Blahhgg #6 – I'm now a Villien!

Ah yes - arising in Fort Smith - where else is the Visitor's and Convention Bureau housed in a formerly notorious whorehouse! How true to Fort Smith's recent history as border town to the American west. But everything's tamed now. The only raucousness emanating from bars when yuppie vultures from the big consulting firms (8, 6, 3?) alight to try to cosset some personal merger activity from the local wildlife. We were hit on (!) but having been in their shoes a scant 10 years ago we identified their stale humor immediately!

So we hit the road but not before dipping into the local Starbucks which is replete with a yuoung hipster in skinny pants, aviators and WHITE driving loafers. (I guess Vogue is nationally distributed).

Driving along we pass a road sign for Clarksville (as in "The Last Train to..."; penned by Neil Diamond for the fabulous Monkees). The moisture of the place is slowly seeping in - everything feels a little plumper and more vital.

A scene I missed photographing was a row of wind turbine blades laid out ready for installation. These are enormous! When they're mounted on the poles and turning they just don't look as big. Here's a shot cribbed from the Internet to give a sense of how big BIG really is:
Very cool. We also saw lots of trucks carting them around (also huge!). At least someone somewhere is harnessing a renewable energy source that also doesn't seem to require coal or some other such odious fuel for creation.

We pass Toad Suck Park, AR (exit 129) and pretty soon after that we were crossing the BIG river - they Mighty M - right into Memphis and Tennessee - my new home state! Woo hoo!!!

To inaugurate me into proper TN culture we stopped at a fish shack in Memphis called SoulFish. All I can say is Super Duper Yum!!!! MM got the catfish basket which came with the most perfectly fried (see below) catfish I've ever had (4 big pieces) and 3 HUGE hush puppies that were the most delectable things: crisp light hot with whole corn and bits of jalapeno inside. I've never had a hush puppy that good (and most are really awful) but these things were like "more please sir" to the max! I had a salad because I spied coconut cake. They gave me a wedge that was like 1/4 of an entire cake - OMG. Unbelievable. Memphis is 4 hours from The 'ville but we're going back soon babee!

We moseyed past high points like the Tennessee River Fresh Water Pearl Musem and Bucknort but I could hear my honey calling and wasn't stopping for nanythin' else. We rolled into The 'ville at 4:50pm and ta daaa! The end of the Road Trip!

The Moral of the Story: Size matters. America is big country and it's just ridiculous (and hence certain) for any of us to make generalizations. But if it's details and particulars that distinguish us, it is the process of living where our shared DNA resides.

[Unsolicited Political Rant: And oh how I do wish the mass media would get that. These recent calls for Obama to demonstrate how he 's a "regular guy" the way W. did - where people said "well I'd like to sit down and have a beer with the guy". Well Chick-O-Ree - just 'cause the moron can drink beer and crack a joke doesn't mean he can effectivley lead Amereica! Guess we know that now (lowest approval rating of ANY incumbent ever). So hello Geo. Stephanopoulos, Geo. Will, David Brooks, etc., etc. Get off that horse already! Obama has a family, eats breakfast and does something at some point to relax.]

Up next: Val in The Ville for real!