Dave and I returned on Tuesday from our yearly summer trip to Arkansas to visit Mom and Dad Norvell. This is the third time we have traveled to Walnut Ridge in the summer, and both of us love going. Being at their home reminds me so much of being at my grandma Rie's house when I was a little girl. Very cozy, comfy, always good food, and fun backyard, and neat things to do. I have gone over the highlights of our trip in photos below. Enjoy!

We decided to take Dexter with us for our first big car trip with the dog. He did great and was well behaved at the Norvells house. Mom and Dad have a teacup poodle named Scout, and Dexter LOVED her, in both senses of the word. We had to shoo him away from Scout quite a few times, and if Scout got something, well then Dexter wanted it too, as the picture above shows.

Dad always cooks in his dutch ovens when we are there for a visit. This year, the menu included stuffed pork chops, squash casserole, and blackberry cobbler. I loaded the pictures wrong, so you get to see the "after" pics before the "before" pics. This is the cobbler, made from blackberries picked right on campus.

The squash casserole made from fresh garden grown squash.

And the Pork Chops!

Here's dad tending the ovens. He has three and cooked them with hot coals right on the pavement. So fun to watch and smell!

Here is the cobbler with the fresh berries before he put the lid on!

The raw chops stuffed with raisins, apples, cranberries, and nuts!

Here is the fabulous back porch. Dad is a supreme gardener and loves to make things grow. There are more plant varieties than the rain forest in the back yard, plus humming bird feeders and a garden ripe with produce.

Can you see the three pumpkins in this picture?

We took a day and drove up to Blanchard Springs and Caverns. The cavern, which we took an amazing tour through, is completely carved by this spring. It was beautiful and we had a great time exploring the cave. The pictures inside the cave were so dark I didn't bother posting any, but it was truly a sight to behold!

The waterfall into the spring.

Going up stream a little.

Dave and I on the observation deck to the spring. We went down and climbed some rocks next to the waterfall and took a few pictures in front of the fall, but they didn't turn out so well either. All in all, we had a great trip. Next summer though, Mom and Dad Norvell, I still want to go diamond mining!