Scootering around Calico Rock

I have showed some photos of past travels in some of the national parks in the US.  Today I want to post a few pics of Calico Rock, AR about 45 minutes away from our house. We live in a part of the  Ozarks that is a vacation destination all by itself and we take advantage of that constantly. 

If we have a houseguest, we always drive them to Calico Rock, Blanchard Springs, Gunner Pool, all within 45 minutes. Blanchard Springs and Gunner pool are part of the Ozark National Forest. 

Calico Rock has a ghost town right next door. Actually it is old Calico Rock that was just left to rot away. There is still a Calico Rock Main Street with stores, mostly for tourists, but a small population keeps Calico Rock going.

Native wood holds up for years.

Broken bridge. How would you like scootering over that?

Window in old CR. Nature has reclaimed her own

Gunners pool, part of the Ozark National Forest is a must see for anyone.  It’s tough on a scooterer, but some of it is doable. Regardless, it is worth the trip, even if some of it has to be seen through a car window.

Gunner pool waterfall

Alligator fossil, no not really, but it doesn't take much imagination to see it.

We have no idea why so many butterflies decided to visit this spot all at the same time.  But we did get a photo of some of them.

Butterfly convention.

A visit to the Natural State has to include seeing the old town of Calico Rock and the recreational areas of Ozark National Forest.

Gardening Anyway

I May be a Cripple, But

I am a gardener. In a past life, I did this for a living. Building ponds, putting rocks in the right places to make waterfalls, landscaping the pond and beyond to make a client’s garden beautiful. 

I still garden, but I do it sitting down. It doesn’t make the garden less beautiful, the flowers less vibrant or the waterfall more soothing.

Yes, it takes immeasurably longer, but in the warm spring and hot summer days, is it not worth it? The flowers don’t care if I can walk or not. In fact, perhaps they may try even harder to be prettier longer so I can enjoy them from the front deck or through the windows that line the front of the house.

Today’s garden pictures show the yellow and red in this morning’s garden. Day lilies, short-lived, but oh so many smile at me to make my morning start happily.  Tiger lilies, also known as ditch lilies, are just as pretty and perhaps happier because they have been relocated from the ditch to the heights of the garden and line the path behind the pond.

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