This American Summer

Before we departed Memphis, we headed to CK’s Coffee Shop, a greasy but fantastic little diner in midtown. After our delicious breakfast, we headed to Arkansas and points southwest. We’d cleared a space in the van to give Serge a lift and set off past the Pyramid of Memphis (one of the largest in the world) to Little Rock.

In Little Rock, we visited the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library but did not tour due to the security check and unreasonable admission price. Serge needed to use the restroom so he approached the guard at the entrance and the guard agreed to let him inside. Upon seeing Serge’s empty juice bottle, however, the guard denied Serge entrance. After a short discussion about reusing the juice bottle, the guard reluctantly agreed to hold it for Serge while he relieved himself.

When Serge returned, we left the main entrance of the library and walked through the grounds, admiring the landscaping. We noticed a building that looked like a converted train station and when we poked our heads inside, found that it was the Clinton School of Public Service.

Inside, we browsed glass cases of memorabilia and historic artifacts from the once train station. Lou, a volunteer at the school, approached us and struck up a conversation. We talked with Lou about the school, the building (it was also a Spaghetti Warehouse at one point), the work that the students are doing, and his military service. Lou is a Korean War veteran and was once put up in Hawaii by the military while they sorted out some paperwork. We asked Lou about local cuisine and he pointed us to the Flying Fish, a southern seafood diner nearby. After lunch, we headed to the west side of Little Rock to drop Serge off at a truck stop so he could hitch another ride into Oklahoma.

We’d arranged to meet up with Mike, our Texarkana couchsurfing host, that evening at Fat Joe’s Oyster Bar. When we arrived at Fat Joe’s around 7:30, we were pretty sure we were at the right place. The sign said “Fat Joe’s”, the building looked dilapidated, and the parking lot was packed. Around the side of the building, we entered a metal-roofed patio area with heavy wooden tables and brick stoves. Mike greeted us and introduced us to some of his friends and his girlfriend Alicia. Alex and I tried fried oysters for the first time and we all chowed down on a sampler platter of southern seafood.

After dinner, we headed to Mike’s house behind Texarkana College. Mike lives in a jack-o-lantern. Seriously.

Mike and Alicia have two dogs. Marley is an English Cream Golden Retriever and Kaya is her playmate. Mike told us about Marley’s previous owner, a little girl. One of her parents had given her the dog and when they could no longer care for the pet, new owners were located. When the girl brought her dog to Mike, she gave Mike a note which read, “sometimes you can call her Pumpkin please, she likes that.” Once the girl realized that Mike lived in a pumpkin house, we’re told, she knew her beloved dog was meant to be here and would be happy.

Marley is an impressively well-trained dog; her bond with Mike and Alicia is clear in the mutual attentiveness they give each other. Mike and Alicia got Kaya because they were worried that they wouldn’t be able to give Marley the attention she deserves. Watching Marley and Kaya play together, it was obvious that the two are best buddies.

We settled on the back porch to relax and chat into the warm Texas night, occasionally throwing an old tennis ball for the dogs to fetch. Mike told us about traveling the world on cruise ships, working as a computer system administrator for the ships’ television and entertainment network. He also told us about his bamboo farm; he owns a property where he and Alicia like to go to get away from the city and feel closer to the land. He promised to take us there for a visit the next morning; he also offered the wireless internet at his mother’s house so that we could upload a video episode. After a while, we decided to go back inside and watch Powaqqatsi, a movie produced by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, with a soundtrack by Phillip Glass.

We were told to crash anywhere we felt like, and in the end we all fell asleep in the living room while watching Titan: A.E. A most sincere and heartfelt thank you to Mike and Alicia; your generosity and kindness far exceeded our hopes and expectations, and made our time in Texarkana an amazing and memorable experience. Best of luck with the bamboo farm, and please give our love to the dogs and to Mike’s wonderful mother.