Bass Pro Shop

Don didn't have to work for the 1st time in a long while, maybe all summer. This morning he was loading up the truck to go to the hunting land. I thought he'd left when I came out of the shower. He was surprised I was up so early on a Saturday. I reminded him that I had an art class at church which he'd forgotten about. He forgets a lot of things I tell him these days.

Our project was to make napkin holders out of the cardboard tube from the end of a toilet paper roll. We were supposed to glue on fall colored buttons. I couldn't find all my buttons, but we had enough. Sort of like not having all your marbles. There were only 2 other kids to show up. It was the 2 kids that moved to SC. One of them is Rhett's best bud, Alex. Their father brought them. They brought red, white and blue buttons. Some times you just have to say, "Oh, well.." About an hour into it, the boys got bored, started running up and down the hallway, making too much noise for my nerves. Rhett only completed 3 rows on his napkin holder. Alex did pretty good on his this time. The buttons were scattered randomly with lots of space in between. Too much so for me. His sister Emily's was - I'll just say unfinished and leave it at that. I don't know how many rows I had. Didn't stop to count them. Mine was "looking good" even if I say so myself.

I'd made a really beautiful one last Thanksgiving with my Grandmother Graddy's buttons. So mine was really special to me. Now we will have 2 fall colored napkin holders and an unfinished Christmas one. I hope to do another class next month were we do the same thing only using orange and black buttons for a Halloween theme. I can just see them...

I called this class off at about 11:30 because the boys couldn't stop their hall antics. I just didn't think it was proper in a church even if it was on a Saturday. Plus they were on my last nerve.

Then we paid the cable bill and got barbecue sandwiches at a place I said I'd wouldn't stop in again so I had to eat my words. We took the sandwiches to my parent's house. I called my best friend Genie while there. First we talked about Rhett's school. I had not filled her in on the latest by email lately which isn't like me. Just been involved with my artwork and photography I guess. She being a teacher couldn't get over the fact that the students cannot talk at lunch! She'd never heard of such. Neither have we and we don't punish him for that. Its just too ridiculous. I asked her if I could get her daughter Jena's phone number to see if she wanted to eat with us. I forgot it is football season in the south which is a big thing here. Jena was in Auburn anyway. I asked about our mutual high school friend Katherine, but Genie said they go to all the Auburn home games. Strike two. Or maybe it was for the best. Part of me wanted it to be just the three of us. Our family.

I'd also called my Aunt Margareet in Montgomery, told her we might stop by if it wasn't too late when we got through at Bass Pro. She wanted us to stop by her house first, but I knew that wasn't what Don wanted to do. I told her I couldn't promise anything.

We got home in plenty of time for our afternoon journey. Had my cell phone charging. Caught up on emails. Sent one out about Daddy's upcoming 2nd eye surgery. He had a fungus and has scratched his eye he'd had catarac surery on not long ago. I got online directions to Bass Pro.

So we departed at 5:11. Now we could have left earlier since Don came back from the woods before I expected him. We passed through Montgomery. once past Montgomery, I saw name of streets from the map. We found it with no problems except for where to turn into the place. Don was complaining about the idiot who designed the parking lot. I've told him he didn't complain this much when we first got married.

The place was beautiful. I liked it far better than the one in Clarksville, IN. It wasn't as big story level wise. It has one floor less. When you first walked in the doors, you just stand there in awe looking upward to the tall, tall ceilings where there are murals painted (?), mountain sides formed out of rocks with deer standing on the ledges. On the ground, in the entryway, it felt like an actual lodge. One I wouldn't mind owning.

We learned our lesson. We should have checked out the restaurant first, but we were like kids in a toy store looking at everything. We gravitated to the huge fish tank which must be a prerequisite for all the stores. Then we went upstairs. The elevator is not over the fish tank at this one. The arcades were not as good as the ones in Clarksville. The view down below was breathtaking literally. Rhett and I with our hydrophobia would not get too close to the rails.

Don wanted me to buy him a pair of thermal camo overalls for his Christmas present, but I REFUSE to buy him hunting stuff! I resent his hunting as I did the "damn deck" he built while I was pregnant. Besides I have been good not buying anything, but pictures and compasses lately.

Rhett and I had to go to the bathroom which was downstairs. They were labeled "Bucks" and "Does". So I am a Doe. When we came out, I discoverd THE most comfortable chairs to sit in while we waited on Don. They were upholstered in camo fabrics. I could envision us in his and her's matching rocker/recliners... instead of rockers on the deck since we don't have a front porch. I could live with them. The cheapest one they had was $499 in the old style camo not the new prettier camo!

While sitting there, I noticed a lady had a menu in hand. Then I saw she had one of those cafe beepers. She had a daughter older than Rhett who had the prettiest color hair. I cannot describe it. It wasn't brown nor blonde. She was far too young for it to come out of a bottle. She didn't know how lucky she was to have undescribeable hair. It was the color only a fairy could create.
After they departed the comfy chairs, I called Don on his cell phone to tell him I was going to get a menu. I made reservations. There was an HOUR wait! But it was well worth it. It was rather expensive, but we didn't want to find another place to eat. Rhett insisted on eating catfish instead of getting something from the kids menu. There were 2 fillets with the catfish so we split it.

They brought out this wonderful, hot loaf of bread with crystallized sugar on top. It was called "Bimini bread". Don had grilled, blackened Mahi Mahi which was SO tender. Rhett's potato wasn't done, but they gave him another one. We had to have more of that bread. Rhett ate almost all of his fish except for one bite. Needless to say we didn't need doggie bags.

Don bought a deer stand before we left. This part of Alabama is an hour behind us so we were not concerned about time. We left after 10 pm. It rained really hard on us on the way home. It was about 10:30 by the time we got to where turn to go to my aunt's but I felt it was too late to stop. We were glad we were traveling in the direction we were headed due to the Auburn traffic going back to Montgomery. We had to stop for gas. I was praying the place was open and thank goodness it was. It looked like some folks were taking a short cut back to Montgomery in front of this lone gas station. I thought we'd never get out of the lot. We arrived home safely at midnight, but we did not turn into pumpkins.