Sundays are typically set aside for church and time with Mom.  The day was going to be a hot one, so I decided to pick Mom up early for our outing.  She wanted to see Roaring River State Park after looking at the pictures Carol and I shared with her from our ride.  It’s a short trip form Pea Ridge and seemed like a great way to spend the Sunday before the 4th of July.  On our way there, Mom commented about how beautiful this area is.  I agreed and we talked about the blessing of living in such a great place. In a way, we were having our own mini-worship.  As I mentioned, she doesn’t live far from the park so we were there in no time.

I pulled in alongside the fishing bank under a tree, so Mom had an easy walk over to see the river and visit with the anglers.  She was impatient to see the fish, and kept asking whether they were biting. ( I think I see a fishing trip coming when the weather cools.) I think I mentioned before that the river is so clear and there are so many fish, that as soon as you walk up you can see the trout in the water.   A woman saw Mom walking over on her walker and stopped to see if we were ok, and then visited with us about the park and the fish and Mom listened attentively.

 We walked over to a friendly looking guy, who’d smiled at us when we pulled up.  Mom asked, “Are they biting? I don’t see anyone catching anything.”  He said “Yes, Mam they are, but I’m not having any luck.”  “Well I believe that would make me mad seeing them in the water like that, and not biting.”  The fisherman laughed and said, “Well Mam, sometimes they’re just ornery like that.”  We thanked him and got back in the car to drive a little further to the hatchery area of the park.  Unfortunately, the parking area, and hatchery are in full sun, so it had to be a quick stop. I put a quarter in the fish food machine and handed the pellets to Mom.  She was amazed looking in the tanks, at the number and size of the fish. She giggled a little when she saw their response to the pellets. “Wow, those suckers are hungry.  Look at them.”      

  From where we were standing it was possible to see the cave from which the spring originated that fed the river. Mom said, “Isn’t that something that water comes out of a rock, and makes this river with all the fish living in it?” I hadn’t thought about it that way, but yes it is something to ponder.  By the time we’d done all that, Mom was ready for lunch and had decided that a fish lunch was in order, so we headed to the lodge.                                                         

If you do visit the park, it’s worth a stop, even just for a cold drink, to sit in the lodge restaurant, because it has such a lovely view. They will also prepare the trout you catch and serve you a dinner or lunch with your own fish.  Mom wasn’t kidding about that fish and ordered a fish sandwich.  It was quite generous, and as she noted, quite good.  (in fact, she still mentions it occasionally.) I had the meatloaf special, and it too, was quite tasty.  One the way out, we picked up a t-shirt for Mom so she could remember where we’d been that day, and headed home.  It had been a good day—a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.