Family Day

There are times when a family day is really needed.  A day away from the house that doesn't require massive shopping or a strict agenda.  Yesterday was just such a day. 

Just to let you know - I don't have pictures.  We snapped a few shots with our phones, but I didn't have the camera.  So, this will be word pictures! 

The intention was to head to North Little Rock, do a little fun shopping, have some lunch, and just do whatever we felt like doing.  What the kids and I didn't realize was that my wonderful hubby had some secret plans in mind!  We first got wind of his thoughts when he veered from our usual path through Pine Bluff to Little Rock.  He had researched a scenic route. 

The first sight on the route was a lock system on the Arkansas River.  In school we had just finished reading Paddle to the Sea by Holling Clancy Holling.  One of the adventures in the book was traveling through a lock.  None of us had ever seen one in person, though, so it was awesome to have that opportunity!  When we crossed the bridge, we saw that a barge had just emerged from the lock.  For the rest of the day, Steven couldn't wait to get back to the lock and see it one more time!

Next, shortly before we reached North Little Rock, we stopped in at Toltec Mounds.  It excited me to no end to hear the kids' excitement when we pulled in to the parking lot.  "You mean, we get to go to a museum today?!"   We thought the rain was going to prevent us from walking around the mound area, but it stopped while we were looking around inside.  So, we headed on outside for an enjoyable walk in the steady spring breeze. 

Seeing the existing mounds and the markers for the mounds no longer visible was fun, but a couple of other things were even more exciting.  First, a C-130 from LRAFB flew overhead during our walk.  Pop Pop (Doug's dad) was a C-130 navigator in the Air Force, so the kids always love it whenever they see one flying overhead.  The whole walk came to a screeching halt while we watched the C-130 until it flew out of sight. 

Then, about halfway through the trail, we ended up on a walking bridge.  In the water below us, we began to notice turtles coming in toward the bridge.  There was a little vending container holding food for the turtles, so we all filled our hands and began tossing pellets out toward the two or three turtles.  Before we knew it, turtle heads began to pop up all over the place!  Before we left, we saw between six and eight different turtles, all swimming in to be fed!

After leaving Toltec Mounds we headed on in to NLR, enjoyed some Whole Hog Cafe bbq for lunch, and then went to shop at Target.  The girls are saving their money for their own digital cameras, but they decided they needed to spend a little of what they were saving on wallets for safekeeping of their money.  They were so proud to carry their own cash to the registers and pay all on their own.  The cashier, however, wasn't too sure about it all - I don't think he knew how to handle two young girls coming to handle everything on their own! 

After a couple of necessary stops (we can't go to the Little Rock area without taking care of at least a little bit of business), we made one last treat stop at Starbucks and then headed home.  On the way home, we pulled off at a little park on the Arkansas River to get a good look at the lock.

It was a fantastic, relaxing, and wonderful day!  Some days, those are exactly what the doctor ordered! 

Comments

Julie said…
I love, love, love Whole Hog BBQ!!
Alli said…
They're saving for a digital camera? They just found a very special place in my heart. (Ok, well, they already had a very special place in my heart, but this is taking it to a different level. Haha.) Tell the girls Aunt Alli feels the pain of trying to save for a digital camera. I've been doing that for two years & still don't have anything to show for it!
Julie, it was our first time to go to Whole Hog - and we definitely were not disappointed!

Alli, I know they will feel for you! Angie mainly wants one because she thinks it would be cool. Liv, on the other hand, seems to really want to learn about photography. They're in the same boat you're in, though, because they can't put ALL of their money toward the cameras. They have to set aside half of their money for savings and a gift fund, and of course they have to tithe. They should make their goal before the end of the year, considering the one Angie wants is $30 and the one Olivia wants is $50. The sad thing is that both of them are better than our first one which on closeout was still nearly $300!!!
Alli said…
I'm with both of them on that it's cool & I want to expand my photography skills. Although, my desire to expand my photography skills is me purchasing a DSLR, and the one my heart has been yearning for is $500. :( Yea, I have expensive taste. I didn't even know the made cameras for as cheap as $30!
Well, myself, I don't think I could eat a whole hog but you southerners know how to do BBQ, so I'll take your word on it. ;D

Actually, sounds like a fun day all around.

Julie
You make me smile, Julie! After tasting Whole Hog, I really wanted to eat the whole thing! :-)
Sister dear, the $30 camera wouldn't come anywhere near meeting your needs or mine. Oh, and here's my thought - each time you outgrow a camera, just send the old one our way. That way we can feed Olivia's growing interest in photography while she saves up enough money to buy her own $500 camera! :-)
Doug Hibbard said…
Julie (Herding Grasshoppers Julie, not Julie Julie),

Come on down. We have places named other than Lincoln you can vacation, and you will find you enjoy eating the whole hog!

Doug

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