Hot Springs Village, Arkansas - Part 3 - August 30 - November 30

While we were in our rented condo in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, we invited 16 of our friends from Palm Creek Tennis to a "Kansas in Arkansas" party.  Seating was a bit of a stretch but we opened the dining room table with setting for 8, set up a card table for 4 and put 4 out on the patio.

 

 

Luckily, we had a huge grill at our rental condo and Mark heated it up and cooked these tasty "falling off the bone" ribs .

 

 

The theme was based on food we enjoyed when we lived in Kansas as well as Kansas City, Missouri.  The menu included: KC Masterpiece BBQ ribs, Chicken Annie's (a landmark in Pittsburg Kansas) German Potato Salad and her Oil Based Slaw, Corn Salad, and Yeast Rolls.  I even found a flower arrangement with Sun Flowers, the Kansas State Flower.

Our dessert is one that Mark enjoyed as a kid.  There is a company in Kansas City who will send it to you.  Its is a Croatian nut bread called Povitica.  This is a sweet bread that is rolled around a mixture of finely chopped walnuts, honey and butter.  Mark even did most of the work to make them!!

Here are some of the photos from the party:

Mary Dombrowski, Diane Jobe, Harriet Hetzler, Helen Baggett, Mark, Janice Jensen - not sure where Kim Dorn or Celeste Noble were at the time!

Len Dombrowski, Gary Dorn, Roger Jobe, Tom Noble, Bob Hetzler, Don Baggett, Harlan Jensen

 

During our stay we actually got our names published in the Village Voice Newpaper.

The first was for me making a birdie while playing golf with the Ladies Social League.  Yes, they publish your name in the paper if you chip one in or if you make a birdie. 

Mark and I played couples golf on Sunday afternoons.  Every week they had another type of game scheduled.  This was the week that we played a Shamble.  We both tee off and then we play our own ball from the location of the best tee shot.  We came in 4th in Flight 4 - oh well!

 

The third was from a class I took on self defense.  The class was taught by Charlene Reinsch, one my Hot Springs Village tennis friends.  She served for 25 years with the Michigan State Police, worked in homeland security and did a stint as an undercover narcotics agent.  This is a photo of us practicing getting out of a grip from your assailant.  What you don't see is that at the end of the class she brought in a couple of guys to "assail" us and it is a lot harder to break their grips, but not impossible.  I'm in the back with a black tennis skirt, blue shirt and white jacket (third from the left).

 

 

Helen and Don Baggett ,who we know from Palm Creek Tennis, invited us to dinner at their beautiful new home on the golf course.  Joining us were Kim and Gary Dorn.  We met Kim and Gary when we came to Hot Springs Village in 2008.  We were assigned to their court in a fun Sunday tennis event.  Now here we are 8 years later and enjoying dinner with friends we made on one our first trips.  It was a wonderful evening with some good friends!

Don Baggett, Kim Dorn, Gary Dorn, Helen Baggett, us

 

Our three month stay in this recreational paradise has come to an end.  We are now off on our way back to Arizona with some fun stops along the way.