Trip down Memory Lane

It has been a while since I blogged and as I was getting ready to leave for my 2nd trip to the horse races, I was worried that this post would be a repeat of the last.  I realized as soon as we arrived that this was not going to be the case.  There are those places dear to us because they hold special memories.  Hot Springs and Oaklawn are two such places for my mother and I.  It is the town that I was raised in and where my mother and father made a life until his passing in 94'.  Even though we have been back numerous times since relocating to NWA we always focused on making new memories, i.e. spending the night at the Arlington, visiting the bathhouses and exploring new restaurants that weren't around when we lived there. In retrospect, I think we did this because the memories & experiences from our time with dad were still too fresh.  We used to go to the Arlington for brunch at least once a month when dad was still with us.  A few years back mom and I decided go to brunch but it felt like something was missing, it took me a week to get rid of that feeling.

This experience was something totally different.  We were finally able to celebrate those wonderful memories of my father from our past.  Growing up, my parents were always going to the races during live season.  I can remember sitting on my father's lap at the kitchen counter while they studied the racing forms the night before.  He taught me to read the odds, notes, and history on the horses.  It was never about the money they were betting, but more about the thrill of picking a winner (or multiple winners)!  Even though it had been 20 years since my mom had been to the races, when we walked in it was like no time had passed since her last visit.  She immediately went into the routine I remember her and my father having when we got to the races:  get your racing form, program, tip sheet, Oaklawn pencil and start studying the first 2 races.

 

We ended up staying for only a few races, but it was so great to see my mom enjoying connecting to all those memories we had at Oaklawn with my father.  We felt like he was there with us and even laughing a little when we lost the first three races including the race where our horse lost his rider!

 



 

Before we left Hot Springs we decided to stop at Weldon's Meat market.  My mom and dad went there every week for steaks.  We finished up at Ambrosia bakery for their famous Italian Cream Cake, braided bread loaf and Lavash.  Both places had the same wonderful customer service and food that I remember from my childhood. 

 

It has been almost 20 years since my dad left us and this trip to Hot Springs was so special to me because for the first time we were able to celebrate my father's memory in the places he enjoyed.