On the Road Again: Day Two

We departed Memphis bright and early this morning, taking I-40 West amongst a large convoy of tree removal and power company trucks:


and here we are, crossing the mighty Mississip and entering Arkansas:


We continued west toward our first destination: Magazine Mountain, the High Point of Arkansas. Did I mention that High Points were also a high point on our trip? I was amazed at the beautiful swamp sunflowers that decorated the roadside as we climbed up the side of the mountain.


Here's the view from the top:

We were in a hurry because our GPS told us that we might possibly reach our next Fay Jones Chapel, Thorncrown, before it closed if we kept the pedal to the medal and there were no untoward delays. Well, the roads were curvey/windey and there was blowdown damage from Ike necessitating tree removal, so we were detained a bit. Then, our beloved GPS and Google Maps both told us to turn in the wrong direction, so we lost another 15 minutes of time! We rolled on up to Thorncrown Chapel just as the volunteer was putting up the CLOSED sign. I begged her to let us enter, and she was kind enough to do so! Phew!!

Here you are: Thorncrown Chapel, Eureka Springs, Arkansas:

As we entered, I heard a musical rendition of "In the Garden", my mother's favorite hymn. My adrenaline was pumping, and just hearing that familiar tune almost made me drop down into a puddle! The volunteer was very sweet and invited us to take a seat and just enjoy the beauty. We did:


Here again, Fay Jones designed the chairs for the chapel:


It was past 5:00, the volunteers were gracious enough to let us stay as long as we wanted, but we needed to move on to Bella Vista and the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel:


So far, this is my favorite of all, and unfortunately it is late as I write this and I don't have time to really do it justice. We arrived after 5:00 PM, its closing time, but that was almost better because we didn't feel rushed to visit and leave. We wandered the grounds, walked the wonderful paths and just inhaled its beauty. This chapel was built in 1993 and may well have been one of Mr. Jones' last....but I am not sure, so don't quote me on this. It is so wonderful!!! Both C and I felt that it is our favorite thus far.

the lines and arches are just incredible..........and I love the door (enlarge the pic and see where the hinges are and how it opens!)


just look at those lines!


and as we walked on the paths surrounding the chapel, we saw the lovely inviting benches and felt Fay Jones.


Dinner tonight featured yummy ribs at Smokey Joes in Bentonville, AK, home of you guessed it: WalMart!!!

PEACE, HOPE, CHANGE, NO WAY: McCAIN/PALIN

I AM A MAMA FOR OBAMA!!!