I got up early Saturday morning - early for me anyway. It was around 6:15 as I hit the buzzer once to give me another 15 min. sleep. I planned to leave my house at 7 a.m. and drive appx. 100 miles to visit some friends of mine and attend the annual Dinner Theatre. Every year the Methodist Church in Marvell puts on a play in the church sometime in early February. It is not only a play, but a dinner is served, thus the name "Dinner Theatre" is used to describe the event. After returning to the house once to pick up some meds I had forgotten, I got on my way out of town around 7:45.
I really love these trips to Marvell, not the driving on the interstate towards Memphis part, but I do like hooking my mp3 player up to my cassette player in my KIA Sportage and riding along in another world with my music. I had just refreshed the choices on my player and removed a lot of stuff I didn't really like listening to. I enjoyed the drive over very much.
My friends, Brent and Marilyn, had moved away from Marvell early last year. They moved to Virginia to be near their kids and grandkids. They recently gave me some good news though. They are moving back to Marvell in March. On this visit though, they were staying at M's sisters house, and had invited me to stay Saturday night there with them. (A whole 'nother story.)
The play was funny and everyone told me how much they enjoyed seeing me again. I didn't realize how much I missed seeing these people. They are all pretty nice. I didn't go last year because I was vacationing at my son's house in California at the time the play was scheduled. Anyway, it really was good to get to go back this year.
I have been doing this for several years, maybe 6 or more. In past yers, my friends always helped prepare the dinner and serve. I would come over and head straight for the church, make coffee in the Bun, and help wash baking potatoes and wrap them in silver foil. We would grind carrots, cut up tomatoes and make salads for up to 100 people. Women who were asked to provide desserts would drop by with plates piled with two layer coconut cakes, german chocolate, and my favorite home made Angel food cake. We usually ate that one before it got served. We had lots of fun just visiting with all the people who put this event together. We would put hotdogs and burgers on the grill and all the workers would gather around the big counter in the kitchen and eat before we started serving the dinners to the "paid" customers. We made a game of beating last year's record of how long it took to serve all the people. I have made quite a few friends over the years.
This year, we did help out some in the kitchen, we wrapped the potatoes in foil and put them in the huge ovens to bake. Got to sit and talk for a while, but we had bought tickets this year and actually sat down to watch the play and had dinner. It was really good.
Coming home Sunday morning, I took Hwy. 49 from Marvell, got on Hwy. 70 and drove into Little Rock along that route. It used to be the only way to get to LR before they built the interstate. I like the route. Just about 4 miles from the NLR city limits, you drive by a kind of swamp, with old cypress trees in the water, right beside the road. I love to drive along here. In the spring, there are yellow flowers across the top of the water with the sun shining through. I need to get pictures I tell myself every time. Again, I listened to my music, let the wind flow in through my sunroof - very relaxing drive home. Can't wait till next time!
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