Because of my recent computer issues & loss of some photos, Arkansas & Oklahoma will sadly be without illustrations...
We were most excited about the friends we'd get to visit during our stay in Arkansas, and we were able to see them all in the same day. We met Dave & Rhea Lana at the Inc. 500/5000 conference Jim & I attended in D.C. in the fall. Being a Sunday, we were thrilled to get to meet up with them at their church in Little Rock. It reminded us so much of our church we miss at home. After the service, we were invited to their home where Dave immediately showed the girls his homemade backyard amusement park. Oh, how I wish I had our pictures! The 20ish foot high zipline flew them through the trees and they had to hold on for dear life as it abruptly bounced them to a swinging stop. They couldn't imagine anything more fun until Dave led them to his next concoction... a rope swing hung between two monstrous trees, on their incredibly steep backyard hill. It was so steep, that at the height of the swing, the rider was probably 30 feet from the ground. Thankfully, he installed a circus-type net under the swing:) Needless to say, the girls had a blast. And Jim & I enjoyed our time getting to chat with them about her thriving children's consignment-event business and his missions work in India. With their Kansas connections, we pray for future get-togethers with them after our trip.
Jim was super excited for our next stop to visit his good friend Brad from college. Brad & Lori had us to their home to watch the super bowl, but the boys spent most of their evening catching up on the 19 years they'd had apart! The girls had fun meeting and chatting with their sweet daughter, Annie.
Our Arkansas home was located just across the Arkansas River from the Clinton Presidential Library. Though the museum was not among the attractions we visited during our stay, Natalie and I enjoyed our morning runs on the beautiful bridge over the river and around the landscaped wetlands in front of the presidential library.
Our next Arkansas destinations were a bit too far for a day trip, so we packed overnight bags and headed on our drive (full of trailers & chickens as Jim would say) toward Murfreesboro, AR- home to Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only diamond-producing site in the world open to the public. Farmer and owner of the property found the land's first diamond in 1906 and after several changes in ownership, the diamond mine site became an Arkansas state park in 1972. We all envisioned chiseling our way through sparkling caves and were thouroughly dissapointed when we arrived to see before us a field. A muddy, 37-acre plowed field. With diamonds thought to be only in the earth's mantle, this area of surface diamonds is explained by a supposed volcanic erruption which created a funnel-shaped crater, exploding rocks, minerals & diamonds to the earth's surface long ago. Only our Creator knows for sure, but what a cool treasure the place is, with loose diamonds hiding within the soil for anyone to find! We took a short class on diamond-finding techniques and we tried everything... from skimming the surface for any hint of sparkle, to digging buckets of soil, carefully washing bit by bit through the seives with water. Supposedly, visitors often find white, brown & yellow diamonds here, and as excited as we were with the park's "finder's keepers" policy- we left with nothing but a fun memory:)
We drove another 1 1/2 hours to Hot Springs, AR and stayed the night just steps away from Bathhouse Row where we spent the following day.
For years people have flocked to the emerging waters of Hot Springs, AR. The traces of minerals and average 143 degree temperatures are thought by many to give the waters therapeutic properties. Centuries ago, Native Americans enjoyed the waters of the hot springs, but the government's exploration of the area after the purchase of the Louisiana Territory brought growing interest to the public. In 1832, the federal government took steps toward protecting this natural resource and by 1921 it became our 18th national park. The beautiful Bathhouse Row was built and catered to vacationers & health remedy seekers. By the 1960's, popularity declined and all but one bathhouse closed down. The Buckstaff was the only bathhouse to stay in continuous operation since its opening in 1912 and is the only bathhouse on the Row to still provide the traditional therapeutic bathing experience. Though the street is still lined with the 9 100-year-old bathhouses, only 2 are used as spas, while the others serve as museums, gift shops & cafes, and the Hot Springs National Park visitor's center. People still come to fill their jugs with the mineral waters pouring from fountains along the Row, and to soak in the spa's warm waters. Today, the park collects 700,000 gallons a day for use in the fountains and bathhouses!
We, of course had to try it for ourselves and chose the traditional treatments of the Buckstaff.
Jim stayed on the men's first floor, while we traveled up the ancient elevator to the ladies' second floor. We changed in the dressing rooms and were wrapped with sheets- toga style. First was the tub bath in 100 year old pedistal tubs, with water pouring in directly from the springs and regulated to a perfect 103 degree soak. Twenty minutes later, we were led by our personal bath attendants to the steam cabinet... a stainless steel box with only a hole at the top for our heads to stick out (though short Alayna only had eyes peeking out!) Steam filled the box as water from the springs dripped into the bottom. On to a sitz bath which only my nurse friends knew the definition of:) Best described as a tiny bath, close to the floor in which we sat- with super hot water only covering up to our lower backs. Interesting. A quick "needle" shower was then followed by a soothing rest on massage tables where we were covered with hot towels in places we felt the most pain. Of course the girls couldn't recall any recent pain, so were simply covered head to toe:) A quite interesting, but relaxing day, we followed it with a yummy lunch at Rolando's for Latin American cuisine. Then back to Little Rock we went to prepare our home for yet another move.
Our short trip to Arkansas was packed with friends & fun!
We were most excited about the friends we'd get to visit during our stay in Arkansas, and we were able to see them all in the same day. We met Dave & Rhea Lana at the Inc. 500/5000 conference Jim & I attended in D.C. in the fall. Being a Sunday, we were thrilled to get to meet up with them at their church in Little Rock. It reminded us so much of our church we miss at home. After the service, we were invited to their home where Dave immediately showed the girls his homemade backyard amusement park. Oh, how I wish I had our pictures! The 20ish foot high zipline flew them through the trees and they had to hold on for dear life as it abruptly bounced them to a swinging stop. They couldn't imagine anything more fun until Dave led them to his next concoction... a rope swing hung between two monstrous trees, on their incredibly steep backyard hill. It was so steep, that at the height of the swing, the rider was probably 30 feet from the ground. Thankfully, he installed a circus-type net under the swing:) Needless to say, the girls had a blast. And Jim & I enjoyed our time getting to chat with them about her thriving children's consignment-event business and his missions work in India. With their Kansas connections, we pray for future get-togethers with them after our trip.
Jim was super excited for our next stop to visit his good friend Brad from college. Brad & Lori had us to their home to watch the super bowl, but the boys spent most of their evening catching up on the 19 years they'd had apart! The girls had fun meeting and chatting with their sweet daughter, Annie.
Our Arkansas home was located just across the Arkansas River from the Clinton Presidential Library. Though the museum was not among the attractions we visited during our stay, Natalie and I enjoyed our morning runs on the beautiful bridge over the river and around the landscaped wetlands in front of the presidential library.
Our next Arkansas destinations were a bit too far for a day trip, so we packed overnight bags and headed on our drive (full of trailers & chickens as Jim would say) toward Murfreesboro, AR- home to Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only diamond-producing site in the world open to the public. Farmer and owner of the property found the land's first diamond in 1906 and after several changes in ownership, the diamond mine site became an Arkansas state park in 1972. We all envisioned chiseling our way through sparkling caves and were thouroughly dissapointed when we arrived to see before us a field. A muddy, 37-acre plowed field. With diamonds thought to be only in the earth's mantle, this area of surface diamonds is explained by a supposed volcanic erruption which created a funnel-shaped crater, exploding rocks, minerals & diamonds to the earth's surface long ago. Only our Creator knows for sure, but what a cool treasure the place is, with loose diamonds hiding within the soil for anyone to find! We took a short class on diamond-finding techniques and we tried everything... from skimming the surface for any hint of sparkle, to digging buckets of soil, carefully washing bit by bit through the seives with water. Supposedly, visitors often find white, brown & yellow diamonds here, and as excited as we were with the park's "finder's keepers" policy- we left with nothing but a fun memory:)
We drove another 1 1/2 hours to Hot Springs, AR and stayed the night just steps away from Bathhouse Row where we spent the following day.
For years people have flocked to the emerging waters of Hot Springs, AR. The traces of minerals and average 143 degree temperatures are thought by many to give the waters therapeutic properties. Centuries ago, Native Americans enjoyed the waters of the hot springs, but the government's exploration of the area after the purchase of the Louisiana Territory brought growing interest to the public. In 1832, the federal government took steps toward protecting this natural resource and by 1921 it became our 18th national park. The beautiful Bathhouse Row was built and catered to vacationers & health remedy seekers. By the 1960's, popularity declined and all but one bathhouse closed down. The Buckstaff was the only bathhouse to stay in continuous operation since its opening in 1912 and is the only bathhouse on the Row to still provide the traditional therapeutic bathing experience. Though the street is still lined with the 9 100-year-old bathhouses, only 2 are used as spas, while the others serve as museums, gift shops & cafes, and the Hot Springs National Park visitor's center. People still come to fill their jugs with the mineral waters pouring from fountains along the Row, and to soak in the spa's warm waters. Today, the park collects 700,000 gallons a day for use in the fountains and bathhouses!
We, of course had to try it for ourselves and chose the traditional treatments of the Buckstaff.
Jim stayed on the men's first floor, while we traveled up the ancient elevator to the ladies' second floor. We changed in the dressing rooms and were wrapped with sheets- toga style. First was the tub bath in 100 year old pedistal tubs, with water pouring in directly from the springs and regulated to a perfect 103 degree soak. Twenty minutes later, we were led by our personal bath attendants to the steam cabinet... a stainless steel box with only a hole at the top for our heads to stick out (though short Alayna only had eyes peeking out!) Steam filled the box as water from the springs dripped into the bottom. On to a sitz bath which only my nurse friends knew the definition of:) Best described as a tiny bath, close to the floor in which we sat- with super hot water only covering up to our lower backs. Interesting. A quick "needle" shower was then followed by a soothing rest on massage tables where we were covered with hot towels in places we felt the most pain. Of course the girls couldn't recall any recent pain, so were simply covered head to toe:) A quite interesting, but relaxing day, we followed it with a yummy lunch at Rolando's for Latin American cuisine. Then back to Little Rock we went to prepare our home for yet another move.
Our short trip to Arkansas was packed with friends & fun!
ha! i've been to the rhea lana sale - so funny! everything sounds wonderful, as always!
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