Greetings From Pine Bluff, AR

Today has been a lay low day. Probably good as it has POURED something fierce. We got to tour a lot of Pine Bluff as we waited to meet our friend H. at noon. There is nothing in Pine Bluff. But there are signs everywhere announcing a juvenile curfew. No one under 16 is allowed out alone at night apparently.

I did convince M. to drive out and try to find the arsenal. We followed the map - and got a nice tour of the industrial park- and saw nothing. In a last ditch effort, I suggested we follow the numbered route up to the next town as by the map it looked like it ran right next to the building. Part of me figured that there would be no way we’d see anything. I mean… they make you take your shoes off to get into the airport would they really say - arsenal the size of RI, right this way, please keep inside the yellow line….

But…Sure enough not far up the road was a green highway sign announcing it’s presence, and road signs in., We went. Well at least as far as the big military gate check point with the guard on duty. We then turned around in the parking lot of the administration building and headed back.
In truth, I probably would have gone up to the gate and asked to go in… but M. does not share my audacity in this manner. I think, hey, if the military is going to have a facility like this and put it on the map and put up big green highway signs saying ‘here I am’ then, by golly they should expect enquiring minds to come enquire. M. thinks: Guantanamo Bay. As I had pushed at his comfort zones quite far to get to the point we were at, we went no further and I have no pictures.
Later H. told us that a few times a year there are major “events” at the hospital because of some accident that happened there - chemicals, things blowing up, etc. M. didn’t say it, but I could hear him thinking, “Yes, Su, another good reason NOT to go visiting.” True I suppose and I’d have even less respect for the whole thing if they had a visitor center and offered tours. But still… if you’re going to be that big and be on the map, I think you should give us loony tourists something.

Anyway, we left the arsenal to catch up with H. and visited a while. When she went to nap (she’d just gotten off a 48 hour shift), we went to the nature center. THAT was actually very cool. It’s the best nature center I’ve ever seen. Who would have thought? We saw giant catfish, salamanders that looked like eels, Great snakes, a spotted gar fish, alligator and bald eagles. The ceiling was filled with taxidermied birds and the ‘children’s room’ had pelts to feel.

On the one hand…ewww. (I am not nature girl) on the other hand, I had no idea that a opossum was soft! It was very cool.

Pictures of some of this will come tomorrow and we’re not sure what tomorrow will bring due to weather and that we will be returning to H’s tomorrow night.