Hot Springs Village, Arkansas - Palm Creek Tennis Player Hospitality (Sept - Nov)

On July 28th we celebrated 5 amazing years of full time RVing.  To celebrate we decided to take a 3 month sabbatical and rent a condo in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.   We met a large group of tennis players from Hot Springs Village when we were in Arizona.  So, we thought it would be fun to come and really check out this amazing community.

We put the RV in a storage shed and rented a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo that was just a short walk to the tennis courts and the Fitness Center.

The Hot Springs Village (HSV) Hospitality is amazing.  During our first week there we were welcomed with a wonderful pizza dinner, hosted by Don and Helen Baggett, with all the Palm Creekers who live in Hot Springs Village.  Its hard to see all the people in this photo so I'll try and help you.  On the left is Mark, Norm Bushee, Barb Bushee, Helen and Don Baggett, Harriet and Bob Hetzler, Janice Jensen.  On the right is Celeste Krahl (Celeste and Walt came to visit and it just worked out that they were there), Len and Mary Dombrowski, Tom Noble (Celeste couldn't make it) and Harlan Jensen.

 

We enjoyed an amazing evening at Janice and Harlan's beautiful lakeside home.  It looks even bigger from the inside!  You can see their boat dock in the bottom right of this photo.

 

We had some time to enjoy some wine with Janice and Harlan and get the grand tour of their magnificent home.  Then, Norm Bushee, Helen and Don Baggett and Kim and Gary Dorn (who we met in HSV 5 years ago!) joined us.  Then we all piled into their pontoon boat with more wine and appetizers and took off to see Lake Balboa, the largest lake in Hot Springs Village. Pictured below are Kim and Gary.  We met them in 2008 when we made a quick stop to Hot Springs Village.  We met them at a Fun Sunday Tennis event.  It was so special to get to connect with them again.

 

We saw all the beautiful homes around the lake as well as the beauty of the lake itself.  Doesn't Harlan look great in that "captain's hat".

 

 

 

We headed out to Last Chance café on the lake and enjoyed a beautiful sunset...

 

...and a fun dinner!!

 

Don and Helen also hosted us as their guests at one of the monthly RV Club Meetings under one of the pavilions.  It is a very impressive group that plans caravan trips all over the country.  Roger Jobe, another Palm Creeker, gave a short speech on the caravan trip that the club had just finished traveling through Oregon, Washington and California!

After the meeting and dinner it was still light out so Don and Helen took us out to see the tower where you get a great view and also see Lake Lago, another of the lakes inside Hot Springs Village

 

We also enjoyed a delicous dinner at Harriet and Bob Hetzler's beautiful home on Lake Coronado.  It was really interesting when we lost electricity and enjoyed most of our dinner by candlelight.  We got to meet Tim and Pat, friends of Bob and Harriet who also play tennis.  I wish I had taken a photo of the stunning portraits that Bob has painted.  He is one amazing artist!

 

Walt and Celeste Krahl, more Palm Creek friends, took a trip down from their home in Branson, Missouri.  We enjoyed a great round of golf at Granada, one of the seven beautiful golf courses in the Village.   This one is Celeste and me sporting our "Pretty in Pink" look!

Walt is relaxing in the cart while watching the ladies "tee off."

Here is Mark on the signature hole, the 18th.  The water fall starts all the way up the hill near the restaurant at the top and cascades all the way down to this spot on the fairway.  It really is quite a spectacular site.

 

We can't say enough about how much our tennis friends from Palm Creek made us feel welcome.  Norm Bushee found us a great inside spot for our RV and got us property rights, making Hot Springs Village activities a great value... we were like owners!!  I'll fill you in on some of the other highlights of our stay in the next blog entry.