I have driven south from Creator of Diamonds State Park to this park. It’s on Millwood Lake and it’s a real lake! It does not have a forest of cypress trees growing in it and it is much deeper! It is another man-made lake. The state park is in the shadow of the causeway and the dam.

My site is just wonderful. I really like it here! As you can see I have a view right down the bay to the lake. I’ve seen lots of birds here. There actually is a flock of cardinals which is unusual to see. And there are the great egrets and blue herons as well.

Many of the people camping here are from Arkansas just taking a break. The person next to me pulled in with a big school bus after dark. I was a little leery at first. Druggie? There was another vehicle as well. Turned out to be a family member driving a small truck with a fishing boat for him.

So he has been fishing during the week here. Catching some big catfish and filleting them. I met him after he brought up some buckets of fish. His name is John and he’s in his early 50s. He & his wife own a farm about 15 minutes from here where they produce thousands of chickens ( yup …forgot the exact number) and has about 50 head of beef cattle. So it was interesting to speak with him about that. For example, the baby chicks are delivered to the farm a day old. ( Really? How do they arrange that! 🤔 ) There is a lot to set up with the heat, food and fans to help them thrive when they’re so little!! Quite a complicated setup.

He offered me some fish, but I said only if it was cooked! 😅 There’s a trick to making catfish so it tastes good and I sure don’t know what it is !!

There are nice walking trails here as well. I biked part of one and walked part of it. I found this neat teepee on the way . Looks like some kids had fun when they were camping in the area!

Historic Washington State Park

I was fortunate to find out that historic Washington State Park was not far away .It is located in Washington, Arkansas . What is unique about it, is that the state park is actually part of the small city! There is about an eight square block area that has the old homes and buildings preserved. Kind of like Heritage Hills in Wisconsin. But you just drive in and through it like a regular town. No admittance fee. It was pretty nice.

There was also a civil war encampment reenactment. You could walk by and interact with them to some extent. They were in uniform and sitting around the campfire and talking. Periodically they would shoot off a Civil War rifle.

Of course, Washington also has a blacksmith shop. Well this forge is an especially important one for all of the United States if not the world. You see it is the only one that makes shoes for Santa’s reindeer! I didn’t know the reindeer wore shoes like horses, but they do! And the reindeer can lose their shoes . When that happens they have to go back to the North Pole to get more shoes because Santa can’t carry so many along with all the presents.

So Santa asked if there would be honorary elves who could make shoes for his reindeer. The blacksmiths in Washington city volunteered and began making the shoes. But how would Santa get the shoes to every town where he stopped? Well the elves knew the children would help Santa, so the reindeer shoes are given to children who visit the forge at Washington, Arkansas.

The children agree to put the reindeer shoes under their Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. Then if any reindeer loses its shoe, Santa knows where to look to replace it. So the tradition of making reindeer shoes started at the forge in Washington , Arkansas and this is the only place where they are made! 🤗

I thought that was just a darling story! 💞

I was able to get them to give to the grandkids. 👍

The Decision

While I have been at this campsite, I’ve had to do some serious thinking in order to make a decision on whether or not to return to Wisconsin for Christmas. It’s easier to miss Thanksgiving than to miss Christmas. I’ve been talking with my family members and watching the reports coming out of Wisconsin. I’ve had to make the hard decision to drive south and not to go home. 😢

Driving home without the RV, I would have to stop at hotels which would add some risk. And interacting with family and friends over the holidays, even at a distance, even outside can be risky. All it takes is that one lapse when you get too close for too long or you just want to give someone a hug!

And thinking of how close it is for the vaccine to be given to all of us, it seems foolish to tempt fate.

It was a classic battle between the head and the heart. The head knows it’s better to stay away but the heart wants to go home. But I will be staying away, period. It is nice that I’ve had fun finding and ordering presents and sending them to Wisconsin to my resident Santa Claus to deliver.🤫 I hope to be able to zoom or FaceTime over the holidays, too,!!

So my next decision is where do I want to spend Christmas? I know the weather is going to cool down in the week ahead so I will be driving South into Texas. I have reservations at Martin Dies Jr. State Park near Jasper, Texas. I have been there before and it’s a pretty nice park. From there I am thinking of going down to the coast.
Wherever I go, I just better have good internet reception for Christmas day! 🤗
More to come…