snowed in

So, the weekend at the lake was...interesting. We got to the cabin at 6 or so on Friday, after driving 5 1/2 hours (the last 1/2 hour at least through the Ozark mountains - first on paved back country road, then on gravel back country road). We stopped first at the Flippin IGA (Flippin is the name of the town - good for many laughs) for some supplies, thinking we'd go get settled at the cabin then drive to town on Saturday morning for big shopping. It's a dry county (in Arkansas - odd, huh?), so we packed our own booze, and didn't have to stop at the Bayman liquors - Last Chance liquors had closed before our time at the cabin. Clever, huh?

We woke up Saturday morning to this:

Six inches of snow and ice. Not what we were expecting. Basically a prison sentence - we were stuck in the cabin until Tuesday afternoon. Q's two wheel drive truck wasn't exactly going to navigate the hilly roads with six inches of the white stuff. They don't salt the back country roads, and even if they did, the cabin is the second to last house on the road, so they surely wouldn't come as far back as us. We were planning on a long weekend away, and we got it. Stuck in the cabin in freezing cold weather.

We'd never seen the cabin or the lake in the wintertime, so it was kind of cool, once we ventured out of the cabin and down to the lake. If you haven't been to Bull Shoals, it's awesome. It's like a clear, calm, less populated Ozarks - spring fed, with crystal clear water. The Army Corps of Engineers owns all the land, so there are tons of restrictions regarding building on the shores, docks, etc. Which is really nice. You can take a boat out and not have to worry about being overturned from the six foot waves ON A LAKE. And you can swim without wondering what nasty creature will grab you from underneath the water because you can't see a single thing (obviously I watched too much X-Files this weekend).

Here are some pictures of the lake in the snow:

Once we ventured out, it was really gorgeous. There were actually some people out boating, which is so scary. The boat can be chilly on a hot summer day, with the wind and all - I can't even imagine being out there in 20 degree weather. It's just not worth it, folks.

Here's a shot of the laziest dog in the entire world:

That's right. My dog decided to lay down in the snow and ice. She did not lay down, realize it was cold, then get up - no, not the laziest dog in the world. She laid there for a while. Long enough for me to get the camera from inside, snap a couple of pictures, and then call her in so she wouldn't freeze to death. If you find a lazier dog, let me know. I'm pretty convinced she's the gold medal winner. Yes, dear reader, she is wearing a coat. A specially made greyhound coat. Normal ones don't fit, okay? And she has really thin hair. We're not freaks, I swear. She needs it. She doesn't seem to think so, but she really does.

Here's the outhouse we almost had to use because the toilet wouldn't flush properly because the pipes were mildly frozen:

That was fun, let me tell you. Fortunately it didn't come to that. Q remembered the de-icer.

Here's the best storage place in Arkansas. Maybe even in the whole country:

It's the Flippin Stash "N" Dash! It makes me laugh every time. The little dogs are the best - like they're dashing with their bones. So stupid. The Flippin Church of Christ is also a good one - the first time we were there with V and CB the sign out front said 'Prepare for school on your knees' - nice, huh?

Anyway, an eventful weekend. I'm glad to be back home, but to be honest, I liked being cooped up all day. I like having an excuse to be lazy and lay around all day long, watching DVDs, writing, listening to music, watching TV - it's fine with me.

This weekend is Mardi Gras - V and CB are coming in for a repeat performance of last year. Drunken debauchery. Good times. I haven't seen a weather forecast, but as long as it's not raining, it'll be fine. The first year we went with N8 & MT and it rained (I think four years ago - that's scary). The rain brought about all sorts of strange and infamous behavior from myself and MT. Girl, we'll never hear the end of that one. Silly boys.