Even so, I envied you the trip and the food fellowship. I used to participate in such events long ago, when I was much younger. Now I stay close to home.