One grilled, one smashed

We didn’t know what to expect at the laundromat today, Presidents Day. It was a weekday, sure, but how many of our fellow Ozarkansans would do what we did and postpone their laundry from Sunday?

The answer was, “not many.” We didn’t have any trouble getting a couple of washers right away. We even landed one of the mega-dryers.

For a change, I dropped Deb off and did a few errands on my own — a visit to our storage unit, then Dollar General, and then Harbor Freight. I had a 15%-off-any-one-item coupon, which I applied to portable scaffolding we’ll use soon in building out the cabin. That discount saved us almost 30% off the going street price of the item.

I also ran into one of our neighbors there, shopping for abrasives to aid with installing a stereo in his side-by-side.

Back in Gassville, I arrived just in time to help with folding our washed-and-dried laundry. I suggested to Deb that we lunch at Carolyn’s Razorback Ribs. Naturally, she was all over that.

Outside the restaurant were two Marion County Sheriff’s cruisers (Dodge RAM pickup trucks), idling. As soon as we walked in the door we saw familiar faces — a local fellow we’d met originally while we were taking pictures of The Mountain from the Presbyterian church east of town, and the owner of the race track in the valley. Across the dining room from our table was our insurance agent, as well as two deputies enjoying a mid-shift meal. We don’t feel like strangers in this town anymore, that’s for sure.

Both of us ordered burgers and fries. Deb built her own, grilled. I had the “Fire in the Hole,” smashed.

When we left Carolyn’s, we drove around Yellville for a bit. We ended up at a picnic pavilion on a high point behind the chamber of commerce, the first time we’d been there, and took in the spectacular panoramic view of our adopted hometown.

Before heading Home, we drove down to Gray Spring, where “The Bubbler” definitely was a-bubblin’. Recent rain and snow have helped boost the flow, which will only increase as springtime approaches.

We enjoyed today’s sunset from The Amphitheater. While we were up there admiring the open space created by yesterday’s burn, we discovered a peculiar rock feature we’d never noticed before — a henge of sorts, with small chunks of chert scattered about. That deserves some investigating.