Roadtrip to Oxford

 We did a quick turnaround road trip to Oxford to collect one of my favorite pieces of furniture, a Stanford Chair that was my "reading nook" go to while we used the chair in VA.  But my stepdaughter liked it and used it to nurse in for baby Ethan.  Ethan's now 2 and they have massively downsized, so it was time to collect the chair.  

We do a route from Denver through Wichita and Tulsa to head into TN and MS.  It was uneventful and gorgeous this late summer, but as we approached Oxford we had a low tire warning, the second on the trip.  The serendipity was strong, as we also almost immediately saw a tire shop on a back road through fields in MS.  The google map had re-routed us just before the Memphis bridge due to construction.  So someplace near the Helena bridge over the Mississippi river we got the tire fixed just before closing.  Took off right near 5PM (closing time) and had the light come on again almost immediately.  They answered the phone and we got a SECOND tire repaired due to a nail.

It was a beautifully calm trip to end the journey and there was an incredibly good piece of fried chicken across the street from the tire shop in a convenience store, along with a Rap branded chip with Snoop Dog's face, a cheddar BBQ chip.  They were delicious, and it may have rivaled Purdle's fried chicken in taste and juicy moistness.

We spent two days with the grandkids while the kids sorted out the continuing declutter under the carport.  That's when my cold hit.  Harsh and furious with a kleenex score of 1 box per 6 hours.  Lots of sneezing and napping.  Luckily I had cooked all of day one and we had Browned Butter Rice Krispie treats, Beef Bourganion, and Moroccan Chicken to sustain us all.  And we left a watermelon in the fridge from Water Valley's watermelon festival.

A trip to Taylor, MS Lost Dog and the yummy sandwich shop was my only trip out before the sneezing hit.  I can now confirm that I am not allergic to MS, as I am still sneezing here in Denver.  

Near Wichita, we found a lovely restaurant on the way home to have a relaxing, non road food dinner before stopping for the night.  Vora European Restaurant.  Quite nice, we had Oysters Rockefeller, a Greek Salad and a charred duck breast with pommes frites.  All were amazing, and then we tried the espresso flavored creme brulee.  Delicious!  Richard took the herbed olive oil and flatbread home to snack on later.  Two thumbs up.  The waiter was kind enough to point us to Aloft hotel for the night, which was spectacular and we had stayed in some in Europe.  Very nice sleep.