a day trip through the Delta and a trip home for Thanksgiving

While I was home for Thanksgiving I took a day trip through the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta. After dropping off my busted computer at the Clinton School I took off toward Pine Bluff, trying to pick up a passenger along the way but Geoffrey was in Cambridge for the Harvard-Yale game. So my first stop didn't come until Dumas where I stopped in at Miller's Mud Mill and picked up a cheese tray for my mom.
While driving I passed through so many small southeast Arkansas towns like Lake Village...and kept remembering the road which I had taken countless times to Hamburg, Arkansas, to see Uncle Dane and eventually down to Monroe, Louisiana, to visit Mama, Pop, Aunt Lynn, Amanda and Hailey Haynes. But before I could make it there I turned left to cross the bridge to Greenville, Mississippi, the first planned stop on this trip. I was supposed to meet Frances, a friend I met in Spain and who attended the Mississippi State University. Frances had just taken the CPA exam the day before and thus slept through our engagement. But that didn't leave me with nothing to do. I headed to downtown Greenville and got an amazing meal at Jim's Place where I had some of the best greens and strawberry shortcake I have ever tasted from this man:Afterward I headed next door and shopped for some boots at Looking Good.No luck with the boots but I hopped in my car and headed to Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. Once I crossed the Mississippi River for the second time that day and entered town, I ran across a sign that James Mitchell mentioned in his writings.I stopped in Helena-West Helena to visit my Aunt Lynn and Uncle Dana who bought two houses there within the past year and are currently living and working on the nicer and bigger of the two. I sat with them for two hours in one of the living spaces with this amazing stove place:This was a long, but relaxing day on the road and was just the start to my trip back home.

Ten days for Thanksgiving might still not have been enough but I enjoyed every minute of it - getting to play soccer with Zach's teams, run and hang out with Imhoff, spend a couple evenings with the Shadids and a couple more with the Harrisons,...pick Haynes up from the airport, join in on a great meal at Yo' Momma's with a great crew, eat the best food on Thanksgiving and welcome Tina and Ricky into the house, spend some quality dessert-eating time out at the Oates', cover up on a rainy and cold but still amazing Razorback football day, shoot my first shotgun and get challenged by Sam on our Saturday Thanksgiving at the Boultinghouse's, play some football with North Little Rock kids from all ages, hang out with my crazy sisters and little brother, and spend almost every non-working time minute with Zach or the dogs.

Now I'm back in Tempe and already almost on my way out again. I spent the last week doing a lot more work on my project and working out a Foundation trip to D.C. around the inauguration to meet with Veterans' Affairs stakeholders, working with Tillman Scholars on their CGIU commitments, spending a Friday night seeing art with Katie, Eric, Joel, and Erin, and going to an bonfire/beer pong party at Ari's, a Saturday being active riding around town taking photos, climbing A Mountain and walking through the Tempe Arts Festival before seeing Katie's cousins' metal show and then just relaxing, running, and reading the rest of the time. Next stop, Las Vegas to the Rockies and back to Las Vegas for the new year.

Peace.