THE CALL OF THE WILD

July 2  - Staying in a National/State Park or COE is soooo different than staying in the typical campground. It's so relaxing, so peaceful, so inviting. 

If you opt for a site that is all shade, you get all shade…but so lovely!


The song birds singing in the morning and the crickets chirping in the evening. The waves lapping on shore.

Paul looking at the water.
 

How wonderful to take a morning walk, an evening bike ride, or sit around a campfire (even if it's a little warm for a fire). Relax in your chair and read a book or work on your favorite hobby.


This is the lifestyle one envisions when choosing to live the nomad life on an RV'er. It's fun to see the cities and the tourist attractions, but it's this “call of the wild” I find so attractive.

The Arkansas River.

 
View from a site looking at the water.


The sites by the water have a HUGE backyard.


They have tons of picnic shelter and pavilions here.


For our friends Sandie and Jim, Where Are The Dixons…you should be here with the boat. Here is how we envision Jim.












 



OR…You two could be fishing from one of these.

We have a few friends that entertain Bella from time to time.


Check back later........we're going hiking, biking, fishing, walking, napping.............

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

OLD STATE HOUSE & CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY

Friday, July 1 - We visit the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum this morning. The building is designed like a bridge. This symbolizes Clinton's bridge from the 19th century to the 20th century.

The archival and museum holdings are the largest within the Presidential Library System. Included are approximately 7,6l8 million pages of paper documents, 1.85 million photographs and over 75,000 artifacts.

The museum includes replicas of the Oval Office

His deck is beautiful.

and the Cabinet Room.

After viewing the introductory film, we stopped in the first floor lobby, to see the Presidential limousine used during the Clinton administration. GM build three of these which took approximately three years.

Then to the second floor Cabinet Room and the Timeline viewing area, as well as Alcove Exhibits. Key events and highlights of the Clinton administration are presented on a timeline, with videos, daily schedules, interactive stations and printed information.

Arranged on either side of the main gallery are multimedia exhibits where visitors can explore a wide variety of topics. Each alcove focuses on a significant policy area.

On the third floor is the Oval Office as well as displays featuring state events and gifts presented to the President. Gifts presented to Presidents become property of the American People. It's amazing to see what foreign dignitaries give to the President.

Razorback Hog

Juggler seat…what?

They even had a display of some of his saxophones.

This was Marsha's favorite. This was the White House Millennium celebration tree. It is called the Crystal Tree of Light.

The amount of information presented is overwhelming. It would take days to read all the displays, watch all the videos, and look at all the memorabilia presented in the museum and library.

We rode the free shuttle bus downtown, rather than driving and having to search for parking. We stopped in the Clinton Museum Store, pasted by dozens of interesting restaurants, walked down to the Market Area and the Riverwalk.

There is a park in the area also.

We spent about an hour in the Old State House.

Constructed in 1833, this National Historic Landmark is the oldest standing state capitol building west of the Mississippi River. Known throughout Arkansas for is elegance and historical significance, the Old State House gained worldwide recognition when it was used as the setting for President Bill Clinton's election-night celebrations in 1992 and 1996.

Beautiful staircase.

House of Representatives. Sure looks different in the new Capitol. More on that later.

Ladies piano room…really? Dig the hat on the table.

Formal sitting room.

They had a wonderful collection of Arkansas's First Ladies' Gowns.

They did a great job in displaying the history of the Capitol, and the best part…admission is FREE!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

 

 

BYE BYE HOT SPRINGS, HELLO LITTLE ROCK

Thursday, June 30 – After a pleasant 60 mile drive, we pulled into Maumelle State Park. I think we picked a winner for the forth of July weekend! We have a huge site with 50 amp electric and water.

Looking on both sides of us.

There is a dump station in the park if needed. We are in site FO1 which is a paved site 65 feet long and 25 feet wide, partial shade. WIFI, Verizon phone and Direct TV work great. There are no close neighbors. The only draw back is there is a boat house behind us with huge house boats and yachts inside (although that may prove exciting and interesting). The Arkansas River flows along this Corps of Engineering Park, just before reaching Little Rock. All this for $91/week. Arkansas state parks honor the Golden Age Pass with a 50% discount.....YES! We even got free firewood. They're doing some tree trimming in the park and have stacked firewood near the road with a sign offering it for “free.”  We will post more pictures of this lovely place in the next blog.

Now this is how to welcome visitors! To think that we didn't do the upper northwest because we thought gas prices were going up.

FLASHBACK TO HOT SPRNGS -- We ventured back downtown to the famous Mountain Spring Valley Water Company, where we met a wonderful young man, Bob Ridley, who told us all about the water company and this historic building.

This structure, nearly a century old, is home to the company's headquarters, visitor's center, and museum. They offer samples (not free) of their famous spring water and merchandise with the company logo.

When entering the lobby, Speed Steed meets you. The "statue" celebrates the beauty of Mountain Valley glass while also recognizing the company's unique place in horse racing history. It is made of all recycled materials.

Constructed in 1910, this white brick classic revival building was originally built as the home of DeSoto Mineral Springs. The second floor is now an art gallery.

Bob even took us to the third floor which is corporate headquarters and not normally open to the public. The offices are housed in what was once the Japanese Ballroom in the historic building. A very ornate ceiling and lighting fixtures cap off this beautiful room.

Ceiling.

Lighting.

It was a fun and informative visit that Bob made more enjoyable by his friendly personality. Located right among the shops on Bathhouses Row makes it an easy stop for visitors.

We stopped in a little shop, Savory Pantry, down the street.

Marsha loves these shops that have different dips, salsa, and spreads. Paul enjoys the tasting stations. We did make a couple purchases. A tasty Bloody Mary Mix and a delightful Blue Cheese Herb Mustard mix for making a cheese ball.

As we strolled though the shops, we came across Snazzies Funky Boutique. Here is were we saw the meanest guard dog ever!

Who would do that to a dog or for that matter any animal?

We have lots more to share about our day in Hot Springs. We will get to that in another blog.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!