VISIT HERE IN JUNE FOR ICE CREAM!

 June is National Dairy Month (as mentioned in last week's article), so it seems like an appropriate time to highlight an area that is one of the leading dairy producers in Texas.  I am speaking of the town of Sulphur Springs ( www.tourism.sulphurspringstx.org ) in Hopkins County, Texas.  This photo depicts their historic, and architecturally significant, county court house. 

 One of the distinctive aspects of this county courthouse, is that it is located on the corner of the town square of Sulphur Springs, instead of in the center of the square, which is what I had always seen, up until the visit to this city.

 Fortunately, the permanent marker shown in this photograph was on the site, and gave a great deal of history about the building.  The marker made me realize I was looking at an edifice (that  I had accidentally stumbled upon when driving between Texarkana and the Dallas area) that deserved further exploration. The building is constructed of granite and sandstone, in a style called Romanesque Revival.  I learned more background about the courthouse, from reading the article on it at www.texasescapes.com .  The building was given a designation on the Texas Historic Landmark list in 1975, and the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1977.

 Stone carvers were allowed to showcase their talents in several spots around the building, including the tops of the granite entrance columns.  Note the basket weave design, leaf designs, fern fronds, and other details shown in this photograph.

 The Romanesque arches continue on the inside.  Since this building was constructed in 1895, staircases were the way to access upper level floors, and not elevators.

 The huge iron door shown in this photo protected a fireproof vault.  The colorful stone flooring has endured many a footstep, and repair projects can be seen where the newer pieces are brighter in color than the original floor set down over one hundred years ago.

 I read that there are about 500 dairies in the Hopkins County area, so their economic influence (www.southwestdairyfarmers.com ), must have been a factor in the fact, that around 3 million dollars in restoration work on the courthouse was funded through the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Project.  The rededication of the building, following the restoration, took place in 2002.

 The offset location of the courthouse, allows for  a spacious public square, with plenty of room for parking and public events/gatherings.  One of the most popular of these is the Hopkins County Dairy Festival, scheduled for June 8 - 15, in 2013.  This festival was started in 1959 and includes a parade, street dance, queen contest, hot air balloon rally, and dairy recipe contests.  One of the dairy recipe contests that garnered national attention is the Texas State Champion Homemade Ice Cream Freeze Off.  That is because the event was featured on the popular Food Network television channel.  The "Freeze Off" started in 2000, and is definitely a "cool competition", as would-be winners bring their ice cream freezers, rock salt, dairy products, and other ingredients, to make their concoction rival any "store bought" ice cream on the market.  The price is reasonable, as well, since three dollars will get you a bowl and all-you-can-eat ice cream samples!  For more information phone the Sulphur Springs Chamber of Commerce at 903-885-6515.

 Architecture aficionados will notice that the massive Roman arches at the entrances are topped by second story porticoes.  Then a "crown" design provides the border for the third story open porches.  Just below the roof line, a band of square stones of two colors, set in a checkerboard pattern, adds accenting contrasts.  The sandstone arches continue above the third story windows.  Red bricks in the sidewalk create a dramatic approach to the throne-like entrance.  It was this "throne-like entrance" that prompted me to write this article, as I was trying to find a visual aid to help me remember one of my First Place 4 Health ( www.FirstPlace4Health.com ) memory verses for the next session of classes at my church ( www.myfbcmh.com ).  The verse is from Hebrews 4:16 and says "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  Although an earthly throne cannot make the same guarantee as a heavenly throne, I feel confident in recommending a visit to this delightful small town (and its historic courthouse!), especially for their famous Dairy Festival.  All that home-made ice cream will give you "Miles of Smiles"!!  Tricia

A "DAIRY AIR" EXPEDITION!

 June is National Dairy Month, so it seems like the perfect time to tell about a "road side attraction" I accidentally stumbled onto a while back, when making a road trip to Grapevine, Texas.  This gigantic jersey dairy cow makes its home in the town of Sulphur Springs, Texas ( www.tourism.sulphurspringstx.org/ ).  This town of about 16,000 residents is located on Interstate 30, halfway between Dallas and Texarkana.

 Beside the jersey cow stands an equally over sized Holstein dairy cow.  These two bovines let you know you have reached the location of the Southwest Dairy Center and Museum.  The facility is designed to look like a huge dairy barn, with a tall silo functioning as a conference room.

 It is not just my background as a Registered Dietitian that would make me aware that June is National Dairy Month.  It goes back to 1965, when a pretty young home economics instructor (Wilma Blevins) from my home county of Boone County, Arkansas, beat out hundreds of other competitors, to be named the American Dairy Princess.  This created lots of publicity in the small town where I lived, and was perhaps a factor to cause me  to still associate June with dairy, to this very day!  Likewise, in my career as a Registered Dietitian, the National Dairy Council, was always a major educational resource for providing colorful handouts to teach about good nutrition.  At the time of my visit to the dairy museum, the USDA's official teaching tool was the Food Pyramid, and the museum displayed a large graphic of the pyramid in their exhibit area .  (Currently, the USDA is using a different graphic to teach good nutrition, which can be accessed at www.choosemyplate.gov/  )

 One of the missions of the Southwest Dairy Center is to teach good nutrition.  I thought this skeleton on a bicycle was a fantastic visual aid to teach about the importance of calcium intake to assure healthy bone development. 

 Another mission of the Southwest Dairy Center is to teach current generations about the development of the dairy industry during the pioneer days of our country.  Displays of vintage dairy processing equipment, such as this cream separator and accompanying milk tins, are examples of milk processing in days gone by.

 Likewise, these cheese presses provide visual aids to explain how the liquid is pressed out of curds and whey, to make various types of cheeses.

 I was intrigued by this collection of antique milk bottles, because they were similar to what I had seen in my own home, when I was a child.

 Likewise, I remembered going to restaurants when I was a child where the tiny  clear bottles and tiny white pitchers were used as individual cream servers in cafes, when a customer ordered coffee.

 The Southwest Dairy Center has an old-fashioned soda fountain where customers can order ice cream and light snacks.  This inviting space is appropriately named "The Creamery". 

 There is a gift shop on site selling milk-related souvenirs.  These items and more, can also be ordered from their website www.southwestdairyfarmers.com .  This website will also give you the contact information, operating hours, and calendar of events for the Center and Museum. ( There is no fee to visit the museum. )  The term "southwest" in their name reflects the fact that it is an association made up of dairy farmers from Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. 

 The Dairy Center hosts student groups, which probably enjoy stamping their notebooks with these dairy-themed rubber stamps, as a memento of their tour.

 Other groups, besides students, can arrange to visit the facility and use their spacious meeting room.  It is interesting that the stage has a full-size cut-out of a football player, as an incentive to get kids to choose milk over soda as a beverage.  Their campaign must be working, at least locally, since Sulphur Springs has had several of its "kids" go on to play college and professional athletics!

 One of the exhibits shows how electric milking machines are used in current dairy operations.  If one makes arrangements in advance, tour groups can participate in milking demonstrations, as well as, ice cream and cheese-making demonstrations.

 

 After touring the dairy museum, I have a greater appreciation for the #9 metal milk tin that sits at my back door.  My grandparents used the tin  at their farm at Locust, in Marion County, Arkansas.  They would milk their cows, pour the milk into the tin, and then set the tin in the "spring house" down by the dirt road, where it would be picked up by the milk processor.  The next day, the emptied and washed #9 tin would be returned to their spring house, and the whole process would start over again.  Likewise, the metal cow bell hanging from the milk tin, was used to tell the location of their reliable old milk cow, when she would be away from the barn. 

 I also have the churn my grandmother used to make her famous "cow butter".  One of the benefits of making the trip to my grandparents' house on Sundays after church, was getting to take home a mound of her hand-made butter with us, when we left!  It was delicious!  Now the churn is just a depository for empty shell casings!

 I include these photos of some of my vintage glass milk jugs, which I now use for vases.  The current generation would not have a clue to what the original purpose of these jars were, so maybe this photo will be educational!  Milk has not always come in cardboard cartons!

 This Hiland Dairy glass jug represents one of the few dairies from long ago ( www.HilandDairy.com ) that is still in operation.  They started over 75 years ago, as a processor for dairy farmers in Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska.  

 This is a vintage gallon-size glass milk jug.  Our family did not usually have this size, because they did not fit well in our tiny little refrigerator.

 Folks today are familiar with the practice of placing the photo of missing children on milk cartons.  This photo collage of the front and back  of a vintage glass milk quart container, shows that even back decades ago, there was an association between children and milk.  In fact, the association goes back even further:  For example, 1 Peter 2:2 states "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."  My Bible has a notation with this verse that says the unrestrained hunger of a healthy baby provides an example of the kind of eager desire for spiritual food that ought to mark the believer.  If all this talk about milk and dairy products has whetted your appetite, visit www.NationalDairyCouncil.org/  to see some great recipes, learn the benefits of dairy products, and find out about June Dairy Month activities in your area.  Drinking a delicious, tall glass of milk will give you that famous milk marketing tool, called the "Milk Moustache", to go along with your "Miles of Smiles"!  Tricia

KAYAKING LAKE OUACHITA - DAY 2

 As dawn approached the secluded location of the 2013 Spring Overnight Kayaking group's campsite in a remote area of Lake Ouachita, I awoke to the realization that I had made it through the night without having to leave my tent to "use the facilities"!!  YEA!!  The plan of restricting my fluids after supper had worked!  One by one, folks yawned out of their tents, closely followed by a trip to the "little blue room" down at the pontoon boat.  Elsewhere, the sounds of  portable campfire stoves and coffee pots being prepared could be heard.  The portable stoves  were used to quickly heat water for the Folgers Coffee Singles and instant oatmeal packets (upper left photo)that were available, as well as a variety of fresh fruits and orange juice.  After the caffeine in the coffee kicked in, efforts were made to rebuild the campfire, for the purpose of cooking a hot breakfast.  Ouachita State Park staff member, Nicole, is shown in upper right photo of collage browning the sausage, in preparation for adding the eggs, to make a sausage egg scramble, to be placed on the tortillas she had heated on the fire.  This was topped with shredded cheese and salsa to create a delicious breakfast that would sustain us for the remainder of the trip.  Seeing Nicole cook breakfast on a fire, beside the lake, reminded me of the story from John 21:1-14, where Jesus cooked a "shore breakfast" for his followers, after they had been out on the lake all night fishing.  Nicole's "followers" had not been out all night fishing, but many of us DID get limited sleep the night before due to the extremely close (and loud) serenading of a whippoorwill symphony in the trees above our campsite!

 The area where we camped was like a  "micro ecosystem", based on the plants we saw there.  There was Spanish moss hanging from most of the cedar trees, and a bright green fern was flourishing on a big limb high up inside the canopy of an oak tree (upper right photo).  And did I mention, the prickly pear cactus were plentiful??  One had to be very careful where they set up their tent and placed their feet.

 Day 2 was the designated day for the group photo, and since the state park interpreter, Susan Adkins, has been a part of so many photo shoots,  ( I recognized her in many photographs on the state park website, so I concluded she is very photogenic, and must be the "go to" model for outdoor activities!), she suggested carrying up the kayak of our youngest member, to our fire ring, and then the rest of us would gather behind it.  Both her husband and her brother-in-law were in charge of snapping the photos using the many cameras they were handed, for this memorable "Kodak Moment"! 

 After the group photo, we had a brief meeting, so Susan could explain the plan for the rest of the day.  Instead of simply "back tracking" over the same shoreline we had paddled the previous day, Susan had arranged it so that we would continue paddling for several more hours further up the lake, and see some new and different scenery.  With the help of the park superintendent, and another employee, we now had TWO big boats shadowing us as we paddled ever farther away from the marina.  Susan and the boat drivers could communicate via "walkie-talkies" (cell phone coverage is unreliable there), so that, at a designated spot, the bigger boat could be loaded to haul the kayaks back to the marina, and the "more luxurious" pontoon boat, would haul the people back to the marina.  It was a well-thought-out logistical plan that they pulled off flawlessly!

 Susan is shown in this photo, leading our group through a "ghost forest" near the shore line.  She explained that when Lake Ouachita was formed, not all the trees were cut down.  This makes it a challenging lake for the owner of propeller boats, but a bonanza for sellers of propellers!

 The great thing about being in a kayak is that one can get close to the shore and see the flora, fauna, and geological formations much easier.  Seeing the way the sun made this water sparkle reminded me of how I read that the name "Washita" means "sparkling silver water".

 This guy is Lydell, and he has been a helper on all three of the kayak/camping weekends that I have participated in.  He was the one who helped me search for (what seemed like hours)  a missing link to my tent support system, on the last trip I went on.  The missing piece had somehow grown legs and walked several feet away from where I emptied out my tent components, and was invisible in the heavy grass.  This time, I marked all my stakes and poles with hot pink duct tape, so as not to repeat that fiasco!

 There was a mother/daughter couple on our trip, and I thought it was cool how this mom had made a place in her kayak to hold a bouquet of flowers, that her daughter had picked for her!

 This photo shows the hand-operated bilge pump that Susan let me borrow on Sunday morning.  It seems that when the group when out on the night kayak, one of the guys had used this kayak, and accidentally turned it over.  Since it was so dark when they got back, all of the water did not get emptied out of it, and after a very short time of paddling, I found myself sitting in about two inches of water!  However, I would rather have water in my kayak than spiders, which is what some of the other paddlers were greeted with, when they entered their kayaks first thing in the morning!

 When trying to get up close to take a photo of this beaver dam, my kayak accidentally bumped it.  Apparently that irritated a snake that was sunning himself there, and the big snake's movement (upon being startled), startled another nearby kayaker who saw it, and made her let out an "OH MY GOODNESS"!

 This is yet another of the unusual geological formations along the shore of Lake Ouachita that we paddled by.  It reminded me of a beautifully crafted retaining wall, laid by skilled stone masons.

 Many of us were intrigued by this vein of purple stone that was sandwiched between the sandstone layers of yet another beckoning shoreline.

 Our group paddled until around noon, then got out of our kayaks and loaded them onto the larger of the two pontoon boats.  As this photo shows, we made use of every single inch of space, including the roof!

 The people boarded the state park's cruise boat, and with Susan as the captain, started our boat ride back to the marina.  We had paddled about 12 - 13 miles up the late from where we started!

 On the trip back, Susan took us by the formation that they call "The Checkerboard" because of the way the rock squares have formed a "checkerboard" on one of the shorelines. 

 Another island Susan pointed out is what is nicknamed "Hotel Island" because of the way that erosion has made little "hotel rooms" all along the shoreline. 

 This is a another view of  "Hotel Island", when we rounded the tip of it, as our boat continued to circle it.  It was an added bonus that Susan took us on this "Island Hopper Scenic Cruise" to show us parts of the lake we had not explored via kayak!

 As mentioned in the Day 1 article of this series, recreation was one of the purposes of creating Lake Ouachita.  That  water recreation takes many forms, including sailing, houseboating, swimming, scuba diving, and water skiing.  The boat shown  in the lower left corner of this collage is designed to be a ski boat, but that is actually a large metal backyard barbecue grill that the guy is holding onto the boat with a rope!  It gives new meaning to the menu phrase "pulled pork" and the land-based practice of a "tailgate party"!

 It is helpful to know that locations on Lake Ouachita are numbered, depending on their distance from the dam.  It is also helpful to know that signs in the shape of a diamond (upper right corner) mean that location is an island.  Signs in the shape of a square mean that a particular location is not an island.  Speaking of islands, Susan told us about "Bird Island" (lower right photo).  It is America's largest known purple martin roost, with estimates of 8,000 - 50,000 birds using the area between late July and early August.  This is a staging area for the  martins, as they feed on insects and develop fat stores before migrating to South America.  In addition to purple martins, the island is used by herons, ibis, egrets, crows, eagles, osprey, loons, coots, and cormorants.  While we were kayaking, an eagle was spotted near a large eagle nest located in a pine tree near the edge of the lake.  Photo on the left of the collage gives you an indication of the vast size of the eagles' nest.

I want to send out KUDOS to all the staff of Lake Ouachita State Park for the skill with which they handled the complicated logistics and paperwork details of sponsoring a multi-day event such as this one.   They did an amazing job!!  I hope that my sharing of these photos and descriptions of a great weekend at Lake Ouachita State Park will inspire you to get outside and visit the FANTASTIC state parks we have in Arkansas!  Visit www.ArkansasStateParks.com and sign up for their free e-newsletters, that will alert you to the myriad of activities available for you to do.  You will be glad you did, and I know your visit to an Arkansas State Park will give you "Miles of Smiles"!!  Tricia