So much fun!

It was a whirlwind trip that encompassed Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Illinois and Indiana. It's impossible to tell you how much fun we had.

We began our holiday in Georgia where we grabbed him for her because she's missed him. So have I and it's nice to have him back for a little while.

So nice...

We bought this low country boil in GA and drove across the bridge to Alabama and ate in her father's Cadillac while parked along the river. We were very careful not to spill, but oh, did we ever laugh about how her father would have reacted had he known. It was warm enough to have the windows down. We strolled the footbridge and the boardwalk, then sat on some rocks to watch cranes or herons fish the riverbank.

Caught one!

Back to GA and a delightful little pub named Scruffy Murphy's. There's a cozy outdoor courtyard in the back that is surrounded by brick walls, but no roof. It was warm and somewhat muggy, we had the place to ourselves and we talked, drank our beers, laughed and got caught up. The atmosphere filled us all with a sense of happiness...it was one of those perfect evenings that gets embedded in your sensory memories. You know what I mean? The next day we had obligations to fulfill and afterwards, we dined with some of his friends, told them about Scruffy's and took them there to see if we could capture that feeling again. It was not to be. It was colder, louder and just not the same, but that's okay. The three of us had already shared our moment and we were happy.

Friday - we left early in the morning to head for Memphis where we would meet up with B who promised us the most amazing BBQ dinner at Rendezvous. Dry rub ribs served with baked beans. Oh, and it was amazing. The restaurant is down a back alley and you can smell the BBQ long before you get there.

Just being silly after being in the car for so long. We're in Memphis, walked a few blocks to Beale Street where we laughed ridiculously hard at all the fun we were having.

Crazy, but I like the fact that I can buy a drink and walk down the street with it.

Did I mention how hard we laughed? You would have too had you seen the crazy hats we were trying on.

I think she does the Southern Belle quite well. Perhaps she's more of a Derby girl though.

And what would Memphis be without a little side trip to Graceland? We didn't actually go inside because, well, none of us really wanted to, but we took the obligatory pictures and visited the giftshops like good little tourists. ~grins~

And we laughed some more.

We managed to get in a little thrifting in Arkansas. You just gotta love a couple of guys who will prowl antique stores with us.

Across the river into Illinois.

It was late by the time we arrived at our hotel, but not too late to end up at the I & I Tavern for some pool and juke box tunes. I did say it was a whirlwind trip.

We lingered over breakfast and agreed to slowly wend our way home on the backroads. You just never know what you'll find, and what we found was a hilarious 'supposedly' historical park. I'm afraid to name it here because I wouldn't want to offend anyone, but really? An ancient campfire ring from 6500 years ago? Oh, yes, we laughed again. I have no idea what I'm holding in my hand, but they were everywhere.

By this time we were only a couple hours from home and it was time to go. So much fun. So much laughter. I'm excited to do it again. Perhaps next year?