Hot Springs Arkansas

 A quick road trip

On the way home from our granddaughters graduation from the University of Alabama (Roll Tide) we took a detour through Hot Springs Arkansas, road trip time.  Not knowing much about the area we visited the National Park Bathhouse Row.  Interesting visit and seeing photos of all the rich, famous and mobsters who have visited there.  In the mid 1920 and 30's this was the spa for the "mafia."  

We also visited the Garvan Woodland Gardens, this 210 acre garden is managed by the University of Arkansas.  Of course we were between the seasons of their plantings, too late for the tulips and too early for the spring plantings.  Still it was a nice respite, even if it was hotter than normal.  We helped bringing some of Alyssa's belongings from her college apartment.  One was "Big Al" the elephant mascot for University of Alabama.  We did get Al a Junior Ranger badge while we were at the park in Hot Springs. And he joined us at various stops on the trip, yes we did keep him safely seat belted while we were traveling.  Here he is with my buddy Phil the Flamingo at the gardens -

A few pictures of the gardens.  All these are hand held with my Sony A7 III using my Lensbaby Trio 28 lens.  This is a 28 mm "prime" at a fixed f/3.5, meaning the f stop is NOT adjustable.  There are two manual adjustments on this lens, the first is selecting which effect you want , (1) Sweet (there is a sweet spot in the center of the lens, and soft focus around that spot), (2) Velvet (providing a soft glowing effect), or (3) Twist (swirly looking images).  The second adjust is the MANUAL focus, you focus to the point of interest or where you want to draw the eye.  This definitely a gadget lens.  It is fun to play with, right now it is the lens I'm leaving on the camera.  

Located within the complex is Anthony Chapel.  This is a wedding chapel and is rented in 3 hour increments with a fee between $3,000 and $4,500 depending on the time and day of the week.  It is free to visit in between the bookings.  It is a beautiful piece of architecture.

Again all these image were taken with my Sony with my Samyang 45 mm lens and hand held.