What do you get when you cross a bunch of women from all points North, South, East and West Arkansas who just happen to blog? You get an experience. I looked forward to meeting most of my fellow Arkie bloggers in person for the first time. I hardly meet any bloggers from my home state when I attend the "major" conferences, so I opted to forego another conference held the same weekend and spend a little time getting acquainted with bloggers in my neck of the woods.
Location, location, location. There is much to be said about location and the Ozark Folk Center is a picturesque awesomeness of serenity located in the Arkansas Ozarks. One of our hosts, Stephanie, is the wife of the Superintendent there and a lovely hostess might I add. Ozark Folk Center proved to be a stunning canvas for all the photography buffs I met. Even those of us who chose to leave our cameras behind were rewarded with glimpses of nature at its best.
The workshops were informative and I really enjoyed the "45 in 45" where we exchanged blogging tips with each other. I also did things I'd never done before like throwing an axe and dye wool...with Kool-Aid. The wool came from a sheep owned by one of the docents and she uses it to make rugs and sweaters and stuff. A few of us gathered to learn how to make wool balls. What a great project! Given I'd spent ten bucks on a wool ball toy for our dog I figured it was worth a try. 
If you have a dog, you've probably seen those wool balls. They're all the rage in the Dog-o-Sphere! Unlike tennis balls, wool balls won't tear and you can wash them. I don't know what everyone else had in mind when we began this project but one look at the little balls of wool and I knew I wanted to make a huge wool ball for our doggie. I dyed and rinsed and rolled...dyed and rinsed and rolled...and dyed and rinsed and rolled again until I had 4 oddly colored, oblong-y shaped balls. Well, time ran out before I could finish my project but I got the gist of it and was able to finish it when I returned home the following evening. So, next time instead of buying our beloved doggy some organic wool ball toys, I am going to save my money and make it myself.
Oh, I'll have more stories to share of my Arkansas Womens Bloggers Conference experience. There are so many to share and many thanks to the wonderful group of women and the staff of the Ozark Folk Center for their gracious hospitality.
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