I took last week off for vacation.  Like lots of folks these days, my wife Sweetie and I had a “stay-cation.”  We decided to get out of town, so we went down to Little Rock.  Yeah, I know…not the most glamorous place in the world, but an easy drive, and a nice change of scenery was what we needed, so off to LR we went.

We stayed at the Wyndhan Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock, and the acommodations were wonderful!  We got a room with a HUGE jacuzzi tub…’nuff said!  We dined at the Riverfront Steakhouse (inside the hotel), and Sweetie and I agreed it was one of the best meals we’ve EVER had!  Our waiter, Samuel, treated us like VIP’s, and the restaurant manager, Donnie Rieathbaum, was extremely nice and also made us feel like big shots!  The hotel is just a few blocks from the Verizon (formerly Alltel) Arena, so if you’re planning on going to a show there, I highly recommend you plan on staying at the Wyndham Riverfront!

Otherwise, my week off consisted of chores around the house that just never seem to get done.  Since Sweetie also took the week off from her job, we were able to get quite a bit done!  Then on Friday, we drove down to Dyess, AR (where Johnny Cash grew up) for the annual “Dyess Days Festival.”  Angie Penny’s band (with Yours Truly on drums) was booked there to open the show for up-and-coming Country artist Colt Ford.  Saturday, I was back playing at the Roundup Country Music Show in Brookland, AR.  Church and a Walmart visit on Sunday, and there you have my vacation week!

Okay…so we can’t all cruise to the Bahamas, but spending some quality time with my Sweetie and feeling like I got some things accomplished can make for a nice vacation!  Plus, nobody had to inspect our luggage, so we had that goin’ for us!  Stay safe this summer!

“Skeeter Luvs Ya!”

That’s what so much that gets passed around on the Internet and in emails is these days!  Case in point: we got a LOT of calls at the radio stations today about a text message that was going around about an alleged “gang initiation” that was to happen at your friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart.  According to the text messages, as part of the initiation, 3 women and 3 children would be shot.  We posted the story (courtesy of KAIT Region 8 News) on our websites, and their report makes it clear that the whole thing is a hoax!

This is a pet peeve of mine…people forwarding the most outrageous or outlandish emails without checking to see if the information they contain is factual or bogus!  For example, Bill Gates has money just burning a hole in his wallet that he wants to give to me just for forwarding an email to everyone in my address book!  Or, a Nigerian prince needs me to help him to get some of his millions out of his country, and for helping “his highness,” I will be rewarded handsomely with a percentage of the funds.  All I have to do is provide my bank account number, and they’ll be happy to deposit the money!  WOO-HOO!

It’s all a bunch of BULL!  Now, don’t get me wrong; there are SOME messages that contain factual information.  So, how do you know if it’s fact or crap?  I always go to www.snopes.com, and use their search box to check the information.  Snopes is a very good source for verifying any info you are sent!  Please use it BEFORE you just blindly pass along ANY email that seems a little “out there!”  If you know of any other good website(s) for information verification, hit me with a Comment and let me know what they are!

“Skeeter luvs ya!”