I really do love to travel – especially when it means that I’m going to get to spend time with my family and friends. What some of you may not know is that my parents are originally from Arkansas!

When my dad graduated from high school, he went to the Military Academy at West Point, NY. Shortly after graduating from West Point, my father returned home to see his mother before his first military assignment – and was set up on a blind date with someone who was soon to become his wife –and my mother. Mom and Dad met on their blind date – and 15 DATES (not days) later, (that’s right, on their 15th DATE) they were walking down the aisle together – and a couple of years later, yours truly was born!

Because we were a military family, we moved a LOT! Most of the time Dad was stationed along the northeast coast. But each summer and almost every Christmas while I was growing up, we would return to Arkansas to see my wonderful grandparents and other relatives. When Mom was pregnant with me, she and dad were living in the Washington, DC area. Shortly after finding out that Mom was pregnant, Dad received orders to go to Korea – and that meant leaving my mother behind for a full year. So she packed up her bags and moved back home to Arkansas to live with her parents while Dad was gone. So that’s why I was born there – and why I didn’t ‘meet’ my father until after I was 6 months old!

When he returned, back to the east coast we went – but never were those ties to the south, and to Arkansas, ever severed. In fact, I went to college there at a wonderful school called Hendrix College. And several years ago, my parents bought a house in Little Rock that they would eventually retire to after their time in New York City. And it was to this house in Little Rock that I recently went to visit them.

And what a great trip it was! When I told my best friend James, that I was going to visit Mom and Dad in Little Rock, he jumped at the chance to join me. James is a TV Director and just recently moved to Los Angeles from London – and he had never in his life been to Arkansas – much less anywhere in the southern part of the States.

On the night we arrived, Mom and Dad treated us to a great dinner at a new Mexican restaurant near where they live. The food was fantastic – and the margaritas weren’t too bad either! Here we are that night:

The next night we had dinner at home and Mom and Dad really spoiled us. Mom had ordered lobster tails from QVC – and Dad grilled some steaks – and let me tell you, it was all Quack-A-Licious! I wasn’t sure how lobster tails ordered off the television were going to taste, but you know QVC, they were AMAZING!!

The next day James and I decided to explore Little Rock because there is so much history there. We stopped by the Presidential Library & Museum and then headed off to see Little Rock Central High School, which is most famous for the nine students who went there during the civil rights movement. Even though I went to college in Arkansas, it was the first time I had visited the Central High– and it was very moving!

Because we were only 2 ½ hours away from Memphis, James and I decided that we needed to make a visit there – especially to Graceland!!!

What an adventure that was! After touring Elvis’s home, gardens and planes, we were hungry! So we headed to another of Memphis’s landmarks – the Rendezvous Restaurant – famous for it’s dry-rub rips. As you can tell, I LOVED them!

And of course, a trip to Memphis would
NOT be complete without a stop at The Peabody Hotel – home of the Peabody ducks! In case you don’t know, every day, the ducks, who live in the hotel, take the elevator down to the lobby together, and parade across their own red carpet and take their ‘baths’ in the lobby fountain. As you can imagine, I had the time of my life seeing these little guys up close and personal!

Naturally I had to pop into the gift shop and see what kind of ‘duck’ souvenirs they had. Here I am with my favorite items in the gift shop. By the way, Jeanne Bice had this same pillow in her house – and it was one that I gave to Angel about a year ago! How funny is this?!

After our visit to the Peabody Hotel, James and I headed over to Sun Studios – the place that Elvis made his first ever recording.

If you ever get to Memphis, I can highly recommend taking the tour here – it really is one of the birthplaces of American rock and roll. As part of the tour, you even get to go into the actual studio where so many greats, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash – and so many others – recorded. They even have the original microphone that Elvis used. Here I am doing my best to channel my ‘inner Elvis’! (I think I better stick to my ‘day job’!)

Later that week I wanted to stop by my Alma mater and see the campus – I hadn’t been to Hendrix College since my last reunion 3 years ago. My father holds the Carnegie Mellon ‘Chair’ there as a visiting Professor of Writing – so it was great to tour the campus with him. Here we are in front of the new athletic building – where, coincidentally a very good artist friend of his was commissioned to create sculptures for an outdoor space. Do you think I look like my father?!

But the BEST part of the whole week was the party my parents threw at their home so that I could see so many of my college friends! We definitely had a full house that night – and it was wonderful to be able to spend time with close friends! The highlight of the evening was when a group of my gal friends all showed up wearing new Quacker items!!! They had planned this as a surprise to me – and to my knowledge, none of them had ever shopped or worn Quacker before! (Aren’t those special friends?!) Here I am with my ‘Little Rock Quack-Ette’s’ when they surprised me. Do you recognize any of the tops they are wearing??

Okay, so you’re probably wondering what Quacker top that is that my friend Binky, on the far left, is wearing??? I can not tell a fib, that one is NOT a Quacker – but it DID have some sparkle and shine in it – so we let her join in the picture – because if anyone I know has the Quacker Spirit – it’s definitely Binky!! And I think after seeing how Quack-Tacular Lisa, Susan, Andrea, Shelly, Cathy and Meg looked, we’ll soon make Binky a Quacker as well!

Another friend of mine, Kim, showed up later in Quacker. Doesn’t she look Quack-Tastic?! This was our TSV ‘Happy’ Sweater – and I definitely think Kim looks HAPPY in it!

What a great visit it was to Arkansas – there really is nothing better in life than a little bit of ‘Southern Hospitality’ – especially when it’s mixed with good food and great friends. Thanks Mom and Dad for making the visit so wonderful!!!

Quacker Hugs & Love From Across The Pond!!!
Patrick

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