Regular Life

Ben smiles on a ride in Papa’s Jeep.
(click to see those baby blues better)

The long weekend was about smoked meats, sweet treats, and horse feets. I mean, hooves. And, no, they were not part of the cuisine.

My family’s Thanksgiving saw my dad smoking venison he slayed not two weeks before, and pork loin. He baked his signature apple-and-Red-Hots pies and slow-cooked a big turkey to moist-white-meat perfection. Various family members brought side items.

The food was, in a word, delectable.

But after all that, there were the tiny horses.

(click any pic to enlarge)

Over the years, my mother always has either owned or co-owned one type of horse or another. Lately, miniature horses are her thing, and she couldn’t wait to get the miniature Williams boys on them. Thanksgiving 2007 provided that opportunity. I’m really sorry about the scarf, Mom.

   
Ben and his cousin, C, go for a ride.

Shortly after the boys’ equestrian inauguration, we took a ride in a horseless carriage, known to some as a Jeep. Still able to recall our New Mexico Jeep adventure like it happened last week, Ben was excited. At the last minute, my brother (Charles of the comments area) decided to stay home and let Dad drive, making the trip more memorable for the boys and for Dad.

We had only a little time to work with before the Arkansas-LSU football game started, so we headed for the area’s main attraction — the Greers Ferry Dam, an Army Corps of Engineers project dedicated in 1963 by John F. Kennedy shortly before his assassination. We also had in mind the short trails winding through the woods just downstream from the dam.

On our approach, Dad and I talked it up as well as we could. We avoided the phrase, "Here comes the damn dam." The kids are only four, after all, and besides that, it isn’t very funny.

Neither the Kennedy Overlook nor the observation decks on the opposite side of the Little Red River held much interest for the boys. They don’t know what floodgates and hydroelectric power are.

They sure enjoyed kicking and picking up leaves, though. When C boasted, "I have lots of leaves," Ben scoured the parking lot for any with unique shapes. I held the stack for him while he climbed into his seat, and then safely tucked them away.

"Picking up leaves? We could have done that back at the house," Dad said.

Nevertheless, it was fun and the boys will remember it all their lives. In case you want to relive it, Dad, you can. I deliberately left Ben’s spoils in the glove compartment.

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