"Fordyce on the Cottonbelt" Festival

Joe Bill driving Johnny Cash & June in Festival 1982
Joe Bill driving Nashville singer Erika Jo in Festival 2009
Tammy (stall manager) and fellow stall holder Becky & me
Murray playing the didgeridoo at Fordyce Middle School
Festival Food Stall
Bloomin' Onion

The annual 'Fordyce on the Cottonbelt' festival is one the largest festivals of a small town in the state of Arkansas, and attracts a crowd of 10,000 people. Can you believe it all started with an idea Joe Bill had back in 1980, hoping to inject some life and vitality into his hometown? Not that I discovered this until I did a bit of internet research this evening!

As the railroad was a major part of the town's lifeblood - the train carrying cotton went from St Louis to Texas, passing through Fordyce, Joe Bill and his chamber of commerce committee decided to call the festival just that...'Fordyce on the Cottonbelt'. They try and attract a guest singer each year, and in 1982, Johnny Cash and his wife June were on the program, and Joe Bill took them (and their son) in the parade on his horse drawn buggy. This year he drove the guest singer, Erika Jo (Nashville) in his red convertible (yes, we had a ride in it too). Each year they design a special T-Shirt for the festival, and the proceeds from the sales fund the festival. I am sure that every man, woman and child in town bought and wore a T-Shirt - I helped Sandy and the other ladies sell them for a few afternoons, and scored myself a nice pink one in the bargain. The festival starts on a Monday, and each day there is something different happening, and usually with a music show each evening. One of the main events is the Fordyce high school reunion dinner which is held on the Friday night. Many past students who live out of town return for the reunion. We attended this years as guests, and were amazed at the school years' represented (400 people attended)- Joe Bill's mother, who says she is 'doing fine for 99', graduated from the school back in 1928. She has attended every reunion since they started 28 years ago, and Joe Bill was the Emcee of the night - did I also mention he was the Chairman of the Festival? It is a wonder he had time to entertain us with all of the civic duties he was responsible for. The main parade was on Saturday and while I saw a bit of it, I was busy holding a bead stall (along with a few aussie souvenirs to add to the interest). That was a lot of fun, and some of the kids from the middle school (we had done a presentation on Australia at their school the day before) came up and bought their friends and parents to meet me.

Speaking of the school presentation, we gave a 30 min presentation to two groups, the first comprising grades 5 & 6 and the second grades 7 & 8. The only room with enough space was the gym, so the kids piled in and sat on the floor. As part of our presentation, we planned to give a didgeridoo demonstration. We had picked up a didgeridoo for Joe Bill & Sandy while we were in Mountain View, with the plan that Joe Bill was going to practise playing it ready for the demo. Well, he didn't do too well on the didgeridoo classes (perhaps I was a lousy teacher), but Murray picked it up quickly and did a great job.

Back to the festival...I just have to tell you aussies about the food we ate. One stall (pictured) sold bloomin' onions (the largest onions we have ever seen). They have a special cutter that keeps the 1lb onion intact, but slices each one to resemble a flower. They dip it in a spicy batter, then deep fry it and serve it with a dipping sauce - it is very tasty, but you need a few friends to help eat it all. It is H-U-G-E. At the same stall they sold Fried Green Tomatoes - remember that movie? I thought it was an odd name for a movie, but obviously no American would have questioned the title! Anyway, I had to try one, and it was good too. That was lunch. For dinner we shared a large polish sausage done up like a hot dog and served with fried sliced onions and capsicums - yum. Yes, I have a few extra rolls of fat that need some serious attention. Now where have I hidden my joggers??

Fordyce, Arkansas - Overview

Intrepid Snake Hunters

Apologies to those who have been checking in each day and finding no new updates...I have had 4 complaints in the last 2 days, so figured it was time to get to work.

It is hard to believe that 2 years ago we had never heard of Fordyce, Arkansas, and now we have made 2 visits in the last 7 months! You may recall we met Joe Bill & Sandy at the Kentucky Horse park 2 years ago, and they invited us to visit them in Fordyce, but we were unable to make it that trip. We did make it there last year and really enjoyed our time with them on their property 'Meadolark Farm'. They must have liked what they heard about Australia because they made their first trip downunder in February this year, as captured on the blog. Well anyway, (as Joe Bill often says, but a lot slower than me), Fordyce has an annual 'Fordyce on the Cottonbelt' festival, and we arranged to be in town for it. We had a very enjoyable 6 days with them, with our RV parked in their front driveway under the tall pine trees. Their property is beautifully nestled among the trees with a large pond in the front. You will get a feel for it when you see some of the videos of our equestrian escapades.

Joe Bill kindly suggested Murray might like to fish the pond, as some large fish are just waiting for the bait. However, Murray remembered that deadly moccasin snakes were in the area last year, so perhaps a check of the pond surrounds to clear it of snakes was in order before any fishing took place. They collected a shotgun and a pair of binoculars and the intrepid snake hunters headed across to the pond. They shot 1 snake the first day, 3 snakes the second day and saw lots of them slithering into the water. Needless to say, Murray didn't get to do any fishing!

The last time we visited Fordyce it rained for 4 days thanks to Hurricane Gustav, so we were unable to go for a horse or buggy ride as planned. This trip the weather was superb, and I got to ride a Tennessee Walking Horse, and go for a buggy ride pulled by one of their other horses (they have four all up). If you get to watch the videos, listen to the birdsong, and check out the scenery of the farm - you can even see our RV where it is parked out the front of the house. I did get to ride the horse outside of the corral - that was my warm up - we later went out for a ride behind their property. Well folks, I tried for 2 hours to upload one video, but it is 92MB and obviously too large for an upload. Darn...I may try again with faster internet, although it is pretty good here.

More Fordyce blog entries to follow....

Final Days, Mountain View, Arkansas

Red Cardinal on Rear View Mirror (click on photo to enlarge)

1934 Ford V8 Convertible

This one-week visit to Mountain View has been so much nicer than I could have imagined. I knew Murray would enjoy our stay, as he is so interested in music (unlike me) - he loves to hear & watch the various instruments used, how different musicians harmonise and all the nuances in between, but the surprise is how enjoyable I have found it.

First up, the location here in the Ozarks is lovely. We awake to the sound of chirping birdsong, and it continues on and off all day. Very peaceful. Our RV park is on top of a mountain and we look down on valleys and across to other mountains of the Ozarks. Mind you, the mountainous terrain does mean my cardiac system gets quite a work out when we ride our bikes the 1.7 miles in and the same back out of town - up hill and down dale. I guess it helps to burn off the calories we ingest as we are eating outselves silly - yesterday, Friday, our four Louisiana friends picked us up at 9am and we went to the well known Ozark Folk Center. They have a restaurant out front, and for $6.95 they offered a full buffet breakfast. The 3 ladies ordered the $3.99 egg, 2 strips bacon, grilled chopped potatoes, toast (or biscuit (scones to aussies), and a bowl of chopped cooked apple and another of peach to go with the toast or biscuit. Good cholesterol building foods! From there we went next door to the folk center itself, and for the next 3 hours, immersed ourselves in watching demonstrations of crafts of yesteryear. The centre had a path winding around, and dotted along the path were small buildings that housed each craft and a person dressed in the clothes of that craft from days gone by. There were candlemakers, broomakers, coopers, potters, school marms, herbalists, ironsmiths, blacksmiths, woodturners, jewellers, and so the list goes on. As well as all that, there was a chap playing a dulcimer, a group playing country/gospel music (see video at the bottom), and a guy playing an instrument none of us had ever seen before, a hurdy gurdy (see photo in left of top collage).

We returned to our RV to take a breath and get ready to sneak over to the entertainment hut here in the campground, as it was Cindy's birthday and Mike had arranged a large, beautifully iced (like cream) and inscribed sponge cake. We all met there and Cindy was suitably surprised at the turnout. Mike had bought tubs of very popular Blue Belle home-made vanilla icecream made in Texas to go with the cake, and it was delicious. Now you might understand why we gleefully jumped on our bikes an hour later and rode into town - burn, calories, burn.

It was such a glorious day, that the ride into town would have been a real delight, had it not been for the steep inclines! Oh well, such is life. I just got off and pushed the bike uphill - now I know why they call them pushbikes! We got into town around 4pm, used our combination lock to secure the bikes, and wandered around town. Being the festival, there were music groups dotted everywhere you looked. Street stalls were set up in the streets (blocked off to traffic) and people were wandering everywhere. Murray couldn't resist of photo of the old Ford car, and I took several photos to try and capture it all for you. While Murray sat and watched one music group and ended up chatting to a guy who played what looked to me like a huge guitar, I wandered the stalls and was surprised to see a lady selling didgeridoos. They are an Australian Aboriginal instrument, so what was an American woman doing selling these - I was intrigued and went over to chat to her. Apparently her and her partner flew to Australia, met with some aboriginals and respectfully explained they wanted to make didgeridoos and sell them in USA. The aboriginals were thrilled their music and instruments were to be replicated, and taught them how to play them, and how to make them. Although the markings Deborah & Scott put on theirs are their own, and do not look 'aboriginal', but that is probably deliberate. I heard some of the music they make with Scott playing the didgeridoo and Deborah playing the flute, and it is very easy and peaceful to listen to it. If you are interested, they have a website http://www.martinandscott.com/.

Murray had a music show to attend to at 7pm, so around 5.30pm we made our way home (with me walking the bike more than riding it) and had dinner in time for him to be picked up for the show. I spent the time on Adobe photoshop, but didn't make much progress - I think I was plum tuckered out by our Ozark activities.

Today is Saturday and the main day of the Ozark Folk Festival with the town parade. It was an overcast day, with the odd sprinkle of rain, but not cold. We walked into town and met up with our Louisiana friends who bought me home hours later - Murray walked back about 2 hrs after we got back. The weather didn't seem to deter too many people until just after lunch. Speaking of lunch, Murray bought a smoked turkey leg, and I had a sweet corn on the cob, dipped in butter. We wandered through a fudge/candy store, and a coffee shop cum artist gallery where we listened to a man play wonderful tunes on a dulcimer and listened in to a few more music groups before calling it a day. Tonight will be another music show, then some more on Sunday. We will drive out Monday and head for Fordyce, south of Little Rock where we look forward to catching up with Joe Bill & Sandy once again. All in all, a very enjoyable stay.

If you like folk music, check out the video below:

Mountain View, Arkansas, Day One

Seen both Dogwood & Red Cardinals this Week

Flowering Dogwoods en Route

Is this a Wolf??

Taylor's Sons of the Ozarks in Action

Today we drove south from the state of Missouri and entered into Arkansas. It was an overcast, slightly drizzly day, and quite nippy outside. The whole drive was dotted with flowering dogwood trees which are so pretty at this time of year. The Dogwood flower is the state flower of Virginia and North Carolina, and the state tree of Missouri. If I ever lived in the US, I think I would be drawn to Virginia, as the state flower, the dogwood, and the state bird (red cardinal) are my favourites. (If the Blue Jay was a state bird, I might have to think twice).

Getting back to Arkansas... there we were, innocently winding our way through the Ozark mountains leading south into our destination town of Mountain View where we had booked into stay for a week. I was merrily clicking away photos of dogwood trees when I noticed an animal crossing the road ahead. Not a deer, but a wolf. Well, we thought it was a wolf anyway. I'd be happy to hear from someone out there to confirm or deny it. The animal looked very healthy, and on closer examination of the photo, it is wearing a collar. Not sure if it is tagged for research, or is a domesticated wolf. Post Edit: I have it on good authority from two sources that what we saw was a Siberian Husky. I read they are breeding them with wolves as they are the same 'family'.

The reason we decided to stay here for a week is to enjoy the Ozark folk music festival that is held here each spring and autumn. The region is famous for it's pickin' music (including folk, bluegrass, country & fiddle) and olde worlde crafts. People come from all around the USA and other countries to experience this bastion of homegrown folk music.

After we parked our RV in the campground and got settled, Murray went for a wander around the park and on the way he met a nice chap, Mike, from Baton Rouge in Louisiana. He and his wife Cindy drive up with their Airstream trailer every year to enjoy the festival. They met up with another couple from Louisiana, Ben & Diane. The four of them were going out for a pizza before heading on to spend the evening at Taylor's Sons of the Ozarks Music Theatre, and they very kindly invited us to join them.

Taylor's is a family business- they cut the lumber to build the theatre and constructed it themselves on their own property. They have 4 shows a week with the dad and two sons playing guitars, banjos, violins, dobros and mandolin. As soon as the music starts, couples immediately stand up and move to the front and start doing folk/square dancing - mainly a two-step. There were some really great dancers out there. Interestingly the men left their hats on to dance. No dancing was allowed during singing of gospel songs, and each member of the band removed their hats during the gospel song. You will notice by the photo that most band members wear a hat of some sort. During the break, most of the band members came up and said hello which was nice, and afterwards we met the host (& lead) musician John's wife and his mother. It was a really friendly crowd - when folks heard we were from Australia, many came up and had a chat in the break. One lovely lady, Wilma (her husband got up and sang two numbers and was a wonderful singer), told us how they had lived in Memphis for many years, and she was there in Elvis's day, and was actually a staff member at the hospital that he was taken to on his death. All in all we had the most welcoming first day in this lovely city of just over 3000 people.

OSIS+

Anyone with fine, flyaway hair will appreciate the properties of the Schwarzkopf hair product above. The OSIS+ mattifying powder that my sister found in a shop for hair products in Australia is the best I have tried. Most products to help give body or lift to fine hair are sprays, gels or oils that from my experience have actually ended up clumping my hair, whereas this product is effective yet undetectable, and better still, it remains effective until you wash you hair a day or two later. Highly recommended!

The OSIS+ comes in a 50 ml plastic bottle which is perfect for RVers like myself, or any traveler trying to keep luggage weight down. Mind you, it costs almost $30 Australian dollars (about $22 USD), but as you only need a light sprinkle, it should last for ages. Worth every cent. It is not readily available, but check out your local hairdresser or hair product outlet. If no luck there, google it and you should find a provider in your country, or at least it should be available via an internet order.

Baptism of Fire, Missouri

Felt sorry for these folk: Montauk SP (click on photo)

Current River, Missouri

View on our morning walk

Dogwood Blossoms

Can you believe it was only our 3rd night in the RV and we got hit with our first tornado warning for this trip! To top it off, we were in a campground in Montauk State Park, Missouri, which has no phone, TV or Internet reception, so we couldn't see what was happening with the weather. Our only warning was when the camp host drove around to the campers around 9.30pm advising them to put up awnings and secure any loose articles in preparation for the tornado that was heading our way. We had our jacks down, so not much else we could do but sit tight - so we turned off the lights, filled up our glasses with an aussie merlot, and sat and watched the lightning show around us. Then we were sent a shower of tiny hail, only a fraction of the size of the hail we had at Lake Audubon, North Dakota last summer. We were most thankful to be spared the wind, though, as that is my pet hate. There was a whisper of wind early, but then it was gone. Phew. It was still raining when we were going to bed, and then we noticed the carpet was wet in the hallway - rain was getting in somewhere - Murray got up on the roof and checked the vents on the side, but there doesn't appear to be anywhere that could allow water in, except if torrential rain hitting on that side. Hmmm.

Next morning I went for a walk and noticed that several campground sites were almost covered by water - we didn't think that we got that much rain, but we must have. The occupants of one site couldn't even get out of their rig without stepping in water as you can see in the top photo. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to get photos of the two beautiful red cardinals or the blue jay that was playing with them!

Next day was Good Friday, and we forgot that here in the US it is a regular day and stores and the post office etc are open. Unlike Australia where most offices, stores and service stations are closed on Good Friday. Yesterday we arrived in a campground in a town called Van Buren in southern Missouri where we will stay for 2 nights, then we will drive SW to Arkansas on Easter Sunday. On arrival at 1pm it was a chilly 53 C (10C) but today it is a glorious spring day - sunny and 66 F (18 C).

Today is Easter Saturday and we went for a walk this morning and took pictures of redbud trees, dogwood blossoms and the river. Most trees are still waiting for their greenery, and with the dogwood, the blossoms are blooming at the tops of the trees closest to the sun, but on the lower branches, the blossoms are still tightly closed. Spring is still springing here.

First Night Back in the RV, Springfield Missouri

Fixing the Radiator Hose Clamp

Red Bud Tree in Blossom

I remember what a wonderful sight it was to see our RV in Rainie & Tom's campground when we returned to Florida last March, and it was with the same excitement that we saw her again and got her out of storage in Kansas City. The engine kicked over first try which was a real bonus, as we thought the batteries might have given up after lying idle for 6 months. Fortunately we were met by our friend Rod, and he & Murray had a look over the engine and noticed radiator fluid leaking once the engine had been running for a while. Apparently a hose clamp had broken. We followed Rod in our RV to his house, and in the midst of snow flurries, Murray & Rod replaced the clamp and radiator fluid. We had booked into a hotel for the first night as we weren't sure if the RV would start, and if it did, we knew we would need fresh water, food etc. We parked her looking sad & forlorn in the hotel carpark to await the predicted overnight 'hard freeze' warnings, where temps drop below zero and stay there for several hours.

Next morning, like us, she was rarin' to go, the engine kicked over first try, and we sailed off down the highway. She didn't miss a beat! It was nice to see the fuel prices almost half of what they were when we left last September. We filled up for $1.88 per gallon (too early in the day for me to do the conversion to Aus dollars per litre) compared to the $4/gal high we paid last year. Kansas City trees are still mainly leafless, waiting for their spring plumage, but the further south we got towards Springfield, Missouri, we noticed the red bud trees blossoming and other signs of spring. Typically, the further south you go in the USA the warmer it gets, which is just the opposite in Australia.

After our stop to refuel, I took over the wheel and drove an hour south to our first Walmart stop. The parking lots are big enough for me to park with ease, and as usual, just walking into a Walmart superstore with an empty trolley gets our heart rates up - Murray dashes up to the fishing and RV supplies, I check out the craft & book stores and then we meet up and settle into making our selections from the more mudane grocery aisles! However, after a 6 month absence, just seeing the different range of foodstuffs again is interesting. No, we are definitely not bored and desperate, just enjoying life and different experiences. Murray spied Yellowtail Merlot at $4.65 a bottle and a few made their way into our trolley. Winter clothes were on sale and I picked up a long sleeve TShirt for $5.

By 5pm yesterday we were checking into a basic RV park in Springfield Missouri, just a mile from the Camping World store where we were booked in for 8 this morning to have our portagas and aircon systems checked. I am now sitting in their waiting area (comfortably kitted out with laptop counters, big screen TV, food machines and rest rooms).

Lake Tahoe, California

Entering Lake Tahoe (Click on photo to see Lake Tahoe in background)
Lake Tahoe Side Road
Taking in the View
Family Cabin Behind Us
Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe

Yesterday, Saturday, we left Sacramento and drove 100 miles/160 km east for a day trip to Lake Tahoe. Once again, it was a delightful warm, sunny spring day, but once we got to Tahoe the temperature dropped to about 2C/37F and we were rugged up with beanies, scarves & big jackets. Entering South Tahoe from the east, the views of snow capped mountains and the lake itself were beautiful. Then we drove to a viewpoint overlooking Emerald Bay and it really was so pretty - my photos just don't do it justice. However, remember to click on the photos to make them full screen and see the detail.

Marie's family has a cabin just near the lake, and they had been up to stay in it a week ago. When they returned to Sacramento, they remembered they had accidentally left a bottle of syrup on top of the fridge. Bears are in the area and will simply tear down doors and break windows to get to any food they can see or smell. They have learnt to associate esky's (ice boxes) with food, and so you cannot even leave one visible in your car or cabin without taking a chance of a bear breaking in to get at it - whether it is empty or not. While we were in Yosemite, we had to remove all food stuffs, eskys's and even water bottles from the car and take them inside the cabin. For people who stay in tents in the village, bear proof bins are provided to store foodstuffs and anything with a scent including soap, toothpaste, etc. After locking up the cabin at Tahoe, we had a picnic in the sun, checked out a few scenic areas, then Eric drove us past the devastation caused by bushfires just under 2 years ago. Reminded us of the tragic bushfires we have had in Oz recently.

Yosemite National Park, California

Snow Fun at Yosemite

Phew, this is a hard climb...

Vernal Falls...worth the hike

Our Cabin in Yosemite

Yosemite was one of those US National Parks that we had not visited yet, so it was fortunate that our first visit there was with a couple who love Yosemite, and have been regular annual visitors for over 30 years. Marie & Eric are very familiar with their favourite places, and I am sure that Eric knows almost every rock and tree in those areas. He has hiked many of the trails, especially those that few get to attempt. He was even persuasive enough to get Murray & I to take a smaller hike up to a bridge for a view of Vernal Falls, one of the top six waterfalls in the park. To distract me from the gradient of the climb, Eric regaled us with a story of one (of several) bear encounters he had when he and a mate found an agressive bear trying to get down his backpack that was hanging high from a wire during an overnight hike on one of the high peaks. The bear eventually ran off, but not before tearing gaping holes in the backpack and removing some food.

Yosemite is located in the central Sierra Nevada of California and is 95% wilderness . It was once home to a huge glacier which forged through to create the valley amongst granite peaks and where several beautiful waterfalls cascade from the lofty cliffs. Bridal Veil Falls and Yosemite Falls we saw from vantage points just a short walk from the parking areas. In certain areas, there are groves of giant Sequoia trees, the inland and thicker trunk version of the coastal taller, but thinner redwoods. The road to the main grove was closed due to snow. There was quite a lot of snow in certain areas, especially near the NW entrance to the park.

To fully absorb the 'aura', after a day of picniking and sight seeing, we stayed overnight in wood cabins in Curry Village, where we treaded carefully to avoid piles of snow as we wandered around the village. After dinner we returned to our cabins (thank goodness for wall heaters) and played cards together. During our picnic and walks, we saw a few stunningly beautiful blue jays & some not so red-breasted robins - must have been females. Some fearless deers stood patiently as I took their photo, and a very healthy looking coyote bolted past us at one stage - he must have had some small animal in his sights as he was making a bee-line for something. All in all, Yosemite NP provides a very tranquil experience of nature.

We saw no sightings of Yosemite Sam nor Yogi Bear!

San Francisco

Twin Peaks overlooking San Francisco CityHaight Ashbury
That's Alcatraz Prison in the background Picnic Golden Gate Bridge


On Golden Gate

How to eat an Artichoke

We've been to San Francisco a few times before, but this is the first time we have ever walked on the Golden Gate Bridge - but I am getting ahead of myself! First of all, we returned our rental car and were promptly picked up by our Sacramento friends, Marie & Eric. They had bought a picnic lunch for us, but first they drove us up to Twin Peaks for a bird's eye view over the city, then a drive through the Haight/Ashbury area that was made famous by the 1960's hippie movement. and the 1967 "Summer of Love". At that time, the area was very cheap and made ideal accommodation for the hippies; a bit different now, as it is a very trendy and upmarket district with beautiful houses lining the streets. Next they drove us to Chrissy Park within the Presidio (military district) and in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. where we sat and ate our lunch. We had the picturesque bridge in front of us, the city of San Francisco behind us, and Alcatraz out to our right. It was a delightful spring day. After polishing off our ham & salad sandwiches, we walked up onto the bridge, and along to the first of the two spans. The view was beautiful, and it was just amazing to think we were actually walking on the famous landmark.

After our bridge walk, we drove over the bridge and by-passed the Napa & Sonoma valley to reach Sacramento. En route we called into a Baskin Robbins icecream shop for a hit before completing our journey. Once at their home, we had another treat in store - yesterday I mentioned we passed the artichoke fields, and after we told Marie that we had only ever had marinated artichokes, she sent Eric & Murray to buy us fresh ones ($3 each) which she steamed and proceeded to show us how to eat them. They were the size of a grapefruit, and you peel the leaves off one at a time, and with your teeth, scrape off the bit of flesh on the bottom of each leaf. You dip the leaf into melted butter or mayonnaise first. If my description leaves you wondering, take a look at the steps on this link: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000262how_to_cook_and_eat_an_artichoke.php

Now we are off to bed ready for an overnight stay in Yosemite National Park tomorrow night.