Birthday party and goodbye

Dick made my favorite birthday cake from my childhood for my 63rd celebration.

Carefully watching the marshmallows toasting under the broiler:

Chocolate frosting from scratch!  This was the first cake Dick has ever frosted.

It was delicious.  Thanks, Dick!

Paula and Tom came back to Starkville this weekend, even though Tom had to work yesterday.  We had breakfast together and cake and ice cream at 9:30 am.  Then it time to get the house tidied up,

get some grass mowed,

and get our stuff packed into the car.  Thank you SO MUCH, Tom and Paula, for giving us a most restful week in your home. 

As we passed through Leland, Mississippi, a billboard announced it is the birthplace of Kermit the Frog.  It was Jim Henson's childhood home.

We crossed the Mississippi River

into Arkansas.

We camped at the mostly deserted Lake Chicot State Park.  During the night it rained so hard, it penetrated the rainfly and dripped onto us.  It also disturbed the ant population which had invaded our tent and bedding and bodies.  Little tiny ants, no biting involved, but nevertheless gross and annoying.  And the mud - yikes! - it was a rather messy packing up.