Thank you, happy family

Our posse. Oh, breaking bread with my dear wife Karen’s family is so much fun. On our final night in Hot Springs, Ark., Cracker Barrel was the lucky pick. We knew they’d be able to push enough tables together to fit us all and place full plates in front of us that held food that…

Hello up there

Towering. When my dear wife Karen points and says, You should take that, well, I take the photo. The Hot Springs tower over the Cracker Barrel parking lot on our last night in town indeed was a welcoming sight.

Special formations

Not your normal mountains. As she led our driving tour through Hot Springs, Ark., sister-in-law Lynne explained how the mountain formations we were spying were not exactly like those in the rest of the world. Geology was never my best subject, but I did my best at understanding how the formations differed from what we’d…

Queens of the mountain

Youngsters of the family. Sister-in-law Lynne drove over to the Hot Springs Village condo where my dear wife Karen and I were staying and picked us up for a little special sightseeing. She swooped us up a mountain to look down over Central Ave. As great as that was, my favorite sight was the lovely…

Dog loving in the family

Happy trio. Every family home we visited during our vacation to Hot Springs, Ark., was filled with lovely dogs. I saw it was in the family genes, having loved two cherished mutts back home with my dear wife Karen. When sister-in-law Jana came over to the condo on the lake we rented for our stay,…

Boats still out down there

Beautiful on the lake. My dear wife Karen picked a great spot for our stay in Hot Springs Village, a condo backed by a pretty lake. One gorgeous late morning/early afternoon, we wound our way along the trail with sister-in-law Jana for lunch at a lovely little marina restaurant. Yes, the boats were still out.

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. Let’s have fun! he exclaimed. 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…