12/28/12

Thanksgiving 2012

We were fortunate again to spend time with most members of our families at Thanksgiving this year - but didn't take many pictures. Did get an opportunity to let Ben take some shots with my new shotgun - enjoyed being outdoors on a beautiful Ozarks fall day.
Morning fog off the river at Trout Lily on the way out of town
 

 Getting ready for target practice
 


11/19/12

Dads visit

We were fortunate to be visited by our Dads back-to-back. We finally got Charlie over here to see our house for the first time and we were also able to celebrate his birthday. And, we were able to get my Dad up here to fish his favorite spot before the winter weather arrives. We wish that they were able to make it up here more often.
 Happy Birthday Charlie
Papaw hooks another one

Pheasant Hunting in South Dakota

Through prodding of Bob Crider and Steve Wilson, I agreed to join them and some other fellas on my first-ever pheasant hunt. This is an annual event for these guys, but I had never bird hunted, haven't fired a gun in 50 years, and had just bought a 20-gauge that I had not shot until the first day of the hunt. I agreed to go, but thought I would do more photo shooting than hunting. Turns out I had a great time and actually bagged 5 birds - not a big tally for serious hunters, but very exciting for me. I enjoyed the camaraderie, the food, the miles of walking through some challenging terrain, and watching the dogs do their magic. I hope this becomes an annual event for me. Jim Faulstich at the Daybreak Ranch in Highmore, SD, manages an amazing working ranch of 8,000 acres and is a great guy to be around while guiding us on our hunts - knowledgeable, organized, humorous, humble, and the consummate professional - makes you come away feeling like a new friend.
Steve Wilson and Sally 
 Morning briefing for the day's hunt
 Suppertime at the farm house
Goose migration
 After the hunt: Elliot Vanderstek, Jess Vanderstek, Jack Mays, Jim Carroll, Steve Wilson, Me, Vic Anderson
Moe and Buck

Maine: Acadia National Park

Spent a couple of days in Acadia National Park just outside Bar Harbor. What a special place. One of the highlights was a carriage ride on roads and bridges specifically built for this purpose by the Rockefeller family back in the 1930s - we traveled a portion of the 50+ miles and viewed a few of the unique bridges - all through the most picturesque countryside.
 Jordan Pond
 Hike around Jordan Pond: 3.4 miles
 Hike around Jordan Pond
 Granite bluffs around Jordan Pond
 Cadillac Mountain
 Bar Harbor from Cadillac Mountain
 Bright and Belle, with Katie at the reigns
 Carriage trail bridge
 Carriage trail bridge
 

A week in Maine: Bar Harbor

One of the things on our bucket list has been an autumn visit to Maine. Fortunately, my brother Ronnie and wife Sally invited us to join them on such an adventure. We spent a week at a great Bed & Breakfast in Bar Harbor. We were able to walk just about everywhere and enjoyed many fine meals, the fantastic scenery, the beautiful harbor with all the boats, and ice cream after every meal! This place seemingly has an ice cream/frozen yogurt/gelato vendor on every block and we were only too happy to oblige. Maine produces over 90% of all wild, low-bush blueberries in the country, and being a big fan of blueberries, I had to sample most of all the edibles/drinkables which contained them. We spent a lot of time in the amazing Acadia National Park, and made a day trip to L.L. Bean corporate headquarters in Freeport. We had a terrific week!
B&B with decades-old Japanese maples flanking the entrance
Main Street Bar Harbor
The Harbor
Verona Island bridge and observatory
Verona Island bridge and observatory

Cousins visit!

We were very happy to be visited in October by some of our favorite people: My cousins Eva from Ogden, UT, Mike and his wife Laura from Whitewater, WI, and their daughter Sarah, of Pittsburgh, PA. We were joined for dinner by my cousin Lonnie and his wife from right here in Mountain Home. It was great to share time with them and to enjoy the area in the perfect season of the year. Enjoyed the talks, walks, and sharing the river with Mike and Sarah for their first-ever fly-fishing experience.
The girls feeling spunky before their morning walk
 

Nothing like a little frozen yogurt to cap a big meal
 

Sarah with her aunt Eva
 

Laura and Mike; the rail is almost a vertical equalizer
 

Mike and Sarah at the Norfork River prior to their first fly-fishing experience
 

Success!
 

Not to be outdone!

10/12/12

Kayak fishing trip

Was able to take a day off from working the land to join Mark Koehler for a nine-mile kayaking/fishing trip from Rim Shoals to Buffalo City on the White River. Caught a number of fish although this was more of a day to learn the river, enjoy the perfect water and weather on a beautiful fall day in the Ozarks.

Fall Walk on Trout Lily Lane

We took advantage of the great fall weather this week to walk around the woods on our property. We often see new and interesting sights in the forest - items that are often overlooked, but many of which we find to be especially interesting.




Camping week-end at Bull Shoals State Park

We were excited to go camping again after a two-year respite following our 4-month camping trip out west. We met Charlcie's sister Tami and husband Kevin, along with their friends/colleagues from College of the Ozarks. The Branson crew fixed many outstanding meals and campfires and we had a perfect week-end to hike, fish, kayak, and visit around the campfire. Was our maiden trip for our replacement truck tent and Charlcie's new kayak and they performed very well. Fun week-end with some really nice folks!

Larry, Kevin, Craig, Kurt, Charlcie, Tami, Laura, Jerri
 





Celebration in Dallas

Double celebration road trip to Dallas to mark Charlcie's birthday and Myka's rise to the ranks of the professional pharmacist. And great opportunity to spend time with our kids and have a great deal of fun. Highlight was Ben and Myka treating us to dinner at a very fine Italian restaurant. Also got to go to A Dallas Cowboys pre-season game at Jerry's World, which is an amazing structure. Lots of other fun activities on the week-end, including too much good food and just the right amount of marathon shopping :)

Birthday Mug - Go Hogs!
 



10/8/12

Kayaking

 
Beth and Todd Harmon at Roundhouse Shoals
 Charlcie, Tami, and Kevin
Charlcie on concrete rapids in her new kayak

A new activity for us has been kayaking. We are fortunate to have many miles of beautiful rivers up here to kayak and fish. Charlcie enjoys it so much, I got her a new kayak for her birthday. We have been several times so far - the cold, clear water, the beautiful Ozark scenery, and the wildlife viewing, make this calorie-burning activity so enjoyable, whether fishing along the way, or not.