Eureka Springs, Arkansas

I was able to cross off an item on my bucket list this weekend, staying in a Bed and Breakfast.   We traveled with four other couples and headed south to Eureka Springs.  A few of us stayed at the Heartstone Inn.  Here is a picture of the main house.

Our rooms were actually in this little cottage, adjacent to the main house.

The proprietors were a wonderful couple who attended to our every need, even providing me with an ice pack after a day of walking.  Breakfast both mornings was VERY good, think Crème Brule French Toast and Baked Eggs Benedict.  There was a shaded deck for afternoon rest and refreshments that included an up close and personal hummingbird attraction.  The Bed and Breakfast experience was everything I thought it would be.

For dinners we dined at Casa Colina Mexican restaurant one night and Gaskins Cabin Steakhouse on Saturday.  One person in our group mentioned that the prime rib was the best she had ever eaten.

The highlight of the trip for me was the shopping.  I had been a little concerned about going on this trip in the first place since it has only been about 7 weeks since my second hip replacement.  When the date was scheduled I was not sure how mobile I would be by this point.  However, I even surprised myself.  See the hill in the picture below?

If you have ever been to Eureka Springs you know how hilly and curvy the roads are.  You can only see half of this hill because it takes a ninety degree turn at the top of the picture.  Both sides of this road are filled with unique little shops.   We rode the trolley up to the top of the hill, then shopped down one side, rode the trolley up again, then shopped down the other side.

I did have to stop a few times and rest but I walked more this weekend than I have for a couple of years.  The hips were great, really no pain at all.  By the end of the second trip down the hill, my knees were yelling at me some, but I made it.  The ice pack back at the Heartstone Inn supplied much relief.

I had an appointment this morning with my ortho surgeon and told him how delighted I was with my new found mobility.   Once I get the knees done there will be no stopping me.