We voted in Arkansas.

I don’t recall precisely when we rolled out of the campground this morning, but it was earlier than usual. We were headed for Summit, Arkansas — and if Yellville (population 1,178) had a suburb, Summit (population 544) would be it. It’s home to the Marion County Fairgrounds, which hosts one of the county’s seven polling places.

Deb and I arrived at the gravel parking area near the grandstand the same time one of our neighbors did, the guy who sold us his Ranger. We chatted awhile before going in to vote.

He’s a Democrat, by the way, a long-time unionist from Michigan. He expects to be made fun of ’round here. We do. He knows we still love him.

Once inside, we found the poll workers friendly and helpful. (Imagine that.) Ditto our fellow voters. No one was especially bashful about talking politics in the hall, either, which got me smiling. Hell, standing in line I saw one middle-aged country girl wearing a t-shirt that read, “Party Like A Republican.”

Yeah, it’s a great place to be.

After voting we went straight to The Mountain and hung out with Deb’s cousin for a bit. We admired the progress he’s making on his vintage Willys. Deb test-drove his Echo leaf blower and liked it a lot.

We thought excavating equipment would arrive on the homesite today and work would resume, but it didn’t. Last week’s rain delayed our site guy on the job ahead of ours. We’re looking at Friday now, and that’s just fine.

Our visit today was short. We left around noon and drove toward Gassville, ostensibly to swing by a local storage facility we’re considering. Along the way we pulled off at a scenic overlook (across the road from the Y’all Come Cowboy Church) with a view of the White River, and we stopped to browse a great roadside antiques’n’junk shop.

We had a late lunch at Taylor’s Freez-King, a long-overdue return to an amazing little restaurant. Deb had “The Warrior” burger (American, bacon and onion straws), I chose “The Tag Team” burger (American, pulled pork and bacon) and we split an order of curly fries. She ordered a soft-serv twist cone and I had a jumbo vanilla shake.

Everything was outstanding, but those burgers… the best we’ve had in ages.

Back in Harrison later, we dropped by the main Miller Hardware store — unlike the Yellville saw shop, Harrison carries Echo power equipment. Deb got herself a leaf blower, just like her cousin’s.

So ended another good day, perhaps an odd day but a very gratifying one. The highlight, of course, was participating in the sacrament of citizenship known as voting. ‘Merica.

Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.

#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath

#LetsGoBrandon #FJB

Entering downtown Harrison this afternoon, we spotted this marquee sign.

“Axe Throwing & Dippin’ Dots.“

(By appointment.)

Of course.

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