The Lion Queen

Alaina's bedroom in Arkansas had an Africian theme complete with big lioness on the bed.

She. Loved. It.

She snuggled and pet that lion like it was her best friend.

She dragged it around the house like a beloved blankie.

I think she and the lion bonded.  They were kindred spirits for sure.

Except that now that we're home, she hasn't mentioned her brief affair...

...maybe just a case of puppy love?

Mena, Arkansas - Where the Buffalo Roam

There were two buffalo that roamed around.  It was pretty wild to see!  There were two big, furry, snorting, horned reasons why we never did get to paddle boat and I bet you could guess what they were.  These were females though "so they shouldn't charge"!  Ha!  Famous last words, right?!   

The owner is a missionary and has traveled to Africa and China among other places, and this is her inspiration for most of the decor.  Our patio was very East-ish with a pagoda, budda type feel.

Daddy and Joseph roamed around the pond a bit and met up with two friendly horses. 

Joseph caught a fish!

After a morning around the "resort", we decided to take a drive.  We wound around sweet country roads enjoying the scenery until we found a little rocky beach by a river.

Joseph and daddy had to skip rocks, of course.  Alaina really wanted to go swimming but I didn't - so she decided to throw rocks with the boys.

It may not have been what I had in mind, but things weren't as horrible as they could have been.  In fact, I can actually say that it was becoming a smidge relaxing and a little fun.

How could I see all the beauty that did present itself, and see my beautiful, healthy family in front of me, hear the birds chirp, feel the breeze blow and not appreciate life.

It is all good.

Mena, Arkansas - Rich Mountain

At least the fowl weren't roosters, because I'm not sure how a bunch of cock-a-doodle-doo'ing would have been taken the next morning. 

We woke up ready to start fresh and make the most of it all!  I was really excited to drive around and check out the small town.  We decided to head up the mountain and check out Queen Wilhelmina state park.  The foliage along the way was really pretty!  Inch by inch it started to get a little more overcast though, until almost at the top of the mountain we drove straight in to a huge mess of fog.  It was almost instant, it was so crazy!  Josh slowed to a crawl and within minutes we decided this was good for nothing and we needed to head back down.  It was as thick as pea soup!!  (I love that saying!)

  

I saw a drive way out my side of the car and hollered at Josh to turn in.  He couldn't even see it from his side of the car...it was that thick!  Joseph was pretty concerned about it all and didn't like it, but Josh and I wanted to park and check out where we were.  It happened to be a little house (an old cute stone cabin from way back) and amphitheater.  I snapped a couple of pictures then we headed on.

 

As we were heading back out, Josh thought he saw a light through the fog and we ended up finding another driveway that lead to the park office and a huge train - in remembrance of the railways that were the source for development of this part of Arkansas back in the day.  It was a big huge grey steam engine that looked just like an eerie ghost train with all the fog.  (The blinding white behind Alaina is fog.)

As we headed back down I snapped this shot from one of the vistas.  We were going to come back the next day when it wasn't so overcast and foggy and try again.  It was fun traipsing around fog but we couldn't see a darn thing. 

Strike two of the trip?  Perhaps.  But at least I was getting some good practice at rolling with the punches.  

Mena, Arkansas - The Arrival

I've got quite the story for you.

Many of you have heard it already and I think it's a good thing that I've talked it out with some of you in person because it makes me appreciate it that much more.  Appreciate the good, that is.  

Not even home from our Galveston vacation this summer, Josh and I were already planning how we wanted to spend the rest of his vacation days before he lost them at the end of the year.  We toyed with the idea of camping and decided that while we didn't want to rough it boyscout style, we did want to find a nice house or cabin near a state or national park and spend the week relaxing in nature.  With fall approaching we thought October would be great and we wanted to find a place to watch the leaves change colors.

I hunted around on the internet and talked with friends and family and came up with the little town of Mena, Arkansas.  There is a state park, a quaint town, a newly opened crystal mine, and the region had a great reputation for the "changing of the colors".  I found a woman who owns 18 acres of land with three houses, a cabin, and a hut (for more primitive campers).  Her land has two ponds with fishing and paddle boats, buffalo, deer, goats, horses, chicken, alpaca, a playground, and sounded perfect for a relaxing family vacation!  We booked it!  

Once we arrived, not only did we have to meander around trying to find someone, anyone to check us in...but when we did find the owner, she came trodding around the corner barefoot and with a look that said "who the hell are you?".  I was pretty intimidated and very shellshocked at the appearance of the place.  Everything needed cleaning and painting.  There was junk everywhere.  The grass was high, there were ant piles and goat poop everywhere, and the main office - a Noah's Ark themed trailer - had some sad little deteriorating taxidermy animals decorating the outside.  It was quite the sight and I felt my anxiety starting to bubble up.  I could see the grounds beyond the office trailer and it wasn't good.  

I was let down over and over before the afternoon was through.  Our rental wasn't ready yet even though we were there past the check-in time and as an awkward young farm hand lead us around the alpaca pasture, Joseph stepped in a pile of ants. We quickly grabbed him up but they got him good with a dozen or so bites.  How were we supposed to ramble about and play all week with all these ant piles?!  The animals seemed to have the run of the place and while they were blocked off from our driveway and front door, there were a couple of snorting buffalo guarding the paddle boat pretty good.   

Once our house was ready I tried to hold it together and ignore the weirdo Noah's Ark....and the buzzing mosquitoes...and the dilapidated, totally unsafe, crazy looking playground (which they requested that we be escorted to anyway b/c it was in the alpaca pasture)...and pile of rusty bikes outside the door...and the big boats sitting on tires in the yard next to an overgrown garden...and the general disarray of the place.

Unfortunately what I had seen online and what I had planned out in my head were very different from what I was seeing in person.  I was expecting that we could do a whole bunch of nothing, staying right at the rental all week, playing on the playground and fishing at the pond.  

I wish I was the kind of person who could look at the mess I had gotten us in an laugh and laugh and shake it off and keep on going.  But I'm not apparently, cause this turn of events shattered my confidence and made me wonder what the hell we were going to do for the next FIVE days!

After we went to Walmart for groceries and got everything put away and settled in, Josh and I had to talk about the obvious.  I hadn't really said anything yet but this place was a little wackier than we're use to and omg, did we really have to stay here all week on our "relaxing" vacation?!?!?!

I cried and kept thinking about how much I wanted to be home...and Joseph kept skipping through the living room squealing about how cool everything was.  Josh rubbed my back...and Joseph ran from the patio to his African themed room, complete with savanah mural covering every inch of the wall, to the patio to his room and back again.  This place just made me feel plain uncomfortable and I felt very vulnerable.  It was just a little too back woods and unkempt for me, and now I had to somehow make it work.  So that's what we did.   

Joseph loved it all and our rental was really very clean and nice and had everything we needed.  There was a great huge wrap around porch that overlooked a pond, and the view from the porch swing wasn't that bad.  There was a hot tub which we didn't use - but I'm sure would have been cool if we had.  There was a sauna, and "spa" room with a massage table and a total spa-esque singing deer head on the wall.  There was a lovely garden tub with jets in the master bathroom that I knew would be loved by the kids and hopefully be used at least once by me.     

We made a plan that we would stick it out for a day or two and at least do the things we planned to like drive the scenic route on Rich Mountain and visit the state park, and dig for crystals in the mine.  Then we could head home early if we still wanted to.

Arrival Day came to a close, we tucked the kids in bed, I drank half a glass of wine before having one more panic attack, then decided the two huge bronze statues of the eagles sitting on the world that flanked the sliding door to the patio were kinda creeping me out and I just really wanted to go to bed.  So we went to bed, and lo and behold - our room had glow-in-the-dark stars and planets all over the damn place.  Walls, ceiling, everywhere.  First class, my friends.  This is a first class resort where the deer and buffalo roam right up to sniff your butt and with ants in all the wrong places.

Oh. My. God.  Welcome to Arkansas!