Arkansas

I am staying with family in a little town in Western Arkansas. It is showing many signs of spring here. In fact not long after my arrival we got hit with quite a hail storm. It lasted awhile and left a few dings on my car. Oh well, just some souvenirs of the trip I guess. I love this little town. There isn't anything here to attract visitors. It's just a place where people go about their lives. There is a school, and a gas station with a little cafe in it. There seems to be a bank and a Mason's lodge. And there are a lot of churches.

The trees are coming out green with a promise of lushness soon to be. Mountains surround this town. Sugarloaf Mountain and Poteau Mountain and several rounded hills. It's very close, if not a part of the Ouachita Mountain range. The Ozark Mountains and the Ouachita mountains make up the U.S. Interior Highlands and are the only mountainous region between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. In fact anciently they used to be a part of the Appalachian Mountains.

This town lies on the border of Oklahoma, and the residents have a choice of shopping in Fort Smith, Arkansas or Poteau, Oklahoma. Poteau is probably closer.

The people are friendly and wave as they pass you in their cars and trucks. There are many small towns in this area. All have their own charm, and seem to have a mix of old time residents and newer move-ins.

The weather is crazy in the spring here. Like today. It started out warm and as a cold front moves in, we are experiencing thunderstorms and the before mentioned hail storms. There is even a chance of snow in the forecast for Saturday, but the snow will probably stay a little further north, but cold is definitely on the way.

I plan to sleep well tonight and enjoy the storms raging outside. (Please- no tornados!)