Too Darn Hot: Ella Fitzgerald and Hwy 64

Saturday afternoon I drove out Hwy 64 all the way to Morrilton listening to Ella Fitzgerald and enjoying the beautiful day, although after a while it felt impossible to keep the heat out of the car. So I did a really smart thing: I pulled over and walked a block or so of downtown Morrilton. It really was too unbearable to be outside. Nobody was besides me, and some guys painting up on a crane and cursing in Spanish and English. There were fliers in the windows declaring: Bargains Galore on 64! August 13th -15th, 2009. I wonder what sort of things you find in a Morrilton wide (and wider) yard sale? Is Bargains Galore stuff from the small towns like Morrilton along 64? Or are yard sale sellers traveling in from other places with extra fare? What fills the attics of Morrilton? If it is feasible, I might try and find out next weekend.

It is a pretty little downtown, if fairly lifeless (only partially due to the heat - the shops weren't much). A railroad track runs parallel to the main street/highway. The station appears to now be a museum. Across the tracks were a couple of steeples and a shady neighborhood. When Morrilton sprang up what did it do? Timber? Farming? Something to make it important enough to be the county seat. I passed a County Court House. Do you know what interests me about small towns? It is like looking at big towns early on, back when people were still moving out to build new towns. The stabs at institutions and even grandeur. The facade of a First National Bank. The old home implying First Family of wherever it is. Now when people move out into the country you get a clutch of chain stores around a junction and incorporation into one of two centers competing sprawls.

I couldn't handle more than a few minutes outside. Back in the car with the AC up and Ella Fitzgerald crooning Cole Porter I stuck to 64 through a few more junctions before turning off for the interstate and home. Ella Fitzgerald does not work on the interstate. So much better on state highways where you can take it easy.