There’s a Lotawatah in Lake Eufaula

There’s something about being on the road with my mother and me that makes my happily agnostic father suddenly believe in God.  This phenomenon manifested itself spectacularly as we drove across the country to visit my sister, my brother, and my brother’s family.  Halfway into the journey, when we were road weary and sleep deprived, we drove past a place called Lake Eufaula, pronounced Lake you-fall-a.  My mother and I stared at it glazed eyed until we saw the name of the local hotel.

Mom: Oh look, there’s a hotel called Lake Eufaula Inn.
Fish: Let me guess, it’s on Lake Eufaula Way.
Mom: Next to the race track, Lake Eufaula Downs.
Dad: Oh sweet God.

We made a few more truly terrible puns that I won’t bother repeating that were only really funny in the wee small hours of the morning with a lot of caffeine until I thought that my usually stoic dad was going to start crying.  As if that weren’t bad enough, there was an exit next to the lake called Lotawatah Road.

Mom: I guess it floods there a lot.
Fish: Well, there’s a Lotawatah in Lake Eufaula.
Dad: No, no, no…
Fish: And every morning, the innkeeper has to go from Lake Eufaula Inn to Lotawatah.
Dad: Dear Lord, no!

Once we were safely at my brother’s house, my sister-in-law went about showing my mother all of the local houses for sale in a bid to convince her to move there.  We babysat my twin one and a half year old nephews, who took one look at Yo-Yo (who came with me because of his recent knee surgery, and travels very well) and said “Dog!”

Fish: Wow, that’s impressive, Yo-Yo really looks more like a yarn skein on stilts.
Dad: At that age, everything is a dog
Nephews: *point at a cardinal* Dog!
Dad: See?
Mom: Spoilsport.

We took the boys to a pool, the botanical gardens, a dinosaur exhibit, and an ice cream parlor, and they had a blast.  The sad thing is they forget us as soon as we’re gone.

I’m happy to be home, though, back to my computer, my fanfiction, my novel, my grandparents, and sleeping on a bed instead of a couch.  Paradise, truly.  I also may finally have a car again.  This sweetens the pot.