Today Rosie and I drove down to Emerson, AR, to attend the annual Purplehull Pea Festival. We had heard a lot about the rototiller races and were interested to see this for ourselves. Really, we simply couldn't imagine how folks would race with rototillers (or why for that matter).
Well, it was quite interesting. There were two divisions: stock (as is) and modified. There were two "lanes" with a starting judge in the middle. Here's the starting judge saying, "Gentlemen (or ladies), start your tillers!" Also, as any tiller starter worth his salt, he's wearing overalls; even if the temperature was almost 100F.
Here's two of the stock tillers "racing" down the strip.
Next come a couple of the modified tillers. Both were fast and kicked up a lot of dirt.
We heard several complaints about the rule changes for the tiller races this year. Seems like the size of the engine on the modified tillers has been significantly reduced. Last year the modified tillers really roared down the track - some with large motorcycle engines. Oh well, maybe they'll revisit the rule changes after this year's festival.
One of the highlights of the festival for us was the pea sheller - this was a cool machine. Here's the sheller on its trailer.
The peas (purple hull of course) are added to the top - about a half-bushel.
The peas come out the side.
And the hulls drop out the bottom.
The pea sheller was able to shell a half-bushel of peas in 2-3 minutes. Wow - that would take me half of a day. We bought a half-bushel of shelled peas and brought them home to HSV. They look yummy. Naturally, we had lunch of peas, corn bread, peach cobbler, and SWEET iced tea.
There were also several antique tractors on display.
However, my guess is many of these are still used on a regular basis.
I don't know if we'll ever return to the Purple Pea Festival. Now that we've "been there and done that", we can mark it off the list. However, if you've never seen tiller races, it's an event of a lifetime.
Rocky had the privilege of "giving the Bride away." He's ready to go in his tux. He and Marinel looked great.
After the wedding, Sherri and Scott cut the cake.
Sherri got the first taste. Open wide!
Kathy, Leon and their daughter, Danielle enjoyed the wedding.
We also got a photo of Jamie and Todd, but bummer, no family shot.
Following the reception and send off for the newly weds (complete w/ bubbles), we left for the 3 hour drive back to HSV. Good luck Sherri and Scott!
The VBS theme this year was Galactic Blast. Here's Commander Boone getting us ready for another evening of fun and excitement. Where's Galileo?
We had fun showing Whitney around the Hot Springs area. On Tuesday, we went into Hot Springs to ride on the Duck Tour. It's basically a tour down Central Avenue and a short foray into Lake Hamilton. Here's a picture of Whitney in front of one of the hot water fountains.
On Wednesday, Rosie invited another 9 year old girl, Mackenzie Lillard, to join them for a trip to Garvan Gardens in Hot Springs. Here's a picture of the girls in the gardens.
Here they are "Singing in the Rain" in front of the Garvan Gardens chapel.
On Friday, Amelia Martin, another 9 year old, came over to play. First, they had a "spa day" - complete with painted finger and toe nails.
After the spa, they went to the Tea Room for lunch. The Tea Room also has dress up clothes for the little girls. Whitney and Amelia are dressed up for lunch.
Whitney's return flight to Dallas, TX, left on Saturday afternoon. However, no visit to the Little Rock area is complete without seeing the Peabody Duck march. At 11 AM every morning, the ducks march down to the lobby fountain from their penthouse. At 5 PM, they return to their penthouse. Here are the ducks marching towards the fountain.
After the duck parade, we went to Cotham's restaurant in Scott, AR, for lunch. This is fairly close to the LR airport and the home of the famous "Hubcap" hamburger - which needs no explanation.
We had a great time and got off the lake before the temperature got too hot.
Here's two of the stock tillers "racing" down the strip.
Next come a couple of the modified tillers. Both were fast and kicked up a lot of dirt.
We heard several complaints about the rule changes for the tiller races this year. Seems like the size of the engine on the modified tillers has been significantly reduced. Last year the modified tillers really roared down the track - some with large motorcycle engines. Oh well, maybe they'll revisit the rule changes after this year's festival.
The peas (purple hull of course) are added to the top - about a half-bushel.
The peas come out the side.
And the hulls drop out the bottom.
The pea sheller was able to shell a half-bushel of peas in 2-3 minutes. Wow - that would take me half of a day. We bought a half-bushel of shelled peas and brought them home to HSV. They look yummy. Naturally, we had lunch of peas, corn bread, peach cobbler, and SWEET iced tea.
However, my guess is many of these are still used on a regular basis.
Next Doug and Tyler are waiting for the ball to come down.
Doug and Kyle are waiting on the ball.
Cherries are an important crop in this area of Michigan. Here's a cherry tree within "photo-op" of the car. 
