2007 November

We had a fine Thanksgiving holiday surrounded by family and friends. The nieces and nephews all made it home for the holidays but will be elsewhere for Christmas. As usual they always enjoy visiting. Here they relax after a large meal!


This year Hayden stole the show. He certainly was the center of attention. We enjoyed sharing his first birthday with him. He has certainly grown since his Easter visit. Of course there are a few more photos.

Merry Month of May

We began the month by going to Gallery Walk. The first Friday of each month the art galleries keep their doors until 9. Here you can meet with many of the artists, view contemporary art, and always run into friends. Many galleries also offer refreshments. Hot Springs has become noted as an art community and recieved the No. 4 ranking in the Top 100 Small Art Towns of America.

Much of May has been spent clearing the new woods next door. We created quite a path and now have a quad trail, although a bit small, in the yard. We finished just in time to turn it over to the chiggers and snakes for the summer. We only saw one large copperhead and couldn't see the chiggers, but we know they are there. This copperhead had an accident. Who knew it is illegal to kill one?!

The next project was to rip out the fish pond and replace it. I call it getting ready for old age. There is still a lot of work to do but that can wait.

This appears to be a much more manageable size.

Jeff bought a couple of seadoos and we went out for the initial run. The water was still a little cold so we only watched from the shore but he had a blast!

Hot Springs National Park celebrated its 175th anniversary and we joined in the fun. Yes, we are older than Yellowstone but we were declared a Reservation therefore we are not the oldest "National Park," at least not in terminology. We strolled bathhouse row and listened to several music groups perform in the park. Some people even chose to dress in period costume for the occasion.

Another favorite in May has become the Running of the Tubs. We attended the 1st one last year and returned with friends for the 2nd annual race after meeting at Mary's house to toast the event. The hot thermal water was Hot Springs' initial claim to fame. At one time "We bathed the World," when ten bathhouses operated in the midst of downtown Hot Springs. People came from around the country to use the waters and hot baths for relief from arthritis and other ailments. In the heyday in our past hitstory visitors could also hike the mountain trails, attend auctions in the downtown auction houses, bet on the horses, gamble in downtown casinos which were never legalized, and enjoy great entertainment. The gambling, nine bathhouses, and the auction houses are gone but we still have fun and it is always fun to meet up with Kay and John .

John, Leon, Kay and I pose on Bathhouse Row while we stroll Central Avenue.

On Memorial weekend we stopped at the ASMS Graduation and listened to former President Bill Clinton deliver their commencement address. He went on to McClard's for barbq and we went up to Whittington Park to enjoy the city band play their first summer concert.

The end of May neared and we discovered there were baby coyotes living in the culvert at the edge of the yard. I guess they are just running out of woods. I know how they feel. .

Happy Easter

47 degrees at noon does not feel like Easter but we have had an useasonably warm March. We have spent much of the time clearing the "new woods" and sitting in the sun to admire our accomplishments.
The dogwoods and azaleas have just finished a magnificent show of colors and the yard seemed to be green, pink and white.
We were delighted to spend the Easter noon meal at Mary's house with her two sons, daughter in law, grandson and my daughter, son in law, and son. It was Hayden's first visit to Hot Springs. Here he is with his Uncle Will.

Pig Sooooooieee

It might be too cold to go to Florida but not to Fayetteville. So on Saturday we went to the Arkansas vs. Kentucky basketball game. The outcome was not as hoped but the day was filled with excitement and fun.

February arrives

This is the day we had hoped to leave for Florida but perhaps not today. We will wait patiently for warmer weather.

Little Rock, Ar

My laptop had a faulty system bios so we finally took it to Little Rock 3 days before the warranty lapsed. We took the old route into town along Broadway and looked at some of the older homes before passing by the Clinton Library. After lunch at the River Market alongside the Arkansas River we drove by the state capitol and then stopped at Central High School. Since they were having school we kept our distance.





Leon is glad that he wasn't in the 101st Airborne at the time they were in Little Rock for the unrest at Central High School. We then went to see the movie Dreamgirls, a very good movie! A fun day trip!

Fulton, Tx - Nov 2003

Birding has become very popular in the Fulton/Rockport area. The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail provides sites where you might see migrating birds.



The history of Fulton is closely associated with the fishing and shipping industry.



The Fulton mansion, formerly known as "Oakhurst" was built between 1874 and 1877 by George Ware Fulton and his wife. The house featured modern heating, ventilation, and plumbing systems and gas lighting. Tours are available by Texas State Parks for $5.


Copano Bay provided a shallow, peaceful kayaking spot with the oyster reefs beyond keeping the water fairly calm. There were many birds in the area. We had a seafood dinner (a can of tuna) on one of the shell reefs.
The lighted pier is a good place to catch speckled trout. At night the bright lights are on overhead and the fish and the fishermen swarm the area.

Stately oaks are common throughout the region.

Christmas 2006

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Leon trims the Charley Brown tree. It is small and artificial by choice!


Then he wraps my package so I can help him carry it in the house!

He doesn't get to have all the fun.

We toast our first Christmas together.

At last we are ready. It is a small artificial tree by choice!

As Christmas neared Leon and I visited the Arlington Hotel to see the gingerbread house, visit friends, and see the lights. Another night we toured the lit neighborhoods throughout town. Christmas Eve we enjoyed dinner at Mary's house to welcome Sean, Kelly, and Will home. Everyone gathered at the dead end for Christmas brunch. Kay entertained us another night and then we had Wii night here as Jeff brought the Nintendo for us to get some exercise and entertainment.
We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


The cousins, John, Kay, Will, Jeff, Kelly, and Sean, gathered again but missing were Brian, Jennifer, and Hayden.

For more photos visit: Christmas

December 2006

We are enjoying fluctuating weather (19-70 degrees) this month in Hot Springs while looking forward to Christmas. Leon is recuperating from an encounter with an attack ladder so we have curtailed hiking for the time being.


Susan is trying to exercise away her new encounter with plantar fasciitis and hiking is the furthest thing from her mind. We are in the process of clearing the new lot next door.


The birds are busy at the feeders but the squirrels seem to be getting most of the food. One day we counted 14 species of birds within 30 minutes. The pansies are liking the brisk cold weather and we take advantage of warm, sunny days to mow and mulch leaves. Life is good! More photos of the home place.

Hayden

We missed having Jennifer and Brian join us for Thanksgiving but they had a pretty good excuse. Little Hayden was born the next day in Raleigh, North Carolina, my first great nephew! Here he is napping at about 3 days old.

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving in Hot Springs among friends and family.


Will carved the turkey and we stuffed ourselves as usual. We were delighted to share our Thanksgiving meal with Jeff, Kay, John, Caroline, Jamie, and Will.


Jeff brought over the new Nintendo Wii so we could bowl, play tennis, golf, and box to work off the noon meal, right in the comfort of the den.

Fall foliage tour in Arkansas

There was good color when the leaves changed this year and one day we decided it was time to enjoy the forests. We left with a picnic and first stopped at Daisy State Park on Lake Greeson to check out the Bear Creek trail. It is one of the few quad riding trails we know of in Arkansas at this time.


We had our picnic overlooking Lake Greeson in the state park in a most serene setting. The sun was shining, the eagles circling, and the weather crisp. It was a perfect spot. More photos.


From Lake Greeson we drove over to the Ouachita National Forest and stopped at Camp Albert Pike. We couldn't resist walking along the Little Missouri River at one of my old trout fishing spots. We visited with some folks hiking into the wilderness for a few days of turkey hunting. I was excited to see some new larger camping sites.


From there we continued up the gravel road and went over the mountain taking the back route to Shady Lake. We stopped at the Little Missouri Falls and went for a short hike.


We thought we must be at the peak of fall foliage season and then we talked to a ranger and found out a recent storm had sent most of the leaves fluttering to the ground. It must have been truly magnificent! But any time of the year is good to be in this forest. Click to see more of our photos of the Ouachita National Forest.

1st annual Halloween cookout

As October ended we decided to have a few friends over to sit around the fire in the back yard and enjoy some hot dogs. Leon made some alterations to the fire pit and we blew the falling leaves in other directions. We offered cheddar brats, veggie dogs, turkey dogs, the old fashioned beef hot dog, and some wurst. That all went well with chili beans, potato salad, slaw, and deviled eggs. Mel, Chris, Kay, and I seem happy enough.

Roy, John, and Leon sit by the open fire. We had waited for the mosquitoes and chiggers to hibernate and it was quite a pleasant evening.

Home again

Back from California, now its time to unload. Oh My! But make room we did! Thank goodness for the California yard sale. Now it was time to have an Arkansas yard sale! And we did.

The Dead End

I moved to the end of this dead end street in 1973 and enjoyed being in the woods surrounded by peace and serenity where I could hear nothing but the birds. The city has invaded my space and has grown up around me, but I have recently realized how really content I still am when I am here. So when we are not wandering around the country this is where you will find us.