More fish

Luckily I was able to grab a few hours to get in the river this week-end. This is setting up to be a great year for fishing. The ones I've caught lately are so healthy, colorful, and plump. Many in the 16"-18" range. Sorry to bore with all the fish photos, but this serves as part of my fishing journal :).

Big brown trout

Fished with friend Mark Koehler at Rim Shoals on Monday and set a personal best record. Among the many fish caught, the highlight was this 20 1/2 inch perfect specimen brown trout. Justified the relocation to this area :)

Ben and Myka return

Ben and Myka returned to Cotter this past week-end for a visit.  We enjoyed showing them the progress of our home construction.  Also enjoyed meals at Shady Grove store, KTs BBQ, and 870 Bistro.  Most of all, it was just great to spend time with our kids!

Road trip to hear Condoleeza Rice

We had never been to Batesville, Searcy, or many points in between, so we used the occasion of attending a speech by Condoleeza Rice at Harding University to complete a road trip. We toured the campus of Lyon College before enjoying lunch at Josie's overlooking a lock on the White River in Batesville - very nice campus and a neat place to grab a meal. The campus of Harding University is also very nice, but the highlight of the trip was the opportunity to hear Condi Rice speak. We were rewarded by the best speech either of us have ever heard. This lady is intelligent, classy, and humble, and gives a great talk without the aid of teleprompters or notes - her message comes from the heart. A great American success story and her personal and professional journey is an amazing example of achievement against all odds. A vivid and positive contrast to some of the rhetoric that is swirling around in the political atmosphere today.

Pileated and snail

Coming back to our house one day, we were able to get very close to a pileated woodpecker that was so focused on his food source that I was able to get close enough to grab a quick pic - ain't he pretty? It did not require as much stealth to take a picture of the snail on the trail.