You can't say that this is not a creative name for a motel!  Rip Van Winkle slept for 20 years and woke up and found everything different! Wikipedia says, The story of Rip Van Winkle is set in the years before and after the American Revolutionary War. Rip Van Winkle, a villager of Dutch descent, lives in a nice village at the foot of New York's Catskill Mountains. An amiable man whose home and farm suffer from his lazy neglect, he is loved by all but his wife. One autumn day he escapes his nagging wife by wandering up the mountains. After encountering strangely dressed men, rumored to be the ghosts of Henry Hudson's crew, who are playing nine-pins, and after drinking some of their liquor, he settles down under a shady tree and falls asleep. He wakes up twenty years later and returns to... 01/27/2009

A few months ago I wrote about one of remaining two full-service filling stations in Searcy Arkansas.  I confessed that it is my one luxury that I will not give up until they are gone.  I sit in my car and they pamper me by cleaning my windshield, checking my tires, and whatever else I request. Yesterday my favorite filling station took a direct hit as this picture from the Daily Citizen shows. The entire article is found at the Daily Citizen on page 1 of the newspaper. The truck driven by a Duncan (no relation) came crashing over the curb, hit the self-service tanks and knocked them over, landed on a car and created a huge fireball that singed the station before being put out.  The only person hurt was the driver. The people who would have been in the car were inside paying out. Guess ... 01/26/2009

The old Mayfair Hotel in Searcy Arkansas was majestic.  It was near a park that had healing spring water, a railroad dropped people off close-by and it was a popular hotel.  This old postcard shows how great it was.  I drove by today and snapped a present day shot of it from the front and from the back.  The back view shows how big it is and was.  Trees have grown so big it is hard to get a shot of the entire front.  Wouldn't you hate to have to go around this whole building painting those exposed rafters? And now here's my favorite story about the Mayfair.  A delightful Yankee named Nick D'Auteuil came to Searcy and bought the hotel.  He made himself a nice suite inside it, rented out rooms, ran the restaurant, and kept it for many years.  As he was getting rid of the hotel himself, he... 01/25/2009

Lots of Searcy readers have been commenting on old Searcy Arkansas and the things they used to do, the places they visited, and the way the streets were laid out.  One of the readers, Harold Gene Sullivan, sent me this photo with some landmarks already labeled!  Look at all the old trees and the space between houses.  He thinks this was approximately 1948. Still standing are the Courthouse, the post office building, the Mayfair Hotel, Methodist Church and there is a new First Baptist on the spot of the old one.  He also included this old Searcy map which shows how the streets and railroads were laid out.  I believe the triple lines indicate railroads and how they serviced the town.  01/24/2009

Since we had so many Searcy people trying to figure out yesterday's old photo, here's another.  I believe Paula made this with her Girl Scout's project in photography in the 40's.  I can remember, almost, hearing people talk about Economy Wholesale, but being new in town, I certainly don't know anything about it.  So where was this, whose car was this, is this the front or the back and is that Don Thompson standing on the porch?  LOL  01/19/2009

This fantastic old picture of downtown Searcy Arkansas is worth displaying.  You see our old Courthouse in the background and I believe this is part of the old Ford Buick Place.  I called my husband in to ask him where it was and he got all excited and said it was on the East side of the Courthouse and housed the John Deere Store. I pointed out the signs say car and truck so he then thought it might be something else.  I think the picture may have been taken by my photographer friend Paula when she did her 4H project in photography and she can surely straigten me out as to where this was and what the background is.  Look at what appears to be a church in the background and the house on the horizon fascinates me. Please, Searcy readers, tell me more!! 01/18/2009

I blogged about the very creative invitation that I received to the Preview Party of woodartists Tim Hogan, Robert Miller, Sheila Skinner and Paul Pitt. I attended the event last night, Thursday January 15, 2009.  The artists had brought out lots of their works for exhibit or purchase.  I snapped a few pictures to share on activerain.  This first picture shows work by Paul Pitt who is a professor at Harding University and does magnificent clay products and carved flutes.  His picture is shown on the table in a frame.  When I attended Harding University he was my ceramics' teacher.  If you've ever tried to throw a pot on a potters' wheel, you'll appreciate a nice pot a whole lot more.  It's not easy. This picture shows Dr. Robert Miller, retired dentist, who can devote all his time to hi... 01/16/2009

The other day I didn't write a blog and I actually felt guilty.  That's a strange feeling to have just because you didn't write a blog.  So I started wondering why I do any blogging in the first place. My website already pulled up on the first page of Google.  My business was doing fine.  So when I started blogging over a year ago, I had no idea what I was getting into.  I had to learn.  I had to meet people.  I found people on the activerain blogsite that I really liked and hope to meet even more. Looking back now I can see that being on this blog makes me more aware of everything.  If I'm driving around town and cut through a cemetery I think, "I sure like these graves over here with no plastic faded flowers a lot better than those I just drove through with awful flowers on them.  I w... 01/15/2009

Perhaps you get tired of hearing about skunks and possums and how many we have around my house due to our being too free with food and because my Raven-eating cat has cat food on the porch which she'll share if she has a juicy crow or bird to eat.But here's another success story.  We had a heck of a time catching this one.  He absolutely played with our minds.  He was so beautiful with the white and black stripes.  As I saw him flaunting his beauty I wondered why no one has ever had a skunk-fur coat.....probably not even Cruella De Vil in the movie about 1001 Dalmations.Canned sardines baited the trap.  No deal.Cat food AND sardines baited the trap.  No deal.Weiners baited the trap and got eaten but caught nothing.Bacon!!  Bacon!!  He loved bacon.  Bacon trapped him.We got up and he was... 01/13/2009

I received a box in the mail.  It was a neat little white box that was easy to open. When I opened it it was filled with sawdust and a small card lay on top of the sawdust. What is this?  Did they forget to put the object in?  Is this a joke?  Where's my gift???? Then I read it.  It was an invitation to attend the preview of our White County wood artists's exhibit.  They put out a lot of wood shavings!  It is to be Thursday January 15 at the Searcy Art Gallery.  BRILLIANT!  The invitation went from being just another invitation to one that excited me.  I'm going!  And whoever thought up the clever invitation method gets my applause!!   01/11/2009

This old photo shows a lot of men and boys (Where are the ladies?) dressed in their Sunday (probably) fine suits and one man is pushing the other in a wheel barrow.  I like the way they are all dressed the same, just as we dress alike today and this was around 1900. The White County Historical Society has this to say about the picture. Election Bet. Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad conductor Ed Ferrell cashes in on an election bet in this downtown Searcy scene c1900. Ferrell is the passenger in what appears to be the payoff of an election wager. The power unit is Claude King who operated a dray service in Searcy and was a member of the town's brass band. The wheelbarrow is the type used by the Henry Wrape Co. at their plant which was owned by Searcy Flooring & Lumber Co. The indivi... 01/09/2009

Here's another one of our old Searcy historic homes. My history of this goes back several years but not nearly far enough back to supply the historic background.  I'm depending on my Searcy readers to do that. I remember a physician who bought this home and spent lots of money restoring it and he and his family lived in it for several years.  He then sold it and a few businesses were operated there.  One was a tea house with fancy little sandwiches and things loved by women.  If you went in there were several women sipping away and if there was a man in the house, he was cowering down hoping to not be recognized. The tea house didn't last long.  Now it is a shelter for the homeless.  That is a great use for it and money is probably needed to help support it.  I personally hope the shel... 01/07/2009

Dear Mother Nature, This is Arkansas.  A-R-K-A-N-S-A-S.  You know.  We're the state that you usually give a sprinkling of snow once a year and maybe a little ice occasionally just to keep us on our toes.  You probably even chuckle when one of us slips on the ice and takes a spill. But this is January.  The roads were clear and I looked outside my window and found these icicles on the shrubs.  So, Mother Nature, you surely dropped these things mistakenly in our fair state when you were on your way to New York or Illinois or Montana or any of those states that love seeing you come. I can understand your mistake but please don't leave us anymore and if possible pick up the ones you left us  by noon.  Christmas is over.....icicles are no longer fashionable. Sincerely, Barbara S Duncan ABR,... 01/05/2009

WOW!  Were you watching football yesterday?  I don't call myself a must see footbal fan but I do enjoy watching it when I'm not doing anything else.  I like to keep busy and rarely like to sit around.  Anyway, that's enough about me. General Motors stated that they will not do any advertising during the Super Bowl because of their current economic condition.  I was really shocked by a car commercial while watching this football game yesterday.  It was not General Motors, though they did have some commercals.  This commercial was done by Hyundai.  Because of the current economic condition throughout this Country, they just introduced a new program called Hyundai Assurance.  What they advertised is if you buy a new Hyandai and you lose your income within the first year, you can return the... 01/05/2009

With the endless negativity of the news media, I was curious on how the interest rates really did fair for the past several years.  The media goes on and on about how bad the real estate market is and that is why the interest rates are so low.  I was giving this some thought and remembered that I was closing deals several years ago with low interest rates.  In my market, the local lenders e-mail me the interest rates daily.  Well I have these going to it's own folder in my e-mail program.  The other day I thought I would do a little fact finding and see how the rates are really playing out.  Below, I have attched my spreadsheet showing what the rates were being quoted on the reference date since December 1, 2003.  As you can see, we had rates at 5.75% in 2003 and they were 5.5% on Decem... 01/05/2009

  Driving around Searcy and admiring some of the old buildings, you're apt to come upon this one.  It is located near downtown at 308 E Market and is one active business location today. It's known now as Strother-Wilbourn Land Title Company but previously was known as the Lattimer House.  I'll have to call on my Searcy history experts to tell me who the Lattimers were. The Strothers did most of the title searches in White County for years.  Several years ago Jim Wilbourn became the owner and he still does the majority of title searches in our area.  He also bought the great old house and has kept it in pristine condition, preserving our history. 01/01/2009

How will you celebrate the New Year tonight? We will all be welcoming the 2009 year with great anticipation and hoping we don't revert to an older less affluent time. Isn't this picture wonderful.  This child has had his hair slicked for the photograph and has had to sit through a haircut at a young age. He has on Buster Brown's, you can be sure.  All children wore Buster Brown outfits 60 years ago.  And he has on shoes that are sensible with solid soles for walking. The shoes have probably been polished with white shoe polish and may have been through several children's wear. The family radios, a big one and apparently a small one are on the table.  And the table had to have a floral skirt to dress it up. Relative's photos are on the table.  The chair is an old one but new for then!  I... 12/31/2008

Here's another great picture of old Searcy Arkansas.  I've never seen this picture before and had no idea that there was once a converted railroad car located at the corner of West Race and Pine Streets.  This picture was sent to me by Don Thompson who says he loved eating there because they had the very best BBQ sandwiches and pecan pie. Don also says that one of the ladies at the entrance is Anita Fuller's mother, Corrine Hart.  Don and Anita are frequent contributors to this blog!  Thanks to both of you.  Now hopefully, we can get a little more information about this eating establishment. 12/28/2008

I've posted lots of old pictures of our little town, Searcy Arkansas during the past few months.  Lots of them were taken by Paula Anne when she was a Girl Scout and had a photography project to take care of.  Pictures that she took then and she probably considered useless but Mom and Dad thought were wonderful because their little girl took them are now treasures.  I'm going to repeat one of my favorite pictures of her as a little girl when she won the camera.  She's the tall girl in the background.   Yesterday she and her husband Don visited me at my office and he, being the greatest photographer now, snapped the two of us together.  They love the history of our town and regularly contribute with comments on the Localism blogs.  Thanks, Paula Anne and Don for your contributions to Sea... 12/24/2008

The doorbell rang! My husband said that I have a guest so get off that computer and come and greet him! It was the praline man!!!  OMG!!  I was so happy to see him.  He's better than Santa but similar because he comes once a year.  The special treat that he brings is pralines! What's a praline? A praline is a special candy that is made from brown sugar, granulated sugar, cream, butter and pecans.  And calories. It's a delicacy of the South.  Wikipedia says that it dates back to New Orleans colonial origins.  You can buy pralines on the streets of New Orleans and in many stores in the South. But none of it is as good as homemade!  And none of it is as good as the Searcy Arkansas praline king makes.  He has halves of pecans and they are covered with the sugar concoction.  You can pick up ... 12/18/2008