After a late start, our departure toward Richmond, VA, was further delayed because of low air pressure in the tires and the need to return an Amazon Prime package. As it turns out there’s not a full service UPS store anywhere to be found on the east side of Hot Springs Village. Consequently, we stopped in Benton to return the package before finally on the way uninterrupted.

Our destination for the day was Cookeville, Tennessee, where we met Lynn and Nick Constan, friends from working in New Orleans in the late 1970s. Nick is quite the craftsman and built much of the furniture in their house, and over the last several months built a fantastic lake boat. Lynn you’re still suffering a hip injury from a bicycle accident over a year ago, and is scheduled for yet another surgery in mid December. After a delicious dinner the all-too-short evening ended as we said goodbye for whoever knows how long. (It has been almost 40 years since I last saw them, and they had never met Kay!)

Nick, Lynn, and Donald