Oct 27 - Hot Springs Arkansas

We started out to find the high school that Bill Clinton attended. It is no longer a high school but it is certainly a beautiful building. On the way back we spotted the historic Hot Springs depot. There was a guy selling vegetables even though it was RAINING again today. Then we went downtown and found the Hot Springs city welcome sign which features a picture of Clinton on the front. As we looked at the fountain behind the sign we found that the back side features a student in the Hot Springs High School band (could be Clinton but we are not sure.) We then headed to the Arkansas Rehab Center – isn’t that weird? We are touring a hospital. This building was built as the first joint Army/Navy Rehab center after WWI (1933.) It was situated in Hot springs because of the healing mineral waters in this area. Although that sounds weird to us, it is pointed out that many of the issues addressed by the hot mineral water baths are now addressed by drugs – arthritis, muscle cramps, etc. This building was operated as a joint military hospital until 1961 when it was leased to the state of Arkansas for $1 for an unlimited period of time as long as it is operated as a rehab center. The construction is absolutely beautiful and the head of security told us the building was exceptionally well built. We were impressed with the detail including the front door, the office doors, and the elevator. Even though built as a hospital, this building reflected the timeliness of history and has now been named to the National Historic Register. We left there and visited some shops, including an antique shop where I twisted my knee as we came out the door. That finished our walking for the day. We rode to Lake Catherine and got a good picture of the dam and then rode up the mountain and got a good picture of the landscape. We came back to the hotel and rested for a while. We noticed that the sun came out and got a couple of pictures of the tower and of Rehab hospital in the SUN (first we had seen since we got to Hot Springs.) A soak in the hot tub certainly helped my knee. A good day.

We left Little Rock this morning and drove to Hot Springs, Arkansas, in the rain. When we first got there we drove up a winding mountain road into the Hot Springs National Park. At the top of the drive we found the National Park Tower. At the top of the tower you are more than 600 feet above the city of Hot Springs. We took an elevator to the top and there were clouds all below us. We got a few pictures that show the fall color with the clouds and a few that show the town below. We didn’t get out and walk in the park due to the rain but we headed downtown to check out some of the shops we had seen as we came in. The historic district of Hot Springs is really interesting. They have a lot of good shops (not the dyed tee shirt type) and the shop workers are extremely friendly and helpful. One of the owners told us about the hot springs cascade that is one of the very few still open (at one time there were 43 but they have been covered over to prevent contamination.) He also told us about President Clinton’s boyhood home. We went looking for the cascade. The cascade flows into man-made pools and James had to put his finger in the water to check the temperature. It was very warm but not scalding hot – it cools as it comes down the mountain side. From there we walked toward bath-house row. These are historic bath-houses which are inside the National Park. They all belong to the National Park Service and one is the National Park Service Visitor Center. It has been restored and is open for tours. The building is absolutely beautiful with stained glass ceiling tiles in several areas and beautiful cherry wood changing areas and very detailed tile floors. It was interesting to learn that this bath house was designed for the elite. While other bath-houses charged $.15 for a bath, the cost here was $.55 which restricted the clients to the well-to-do. Also, the men and women did not mix in the bath-house except in the main parlor. This even applied to the elevator. They would pass messages to each other by the elevator operator. We rode that elevator even though I was not at all comfortable due to its age. There were several things that amazed me, including the “needle shower” (a shower with multiple tiny heads) and the “hydro-therapy room” (I don’t know what they did with those hoses.) The one thing that just horrified me was the steam bath. Those things looked like an iron lung and there was no way you could get out without the attendant opening the metal bath. NO WAY! It was really obvious that there were major differences in the women’s facilities and the men’s facilities. The men’s area was much more elaborate and they had a full gym which could not be used by women. We left there and walked through the town. We found a small city park, two really nice fountains and lots of beautiful old buildings including a really elaborate historic hotel (by the way, look at the cars we spotted parked at that hotel!) We ate a late lunch (or early supper) at one of the cafes on main street – EXCELLENT FOOD! We then went to find Bill Clinton’s boyhood home. The people that live there have an official sign out front that it was his home; however, they do not allow tours. We then went to the Hot Springs Visitor Center where we saw the Hot Springs Walk of Fame. We were impressed with some of the names: Dizzy Dean, Johnny Cash, The Browns, several baseball greats, several people instrumental in horse racing, and President Bill Clinton. After that we were tired and cold so we headed to the hotel for the night. We had decided to splurge and stay at Embassy Suites for these two nights. It is nice; however, I am really disappointed to find out that they charge $10 a day for internet access in the room. I told the lady at the front desk that Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn and even the Comfort Inn didn’t charge for internet access and that I was really disappointed to learn Embassy Suites was so CHEAP! A word to the wise – be careful in making reservations.

Oct 25 - Antique shops

Today we spent the entire day in antique shops and flea markets. Only bought a couple of really small items. One was an advertisement of Phillip Morris Cigarettes which featured a picture of “Little Johnny.” I remember when he came into my Daddy’s café in Decatur and would sing out “Call for Phillip Morris.” Believe me it was dirt cheap and we only got it because it made me think of Daddy. The antique shops were really nice – lots of really good items and a wide selection. The flea market was JUNK! We only made one picture – I caught James missing Brooks! We ate at Cock of the Walk and got to the hotel in time to watch the Yankees and Angels. Tomorrow we leave for Hot Springs. We are about a week ahead of schedule which is fine with us.

Oct 24 – Clinton Center and Little Rock downtown

We made it to the Clinton Presidential Center by 10 a.m. and I am glad because it really took a while to go through it. As we drove into the parking area we realized there was a dog show being held in the park. It was HOWL-O-WEEN in the park with the proceeds going to an animal shelter. The grounds are really nice with some really good fall color in the leaves. We have seen the first reds in the trees since we got into Arkansas. It is interesting that north-west of the Mississippi, trees with red are not native to that environment. Another good reason to be from the south! We noticed there is an old railroad depot south of the Clinton building and an old railroad trestle to the north of the building. If you look at the total picture, it gives the Clinton building the conceptual appearance of being a huge track with the building mounted on it. Interesting that President Clinton said at the dedication that someone told him it looked like a big house trailer! Once inside, the first exhibit was President Clinton’s Mustang. It originally belonged to his brother but he bought it and had it restored while he was governor of Arkansas. The only thing that would have made it better would be that it was red! Also on the first floor was the Presidential limo. The write-up said it would seat 3 in the rear front-facing seat and 3 on rear-facing jump seats. From there we went to the second floor. The first room we went into was a duplicate of the Cabinet Room. We had a guide who pointed out that the President’s chair was 2 inches taller than the other chairs and she held the Presidential flag so we could make a picture. She also told us that when the building was under construction, the workers put a finishing coat on the wood floor in the Cabinet room only to come in the next morning and find raccoon tracks. They sanded the tracks and reapplied the finish coat only to come in the second morning and find raccoon tracks. The same thing happened the third night and this Presidential Library is the only one that has raccoon tracks on the floor! From there we moved to the beginning of the displays of the Presidential years. It was really impressive. Instead of having to read everything, there are TV monitors along the way with President Clinton discussing the displays. I was reminded of how much he was able to accomplish even with the other party in control of the legislature. When he took office we had a huge budget deficit, unemployment over 7.5% and major issues with poverty. All of these turned around in the 8 years he was president and there were advancements in every area. Funding was provided for 100,000 additional police officers, anti-terrorism law signed, Welfare reform signed, minimum wage increased, and we had a significant budget surplus when he left office. In his State of the Union address in Jan 1998 he said, “Now, if we balance the budget for next year, it is projected that we’ll then have a sizable surplus in the years that immediately follow. What should we do with this projected surplus? Save Social Security first.” It was really good to remember how good things were during his presidency. On that floor was also a series of displays about his younger years. We saw his diploma from Training Union at the Baptist Church, his picture while he was in the Hot Springs Arkansas high school band, pictures of him and Hillary when they were young, his first contract as a law professor at Arkansas University and his collection of saxophones. We also saw memorabilia from when he was governor of Arkansas (the youngest person elected governor) and I was interested in how much Hillary worked for the needs of children before she and Bill Clinton were married. There has been a lot of controversy about a statement she is quoted as making, “It takes a village to raise a child.” We saw the entire quotation and I will say that I agree with her statement when read in context. She said, “And we have learned that to raise a happy, healthy and hopeful child, it takes a family. It takes teachers. It takes clergy. It takes business people. It takes community leaders. It takes all of us. Yes, it takes a village.” I certainly agree with that statement. We also saw depictions of the First Pets, Buddy and Socks. We then went to the third floor. Here we found a duplication of the Oval Office including a duplication of the Presidential desk used by many presidents since Queen Victoria gave it to President Hayes. This floor also contained displays of many of the gifts given to the Clintons while they were in office. There were signs explaining the procedures for gifts. If the gifts are from other countries, they are accepted on behalf of the people of the U.S. All those gifts are in the care of the National Archives and its presidential Libraries such as the Clinton Presidential Center. If the gifts are from U.S. citizens or companies, the President must determine if he will keep the gift or if it will also become the property of the U.S. If he keeps the gift personally, the treasury department determines the value and the President must pay tax on the gift. You cannot believe all the gifts that were displayed. There were sports gifts, a gift from Lance Armstrong, and gifts ranging from a bronze ballerina to a beautiful wicker and reed horse. On this floor there also was a special exhibit entitled “Jelly beans and Jewels.” This was very special in that it included artifacts from other presidential libraries. There was a display of First Ladies dresses (most of them beautiful gowns.) There was also interesting displays of spurs given to FDR by Roy Rogers, beautiful jewelry given to various presidents. There was so much that I cannot possibly include enough pictures to have you appreciate this Center. As we were leaving we learned that the old Railroad depot next door is the Clinton school for public service, a Masters Program of the University of Arkansas. It is extremely difficult to get into that program which has only 35 students per year. President Clinton comes to this area and addresses those students about once a month. When he is in town, he stays in the Penthouse apartment atop the Presidential Center. When we left, we took the shuttle down to the Clinton Museum Store where we had our picture made with a very special person. We also went to the town park where they were having River-fest with an antique car show. By the time we got back to the hotel we were both exhausted. James has been to several Presidential libraries and he believes this is the most interesting for the general public. The displays are exceptional. I hope each of you have the opportunity to see this wonderful Presidential Center.