Little Rock

Hours in the car leads to lots of unbridled thinking. I've already had a few interesting realizations regarding people, life, and my own independence- (it's an act I realized). Mattie is a great companion for a trip like this one. We don't have to talk constantly, we're both laid-back, and she laughs at my jokes to help maintain my ego.

We left Nashville at 9:00 and happily bounded through Arkansas. I've always had mental picture of Arkansas that was a flat, dry, dark yellow place with a few boulders and a lone tree. Well! It's brilliantly green with hints of gold. And it all looks beautiful against it's pale blue skies. We were embarrassingly thrilled by the wavy golden wheat fields. The clouds cast shadows on the open plains creating a rainbow of dark greens and bright yellows. I loved it and instantly felt at peace. There's something calming about open space.

For lunch we stopped in Memphis. We didn't stay long or wander far but we chose a dark little pub to grab some salads before we got back on the road. This pub was like a giant wind tunnel. To start with, it was freezing but there was this giant metal vent in the back of the space and it blew a fierce wind straight on through to the front door. Our hair blew back into our faces and when the waitress set down our menus they drifted sideways into the bartenders workspace. The strangest part was that no one seemed phased by this. All paper products in the room were anchored down and hair tied into tight buns. Part of my salad even blew off of my fork. I'd never eaten in a windy restaurant before. I don't see it catching on.

Once back on the trail, we found ourselves at a dead stop on the highway. Never had we seen so many trucks on the road and they all backed up at a construction site. We sat for thirty minutes before embracing our adventure and ditching the highway in favor of the backroads. I'm so glad we did this. The scenery was beautiful and we listened to Laurie Hon's playlist of twangy driving tunes as we rounded field after field of rainbows. We drove through a tiny town of 300 and also pulled over to take pictures of the wheat. People honked and sneered at us, humored to see two girls from the south so excited to see grains.

We made it to Little Rock around dinner time and we stayed with the grandparents of Mattie's friend Beth. Beth was cute as a button and her Grandpa was very sweet. But that Grandma. I fell in love. She was so small and giggly and kept telling us how proud she is of us. "I would never have the nerve!" she said about our cross-country trek. "Or the independence!" she added. She reminded me of Mom. A tiny, older Mom and I wished I could bring her with us.

Beth gave us a tour and a brief history of Little Rock. The place looks like North Carolina. Isn't that strange? Woodsy neighborhoods up in hills and a humble but vibrant downtown framed by old, crumbling buildings. During dinner Beth talked and talked about life in Arkansas. She has a funny way of telling stories. She's so southern I guess. Her expressions and observations. It's that southern gossip with good intentions. "Bless her heart."
I thought about faces and what they see and I realized that life is life everywhere you go.
Mull that over.

 The next morning sweet little Jeanette fixed us an impromptu Grandma breakfast of orange juice, grapes, and coffee cake before giving us both hugs and sending us on our way.