Having only gone “RVing” once before for a weekend with the boys several years ago, some people might have thought Frank and I were crazy to sell everything, buy a motorhome and RV fulltime. However, Frank and I knew we could spend time alone together since we had been together 24hrs a day for the last couple of years without any problems.  So, we sold the house, bought the RV and set out on our fulltime adventure on June 10, 2021.  We love fulltime RVing and have no regrets.  There are some things we have learned along the way in the past six months.

            We bought a used, older diesel 45’ motorhome (2008) because it was a layout we loved, was in our price range, and had lots of storage.  Of course, the first few days (in our driveway), Frank had to start fixing some issues, which gave him time to figure out a lot of the systems.  Still, when we headed out there were some items still not working, including our leveling jacks.  Eventually he would replace the right parts and get them working. There are still some items that need to be worked on, but Frank keeps researching before starting on some of them.  For example, our dishwasher still isn’t working correctly.  Hopefully, that will be fixed soon – HINT HINT Frank! 😊

            On travel days we have developed a routine in which Frank takes care of the outside stuff: water, sewer hose, loading the bikes, car hookup, etc… while I take care of the inside: picking some items off the floor for the slides to come in, bringing in the slides, retracting the leveling jacks, etc… After the car is hooked up, I do the blinkers so Frank can check the lights.  There have been a couple of hiccups like forgetting to bring in the small awning over the door.  We just recently found out the engine must be turned off for the awning to work.  Who knew? 😊

            How do we decide where to travel and what to do?  That falls to me.  I ask Frank, but he just tells me wherever I want to go is fine and he says he likes what I’ve picked and what we’ve done.  I use the free app / website RV Parky to plot the general route for the year and to select possible campgrounds.  Based on people’s comments and suggestions, I make modifications. Due to RVing being so popular now, we must try to get reservations in advance as much as possible, so we can’t be as spontaneous as we might like.  State and national campgrounds must be paid for at the time of the reservations and many places require a deposit that varies from one night’s rent up to ½ of the total price. In some very popular areas, we have had to pay for those totally in advance, too.  Some campgrounds do have on-line booking, but there are still a lot that require a phone call to book a site. A few books are kept handy for me to refer to find some unique places or scenic drives, but I also use the internet. Before we arrive at a new place, I refer to Trip Advisor for the top sites / attractions to determine what would interest us.  If there are a lot of options, I usually ask Frank if he would like to do ….. or —- and he’ll give me his feedback. Recommendations for restaurants on Trip Advisor and Yelp are helpful and I also refer to the Diners, Drive-Thrus, and Dives App to see if there is anything in or near where we will be visiting. We have visited historic homes and museums, taken tours and hikes, sampled area specialties, and really enjoyed ourselves.

            We have determined there are three different types of groups in most campgrounds: permanent, stationary residents, travelers, and campers.  The permanent, stationary people chose to live in an RV for various reasons ranging from saving money, traveling for work assignments, and temporary situations that turned more permanent. They can usually be identified by the permanent steps, decks, and various outside items around their home. We are travelers since we like visiting places, trying new things, and learning about the area. However, at night, we like to be inside our home (the motorhome) on our comfy couch and recliner and watch TV together, read, etc… Campers are those that set up an entire outside living area. They tend to spend the first ½ hour to hour at the site hauling out chairs, rugs, grills, hammocks, firewood, lights, outdoor games, etc… The evenings and many times most of the days are spent outside and they usually have a fire going in the evening. While staying at Lake Livingston State Park for Christmas there were even people who put out Christmas blowups and Christmas lights for just a two-night stay.  Great that they have the spirit of the season, but that’s a lot of stuff to haul around and set up.  We are more minimalist in that area.  We did have a tiny tree inside, but that was the extent of our decorations this year since we spent Christmas day at our oldest son’s house. So, permanent, stationary residents, travelers, or campers – each is great and to each their own!  We will remain travelers and kudos to the permanent residents and campers!

            When we tell people that we fulltime RV, most people are fascinated and ask questions about it.  Many have expressed they want to do it, too or have friends and family that are fulltime.  The popularity has led to numerous Facebook groups, which are very helpful for those thinking of starting fulltime or those starting out.  People ask questions from how to fix something on their RV to what to do in various areas.  One thing I would recommend when joining any new group on Facebook is to use the search bar at the top of the group and search for what you want.  Trust me, 99% of the time the question has been previously addressed. It becomes rather tedious for those of us in these groups to keep seeing the same questions.  Only after going through the comments and posts that turn up after your search, should you pose your question.  I belong to an Instant Pot group, and it was so tedious to see the numerous posts: “I just got an Instant Pot, what should I do first?”  Please do some research before posing questions.  There are groups for everyone.  There are National Park groups in general and groups for specific national parks like Big Bend and Guadalupe Mts.  Also remember, that some people with no expertise do chime in because they “think” they know the answer.  I’ve asked Frank numerous times about some responses about electrical, etc… and he has shaken his head and told me the correct answer. As has been pointed out in these groups, do your research rather than just trusting total strangers.

            One of the big questions and decisions that must be made involves internet access.  Some parks offer free wi-fi and a few of them are really great.  Some of them buffer quite a bit but are useable for streaming TV shows.  Some are a total no-go.  State parks and National Parks do not offer Wi-Fi services, so while it saves money to camp there, we end up using more data from our plan.  We have a hot spot for Direct TV Stream which we use when there are no other options.  When we use that up, we start on the 40 gigs on Frank’s phone’s hot spot.   If we use all that, then we start using the 40 gigs on my phone’s hot spot.  Most of the time, it’s not a problem.  However, there have been a couple of places where we could not access any internet with our hotspots. It’s a good thing that Frank and I like reading, too. We try to always have a book or two downloaded on our personal digital devices.  This year’s adventure to the Rockies and more remote areas will probably test our internet access even more.  We have purchased a booster system, so we will see how that works out.  Who knows, we may end up like Robin Williams in the movie “RV” where he was on top of the RV with his arm stretched out trying to catch a signal. lol

            E-bikes intrigued us from the beginning, but we didn’t know if we were “bike people”; therefore, we bought a couple of used standard bikes in Cincinnati along with one for Bo for his visit.  They were okay, but I couldn’t do the hills and I really didn’t like my bike.  We determined we would have to go ahead and purchase the e-bikes. After reading a lot, we went to a few places to check some out.  Bike Lane in the Woodlands had a very helpful man that let us try out the Aventon Pace 350 and 500. While there we saw a big comfy looking seat on a bike, and I knew I needed that for my comfort. 😊 Aventon Pace 500 Step-Thru turned out to be the winners for us.  Pedago is a well known e-bike brand and highly thought of, especially by themselves.  For the price of one Pedago, we were able to buy our two Aventon’s on Cyber Monday with a $300 discount for buying two.  They arrived within a few days and were super easy to assemble.  A return trip to Bike Lane allowed us to purchase a heavy-duty hitch bike carrier and the large comfy seat.  E-bikes are heavy and require a heavy-duty bike carrier.  After a couple of days of riding them, Frank ordered him a slightly smaller version of my big comfy bike seat. On our very first day of riding the bikes, I took a tumble.  The road in the park had been repaved in the past year and there was a steep drop off. Of course, I found it when I turned to talk to Frank and got too close to the edge going about 11 miles an hour. (It’s a good thing I slowed down from 20 miles an hour.)  Frank says I bounced a few times and that it was a good thing I was wearing a helmet.  I skinned my left forearm up really bad, had three separate spots on my left knee, one on my right knee, one spot on each palm of my hands, a bruise on my left cheek and a goose egg on my left hip. Yikes!  I definitely left skin on that road! If you know about RV beds, you will know that we “climb” into them.  (Yes, we can walk around our king size bed, but we still have to climb in a little.) With scrapes on my left knee, forearm, etc… it was interesting to figure out a new way to climb in and out of the bed. I ended up climbing in by putting my right knee down (not on the scrape side) and flopping over into bed.  I had to climb out carefully so as not to hurt the scrapes on my palms since I place my hands on the side wall and pull.  It’s always an adventure. 😊  I did get back on the horse / bike and love it.  The kids gave us backpacks, fenders for my bike, and a rack for Frank’s bike for Christmas, so we are looking forward to more bike riding in our adventures this year. 

            Go West Texas RV Couple, Go West!  We will heed that advice and go west to Arizona before heading north.  Lots of national and state parks are on the agenda for this year.  It will be a matter of if the weather cooperates with us as to how much we will be able to see and do. On the list are: Big Bend, Davis Mts, Guadalupe Mts, Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, Saguaro, Organ Pipe Cactus Monument, Petrified Forest / Painted Desert, Grand Canyon, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, and more……  We hope you will follow along on our adventures on our Facebook Page – The Texas RV Couple and we’ll try to do some more YouTube videos!

Till Next Time,

Beth Cervenka

Come Explore with Us!

All of us of a “certain age” have heard of Laura Ingalls Wilder. We know her via her books, or the television series based on her books.  My introduction to Laura Ingalls Wilder occurred in elementary school. We only had one TV in our home, and it only had two channels, ruled by my father.  (We lived in the country and only had a TV antenna.) Therefore, if we didn’t want to watch what was decided by our father, we read. Also, I could be a little talkative in school (go figure), and the teachers soon learned that I always finished my work early and was tempted to talk. The surest way to keep me occupied was to let me read my library book.  In the fourth grade, the teacher and I had a kind of “telepathic” system. I would look up after I finished my work, catch her eye, and she would nod. Leaving the room with my library book from the day before, I would go across the hall, turn it in and pick out another. After returning to the classroom, I would immediately become engrossed in my new book.  I usually went through a book a day.  I read most of the history-oriented novels in the library. Thus, my love for history and reading kept me out of trouble at school and introduced me to Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Of course, I read all her books and I read them all before the fourth grade.

Laura Ingalls Wilder had one child, a daughter – Rose Wilder Lane.  I remember reading a small book she had written about her mother, but I just thought she was “riding on her mother’s coat-tails” so to speak.  When we visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home in Mansfield, MO, I found out I was so wrong about Rose.  In fact, Rose became well-known / famous before her mother started writing her books and it was Rose that encouraged her mother to write down the stories from her childhood.

            An interesting note, Rose Wilder finished her high school education while staying with her aunt – Eliza Jane Wilder in Crowley, Louisiana in 1904.  She was able to learn three years of Latin in one year and graduated at the top of her class of seven students. Due to her parents’ financial situation, Rose Wilder was not able to attend college. She did work as a telegraph operator in Mansfield, MO, Sedalia, MO, Kansas City, Indiana, and California.  While in California, she married Claire Gillette Lane and became pregnant. However, the baby boy was a stillborn and she was unable to have any more children.  While living a nomadic lifestyle with her husband, Rose was a voracious reader and taught herself several languages. In 1908, she began her writing career by writing occasional freelance newspaper jobs to earn extra money. In 1915, Rose served as an editorial assistant for the San Francisco Bulletin. However, her talents were not limited to editing and she began writing and had her photo and byline writing romantic serials that were published for weeks at a time. Rose even wrote firsthand accounts about the lives of Herbert Hoover, Henry Ford, Jack London, and Charlie Chaplin that were published. While her new career was flourishing, Rose and her husband amicably divorced in 1918.

            By the late 1920s, Rose Wilder Lane was “reputed to be one of the highest-paid female writers in America.” She also had a growing interest in world history and politics.  Rose easily found work as a “silent’ editor or “ghostwriter” for other writers in order to earn extra money. She was known for being generous with her friends and family building a new home for her parents. Today, known as the “Rock House,” it started out as a mail-order Sears & Roebuck house, but she had it customized and added electricity.  One series of articles she sold paid for the house and its customization. She even bought a car for her parents and taught her mother to drive it. She went on to modernize her parents’ farmhouse for her own use.  When you visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder home, you will see the farmhouse and the home that Rose had built for her parents.

            After WWI, Rose Wilder Lane worked as a traveling war correspondent and worked with the American Red Cross through 1965. She wrote for The Pittsburgh Courier, the most widely read black newspaper of the time from 1942-1948. She advocated anti-racism and laissez faire politics which lead to her being influential in the libertarian movement. In fact, Rose Wilder Lane, Isabel Patterson, and Ayn Rand have been called the “founding mothers” of the American Libertarian Movement. Rose returned to commercial writing when she reported from Vietnam for Woman’s Day magazine at the age of 78. 

While I made the visit to learn more about Laura Ingalls Wilder, I realized I already knew so much about her due to her books.  It was Rose Wilder Lane that caught my attention and piqued my interest.  It was through her connections that Laura Ingalls Wilder was published, which inspired many young girls through the years in her books, and even more in the TV series inspired by the books.  I do believe that I will be adding Rose Wilder Lane’s writings to my list of “to read.” I hope you will check out the Laura Ingalls Wilder home in Mansfield, Missouri and that you will learn more about her daughter – Rose Wilder Lane.

Until next time,

Beth Cervenka

Come Explore with Us!

Branson, Missouri has become a destination for many people in the last several decades and we wanted to check it out. When we first arrived, all the signage for the attractions and concert venues struck us as very touristy and a little bit like Vegas (minus the casinos 😊). Unfortunately, there were no “big” names preforming when we were there and just lots of “tributes” to various bands and performers, which was disappointing. However, we did want to check out some attractions and the Titanic Museum was on the top of the list. (They did not allow photography inside the museum, so those photos come from their website.)

           One of the first attractions that is hard to miss in Branson, is the Titanic Museum, which is done in the shape of the ship and even has an “iceberg” along the side.  This attraction was certainly on our list of must-sees, and it did not disappoint. I did wonder why there was a Titanic Museum in Branson, which is landlocked. According to their website, “The Branson Titanic Museum is one of two Titanic-themed museums owned by John Joslyn, who was part of a 1987 undersea expedition to explore the ship’s remains. While the ship-shaped museum seems huge, the exterior is built to half-scale of the actual Titanic.”  Due to the pandemic, we purchased our tickets online and received our “boarding time.” As we were “boarding” we were each handed a card with a person’s name, his / her biography, and if the person was a first-, second-, or third-class passenger.  We were instructed to keep our eyes open as we toured the museum to find out the fate of our characters.  Frank’s card was for the ship’s barber, who was a part of the crew. My card indicated I was a first-class passenger – a lady of means.  I was pretty sure “my” character would survive but was a little worried about Frank’s character. 

            We were also given audio “wands” and told that whenever we encountered a number along the way, we were to key the number into the wand to hear more information about what we were seeing.  Youth and children had different numbers for their audio tour at times.  I thought that was a neat idea to have special audio aspects for them to keep them interested.

            Seeing the grand staircase was impressive but what I found eye-opening was the floor in the area before the grand staircase was the most expensive material at the time. No, it wasn’t marble or granite or any kind of stone. It was linoleum square tiles.  What?  Yes, the linoleum tiles that everyone had in their homes, schools, and stores at one time and are now considered so cheap that no one wants them, was the most expensive flooring material at the time the Titanic was built in 1911 and 1912.  Go figure. 

  Personal effects of passengers and passengers’ biographies where interesting. There was an entire room devoted to the musicians and we learned there was more than one band on board, so when “the band played on”, they aren’t exactly sure which musicians those were.  There was an area for various crew members and there we found Frank’s character – Gus, the barber.  I was relieved to learn he would survive the voyage and continue his career as a ship’s barber.  Whew! 

            In one part they show angled “decks” to show what the pitch of the deck would be like at various times as the ship went down.  Some kids loved trying those out, but I really had to hold on to the rails to try to even take a step or two up the inclines and that was with rails on both sides that I could reach.  Imagine with only one rail or if I had no access to the rails at all.  I believe I would have been sliding back and into the water as the ship went down.

            The museum picks a different group each year to focus on for special exhibits and this year they featured the Jewish passengers and crew.  There was even a kosher kitchen and chef on board. An odd little connection is that Anne Frank’s father – Otto Frank – had gone to college in Heidelberg with Nathan Straus Jr. (whose friends called him “Charley”), the son of the founder of Macy’s department stores. (Straus’ parents famously went down with the Titanic when his mother refused to leave his father behind.) They became good friends and remained in contact.  Otto Frank enlisted Straus’ help in trying to leave Europe for America, but the destruction of the American Embassy in the Netherlands and the U.S. entering the war thwarted those efforts.

            As I had assumed, my character did make it off the ship and survived.  We spent about two hours going through the Titanic Museum and we recommend it. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes because you will be standing and strolling the entire time. While it did have audio wands and some exhibits that would appeal to children, I would not take young children or any child that wasn’t really fascinated by the Titanic.  My grandson, who is 10 is fascinated by the Titanic, so I would have taken him. Be sure to check out the Titanic Museum in Branson!

Until next time,

Beth

Come Explore with Us!

            Early in the 1980s, my parents and some other church members went to Eureka Springs, Arkansas to see The Great Passion Play.  I remember my mother talking about how the crucifixion of Christ looked so realistic and how she wondered how they managed the ascension of Christ because it looked so realistic. Since our plans had changed and we would have more time in Bentonville, Arkansas, I looked into tickets to The Great Passion Play in nearby Eureka Springs.

            As I browsed the website, I noticed they had tours of The Holy Land, a Backstage Tour, and we could eat dinner there.  It sounded great to me, so I booked our tickets for Wednesday, July 13, 2021 – or so I thought.  July 13 was actually a Tuesday, so I had the wrong day, but I wouldn’t realize that until we were at the site and were “late” for the Holy Land Tour.  What?  The play was on Tuesday night, and we arrived on Wednesday – OOPS!  Thankfully, the organization was willing to let us come back at anytime to use our tickets for the backstage tour, dinner, and play.

            On the way to Eureka Springs, we stopped at the Mildred Cooper Memorial Chapel, which is one of the Glass Chapels in Arkansas located in Bella Vista. We then stopped at Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, the first glass chapel in Arkansas.  Both are beautiful and we have now seen all three glass chapels in Arkansas having seen the Anthony Chapel in Hot Springs earlier.  They are open and are available for weddings. They even have “elopement” packages. If you are in the area, please visit them.

            When we arrived at The Great Passion Play, we didn’t stop at the gift shop but instead drove on down to the Christ of the Ozarks statue.  After walking around and viewing how it was built, we stopped in the little chapel nearby, saw a section of the Berlin Wall, and an Israeli Bomb Shelter. We headed back to the entrance of the Holy Land, and it stated thought the Holy Land tours started every 45 minutes, which would be 2:45, but we saw no tours.  I called the office to learn that we were late as the tour started at 2:00. That was my first inkling that something wasn’t right.  They told us we could walk down to the Tabernacle to catch up to the tour, so we headed out.

We caught up with the tour and in the course of events we learned this was not a “play” day.  What?  Oh, well, we went on with the tour and learned so much by the very informative guide.  (FYI: The guide kind of looks like a chubby Garth Brooks. I told him that when we returned for the play, much to my husband’s chagrin. lol) The guide informed us that they had taken trips to the Holy Land and tried to make things as authentic as possible. Several of the buildings and sets have been used in various Biblical movies. It was interesting to see the well that they walked into to dip their vessels and learn it was the place to learn all the “news” of the town.  We also learned that the Lord’s Supper would not have looked like we see in the famous painting as there were specific places for people to sit based on who the person of honor was and sitting traditions of the day. The Holy Land Tour is worthwhile, and we recommend it. Their website explains, “The Holy Land Tour is not like anything you have ever experienced. Walking through a life-sized replica of the Eastern Gate in Jerusalem into an authentic Marketplace, you will feel as if you are in the actual Holy Land. Tours are from 12:00pm to 3:45pm on days of Play performances and there are special guided tours every day but Sunday by advanced reservation. Do not miss experiencing Biblical life with your own eyes with cisterns, sheep pens, guard towers, and a full-scale replica of the Tabernacle.”

            We returned to Eureka Springs on the next Tuesday (an actual play day) and participated in the Backstage Tour.  We had the same guide that had done the Holy Land tour on our previous visit.  I knew my mother would want to know how they managed the ascension of Jesus, so I listened but forgot to take a picture. The person portraying Jesus dons a harness that goes between and around each of his legs and around his waist. The robe he wears has slits on both sides to allow him to attach the harness to two cables that are powered by two separate motors.  The guards hide him as he attaches himself. One motor pulls him up and the other motor pulls him back allowing him to ascend up and back at the same time until he disappears into the trees.  It is very effective, and I looked forward to telling my mother I knew the secret.

            The flogging done to Jesus is very realistic and they do actually hit him, and it does leave welts on the actor. We saw the costume room and learned at one point the actor portraying Jesus must really run to go from one set to another, so they added a door just for him to make it a shorter distance.  The door has a sign that reads “Not an Exit Jesus Only,” which was rather funny. We learned that the sheep that run through the set on three different occasions know where to go because they are fed in the different locations each time they run through.  A tour of the barns introduced us to the donkeys, doves, horses, and the camel.  The backstage tour is very eye opening, and I highly recommend it.

            After our backstage tour, we went to a dinner buffet and there were three pre-shows. The first one is serious and is called The Potter’s Parable, the second, David, the Shepard, is humous but is also enlightening. The third is done in the stands before the play and an artist sculps the bust of Christ as he gives his talk.  All were well done.  We did not visit the museums and gift shops, but I would recommend that you allot the time to check them out.

The play. Wow!  The lighting and sound and the sets really make this play outstanding. Even though the play has been performed since 1968, they change it every year and have added to the sets.  If you haven’t seen it before, you should go. If you haven’t seen it in many years, you should return.  As their website states, “Staged in an outdoor amphitheater, the multi-level set, special lighting and sound effects, live animals, and a cast of over 100 Biblically costumed actors come together to create the thrilling epic drama of Jesus Christ’s last days on earth.”

Northern Arkansas and specifically northwest Arkansas has a lot to offer, and The Great Passion Play is one of those.  There are even various mountain bike trails on the mountain that is home to Christ of the Ozarks and The Great Passion Play.  Plan on spending a full day or even more time there to enjoy all there is to offer in Eureka Springs.

            On what I thought was July 13, but was actually July 14, we headed to Eureka Springs, Arkansas to tour the Holy Land, gain insights by participating in the Backstage Tour, and view the famous Passion Play.  I was confused and it wasn’t the day of the play, but that’s another story.  On the way, I spotted a sign about Martin Greer’s Candies and pointed it out to Frank.  Chocolate was calling out to me, so as we came upon the store (in the middle of nowhere), we had to stop.  I reminded Frank that this was one of the reasons we chose this life – to be able to do spontaneous stops and enjoy. I sure did want some chocolate. Little did I know that this stop was going to really brighten our day.

            The first thing I noticed was the sign which indicated it was a father and son tradition.  I love stories like that. The very next thing I noticed where all the beautiful flowers sprawling everywhere in front of the small shop; of course, I had to take some pictures of them.  As we entered the small shop, we could see glass towards the back where workers were making candy.  There were also displays behind the glass with all sorts of chocolate delights.  How was I going to narrow down my choices and not spend a fortune?

As I looked around, I noticed several vivid paintings on the walls. A young lady came out to help us and explained that the largest one showed the original Martin Greer, Sr, his son, Martin Greer, Jr., and his son as toddler, in a room making candy.  She followed this up by pointing out that the owner of the shop was the artist and had done all the artwork in the shop.  That is not something you usually find in a candy shop, especially out in the middle of nowhere.

            About that time, an elderly man with a walker came into the shop from a side door.  The employee introduced us to Martin Greer, Jr, who began to chat with us. Originally born in Texas, because his father was in the military, we learned that his father began making candy in 1924. Just think, that is almost 100 years ago.  Mr. Greer was proud to say that he was 82 years old.

            Frank tells me I talk to too many strangers, but he chatted quite a bit with Mr. Greer on this occasion.  Mr. Greer pointed out some booklets on the side wall that he was selling, and I had to purchase the one about his years as a candy maker.  (He even includes his business plan in it.) When we told him we had retired and I had been a teacher, we learned the Mr. Geer had been an art teacher, principal, and superintendent.  He also happened to be Dr. Greer. He told us a little about the family history of making candy and then invited us to his studio next door.  I felt so privileged to follow him to his studio.

            The studio is covered in art, papers, some pottery, and the usual debris of having lived a creative life. Dr. Greer told his about his first job teaching art and how he was certified to teach elementary, but they wanted him to teach high school.  So, while teaching his first year, he had to go back to school to become certified for secondary education.  We commiserated over funding for schools and his first year he was allotted two cents for every art student for supplies.  That’s right – two cents.  In order to help with the funding of art supplies, Dr. Greer and his students produced animated films that were shown for an admission price and they also produced some puppet shows to augment the art fund. He even had some old 16 mm film in canisters of those animated films. 

            Dr. Greer was proud to show us a few pottery pieces he had done and how level they were on the bottom with a ridge.  I don’t know much about pottery, but evidently that was a big deal and he accomplished it on his first pieces. I nodded and smiled like I knew what he was talking about and complimented him on his pieces. 

            We learned during our time there that Dr. Greer’s wife had passed just the week before and he was grieving.  By reading his booklet, I learned that it was his second wife, and she is the one who insisted that the front had to have flowers and look inviting.  According to him, he would have been fine with fake grass.  lol

            Martin Greer’s Candies are made using “the best chocolate you can buy” and by “staying true to the recipes.  In his booklet, Dr. Greer states, “The recipes came from Rigby’s Reliable Teacher, published in 1897, and the recipes published by Bakers Chocolate in 1820.  Hand dipping is better than machine run chocolates.” Dr. Greer’s father’s advice was, “If your product is not better than what people can get at a store like Walmart, then the people will have no good reason to buy what you are making.”  They use Peter’s Chocolate, a milk chocolate, which was invented in Switzerland in 1875.  There is a lot of history behind these candies.

                Of course, Frank and I bought chocolate; I just forgot to take pictures of it before we ate it. Oops! We bought two pieces we could have right away in the car that had caramel, peanuts, and milk chocolate. YUM!  I had to have a small container of Rocky Road Fudge, and then an assorted box.  They make all the candies there in that shop, package them and even ship them.  According to his booklet, he has the tourist trade passing by in the summer, the locals buy from him around the holidays, and there is the shipping of his chocolates to the tourists who fall in love with his candies. I highly recommend Martin Greer’s Candies!

  If you are ever in northern Arkansas, please put Martin Greer’s Candies on the list of must stops.    You might not be as lucky as we were to meet Dr. Greer and see his studio, but you will surely love the chocolates! 

https://martingreerscandies.com/

Until next time,

Beth Cervenka

Come Explore with Us.