Bird Seed

Pushing a yellow shopping buggy through the Park Avenue Dollar Store, Helen smiled, greeting everyone she and her daughter passed. “Mom,...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Sep 12 min read

Man Enough and Old Enough to Carry

Last night my youngest child, who is 22, had a bunch of friends over, big, happy dudes he's hung out with since 3rd grade. My son was...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Aug 232 min read

My 3 Favorite Seceret Foods in Hot Springs

My 3 Seceret Foods in Hot Springs Everyone has their favorite food, and that's great, but I'm sick of food that tastes like cardboard,...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Jun 64 min read

A Miracle on Pleasant Street...A Record Store We Don't Deserve

I'm not sure I want to tell you about this remarkable place, because I love it. There's a store that's a secret for most of us . on...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Mar 132 min read

Daddy Jack and His St. Joseph's Nuns

Daddy Jack and His Nuns In the 1920s through the late 1940s, my grandfather, Dr. Jack Stell, was a surgeon, then Chief of Staff, at St....

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Jan 283 min read

One of My Favorite Stories Ever

For Christmas this year I asked a dear friend and local artist Michelle Yates to draw "The Bat Tower" for me. It was a Christmas present...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Dec 29, 20242 min read

A Christmas Defense of the Arlington Resort

The Arlington, gorgeous and gaudy, is the absolute heart of Hot Springs, the heartbeat of the hotel is pushing blood through our bodies.....

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Dec 14, 20243 min read

Another Hot Springs Love Letter

This is the second blog about the people and places I love in the Spa City. Stubby's BBQ,delicious. Yes I adore the smoked chicken and...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Dec 12, 20243 min read

A Hot Springs Love Letter For Christmas

Christmas is just a few days away, so I've decided to write every couple of days about the people and places I love, for locals and...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Dec 11, 20242 min read

The Amazing Pocket Theater and Edgar Allan Poe! They Killed It!

Today my husband and I went to see Nightfall with Edgar Allan Poe at the Pocket Theater in Hot Springs. It was a spooky date and perfect...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Oct 6, 20242 min read

Weirdos at Spa Con

It's weird, odd, bizarre, It's Spa Con, a weekend when all sorts of inexplicale kids and adults show up in Hot Springs with furry ears,...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Sep 20, 20244 min read

Leave the Garland County Library Alone...It's Perfect

To the Editor and the People of Garland County, I was shocked and angered when I learned there were those who want to limit support for...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Jul 13, 20242 min read

What's My Name? What Muhammad Ali wanted to Know

Names, first names, are funny. They mean so much to us, they often establish our identiy and lineage. And it's very important we all...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Mar 18, 20244 min read

Irene The Elephant

This is not a happy post. In the late 80s or early 90s Jack and Mary were between 2 and 4 years old. We lived in the Florida Keys. One...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Mar 10, 20242 min read

Ouachita Bar and Grill....Just What We Needed

Isn't it grand when a new restaurant opens and it immediately feels like an old restaurant, one that's been part of Hot Springs for...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Jan 28, 20242 min read

My Gross Vulture Friend

Today I stopped by to visit my vulture friend, Adonis. He lives in the woods roughly 100 yards off of Central Avenue. A while back Alex...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Dec 29, 20231 min read

Mrs. Stell Goes to Fountain Lake

When my grandfather, Dr. Jack Stell died in the mid-1950s, it took my grandmother years to recover. She’d only loved one man. Finally, at...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Oct 8, 20233 min read

Park Avenue to Pupusas

The wonderous thing about Hot Springs, I think, is the beautiful see-saw of small town sweetness and some sophisticated diversity. Lost a...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Oct 7, 20232 min read

Rocky's Corner to Touchdown Jesus.........................Man,I love driving up Central

Everyday after work, I drive north on Central Avenue and often times I fall in love with Hot Springs all over again. But it's not for the...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Feb 21, 20232 min read

Why Are Your Kids Good?

Last month our four kids, now aged 20 to 34 years old, saved up their money and sent my husband and me on an insanely great cruise. It...

Diana McDaniel Hampo

Feb 18, 20233 min read

Bird Seed

Pushing a yellow shopping buggy through the Park Avenue Dollar Store, Helen smiled, greeting everyone she and her daughter passed. “Mom,...

Sep 12 min read

Man Enough and Old Enough to Carry

Last night my youngest child, who is 22, had a bunch of friends over, big, happy dudes he's hung out with since 3rd grade. My son was...

Aug 232 min read

My 3 Favorite Seceret Foods in Hot Springs

My 3 Seceret Foods in Hot Springs Everyone has their favorite food, and that's great, but I'm sick of food that tastes like cardboard,...

Jun 64 min read