Arkansas Vistas: Dichotomy and Juxtaposition

               Gorgeous natural beauty positioned against pervasive poverty. Lush landscapes flourish within abandoned home sites.  Perky daffodils sway where families once worked and played.  Arkansas: The Natural State.  So many gorgeous vistas around Fayetteville, Hot Springs, and Mountain Home.  So much poverty around Camden, Pine Bluff, West Memphis, and Blytheville.  Shift your mind's eye to Rector and  then, to Roland, Arkansas.
                 If you have $90 per each to spare, you can tour Moss Mountain Farm, in Roland, Arkansas, the Garden Home Site for P. Allen Smith, consummate gardener and TV personality, Southern Living Home and Garden expert, and Little Rock, Arkansas, native. I adore a gorgeous garden, but prefer help and direction in maintaining my own.  Weeding is not my favorite activity.  Garden aprons, garden gloves, and a nice bench or stool would make my experience more inviting.  I love the end result and gain inspiration from the beauty of gardens well-kept.  The truth is, though, they have gardeners and architects, Vanderbilt money, and vision.
              A trip to Roland, Arkansas, would be worth the time and expense, I surmise. There, Warren Stephens, the Arkansas billionaire, built a private golf club called the Alotian, which rivals Augusta National. Warren’s dad, Jack, was former chairman at Augusta National, home of the Master’s Tournament.  Daddy was treated to playing rounds at Augusta National by his friend John Phillips, retired CEO of Louisiana Land and Exploration.  Marvin and I drove through the gates April, 2012, but that’s as far as we got before being greeted by armed guards.
              Both Moss Mountain Farm and Alotian Golf Club have been in my line of sight this week, so I investigated Roland, Arkansas.  Located  just west of Little Rock on Lake Maumelle, Roland is home to both P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home and Warren Stephens’ Alotian Golf Club.
              Arkansas:  The Natural State, Diamonds and Dearth, Dichotomy and Juxtaposition.