I have absolutely no idea what happened over there this weekend, but my dogs are worn out.  I mean, like they have just been walking all day long and didn't get a rest. Or like they've been awake for days.  Addler is grumpy as all get out, the dog is just out of it. Aspyn the same, tho she isn't grumpy. Neither of them want to eat.  The dog food I feed them they usually inhale, I've never seen either of them not hungry at all.  

Addler is so out of it, he just fell off the end of the bed, upside down.  He took his sweet ole' time correcting his body and getting back up. I tried to stop the fall but I didn't get over there til too late.  He wasn't hurt that I can tell, no wincing.  

Then again, the dog really doesn't complain about pain, as evidenced by his actions the other day. We went for a walk, the 3 boys and both dogs.  On our way back out, I was helping the boys climb over a big, felled tree, Addler had run off into some shrubbery.  I was walking off and saw Addler just standing there.  I called him - ADDLER! come on, let's go!  

He just stood there, didn't wince, cry groan, nothing. Addler?  ADDLLLLEEERRRRR!!!!  He still just stood there, I knew something must be wrong.  I hadn't noticed how entangled in this thorn vines he had gotten.  When I got to him, he couldn't move because he was completely bound up in those vine.  One of the vines was wrapped around his head/throat twice.  The pain that must have been inflicted on the dog trying to get that off of his head, as gently as I tried, there was no choice but to have to pull on it to get it off of there.

Then, his entire hips were wrapped up and one rear leg.  I was pretty taken aback this dog wouldn't even wince.  He was imprisoned in thorn vines and it must have been agony.  

Neither of those dogs were used to that place at all. The dogs over there - dozer and pepper - he knows them but hadn't seen them in a long time. There is yappy Chihuahua over there as well. Maria said they all got along well this weekend so it's a bit of a wonder why the dog appears like he hasn't slept the entire time we were gone. Aspyn as well.  

I had to wonder if Addler wasn't have a flashback to when his original family had to get rid of him. Like, being abandoned to a new place and people once again. Aspyn the same.  I dunno, but they're home.  I will be gone tomorrow but they'll be home, so hopefully they can rest up.  

Okay, well it's not late but it's time to go to bed. Try to rest for a long day tomorrow.  

 Okay.  So we got to Hot springs late, dumped our gear in the hotel room and left.  Taylor wanted to have drinks, so we just picked a place and went in.  Lol, I can say that I was not even in the slightest prepared for what would greet up.  It was a college bar hangout with all kinds of funky and old stuff hanging up on the walls and on shelves out of reach.  It was noisy and there were - oddly dressed - people walking in and out.  But, it was Taylor's music they were playing and we were having fun so I just went along with it.  

It wasn't until I was in there for a bit when I realized that these ladies I was seeing? Weren't ladies at all.  I've come to the point in my life to just accept these different lifestyles.  I don't have to agree with them, God loves everyone, tho Christ died for our sins, yet He didn't reject anyone.  He did tell the woman at the well to go and sin no more.  So there is that.  But the Bible even specifically states we are not to judge the unsaved.....leave that up to God.  I have enough problems in my life to be pointing out the things in other people's lives, at least in this particular realm.

But I did get to the point where I was trying to figure out which were actual ladies and which - were not.  I think they're called "passable", where they actually look good enough to fool even a straight man into thinking they are biological females.  Anyway, we closed that bar at 2:00 am - went back to the hotel and only then found out about the lack of a sofa bed.

A cot was brought up and by that time of night I was ready to go to sleep regardless of accommodations.  Taylor, however, was having none of it and we were moved to another room. It also did not have a sofa bed so I ended up sleeping on the cot anyway. At least we were out of the room with the giant cockroaches.  

Next day - yesterday - we were off to an entire day's worth of activities.  The Hot Springs Mountain Tower was fascinating.  You either walk up however many stories - lots of them - or take an elevator up - we opted for the elevator. You arrive at near the top in a room that goes around the entire observatory.  You can see for a long, long way on a clear day.  Beautiful.  Then up the stairs to the very top where you can look through telescopes.  

We then went and checked out the lake - with suggestions that we should bring my boat up there.  Yes, well let me get the thing into the shop and see if they can iron out the final problems with it.  The shop is 40 miles away and admittedly I have had my mind on property to the point it pretty much pushes out everything out.  I didn't really think about it this weekend tho.  We went into one of the infamous bath houses and enjoyed sipping on a board filled with small glasses of the different kinds of beers that are locally made.  Yes, it is a bath house but it's also a brewery lol.  

After that, we went swimming at the resort pool. It has 2 pools and a hot tub.  You can only access it on the 7th floor of the hotel, which was pretty unusual. Built on the side of a mountain, these pool butt up to the hotel but are actually in the ground, not on the hotel.  One of the pools is 6 feet deep the entire pool, which is the one we went in.  After that, it was just go get some grub at a local restaurant - Fat Jacks - good food - and then we were all burned out. It was almost midnight, so yea that's a long enough day, certainly for me.  

This morning, we got up rather late, got our stuff together and left, around noonish I think.  We ended up at Cracker Barrel for a nice breakfast and then off to one of their favorite stores they always check out before they leave.  James wanted to go to the Harley store but they have shut the place down and turned it into a Goodwill.  

I'd go again  - I just wouldn't stay at that hotel, or if I did, in a much cheaper room and get 2 rooms instead of one, so I can have an actual bed.  But stll, the rundown condition of that hotel - and the pics you see of the rooms are totally misleading.  They'd have to spend millions of dollars probably to fully upgrade it into a real resort hotel.  I did like the pool.  Taylor was able to talk to the hotel manager and get a few hundred taken off the final bill, so that was nice as well.  

Home, 4 days off are over.  Back to work in the morning, an Oklahoma run.  And then, the loading plant is allegedly shut down until Friday.  I intend - or at least hope - to get a good night's sleep tonight and hopefully get the run done in one day tomorrow.  I suspect a bit of fatigue after an exhausting weekend tho, I may not make it that late tomorrow.  The kids are gone and won't be back for a while.  Apparently they miss mommy already tho, lol.  I predicted that would happen I just didn't think it would happen so fast. It isn't helping that it's boiling hot outside and where they're at just as hot, outdoor activities curbed because of the heat.

Oh, and yes, I did stop by the property on the way home from getting the dogs from Maria's. Nope.  

Basically, I'm just going to check when I'm in town, but I'm not going to say anything more about it to my realtor.  It either gets done or it doesn't.  If it doesn't, I don't know what to say except gee, isn't that wonderful! lmao There is no use fretting over something I literally cannot change short of pulling out of the deal. No I'm not pulling out of the deal. It's just a ridiculously long wait to get anything done.  They'll probably have to check my credit score yet once again before this is all over.... 

And fatigue has just set in.  It is likely going to be an early night for me.  Just a weeee bit too early to be going to bed at 5:30 pm.  

 A quick update.

The surveyors never showed, tho that's not really been on my mind the last couple of days

We've been in Hot Springs, Arkansas enjoying a mini vacation.  Preparing to leave in a few to get home in time to get settled down and ready for - work tomorrow.  The dogs are at Maria's so there's going to be that as well.

We've done all kinds of things on this trip, the extent of which I will get into in a later post.

But I have to say that this Arlington Resort and Spa? Is one of the worst hotels I've stayed in in a long, long time. It's storied history is just that: history.  Smelly, nasty carpet.  Paint peeling literally all over the place, in the rooms, in the hallways, outside, dirty and filthy.  Giant cockroaches, daddy long legs and biting bugs of which I never identified.  Highly price facility, one would expect a much better looking and cared for place than what we ended up in.

And that was 3 room's worth.  We made the best of it, at least they have a nice pool and hot tub facility.  But the pics of the rooms are completely deceiving and verge on the precipice of false advertising.  James and Taylor have stayed here before and said the place has fallen into disarray since the last time they stayed here.  

Anyways, we still had fun regardless, just the sleeping part wasn't so nice.  

I will probably be going to bed early tonight, in my own bed, comfortable and hopefully sleeping well.  I think it's like a 3 hour trip back to the house.  So we should be arriving no later than 4pm, including a stop for breakfast/lunch.  

I will probably write a detailed accounting later on today when I'm home in my bedroom or perhaps in a couple of days.  I have to go to Oklahoma tomorrow, it's an early load so I hope to get it over with tomorrow.  The plant is shutting down for several days for scheduled maintenance, allegedly reopening on Friday.  Much more time off than I had expected, shrugs my shoulders and go with it.  Stay home, do some projects and mostly stay indoors, it's been sweltering hot!

Okay, time running short, we're fixing to leave here and head home.

G'day.