Why, why, why???

I had an interesting conversation with a five year old in the campground this afternoon. Five year olds have a propensity for asking the age old question...why? Here's how it went:
"Why do you have a motorhome?".....So I can go where I want to.
"Why do you have a car too?"....Because the motorhome won't fit in the grocery store parking lot.
"Why don't you have a boat?"....Because it won't fit behind the motorhome & car.
"Why does your dog lick so much?"....Because she's excited.
"Why are you going to Missouri?"....Because I can. Then he got down to the nitty-gritty.
"Why do you have grey hair?"....Because I'm old.
"If you're old, why aren't you in a nursing home?"....They've got to catch me first!

What fun! I haven't been grilled so much in a long time. He soon moved on with his companions to the two dogs next door. His older brother came back to report that the puppy had chewed up the tablecloth. I told him that's what puppies do when they're left alone. The older brother then wanted to know how I could afford to buy groceries if I just drove around the country. A brief discussion ensued and the young man had an "aha" moment as he told me that he figured out that I get money from being a principal and they put the money in the bank (since they wouldn't give me cash) and I have to go to the bank to get the money. Good figuring for an eight year old. It was an enjoyable encounter with some of Arkansas' youngsters.

This morning I, with Emma in tow, went to meet the park naturalist for a scheduled nature hike. We got there about fifteen minutes early, so I took Emma down the trail I thought we'd be taking to expel some of her energy rather than just standing around waiting. A few yards into the trail was a sign pointing to a 1/5 mile loop. I was sure we could accomplish that little hike in time to return for the guided walk. How wrong I was! With cloudy skies and rain coming down, my sense of direction was not the best and the short loop turned into a rather lengthy hike. There were lots of trail intersections and I hadn't brought a map with me. Needless to say, we missed the guided hike and I almost began to wonder if we'd ever get out of the woods. We ended up no where near where we started, and fairly soaked. It was a good hike and I'm happy to report that I cleared out all the cobwebs for later hikers. ;) There's nothing like a few hundred wet cobwebs in the face to invigorate your day.

I've decided to stay an extra night at this park. I'll be going to town to find a laundromat tomorrow and I want to stop and see Pickles Gap and Toad Suck....

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy