Springing forward with flowers

We took advantage of a beautiful sunny Saturday to go to Garvan Gardens and see the daffodils. And perhaps we would see a few tulips blooming.  Just the opposite seemed to be the case. We did see some daffodils but the tulips were approaching peak. So many different colors and varieties all blended to perfection.

I don't recall ever seeing such a pretty arrangement of pastel hyacinths. The are one of my springtime favorites.

If the daffodils are past peak here they must be still blooming profusely on Wye Mountain as it is advertised on TV as being the first weekend of the daffodil festival in Little Rock. The enjoyable part was taking this dirt road across the top of Wye Mountain for many miles through the Ouachita National Forest.

And there it was. A large field full of daffodils with almost as many people. There was a small crafts barn and food to eat. I had never been to Wye, Arkansas. It amazes me how you can be in the city one minute and in the country in such short order. Leon would not stop for me to photograph a nearby property that was not so pretty because he thought I might get us shot.

For a few dollars you can even pick some daffodils or buy a clump.

Having your picture taken among the daffodils seemed to be the most popular thing to do. So we did!

Then we explored the Pinnacle Mountain State Park and visited Maumelle Corps of Engineers Campground situated alongside the Arkansas River in case we ever want to vacation in Little Rock. We took the less traveled roads back home coming back through Ferndale and Congo.

Trippin' with the Girls

Enough cold weather for a while. Catch up with Darla, Chris, and me as we explore a warmer clime.

Snow again!



And again we have a snow forecast for 1-3" but compared to the rest of the country we are lucky!



Here comes Jeff .. now that his Jeep doesn't run he travels on the 4 wheeler!

Traffic is moving slowly on Central at the bypass

Chilly it is! So glad I bought new snow boots!

Can't keep the bird feeders full!

Lola's day at the capitol

My granddog Lola and I toured the capitol grounds in Little Rock recently.



Lola stopped sniffing long enough to pose on the capitol steps.



The place was bustling as the legislature was in session.

It is always nice to know what your senator stands for.

What a beautiful sunny day we enjoyed with the temps warming into the fifties.

Snow daze

The snow moved in an hour earlier than expected and within two hours traffic on the bypass had slowed considerably.

We did not loiter long as it was a cold blustery wind blowing with the snow.

We ventured over to the Presbyterian Church parking lot to see what things looked like on the avenue. This guy had just sanded Central south of the bypass.

The folks that were apparently lined up behind the sand truck waiting to ascend the hill were no doubt delighted that he came along.

Looking south on Central Avenue it was almost deserted and this was only at 4:30 pm.

The snow quit in the night and by the next morning we were greeted by a glistening white countryside.

I am not sure why so many people take pictures of their decks in the snow but here is ours.

The snow measured 4 1/2 inches but I am sure some had "settled." We probably had 6 inches.

Leon drove the truck around and soon realized how slick it was so we decided to go for a walk. It was hard to tell when you were stepping on slush or ice as we traversed through the church parking lot.

All was quiet on the bypass and when cars did pass by they were creeping along.

Aha! It looks like Books a Million might be open.

We settled in for a cup of hot coffee and some chocolate chips in a cookie while I perused some David Sedaris books. I plan to go see him in Little Rock in April. We were their second customers of the day.

After Leon bought some gloves at TJ Maxx we started the trek back home. If only Belks had had some snow boots in MY size. Mine are not waterproof.

 This is the reason we chose not to drive. Jason had no clue this hill could be so steep and slick.

 Why there is Jeff. Now this is the best way to come up our hill.

People keep giving him hats for Christmas. I think that might be a good thing.

He went over to Pakis and pulled Jason out of the ditch.

I caught a ride back up the hill before we did a few wheelies in the church parking lot. Parts of it were frozen. Leon did a little ice skating unintentionally!

All seems peaceful again at the end of the dead end.



Oklahoma City Jan 2011

Leon's grandson, Gunnar, had a layover in Oklahoma City for a couple days while returning to Shepherd Air Force Base from Christmas in California.  Time to go visit! He couldn't wait to get hold of his great granddaughter Amalie.  She seemed to remember him from his previous visit.

Look what I can do now, Great Grandpa, as long as mom Melissa holds me up!

I bounce and bounce and bounce!

I really like this teether you sent me for Christmas! I am cutting a few teeth.

OK, here we go! Just wait til the next time!

It was great for Gunnar to get to spend some time with his niece.

We admired sister Abbie's new haircut. She is so adorable. She is teaching Drew about Fancy Nancy.

Now right here is where my teeth are giving me fits today!

We visited the Cowboy Museum. It is a quality museum with a large collection of western paintings and sculptures, Indian artifacts, military weapons, displays of western movies, a rodeo section including much of the history of rodeos, and more. I like this end of the trail sculpture.

C'mon, Gunnar, have some fun! No, Grandpa, not for me!

While we were away Amalie practiced sitting up.

It was quite chilly while we were there. Can you tell?

We stopped by Sheplers, a huge western store we recently learned about. 

What a selection of boots. I wish I needed some.

No, Leon, you don't need those either!

Toby Keith's I Love this Bar & Grill gives free burgers to active and retired military so we took advantage. We enjoyed eating alongside the canal in Bricktown. It was a great visit with Gunnar.