Arkansas Odds and Ends...

It is worth mentioning that we honored a very special person while we were in Arkansas.... a certain someone turned 43!

While the birthday was pretty low-key, we did manage to get a birthday meal at a neat local pizza place in Hot Springs.  

We also had cookie cakes, while hanging out on the patio of our hotel.

Sullivan was dying to go to the pool while we were there.  She made sure everyone had packed their swimsuits in hopes of getting us all in the pool.  Little did we know that the pool was outdoors and the temp of the water was a cool -23 degrees Fahrenheit.  It was by far the COLDEST pool water I had ever felt.  

Ryan got on his suit in a sweet gesture to go with her, but once his toes hit the water, he was out!   

Our brave girl tried and tried to get used to the water.  She even managed to submerge herself in the water for a short bit. 

Her swimming venture lasted for about 10 minutes, which was exactly 14 minutes longer than I would have ever given it in the first place.

While the swimming obviously didn't last very long, we spent that evening hanging in the rocking chairs and enjoying the beautiful night!

And like that, our trip to Arkansas was over.  It was fun while it lasted... now back to the real world!

Digging...

The second day in Arkansas led us to Crater of Diamonds State Park.  Those unfamiliar with this state park, it is literally a field of dirt scattered with natural diamonds from an explosive volcano millions of years ago.

This is a finders keepers exploration site, meaning if you find a diamond it's yours for the keeping.  With hopes of striking it rich, we set off to hunt (or dig) for diamonds.

We quickly learned that finding diamonds in these fields was a little like finding a needle in a haystack (or even possibly worse).  And after doing some talking to a worker, only an average of 1-2 diamonds are found there each day. 

The odds of finding diamonds for us were slim to none, but that didn't stop us from having fun and digging in the dirt.

It goes without saying that we left empty handed (besides some minerals and other pretty stones we found along the way).  We didn't strike it rich, but we had fun trying!

Arkansas...

 As glamorous as it doesn't sound, we spent a few days in Arkansas this week.  It was nice to get away from the everyday routine around here and spend a little of our Fall Break being tourists.

The first day of our short trip was spent in Hot Springs where we visited Hot Springs National Park.

We weren't sure what to expect with this national park, but it pleasantly surprised us all.  It is one of the only, if not THE only, national park within a city setting.  There were rows of bath houses along the Main Street that were used back in the day to take baths, relax, and enjoy the natural hot springs that funneled into the area.  

Most of the bath houses have been converted into other businesses - retail stores, breweries, and restaurants.  But there are still a few privately owned bathhouses that are operating today like this one...

I can't imagine that Covid has treated their business well.

Aside from seeing the beautiful bathhouses, we did some exploring and stumbled upon this waterfall and hot spring.  You never really expect a waterfall to be blazing hot water, but this one sure was!

Strolling along the promenade...

I don't know why these girls insist on giving their mother a heart attack by standing on ledges.  Seriously.

We also went up to the watch tower and took the elevator ride up.  There was a HUGE wasp infestation on the upper deck, so us ladies chose to stay indoors and take in the sights behind the safety of the glass. Nonetheless, the views were so pretty.

Overlooking the city and the mountains...

We hiked some trails against the desire of the children that were in tow with us.  Despite their desire to avoid all things hiking, we ended up having a great time.

No trip to a national park would be complete without us ladies standing by and watching this take place.  The boy LOVES to read. A LOT!

Throughout the city there are several water fill stations where you can fill up your jugs and bottles with the local (hot) spring water.  All the locals had their numerous containers in tow and were filling them up. We thought, "What the heck... while in Rome, do as the Romans do."

It took several hours for the water to cool off, but once it did, it was the tastiest water you will ever drink.  

To end the day, we scouted out the childhood home of Bill Clinton and did a drive by.  Unless you knew what you were looking for, you would have missed it.

Not exactly what you would consider presidential.  The house has seen better days. 

The day was wonderfully relaxing and a great surprise for us all.  Stay tuned for other Arkansas adventures coming soon.

This and That...

 Some happenings from the Pooley house over the past week or so...!  

We got our puzzle on again... I can't get enough of our quality time together talking and puzzling.  Good conversations had.

Someone is getting too big for us and starting to do teenage-y things, like face masks and spending time on her appearance. 

Sullivan had Maddy over for a sleep over...

Quinn had Sam over and played yard games together.  She tried hard to beat him, but ultimately came up short.  

Ryan and I got our vote on!  Check, check.  This is one election worth the wait in line.  Thankfully it was only about 30 minutes from start to finish.  

That's it... not a lot of earth shattering events this week.  Oh, we all got our flu shots this week too, but no one wanted those memories captured in pictures.  Imagine that!

With the start of the weekend comes Fall Break for us.  Let the vacation begin!