Texas State Fair!

Ed and Donna and the kids and Ken and I all piled into Ed's van and headed to the State Fair of Texas this afternoon. We had some unexpected excitement on the freeway on the way: a multi-car accident happened practically right in front of us. Ed steered us to safety and called 911. There were car parts in the roadway, but all the people were apparently okay.

When we got to the Fair we looked over the map and schedule while Sam and Jesse played on an exhibit designed to test coordination. They had fun.

Of course we had to see Big Tex. His mouth moves as he makes announcements in a very deep voice. We all had hats on--it was a hot sunny day. Donna became known as the Blue Hat Lady. Her hat helped us locate her in the crowds.

One of the shows we watched was the Zu Zu African Acrobats. They perform traditional Kenyan acrobatic skills set to high energy beats.

Ed and Cate went out in a Swan paddle boat; Donna and the boys chose the Duck. Ed and Donna agreed it was hard work pedaling! We sat in the shade and watched.

Cate posed as the "I" in BIG Texas, sponsored by Fletcher's Corny Dogs, celebrating 75 years at the Fair. Ken and I had Fletcher's Corny Dogs. The cornmeal crust is definitely crunchy--different from any corn dog I've ever had. They deserve their reputation. We had some other fair food too, like a funnel cake and sausage on a stick and a Texas size smoked turkey leg, but no deep fried Oreos or other outlandish concoctions.

Jesse really enjoyed his "work" at Little Hands on the Farm. He got to pick crops, collect eggs, feed animals, collect wool from sheep, and drive a tractor. (No live animals or crops were harmed in the process.) At the end he earned a State Fair Buck for his work and got to pick a treat.

The boys went on the Bumper Cars. The kids all went in the Monkey Maze, Cate mainly to keep tabs on Jesse. As the evening wound down, we all took the Texas SkyWay aerial tram back to the main entrance, where we watched the Illumination Sensation. It incorporated fountains and lights and fireworks and acrobatic dancers, all to high energy pop music.

By then everyone was tired and glad to head back to the van for the ride home. An unfortunate side note: I managed to leave my stainless steel insulated Contigo water bottle behind somewhere. I mostly keep it clipped to my fanny pack except when I'm drinking, but I must have set it down somewhere. Read more!

Fun at the Levitt

We arrived at Loyd Park yesterday and got settled in to our campsite. It has full hookups, which is very good for a two week stay. We went over to Ed's for dinner. He had grilled chicken, but it was put on hold for a couple of hours because Ken had to go searching for a new 50 amp to 30 amp adapter to replace the one damaged by the defective breaker at Maumelle Park. We had forgotten that Loyd Park has 30 amp sites. The chicken was still delicious, and it was great to see Ed and Donna again.

This morning we went for a bike ride, our first in a couple of weeks, so of course our leg muscles complained.

After school we went over to Ed's. The kids were home from school, and Donna came in shortly.

This evening we all piled in Ed's van, and he drove to the Levitt Pavilion in Arlington for a free concert featuring the Quaker City Night Hawks. UTA was the event sponsor. They were handing out free stuff, so we got glow in the dark wrist straps for the kids and tee shirts for Jesse and Sam. Ken and I got UTA pen and pencil sets and microfiber lens cloths.

Ed was off most of the time playing football with Sam. Jesse was with them part of the time. Cate mainly read. Donna's dog Toby was with us too. It was fun, and we're planning to go back next Friday night.

The Levitt experience is kind of a combination of concert in the park and professional performance venue. It's a great facility, and it offers over 50 free concerts annually.

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The 39 Steps

Carol and Ken and I went to the Lindale Community Theater this afternoon for a performance of The 39 Steps. The blurb for the play was intriguing:

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This 2-time Tony® and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of 4), an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance! In The 39 Steps, a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she's a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called "The 39 Steps" is hot on the man's trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale! A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, The 39 Steps amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure pleasure!

 It turned out to live up to the hype. The four actors were talented, versatile, and great at physical comedy. We laughed a lot.

This evening Debbie joined us for lasagna and Boggle. That's part of our tradition, and as usual, Debbie won several rounds. I am always happy to get a chance to visit with my goddaughter. Read more!

Wright Patman Lake

We have really enjoyed our site on the lake this week. We've seen lots of boats, some carrying anglers, some towing water skiers, and some towing kids in floats. This fishing boat caught our eye because of the clear reflection.

We tried to bike from Rocky Point Park to the dam this morning, but the road we needed to take was closed and filled with an imposing pile of rocks. The Corps of Engineers is using it to store rip rock (aka riprap). So after lunch we drove over to the dam and stopped at the Project Office where we saw a few displays and chatted with a friendly volunteer. When we asked if there was any information about the big flood last year, she said, "We're trying to forget that!" It was evidently traumatic. It closed the campgrounds and killed lots of trees. One restroom in Rocky Point is still undergoing repairs, and half of Piney Point Campground is still entirely closed.

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Back in Texas!

Yesterday we moved to a campground on the eastern shore of Wright Patman Lake near Texarkana, TX. It's a Corps of Engineers park called Rocky Point, and as usual, it's a lovely park. We have a site directly on the lake.

We've watched several great egrets fishing along the nearby shoreline. This one took off a gave us a show as it flew past.

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Rocky Valley and West Quarry Trail

We did this hike in 2011 and decided to revisit it this year. The reward at the end of the East Quarry Trail is a very nice scenic overlook with a vista of both the Maumelle and Arkansas Rivers.

Along the way we spotted some wildlife, including this box turtle, looking a bit grumpy at being disturbed.

We also heard and saw a largish snake slithering through the brush. Ken spotted a tiny lizard not more than two inches long. We saw birds and butterflies, but none posed for the camera.

One of the overlooks has a view of Pinnacle Mountain. We decided not to hike to the summit again this year as we did in 2011. We are (grudgingly) aware of getting older, and Ken's back is giving him trouble again. So we contented ourselves with the view.

We ended up back at the Visitor Center and ate our picnic lunch on a balcony overlooking the rivers. Altogether the hike was nearly three miles. Some of it is easy walking, but some is rocky and even a bit steep in places, so it was enough to be a bit of a workout. We were glad to get home and take showers. Read more!

Arkansas River Trail Again

We biked the Arkansas River Trail again today, starting at Two Rivers Park and biking east along the south/west bank of the river. We came upon this stainless steel sculpture by Kevin Robb entitled "Playing Ball." It's a 2012 Keep Little Rock Beautiful Project.

Sections of this trail are not well marked or are detoured because of construction, so we found ourselves consulting Google Maps to figure out where to go next.

One of the iconic sights of Little Rock is the capital dome.

We crossed to the north/east bank on the Main Street Bridge, which offered a view of the newly renovated Broadway Bridge to the west.

In North Little Rock we checked out the Big Rock Quarry. Little Rock and North Little Rock feature several quarries. It is indeed a rocky area.

We stopped along the bank of the river in a small shelter to eat our picnic lunch.

At the far western part of the trail, we crossed the Big Dam Bridge back to the south/west bank and headed home, tired and sweaty but happy.

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Birthday Dinner

We went out this evening a day late for my birthday dinner to celebrate my making it to age 72. Ken is glad that I've caught up with him. Any guesses as to what this assortment on our table is?

Hawaiian salts and Himalayan salt

We ate early, so we had the entire dining room to ourselves.

To top off a great meal, we had dark chocolate creme brulee, compliments of our server, Julia. In addition to attentive service, we enjoyed her mellifluous southern accent.

Maybe being 72 isn't entirely bad after all.

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Scruffy Visitor

This little bird took up a perch on top of a truck mirror. Looks like a scrapper, doesn't it?

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Moving On--or Back--to Maumelle Park

We left the Branson area this morning and headed back south to Little Rock. We are in the same site we were in earlier on our way north: B22. It has a good view of the lovely Arkansas River.

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C of O: One Last Time

We drove to the College of the Ozarks to bike for the last time today. We took this opportunity to visit the chapel and the library. The chapel features a large number of elaborate stained glass windows that illuminate the interior with a lovely light. The library is located near Point Lookout and has expansive views of the valley below.

Williams Memorial Chapel is an outstanding example of neo-Gothic architecture. The structure, dedicated in 1956, measures 150 feet long and 80 feet wide, with an 80-foot-high vaulted ceiling and impressive stained glass windows. Attached to the chapel is the Hyer Bell Tower. From http://tinyurl.com/yayb6cat

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Cash Alive! the Legend

We went to our last Branson show tonight, a tribute to Johnny Cash. This town is full of tribute performers it seems. Paul Eve did a quite creditable job of impersonating Cash, both in appearance and voice. He told some interesting stories from Cash's life. The best part was the songs, including some of the singer's signature hits, like  I Walk the Line and Ring of Fire. At times it really seemed almost like Johnny Cash was on stage singing.

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Tractors and Fountains

We biked at the College of the Ozarks again today. For a break (in air conditioning!) we visited the Gaetz Tractor Museum. It features a variety of historic farm equipment, all lovingly renovated. It feels like you could be in a 1920's tractor showroom. There's even a 1929 Ford Model A.

This evening we visited Branson Landing and took in the fountain show at 7 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. It's a spectacle of fire and water and music, and after dark, lights. The night show was definitely more impressive.

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Back to Table Rock Lake

We drove back out to Table Rock Lake today. On the way we stopped at a scenic overlook on Historic State Highway 165. From the overlook you can see the White River, the Table Rock Dam, and Branson laid out below.

We stopped at the Visitor Center and rode our bikes on the Lakeshore Trail again. It is a very popular place on a Saturday, and we had to watch out for walkers, especially little kids on the trail.

Next we drove across the dam and went to see the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery. It's a fascinating place to visit. Running a fish hatchery is way more complex and work intensive than we would have thought! This one raises rainbow trout and brown trout, mostly for release into Lake Taneycomo. The trout are not native to Missouri, but when Table Rock Dam was built, it made the lake a cold water lake because the water released from the dam comes from the deep tailwaters of Table Rock Lake averages 48°. Overnight that decimated the bass and crappie population, but made the lake a great habitat for trout.

The rainbow trout are raised in concrete raceways, protected by netting to discourage the herons and other predators who see the hatchery as an all-you-can-eat buffet.

After we toured the hatchery, we took a short hike along the shoreline. We saw anglers in boats and wading in the water like this one.

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Grand Jubilee!

We went to the Country Jubilee Music Hall tonight to see the Grand Jubilee show, featuring the New South Quartet backed by the Rhinestone Mafia band.

Of course the show wouldn't be the same without emcee Mike Patrick and comic Jim Dandy (Jamie Haage).

The quartet has some great harmonies, and the bass singer has the lowest bass we've ever heard, both as a singing voice and speaking. In this show, like others we've seen here, the costume changes are amazing.

Vocalist Jackie Brown belts them out.

The emcee plays a mean piano!

Of course the humor is corny and leans heavily on some stereotypes of women, but the show overall was quite entertaining. Read more!