Gaston Visitor's Center

If you want to see an example of your tax dollars being used in a most beneficial way, make a trip to the Gaston Visitor's Center, near Mountain Home, Arkansas. This new 15,744 square foot facility was built at a cost of five million dollars, and is located on a high bluff overlooking Bull Shoals-White River State Park. From that venue, one can see three of the parks most prominent components---the massive Bull Shoals Dam (upper left hand corner of collage above), the White River (lower left hand corner), and Bull Shoals Lake, encompassing thousands of acres behind the dam. Within the building, there are modern, interactive exhibits that showcase the natural, historical, and cultural aspects of this area of the Ozark Mountains. The center is named after Jim Gaston, philanthropist and owner of the famous Gaston's White River Resort. Gaston has been a familiar name to me since I was a child. That is because when my father traveled the roads of this area as a salesman in the 1950's for his company that supplied businesses, schools, and offices (think of it as an early version of a "Staples" store), the Gaston Resort was one of his regular customers. My father took all the family to stay at the resort one summer, and I have fond memories of getting to swim in a REAL swimming pool, as opposed to just the open waters of the lake which I was accustomed to. One of my favorite features of the new Gaston Visitor's Center is the "Johnboat Theater", where the walls are covered with photo murals of the White River, and the theater seats are designed to look like green johnboats (middle right hand photo above). The video one sees has stories told by locals about their memories of the White River before the dam, the building of the dam, and ample "fish tales" to make you consider dropping a hook in the water to see if you can create your own fish tale! I have heard plenty of stories from my father (and have the old black and white photos to illustrate them!), about his days as a young boy fishing on the White River, and stories of his big fish hauls, when the Bull Shoals Dam was first constructed. He had such a love of fishing, that he ended up building himself a houseboat, so he could spend every spare minute on the water, when he wasn't working. In fact, at his funeral, the pastor asked for a show of hands of those attending, if they had ever been fishing with my father. It seemed like every hand in the church raised up, and a big smile came to the face of each one there, as they recalled fond memories of fishing from my dad's houseboat. There is plenty of nostalgia to be seen at Gaston Visitor's Center, and perhaps that is why I wanted my son to get to see it when he visited recently from out west. The lower right hand corner photo shows him walking along one of the new, paved, wheelchair accessible nature trail loops that have recently been added to the site. There is also an outdoor fountain area, a butterfly garden, bird houses, and picnic tables. Back inside there are modern, clean restrooms, a well-stocked gift shop, information table, WI-FI, a kiosk for sending free e-postcards to your friends, large aquariums with live trout and other local fish, fantastic photography, and a simulated conveyor belt like the one used to carry stone during construction of the Bull Shoals Dam. Another favorite part for me is the two-story observation tower, replicating an old forest fire tower. The magnificent back deck (upper right hand photo) is the perfect place to sit and relax and take in all the beauty that surrounds you. There is also an outdoor classroom/amphitheater on one end of the building. The amphitheater is conveniently adjacent to indoor classrooms and conference rooms, as well. Additional photos of the Visitor's Center are available at www.ozarkmountainregion.com For a great family activity (and it is all FREE of charge!), check out the Gaston Visitor's Center. Miles of smiles! Tricia

The Renaissance Center - Dickson, TN

A title for this photo might be "Call for a medical doctor MUSHROOMS into something much bigger!" The small white sphere in the foreground is the mushroom, and the gigantic black sphere in the background is the "something much bigger"! The following is how the website (http://www.rcenter.org/) for the big black sphere (aka The Renaissance Center) explains what happened: It all started over 50 years ago when the town of Dickson, TN, sent out a call for a medical doctor to serve the health care needs of the community. Answering the ad was a young, newly licensed doctor from South Pittsburgh, Tennessee, by the name of L.C. Jackson. He opened a one-room medical clinic on the second floor of a retail business on Dickson's Main Street. He soon realized he would need help taking care of the ever-increasing patient load. He solicited the help of his physician brothers, Drs. William and Jimmy Jackson, who joined him in taking care of the medical needs of the Dickson community, as well as neighboring Hickman and Humphreys county residents. In 1958, the Jackson brothers built Goodlark Hospital, which grew to become one of the finest medical facilities in the mid-state area. In 1995, the hospital sold to Columbia/HCA. In a great spirit of philanthropy, The Jackson Foundation, Inc., was established from the proceeds of the sale of the hospital. The three physicians have since died, but the son of Dr. Jimmy Jackson serves as the President/Executive Director of the foundation. The Renaissance Center was built as the cornerstone project of The Jackson Foundation, and opened its doors in 1999.

From a one-room clinic on Main Street to a 176-bed hospital to a fine arts and technology learning center unlike any other in the country, the Jackson brothers' commitment to helping others continues to have a lasting impact for generations to come.

I came across the Renaissance Center quite by accident very early one morning when I was driving along Tennessee Highway 46 on my way to an event in Nashville. The gigantic black sphere caught my eye, grabbed my curiosity, told me to turn the car around,and insisted that I get my camera out to take its picture. It was so early in the morning that nobody else was around, so I was having a great time with an improv photo seminar on architectural photography. I tarried so long, that the hours of the facility's opening ticked around, and I was able to tour the inside, as well. My son, who once went with the University of Arkansas Architecture Department on an overseas architecture study program, told me that the way to impress architecture professionals, is to say "what a great space this is" when bragging on a building's interior. So let me tell you, the inside of the Renaissance Center is a GREAT SPACE! And to think, it all started with one tiny little ad for a doctor. What a great example it is of doing what the Bible verse says in I Timothy 6:18. "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." It's enough to make me ponder what the legacy is that I will leave behind. Miles of smiles! Tricia

Silver Dollar City Expedition

This group of bundled-up expeditioners braved the chilly temperatures yesterday, to be present for the first operating day of the gigantic Silver Dollar City entertainment complex near Branson, Missouri. The top photo shows Thomas Cochran, Ryan Cochran, Jacob Ragsdale, Kaitlyn Ragsdale, and Tricia Turner. The bottom photo shows (left to right) Jennifer Turner Ragsdale, Jim Ragsdale, Kristin Turner Cochran, and Dave Cochran. The traffic getting into the park was heavier and more backed up than I had seen it in years, with "old- timers" there saying it was because they were trying out new parking lots for the first time that day, as well as new roads, new traffic patterns, new trams, and new employees. The heavy attendance seemed to defy any notions of there being a bad economy, or the fact that it was unseasonably cold! One of the newer attractions at the park that I am delighted to see, is the beautiful new Culinary and Craft School that has been built across from Red Gold Heritage Hall. The public lobby of the building has a two-story fireplace (with a welcome fire going yesterday to warm up attendees!), surrounded by comfortable seating to enjoy the cozy atmosphere. The state-of-the-art cooking demonstration area is a large room, set up with plenty of tables/work spaces for those folks who sign up to take classes offered there. You can go to www.sdcculinarycraftschool.com to sign up for a class. Classes offered will change out with each festival. Another feature worth checking out, especially if you are planning a visit with your children, is the "Moms Blog" at www.silverdollarcityblog.com Also, as a Registered Dietitian familiar with the problems of meeting the demands of quantity food preparation vs. the need for individualization due to special dietary restrictions, I was impressed to read that allergen-free menu options are now available. By calling in advance, (800-251-5576), such meals can even be delivered to the restaurant of your choice! With the many types of rides available in the park, the numerous theaters showcasing all kinds of entertainment, the shopping, the dining, the Marvel Cave Tour, I would recommend including a visit to Silver Dollar City on your "Vision Board" of future expeditions. Miles of smiles! Tricia

National Clock and Watch Museum

I recently had the opportunity to tour The National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania (www.nawcc.org). Although to some people, a tour of a clock museum may seem like a complete "waste of time", I was interested in learning about it so I could pass on the information to my son. That is because my son's maternal grandfather, whose hobby was woodworking, made numerous clocks. He fashioned Arkansas-shaped clocks, large wall-hanging clocks with pendulums, and numerous tall case clocks (commonly called Grandfather clocks). Furthermore, my son's paternal grandfather was professionally-trained in the science of watch and clock repair, and founded a business for this purpose that is still in operation . The museum shows the complete history of timekeepers from the first non-mechanical devices such as the hour-glasses shown in the first photograph, to the atomic clock and mass-produced wristwatches of the present.

Most of the greatest and most important clocks ever made have been preserved and exhibited for centuries in museums around the world, and the Pennsylvania museum has more than its share of such priceless treasures. However, I have to admit, I was more intrigued by the whimsical, and unusual clocks on display, such as the one made from glass bottles above, or the one with shoes that really walk on a surface, and cause the timepiece to move forward. It is pictured below.

And I couldn't resist taking a photograph of the "Out of Order" sign for one of the timepiece exhibits (See photo below). Just because a place is the foremost authority in the nation on timekeeping, does not mean it is free of "snags" that cause an important artifact to quit working properly. Fortunately, the "School of Horology" is housed in a building adjacent to the museum. As I mentioned in the blog I wrote about the Sundial Bridge in Redding, California, "horology" is defined as the history, science, and art of timekeeping, as well as, timekeepers. The National Watch and Clock Museum had numerous examples of timekeepers built on the principle of a sundial, including "pocket sundials" for ancient travelers who were not able to stay in one place for hours on end, waiting for the sun to come out, to tell them what time it was! If this subject of unusual timekeeping devices fascinates you, maybe you will want to plan an expedition to the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis (www.mobot.org). Between May and October, they will be showcasing a 20-foot-diameter working clock, created entirely of plant material. It even has a cuckoo bird popping from his home every quarter-hour! They are using such an unusual clock to mark the time of the 150Th anniversary of the founding of the Missouri Botanical Garden. But, getting back to the original subject of The Watch and Clock Museum, I need to point out that they also display data and exhibits on prehistoric timekeeping at Stonehenge. Although I have never been to Stonehenge, I had the privilege of viewing a built-to-scale replica of Stonehenge, that can be found in Washington State along the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Byway.

This visit to The National Watch and Clock Museum, served as a reminder to me, that man will always be measuring time in one way or another. The important thing I need to remember---no matter what the number on the clock says---is what the Bible says in Hosea 10:12 "...it is time to seek the Lord..." Here's wishing you miles (and minutes and hours) of smiles! Tricia

SUNDIAL BRIDGE

The change last weekend to Daylight Savings Time, brought to mind a visit my son and I made to the incredible Sundial Bridge in Redding, California. (The large photo above shows us standing atop the bridge passageway). Since the sun is not obliged to follow guidelines required by the U.S. Government, my imagination drifted along the lines of a banner flying in the air at the bridge location, with a disclaimer, proclaiming that the bridge was following what my granny referred to as "God's Time", and not "DLT"! In fact, in the extensive article I found about the bridge on Wikipedia, there is a disclaimer that the time, silently announced moment by moment as a sunny day proceeds, is exactly accurate on only one day in a year - the summer solstice, June 21. But unless you are a student of horology (my expedition to the Museum of Horology in Pennsylvania will be explained in a future blog), the discrepency in minute by minute time accuracy is not as important as enjoying the visual delight and physical exercise that the bridge provides. This unusual pedestrian/bicycle bridge across the Sacramento River was completed in 2004, at a cost of 23 million dollars (US), and was designed by Santiago Calatrava. The fact that it uses some rather non-traditional construction techniques is what makes its architectural statement so dramatic. More traditional bridges are built using a symmetrical arrangement of cable forces on each side of towers that a bridge rests on. However, in Calatrava's design, there is only one tower, which is loaded by cable stays on only one side. and the tower is tilted away from the river in order to resit bending and torsional forces at its foundation. (I am giving the "Victory Salute" in front of the foundation, in upper left-hand photo). Also unusal, is the fact that the 700 foot bridge crosses the Sacramento River, without ever touching the water. The photo above in the lower center provides some prospective on the size of the gnomon of the world's largest sundial. (I had to look up that word---it means the "indicator pin" of a sundial). In the case of the Sundial Bridge, the gnomon is also the spar (i.e. tower or pole) that contains the cable stays (supports) that hold up the span of the bridge. The hour by hour time indicators are large spheres, covered with a mosaic pattern, and a bronze plaque on top, telling the hour. To get some size perspective, you can see my son's shoe resting on the 2:00 sphere in the lower right-hand photo above. Although we visited in the daytime, the literature says that the translucent structural glass that forms the surface of the bridge is illuminated from beneath and glows aquamarine at night. Seeing "eye candy" such as that is one reason I would like to make a return visit to Redding, as well as touring the many other attractions at Turtle Bay Exploration Park where the bridge provides pedestrian access to the north and south areas of the huge complex that contains environmental, art, and history museums, an arboretum/gardens, and the Sacratmento River Trail. Only "time will tell" if that wish turns into a reality! Of course, that brings to mind the melody made famous in the folk-music generation of the last century (which is based on a book in the Old Testment of the Bible). The song starts with with words "To everything, (time, time, time), there is a season (time, time, time), and a time to every purpose under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1). I am praying I have time for lots more fun expeditions with my son like this one! Miles of smiles! Tricia

Wye Me??!!

Last year my sister saw a listing in Southern Living magazine Calendar of Events for a Daffodil Festival in Wye, Arkansas. Since neither of us had ever heard of Wye, Arkansas, before (despite the fact that we were Arkansas natives who have lived in the state all our lives), our curiosities were aroused. Through the use of a trusty Arkansas map, and the Internet, I found out that Wye, Arkansas, is in Perry County, in central Arkansas. Furthermore, I had a trip to central Arkansas planned for the time period involved, so I determined to try to visit this location. After driving for what seemed like days, I finally found the intersections of Highway 113 and Highway 300 where the Wye Mountain United Methodist Church is located. It is this group of Christ-followers that we can thank, for their years of effort that have gone into the planting of thousands of daffodil bulbs. Besides the beauty that the site offers, it is used as a fundraiser for their church. Each spring, they sell bulbs, as well as the opportunity to pick your own bouquet of already-blooming daffodils. (The picking of blooming daffodils is managed by roping off various changing locations of the property where it is permissible to pick flowers in bloom, hence avoiding completely devastating the site by too many bouquet gatherers at one time). There is also a building adjacent to the fields where hand-made crafts are sold (most with a daffodil theme), as well as home-baked goodies. In addition, there are picnic tables, and portable toilets for the public to use free of charge. Inside the church, you can attend Good Friday services each Easter weekend, followed by an outdoor Easter Sunday Sunrise Service (April 12, 2009) at the Cross location in the midst of the field of daffodils. Looking at the beauty of these remarkable yellow creations,p brings to mind the words of Jesus, as recorded in Luke 12:27 "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!" These are good words to keep in mind during tough economic conditions when many are worrying about their worldly attire and possessions. When I visited Wye, I was mainly interested in doing some photography. If that is your purpose, I would recommend going on a weekday, rather than a weekend, to avoid excessive people "cluttering" your photos. Furthermore, on a weekday, if you want to take a self-portrait in the field, I'd recommend a tripod, as there is nothing to set your camera on for such a shot, and not many visitors in the field on weekdays, that you could ask to take a photo for you. The upper right hand photo of me in the collage above is "lopsided", because I had to hang my camera by its strap on a fence post to get the shot. Such measures do not make for a well-composed piece of art! However, if you would like a great day in the outdoors with your family or friends, try to attend the Daffodil Festival events held on the weekends. You can enjoy the people-watching, as well as the flower watching, AND attend regular Sunday morning worship services at the church. For more information on the Wye Mountain Daffodil Festival, visit www.arkansas.com or email wmc.connect@gmail.com .  The address is 22300 Highway 13, Bigelow, Arkansas.   If you go, have a "bloomin' good time" with miles of smiles! Tricia

FEIS EXPEDITION!

One of the many expeditions I took during the two-week period I was without electricity, following the "Ozark Mountain Ice Storm of the Century" was to the "Ozark Mountain Feis". The Ozark Mountain Feis was held on the outer boundary of the ice storm (Chateau on the Lake in Branson, Missouri), so they were able to proceed with full electrical power as scheduled. 

 If you are like me, you may not know the meaning of the word "Feis". According to Wikipedia, a Feis is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival. The plural form is "Feiseanna". The history of a Feis goes back to ancient Ireland, when communities placed great importance on local festivals where Gaels could come together in song, dance, music, theater, and sport. In modern times, the Feis is seeing a comeback, and the the World Competition for Irish Dance (called "Oireachtas") is even being held for the first time in the United States.

 The event I attended was hosted by the McCafferty School of Irish Dance, which has locations in Little Rock, Fayetteville, and Fort Smith. Competitors were drawn from several nearby states, plus there were numerous vendor tables from throughout the U.S., selling all things Gaelic. I was amazed to see the prices on some of the brightly-colored dresses at the vendor exhibits---ranging from $1,100 - $1,500 (these prices were actually seen on previously-worn dresses, but they had the promise of "good karma" from a past competition, written on their price information tags). However, the dress is just the beginning of one's financial commitment----add to this the price of special dance shoes, special "poodle" knee socks, the mandatory curly, bouncy wigs all the girls were wearing, dance lessons, travel to competitions, and you have a somewhat "Big Ticket" hobby for a youngster. Yet, I am a big proponent of encouraging physical activity in our youth (as a measure to reduce the childhood obesity epidemic in our country's young people), so I would have to give this a positive score for parental consideration. Plus, when you see how darling the lads and lassies look all dressed up in Feis attire, you think you know the origin of the term "feisty" to describe a vivacious young girl or boy! 

And don't forget what Scripture says on the topic of dance: "Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp. For the Lord takes delight in His people; he crowns the humble with victory."   (Psalm 149:3-4)  So, dance on!!

 If you would like to attend a Feis,---you're in luck! There are Feis events held all over North America.  You can go to www.love2feis.com to find locations and dates.   I don't know if you will find a "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow" at a Feis, as told in Irish legends, but you will certainly find a rainbow of colors, and "MILES OF IRISH SMILES"!!  Tricia