The Road Trip Ends
Greetings to everyone.
Our trip to Arkansas came to an end about 6:30 PM when we came rolling home, haggard and tired. Xavier's week of so many firsts came to an end at the same time, though he likely wanted it to end about nine hours earlier.
Some of his firsts:
- Xavier can cross off visiting Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas from his bucket list.
- Xavier found his first tick, enjoyed fireflies, played with very large beetles, rampaged through the Ozarks, explored his first cave.
- Xavier caught up with Grandma Penny, and met his Grandpa Dave for the first time.
- He met his two great aunts and uncles Lynn and Don, and Katherine and Johnny.
- After an extended discussion, and counting on our fingers, we determined Xavier also met several third cousins: Anna, Michael and Trista. He also caught up with his cousins Jason and Sierra.
And special Kudos to Aunt Chelle! Her riding in the back seat with Xavier during the driving legs of the trip kept Xavier entertained, sparing us all his ear-piercing screeching and cries of constrained boredom.
All in all, a fun trip, and a nice first test of how well Xavier would tolerate longer car rides. The only thing about the trip I would change is not backing into a tree with the rental car.
Xavier Goes Spelunking
Greetings to everyone.
Well, not really spelunking, but Xavier did tour a famous cave named Little War Eagle Cave. The cave has history. A distillery during the Prohibition Years, a hide out for Billy the Kid, Pioneer home and home for American Indians to list a few uses. Hollywood even filmed part of a movie inside.
One would think that this vacation and so many "firsts" for Xavier, Dad would have his camera handy and taking scores of pictures. Strangely, no. The only picture taken with Xavier is this one. We waited for the tour tickets to be purchased, and Xavier played with a rat. Not a dead rat, not a real rat; it was a plastic rat used to decorate the waiting area.
When he was finished playing with the rat, he placed it back on the rock he found it on. Then, looking at it, he realized it was not positioned the same as when he picked it up. He adjusted it a few times until it rested like he found it. (I don't know where he gets that from)
The tour of the cave was interesting. Xavier did not want to stay in his umbrella stroller, so we parents needed to pay extra attention to Xavier's romping about than to the guide. The cave had many streams running through it, and many drop-offs, and several pools.
We hoped to see bats (the tour brochure listed them), but we learned the bats roost back in the deep cave, through a crevice too narrow to get through. However, Tropical Depression Bill's effects had driven a few Gray Bats into this cave (these are not normal denizens of this particular cave). The picture does not really show them clearly, even with the help of a photo editor. As the bats did not move, Xavier found them uninteresting.
Xavier's First Firefly
Greetings to everyone.
We drove in to Eureka Springs and drove around the Historic Downtown. We also had the expectation of eating at Bubba's BBQ (we planned that yesterday after seeing the sign, but the plans fell through). Alas, we did not eat at Bubba's today (although we did drive passed it and located it, so one step nearer our quest).
After touring the Historic Downtown via car and stopping at a fudge shop, we found the Farmers' Market many of the other family headed out to see. We pulled in and walked around. Xavier, as always, was happy to be out of his car seat and running around collecting comments from strangers: "What a cute little boy", "He's so cute" and "How old is he" were common. We found several of the family there; even picked one up who wanted to go with us.
After the market, we wanted to spend more time in downtown Eureka Springs as well as do some of the activities in the area: take the train ride through the area, go to a drive-through zoo, explore a cave, visit a winery. As the morning grew late, however, we decided to head back to the cabin for Xavier to nap. His late-night (11:00 PM to 12:30 AM) bed times took their toll in the early afternoon, and we wanted to keep/get him back on his schedule. A tired Xavier is an unhappy experience for everyone.
We found ourselves taking lunch on the way back in a local pizzeria. Though convenient, we would recommend against it. With the beginnings of the effects of Tropical Depression Bill moving through the Ozarks, it started to rain about the time we got to the cabin. We had quite a bit of rain in the afternoon.
The bugs in Eureka Springs know it rains a lot, so rain does not slow them down much. As the late afternoon sunlight faded to the grays of evening, the fireflies appeared. Several species of them sparking brief flashes. After dinner, Xavier and Dad sat outside and watched the lawns glisten with the intermittent spark of bio luminescent light.
Xavier was fascinated by the insects for quite some time. Dad explained many things, but he did not seem to care. He would point and say "oooh" at their flashing, especially when one flashed right in front of his face.
We captured a couple to examine. Xavier took a momentary interest in them, then decided he wanted to go splash around in the puddles the rain created. Still, every night after, Xavier would point and comment on the flashes of light winking out in the darkness.