Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Amusing Arrangement...

 We just returned from a trip to the land of lob lolly pines and logging trucks. In an unplanned effort to find a map so we could correct the stubborn will of our decidedly errant Garmin, we stumbled into what we thought was a tourist information center but it turned out to be a mini shrine dedicated to Former President and First Lady Clinton. Obviously, were were in Hope, Arkansas. The museum had been created by remodeling an old depot. It was spotlessly clean, and the staffer who ran it was so excited to actually have visitors on a weekday, that we couldn't explain to her that we only wanted a map...at least not before she had forced us into watching a video, made us take pictures of the place, and given us a tour of the facilities, inviting us to take advantage of the sparkling restrooms.

There were pictures hanging from every available space.
Most were in some way connected to the Clintons, but a few local celebrities got a mention, particularly if they had done something noteworthy...like growning a huge watermelon.
We didn't have the heart to dampen the woman's enthusiasm by telling her we hadn't voted for her hometown heroes. We just milled around and took pictures, praising her for the good job she was doing. Since she was so enthusiastic about the place, even the restrooms, I took the opportunity to see them . I had to chuckle though, because I kept imagining how Hillary would react if she knew that her cut-out was on duty inside the stall, guarding the toilet, and it seemed a bit unnerving to actually use the restroom  for its intended use with Bill's face smiling down at me, so I just washed my hands at the tidy little sink, signed the registry book, and accepted a free map of Arkansas.



5 comments:

aftergrace said...

Truly, I don't know how you could have gotten out of there without hurting the guides feelings..but you surely must have felt like you'd entered the "twilight zone".
I do have one question: Tax dollars at work here?

Lilibeth said...

Ha ha. Probably City dollars. I can't imagine the feds would have come up with that arrangement. It was too funny. And if I ever become famous--which isn't likely--I sure hope someone in my home town doesn't create a shrine to my memory and prop a cardboard cut-out of me to guard the restroom stall.

But the lady was a doll--she was doing her job to perfection and we really didn't want to hurt her feelings for the world.

Carina said...

Absolutely love the Hilary cut-out in the loo. Classic Americana! =)

Anonymous said...

No wonder she is proud of the bathroom!!!!!! Once you see Hilary staring down upon you, you will never forget the guide, visit, nor
horror of it all, and you will want to share the experience with all your friends and family on your blog!!! Great job guide!!!!!!!

Roshelle said...

This is great! What a find. I'm sure you'll never forget this.