ramblings from an arkansas farm girl
Every spring is the only spring – a perpetual astonishment. – Ellis Peters
pink flock
pink hyacinth
old pink gate
butterfly and pink phlox
Jesus beyond the pink
Grace Grits and Gardening
Musical Pairing:
The Psychedelic Furs, Pretty in Pink
If you’ve been keeping up, you know on Friday I drove to Eureka Springs. My friend Tom was along for the ride. Tom is a travel writer and one of his foodie rules is no chain restaurants. That rule suits me fine.
I had my own foodie rule. The restaurant had to be on the right side of the road. We were on a mission to get to Dairy Hollow by suppertime and precious minutes could be lost exiting, circling back and driving the opposite direction to try out a diner on the other side of the highway. Plus, there had to be p*l*e*n*t*y of options on our side of the road. Right?
Not really.
Wheeler’s Restaurant, Kiowa, Oklahoma
But we did find Wheeler’s Restaurant in Kiowa, just between Atoka and Savanna. The place was decorated in full fledged cowboy and indian motif with John Wayne photos, knotty pine paneling, and wagon wheel light fixtures. Had we stumbled into a western movie set?
Even the bathroom was in costume with barbed wire around the ceiling where molding normally goes. Check out this sink made from a vintage splatter ware bowl. Very cool!
splatter ware sink – Wheeler’s Restaurant
Our waitress was as friendly as a first cousin and the other diners were local, regular folks too. I could tell.
Tom eyed platters of burgers and fries being served to the two guys at the table beside us and had what they were having. He made a great choice. Behind the swinging saloon kitchen doors, someone was frying up burgers on a seasoned grill the way burgers were meant to be cooked. I was too busy eating my stew to take a picture of Tom’s food. Delicious.
Beef Stew at Wheeler’s Restaurant. Heavenly cornbread too!
Let me just end this post by showing you a picture of the amazing pies made fresh and served daily at Wheeler’s. Oh my the meringue was perfection. Blueberry. Lemon. Coconut Cream. Chocolate. But we resisted, had no pie, hit the road and stuck to our schedule.
The next time I travel through Oklahoma (without my dogs) I’ll stop at Wheeler’s Restaurant again. And really, I’d cross to the other side of the road to try that mighty fine looking pie.
Grace Grits and Gardening
Best John Wayne Movie Quotes
Childhood drives through the Ozarks happened only in summer when our perfect lake was surrounded by fifty shades of green with black-eyed Susans dotting the roadside. Lately it seems, I spend more time in the Ozarks during fall and winter. Fall is the most brilliant time of the year. The mountains are alive, and the very landscape provides inspiration. I appreciate winter too. The grace and gray of a cold Ozark morning provides a calm, serene backdrop for writing.
But yesterday as I drove to Eureka Springs, I realized I’ve never visited the Ozarks during early spring. And I have a good reason…spring is the best time not to leave Dallas. Dallasites know to soak up spring in Texas before summer settles in, hangs on, wrings every drop of energy from every living thing. Even so, I left a breezy 75 degree spring Dallas morning and headed to the Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow.
Sometimes writers need to get away to write.
My writer friend Tom from New Hampshire joined me which made the drive more entertaining. We talked about writing because we are addicted. We stopped in Oklahoma and took pictures of random things. Because that’s what addicted bloggers do.
Spring has even found Oklahoma.
We made a quick stop in Fayetteville mainly so I could lay eyes on my handsome son. Driving into our Fayetteville driveway, I received a delightful welcome back surprise from Mother Nature…tulips! In the two years John and I have owned this house, we’ve never seen evidence of tulips.
The Fayetteville I’d begun only to think of as fiery orange and red was painted the colors of Easter. Pink redbuds decorated the mountainside. Clumps of daffodils blossomed thick along sidewalks and along highways. Sprays of forsythia bloomed underneath giant oaks. It was hard to concentrate on the road. (Especially with Tom snoozing…)
We made it to Eureka Springs just in time for supper. And believe me, mealtime at Dairy Hollow is not something to miss. Our friend Dorothy (from Little Rock) was already checked in and writing. After an amazing meal, Tom disappeared to write while Dorothy and I sat on the deck overlooking a hollow (THE hollow I suppose). We enjoyed a glass of wine and discussed how blessed we are to spend time at this magical place, especially in spring.
Grace Grits and Gardening
“That is one good thing about this world…there are always sure to be more springs.”
― L.M. Montgomery
