BAXTER COUNTY EXPEDITION!

Baxter County Arkansas is in the north central part of the state, in the Ozark Mountains, and borders Missouri to the north.  Its western boundary is mostly marked by the meanderings of the White River.  The county seat of Baxter County is Mountain Home, Arkansas, and the photo below, is a mural in the downtown historic district, and shows my son (G), and his wife (S), when they came to visit for the time of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse.  

I did not want to pass up the opportunity to have a photo with my son, so here is another photo, showing the historic Baker Building, on which the mural is painted.  The Baker Building was originally built on the square in 1892, and is part of the listings on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, originally called the Mountain Home Commercial Historic District.  As of 2023, the name was rebranded as "The Baker District" (www.bakerdistrict.org) 

The tan, three story building in this photo is the Baxter County Courthouse, and sits in the center of the town square.  That third story is significant because around 1912, Cotter was booming, while Mountain Home was in a slow down, so there was talk of moving the county seat to Cotter.  However, there was an Arkansas law that stated a county seat could not be moved from a three-story building, so a third story was quickly added to the Mountain Home structure.  The current courthouse was completed in 1943.  The giant inflatable screen on the lawn of the courthouse was being put in place by a popular restaurant on the square (Rapps Barren), for the purpose of broadcasting a sports playoff game.  

Photo shows G and S on balcony of Rapps Barren Brewing (www.RappsBarrenBrewing.com), which is on the site of the historic Baker Building, of 1892 origins. Of course, it has undergone an extensive and expensive and lengthy restoration, which is detailed on their website.  Rapps Barren was the original name of Mountain Home, Arkansas, because it was started on land owned by Simeon "Rapp" Talburt, who built the first home in the area in the early 1830's. The original cabin is on display in Cooper Park in Mountain Home.  The name of the town was changed to Mountain Home in 1856.  

 

I was thankful for the beautiful weather during their visit, that enabled us to enjoy our meal al fresco.  

The square was cordoned off to auto traffic on the Saturday before the eclipse, so we enjoyed a game of cornhole, with photo showing G and S on one end of the game.  

  I had given G a cornhole game with a Razorback on it, so he has had the opportunity to practice and should be good at this!

 In fact, he did outscore me by alot! 

My tee shirt message is "Sight for Sore Eyes" sold by the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce (www.mountainhome.com) , in reference to the Great American Solar Eclipse.  However, "A sight for sore eyes" is probably what I looked like, when I found myself squealing wih deight and jumping up and down, as I (FINALLY) landed a bag in the hole!

One of the restaurants in the downtown entertainent district has convereted an empty alleyway into a charming outdoor cafe area.

This cobblestone building has been on a corner in the commercial district for decades, so I was saddened when I saw it being town down.  But to my absolute amazement, every single stone of it was saved, and put back in place, on top of newly refurbished walls, around newly refurbished windows!!  I was AMAZED and pleased with the restoration process.  It is now a vrbo rental, and the photo shows G and S, enjoying the outdoor patio setting.  

Another old building downtown was converted to the Scoop Ice Cream shop (www.thedelscorp.com).  The photo shows my loved ones, choosing their "scoop of love".

With our delicious ice cream cones in hand, we took a stroll down the street to get a selfie photo, with a beautiful blooming pink dogwood.

Another activity during the G and S visit, was a look at the "hot rods" parked at the local Hardee's restaurant for their "Shine and Show" event.  

After getting a mother/son photo with a car that reminded me of a car that belonged to my maternal grandparents.  My memories of this car include riding in it with my grandparents (Grover and Effie), while eating a treat my grandmother made---a biscuit sandwich containing egg and sausage---McDonalds copied their idea!  Since my grandparents car was sold to someone who wanted to convert it into a street rod---maybe this used to be their car!

Another stop I wanted to show my visitors was the local hospital, and in particular, a plaque place there, in honor of my husband.

My shadow makes this hard to read; likewise, it is hard to think about how much he is missed.  But the plaque (as well as photos I have of him) are an impetus to repeat Philippians 1:3 verse that says, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."  The verse helped me change my attitude of extended grieving that he was gone, to an attitude of gratitude, for the time we had together.  

I also wanted to show G and S the beautiful campus of Arkansas State University Mountain Home, and in particular, their wonderful, new walking trail, that is paved and meanders through lovely parkland, for enough mileage to get your 10,000 steps.  

G and S told me they wanted to continue the healthy habits they have been working on in California, while they were here in Arkansas, so they continued to run or walk on the roads near my home.  The photo below shows G as he returns from a four-mile run, and I asked him to raise his hands for the photo, even though he was hot and sweaty and tired.  The image is my visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses that says "No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening---it's painful!  But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way."  Hebrews 12:11 

My loved ones and I enjoyed a "peaceful harvest" of sightseeing, as we walked around popular areas in the county, giving thanks that none of us required assistive mobile equipment, because we try to stay physically active!  Showing my loved ones around Baxter County, Arkansas, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!  Tricia