Eureka!

 Our Silver Wedding anniversary fell on a Tuesday in May sandwiched between other big life events. We were overdue for some we time so I planned a little surprise getaway in late July. I didn't tell Jason where we were going but gave him a few parameters on what to pack. He drove. I pointed out the turns. A good stretch past Springfield he remarked, "If we keep driving we'll be in Arkansas!" Finally I had him turn up a winding path into the woods of the Ozark Mountains to an empty parking lot and we continued on foot following the wooden chapel signs. He surmised I had signed up for a marriage retreat or perhaps we'd joined a cult and snapped a photo of his last known location. 

It was here inside Thorncrown Chapel, designed by E. Fay Jones, an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright that I told him we had reached our destination of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. 

We passed the Magnetic Spring to find the giant Jesus statue and beheld the Holy Land replica and outdoor passion play stage. We had planned to return to see the iconic show on Friday, but the oppressive heat changed our minds. 

A hunk of the reason I landed on Eureka Springs was because I had found a little rustic cabin to rent named, Silver Lining that overlooked the White River. Just before our trip the owners informed me they had sold the Silver Lining and I could choose between the Minnow Bucket and the Hawg Trap. Though minnows are silver-ish, I went whole hawg based on pictures. 

Another silver lining to our hawg trap was being comped a free night for the switcheroo. 

Instructed to don his "church outfit", we dined on the rooftop of the storied Crescent Hotel followed by a night at the Opera in the Ozarks. We had driven past the rotating marquee for the theater a few times and it never happened to be highlighting the show we were to see, prolonging the surprise until we walked into the beautiful brand new lobby. The view from the road had leaned a bit more opry and we envisioned sitting on wooden planks in a pole barn, but the reality was a high quality immersive operatic training program that evoked our own Operafestival di Roma days, the reason there's an us. Between dinner and the show we walked the grounds of the Romanesque St Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church. It is unusual in that one enters through the bell tower. We wound up here four different times and the bells blessed us each wind. 

The next day we hiked five miles around Lake Leatherwood. We didn't really intend to, but once started around the lake, it's either forward to new or back to where we'd already been and we kept wanting new paths instead of the old.  

Complete!

Sweaty, we headed into town for lunch at Squatch. We saw a pet rabbit conduct retail transactions and found ourselves at St Elizabeth's bells again with open doors. We gussied up then had dinner at a Victorian home turned Italian restaurant and made friends with a couple from Baton Rouge celebrating their 41st anniversary. We began "collecting" the springs that gave life to this land. 

Quicksilver shop

My Silver Fox

Baisin Spring

Harding Spring

Crescent Spring

Chicken Piccata was Mwaa. 

Eureka Springs has hills!

Friday morning we attended daily Mass, the feast of St James. We should have walked our 7 mile camino this day! The church has stained glass windows depicting the 7 sacraments. After Mass we stood by the window for Holy Matrimony and quietly renewed our I dos to one another. Later that day, we found a silver band that fits alongside my gold wedding ring. We stopped into the history museum and continued our hunt for springs. We lunched on the balcony of the Basin Spring Hotel. Their burgers may be the best *in Eureka Springs, but their Huckleberry Pie is worth the trip from anywhere. I gave a Wear and Give bracelet to our server and she returned a short bit later with an empty wrist. She had already given it away, so I gave her the last of my supply. We found a real beaver on the way to Beaver Lake and Dam. We crossed the Little Golden Gate Bridge then headed in for the night, too overheated for dinner. My mom had given each of us kids a kit to create a hand holding statue for Christmas, so we brought it along and tackled that project in the cabin. 

Laundry Spring

Happy 25!

Eureka Spring

Huckleberry Pie

View from Balcony Restaurant

Grotto Spring, my favorite

Beaver

Lookout

Crescent Hotel

Laundry Spring

Beaver Dam

Little Golden Gate Bridge

Before

After

Hawg Trap Sunset

We saved the best spring for last, Blue Spring, hitting it on the way out of town in the cooler part of the day. We fed the trout and briefly braved dipping our toes into the continuously flowing 46°.

This is allowed. 

We had a wonderful three nights away remembering that we make a great team and that it doesn't matter where we are. We revel in spending time together, finding ways to serve and delight the other. Eureka means, I found it, or I figured it out. Eureka! There's silver in them thar hills, the hills of life we've climbed together. Slivers of silver in my hair and his beard, for sure, but also shimmering flecks of treasured memories, shared crosses, lessons learned, and the supernatural grace necessary to keep climbing. I like to float down river with you, but I'll portage too. Time to think of a grouping of 4 to commemorate anniversary years 26-29. Seasons? Directions? Gospels? We've already done elements for 16-19 and colors paired loosely with flowers for 21-24.