6/1/01 Well heck, the first day of summer is a bit on the chilly side - 49 degrees at first light! I say the first day of summer because the seasons out here follow a more natural pattern than the actual dates - Summer is June, July and August; Fall is September, October and November; Winter is December, January and February; and spring is March, April and May.

As the sun inched up into the sky, it spread bright yellow light across the tops of the hills in the wilderness, then slowly filled the valleys. There were no new clouds forming or fog banks down low today, just GREEN all around. The river was louder that it has been in quite some time - I guess all that rain is finally seeping down into the main waterway. That is good, very good. And while I do expect that we will go through a long dry spell as always this summer, we are getting a nice start to things.

Today is the annual Wal Mart shareholder meeting in Fayetteville. That really doesn't mean much to me except for the fact that the same meeting produced one of the more stunning sights ever out here. It was four years ago, and my friend Ken Eastin and I had just finished clearing out part of the fire break at the cabin site. It was really HOT and muggy, and we were resting on the ground where the kitchen now stands. We heard this noise that sounded like a giant mosquito - being new to this specific spot, it could have been one for all that I knew. The sound got closer and louder and finally we saw it, and were quite literally shocked into silence. It was the Goodyear Blimp, and it had just come over the ridge at Mossville and was dropping down into the Buffalo River Valley. It headed right on up the Whitaker Creek drainage towards Hawksbill Crag. We looked at each other to make sure what was out there in the air in front of us was REAL. It was. And neither of us had a camera. So we were reduced to sitting there on the ground, stunned at what we were seeing. Once the craft got past Hawksbill Crag, the engines gunned and it pulled up and out of the valley and headed on over to Fayetteville, where it spent the next couple of days giving rides around town to shareholders. I have looked forward to this meeting every year since - in hopes that the pilot would once again visit the valley - and have his picture taken.

No blimps today, but the hummingbird feeder just outside the window has been one busy place here lately. Even late last night and now early this morning the hummers were crowded around it - often two or three sitting there feeding at the same time. Hummers generally like to feed alone, and the first guy who gets to the feeder (usually Chip) will run everyone else off, even though there are ample parking spots. But the overall mood has changed somewhat for them, and friendliness seems to be the order of the day. Let's hope that thought spreads across the land...

6/3/01 It was almost dark when I returned to the cabin after being gone all weekend. Pam and Amber and I went to Pam's dad's family reunion along the Current River in the Missouri Ozarks. It was a perfect day, with great folks all around and a TON of food. I began the process of getting Amber comfortable with being underwater - she will be taking swimming lessons this next couple of weeks before moving to the cabin, and I plan to have her spend a lot of time this summer down in the river here exploring the shallow pools and conversing with Spot the smallmouth bass and other underwater critters.

Back at the cabin the wind was blowing pretty hard, and there were many clouds swirling around. It had rained only about 1/2 inch over the weekend, but it appeared that some if it was hard as all the tire tracks in the road had been wiped out.

It was quite warm too, and still very humid. Hum, I detected just a hint of summer out there in the wilderness.

After dark, while sitting in the moonlight enjoying a bit of steaming bubbles, the wind had stopped completely at ground level, and the forest was silent. The sky was sort of clear, with a few stars out, and a ton of fast-moving clouds overhead. They were coming out of the south and streaking across the sky to the north.

The moon was shining through one of the branches of the large red oak that is growing out of the lower deck. In the immediate area of where the moon was lighting up the leaves I could see dozens of moths flying around the edges of the leaves. The moths were about an inch or so large, and were basically transparent, or maybe white. I don't recall ever seeing this before. And they weren't just in one place - as I moved around to reposition the moon, there were always these moths flying around the area that was backlit with the moonlight. Nothing there in the light of day (or is there, and I just can't see?).

6/4/01 Sometime during the night the howling wind picked back up again, and by daylight the trees were all dancing a lively tune. Mostly clouds above, and they continued their northward advance at a pretty good clip.

Aspen and I took off on our normal bear patrol around the loop. It was still quite warm - 70 degrees. Many of the trees were talking with one another today - some had very squeaky voices, while others were deep bass. I saw Aspen stop dead in his tracks several times and look up into the trees with a very puzzled expression on his face.

I grazed in the wild strawberry patch for a few moments - most of them are gone now. Other critters had been dining on them as well - the leaves were being eaten by some tiny bugs. I guess momma nature sees to it that all parts of the plants and animals of the wilderness are put to good use.

The sun has been trying to break through the cloud cover all morning, but has not been too successful. I do see a few patches of blue sky out the window now though, and there are several shafts of sunlight spotlighting the hillsides out there.

Gus's bigger (and longer) brother Gordon Lightfoot (he's about four feet long)

Lots of paper work today, but I did get to take a stroll or two through the forest on my way to and from the office. On one such trip I came across another nice King snake - Gordon. He was about a foot longer than Gus, and not too shy. When I reached down to feel his skin he did not appear to appreciate the advance. So we made an agreement that I would not try to pick him up and he would stay out of my way and go about his business of catching mice and chasing away copperheads.

Later in the afternoon a producer for the TV series Dateline NBC came by (Carol Gable), along with Lytle James. She has been trying to get Lytle to take her back to the spot on the river where they found Haley, but he has been reluctant to do so because, well, because it is a real JUNGLE out there! They will have a crew here doing a story on the search and rescue, and I have volunteered to help out wherever I could.

The three of us struck out in the warm sunshine and descend into the jungle and down over the bluff into Dug Hollow. Carol wanted to get a sense of not only what Haley had gone through, but also what her crew might have to go through when they will be here taping. It was a great trip, not only getting to talk with a real big time TV producer, but also to listen to Lytle, and his stories about the rescue. There are probably going to be at least two books come out of this event, and no telling how many newspaper articles and hours of video tape on TV, yet only a fraction of the stories will ever be told. It is a real treat getting to hear some of them firsthand from one of the real life heros of it all.

We spent a little time in Magnolia Canyon - Haley probably came down through the bluffline right next to it, and perhaps even wandered right on through it. This place is a beautiful spot, no matter how hot or cold or humid or frozen or wet.

And I must say that not only did Lytle make it up and down through some pretty rough and rugged terrain (as did Carol), but he did it wearing cowboy boots!!! He was glad to hear from me that the very first guy who ever climbed the Grand Teton in Wyoming was also wearing cowboy boots.

Darkness came very quickly tonight, and with it more heavy wind and howling and singing and laughter from the trees. The nearly-full moon rose into a cloudy sky. I just stuck my head out the door and found a clearing sky now, with moonlight reflected off of the Buffalo River far below. Just a hint of summer bugs out there in the wind - mostly crickets. I don't believe that I have heard a single cicada yet.

6/5/01 A bit warm today, but it was a whole lot cooler out here in the woods than it was in town where I spent most of my day. In fact it was a full ten degrees cooler at Cloudland. Boy, was I glad to get back to the cabin!

I didn't have time for a hike before dark, but did run up to the well site to get some measurements for a holding tank that we will be installing later this week. Right there next to the well (which is located between the cabin and office) was a fresh bear print. Aspen has been stirred up quite a bit here lately, and I wondered if there had been bear scent in the air. This track is a bit larger than the ones I found a couple of weeks ago. He was within sight of both the cabin and office.

Mr. Bear left a calling card

The sunset was spectacular today - lots of multi-colored clouds swirling around with golden fringes.

6/6/01 First light came about 5am, and found me down on the lower deck admiring the view to the southwest. The full moon was just hanging there low in the sky, a burnt orange color, surrounded by lots of haze. It was quite a tranquil scene, although the high volume of sound all around was anything but. Not only were there hundreds of birds singing a magnificent symphony, but there were three VERY LOUD whip-poor-wills awake, bouncing their calls back and forth, providing much more than stereo.

Looking to the SW up Whitaker Creek

The sun rose up into all the haze just after 6am, and I was surprised to see it a plain color - no yellow or red or orange like the moon had been. Haze will often produce these vibrant colors, but I guess the power of all that gas was enough to burn right on through all of it. There isn't any wind at all, and I suspect it will be a warm day outside.

Window management will become a more important part of the day here now for awhile. During the wintertime, I would often open all of the windows in the cabin during the warmth of the afternoon to help raise and keep the temp inside up. For the past month or so I have not had to do anything - mostly kept the windows open all the time, which provided a very pleasant atmosphere inside. But now with the temps creeping up into the upper 70's and low 80's outside during the day, I will open the windows during the cool night, but close them as the day warms up. These big old logs retain either heat or cool very well, but once they get one way or the other, it takes a while to change the temp inside the cabin. Right now (at 6:30) it is 67 outside and 72 inside.

Transfer interrupted!

After 11 hours of work, the underground holding tank and all associated pipes, electrical wires and gadgets necessary to make the whole thing work were in place. And then it was time to test the system. One unknown was the amount of natural pressure that the holding tank - and the drop in elevation down to the cabin - would produce. If it would be enough pressure then we could disconnect the pressure tank and batch of leaky pipes down in the basement at the cabin. I've been told so many different formulas for calculating this that I had no idea what the actual pressure would be. So we turned the system on and watched as the well pumped itself dry in just a few minutes - that 100 gallons just barely filled up the new water lines and covered the bottom of the holding tank. A quick check of the pressure down in the cabin showed 30 pounds - that was MUCH lower than everyone had told me it would be (so much for the experts), but enough to be able to disconnect the presure tank.

At 72 gallons per day of flow from the well, and an untold amount being used down at the cabin, it would take forever to fill up the holding tank, which I was well aware of. So I purchased a 500 gallon plastic tank to use to transfer some additional water from a nearby spring into the holding tank. Most of the folks who live up here on Cave Mountain have to use this re-charge system - and this spring - in order to make it through the summer as their own wells and springs dry up.

So I loaded up the big tank on a heavy-duty double-axle trailer and headed on down into Boxley Valley where the spring is located. It was just about sunset when I backed the trailer up to the spring and hooked up the hose that comes out of the mountain. Spring water was pouring out of the hose at about 10 gallons a minute, so I had a bit of time to wait before the tank was filled.

As I strolled out into a nearby hay field that had just been cut and bailed, the sky above lit up with a spectacular light show. There were many streaks of clouds spread out up there, and each and every one of them took on a wonderful glow - at times it seemed that the color grew more intense with every step.

It had been quite a while since I had walked through such a large open area - this hay field was about 1/2 mile long and 1/4 mile wide, laying right next to the Buffalo River. It was at once a spectacular scene - with so much real estate on the ground and up in the sky spread out in front of me - and one of great tranquality as the pink clouds blended with the green of the hay meadow in the fading light.

The smell of the fresh-cut hay filled my lungs and brought back vivid memories of my hay hauling job of high school summers. And over by the spring, a Chuck-wills-widow cried out, sending his voice echoing throughout the valley (these birds have an extra sylable and are easily identified from a whip-poor-will). It was one fine walk in the countryside for sure.

The smell of fresh-cut hay and a spectacular light show above

It was well after dark when the tank was filled. And then came the REAL test - if my poor little SUV could act like a big truck and climb the very steep grade out of B> 

Transfer interrupted!

Up, up and UP we went. Slowly at first, and then a bit faster. My little old truck just kept right on pulling, although there were a few times when the tires began to strain and spin under the maxed-out load of more than 5,000 pounds - but the computer would always take over and keep the vehicle right on moving. We finally topped out and gave a very large sigh of relief!

It took another couple of hours to hook up a hose and drain the spring water down into the holding tank. The entire setup worked just fine, and I now know I can always use this system whenever we really need to, although it is quite a chore - extreme water conservation will continue to be the order of the day at Cloudland (that means that big and little boys alike will be asked to do their business outside!).

While the water was being transferred I had the chance to hike around in the nighttime woods a bit. At first the cloud cover kept any moonlight from helping out. But later, the clouds thinned down and there was a faint glow of moonlight that led me through the dark forest.

It was quite comfortable out there wandering around, not really seeing any detail in the woods (no flashlight). And it was quiet, with no wind blowing or many night critters out. And then I got to thinking about how bears like to walk on fresh dirt. And how with all the digging involved to bury the various pipes between the well and the holding tank there was now a great deal of fresh dirt around me. Right about then I walked on past the spot where I found the bear track yesterday.

It's funny how the very same bit of forest is no big deal in the daylight, while now, out here in the dim moonlight, with fresh dirt and BEARS wandering around, it takes on an entirely different feeling. What was that sound? Is there a movement over there? Oh my gosh, if I get attacked by a bear I would be helpless alone out here in the dark! Your mind begins to race, and the heartrate goes up a notch.

And then I heard it - there was a loud noise right over there to my right - just out beyond> 

Transfer interrupted!

As I made my way on up to the now empty springwater tank, I just had to laugh about the fact that a bear in the darkness is just as harmless as one in the daylight. In fact there is NOTHING out there at night that isn't around in the daylight. But it is good to get your blood pumping once in a while.

6/9/01 It was a lazy morning at the cabin, and we slept in until at least sunrise, which was bright and warm. One of the first places that we headed was down into Fox meadow right below the cabin. A few bright spots of color could be seen from up on the deck, and we wanted to see who was there. What we found surprised me a little - wildflowers, and quite a few different species of them. Big yellow, purple, blue, pink, white, and red ones. We had expected for there to be just a few wildflowers here and there this year, with more and more each year to come as the meadow matured and the seeds spread around. The wildflowers are not in bunches yet, and are really just here and there, but still many more than I expected. And with the grass being very tall and growing an inch or more each day now, it is really a lush, LUSH little meadow!

All around the edges are still hoards of spiderworts, some reaching up four and five feet into the sky. I love to watch them. They are always up and smiling at the morning sun, but retreat and close up tight by early afternoon. Any that are put on the table inside do the same thing, and will often last for weeks with enough water. This is really a tough little wildflower.

Also crowded in all around the meadow, the cabin, and out into the woods is a sea of wild sunflowers just waiting for the time to burst out and provide an explosion of yellow. We're hoping this will happen just in time for the big Summer Bushwhacker party here later in the summer.

Right off the end of the lower deck I spotted another snake - Gloria the garter snake. It appeared that she had recently snacked on a mouse or some other small critter - there was this large bulge right in the middle of her stomach. Of course, perhaps that bulge was lots of baby snakes, which is why we gave her a female name. Either way, it is great to have Gloria around the cabin, and I hope she sticks around for a long time to come. Her markings are quite detailed and beautiful. Few people ever really get down and look close at snakes, so miss out on this part of the wonderful natural world.

Gloria after her mouse snack

Look at the detail of her skin!

After a lot of our chores were done for the day, Pam and I curled up in the swing out on the back deck and munched on some fresh roasted peanuts and sipped ice tea. And then the sky opened up and it began to pour - REALLY BIG DROPS! We could see individual drops coming down all the way across the valley to Beagle Point. It was a delightful fifteen minutes of bliss, sitting there with each other enjoying the rain. Sometimes the simple things in life are the best.

Later in the day Pam's parents Ron and Judy arrived - with their truck filled to the brim with FERNS. And I mean a LOT of ferns! Ron and I unloaded them while Pam and Judy took off on a hike up to Aspen's meadow and around. They later reported that my groans of agony while lifting and moving the heavy pots could be heard long into their hike. I let Ron move the really big ones.

Aspen't meadow is really filled with flowers

It was a most relaxing evening out on the deck and then inside, just hanging out and listening to Mike Shirkey's Pickin' Post and the Folk Sampler on KUAF radio, and watching birds and other critters roam around. And then we got into the homemade Cloudland sassafras liqueur!

6/10/01 Today went by very fast, and was highlighted by three distinct events. First, when Pam packed up and left to go back to Springfield, it marked the very last time that she would call anyplace other than Cloudland home - her and Amber will be moving in for good this coming Saturday - something I have been looking forward to for a very long time!

The second thing that happened was that Ron and Judy saw a bear on the way home - the first ever for Ron. It was a young male, which is typically what is seen at this time of the year. They are just getting kicked out of the "nest" by mom after a year and a half of being taken care of. And the older males tend to push them along and out of their territories, so they venture out into the world to try to establish a place of their own. Many people hike around in this state all of their lives without ever seeing a bear. Indeed I had only seen one bear in Arkansas before moving to Cloudland.

And lastly, when I returned to the cabin near midnight after a hiking club meeting in town, and was taking a quick soak in the hot tub, I found something that I had not seen in quite some time. The night sky was clear and filled with stars, AND the Milky Way! This giant band of stars will by my companion way up there all summer long.

6/11/01 An orange ball rose over the far ridge at 6am this morning, lighting up a hazy wilderness. The temp was in the low 60's, with a slight breeze, and the air filled with the happy sounds of birds getting an early start to their week.

And speaking of the week, it will be a busy one here at Cloudland. We will be building the tractor shed/storage building up near the office, plus trying to get to a few of the items on the long list of things that need to be done before my new family moves in this weekend, and/or before the wedding party later this summer. There will be four of us at times working here this week - including Pam's uncle Ted who is coming down from Wisconsin to help.

I will also have to put the finishing touches on the 2002 Arkansas Waterfalls Calendar this week and get it all sent off to the printer - they will be available for sale early this fall (and I will post all of the picture here later). And here is an announcement of sorts - after much discussion, soul searching, and prodding by a number of folks, I have decided to go ahead and write a book about the Haley Zega event. The working title is "THE SEARCH FOR HALEY - An Insider's Account of the Largest Search Mission In Arkansas History." I will find the time somewhere in this very busy summer to write and publish it, and it too should be available this fall. I will keep you posted on both of these publications - and you, of course, will be able to order them direct from Cloudland!

Since we will be working pretty much from first light until long after dark each day, there won't be much time to write and post in this journal. So for you daily journal readers, I suggest that you go back to the previous three June's (1998, 1999, 2000) and read about what was going on then to get your "wilderness fix" for the day. Actually there was some interesting stuff going on then, and it always amazes me to go back and read it all. Makes for good late night reading too - it will put you to sleep in no time!

6/12-14/01 Just a quick update of what has been going on this week. It was beastly hot with near-record highs Monday and Tuesday, and not a single cloud in the sky. The work has been brutal, but we have been coming along pretty good. It has been Roy and Terry Tractor and Pam's uncle Ted and me. (I have mostly been hanging out in the shadows watching.)

There was a weird sky in the east Wednesday at first light - it was all green and looked like a giant hail storm was approaching. There were a few clouds (finally!) swirling around but no actual threat of rain or other activity. But goodness what a strange color.

Sometime during the day Aspen disappeared. He pretty much sticks close by, even when out in the woods, and he has only gone completely out of sight for more than a moment once a year ago (he ended up back at the cabin soon after). I didn't worry too much about him this time at first, but when a couple of hours had gone by I began to get really worried. And then near panic set in - where was my dog? Did he run a rabbit off of the cliff? Did he get bit by a copperhead and was curled up under a log with a swelled head, dying? And then I got to thinking about little Haley, and her parents Steve and Kelly - their situation was a thousand times worse then this, and I simply could not imagine how in the world they were ever able to cope with it - how could they sleep, eat (they didn't do too much of either), remain CALM and SANE??? What a nightmare for anyone who loses their child.

I dropped everything and began a search of the area, and was about ready to call off the entire construction project until he was found - and then I discovered him. He had somehow gotten locked inside the workshop building. The temp in there gets very hot on sunny days, so I was glad to have looked there sooner rather than later. He was a happy dog to get out too!

By the end of Wednesday we had all of the trusses and walls up and most of the metal roof put on. We are working steadily at this because I need to get it finished so that a lot of the stuff from Pam and Amber's house can be stored there on Friday night when they arrive with the u-haul. For once I DON'T want it to rain for a few days!

It is early Thursday morning now, and there is a strong wind from the east, with heavy clouds boiling up from the south. A quick check of the weather channel showed no rain heading this way. I do hope the clouds stick around all day though to give us a break from the intense heat. Roy has gone home, Terry is in town taking care of some business (will be back soon), and Ted is up at the work site getting started on the day's chores (putting together the two garage doors). Aspen has been sticking close by, but refuses to go into the workshop. It will be another long day here, but by dark we hope to have the new tractor shed/warehouse about 90% complete, with only trim and a few odds and ends left to do.

The winds remained strong most of the day, and Ted kept saying that "it must be blowing something in!" HA, what does a yankee know about Ozarks weather. By mid afternoon the skies were clear and blue and HOT! Ha, what does a yankee know about Ozarks weather.

Soon after we quit work for the day (just before dark), the sky filled with big, billowing, BLACK clouds. And they apparently meant business. Before long they began to dump their heavy loads of rain - a half inch in just a few minutes. And then the REAL storms hit - tremendous bolts of thunder and lightning that shook the ground and the cabin too, and heavy downpours. Yep, I had to admit that the darn yankee Ted knew exactly what he was talking about after all! Boy, did we ever need the rain.

Of course, the rains did not show up because Ted had predicted them. Not at all. They came because we had just finished putting the roof on the tractor shed - all of it that is except for a six-inch strip right along the peak of the roof line (40 feet long). This opening will eventually serve as a full-length vent, but it was uncovered and open to the world and the buckets of rain falling out of the sky. Oops.

The light show was one of the most impressive that I had seen in a very long time. We three sat around inside the cabin and watched, munching on a batch of just-made blueberry ice cream. It was sort of odd because the thunder and rain were very heavy, yet this ice cream is the lightest that I had ever tasted - the spoon nearly FLOATED right on out of the bowl and into my mouth!

It was a very noisy and bright end to the day, and I had to close my eyes tight to keep from being jarred awake by every flash just outside the window. I remember rolling over and listening to the thunder, and how it would strike with a loud CRACK, and then roll on forever as it echoed off of the hills and far up into the valleys. I've spent countless nights here at the cabin listening to the thunder of many storms, and truly love it. I also think back with fond memories of the many times I have spent under some rock or large tree, waiting out a severe storm like this on was. And how the thunder would shake the very earth and stone that I had taken shelter under. Storms are very good for the soul.

6/15/01 I was like a kid at Christmas time as first light approached. The clock showed 3:10am. Then 4:01. 4:53. 5:07. How come it wasn't getting light? I was anxious to get up and run downstairs and see how much rain we had - knowing that if it had rained enough (more than two inches I figured), I just might be able to run on over to Haley Falls and get a picture for my calendar (I've already got one - but I am always looking for a better image - the job is never done). And I knew we must have had a good dumping because the Buffalo River far below was really loud.

FINALLY I could make out the shape of the far ridge in the dim light, so I jumped up and ran downstairs to look at the rain gauge. More than THREE inches of rain! That would be plenty to get the waterfall up and running, however much of that would have already drained away during the night so I was not sure if there would be enough water flow left for a good picture (the rain had stopped in the middle of the night).

So I packed up my camera gear and headed out towards the waterfall that I had been trying to take a picture off for the last month. The forest was very wet, and I could see where the trail had been covered with water just hours before. The closer I got the quicker my pace became. By the time I got near the edge of the bluffline where the waterfall is located, I was nearly at a trot.

And then I heard it - the lovely rush and splash of a genuine waterfall! It was running alright, and pretty good too. I hurriedly slipped and slid my way on down to the very bottom of the three-tiered falls and set up my camera gear. It was very dark down in that hole, and my exposures would have to be very long ones - 16 seconds was the average exposure time.

OK, so the water was running pretty good, and I had nice overcast soft light, but my problem now was that I only had ONE ROLL OF FILM! That is 32 pictures. Now that may seem like plenty to most of you, but not nearly enough for me. I normally will shoot 75-100 shots of anything that I consider worthwhile of a picture (not the ones that I do for the journal here - those are just snapshots, but rather my REAL photography that ends up in books, magazines and on calendars). Different angles and lenses, and a broad range of exposures. Plus several of each of the variables - just in case the lab messes up the film, or in case I need more than one original at a time. The pictures that I take are "slides" or "transparencies" (they both are the same thing) instead of "negatives" that you can make as many copies of that you want - each of the images that I shoot is one of a kind.

The the lower two tiers of Haley Falls

Haley Falls #4

Anyway, I only had 32 chances today to get it right, and so I was very careful. I set up one shot, and then another, and still another. When I only had three exposures left, I moved on over to the other waterfall nearby - the one with all of the ferns at the bast - and set up and shot the final three shots. Whew, FINALLY!!!

On the way out I came across a luna moth caterpillar making his way across the trail. I sat down to take a breather and watched him for a few minutes. His movements were ever so slow and deliberate, yet he seemed to make a great deal of progress in that short amount of time. In fact he crawled right on up into a sumac bush, then paused for a moment to allow me to take his picture (with my digital snapshot camera).

This little critter - nearly three inches long - will soon be a GIANT Luna moth

The tractor shed did get a lot of water and mud inside, but since it is still just bare concrete with nothing else in there won't be a problem to flush out. By 8am the sky had cleared and it was one hot and humid day. We got most of the major work done on the shed - including putting that roof cap on, then packed everything up and called it a day.

And speaking of the day, today is literally one of those days that will be the beginning of the rest of my life. It is 8pm right now, and there is one wonderful light show going on just outside my windows - the setting sun is showing off the freshly cleansed wilderness and blue sky. But my thoughts are elsewhere, as my new family is as this very minute crossing the state line heading for their new home - and home to me. I have waited 46 years for today - to finally find my place in the universe, and to have someone to share it all with. And tonight it will all come true.

Everyone has been kidding me about losing my freedom and how crowded it will be out here, and how in the world am I going to be able to put up with a child around, not to mention actually having to raise one. My answer has always been IT IS ABOUT TIME!!! I have always wanted someone to share my life with, and someone's life that I can be a part of - I am absolutely looking forward SO MUCH to following Pam as she seeks out new adventures of her own, and to have her by my side when I am chasing waterfalls or sunsets or simply sitting quietly in the forest. And Amber - my goodness, there are literally millions of great things that I will get to do with her over the next ten years - and beyond. You are sitting there at your computer reading the thoughts of one might happy camper tonight.

And I will sign off for now because my ladies are speeding this way and will be here soon, yet the cabin is a mess and I must go make way for all of their stuff!

And oh yea, Pam's tractor is safely in the shed - mission accomplished!

6/18/01 The whip-poor-will alarm clock went off at 5:05 this morning. It is great knowing we don't have to worry about oversleeping these days! This bird begins to cry out within a few minutes of this time each and every morning.

Looks like it will be another hot and muggy day outside - probably will be so for the next several months. But it is cool and quite nice this morning. There is a BRILLIANT yellow and black colored goldfinch sitting on the railing within a few feet of the computer right now. They are here in advance of the sea of wild sunflowers that are primed and ready to burst forth in the meadow below. Once those flowers bloom, there will be dozens of the goldfinches darting here and there, along with hundreds of large butterflies, all competing for the sweetness of the flowers.

And speaking of wildflowers, I thought that I would take a moment to introduce you to my wife. She is rather shy and doesn't really like to be talked about much. Pam is 31, tall (5' 9"), slender, and very athletic. She is an avid rock climber and hiker, and pretty much enjoys anything outdoors. She is an accountant, and most recently was with the Family Violence Center in Springfield (they did NOT want her to get married and move away!). She has an adventurous spirit that runs deep, and has no problem heading out on her own to explore and do new things (she went to Colorado last winter to go dog sledding by herself - something that we will do together one of these years). She had been coming down to Arkansas to hike many times before we met, so her life here will be an extension of what she was already doing. She does not like to cook, but does relish getting her hands dirty in the yard and garden - hey, if she will grow it, I will cook it! While she does keep her own journal, it will probably be awhile before I persuade her to put any words down here - my plans are for both her and Amber to have some sort of regular posting here, but we'll just have to wait and see. And just for you who follow such things, she was divorced several years ago, and Amber will venture back up to Missouri on a regular basis to see her bio dad (Pam has been a terrific single mom - I have no idea how in the world she has been able to do such a great job while holding down a full time job all this time - of course, her parents have been a huge help in all of that, a job I hope they continue to perform!!!). So that is Pam in a nutshell. Oh yea, she shares my love of John Denver and many other types of music.

Our weekend was filled moving boxes and furniture around, trying to figure out where to put everything, and also a lot of time just spent sitting around being glad the move had finally taken place. Right now there are still two large piles of containers on the front porch and in the carport.

This morning Pam went on a hike and discovered many animal tracks in the soft earth. She is out on the back deck swing right now searching through the new mammal ID book that Amber gave me for Father's Day, trying to figure out what all she saw. The wilderness below remains squeaky clean from the recent rains, although I can see just a bit of light blue haze creeping into the shadows. No clouds in the sky today, nor wind.

6/19/01 Very hazy out this morning. As I sat in the steaming bubbles at first light the hillsides all around me gradually turned from this blue haze to an orangish-green. Some of the individual tree trunks absolutely glowed from the sun inching its way up into the morning sky.

At this time of the day when not much is moving, you really notice the sounds of the forest. The river far below continues its hushed melody, but that eventually fades into the background of your mind. Today there were a few birds out early, but what caught my attention were tree frogs. There must have been ten or fifteen of them surrounding the meadow, all carrying on some sort of conversation with each other and the wilderness. Layered just behind that was a layer of mourning doves softly cooing out into the open air. And then the distant drumming of a woodpecker every once in a while. It was a very serene scene, both the audio and video.

Lucy found a giant acorn somewhere and brought it up onto the lowest back deck and began to play. She spent ten minutes with this new toy, knocking it about like a soccer ball, chasing it down, and then tossing it up into the air. Who needs those expensive pet store things - just give your dog an acorn! This dog truly loves her new home. She is a refugee from a bad home, rescued by Pam and Amber from the shelter. She obviously had been abused, and it took my girls a long time to get her to be comfortable with people once again. Lucy is built on a smaller frame than Aspen is - actually quite skinny too. With coal black fur, except for a few patches of white on her chest. She is very sleek and runs as fast as any critter in the forest (we're not exactly sure what breed she is, but I say she is part fox). We will often catch a glimpse of her way out there on some mission, and when you see moving BLACK around here in the summer, you instantly think BEAR! She is a great dog to have around and a joy to watch. And, of course, the perfect girlfriend for the Superdog!

The stillness of the morning air was shattered by the cries of a pack of coyotes over on the ridge near Mossville. I love to sit and listen to them - first, as one or two individuals sing out, and then as the rest of the bunch joins in - they really do have pretty darn good harmony.

Many of you have been asking how my ladies are adapting to their new home. It is really quite a shock to their systems being moved out here into the wilderness from the city. But they both have taken to life here quite well - shall we say like a duck on a June bug (I used to LOVE to play with June bugs when I was a kid!). Amber is set up on a schedule - with certain times set aside for reading, science projects, games, etc., and plenty of free time programmed in. Once she finishes one part she is anxious to get started with the next. We want her to have some structure (there is often very little of that here), yet still have plenty of time to explore her new world and just be a kid. She hiked up to the office yesterday two or three times - equipped with a walkie talkie for communication, and a whistle for emergencies. I do believe our little girl is going to become one fine outdoorsperson. She will ride the bus an hour each way for the regular school year in Jasper.

The sun has climbed high into the sky now, and a breeze is picking up. The tree trunks are back to brown, but the overall view is still on the blue-haze side. Summer air is like that here a lot, until a storm comes through and sweeps it all clean.

Oops, I almost forgot. I just had to brag on my wife's cooking. When Terry and I finished work on the tractor shed late yesterday (yea!), we drug ourselves down to the cabin to wash up. And there was dinner all ready and waiting for us - and it was quite good too! My favorite food of all (next to ice cream) is Mexican, and Pam fixes this one enchilada dish as good as anyone - even though her husband got the wrong ingredients at the store...

Just before dark, while Pam and I were sitting in the swing on the back porch that overlooks the wilderness, it finally happened. It happens every year, but for some reason I have looked forward to it more this year than ever before, although it has been very late in coming. Some people don't like it, or tire of it in a hurry when it does happen, but I rather like it, from start to finish.

It began in a tree off to the right. Then in a tree to the left. Back to the right. Left again. Right. Left. Right. Left. And then the forest exploded with a symphony of the music of cicadas! These are the main summer bugs that dominate the twilight air. They spend most of their life underground, emerging in early summer and crawling up a nearby tree to sound off in search of a mate. Later they will exit their crusty shells, which is the part of cicadas that we humans usually see. But in the meantime they will provide the audio backdrop for parties, playtime, and lazy evenings as the summer rolls on.

After a while a band of crickets joined in, along with hoot owls and doves, and the quartet was complete. But wait - there was still more. Over on the far ridge, not to be undone by these bugs and birds,  a lone coyote began to yip and howl. He carried on for several minutes, each note ringing out crisp and clear and traveling a long ways in that humid nighttime air. Then a couple of his buddies added their voices. Man, you should have heard the VOLUME of the QUIET wilderness then! And as a final note our own little music machines Aspen and Lucy sat up and did their best to answer the coyotes - they both need a bit of practice though.

6/20/01 Very still at first light this morning. But dozens of birds have replaced the summer bugs and the volume outside remains high. A lot of haze remains, and even though it was supposed to rain last night and into today, there is nothing but blue sky above. The temp is a very comfortable 68 with the humidity at 80%.

Our window management days are over for a while now - we could still lower the inside temp each night by opening them up and then closing during the day to keep the coolness in. But the problem now is humidity - that same cool air brings in high humidity, which we then have to eliminate during the day with the air conditioner (a dehumidifier adds too much heat to use alone). We have found that by keeping the windows closed and the central AC on (and set at 78-80), we can keep the cabin comfortable and not have the AC running all the time (it is actually a heat pump unit, but it sounds funny to call it that when it is HOT outside!). There are 11 ceiling fans all around the cabin that help out a great deal too.

It is very quiet inside the cabin this morning, and both of my ladies are still fast asleep. Please don't snitch on me - I just made a trip to the freezer for a cup of homemade chocolate ice cream that we mixed up just before bedtime last night. Amber and I have many of the same food tastes. Sometimes Pam just has to stand there with her arms folded and shake her head - she didn't really gain a husband, but rather another child!

I got the processed film back from the lab yesterday and it looks like there is at least one good image from the most recent Haley Falls photo shoot that I can use in the calendar. That means that I can put that project to bed at last - after another day today of putting the finishing touches on it. Look for me to put the sales job on you heavy in August or September. When you are a small publisher like me, it is very tough to make any money on calendars (if they don't sell by the end of the year, you simply have to throw them away). It is a very cut-throat business with the big boys playing hardball. They will print up tens of thousands of cheap calendars, then force the giant bookstores to display them out front. This very first calendar of mine will have a  short print run (only about 1,000), and while they will be available at select bookstores around the region, I will sell most of them direct (some calendar distributors demand discounts as high as 60%!).

I am publishing a calendar now not because I plan to make money on it, but because so many people have been asking for one for so many years. It just felt right to do it this year.

I will post all of the images here in the journal, or at least a link to them. I have heard a few moans of late because there have been so many pictures in the journal, so have not been carrying the digital snapshot camera around with me all the time these days. I find it interesting sometimes to go back to the first couple of years of the journal when there was only a couple of snapshots included a month.

Oops, someone is stirring and I have to go hide the ice cream evidence...

Early morning on the back deck

Pam took an early morning stroll up to the Faddis cabin and to her favorite wildlife track area. There is a spot there of sand and fine dirt that reproduces critter tracks very well. She has been finding all sorts of tracks there - some that are easy to ID like raccoons and deer, and others that are a bit more challenging. She brought back a couple of pictures today for me to look at and I had no clue. We will post a picture or two of them later to see if any of you can help. In the meantime, here is a wild petunia picture that she took - seems like there will be THREE photographers here at the cabin!

Pam's Petunia Picture

I spent most of the day working on the calendar, but later in the afternoon got to spend one of the most wonderful times ever here. Amber rode her little purple mountain bike up to the office to see what I was doing. Only yesterday she could just barely ride it around the circle drive in front of the cabin. Now she was all the way up the hill to the office, and wanted to ride even further - up to Aspen's meadow. "You wanna come with me and ride your bike?" she said. HECK YES!!!

I had not touched my mountain bike in a while, but it seemed to function just fine, and my daughter and I rode on up to the top of the hill, and into a field of wildflowers just as the evening sun dipped low on the horizon. This was a magical moment for me - not only for the incredible beauty that we found - but also to be able to share it all with Amber. I am one lucky dude!

6/21/01 - A very WET first day of summer. Raindrops kept falling on my head as I took my early morning soak in the hot tub. And then the drops let up just a little to allow me to hike up to the office to begin the work day. A little while later, as a major summer thunderstorm blew in, I decided that being with my girls down at the cabin was more important than any work I had to do, so I wrapped myself up and headed out the door.

Good grief it was DARK outside! And it seemed to grow darker with each step. The thick clouds swirling overhead produced bright flashes, rolling thunder plenty of rain.

When I reached the cabin I found Pam and Amber all snuggled up in Amber's bed. She is a brave little girl, but is deathly afraid of thunder and lightening. But watching a thunderstorm roll through from the back is one of the great pleasures in life, so I coaxed her up out of bed and out onto the swing to watch the show.

At first, she was very concerned, especially each time a bolt of lightening flashed. But within a few minutes of assuring her that everything was OK, and that she could take great pleasure in watching and experiencing it all, she relaxed and began to really enjoy all that was going on. I explained the concept of light-vs-sound speed to her, and in no time we were both counting down every flash to see how far away it was. And goodness, there were MANY flashes to count! Another magical moment at Cloudland.

It rained hard - wave after wave. And within minutes we had nearly 3/4 of an inch of rain. The meadow and the forest and all of the critters out there really appreciated it I'm sure.

The storm breaking up

It looks like we are all going to be able to hear a bit from Pam and Amber at times, as they have begun to write down a few thoughts about life here in the wilderness. It is difficult and even a bit scary at first to write down your innermost thoughts, but I think both of these talented young ladies will do just fine. Until I figure out something different, I will simply post their thoughts here in a different color - BLUE text for Pam, and PURPLE for Amber (her favorite color). You may e-mail Pam with any thoughts that you might have at Pam@TimErnst.com.

Chapter I of my new life has begun. Amber and I moved to Cloudland on 6-15 and it was quite traumatic for both of us. We are looking forward to all of our wilderness adventures we are about to undertake. However, saying goodbye to our old friends, home and way of life was extremely difficult.

6/16 The day was spent resting and moving a few things around. Roy and Norma stopped by to pick up a load of trash. Amber went to her grandparents to spend the night and my back ached all day. Managed to pick a few weeds in the front. The wildflowers are blooming big time in Fox meadow. Strawberries are doing great!

6/17 Tim Left to go to Fayetteville and Aspen ran off to find him. I found Aspen up at the office just staring at the door waiting for Tim to appear. I felt sorry for him, but there was nothing I could do but join him. We sat on the step for awhile, missing our best friend. We loaded up into the car and drove to Springfield to get Amber.

6/18 Today started the new schedule that Amber and I will hopefully follow this summer. It starts with me getting out on a hike fist thing in the morning. Today I headed for the Faddis cabin and found an amazing place for animal tracks. ALL kinds of tracks that I have never seen before. I tried to look them up in the ID book but still cannot figure them out.

6/19 More tracks but I still have no idea what some of them are. One set is turkey and one is raccoon. Tim Went into Fayetteville and Amber and I were left to fend for ourselves. The only beast we had to contend with was the washing machine. I have never worked a front loading machine before, and this proved to be an experience for both of us. We spent a lot of time just watching the clothes go around. Who needs TV when you have a front loading machine!

6/20 Evening is my favorite time here at Cloudland. Well, almost. Sitting here on the swing watching as the sun sets and casts a golden hue to every branch that reaches out to grasp it. The air is calm and the gentle rush of the mighty Buffalo River can be heard from far below. The sounds of a hoot owl calling out gently break the calm. And then the reply is heard from the next valley over. Things seem to be at such peace here, the world seems so right and in its proper order.

Amber just radioed on the walkie-talkie. Her and Tim were headed to Aspens meadow on their mountain bikes. The sound of her voice was filled to the brim with excitement and I could see in my mind the twinkle in her eyes. I am so lucky to have found this man. A man that will spend time with Amber and me.

6/21 Tonight I took a hike up to Aspens meadow. It had rained hard all day and everything but the dogs were washed clean of all the dirt and grime that tends to settle upon the wilderness. As I came up onto the top of the ridge the most unbelievable scene was lying at my feet. Thousands upon thousands of wildflowers - daisies, daisy-fleabane, Queen Anne's lace, black-eyed Susan, and purple flowers that I could not ID. My eyes slowly began to rise and there were the mountains. Ridge after beautiful ridge of lush and green Ozark mountains. The sun was setting, which cast a soft gentle light on the flowers and a bluish haze settled on the farthest ridges. The smell was the freshest smell on earth. A smell that feels like you just splashed cold mountain water onto your face. As I stood there and took in the sights, the smell and the sounds, I could hear the words escape from my mouth in a whisper - "I'm home."

And a short bit of prose from Amber:

I look up I see the clouds.
I look down I see the ground.
I look all around I see Mother Nature sprout.
I wake up and hear the katydids shout!

6/22/01 A wee bit chilly this morning at 59 degrees, and it feels like fall. There is a dream world outside - VERY soft clouds down in the valley, and they are gently rising up as they are warmed by the first rays of sunshine. Not too many birds out - I guess they are all bundled up. And I just realized that we have heard no more from the evening summer bugs - just that one night's symphony and they packed it up. I guess they felt the big storm rolling in and went for cover. I'm sure they will return in full force and be here for many evenings.

6/25/01 A large red ball topped the ridge far to the east this morning, and the sun shown across a hazy, lazy wilderness filled with the sounds of all sorts of critters out playing and looking for breakfast. There were a number of large thunderhead-sized clouds up high, and the lit up pink and gold just before the sun came up. They are bright white now, and look pretty nice set against the deep blue backdrop of sky. It is a typical summer morning in the Ozarks, with a feel of heat in the air for later today.

I spent the weekend at the International Butterfly Festival in Paris, where I gave five of six mini photography workshops/discussions. There were a LOT more people in attendance this year, and the weather was perfect. It was great to find a number of folks who are regular journal readers in each of the groups!

I am happy to report that both the funnel cakes and FRESH-SQUEEZED lemon and limeaide were wonderful!!!

Poor Pam - she had to spend the entire weekend at the cabin alone - well, part of it alone anyway. When I arrived back home late last night I found that she had been one busy young woman, and I hardly recognized the place. This was a giant leap forward for her, since her back has still been giving her so much trouble (she did have a lot of help from mom and dad, but still did quite a bit of work on her own).

A bear got into some mischief at Bob's cabin, which put Pam and the dogs on high alert all night Saturday. This is the time of the year when they go a looking for easy meals - we don't put out bird feeders now because that often draws them in (it appears that the birds have PLENTY to eat just now anyway!). Pam is anxious to learn how to use firearms so that her nights alone here (hopefully not too many in the future!) will be easier to take. Seeing a bear out in the wilderness is one thing that we look forward to, but the cabin is off limits to them!

This week will be one fast and furious one around the cabin, yet I am looking forward to the challenge of forcing myself to get everything done on "the list," yet trying to get in at least one bit of time out in the wilderness each day (the river is CALLING me!). I will try to write when I can and post here in the journal.

Pam had a nice little walk on her bear patrol this morning, and she took along a camera for a few snapshots. At the same time that I was writing in the journal about the thunderheads, she was taking a picture of one of them from Aspen's meadow!

One of the big thunderheads at first light this morning (photo by Pam)

She also photographed this set of little critter tracks below in the soft earth - can you figure out what made it:

Critter tracks in the Faddis meadow (photo by Pam)

And another question for you nature buffs out there - most Queen Ann's Lace flowers have this tiny black thing right in the very center of the flower - what is it?

Queen Ann's Lace w/black center (photo by Pam)

DARK PICTURES? I need a little guidance from journal readers. I will often darken the photos posted here because they look best that way on my computer screen (like the thunderhead picture above). I know that other monitors are not set the same, and I was wondering if the pictures on the journal are often TOO dark for your monitor, of if they are OK?

We had a few guests this afternoon. A group of Project LAND students stopped by for an hour during their three-week tour around Arkansas. They were 8th and 9th graders from around Arkansas (most from Russellville), generally the cream of the crop type of students. It was great to meet and spend a small bit of time with these gifted young folks. What they have been experiencing this summer in the wilds of Arkansas will remain with them a lifetime.

The old man signs a few autographs

the Project Land group

Later we loaded up the big water tank into the trailer and made a quick trip down into Boxley Valley to fill up on spring water. While Pam kept track of the progress at the spring, Amber and I slipped off across the hay field and to the river for a quick dip in the refreshing Buffalo River. It was one wonderful swim to say the least. Sure the water was great, but getting to be there to help teach my daughter to swim and be comfortable in water was even better. Just one of the many things I would have missed out on if I had not met my lovely wife.

What a pleasure it was to witness and be a part of such genuine and limitless joy! This child absolutely LOVES the water, and it took a mighty tug to pull her away from it all. I think there will be many trips to the swimming hole in our future (her resident dad grew up in the water, and so I can appreciate her enthusiasm).

Amber and the Buffalo - that's my girl!

The dogs had a great time too - they went full blast across the freshly-mowed hay field, and then splashed and swam and played as hard as they could in the river. This was Lucy's first time to the river, and she only once got out into the deeper water with us. And that was a sight to see! This little city dog loves the country as much as I do.

When we got back to the cabin, Amber dug out the camera and ran over to a patch of daylilies that are growing at the edge of the drive. Pam showed her how to use the macro setting, and she came up with a pretty darn nice image.

Daylily (photo by Amber)

It was late - after dark - when I took off on a hike up to check on the progress of the transfer of 400 gallons of spring water down into our holding tank. The moon was high in the sky - just a silver sliver, but a beautiful one. We got a close up look through the telescope, and the craters were as sharp as could be. Anyway, as I was leaving, my dear wife suggested that I take her flashlight along. "Oh the moon is up and me heap big wilderness man don't need one" I scoffed. Yet I reached out and took it. And thank goodness that I did!

As I made my way up the trail into the dark woods, one of those moments of pure terror in life happened. I heard THAT sound!!! Oh my goodness, it was the sound of a rattlesnake for sure, and very close.  And there was nothing around me but total darkness - I had not been hiking with the flashlight on. While I searched frantically for the flashlight in my fanny pack, I braced for the sting of a snake bite at any moment. It didn't take me long to locate him once the light was on - a nice 2 1/2 foot timber rattlesnake right in the middle of the trail! My next step would have been on top of his head. YIKES!!! My wife is so smart.

Timber rattlesnake (locals call them "Velvet-tail")

This was the very first rattlesnake that I had seen near the cabin, ever. There sure does seem to be a lot more snakes in general in the woods this summer - more than I recall seeing in the past several years combined. Most of them I welcome, but I don't care too much for these bad guys so close to the cabin. You can bet the rest of my journey in the dark woods tonight was taken step-by-step, and with the flashlight ON!

We heard from quite a few of you about the tracks and the Queen Anne's Lace. Most of you correctly ID'd the tracks as raccoon tracks - their long skinny fingers are a dead giveaway. And several said the dark thing in the middle of the Queen Anne's Lace was a single flower (often purple). Queen Anne's Lace is actually a wild carrot. We have some pretty smart readers out there.

There are dozens and dozens of ID books here at the cabin - from trees to fossils to weeds to birds to mushrooms to snakes. And, of course, several wildflower books. My favorite one is OZARK WILDFLOWERS by Don Kurz. You will find that his book is not only the easiest for us lay people to use, but the photographs in it are quite spectacular - it is a small picture book in itself, and the images rival any coffee table picture book there is. It is always the first book that I reach for when needing to ID a wildflower, or simply to look at some great pictures!

It is very late at night now, and the cabin is quiet. The sliver moon is sinking down into the trees, and it remains warm outside. Tomorrow I will begin construction of Amber's "Fort" - a combination play set and treehouse that I have designed and will put right out in front of the cabin in the middle of the circle drive (it is surrounded by woods, and we won't have to cut a single tree to fit it in). I am making it large enough so that she can have sleep-overs out there with her new friends, but also so that when the time comes for her to have PARTIES at the cabin, Pam and I will have a place to sleep! The outside will be log siding so it will look just like a little log cabin on stilts. Pam keeps asking me exactly WHO this fort is for - Amber or ME! I never had one as a kid, so I guess it will be for both of us, and I hope that Amber will let me come play sometimes too.

6/26/01 What strange weather we are having today. Dark clouds and thunder roll through the valley below. Amber and Aspen are on the deck playing and singing in the rain. Lucy is looking at them but not making a move towards joining in. I think she had enough of being wet yesterday.

Sometimes I wish there were better words in the English language to describe things. Guess I will just have to use what I have, and make up the rest. The rain that is falling is making a gentle whoosh as it touches the ground and begins to soak in. Yet it makes a sharp little splat as it lands on a leaf, slowly trickles down and falls, only to make a softer splat on the leaf below. Thousands of these little whooshes and splats all at the same time.

There is a cool, gentle breeze stirring with each leaf waving to the next as if saying "Here it comes, I'm sending the wind your way." Along with the breeze comes the clean smell of rain. Nothing is more refreshing to the senses than rain. A feeling of things being cleansed and starting anew, a feeling of life beginning. You can hear it with each drop, see it in the way the colors are brighter, and the way flowers open and rejoice in the drink. You can smell the freshness in the air and feel the moisture on your skin. And if you are like my daughter, you can even taste it as you bounce around trying to catch the tiny drops in your mouth. Hey, I think even Aspen is holding his head high to the heavens, with his tongue stuck out, and joining in on the fun.

The rain has stopped now and small clouds are being born in the valley. And it all begins again...(from Pam)

When I returned from a quick trip to town I found a dark, wet and eerie wilderness. The quarter inch of rain gave everyone a much-need drink, and was producing a great deal of fog in the valleys below. The moon sliver was getting a bit larger, and the clouds overhead had cleared enough so that this little touch of light was shining down and illuminating the rising fog. And echoing up through it wall were the lonely cries on a single coyote. Man his voice carried out across the low-lying clouds forever, bouncing off the canyon walls and heading off in many directions. I know this guy was a mile or more away, but the sound was so sharp and clear that he could have been standing out on the back deck. I walked on down into Fox meadow and just stood there and listened for a few minutes. What was he trying to say? Was he lonely, and calling out to a distant mate to come spend the night? Or was he rejoicing in the rain and the moonlight and the wilderness that he had all to himself tonight? I guess I need to brush up on my coyote talk.

6/27/01 Most of the new clouds had risen up and blew away during the night, but there were still a few hanging around down low in the valley. Lots of them in the sky too, and several had gathered over above the eastern ridge to greet the new day. That old sun popped up and shown through them as bright red as a fire engine, spreading its warm joy across the land. The temp was in the upper 50's, and it felt great outside.

"Tim, hurry up here! Shhhhhhhh." Pam was calling down to me to come up to the loft. I had an idea what she wanted because I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye. There he was, a GIANT woodpecker just outside the window. We used to call these Pileated woodpeckers "good gods" when I was a boy because when you saw one flying through the forest you would exclaim "good god, look at how huge that woodpecker is!" He was coal black with a bright red head. I do believe this was the model that was used to make up the original Woody Woodpecker.

It is later now, and Pam just returned from her morning stroll around the property. She has added Bob's cabin to her route because of the bear incident there the other day. Bob was sleeping out on his deck when he heard a bit of noise, but didn't think too much about it. Turns out the bear got into a bird feeder nearby, and then came up onto the deck and got Bob's daypack, which had a few bits of food in it. Oops, that is not a good sign - a bear getting your pack. This bear now associates food with humans, which is a tough idea to change. I suspect we have not seen the last of that bear.

Anyway, she did not see any bear sign this morning, nor sings of anything else for that matter. In fact there was a distinct lack of sign or critter tracks in the usual places. I guess everyone is sleeping in. I absolutely love to sleep in, especially out here at the cabin, yet that first hour of daylight is indeed the most magical one of the entire day, so I don't sleep in much anymore.

6/30/01 Today began like most this week, with me in the hot tub at first light around 5-something AM. But by the end of today it would turn out to be the most incredible day ever in Cloudland history.  It's the day I have been looking forward to ever since I bought this property and built the cabin, and it far exceeded anything that I could have ever imagined. Today would be the public celebration of the union of my new family, and since more than 100 folks had accepted the invite, we were in for a good crowd. But first, there was still a ton of work to be done.

It was very wet out, like it had been for the past three days - lots of heavy fog to go along with the light rain that we have been having. They were calling for more rain at some point during the day, something I really didn't give much thought to - you simply can't worry about the weather, even with a giant event like this. So I crawled out of the tub and got to work.

First chore was to get Amber's Fort up and running. Pam's uncle Ted from Wisconsin and I had been working on it from daylight to dark for the past couple of days, and while we did not expect to get it finished by today, we did need to get it in working order, or at least the super slide in working order for all of the kids that would be here for the party to use.

Once we do get the fort completed, I will post a picture here, but for now I will tell you that it is an 8 x 12 foot elevated deck with an 8 x 8 foot enclosed part and a 4 x 8 foot open deck in the front, facing the cabin. There will be one of those super tunnel slides down one side, a sandbox and play area underneath, with a picnic table and chairs and a swingset too. The 8 x 8 enclosed part will have log siding and a blue metal roof and will look like a miniature log cabin on stilts (the roofline will match that of the main cabin). No telling what all else we will add, but it should be a dream play fort for my little girl. And I designed it to be large enough so that Pam and I could also use it for an escape! We are building it in the middle of the circle drive that is in front of the cabin - a quick and easy place to get to.

We had the deck completed and the walls up already, and started on the log siding (I did not have enough siding to complete it - we were using left over logs from the workshop), and attached the super slide and built supports for it. It was Ted and I and his son Zach and Pam's dad Ron working on it this morning. Roy and Norma and Pam and Amber and Ted's wife Bonnie were all busy with other chores - it was a real bee hive of activity for sure!

I had instructed the troops that we were only going to work until noon, and then cut it off so that we could sit back and relax and try to enjoy some of the day. Guests were to begin arriving at 4pm. We did get the slide all set up and the immediate construction area cleaned up in time for us to quit at noon. But we didn't get to spend too much time relaxing after lunch as there were so many more chores to do, and lots of folks showing up early to help out.

The cabin really got fired up by early afternoon, with dozens of people running here and there doing all sorts of things. It takes a GREAT deal of organization to put something like this together (some of that we had to make up on the spot), but everything seemed to be working out just fine. And right in the middle of it all, we got an offer on Pam's house in Springfield - it had only been on the market for two weeks, and there were four other homes right next to her's that were for sale too - we never expected to get an offer so fast. So we had to sit down and work on all of that for a while, which really threw a kink into our plans. Thank goodness the growing hoard of workers was there to continue with all of the work!

Just as I was hiking up to the office to fax back our signed acceptance offer, it began to rain. Uh oh. Rain? Rain on the most important day in the history of Cloudland? Yep, the sky was DARK and the thunder was loud and the rain was very wet. But you know, I really didn't worry too much about it because we had all of our ducks in a row and our friends would enjoy the day no matter what.

The rain continued for a couple of hours, and the cabin began to fill up with guests. We had two shuttle vehicles set up to bring folks down to the cabin from the parking area near the Faddis cabin. Many of these people had never been here before, so we had a special web page set up for folks to go to and download directions from several different cities in all directions. Plus we had balloons set out at all the main intersections. (That all seemed to work out pretty well, and we never heard of anyone getting lost.)

The rain stopped about 4:45, just in time for Terry Tractor to hook up the trailer filled with hay. I had put "Hayrides to Aspen's Meadow at 5pm" on the invitations, but wasn't too sure if anyone would want to partake. Within seconds after Terry pulled up in front of the cabin the trailer was COVERED up with people sitting on the hay!

At about the same time Effron White - a wonderful singer/songwriter - was setting up his equipment on one corner of the upper deck. Effron is Amber's favorite musical artist, and she knows just about all of his songs by heart.

There were tables and chairs and ferns and trash cans and coolers and lots of other things scattered all around the cabin deck area. Our good friend Bobby Shepperd had arrived several hours before and set up five or six grills and was busy with his crew cooking up a terrific BBQ.

Pam's dad Ron was out in one of the carports with SIX ice cream machines going at the same time - a total of EIGHT gallons of homemade ice cream! (vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, and ginger)

Roy was in charge of the bushwhackers in one corner of the kitchen. It was, after all, the SUMMER BUSHWHACKER PARTY, so we had to have plenty of those. He ended up going through NINE gallons of bushwhacker mix!!! We did indeed have quite a few "bushwhacked" folks around.

In front of the cabin were lined up nine or ten coolers filled with soft drinks, beer, wine, and water. Out hidden in the trees, two brand new porta-pitties!

And inside the cabin on the dining room table were two genuine works of art. The premiere wedding cake designer in the land had arrived with these most amazing cakes. The first one was the groom's cake, and was topped with an EXACT replica of the gazebo! She took a picture off of the journal and created it with incredible accuracy. If you looked close you would see little bear tracks in the chocolate icing!

And the main cake was something else to behold! It was covered with intricate detail, including many butterflies crawling up the side. The artist was Joyce Hale, the grandmother of Haley Zega. It was a great treasure for us and a wonderful honor for have her produce this most amazing work of art!

And speaking of Haley, she arrived and presented us with a neat framed picture that she had created, complete with "See ya in the woods, Love Haley Zega" on it. I was quite moved and immediately hung it in a prominent spot on the log wall in the great room of the cabin. This was the first time that Haley had been back to this area since being rescued from her ordeal two months ago, and her first visit ever to the cabin, although she did hike right on past it at the beginning of her saga.

The phone rang and my good friend Greg Heinze said that he would see me in about fifteen minutes. The only thing odd about that was the fact that he was in TULSA! No problem, because he was going about 500 miles an hour - literally. He is a pilot, and was heading back to home base from a quick trip out west. Cloudland gets buzzed by all sorts of aircraft nearly every week (which I love), but this one would turn out to be something extra special for all involved. I was a bit concerned because the rain had just stopped, and it was still mostly cloudy out. But there was one patch of blue way up there somewhere, and I kept my fingers crossed. It would be great to have a small jet like the one he was flying pass by the cabin and dip his wings.

Since I wasn't completely sure that he would make it through the weather, I did not make a big formal announcement, but did quietly suggest that a few folks move on over to the south side of the cabin. And then someone said that a plane had just flown overhead. Darn - I had missed him.

A few moments later I heard a loud GASP from the guests, and everyone began to point. Greg and his jet literally dropped right out of the clouds and down into the valley and began to head straight for the cabin. Within a few seconds he was right over Fox meadow!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, what an incredible sight and feeling!!! The crowd was stunned. I turned around and saw tears streaming down the face of more than one person. And there were hoops and hollers everywhere. But wait, that was not it. Greg appeared once again out of the sky and made an even lower pass, this time banking steeply right over the gazebo. HOLY COW!!!  Everyone was left stunned and awed, and not believing what they had just experienced. I can't tell you how many told me that was the most incredible thing they had ever seen. "Better than the Thunderbirds!" There were several pilots here - some experienced military pilots - and even they remarked that it was a terrific thing to see. Whew, what a wedding present! (and the noise was much less from his jet than from the military jets that come by each week)

phot copyright by Mark Hardgrave

Once we all got our breaths back, Effron continued his great music. My daughter's favorite song in the world is his "Biscuits and Gravy," and so you can imagine that she went wild once he began to play it. She got right over in front of him and just danced and danced. The music drifted all around outside the cabin, where more than 100 folks had gathered. And I opened the windows to the cabin so that others in side could enjoy Effron as well.

Amber hamming it up with Effron White

Terry returned with his hayride bunch, loaded up another batch and drove off again. We had no idea this would be so popular. But come to think of it, when is the last time you went on a hayride?

Terry Tractor and the hayride

And then at the stoke of 6pm, we yelled out that it was time to EAT! BBQ chicken, pork, beef, hot dogs, and enough fixin's to feed an army. It took more than 35 minutes for everyone to get through the line. And the food was not only plentiful, it was GREAT!!!

At some point during all of this Pam's nephew Zach had gone out on a short hike and found a momma bear and a cub wandering around near the cabin - I do believe they wanted to partake in the festivities as well. This is the first time I can recall anyone seeing a momma and cub hear here. There are always lots of them sighted around the state, just none here before.

Pam told me something funny about Chip (the hummingbird), and how he was getting pretty mad that there were so many folks hanging around the back deck - and his feeder. She told me that Chip had flown right on in under the back porch - where there were several dozen people talking - and proceeded to work the crowd and scold them for having disturbed his dinner. They he flew off in a huff and landed in a nearby dogwood tree, patiently waiting for everyone to leave.

Both Pam and I had to change into our wedding clothes in the upstairs closet because Amber had taken over the bathroom - along with three or four helpers. That was fine with me - you can stick me in the closet with Pam anytime!

At 7pm I called everyone down into the meadow to gather around the gazebo for the ceremony. Pam's dad has brushhogged an area right in front of the gazebo - after Pam had picked all of the flowers there and placed them around the cabin. The sky had cleared a lot and it was cool and NO bugs and everything was simply perfect.

Wildflowers for the butterflies (photo at left by Pam, and at right by Amber)

Several months ago I had asked Effron White if he knew any John Denver songs. "No." When I looked very dejected, he asked me if he had just lost a paying gig because of it. Both Pam and I (and Amber too) love Denver music, and we had wanted for Effron to play a couple of the songs that I had sung to Pam when I proposed to her last fall. Effron said that he would try to learn them if he could. Well, he had learned them since that time, and was willing to give it a go.

OK, everyone had gathered at the gazebo (and up on the back deck for those who did not want to make the steep trip down into the meadow and back), Pam and Amber were all dressed and ready to walk down the isle (actually hike down the trail). The "preacher" lady (Patsy Cox) and I were standing at attention and all set. But there was one final detail yet to come - and this was a BIG surprise to me, and to everyone else there.

I heard another collective gasp from the crowd, then turned around to see what it was all about. Not one, or two, but THREE airplanes were headed our direction - and coming in VERY low!!! It was my buddy Greg - back again for another show. He was not in the jet this time, but rather had a formation of three prop planes. They made one pass, then another one lower, and a third one right off of the deck - with the two lead planes flying in close formation and dipped sideways to the crowd (the third plane remained above to watch for other traffic as a safety measure). Once again everyone cheered and shouted and could not believe what an incredible show they were seeing.

Just as the planes disappeared, Effron began to play "For Bobbie, For Baby" and "Annie's Song" on his acoustical guitar. Two visions of loveliness began to hike down the trail. This was the moment I had waited for my entire life, and it had become much larger than life. My bride and daughter were the most beautiful ladies that I had ever seen. And they carried wildflowers that we had planted and grown in our own meadow, a meadow that was now filled with our dear friends and family. It was a moment that will remain frozen in my mind as long as I live.

And speaking of "as long as you both shall live," I must tell you that Pam has been quite cool and collected about all of this big party stuff. The only thing she ever expressed concern over was the actual wedding ceremony itself. Patsy is the Mayor of Greenland, and while can legally perform marriages, she had never done one before, nor could actually do one outside of her jurisdiction. But she has been such a good friend, that we wanted her to do this one. We were already legally married anyway, so this was just for show. But it did mean a great deal to Pam and I and Amber, and we wanted to do it right.

Well, Patsy had been out of town all week, and we could not contact her about the actual ceremony for the details. But my incredible bride woke up this morning and sat down and wrote out the most beautiful and moving vows that I had ever seen. Just like that. I was quite impressed. And so we used her words exactly as she wrote them on the very first draft. But first we had to elect Pasty as TEMPORARY mayor of Cloudland so that she could perform the ceremony.

And so here are the words that Pam wrote this morning, and that were used for our ceremony:

"Dear Friends, we are gathered here today at Cloudland in celebration of families.  A bond that is once formed can never be broken. We are here today not only to celebrate our own families but to witness the formation of a new family, Tim, Pam and Amber

Tim, do you take Pam as your partner for life? Do you promise to love and cherish her, to walk hand in hand with her through the valleys, forest and over the mountains, and to share the sunsets, waterfalls and the rain? Do you promise to honor and respect her, teach her as well as learn from her, and do you promise to protect her from the bears here at Cloudland so long as you both shall live?

Pam, do you take Tim as your partner for life? Do you promise to love and cherish him, to walk hand in hand with him through the valleys,  forest and over the mountains, and to share the sunsets, waterfalls and the rain? Do you promise to honor and respect him, teach him as well as learn from him and do you always promise to share the tractor so long as you both shall live?

Tim, do you take Amber into your heart and soul as if she were made from your very blood? Do you promise to love and cherish her, to walk hand in hand with her wherever she is willing to go  or lead her wherever she is willing to follow? Do you promise to share with her all of the simple joys of life, to honor and respect her, teach her as well as learn from her? And do you promise to always share your popscicles so long as you both shall live?

Amber, do you take Tim into your heart and accept him into your family. Do you promise to love, honor, trust and respect him, to walk hand in hand with him wherever he is willing to lead you or lead him wherever he is willing to follow? Do you promise to te ach him as well as learn from him, and do you promise to share your popcorn so long as you both shall live?

Tim, Do you have a token of your love for Amber?
You may slip the ring on her finger and repeat after me.
With this ring I give to you.
I give you my heart.
and I give you my promise.
to be the best father I can be.

Through love, honesty and caring may these three walk through life knowing that their family is intact.  By the power vested in me as temporary mayor of Cloudland, I pronounce you a family. Tim, you may welcome your new family into your arms."

How is that folks! Needless to say it was a dream come true for me. There was a slight wind blowing, cloud formations and sunshine all around, beautiful wildflowers swaying in the breeze, and the most important people in the world all around me. Perfect. Just perfect.

The rest of the evening was spent gathered around the cake/ice cream/champagne table (my sister had brought out several cases of very special millennium 2000 champagne - that is the year when Pam and Amber and I met, and so was a fitting drink for us to share with everyone. I absolutely HATED to see Joyce cut into those works of art, but the cake inside was as delicious as the outside looked. And the homemade ice cream was a bit hit too!!!

Effron continued to play long into the evening as guests mingled around. Oh yea, I passed out a copy Effron's CD to everyone. And I must tell you about this one song of his called "Start My Thing." Pam loves this tune, and it is all about Effron's "thing" that he does that drives women wild. He dedicated it to her, and then while playing it added her name to the lyrics - needless to say my dear wife did indeed go wild! Besides Effron's great singing and playing talent, he also is an award-winning song writer, and most of the songs on his CD were written by him. It was super special to have him play at our party.

OK, here are a few numbers for you. We mailed out 89 invitations, got RSVP's from 124 people, had 15 of those not show up, while a few others did show up. The final count was 129 people - counting one mystery lady that no one knew. That number includes my pilot friend Greg and his mom and his co-pilot (I figured they were as much a part of the party as anyone!). We had planned on 125, so that was just about right.

PICTURES. For some strange reason, I kept putting my digital snapshot camera down someplace and was without it most of the time. The event was captured on film by many different people, including my good friend Joe Ownbey (he is the guy who first got me started in the photography business, who drove up from Dallas for the day), who shot roll after roll of film; and Mark Hardgrave, who shot many, many digital images (he is the grizzly bear photographer who I have noted here before). Mark is going to send me all of his images on a CD later this week, and I will be able to post some of them here. He did e-mail me the one jet fly-by pic that is posted here. I am hoping to get an image of my lovely ladies all dressed up, plus a group picture that we took of those gathered down at the gazebo. And, oh yea, I forgot to tell you that Aspen got into the mix while we were down at the gazebo - he came right on up in front of everyone and sat down right between the three of us! Good dog.

All in all I would say that it was no less than the greatest event ever here at Cloudland, and indeed in my entire life. It was an honor to have so many friends and family here to share it all. Pam and I will get writers cramps this week trying to thank the hoards that did so much to make this happen. And while we specifically asked that no presents be given, we did receive a ton of them - and some most unique things that will become permanent parts of the cabin (plus a few gift certificates to Home Depot and Lowes!!!). A mighty giant THANKS to one and all......

FOR MORE wedding images go to http://www.Cloudland.net/weddingpics.html

July 2001 Journal