Sweet Home...

We went on our annual trip (I say trip because it's no vacation - it's tent camping with 2 small children), this time to the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. It was my idea, thinking that it might turn out as nice as last year's trip to Yellowstone. I was somewhat discouraged with the views - obstruction by trees. The roads were great - winding and clean (they have a huge anti-litter campaign that keeps their roads the best I've ever seen). I think hitting the Ozark Mountains during fall color on a motorcycle or in a Porsche convertible would be the way to go. Dare to dream!

The views that peaked my interest were the intricate webs that spiders weave, how bad a barn could be damaged and still be used, and Moon Pies. There were no shortage of spiders.. daddy long legs with 2 1/2 inch long legs, giant webs, etc. Our family hates spiders, but we like the webs, hence the photo.



This barn, I kid you not, wasn't the worst barn we saw on the trip. Though it looks dangerous, it was still being used. This might motivate me to start a series on barns some time in the future.



The Moon Pie quest started when we checked out a library book, "Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-This-World Moon-Pie Adventure." We had been casually searching for Moon Pies up in MN for a few weeks, and didn't locate one in the Twin Cities. I found one at a gas station in Nevada, Missouri. A Moon Pie is similar to a cooled down s'more.... it's a double decker sandwich of soft graham like cookie and marshmallow.. dipped in a flavor shell. After the initial find, we discovered there are at least 3 flavors of Moon Pies down south.. chocolate (the best), banana (good), and vanilla (blah). My 4 year old insisted we buy out the last gas station in Arkansas before heading home so that he could show his grandparents, cousins, and brothers what Moon Pies are.



More photos to come later..