I must go to Toad Suck...

Ah...Toad Suck Park. Never been there, but I did pass by there on the way to Little Rock, Arkansas. How can I resist being drawn to Toad Suck Park? Such appeal. Such visions of...well... I don't know. But, I must go there someday.

Toad Suck Park is located in Conway, Arkansas (about 25 miles north of Little Rock just off I-40). The story goes that the name came from a tavern that sat on the south bank of the Arkansas River in the nineteenth century. There was a ferry that operated out of the Toad Suck Saloon, giving rise to the name of Toad Suck Ferry. It is said that this place was a popular spot for the bargemen to pull over and drink rum and moonshine. They are said to have "sucked on bottles until they swelled up like toads."

Hey... I looked it up and found it here: http://users.aristotle.net/~russjohn/toadsuck.html

So don't blame me.

Anyway, in further investigation, it seems that many of the town names in Arkansas are versions of older French words. And, since the area produced sugar cane and molasses, and since the area was a sort of depot while awaiting transport, it is believed that the name is derived from "taudis sucre" which is French for "sugar shack."

(Isn't that an old song by Jimmy Glimer and the Fireballs?)

Well, whatever the case may be... I simply must get back to the sugar shack... uh, Toad Suck.

Now, you may be wondering what I was doing anywhere near a Toad Suck. Well, I attended a SWUUC (Southwest Unitarian Universalist Convention) near Little Rock, Arkansas this past weekend. It was the annual spring conference for the UU's and it was titled A NATURAL STATE OF BEING. It was hosted by the UU Church of Little Rock (wonderful people!) at the Arkansas 4H Center of Little Rock which is nestled in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains 10 miles west of Little Rock (great place!)

(C.A. Vines Arkansas 4H Center)

The whole conference was about environmental issues and how we, as the two-leggeds, can help to preserve our Mother Earth and all of her resources for future generations. My daughter and I, along with a friend from my church and her daughter, attended this green gathering. (I'm hoping to get some pics from my new friends in Arkansas. I'll post them when I do. The camera I had with me wasn't working. Brand new dud batteries. Jeez!)

It was a delightful experience, especially for my daughter. Or maybe I was more delighted that I could have my daughter be delighted.

It was a seven hour drive, but not a bad one. Once we crossed over the state line from Oklahoma the roads were good. (Sorry, Oklahoma... but, your roads suck. Not Toad Suck... just plain suck.)

We stopped at a Cracker Barrel to eat lunch on Friday and I must say, "I LOVE CRACKER BARREL!" I bought me a Gumby and a Pokey while I was there. (My daughter thinks I'm nuts.)
We arrived at the 4H Center late in the afternoon, had dinner at the center, and then went to the Opening Ceremony (which was nice. We got to sing all those UU songs that sound just like the Baptist songs only with different words).

Anyway, since I was really tired I just knew that it would be a good idea to get up the following morning at 6 AM!!!! to go on a bird watching hike. (Now, you have to understand that I was not about to miss out on walking through the Arkansas woods with a bad foot and very little sleep. Seemed like the thing to do.) So, I woke the girls and off we went.

My friend Virginia chose another path...sleep. But, that's what UU's do. We agree to walk on different paths together.

On our hike (yes... I had my binoculars) we saw:

white-eyed vireos

and, eastern phoebes

and, tons of barn swallows!

The barn swallows were all over the place. They were, like, dive bombin' ya! Very cool!!!

There were hundreds of little birdie voices in the woods. These are the ones I actually knew the names of. Not bad for a first time birder out of Hoboken, NJ., huh?

Well, Saturday was spent in one session after another. All day. We did some odd thing called the Council of All Beings, a series of re-Earthing rituals created by John Seed and Joanna Macy to help end the sense of alienation from the living Earth. Yeah, it was weird. But, then... I like that kind of stuff. You'll have to try it some time.

I was told that we could use the canoes that were available, so of course, (during a stolen break ---shh! ---) I took the girls out for a lazy paddle. The lake is not really big enough for anything else. But, we had fun. The girls learned all about who was in control. It was a hoot watching them as they tried to figure out why we were going in circles. I eventually let each of them get the back end of the boat where the power is.

Then, during another (stolen) break (shh!) I took them on another hike through the woods. (Yes, I know. But, again, it seemed like a good idea to give my bad foot a good workout. Go figure!) We came across some cages with coyotes in them. There was a sign that said Re-hab center, so I'm assuming it's some sort of reintroduction thing. It was really strange, though, to see cages in the middle of the woods.

Saturday evening all the UU's gathered for one last meal and then some entertainment. Really enjoyable. After the show, some of us got together for some last conversation and some wine. Lots of wine. Really lots of wine. Really, really lots! Surely too much.

I had a glorious time. Met some wonderful people. (Alice... you are a gem!) And had an adventure.

My daughter had a glorious time. Met some wonderful people. And had an adventure.

Life is good.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GxM6mAK60Y