The happy kid

Quite a 5-year-old. Sister-in-law Jana brought niece Stormy’s son Lukas into store Raven, and the energy level soared. The 5-year-old of the family sprinted to my dear wife Karen and I and greeted us to Hot Springs with gigantic hugs. <em>Let’s have fun!</em> he exclaimed. <em>Let’s put my car seat in your car and go,…

They also called it the Pig Trail

In Syracuse, we call them the Razorbacks. While my dear wife Karen and I poked our visiting eyes here and there during our vacation in Hot Springs, Ark., I expected to find gear for the state’s big college squad. Back home in Syracuse, I’m accustomed to the media calling the SEC team representing Arkansas the…

How they used the hot springs back in the day

Step right in. The second time my dear wife Karen and I strolled through downtown Hot Springs, we were more schooled in what folks did back in the day to make the so-warm baths that bubble from our Earth so popular. Sister-in-law Lynne pointed out a museum across from her store Dapper & Debonaire that…

Hot springs all in a row

Take a soak? A long stretch of downtown Hot Springs includes a row of hotels and bathhouses that feature the hot springs. Yes, hot water indeed bubbles up from the recesses of our Earth. Folks have soaked in its warmth for healing purposes for centuries. Tomorrow we’ll take you inside the Fordyce, set aside as…

We’ll appreciate the arts

Pockets of cool. Our eyes were open as my dear wife Karen and I appreciated with downtown Hot Springs offered during our vacation to visit her family. An arts district! We’ll be back to look more during the big downtown extravaganza that involves the stores owned by Lynne, Stormy and Kimi.

Signs of downtown

Familiar and not. We have a convention center, I thought, as my dear wife Karen and I strolled through downtown Hot Springs. We have a <em>Bridge Street Live</em> local morning TV news magazine show. And, I thought, I had made the comment that Central New York and this part of Arkansas looked similar for water…

Nice show

Marquee. This Mark has always been drawn to a good marquee. The Marco’s caught my eye as my dear wife Karen and I strolled the main street of downtown Hot Springs, Ark. Talking with Karen’s sisters and my nieces and their spouses during our vacation, it eventually soaked in that this main artery is actually…

Walk with the famous

Honoring cool and famous folks. Strolling the main street of Hot Springs with my dear wife Karen, I keep my head on a swivel. I looked down for the Arkansas Walk of Fame. No, I didn’t know that many of those honored called this state home. The Man in Black. I did have an inkling…

It’s a National Park

Take us to the top. My dear wife Karen and I jumped in her sister Jana’s car with her friend Karen (yes, that made it easier to learn but slightly more confusing during conversation) for a nice sightseeing tour of Hot Springs. Jana moved down from Alaska a bit ago to join Lynne and family,…

It’s all relative for us in Hot Springs

The new store. My dear wife Karen set us up with a cool trip to Hot Springs, Ark. She’d gone solo two years back for niece Kimi’s wedding to Kevin, but I was still too shy to fly because of Covid. This time around, I was over all that at eager to see my sisters-in-law,…