What A Day!

Running late (what a surprise!), racing through barn chores, and I got a text from Clay saying he was running late.  What a relief.  That meant I might have time to get spiffed up for our "date."  Mission accomplished just before he drove up.  It's at least an hour on the road for the guys, longer for Deb and Craig, when they come up so the first order of business is always a pit stop before whatever comes next.  Next, yesterday, was getting into the truck and driving another half-hour to Poor Red's.

I am so happy to report that Red's has kept most of the old ambience, the 1940s mural, the same horseshoe bar (refurbished), and, while there are new employees, the same friendly faces and greeting by the staff.  There is a welcome addition for more tables; previously there were only ten and a long wait for seating.  Poor Red's was the place to go for slow-roasted pork ribs.  Clay and I decided to branch out and try something new.  In all the years, none of us had ever had anything but ribs.  I had a pulled pork sandwich and probably the best batter-dipped onion rings ever, and Clay went for a cheeseburger done to his liking.  There was that moment or two of silence when you know that the food is super good.  De rigueur at Red's is a Gold Cadillac, a nummy, frothy blended drink that defies description.  And guess what?  Our drinks and food were every bit as delicious as in the old days.

Clay is one of those genuinely upbeat guys and a delightful companion.  He was willing to make a hit-and-run stop at Walmart on the way home (never make an extra trip to town).  With more rain in the forecast, we both needed new windshield wipers, and my "new" shoes had totally disintegrated and were falling off my feet.  With no dilly-dallying, I'll bet we were in and out in less than half an hour.

Back at the house, we took some time to decompress and let lunch settle before he drove off into the sunset.  Gee, what a great day!