About Searcy's Downtown Searcy Ar

We usually hate getting mail that is trying to get us to buy something, don't we? Not as much as we hate telemarketers but we usually glance at it and then throw it in the trash.

Mail a few days ago, however, caught my eye. There was this fantastic photo of an old truck with Sowell's Home Supply, PHONE 499, Searcy ARK on a large card.

One the back the owners of Sowell's was inviting us to Sowell's Furniture to celebrate their 64th year in business. On March 19,20, and 21 they want us to stop by at 207 West Arch Avenue and wish them all a Happy Birthday. They'll give us a discount on lots of furniture items. I need a new LazyBoy chair so I plan to visit.

The girl in the truck is reportedly Betty Lynn Sowell Mote who still operates the store along with her sister Nancy. Nancy says the time-frame of the picture was probably 1953 to 1955 and the location was the 900 block of Arch Street.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SOWELL'S FURNITURE!! I loved your advertisement!

Less than six months ago, the area in front of Searcy Country Club was wooded, filled with soaring pines and deer and skunks and opossums and other wildlife.

Then we noticed heavy equipment out there clearing the area. Then we noticed surveyors planning roads and a subdivision. Hubby came home one day and said, "Well, the lots just took a big jump in price because they hit solid rock where they're trying to dig for the sewer lines."

Driving by it each day has been interesting. Today I snapped a picture of their pretty little gate-house. It will be Searcy's second gated community and the first with a gate-house. What the gate-house will be used for is a mystery. Perhaps it's just looks.

It is attractive though! I love the copper that is shiny and bright right now and the little spires on the top are charming. I could almost do a sequence of how to build a fence. They are putting up concrete blocks and then covering with native stone as you can see in this picture. The name of the subdivision is The Dominion.

It's Searcy's latest and possibly fanciest subdivisions. I'll be watching its progress and hoping to be able to sell a lot or two!! If anyone reads my blogs and remembers my skunk hunts you'll understand why the animals came to my house.

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 who would have been in her car, enjoying the luxury of full service. The truck pushed the self-service tanks over to the full-service tanks and I would have been sittin' there beside those full-service ones. I'm thankful that no one else was injured and that I didn't need gas at that minute.

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 his greater love, wood artistry. He had a long successful career as a dentist, my dentist in fact, and painted and did art work on the side until he retired about two years ago. His carved items are beautiful. I bought one of his bowls!

A photograph shows artist Tim Hogan who is standing beside some of his wood art creations. This was my first time to meet Tim Hogan but I was very impressed with his art work. The last picture shows more of his art work. Look at the cowboy hats! Imagine carving a cowboy hat out of wood!

It was a successful night. We have a lot of very creative artists in our little city of Searcy Arkansas and our large county of White. Drop by the Searcy Art Gallery and view the exhibit.

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!!