The NEW park

There are places in our lives which, like people in our lives encourage, comfort, inspire and entertain us.  They are dependable, yet invigorating.  They are stabile, yet surprising.  Like friends, we learn their ways and characteristics through time and experience.

One such place was the Lake Fort Smith spillway.

Lovers have both initiated and renewed their vows of love on its ledges.  Giggling children have dipped their toes in its inviting coolness.  Would be philosophers have contemplated the mysteries of existence while listening to the voices in its trees and waters.

In the gentle fall, I have known its colorful, reflective quiet; in the stark winter: raging, explosions of power.  In the spring it was like an expectant young mother preparing for birth and its stable patience under girded the noisy, playful crowds of summer.

In its demise, there is the comfort that places remain to which we can go for encouragement, inspiration and entertainment and there are new acquaintances awaiting us.  But the beauty lost, the dignity of its existence, the effect it has had on my life and the sweet, hilarious collection of memories require this eulogy.

A few years ago a vote erased one of my favorite places on earth.  I created three artworks entitle Eulogy and wrote the above work.  It was on display in a gallery for a good while.  I had several people ask for one or another of the pieces, but I still have them all ?-who knows.
So last Sunday, I mosied over and visited the recently open 'New Lake Fort Smith State Park."  It was nice.  Not the old one.  You can't visit the Evan's Point Loop and climb around in the caves.  You can't slip and slide on the rock spillway.  You can't climb down to the grotto and stand under the falls in the heat of summer or sit on the crag at sunset and watch the eagles.  But it's nice.  It has a super water play area and pool. -Expensive, but super.  It has nice shady camping spots sans lake view but large with full hook-ups.  It has an awesome up-to-date playground and covered picnic areas with a nice little marina and good sized, well placed boat slips.  Yeah, the other's gone - buried under mounds of concrete and gravel, but the trail is 10 miles shorter and has a great beginning.  Word is it sports a nice waterfall and some good views and maybe I'll take on a chunk of it when I can. 
So, welcome Lake Fort Smith State Park - sans memories.  Sigh!

The included pictures are pieces I created for an educators show the year it was closed to build the new dam.