Feathered friends at White River Valley

We see plenty of wild turkey in our area, sometimes as many as 30 at a time. We have seen owls fly in front of us when driving at night, but this barred owl was near the road at dusk and we were able to stop, observe, and photograph. This was when Ben and Myka were here for our Christmas, so we all got to enjoy!

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

 



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!

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!