Arkansas / Louisiana Trip Day 10

Today, I did a runout. That's what symphony players in Arkansas called concerts done away from Little Rock. I don't know, whether other musicians call it that or not. I figure, that since I ventured away from Baton Rouge for the first time all week, I'll call it that.

I programmed the GPS and headed north. I passed a petrochemical plant that was so old, one of the pipes was rusted. Further up US 61, I saw the turnoff for Georgia Pacific. The sign said that they made Quilted Northern and Brawny there. Who knew?

I saw a sign for my destination telling me to turn right, but the GPS said to go left. Curious as to what she was up to, I followed her directions. She led me to a forest. This is the second time in two days that the programmed address has been absolutely correct and the GPS has had me turn in the opposite direction on the correct road. I don't know, if it is because it hasn't been hooked up to the computer lately for an update or what. To top it off, when I did get to Oakley Plantation, I'd missed the 11 am tour by just a few minutes. 

So, I headed a bit further up 61 to the exit for St. Francisville. It's a nice little town that had been started by Capuchin monks. There are some nice old buildings to see, some of which have been repurposed to shops or restaurants. I drove down to the end of the main street to drive up a steep drive to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church. It wasn't open, of course, but looked nice from the outside. I then turned back and turned on to a side street to take pictures of the courthouse, which looked like stereotypical small town courthouse. 

Just down the street from the courthouse, on a back street, I could see a shop that I'd seen an ad for-Grandma's Buttons. It is housed in an old bank. It had interesting gift items, like many shops. But, it also had an exhibit on historical buttons in the old vault. They also sell jewelry made from antique buttons. I couldn't resist some pendants made from Mississippi mussels. I also got a necklace, whose pendant was a very old button set with glass stones. It looked like a fancy pin.

I drove along enjoying the old homes. They have a nice visitor's center with a small museum in it. I particularly liked the miniature rooms that showed old furnishings. I asked for a suggestion for lunch, and while she didn't really want to make a "recommendation", she did suggest the Magnolia Cafe. Upon further reflection, I realized this was the place the lady at Magnolia Mound had suggested.

The cafe,which has screened in areas as well, is housed in the office of an old motor court. The motor court looks well maintained and sweet. The cafe was crowded and I realized that most of the people were locals. Always a good sign. When I indicated I was having trouble deciding, the waitress sat down to talk me through it. Her help was perfect. The Chicken Magnolia sandwich that I had was wonderful! It was moist and had slices of avocado on an onion roll. I had a side of sweet potato fries that seemed to be freshly made. For dessert, I chose the Reeses Peanut Butter Cake. It was moist and the icing was so creamy!

After lunch, I strolled around the corner to the Bohemianville Antiques shop. It was a mini antiques mall. I love roaming through those! I found two small wooden cigar boxes that will be perfect for building miniature scenes.

I drove down the street a bit further to make sure there was nothing else worth visiting. Finding nothing, I hurried off to Oakley to catch the 2 pm tour. I made it! In fact, I was the only one who did and I had my second solo tour of a plantation house. This one is famous for Audobon having done so many of his bird studies here. It dates to the late 1700s and is not an antebellum house, nor does it look like Greek Revival. Instead, it shows East Indian influence in having louvers on the front porch upstairs to circulate air along a curved ceiling. The house stayed with the same family for four generations before being sold to the state in 1947. It contains many, many items from the family. I really enjoyed the tour and the guide and I had a great chat.

After the tour, I headed off to look at the grounds. Unfortunately, while looking at the map, I didn't notice the path had changed to be rougher and stepped down hard into a hole with my bad foot, of course. It really hurt, but I was able to walk it off. After checking out the outbuildings, I went to the other side of the entrance museum to walk some of the nature trail. Evidently, no one else had been along them recently, because I kep encountering spiderwebs.Some of them had really huge spiders in them. I developed a method for protecting myself from most of the webs. I put on regular glasses rather than sunglasses. I pulled out the cardboard fan from Magnolia Mound and used it like a machete to hack at them. It also came in handy for just plain fanning; it was so hot! I had to spend so much time watching the path, that I really couldn't enjoy the view.

On the way home, I realized how much I've depended on the cooler I've had with me on every outing. I've kept it on the front seat with a beach towel over it. I went through 3 bottles of water today. The last was while stuck in traffic on I110 and I10. 

The slowdown didn't really hurt my gas milage too much. When I'd left this morning it said 320 miles were left on this tank. By the time I got back, it said 405. I think, she liked stretching her legs.

When I got back I collapsed on the bed, just exhausted. However, my husband soon showed up for us to go to ths shrimp boil that we'd signed up for. We walked in the serving line and served ourselves everything except the shrimp, which were given to us on a separate plate. We had jambalaya, red beans and rice, very spicy ear corn pieces, potatoes (which we both skipped- we already had 2 things with rice), vegetables marinated in vinegar, soda, and a dessert which was chocolate pudding on vanilla pudding on bananas on nilla wafer crust. I've made a decision- I do not like shrimp with the heads still on. I think that keeps them from checking through the shrimp, as several were mushy and at least one was very black. Also, I really missed the Old Bay seasoning.

I've let my husband take my car for the night. He had a jazz concert (I can't get into anything without paying for the day and joining the ICA), a Selmer-sponsored party, and then he had to go into town for a party with his undergrad clarinet teacher and his former students. This lets me shower,relax, channel surf and do needlework. Not a bad ending to the day.

Arkansas / Louisiana Trip Day 9

Today was not my most packed day in terms of things to do. But, I did have a couple of time issues that had to be met, which made it seem busier.

I had to get to the Capitol as early has I could because I had to leave by 11:30. The GPS got me to the Visitor Center, but didn't show me a parking spot. I wound up circling the Capitol itself and couldn't find a place that looked like I wouldn't get towed. I finally found a garage south of the Visitor Center. 

I wasn't overly impressed with the visitor Center. It took a while for me to be greeted and by then I'd found the brochures I needed. The woman on duty had to ask her boss how I could enter the Captitol!

It was a warm, sunny morning, with a bit of a breeze that made the walk more pleasant. I passed the Pentagon Arsenal and the lovely grounds south of the Capitol. 

The Capitol is the tallest in the country on purpose- they were trying to beat Nebraska. It is very ornate, with lots of symbolism. It isn't quite the Art Deco style I'm used to, but it is interesting. There are 50 steps in front with the states engraved in them in the order in which they joined the union. The first 13 have no dates, but the rest do. Oddly, Connecticutt is first, not Delaware, even though I'm fairly certain Delaware is considered the first state by others. The top step has E Pluribus Unum carved into it. When Alaska and Hawaii joined, they carved them on either side of the top step.

I walked around inside on my own, but I did get the greeter, who was from Plant City, Florida, to show me where the bullet hole is from the shooting that resulted in Huey Long's death. I couldn't help but notice that both the House and the Senate had steps downward to the presider's desk, which looked much like an altar. I suppose they do in every state, but here it just seemed more pronounced.

It takes two different elevators to go up the tower. The first is rather nice and takes you to floor 24, where you get out and walk across to another, smaller, rougher elevator to the 27th floor. The observation deck wraps around the building. I felt quite safe, in spite of my fear of heights, perhaps because the wall was solid, not a railing. To the north, the petrochemical plant looks huge. The river view was wonderful and I could see very far north and south. To the northeast, it looked like all trees, as if it were undeveloped. To the south, I could see the campus of LSU and even at that distance, the stadium looked huge! Before heading back down, I stopped at the cutely named Shop at the Top for a Capitol pin.

I was back down by 11:30 and I moved as fast as I was physically able to get to the garage. It was 8 sweaty minutes, but I did it. 

I was parked at the LSU visitor garage 2 minutes before my planned noon arrival time. Unfortunately, there was nothing when I came out that would tell me where the student union was. I finally found a group of guys, who said they too had had trouble, but pointed me in the right direction, even telling me the extra detail of how to get to the ClarinetFest registration.

Sometimes, it really pays to know people. I saw the Executive Director who told me her assistant had the day pass my husband had arranged. When I was waiting in line, he saw me and immediately went for the pass. This saved me a lot of time and it meant I could eat lunch before the 1 pm concert. The union had a couple of places open, but I had a hummus pita roll with me, so all I needed was my Coke Zero. However, I saw a chocolate chocolate chip muffin and couldn't resist. I'm so glad I got that!

A golf cart shuttle was ferrying people up to the School of Music. I was amazed by the long line to get into the concert hall. I've been to these Board Recitals before, but never has one been totally packed like this one. Each board member played a piece. My husband did his with his undergarduate clarinet professor. They'd had only one rehearsal together, but still sounded great.

After congratulating them on their performance, I caught the shuttle back to the student union. Before heading out, I called a craft gallery, whose card I'd found at the Visitor Center. Good thing I did, as it was closed today. So, I headed back to the hotel. As I was pulling in, I saw a guy wearing a baseball cap and dress shirt walking across the parking lot. Just as I thought how practical the hat was, I realized it was my husband! I wound up giving him a ride back to the School of Music for the next concert.

Back in our suite, I spent a while trying to decide what plantation house I wanted to see, where I want to go tomorrow, etc. My husband texted inviting me to dinner with an old friend of his, but I knew that wouldn't be enjoyable for me. Again, it was a good thing. Friends from Russellville came down for the husband's piece that is being played tomorrow. We'd talked in Russellville about getting together for dinner tonight. So, I went and got them. I insisted on driving, because they'd had that long drive today.

We went to Mike Anderson's on Lee Road.I got a salad with a delicious garlic, parmesan dressing. I also ordered Crab Fingers, which I've seen on other menus. There were about 15 tiny claws, with the shell off enough so that the meat was just attached to the tendon and could be sucked off. I ordered them sauteed. They were delicious and had a bit of heat.

After lots of great talk, I offered to show them where they needed to go tomorrow. I think, it will make it easier for them.

After dropping them at their hotel, I went to a Walmart Neighborhood Market to get my husband Community Coffee, which is made here in Baton Rouge. I roamed around the store and even managed to find my name on a bottle of Diet Coke.

Not a bad day!

Arkansas / Louisiana Trip Day 8

I had the rare treat during ClarinetFest of eating breakfast with my husband. He usually is off at meetings or concerts by the time I eat breakfast.

My first stop of the day was the Bluebonnet Swamp Reserve Center, which is just 12 minutes from campus. Due to the fact that there was a rather noisy group of short people from the Y summer camp (one child looked no more than 3) and they were about to have a presentation, the young man at the ticket counter suggested I head out on the trails first. Learning that the Outer Loop, at .49 miles, is the most popular, I set off on that one. I ran into very few people on my walk. It is a well-maintained path, usually bordered with 2x4's. The young man had told me that I would not run into any alligators, as there hadn't been alligators in Baton Rouge in quite a while. In fact, Baton Rouge is really a little too high in term's of elivation for much in the way of swamps. 

It was warm and the sun filtered through the trees. There was a tremendous sound of insects, much like cicadas. It was really nice to walk through the woods, when there were commercial buildings just on the other side of the parking lot. A boardwalk eventually appeared to keep one above the mud, then the water of the swamp. Lots of cypress knees and little circles on the water where insects landed. A few dragonflies flitted here and there reminding me of Evinrude in Disney's The Rescuers. I really enjoyed the scenery and walking through the leaves, some brown with age, but others yellow or red having just fallen. It soon became very warm with a slight breeze. I was grateful to not be bothered by bugs or mosquitos, when I was already beginning to perspire way too much.

I eventually switched to the Inner Loop, which was rougher, probably because it was less popular and there were fewer people to tromp over the plants that would sprout there. I cut over on the Highwater Trail and then made my way back to the visitor center. There, I saw the animals, finally. Oh, I'd seen two birds on the trail, but that was it. In the center, there are turtles, snakes, skink and frogs.  They also have a nice little gift shop that would appeal to kids. 

When I got back to the car, I found I'd walked 1.4 miles, which wasn't bad. I headed downtown to the LSU Museum of Art. Not only did I see nowhere to eat lunch on the way, but I also had a devil of a time finding the parking garage for the museum. I rather hoped there would be a restaurant in the Shaw Center. However, I found myself walking by the Capital City Grill and thought it would be good to have some local food. I suspected it wouldn't be cheap and it wasn't, but the lunch special was only $10. I had an absolutely wonderful serving of Vieux Carre Chicken, which was a boneless chicken breast with Tasso, crawfish and mushroom cream sauce garnished with smoked mozzarella and red bell peppers. The sides were "smashed" potatoes and the daily vegetable, squash. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was, when I found out that they were out of New Orleans-style bread pudding for dessert. I'd been staring at it on the dessert menu on the table all through lunch! I was offered cheesecake instead, but it was New York cheesecake, so what would be the point?

The Shaw Center entrance was right across the courtyard and the LSU MOA is on the 5th floor. The entrance fee is only $5, which was particularly good, given that very large galleries on one end were closed, now that a special exhibit was over. There is variety- jade, vernacular paintings, modern art, botanical watercolors exhibit, installation art and early American furniture and portraits through the 19th century. The entire visit took less than an hour. I did spend some time in their shop. Art museum shops are always interesting.

I noticed that the Old Capitol building was right across the street and decided I was already paying for the car in the garage and had intended to visit it at some point, so why not now? It looks like a castle, which is very different from most statehouses. They offer a free audio tour. So, wand and map in hand, I set out. There is a lovely wrought iron staircase and an incredible stained glass dome. Exhibits included the history of the building, a history of Baton Rouge, governors and Huey Long. I learned that he may not have been murdered, but rather may have been the victim of a bullet from the gun of one of his overzealous bodyguards. Whatever may be the truth, he had a great effect on the state in terms of infrastructure and schools. He loved LSU and worked to improve it. He loved the marching bands and would often march with the drum majors he'd chosen. He wrote music they still use! 

I closed the place down at 4 and went back to the garage with another 1.66 miles under my belt. There was very heavy traffic on I10 southbound toward New Orleans, but that was the only backup that slowed me down. That's nothing like I4 around Orlando at that time of day.

The exercise room was empty, when I got there and I listened to all of one episode and part of another of Welcome to Nightvale, while walking another 1.25 miles. What a great way to distract yourself and make yourself stay on the machine.

Tonight, we went out for dinner with my husband's undergrad clarinet professor from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his wife and other clarinetists. We got there about 7 and didn't leave until 10:30. It is a good thing Parrain's didn't need that table. People just kept talking.

I was in the right mood and ordered hushpuppies. For dinner, I had Crawfish Etouffee, which was rather spicy, but good. I chose cole slaw over salad, but it was served before the main course! It also had peanuts in it, which was weird, especially since we were not warned about this beforehand. I finally got my desired dessert- bread pudding- albeit a white chocolate one. There was regular chocolate there, so good. My husband and I split it. It was delicious, but had slivered almonds on top, which also were not mentioned upfront. And who thinks of nuts for that dessert?

Have to carefully plan for tomorrow, as my husband is playing at 1 and I have to go pick up my ticket fairly far from the venue.

Arkansas / Louisiana Trip Day 7

Today was my first day on my own. I saw no reason to rush things. I'd programmed the GPS with both of today's destinations last night. So, I knew they were both nearby.

There was a breakfast buffet here, too. I tried to be healthy and eat Special K and a bowl of fruit, but there was a biscuit that just had to be eaten, too!

I finally headed out at 10:15 and what should have taken only 11 minutes took much longer. That is because as I came off the interstate, I did not see the smallish sign setback from the road. All I noticed was the construction work, where my GPS claimed was my destination. I drove further down the street and pulled into a McDonalds. This time, I pulled out the iPhone and pulled up Google maps. From that, I could get a cross street and see that the LSU Rural Life Museum had to be where the construction was. Once I got down there, I found there was an awful lot on the grounds. I drove for a while and doubled back to a Visitor's Center. This, too, was not my destination, but looking at a map of all that was there, I figured out where to go. Thus, I didn't park at my destination until 10:54.

I arrived just after a grandmother and two boys, so the clerk turned on the intro video for the three of us. It was a nice overview of what we were going to see and how it got there. The beginning exhibits were all inside, which was great. There was a giant cotton bale near a display of quilts. There were various hearses (!) and their caskets, most of which were made out of metal. There was even the device used to measure the length of the sarcophagus to determine the size of the vault. There were so many things to look at, but I was on a schedule. 

When I stepped outside, I wished, I hadn't. It was hot and partly cloudy. I was grateful for the breeze that came up at times, as I roamed amongst the buildings. However, it wasn't long before I was absolutley dripping!

They have a very nice collection of buildings, including the oldest Acadian house in the state. The church on display has painted windows, which was the poor man's version of stained glass. Since sugar cane was so important here, there was a caning house, as well as grinders. The shotgun house really was cool between the two rooms as intended. There were slave houses and a sick house. The overseer's house was interesting and as a teacher, I found the schoolhouse depressing. So small and so uncomfortable! 

I learned that keeping pigeons was a status symbol back in the day. I also found out that some plantations made their own tokens to be used to pay for items in the comissary. (In that building, there was a display case that still had thread in it.)

I'd paid an extra $3 to be able to go into the Windrush Gardens. They were very formal gardens, but also had woods. I spent a lot of time trying to find the various statues listed on the map. I did like the Windrush House's view of the garden. 

As I headed back for the gift shop, a few raindrops fell, but that was all the rain I saw today. I was disappointed to not be able to get postcards. However, I did find a really lovely small egg basket for only $20. The large square-based basket that really caught my eye was $50 and too rich for my blood.

It was just after 1, when I left and I knew I had time for lunch. I'd seen a sign at the exit and had noted the location of Times Grill on my way to McDonalds earlier. I was up for something different, so I went there. They specialize in burgers, but the lunch special was red beans and rice with 2 pieces of sausage and a side salad for only $7.95. It was really delicious. I've had black beans and rice before, but not red. It nicely contrasted with the spiciness of the sausage. When the waitress offered me another Coke Zero, she said, she'd put it in a to-go cup, which was very thoughtful.

It took a little maneuvering to get gas at the Racetrac near the interstate, but the price of $3.619 was good.

My next destination was BREC's Magnolia Mound Plantation. I arrived at 2:24 and the last tour was at 3. I decided to shop right away, in case the gift shop was closed when the tour finished. One of the clerks was kind enough to give me the comment card and its 3 free postcards then, so that I would not miss out. 

I had about 20 minutes to look at the grounds, including the kitchen garden and the garden with sugar cane. I rushed to be on the front porch by 3, but needn't have, as the guide was late. No one else had come, so I had a private tour of the interior. It is a Creole, Colonial plantation house, not an antebellum one. Creole back then, just meant you were born here in French or Spanish territory. Lots of French furnishings inside. They had wallpaper in the parlor that not only matched the original, but was made by the same company in France, which had the original stencils! I learned how the mosquito netting worked on the beds. I also learned that the large board that was meant to be a fan over the dining table, just swatted flies and didn't really cool the room. Women wore gingham in the summer, but men wore wool year round! It was a terrific tour!

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped at CVS. I was lucky-my 30% off coupon for the weekend was still good and I could use it on an LSU pin and stickers, as well as other items I needed. I went across the parking lot to the Pita Pit to get a hummus pita for dinner.

When I got here, I put the pita in the fridge and put on exercise clothes. I intended to use the treadmill and then go in the pool. While I was on the treadmill, my husband called, then showed up to invite me to dinner with the board. So, the pool was out and I took a quick shower.

Dinner tonight was a local institution, The Chimes, just outside an entrance to the campus. I had a delicious Blackened Shrimp Remoulade salad and my husband had an oyster poboy, yet another thing I won't eat. Good conversation and a good meal are a good way to end the day.

Arkansas / Louisiana Trip Day 6

Today was another long travel day. We got up at 6:15 to be able to go to the first Mass-at 7:00- at St. John's Catholic Church, our old parish. The Mass was relatively lightly attended and we were quite surprised when it turned out to be in Spanish. There were no Masses in Spanish, when we were parishioners. It just showed the change in the demographics. We wished that we had a bilingual to follow along like the folks in front of us, who also seemed to have a printout of the sermon in English. However, the greeter had said nothing to us about these things when we arrived. My husband has studied some Spanish, but I haven't. (In English, we say, it is Greek to me. The Germans say, it is Spanish to me.) I could pick out a few words, but he didn't seem to fair much better. We were greeted by a woman after Mass, who had a lovely Southern accent and picked us out as visitors. It turned out that she had moved there not long after we moved away. 

Back at the hotel, we immediately tucked into breakfast to fortify ourselves for the trip. When we headed out at 9:40, it was already 89 degrees and hazy, with the mist in the hills burned off. We drove out along Main Street to the east to look at more changes to the town. Walmart had moved to a bigger store and had been joined by Kmart. There was now a Ross, as well as a Belk. I soon saw why the craft stores were gone- Hobby Lobby was out there, too. However, they didn't have some of our favorite stores, such as Target, Bed Bath&Beyond or Office Max. And we saw no sign of Panera until we reached Conway. 

I was going to stoop for gas, but was irritated by there being two different prices for diesel- one for cash and one for credit. Unfortunately, when we did stop twenty minutes later, this was still the case. My husband said, that it was because of the high fees the stations pay when the truckers buy 100 gallons with a credit card. But this place couldn't even accommodate a trucker! We paid with a credit card, even though it was 5 cents more a gallon. We'll get something back from Discover and it was just easier. 

Fun fact: on this trip we have traveled on I 10, I 20, I 30 and I 40 and in numerical order!

After Pine Bluff, we knew the pickings would be sparse, so at exit 44 on US 65, we pulled into a Huddle House, a chain we'd never tried before. It is more like a diner than anything else. My husband enjoyed his Southern pecan waffle and I found the Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich with sweet potato fries to be most interesting and satisfying. That buffalo sauce packs a punch!

The terrain turned flat and we knew the many boring miles ahead, due to our trip up the state. My husband had taken over driving and I dozed a bit. We used service stations' convenience stores for pit stops. I looked up some of the brands we saw on signs by fields and we were able to identify soybeans and also recognized rice. One thing in Wikipedia noted a company also produced sorghum seeds, so I looked for a picture of it. Good thing I did. It wasn't long before we say a field of them. 

At 2:23, we crossed into Louisiana, with its Welcome to Louisiana / Bienvenue en Louisiana sign, which is the only way we knew we were there. Unlike Arkansas, they never had a welcome center. In Louisiana in particular, we often saw a very fancy home with a mobile home across the street. 

At 4:39, we crossed the Mississippi at Natchez. No welcome center, but their welcome sign proclaims the state "Birthplace of America's Music". Really? What music is America's music?

I took over driving in Natchez and we crossed back into Louisiana at 5:31. Their welcome center was closed and there was no welcome sign. I had figured out that we'd crossed the state line, when I saw a sign identifying the parish. Only Louisiana calls counties parishes. 

Finally, at 6:22, after 449 miles, I pulled into The Cook Hotel on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. We were tired and very hungry, but the rest of the International Clarinet Association was to gather at 7, so we partially unpacked. The group decided to go to WalkOns, a sports restaurant not too far away. It was a relaxing way for them to start the week. Their executive director treated everyone and ordered fried pickles and gator for the table. I was willing to try only the former. My husband, who is much braver, had both. The pickles had a spicy white dip and were quite interesting. For main courses, I ordered the fried shrimp poboy with a side sauce and my husband had étouffée. I found, I liked his and may order it, when I am on my own this week. Of course, my poboy was delicious. 

We are now planted here until next Sunday. Tomorrow begins my time if sightseeing on my own. Time to make plans!

Arkansas/ Louisiana Trip Day 5

This was the most relaxed day of our entire trip. We were staying in Russellville for the day and there are no real attractions to visit here. We took advantage of the opportunity to use the fitness center's treadmills before breakfast. It gave us the chance to get in some walking. 

When we did set out, we went in search of craft shops. The ones I found in the phone book didn't pan out. We went to the City Mall, which is about 8 stores, and unimpressive. However, a Tuesday Morning was in an outparcel.  So, we wandered in there, and, as always, I found things to buy in there.  It sort of made up for the fact that the one back home has closed. 

Lunch was at another Russellville institution, Feltner's Whatta-Burger. It sits right across the street from Arkansas Tech University, which was closed today, but we did get my husband's picture in front of the building in which he used to teach. Any way, Whatta-Burger still has a girl at the line to write your order on a white paper bag. Then, you stand in line for drinks and your name is called when the food is ready. We ordered the Whatta-Burger for each of us and large fries to share. I got a chocolate shake that was so large, I had to put some of it in the fridge to finish tonight. The hamburger was just as good as ever. I liked the fries, but prefer thinner ones. 

We repaired to the room so that my husband could practice before the highlight of the day. Before the trip, he'd contacted old colleagues to see if we could get together. One of the, the former ATU band director decided to have a gathering to get the "old gang together".  They put together a meal and the others brought things and so many came! It was so good seeing them! Some we saw, when we were here 17 years ago, others we hadn't seen since we left 24years ago. This was my husband's first college teaching job 31 years ago. We moved here right after the wedding in Maryland. These people quickly became our friends and the closest thing we had to family here. It was so good catching up with them. We've always said, that this was a good place for us to start our lives together and for him to start college teaching. 

This is why we added Arkansas to our itinerary for this trip. I'm really glad we did. 

Arkansas / Louisiana Trip Day 4

I've just come from a wonderful way to end a day of travel and sightseeing - a swim in the pool followed by a dip in the spa. It's an indoor pool here in Russellville,Arkansas, which is a really good idea,what with all the mosquitoes and gnats this time of year. The fitness center is right next to it, but my foot is giving me a lot of trouble at the site of the surgery I had 7 months ago and the pool seemed a less painful way to exercise. And it was, so I'll have to remember that. 

We took time this morning in Little Rock to deal with email before checking out. It is amazing how much it piles up. Also, it must be a corollary of Murphy's Law or something, that you can go for days on end at home with no important emails, but the moment you leave town something demanding immediate attention shows up in your inbox. 

Our first stop of the day was the Arkansas State Capitol. It sits slightly off-center at the top of the hill at the end of Capitol Street. It looks impressive up there. We noticed the dome, which the guide at the Mississippi State Capitol had told us was modeled on theirs. It did Iook similar, but this one is remarkably smooth. Another friendly guard greeted as at security, although this one did the Disney-style search of my bags with the flashlight. No tours were offered to us by the young man at the visitors'desk, but he did give us guide brochures and kindly changed the date and did the stamping of my capitols passport. 

As we roamed around with my husband reading out the info and me taking pictures, we ran into a woman who introduced herself to us as Cecile Bledsoe, State Senator from Rogers and asked us if we'd like to see the Senate Chamber! This charming lady took time to chat with two out-of-staters about her state and the legislature. She asked about us, and, upon learning I was a teacher, thanked me. (!)  It was an amazing encounter, that is like nothing I've ever experienced in a state Capitol or with a politician before. After she left us, we realized, that had she not come along, we'd have had to just look through glass or go up to the gallery to get a view of the Senate. And it turned out, the House was entirely closed off due to construction. Peering in at the gallery, we could see that the glass had even been removed from the dome. 

There isn't much in the way of art in this building. There are only 4 gubernatorial portraits in the rotunda and one of them is of a guy who went to jail!  Clinton is one of the four. There are displays about the building of the Capitol, history of the state politically (which read like it had been written by a Republican), Arkansans in all the wars, and state symbols. I'm not thrilled that one of the blue stars on the flag represents membership in the Confederacy. Not being able to decide which it is, the pink tomato is the state vegetable and fruit. They have two state songs. They share their state bird, the mockingbird, with many others. 

After the shop, which had Razorback stuff, but nothing from the other schools, we headed outside to see monuments. The guide for this even told us what almost every tree was. Testament: The Little Rock Nine  stands quite appropriately in front of Arkansas' Liberty Bell, received for selling war bonds. However, this is on the north side. In front, on the western side acting as a pair of bookends are the Confederate Soldier and Confederate Women memorials. But, what are you going to do? They've been there for ages. The firefighters memorial in the back is quite impressive. The granite and bauxite boulders,while important to the state, seemed a bit odd to me. It was nice to walk around in the clear sunshine, with a nice breeze bringing down the 91degree temperature. 

After 2 hours, we headed back to the riverfront. We found a garage that was in a decent location, but had the most confusing payment system. There were numbers for the spaces with little slots. Since 1/2 hour was a dollar, as was each subsequent hour, did they expect you to have that many quarters? We wound up folding $3 in bills as small as possible and shoving them in. 

We went to Ottenheimer Market Hall for lunch. It reminded me of Baltimore's Lexington Market, but with just prepared food stalls. My husband went off to get teriyaki chicken, while it went into Boulevard Bread Company at the end of the market and ordered a truly fantastic Rustico Panini. She was out of rolls, so I ordered it on 8 grain bread. The filling was the best chicken salad I've ever had - balsamic chicken salad. So moist, so flavorful. The balsamic vinegar was subtle. I've already texted my younger daughter, who loves to cook, telling her to find a recipe!

I bought a couple of postcards in the souvenir shop, before we left the hall for the Old Statehouse, several blocks away. It was a nice walk and we could check out all the businesses along the waterfront. We spent an hour in the statehouse, reading about the history of the building and its construction. I learned that the first territorial governor was named Pope, the name of the county we lived in 24 years ago. There was an interesting film and large exhibit about Arkansans in the movies- Mary Steenburgen, Alan Ladd, Glen Campbell, Johhny Cash, Billy Bob Thornton, Melinda Dillon and more. Out front, they were getting ready for a wedding. It I would make a nice venue. 

More postcards had to be bought before we headed back. There was an interesting used bookstore that I wanted to check out, but time was running out. Partially because we could see know way they'd know when we paid and partially because my husband was irked at the system, he decided we could take some time to stop. It turned out to be run by the library and had a cafe and staff art, as well as lots of books. We relieved them of quite a few. Since we could not reasonably join the friends of the library and get a discount, the clerk gave us a small discount anyway. 

We were over a half hour late to the car, but there were no repercussions. We headed out of town at 4:45 and the traffic was not as bad as you'd expect for a city on a Friday night. I dozed off for a while and before I knew it, we could see a mountain ahead. The terrain had certainly changed from two days ago!

At 6:20, we pulled into the hotel, just 8 days shy of 24 years since we moved away from Russellville and 17 since we'd last been here. How the exit alone has changed! when we moved here right after getting married 31 years ago, there was just a Holiday Inn with Cagles Mill restaurant attached. The restaurant is still there but the hotel has changed names and is about to be a Clarion. There must be 6 other hotels here now and many restaurants. 

After checking in, we went to an old restaurant that we love, Stoby's. It's in an old railroad car, but even it has changed. A building is now attached and the menu has greatly expanded. I ordered The Stoby, which lets you build your own sandwich. As good as ever! My husband weirdly ordered Portabello Primavera in a place known for sandwiches. It was good, nonetheless. We topped it off with a creamy, scrumptious peanut butter pie. 

We decided to drive around town to I see old haunts. I insisted on stopping on Main Street to take a picture of the plaque that reads "On this site in 1897 nothing happened" because it is still there. We took pictures of the house we rented on Inglenook the first year we were here and marveled in the growth of medical facilities related to the hospital. The IGA is now a Cash Saver. We then drove to our old house at 14 Red Oak Lane and found it is for rent, which is also the state we left it in. (It took a year to sell it. ) We didn't like some of the landscape changes, but it was still the same color. The back deck is missing its railings. I still call it "our house". 

We continued down Marina Roado to Lake Dardanelle State Park, where we braved the bugs for sunset photos. Some even include Nuclear One, whose evacuation route signs are all over.  Of course, I took a picture of one of them. It didn't occur to me to do that 24 years ago. 

Tomorrow, we will of visit the university. 

Arkansas / Louisiana Trip Day 3

Since we weren't driving out of town today, we could take it easier this morning. I got to sleep in, while my husband went to the fitness room. A breakfast buffet is included with the room and we always like that. It makes the morning easier and we think it can be a bit cheaper than getting breakfast out. 

We left shortly after 10 and were at the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library in less than 10 minutes. Since the AAA book said to allow 3 hours, we knew we'd take at least 4. We did not get the audio tour, but chose to roam on our own, each of us at our own pace. That meant I was searching for him at times, because there was far too much to read, if we ever intended to leave!

The first thing that struck me was the exhibit saluting the Vice President's achievements. This is my sixth presidential library and the first to do this. The others barely acknowledge that there was a veep. 

Since Clinton and Gore did work together so much, and Gore was denied a presidency of his own, this seemed very appropriate. 

The second thing that stood out was how often family was referenced, not only his mom and extended family, but Hillary and Chelsea. The exhibits make Hillary much more human than the Republicans would have you believe. There is an entire display devoted to her life pre-Bill right next to one of his pre-Hillary. You really saw that she was his partner. 

The first level of exhibits is set up with year summaries in the center with alcoves devoted to various themes. One alcove was dedicated to the problems with the right and the many investigations that lead to the impeachment. Monica Lewinsky is mentioned, twice I believe. So, even though there is the usual presidential library praising accomplishments, this one definitely dealt with the bad stuff better than say, the Reagan coverage of Iran-contra. 

At 12:15, we took a break for food in the aptly-named FortyTwo. We love "museum food"- it is always interesting and delicious. It was hard to decide! I finally opted for the 42 Cobb, with its avacodo, chicken, almonds, bacon, etc. and was not disappointed. My husband, who found the building too cold and asked that we sit on the deck, chose a 1/2 Presidential Club and 1/2 Southwest Black Bean and Aroborio soup. He, too, enjoyed his meal. But the best thing we ordered was something that just sounded like it had to be tried- sweet potato fries with smoked strawberry jam. The fries came with sea salt on them and the jam had been warmed to a liquid consistency. Who came up with this? It was amazing!

The day had started grey and cooler, but as we sat at lunch the sky began to clear and it got warmer. So, when we went back inside, pictures out the windows were much improved. The building makes use of lots of natural light, with the west wall all windows. The building itself reminds me of a bridge, perhaps Clinton's Bridge to the Future that he was always talking about. Outside the building, one can see an old railroad bridge that has been turned into a pedestrian zone and there is lots of green around the building. 

We were very happy to find the library hosting a Dale Chihuly exhibit. We love his glassworks. This exhibit had a Sea Green and Blue Tower that must be the sibling of the one in the Orlando Museum of Art. The works greeted you on the outside with Red Reeds in the water fountains. There were two spaces devoted to Chihuly, with one showing just the many forms of Milli Fiori. Another piece was with the exhibits about Christmas in the White House. 

We enjoyed our visit- all five hours of it. We drove down the street to the off-site museum store, where I relieved them of some inventory, even though I'd bought a few items at the kiosk in the library. 

We knew it was too late to visit anything but the Little Rock Central National Historic Site. We drove around the school- it is huge! It stretches an entire city block and the entire campus, including the stadium sits on one square block. Unfortunately, the visitor center across the street was only open until 4:30, giving us just 1/2 hour. However, I'd been to Brown v. Board of Ed in Kansas, so I knew a lot of this. The exhibits also note discrimination against other groups in our history. We've done some fairly cruddy things over the years and it is depressing. Now it is the gays who have to fight for equal protection under the law. I was heartened to hear that Central has a really good academic record now and offers more foreign languages than my own school. 

We've come back to the hotel, so that my husband can practice. Unfortunately, our room hadn't been touched and we had to call for towels- at 5 pm! 

We plan to go down to the riverfront and find some place that looks appealing for dinner. 

Arkansas /Louisiana Trip 2014 Day 2

Yesterday's long day did not inspire us to get up early today. That turned out to be a good thing,because it meant we missed the morning rush hour. 

After availing ourselves of the breakfast buffet that was provided for free, we packed up,checked out and departe at 10. It was a quick trip to the Mississippi state Capitol, just off exit 96B. We knew the legislature was not in session, when we found a parking space on the Capitol grounds. The Southern hospitality started right away at the metal detector. The guard welcomed us, asked where we were from,and told us where to go to find the tours. Although it was 10:15, and the AAA book said tours were on the hour, a guide immediately said she'd take us around the building. The lady behind the desk also asked, if we had the state capitols passport. How did I not know about this thing? I've made it a sort of hobby to collect state capitols. She told me that I could find it in the gift shop and that I could write for the stamps of the other capitols I'd already visited. 

I like visiting capitols, because it think it is interesting to see how a state presents itself to the world. Here, the building is in the Beaux Arts style. Lots of marble and faux marble, all which our tour guide, Barbara Cole could identify. She even pointed out the discolored marble from when smoking was allowed. One cool thing that she showed us was the glass rods in an upper floor that allowed natural light to filter through the stained glass on the ceiling of the floor below. It's really a lovely building. She pointed through a front window to be sure we knew about the copy of the Liberty Bell ( one of 55 cast and given to thank the states and territories for selling war bonds), the pair of German guns from WWII, and the memorial to Confederate women, which was to acknowledge the sacrifices of the mothers, wives and daughters and was cast in the Tiffany studios. After a good shopping trip in the gift shop, where, among other things, I got the aforementioned capitols passport, we drove around front to take pictures. 

We'd planned on visiting the national park in Vicksburg and knew we had to leave there by 1 to reach Arkansas Post before it closed. But, now it was almost 11:30, so I just looked in the AAA book for someplace to eat when we reached Vicksburg around noon. At exit 3 on I20, we gassed up (42.43 mpg!), we stopped at the recommende Goldie's Trail Bar-B-Que. we shared the sliced pork platter with BBQ beans and cole slaw and a sliced beef sandwich. The sauce was unusual and had a bit of a punch. Luckily, there were jars available and one is now in my suitcase. As suggested, we split a piece of the delicious lemon icebox pie. 

I took over driving and got to take us over the Mississippi. The state line is in the middle of the river. On the other side :Welcome to Louisiana / Bienvenue et Louisiana. Sudden til, the land was flat and full of crops. I truly wish farmers would put up signs for those of us who don't know what we are looking at. We thought we saw rice and soybeans. 

We turned off the interstate at US 65. It was two-lane for a long time and skirted business districts. Some towns were just to tiny for it to bother doing that. I discovered my car could do 90(!!!), when I had to pass an SUV and two trucks in a line, because they couldn't settle on a speed to adhere to and I wanted to get around them fast. 

Of course, when we wanted a fast food place for a pit stop, there were none to be found. However, at 2:16, we crossed the Arkansas line (Arkansas The Natural State) and not long after found their welcome center in Lake Village. It had a lovely view land lots of brochures. I even found one for Subiaco Academy, where I'd taught for four years in the mid80's. 

A person really has to want to visit Arkansas Post National Memorial. It really takes work to get there. We arrived at 3:58 and found out only ten people had been there all day. We watched the video and toured the exhibits. I had not known that battles had been fought there in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The river had changed its path repeatedly over the years before the Arkansas River Navigation system of locks and dams was put in. The site if the Civil War fort is now under water. Nine of the buildings of the town are left,but we braved the mosquitos  to walk the path along the old streets and to the river overlook. It was worth it. Helpful signs pointed out Osage orange trees and sassafras trees. A sign in the woods marked the site of the original Arkansas Gazette, the newspaper we read, when we lived here. 

When we left at 5:30, the visitor center was long closed. We drove along a levee and past many more fields. We lucked out and found the Little Rock public radio station. It was a good thing we did, because they reported on wicked storms in central Arkansas. I pulled up the Weather Channel app and saw we were headed right for it. We had to quickly decide whether to stop for dinner around Pine Bluff and try to wait it out or just plow ahead. We chose the latter and by the time we reached Pine Bluff, so did the rain. I watched the little blue dot representing our car getting ever closer to the greens and yellows of the storm. My husband kept himself behind a Dollar General truck, which helped him gauge how things were ahead of us. 

The rain never stopped and we saw nowhere to stop to eat on I530. Once again, we waited too long to plug in Sarah and she just couldn't get a satellite signal while moving. We lucked out and found our way to the correct street in Little Rock on our own. After 308 miles, we pulled into the La Quinta on South Broadway at 7:25 pm. 

Unfortunately, we didn't know that it would have been easier to unload the car out front  instead, we went around to the garage. It took two trips, made worse by the entrance back there to the hotel being up several steps. 

My husband went across the street and got us subs from Jimmy John's that were great. He found a place to practice and I went to the fitness center to bike and walk. I was really looking forward to a shower. Unfortunately, the water took forever to get warm and was up to my ankles by the time it did, because of poor drainage. I really hate that!

Tomorrow will be spent in town,which should make it easier,but, then again, we don't take vacations. We take trips. Killer trips that you need a rest from when you get home. 

Arkansas / Louisiana Trip 2014 Day 1

Why is it, that the first day of a trip is often so exhausting? Is it the early morning alarm to get a good start on the day? Or is it all the miles you travel that day just to get where you are going? You'd think, that traveling by car would be a bit easier than the stress of the airport, but not so much. 

The alarm went off at 6:15, because my husband said, we should plan to leave at 7:30. In this family, the announced time of departure is a good 15 minutes earlier than actual departure time. Today, we left at 8:10. Since we were taking my car, I was the first driver. Thus, with the odometer reading 16936, we headed out. 

Traffic moved well until the I4 exits in Orlando. How do people do that every day? That much stress cannot beagoodway to start the day. We made it to the Okahumpka service plaza on the turnpike by 9:19. (One of these days, I should look up the origin of that name.) It was a sunny day and Sirius XM was good company after we finished listening to Morning Edition on WMFE. We reached Oak Hammock, in Gainesville at 10:25. We were stopping to see my husband's parents and to deliver a birthday cake to his dad for his 86th birthday today.  

We'd planned to stay just an hour, but they invited us to lunch in the dining room of this retirement center and that seemed rather practical. My husband and I split a fabulous appetizer of melon wedges wrapped in prosciutto. Then, I had a delicious Southwest chicken salad, while he had a salmon burger BLT. 

We hit the road again at 12:58, but by 1:29, my eyes were beginning to roll around and we switched drivers. I'd found a really nice neck pillow that turns into its own pouch at Bed,Bath and Beyond. It also snaps under the chin, which kept it nice and snug. Before I knew it, I was asleep. 

When I woke almost two hours later, I found myself really perspiring. It wasn't that the air conditioner wasn't working, but rather that we were driving into the sun on a hot Florida day. I was really glad, I'd had the foresight to sit on a beach towel, rather than directly on the fake leather seat of the Jetta. 

I took over driving at 3:37. A short time later, we stopped in Quincy for gas. Diesel at the BP station was $3.999, but my husband's BP card let him use points to lower the price to $3.059. Since then, we've seen it as low as $3.149 in Mississippi. 

At 4:23EDT, we crossed into the Central Time Zone. But, we were still in Florida on I10, one truly boring road. There is just no variety to the scenery. Swampland or trees. That's it. 

At 4:47 CDT, I was fighting for consciousness and turned over the driving duties. That let me note the welcome sign with "Alabama the Beautiful " at 5:50. It also let me ponder just how dull a slogan that is. It really says next to nothing about the state. 

We'd planned to eat around Mobile, but decided it was getting a bit late to wait that long. We pulled into the McDonald's in Loxley. Now there's a town name! I immediately thought of Robin of... and texted the daughters with the same. The older promptly wrote back Haha. 

It was not the best dining experience. My fries were the first thing out, so they quickly cooled. They had no fork for my husband's salad. I suggested using two spoons as tongs. Luckily, some forks were deliveredto the restaurant not long after he started eating. 

By 6:53, we were on the road again. I got some nice shots of Mobile and the bay as we drove in. I pulled out the gps to plot our trip to Jackson, Mississippi , but "Sarah" (named for the house on Eureka), couldn't get a satellite signal. Eventually, we pulled over and she found it. 

Between 7:30 and 7:45, we say 6 cop cars with people pulled over. What the heck is that?

Route 98, got hillier and we noticed an incredible number of Dollar Stores and Family General stores as we drove along. What does that say about the economy of the west side of Mobile? Also, we saw plenty of churches, but not one was Catholic. 

At 8:05, we hit the Mississippi welcome sign (couldn't see a slogan) and the road went from 2 to 4 lanes. 

At 8:30, we knew we were in the "north", when we saw a sign saying: Bridge may be icy in cold weather",

At 8:50, we made a final pit stop at Tater's Food &Fuel. Great name. Husband was still good to drive. 

Eventually, to keep us both awake, I searched for the comedy channels. We alternated between Comedy Central and LaughUSA, switching when they went to commercials. (Commercials? I don't get any on the music stations. What's with having them here?) some of the bits were so hilarious, is glad I wasn't driving!

At 10:52, with the odometer reading 17670, after 734 miles, we pulled into the Fairfield Inn on I55, exit 102, in Jackson, Mississippi. 

My husband has been asleep for 20 minutes and I can feel myself crashing. It's been a good day. We haven't killed each other or snapped too viciously at each other either. This is our first road trip in our own car in years and it is off to a good start!

Welcome

An introduction seems to be in order.  I'm Kathy, a wife of 31 years, and mother of two adult daughters. I've been a teacher for 29 years. I've taught many things, but mostly Geometry Honors and German. This fall, I will teach just one period and that will be a German III and AP class.
I have many hobbies and interests: reading; needlework; crafts; and making dollhouses.  But one thing I really enjoy is travel. I like visiting new places, learning new things and seeing new things. So far, I have visited 49 states and two territories. I've been to Canada, Mexico, and several Caribbean nations. I've been to 12 European countries. I'm looking forward to visiting a lot more than this.
My purpose in writing this blog is  to record details of my travels for my future reference. If others happen to find what I write useful, that's great.
I've got a trip coming up to Arkansas and Louisiana. 
Welcome!