Back from the beach

If you took the hint from the dolphins and sand on my avatar, you might have figured out that we have been having a family holiday over the last couple of days. Nothing turned out exactly as expected, but we just went with the flow and it all turned out fine anyway.

Most of our family trips have not been overnighters, but this time we decided to find a place to stay. We did the normal 2007 thing you do when you need to find a B&B: perused the Internet. We booked a family suite at what looked like a reasonably priced place, just outside of the town we wanted to visit (which, since we've been watching a lot of Green Acres lately, we'll call Pixley--the bigger town with the movie theatre).

So we drove all morning, had lunch at the Pixley A&W, visited a terrific local museum AND a homeschool supply store, and then headed for...Hooterville.

Hooterville turned out to be just that: Drucker's store and the Shady Rest Hotel. Unfortunately, Uncle Joe turned out to be slightly inebriated, the rooms weren't ready, and the downstairs appeared to function as the Hooterville pub. When we got a look at the kitchen we decided it might be a good idea to see if there was any alternative accommodation in Pixley.

Which there was. A very nice motel with two rooms next to each other, an indoor pool and a hot tub. We considered the etiquette of the situation: backing out of a verbal arrangement (no deposit on the room), vs. the risks of staying at the Shady Rest. We phoned Uncle Joe and said that we'd had a change of plans, then checked into the motel with no little relief.

The place we had in mind for dinner was closed, and Pizza Hut couldn't squeeze us in, but we found a Harvey's that served Swiss Chalet chicken, and that was fine. One thing we notice about small-town fast-food restaurants is that they're way cleaner and friendlier than the urban ones we usually avoid. I've never before had someone wiping tables at A&W ask how I liked my meal.

And the rest--it may not sound too exciting, but a morning in the pool and an afternoon walk on the beach was just what everyone needed. We're home, and we're tired, but it was worth it. We'd happily go back to Pixley again...just not Hooterville.