3/1/00 Bright sunshine and no wind at all this morning. And for the first time in nearly a week, the rivers below were singing a lively tune. I'm sure they have been singing all along, but I have been unable to hear them because the wind has been so strong, and loud.

As we headed out along the trail to the east meadow, a loud noise off in the distance stopped me in my tracks. It was a very large tree crashing to the ground, way down in the valley somewhere. An old weathered soul most likely. A tree who had seen many generations grow up around it, and had been spared the saw. I could imagine this tree being twisted and gnarled and full of holes, holding nests of flying squirrels and birds and all kinds of life inside its massive but rotten trunk. But now the life had gone out of this great tree, and it was time to fall to the ground, where it would continue to give life to many species for years to come.

The crash echoed throughout the wilderness. I didn't realize it at the time, but this tree was trying to tell me something - "STOP, AND LOOK DOWN" is what it was saying. And I did look down at the trail in front of me, and what I found was the object of my search yesterday morning - the very first WILDFLOWER of the season!

This little "Trout Lily" or "Dog-tooth Violet" wildflower had shot up through the sea of brown leaves on the forest floor, right in the middle of the trail. A spot where my foot had landed a thousand times. But because of the old tree crashing and telling me to stop, I did not step on this little jewel. It was not quite open yet, although the morning sun was hitting it and I bet it would be fully open and soaking up rays by noon. Now I know spring does not really begin for another three weeks, but today, at that very moment when I found this little treasure, is when spring officially began at Cloudland.

It is going to be one grand spring for sure, and I welcome each and every step through it. It is my goal to personally look a million wildflowers in the face and return their smiles. I normally spend a great deal of time in the woods in the spring, but this year it will be my job to do so, as I work on my new picture book (Arkansas Spring). It will be a tough job, but someone has to do it, right?

3/2/00 A spectacular sunrise today! But soon the sky was filled with grey. It was a cool hike up to work - temp in the low 40's.

While I was out on the back deck later eating lunch, a quiet and soft rain began to fall. Not a hint of wind. Within minutes steam vents formed and drifted ever so slowly up from the valley below. They were calling for severe weather and hail later, but for a little while, all was peaceful and calm at Cloudland.

3/3/00 It was damp and cool and calm at daylight. No real bad weather during the night, but we did get some rain - still need another foot or two. Looked like it might rain on and off all morning, so I put on my rain jacket and took off on a hike through the woods.

When things are wet, colors are richer, there is a wonderful earthy aroma in the air, and it just feels great to wander around in the wilderness. I spent ten minutes examining one boulder that was covered with many layers of lichens and mosses - each a different shade of green. I have walked past this rock hundreds of times and never noticed it. Damp days will do that to ya.

A little further up the trail I spotted the remains of a large tree, just down below the trail, that had recently come crashing down. It might have been the one that saved me from stepping on the wildflower, but that one seemed off in the opposite direction. The one near the trail this morning was hollow, with many squirrel holes in its sides. Probably a raccoon or other critter called it home as well. Now the forest floor creatures will have their turn, living off of the rich organic matter and hiking in the dark crevasses.

I noticed a couple of other dead trees that had recently blown over. One in particular had been attacked many times by woodpeckers - probably pileated ones. As you can see, several of the holes were quite large - three inches in diameter. Boy, I would sure hate for one of those woodpeckers to peck on me!

3/6/00 There was a large party at the cabin this past weekend, although I was out of town and did not get to partake. When I returned I found the cabin in great shape with all the dishes washed and the carpet vacuumed - that's the kind of guests I like!

I also found a pile of ladybugs. They have been coming out all winter, especially on warm days, or when the fireplace is going strong. I'm not sure where they hide, but they almost always end up dead when they come out into the cabin. It hasn't been a bad year for wasps, but these ladybugs have been everywhere. You can't help but step on a couple as you walk around inside. And while Aspen has done a great job of eating wasps, he finds the ladybugs just too darn small to get a bite on, so he pays them no mind.

And speaking of Aspen, I must tell ya, his paws continue to grow. My springers have always had large paws, but this guy is setting a new record, and he still has a lot more growing to do. Their paws are webbed to help them swim.

The new meadow is coming along fine, taking on a green glow with all the fresh grass. A cold front passed through over the weekend, which kept the grass from growing too much. It curtailed the wildflowers too, and I could hardly find any, even in my trout lily patch. Spring is coming along, but is not rushing forward. That's OK. I still expect it to snow again before summer.

I sat on the back deck with a big bowl of soup and crackers and homemade Cloudland beer for dinner. Right after sunset a thick cloud of smoke moved in, filling all of the valleys below. No question it was a forest fire, although I could not see any flames. I hoped it was the smoke from the 4,000 acre controlled burn that the forest service had announced they would be doing. It was a LOT of smoke for sure.

Fire is one thing that you worry about when you live in a log cabin in the woods. One precaution that I took was to cut out a small opening down below the cabin on the windward side. Any fire that makes it through this area would most likely come up from that direction, and that little meadow might afford a bit of protection. I left all trees on the other sides of the cabin.

3/7/00 We were up and soaking in the hot tub well before sunrise. The thick smoke was gone, although a bit of haze remained. It was warm - in the 50's. I guess I need to quit saying "warm" at that temp since it is March.

The sun was just peeking up over yander hill as we made our way through the woods towards the east meadow. It had a yellow cast this morning, and was a magnificent sunrise.

Three wildflowers. That's all that I could find. I suspect that the forest floor will explode with color here in a week or two, especially if we get more rain, then sunshine, and the temps stay up there.

Lots of woodpeckers out this morning. I sat and watched a downy woodpecker in a nearby tree for five minutes. Every branch that he would pound on made a different sound. It was very still out this morning, so the sound waves were quite clear. One branch was deep bass, another high pitched. I guess you could get a bunch of woodpeckers on the same tree and have quite a symphony.

Today was location day. I had to pick the exact location for both Aspen's and the Wildman's lodge up in the meadow. They are supposed to be pointed away from the prevailing wind, but that has been tough to calculate up on my little hillside. I decided to locate mine up on the top of the ridge so that I could either have a terrific view of Boxley Valley to the NE, or I could rotate the lodge to face east, towards the sun and moonrise. The Wildman's will be along the ridgeline a couple hundred feet. We are getting close to putting them up now, perhaps even later this week. You'll be the first to know, and to see.

Later in the day the last part of my new computer system arrived. It is the single largest computer purchase that I have ever made, and it cost more than even the new computer itself. But since it is what I will be staring at all day, and the most important part of the system, I did not mind spending the extra cash for it. The only problem was that I had never seen one, I had to order it direct from the Apple factory in California, and there was no returning once I got it, so I was a wee bit anxious as I opened the package, hoping it would live up to all the hype it came with.

What I found in the box was the most spectacular monitor that I had ever seen! It is a new-style Apple Cinema Display, a flat panel screen. It is not only huge - the ACTUAL image on screen is 18.5" x 12" - but the darn thing is just incredibly SHARP. And since I require both a large screen and sharp detail, it passed with flying colors. I have been working on a 21" color screen for many years, and a series of 21" greyscale screens before that. I have never used anything smaller than a 21" screen. I just can't image how so many people get by on those TINY little computer screens. This new screen will allow me to view two full size pages side by side, which I actually do quite a bit when I lay out and design books. And the image is so large and sharp that I no longer have to work in "editor" mode in PageMaker when I write this journal, which is a pleasure. Wow, what an image!

And with the new monitor came a new computer desk for the cabin (actually I drove into town and picked up the new desk). It is a small, personal oak desk that will live in the library at the cabin. That is where the old computer will be. And since I have discovered that I often don't want to make the trip up the hill to the cabin at night to work, I expect to do a lot of writing at the new desk.

OK, enough computer talk. Back to the wilderness!

It was midnight before I shut down the office and slipped into the hot tub to admire a sky filled with stars. The wind was blowing really hard. And it was coming from the east - a sure sign of weather moving in.

3/8/00 And it continued to blow all night, bringing in a cloud front that was loaded with rain. There was no sunrise, just lighter shades of grey. The wind had topped out at 51mph.

Just as I suited up for a morning hike, the rain stopped. As I made my way through the forest the strong wind swirled around me. It was warm - 56 degrees - and a very pleasant walk. Every now and then the wind would mount a really strong blow from the south, and right after the sun would break through the clouds and light everything up. Then the wind would swirl around to some other direction, and the sun would go back into hiding.

You can always tell when something is out of place in the forest. Aspen found such a rock next to the trail. It just didn't belong. As he examined it closely, I looked around for signs of its origin, but could find none. It was too large to be blown by the wind, so it must have been placed there by man or beast.

And now I am sitting here typing and looking at this incredible new display. Oops, I said I was finished with that. Sometimes the tools of the trade are toys as well. I will try to contain myself.

Later in the afternoon, just before sunset, we headed out on a hike. The sky had cleared, and the low sun was casting long shadows with yellow light in between. The short but brilliant green grass in Aspen's meadow really caught the light, and it was a surreal experience walking through it. Aspen was running and jumping with joy, chasing the wind.

There is a bit of my land between the East and Faddis meadows - the part that the lane wanders through - that always seems to have interesting things going on. I've seen bears there, many turkeys, coyotes, and that is where the peach and paw paw trees grow. And the color in the spring and fall is just wonderful. Well, today as we walked along this lane in the fading evening light, three fat birds flew up just ahead of us. They were either woodcocks or snipes. Aspen flushed them, and they didn't hang around long.

Ha, ha, you say - snipes? Yea right. Well, actually, they probably WERE snipes. While most people only know the snipe from the "snipe hunting" joke, snipes DO exist. They are a short, fat bird with a very long beak, and look a lot like a woodcock, both part of the sandpiper family. I had seen a snipe/woodcock at this same location last year, so they seem to like it. Still, I find that most people, even my own girlfriend, don't believe me when I tell them I saw a snipe. The Latin name is Capella gallinago in case any of you want to go look it up. Common snipe. Perhaps I should just give up and call them woodcocks.

Hey, you want to go snipe hunting?

3/9/00 An incredible sunrise this morning. Lots of bright colors. It was quite warm, and the first rays found me walking up and over the ridge and on down to Bob's cabin. I spent the next couple of hours playing, actually working, on his tractor. I had some gravel to spread up in the meadow and at the office site, and wanted to work on my road a little. I guess a tractor is the ultimate toy for a guy, both as a child and as an adult. As time goes on I will probably be borrowing Bob's tractor more and more, you know to mow the meadow and everything. One of these days I may have to trade in all of my computer stuff and get a tractor.

And speaking of computer stuff, I guess that I need to make an announcement about this journal, especially since there are so many new readers. My original goal with the journal was to write it for one year, from May 1998 through April 1999, and then publish that material in book form. The book is still forthcoming - later this year. But the online journal continued, and of course, I am still with it. My goal was never to write and post a daily journal, but rather to do an update about once a week, usually on Mondays. Now that I have cheaper internet access to upload the pages (a local call instead of a long distance call), I often will update the journal every day or two or three. I know that some of you have been checking in every day looking for new material, often finding none. Sorry about that. My recommendation is to either check  in late on Mondays for new material, or go back through and read some of the previous months. I find it interesting to follow along from the year before to see what was going on and compare to the present. However you do it, I really do appreciate you taking the time to keep up with things out here at Cloudland, and all of your e-mails. (I have received more than 200 e-mails now from the Democrat-Gazette article, and still get new ones every day!)

And if any of the previous months do not load for you, please drop me an e-mail and let me know. It is possible that some links may have been broken and I may have to re-post.

I spent most of the rest of the day in town visiting with family. For those of you who have been keeping up, both my mom and my guard dog Stable are actually doing very well. Mom walked across the living room for the first time in a long while (she is 82 and has Alzheimer's). And stable got a haircut, which made him feel a lot better. He is a city dog now, helping keep an eye on my mom. Aspen always stirs things up with we visit, but a new fence around the yard will give him plenty of room to play in outside.

It was very late when we returned to the office, and nearly midnight when I made it to the cabin and into the hot tub. TONS of stars out, and just a sliver of silver moon dropping in the western sky. I dried off and spent some time sipping tea and reading the local paper, which is delivered on Thursdays. It seems the cloud of thick smoke that I saw last week was indeed from the 4,000 acre controlled burn that the Forest Service had done. They had used a special machine that sent out burning ping pong balls from a helicopter to ignite the burn. Controlled burns are really a good thing that is done every now and then to burn off the built up leaves and fuel on the forest floor. These burns help reduce the possibility of a really large forest fire later. Plus they promote lots of new growth along the forest floor, which wildlife really appreciates.

3/10/00 Something happened this morning that I have done hundreds of times before, but it normally happens to me while clinging to a frozen hillside, or fighting bugs or something. But today I was able to lay in my cozy bed while it happened. It was the sunrise, or actually the brilliant color of pre-dawn.

At first, it was just an orange stripe across the eastern horizon, with grey clouds above. As I lay there, trying to steal another minute or two of rest, the color worked its way up into those clouds, and the wonderful color in the sky grew more intense every time that I rolled over and looked. Finally all was lit up. I jumped up, put on my robe, strolled on downstairs and grabbed the digital camera and went out into the chilly morning. Much better than freezing my fanny off.

And it was a bit nippy this morning - in the mid 30's. They are calling for rain all afternoon and into the night, changing to snow by midnight. Hum, I knew we were in for another snow. We often get the largest on in March, although any that fills will certainly melt quickly. It us supposed to be back up in the 70's over the weekend.

A flock of bluebirds came a calling while I was in the hot tub. One sat right on top of the new bear that overlooks the tub. And that reminds me that I need to get out the bluebird boxes and put them up - ASAP! I know that bluebird scouts are sent out early to find suitable housing. I may be too late. On my list for today, before it rains.

As I hiked around this morning on my way up to the office, I searched for new wildflowers. I didn't find many. Only a couple more trout lilies and nothing else.  And this second cold front will certainly slow things down even more. Perhaps this year spring will be on time.  The past couple of years we have had very mild winters, and spring charged in early, only to be frozen solid by a late winter storm.

The morning sunshine quickly turned grey, and before long a cold rain began to fall. It felt like it could turn to snow at any minute, although the temp remained in the mid-30's all day. Just before dark everything dried up and the sky looked like it might break up. They reduced the chance of precip from 90% down to 50% or even 20%. Hum, I guess it isn't going to snow after all.

The Wildman was on his way out today and we were going to erect the two new lodges up in the meadow, but the rain turned him back. I spent most of the day at the computer, answering e-mail mostly. It was a great day to be inside.

Right now it is getting dark, although I can see just a hint of pink up there in the clouds, so I am going to shut things down for now and head our for a quick hike around the mountain while I can still see.

The sun never broke through, but we had a great little hike in the dim light. The wind kicked up a bit, which sent a chill through me. One more gust of winter I guess before spring sets in for good.

One solid note of spring was the first blooming tree of the season - a service berry tree near the cabin burst into bloom during the day. I call these "popcorn" trees because they bloom in little white bunches. Before long there will be a dozen of them in bloom right around the cabin, and thousands of white spots out there in the wilderness. Since they are usually the first trees to bloom in the spring, many people mistake them for dogwoods, but the dogwoods won't show up until next month.

The river below has been singing a lively tune this week, fed by the light rains. While that music is always inviting to me, it has been especially nice mixed with the sounds of the many birds returning. Well, I guess there are always lots of birds around here, but they just seem to be talking a lot more these days.

A chilly Friday night called for a big fire in the fireplace - perhaps the last one of the season - and a mug or two of my homemade Cloudland beer. Add a bit of blues music from the radio, and a fine companion at my feet, and all was well.

My new computer desk is tucked away in the far corner of the cabin, but I have views out of nine windows, and can look right on over to the blazing fire. Come to think of it, with the exception of the view from up in the loft, and perhaps while standing right at the picture window, this corner has the best view from inside I think. Of course, during the day I will probably have to close the blinds of the windows next to me or I would never get any work done. But this is mainly a nighttime writing spot anyway, which is where I am tonight.

3/11/00 I woke up very early today, rolled over and found the cabin buried in a WINTER WONDERLAND! Good grief, the original forecast for snow was correct. Everything outside was white. Not really deep, but enough to have stuck on trees, rocks, and the ground.

I wasn't sure what to do first. I needed to get a few quick pics for the journal with the digital camera. But I also needed to get out the "real" camera equipment and take a few serious images for the new book. But first, I had a couple of cabin chores to do - build up a roaring fire and have a cup of Cloudland Coffee! Plus, since it was still winter outside, I had a steaming bowl of Chocolate Malt-o-Meal.

A bit of frozen springtime for the three little bears.

Before I headed out the door, I checked the weather station on the wall (which has remote sensors for outdoor temp, rainfall, wind chill, humidity, and wind speed and direction) to see what to wear. 31 degrees, with a wind chill of EIGHT - a bit chilly for spring!

I was dressed in layers, although thin layers. First layer, as always, was a top and today a bottom of capeline, with rain pants, a pullover pile sweatshirt, and finally a rain jacket and hat. Not very thick, but I knew I would be moving, so no problem keeping warm.

My first destination was out to Hawksbill Crag. I have been there and photographed it many times in the snow, but since today was "early spring" in my mind, I needed a picture for the picture book. Ok, ok, and I wanted to go out and have a look anyway - can't ever get enough of this wonderful place.

From the snow patterns on the trees, the storm had blown in from the north, which is kind of rare here. Lots of snow sticking on the north side of the trees, with none on the south side.

The Crag itself didn't have any snow on it - too much wind I guess - which really made it stand out against the white of the rest of the wilderness. I searched along the bluffline for the perfect view, and was happy to find one from a vantage point that I had never photographed from before.

I quickly set up my tripod and camera and began to fire off frame after frame. I was very excited - it was a WONDERFUL scene! This is what I live for - being able to stand there and witness such beauty - and call it work.

After shooting about seventy pictures, I moved to the right just a little and found another great composition - then quickly shot another couple rolls of film. And then another great scene, and another 72 pictures (each roll is 36 frames of slide film, and I usually take at least two rolls of any given scene). My heart was pounding - this last scene was REALLY nice, and would probably make it into the new book, so I shot a few more images of it. Yippie!!! I don't like my job or anything.

One new thing for me today - it was the first time that I had used the "real" camera gear since I got a digital camera. I was able to use the digital camera as a sort of previewer, and found myself taking a digital picture and then setting up the real camera after looking at the digital image. Often times the three dimensional scene that we see just doesn't transfer to a two  dimentsional photograph very well.

OK, almost 300 pictures, and I was satisfied that something would turn out. Why in the world would I shoot so many pictures of the same thing you ask? Well, for several reasons. First, the lighting was a bit tricky - snow always is - and since I use slide film (you have to get the exposure just right or it won't work with this film), I had to shoot many different exposures to make sure I got the proper exposure. Secondly, I need many ORIGINAL slides of the best shot - copies are never as good, since I may have a number of the same scene out to different picture editors at the same time. And I like to have images on at least two different rolls of film just in case one is messed up during processing, or scratched or damaged in some way. And finally, well heck, I just LOVE shooting pictures! Film is by far the cheapest part of what I do.

Now for those of you who want to know about the camera, here is what I use. A Contax RTS III 35mm system, with four lenses - 20mm, 28-75mm zoom, 100mm macro, and 100-300mm zoom. Those items, along with a sack of Fuji Velvia film, misc. accessories, and my nine-pound wooden tripod, tip the scales at about 40 pounds.

The next thing that I wanted to do was to find a flower of some sort, with its head sticking up through the snow. I knew this would be tough, since there weren't many flowers blooming yet. I hiked on over to a spot where the trout lilies had been. It was tough to find a delicate little WHITE flower in the snow. There was about two inches of snow on the ground, and I quickly discovered that all of the tiny lilies had been bent over and completely covered up with the snow.

So I left that area and made my way around the hillside. This was a very pretty snowfall. Even though two inches is not very much, it stuck to the sides of the trees and clung to the branches. It was prettier than the heavier snow that we had back in January. Though there was not nearly enough snow this time for me to ski, but I was happy enough just wandering through it all.

I headed on over to an old homesite that I knew about. Nothing left of the cabin, but I had hoped to find some daffodils in bloom. And sure enough, there they were  - dozens of clumps of these yellow pearls, planted by the early settlers in the area. This particular spot had probably been abandoned back in the 1920's or 30's, and the hearty flowers continued to bloom and provide beauty for new generations.

While not really wild flowers, I do consider daffodils to be part of the wilderness. And these poor fellows had taken the snowfall hard - all of them were bent over double, hanging their colorful heads all the way to the ground. I looked around and found one composition that I liked, so I set up my gear and went to work.

By the way, you may be wondering what my little hiking companion had been up to all this time. He was HAVING A BLAST! Running over to this spot, coming to a skidding halt, jumping straight up in the air, then tearing off in another direction. Over and over again. And since there were many small birds on the ground, he had plenty of "toys" to chase around. He'll never catch any of those birds, but you can't tell him that.

I had to spread my tripod flat on the ground in the snow in order to get low enough to get the composition that I wanted. And I was flat on the ground in the snow myself, which is why I was wearing the rain pants. OK, everything looks good. One roll, then another, then another. And then my camera began to act up - the shutter was sticking. Never had that happen before.

I spent another couple of rolls trying to work out the problem, but never did get it straightened out completely. No matter, not only had I gotten the picture that I wanted before the problem began, but I got to lay there in the snow and take pictures of a beautiful flower for thirty minutes!

While the spots of yellow were most welcome, this stop was hard on my cameras - the digital camera also went on the blink, and did so before I was able to get a single picture of the flowers.

On the way back up over the hill the wind kicked up and it got downright FRIGID. I bet the wind chill was well below zero, but I was snug and warm inside my wind blocking shell. Aspen never even knew it was cold.

Back at the cabin a roaring fire greeted me, soon followed by a cup of steaming hot chocolate, made with real milk.

And then I had to decide whether to hike up to the office and get some writing done, or stay at the cabin, within view of the fireplace and with a gorgeous view in all directions, and work at my new writing desk. Such tough decisions happen every day at Cloudland.

At the moment, I am sitting here at the computer looking out the window at a bluebird that is perched on a snowy limb just outside the window. Aspen is perched on the floor directly in front of the fireplace. And my mug is empty - time to go refill.

Later in the afternoon, the clouds broke up, the sun came out, and the snow went away. I mean far away, and fast. Within two hours of when the sun appeared, I could not see ANY snow from the back deck! The temp remained in the 30's, but the wind blew, and actually dried out the forest floor. I don't recall seeing such a large transformation in that short of time, not even in the Ozarks!

Aspen found a sunny spot on the floor up in the loft. I soon joined him. The deep bed of coals in the fireplace kept the cabin nice and cozy, and even warm up in the loft. When I designed this cabin I worried a bit about the loft getting too warm in the winter. Heat always rises you now, and usually collects in the loft. But I had a plan, and so far it has worked great. A combination of roof vents and a tall ceiling have done the trick of keeping the loft within ten degrees of the main floor. And if it ever did get too hot, all I have to do is open a window and the temp lowers nicely.

After our nap, I strapped on my boots and headed out into the incredible winter afternoon - the sunshine made me feel twenty degrees warmer, and felt terrific on my face. It was just weird walking through the dry leaves that were hidden under two inches of snow just hours before.

The service berry trees shook off the snow and were simply beaming. I think we are going to have a great spring here in the Ozarks this year. Of course, the worst one that I have ever seen here was wonderful.

There were several folks at the Crag, but I didn't see any other hikers. When I had been by the parking lot late in the morning, it had been full - lots of folks getting out to get snowy pictures of the Crag I bet.

After I picked up the mail, we went out across a nearby field, soaking up those warm rays all the way. At the far end of the field we jumped another snipe/woodcock. My friend from Canada had told me one way to tell the difference between these two birds was if it flew straight or in a zig-zag pattern. Well, this bird took up in a zig-zag pattern for sure, but it seemed to me like it had to in order to make it through the thick forest without hitting a tree.

When I was out taking pictures this morning, I was saddened to see that the daffodils, with all of their happy yellow color, looked like they had been damaged by the snow. But I was thrilled on my hike this afternoon when I came across another old homestead that had five or six bunches of them, and they all were standing right straight up, poking their heads in the air and loving the sunshine.

A fresh bouquet of daffodils from the Faddis meadow

Spring to me is much more than just new life. It is a celebration of survival, a time to look around and see all that we have. I always vow in the spring to spend more time in the woods, seek out more new places, and take advantage of the great wonderful world that we live in.

Back at the cabin, I dug out the chain saw and cut up a bit of wood - I was completely out, and it felt like a chilly night was ahead. There was not a cloud in the sky, but there was lots of color - the opposite hillside was glowing from the evening sunlight, a bit of Alpenglow in Arkansas.

It is nighttime now, and I am back at the computer in the cabin. Aspen has taken up residence in front of the fireplace, there is a chilled mug of Cloudland brew on the desk, and this most wonderful folk music is filling the airways. (Pickin Post on KUAF)

On the wall just behind me is the painting that brought me to the wilderness when I was five years old. A cabin with a fireplace glowing, a trail leading up to it, a waterfall off in the distance, a moon shining, and a snow-capped mountain towering over it all. It sure feels a lot like that painting here today.

3/12/00 Bright sunshine and clear blue skies this morning. And there was a heavy frost on the ground as we made our way around the mountain in the cool air. The wild rose bushes that line the lane between the East and Faddis meadows are leafing out now, adding a bit of green. And a wild plum or two are about to burst forth.

As we walked along the top edge of a steep bench, Aspen spotted a pair of squirrels on the ground down below. Within a single breath he was down the hillside and about to pounce on them. Now I could tell that this was a genuine couple - one male and one female. The female simply hopped up onto a nearby tree, out of reach of Aspen. Smart move.

But the male took off running as fast as he could, bouncing off of a tree trunk or two along the way. Aspen sprung into action and chased him. This had to be the male because it was really more of a competition to him than survival. He just wanted to see how far he could run Aspen along before he had to make a real escape, which turned out to be about a hundred yards. When Aspen was about to close in on the squirrel, the dude with the full-size tail jumped up onto a tree and ran up to the first branch, then took up a sitting position and began to "bark" down at Aspen (this must have been squirrel laughter).

It was nearly midnight when I returned from meetings in town. The sky was coal black and filled with glittering stars, and a silver moon, about 1/3 full.

3/13/00 There was this large dark cloud hovering over the eastern horizon at sunrise. But there was also a narrow band of clear sky just below it, just enough room to allow the incredible sight of a red ball rising up to greet the new day. I didn't make it to bed until after 2am, so I was being lazy and only saw the brilliant scene from the confines of my bed. Then I rolled over and went back to sleep.

A little later on, after a hot soak and mug of Mocha, I stood on the edge of my deck and gazed out into the wilderness. The view never ceases to amaze and delight me. But something was different this morning. As I dried off I caught a glimpse of movement far off up the main valley. The caffeine hadn't quite kicked in yet, and I strained to see what it was.

A few seconds later the sound of geese honking diverted my attention from the movement. No matter how many times I hear honking geese, I must search the sky until I find the flock. And since they have been flying over Cloudland for more than a month now, heading up to their summer homes, I have been forced to look skyward many times.

But try as I might, I could not spot the flock. So I returned to the movement. And then it hit me - the movement down in the valley, and the honking, were coming from the same spot - there was a flock of geese flying through the valley, and they were coming straight at me! Now I have seen some amazing things in this valley, including military jets flying well below tree level, and the Goodyear Blimp (swear to goodness), but this had to take the cake.

They appeared to be moving in slow motion as they approached, their random honks now echoing off the canyon walls. A more moving sight I have never seen. They flew right on past the cabin, just below eye level, and continued downstream (to the north) and disappeared. I was in a state of shock. Gulp. And then I realized that my little buddy was as stunned as I - he was sitting right next to me with this very puzzled look on his face, although he never made a sound.

I'll bet some of the geese were stunned as well, or at least were laughing, at the sight of a naked man and his dog standing on a deck as they flew by.

I had a hectic morning of office work, then the Wildman came out and we spent the rest of the day working on the two new lodges up in the meadow. It was a very fine day weather-wise, with bright blue skies and lots of sun. Aspen got to spend the entire afternoon flying back and forth across the meadow. Well, that is not exactly true. He spent about half of his time pestering us and getting into trouble.

Neither the Wildman or I knew anything about putting together a Native American Lodge, or what we were getting ourselves into. We did have a great instruction book though, and it proved invaluable. As we tend to do with many things, we just jumped right in and got started.

Within an hour or so I stood back and was very pleased with the structure that we had put up. It was only a shell, but a shell of hand-peeled, sanded and oiled lodge pole pines. Lodge Pole Pines got their name because they were used as the poles for Native American Lodges, and I could see why. Our poles were 27 feet long, 17 of them for each lodge.

Aspen's Lodge, the lodgepole frame

The really fun part of the day was when we finally got to open up the lodge covers and spread them out in the meadow. Neither of us had seen the painted design that we had ordered until now. We were at once stunned at the immense size of the covers, and very pleased at the painted design job. I won't get into the specifics until I can post a picture of the completed lodge, but I will say that both are very different from each other, and very nice.

And the cover, custom painted in an "antique wash" style - mountains and buffalos and moons

It took us about four hours of non-stop work to put the first lodge up. It would take another half hour or so of work to finish the job. We did much better with the second lodge, and got it up in less than two hours. I know both took us much longer than normal, but we were sort of crawling our way through the process, and were enjoying the day, and the event.

Finally, just before dark, both lodges were secured enough to last the night. Tomorrow we will finish the job, take some good pictures, and I will post the details. I will say that these lodges will make a fine addition to Cloudland! (One of them is mine, and will more or less remain up in Aspen's meadow. The Wildman is going to leave his lodge up here for a while, but not all the time.)

The Wildman's lodgepoles in front, and Aspen's Lodge behind

I headed on down to the cabin and had a quick dinner, then hiked up through the moonlit forest to the office for a few hours work. It had been a wonderful day, and here in a few minutes I will return to the moonlight for a night hike of perhaps a mile or two, including a stroll past the new lodges.

The moon was out - about half full - but there must have been some haze in the air as it cast a subdued light. Plenty to see to navigate through the brush by though, and I rather enjoyed the personality of the muted surroundings.

And the new lodges looked pretty darn nice, standing there and reaching into the sky, smiling at the moonlight. The top of my lodge is painted with many full moons on it, which has several meanings to me (I am very lunar, hope the lodge will give good tidings for "many moons" to come, and I hope to see a human full moon in there from time to time).

3/14/00 A grey day today, no sunrise at all. And there was a damp chill in the air. As I sat in the tub soaking, a small hawk appeared above the cabin, then soared on down and across the valley. I watched him until he got way out there and out of sight, and he never flapped a single time. Must be nice. No wind at all today.

As we made our way up to the office to work, I found many new trout lilies out. They were all curled up tight, but will open up if the sun ever comes out today. It is good to see more of these guys out. Also found a couple more service berry trees in bloom. It won't be long now!

It was a warm and sunny day, and the Wildman came by to work on the new lodges some more. I must be getting old and out of shape because it has been quite a chore to put up these large dudes, although worth every drop of sweat. By the end of the day, we had two very nice looking lodges.

I had to make a quick run into town, and returned with a number of granite boulders. I have been collecting them from the Wyoming mountains for a while now - bringing one home at a time. I dropped them off at Aspen's new lodge, and will use them as the indoor fire ring. They weigh about 75-100 pounds each. Very nice looking stones.

The moon was incredible tonight, and I decided to go on a short hike with my dog and camp out in the moonlight. Since we had not had the official ceremony for the lodges yet, it would have been bad medicine to sleep inside the lodge, so we opted to camp outside, under the watchful eye of the two new lodges.

The half moon was bright, and I didn't get too much sleep. Especially since Aspen kept getting up and running after this or that. Otherwise it was a glorious night of soaking up moonbeams.

3/15/00 Daylight came early today - about 6am - and we packed up and headed on down the hill towards the cabin. That is one fine way to begin a day - to get up and hike through the woods and greet the trees and birds even before the sun does. But I was beat from the hot day of work before, and tuckered from little sleep, so after a soak in the hot tub, I sunk down into the couch and dozed off for an hour. The bright sunshine got me up though, and it was outside and back up the hill to the office.

Something happened today that has never happened at Cloudland before - the entire place was CLEANED from top to bottom! I try to keep things picked up and vacuumed as best I can, but four muddy feet and lots of friends do tend to mess up a place. Some parts of the cabin had not been touched since construction nearly three years ago. Good grief. But by the end of the day, all was spick and span and glowing. And then Aspen showed up...

The Wildman returned once again and we worked on putting up the liners inside the lodges. Each of us had different things painted on our liners. I had never even thought about a tipi needing a liner before, but now can see that you can't hardly do without one. They help keep the inside warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and produce a draft that sends smoke from the open fire up and out through the smoke flaps.

After the Wildman headed back into town, I raked out my firepit and carefully placed the granite stones in a circle. This firepit is not directly in the center of the lodge, but rather towards the front a little. You see, tipis are not round, but oblong or egg shaped. Ours are about twenty feet from front to back inside, and about eighteen feet wide.

One thing that I forgot to mention is that while we were busy assembling the poles and covers for the lodges, there were two red-tailed hawks that kept circling overhead. I considered them to be good spirits, just checking the new digs out, and giving their blessings.

As darkness creeped over the meadow, there were a few black clouds skulking about - supposed to rain later tonight and tomorrow, and even SNOW! As I sat there at the edge of the new lodge, a bat swooped down and darted right past my head. Bats - another sign of spring, or should I say of bugs coming out. I suspect that since we have had such a mild winter, that there will be lots and lots of bugs here all summer. I don't enjoy them too much, but I guess they will keep the bats full and happy.

Dark clouds gathering at sunset, smoke flaps closed

It is dark out tonight, with a hint of mist in the air, and just enough moonlight filtering through the clouds to light the way. The air is still, no wind, and a walk through the darkened woods just now was most pleasant. It won't be long before I will be reporting on the magnitude of the night bugs sounds. Spring in the Ozarks is short, way too short, but very sweet indeed.

3/17/00 A bit of rain this morning, with more in the forecast. I was in town all day, but the weather station did record about 2/10's of an inch.

Soon after returning from town, and after getting a nice blaze going in the fireplace, some visitors arrived. It was the Faddis clan, descents of the folks who used to live at the Faddis cabin. Kettron Faddis is the oldest living Faddis, and he and I stood out in the rain as he told stories of the good old days (including the time when a dead man had to be carried by hand up from the river below, hoisted up the ladder, and finally out to the old church for burial. It was faster than carrying the body out by the rough wagon road down through Boxley.)

Along with Kettron were James, Neta Ray, Lance, and Jonathan Faddis, and Jennifer DeVorak. Aspen was very excited to see the entire bunch, and I enjoyed visiting with them, even if we did get a bit wet. (It was also GREAT to see the rain!).

The Faddis Clan

It continued to rain lightly on and off all evening, although there really wasn't all that much accumulation. And while the moon was almost full, it hardly broke through the cloud cover, and only cast a dim glow in the dark night.

3/18/00 Chilly, wet and windy at daylight. Well, actually it was after 9am before we got up and slipped into the hot tub. Still cloudy. Everything is supposed to clear up and warm a bit by this afternoon. I sure hope so, because there will be the first official happening at the lodges this evening. Actually, we are having a party for Roy tonight - his first official retirement party. The menu includes fried turkey breasts, fresh garlic-sauteed asparagus, homemade bread, and a number of other wonderful dishes.

The main party will be at the cabin, but I do plan to move everyone up to Aspen's Lodge later on for the moonrise. The Wildman is on a hike this weekend and won't be around for the festivities. We'll just have to have a second party for his lodge!

But at the moment the rain has let up, and Aspen just jumped into my chair, so I guess it is time for a hike!

We headed on down the ladder towards the river. Still very grey out, with a cool breeze. I heard rolling thunder a time or two on the way down.

I was on a hunt for wildflowers, expecting to see the first one about where the big red oak stands. But nothing there. Hum, normally this lower part of the hill blooms a little earlier than up on top.

Just beyond the big red oak we were rewarded with the very first bloodroot of the season - three brilliant white blooms, shooting up out of those positivity weird shaped leaves. It was great to see them!

The first pair of Bloodroot wildflowers

Before long the ground was covered with one type of wildflower or another - some in bloom, others only showing their leaves. Bloodroot, trout lily, phlox, toothwort, violets, trillium, and several others that I could not ID.

While the bloodroots were by far the most scenic blooms, the trout lilies had the most amazing leaves. They are, of course, highly decorated to begin with, but many of these today were very long and tall, and often six or eight all spiraled together. Only one bloom in the entire bunch though. I must return with my real camera equipment and shoot some close-ups of these.

We continued on down the trail, hiking through a patch of forest that was nearly void of wildflowers. It will still be a week or two or three before the peak of the wildflowers here, but that last patch certainly did put on a show.

I had wanted to check on a pair of Adam and Eve orchids that I knew about, to see what the leaves were doing. It was a delight to find not two, but about ten of these unique flowers. The leaves come out during the winter and early spring, but are gone before the flower appears in the summertime.

And then the real object of our hike - the patch of yellow trout lilies. There were literally hundreds and perhaps thousands of them spread out across the forest floor, although not a single one in bloom. I've never seen such a concentration of these wildflowers anywhere else before. I would return to this spot more than once as spring marches on.

A patch of yellow trout lilies soon to be in bloom

Whitaker Creek was running at just about the perfect level. Nice clean, clear water. And so was the main Buffalo River. In fact, when I made it out onto a boulder in the middle of the rapids, the noise was deafening. This is where the sound comes from that can be heard up at the cabin.

Aspen was having a ball, and while he could be seen splashing downstream, he still hasn't really taken to the water like he will, and I never saw him out in the middle swimming. That will change.

There were signs of recent beaver activity - trees along the shoreline that had been nibbled on. Although for some reason, none of these trees had been chewed through, and they were all still alive. I wondered what stopped the beavers?

The sky got lighter, and it almost looked like the sun was going to break through. I peeled off the outside layer of clothing, and headed up the steep hillside. It appeared that the bloodroots had opened some while we were down at the river. I must pick one someday in the morning and shoot pictures all during the day of the sequence of opening and closing down. Some of them were still wrapped up tight, waiting for bright sunshine to call them out of their winter sleep.

There were lots of flowers beginning to pop up around one of the old homesites - daffodils and day lilies. The hand-dug well there is square - most are round.

The hand-dug square well

The hike up was a quick and nearly painless one - first time I've done this trail in a while. When we reached the top, a number of "Ozark Eagles" were soaring around and playing in the wind currents. They came right on over near the back deck - almost close enough for us to reach out and touch. I think they just wanted to show us how easy it was for them to soar around.

Before long our party guests began to arrive. Bob and Dawna from Ft.. Smith. Roy, who left Norma and Patsy in a cave up in Madison County. Then Hete and Bobby Shepperd showed up. Bobby was the star attraction for the night, as he brought all of the makings and necessary labor to fry turkey breasts.

Now I know fried turkey sounds bad to many of you, as it did me at first. But once I first tasted it, I was a confirmed fried turkey lover. Bobby and Hete set up a giant boiling pot filled with five gallons of peanut oil, then set a propane burner ablaze, which sounded like a jet engine taking off. What they pulled out of it later (one entire marinated turkey plus two additional breasts) was nothing short of heaven!

This was Roy's retirement party, but it quickly turned into mostly an eating fest. We put out the first plate full of goodies at about 4:30, and we ate nonstop until about 9.

Scott and Carolyn, Norma, Patsy, and finally Karen all dragged in, and all bearing more baskets of food.

OK, the soon everyone was stuffed to the gills, and it was time for us to honor Roy. We took this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, and loaded up and headed to Aspen's Lodge, where we needed to have an official opening ceremony.

It had rained off and on all evening, and was very damp and foggy out. There was supposed to be a nearly full moon out, lighting up the wilderness, but it was hidden away in the clouds.

We began our ceremony with a "smuge stick" that had been provided by the tipi makers (made from dried sage and spices). It was to be lit to "signify the peace and beauty that you wish to surround you throughout your tipi experience. The gentle rising smoke carries your purpose and intent to the aspects of your deep self that will come forth to accompany you in your tipi experience - and the fragrance released into the air draws toward you the attention of the ancestrial spirits that watch over the sacred space of the tipi. They wait to befriend you if you ask."

We all gathered round the firepit (made of granite boulders), lit the smuge stick, and quietly passed it around as we each waved the sacred smoke over our heads and into our souls. Then we used the glowing herbs to light the first fire, made from aspen wood, oak and hickory.

It was my observation that most of those present who had been less than enthusiastic about this whole tipi thing were more than just a bit interested in the entire experience, and I think they rather enjoyed.

The granite boulder firepit, with Starburst image on tipi liner behind (Bob, Carolyn, Dawna)

Oh yea, on to Roy. We popped a couple of bottles of champagne and toasted Roy's good fortune, and gave thanks to the Great Spirit who would watch over all who came to Aspen's meadow and stayed in his lodge.

At some point during all of this, the sky opened up and the bright moon came out, illuminating the herd of hand-painted buffaloes on the outside of the lodge, which we could see from inside. The moon also lit up the scores of full moons that are painted on the top of the lodge. It was all very fitting.

The Lodge Dedication Crew
(back row) Lisa, Karen, Hete, Norma, Bob, Carolyn, Scott
(front row) Bobby, Roy, Patsy, Dawna

Soon the sky closed back up again, the fog and rain returned, and we all made our way back down to the cabin and warm fireplace. And all that food. We managed to devour most of the special wine cake that Lisa had made. It was the perfect topper to the night.

This was a much more subdued crowd than usual - which was probably a good thing (even Aspen wasn't being a troublemaker). Although I did hear that one of the bunch commented that it seemed more like a cancer party for Roy than a retirement party. This was more of an eating party. There will be plenty of time for naked dancing on the tables!

3/19/00 A couple folks got up early and left, while the rest of us headed out on a hike. While our main goal was to check on the weird rock formations over in Dug Hollow, I wanted to take the group the long way in, which was a bit more scenic. First thing though Aspen had to get into trouble.

He had disappeared over the bench, and soon he began to wail like something was really wrong. I took off running and leaping through the forest, down the steep hillside, where I found him, screaming bloody murder. At I thought that he had been caught in a trap of some sort, but then I realized that he had trapped himself, and his front leg was stuck in between two rocks. Just as I reached him he managed to pull the leg free, then went bounding off like nothing had happened.

We wandered on around the side of the hill, visiting several interesting rock formations. Then we dropped on down into Magnolia Canyon, which was beginning to really green up. This is one of a number of miniature special places in the wilderness. For you guidebook readers it is certainly an SSS (special scenic spot).

Then we came to Robert's Falls, which was running pretty good. It is so nice to see water in these falls at normal levels once again. While it did rain on and off a lot over the weekend, we only less than an inch total, but all of that ran off as waterfalls and nice flowing creeks since the ground is pretty much saturated now.

Some of our hikes are over rough terrain. Karen, Hete, Roy, Norma

We eventually made our way to the main waterfall area, and they were spectacular too. Once again Aspen took our breaths away - he tried to leap up to a bench above, slipped off an fell about eight feet down, crashing onto a rock slab below. This time he did come up lame, although it didn't slow him down for long.

And finally to the weird rock formations, which were still as they were when we first found them months ago. Hete tried his best to create one of his own. They spot may become one where folks will add their own rock art, and as time goes on will become a genuine gallery. Although the rocks in their natural state there behind the big waterfall are pretty darn nice just as they are.
 

Not too many wildflowers blooming yet, but it looked like it was going to be a great year for them. But the serviceberry or popcorn trees were really popping out today. We got a good look at several of them from on top of a bluffline. Many people are mistaking this early bloomers for dogwoods, which won't be out until next month.

Serviceberry or popcorn tree - usually the first tree to bloom in the Ozarks

We visited several more waterfalls before climbing out and hiking back to the cabin. When we got there, it appeared like there was a snow shower going on way up the valley. The temp was in the upper 30's and dropping, and there was some snow in the forecast. But it just didn't feel like snow much to me. The snow shower soon moved back up into the clouds, and all of our guests moved on back towards town.

3/20/00 THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING! Even though spring arrived here at Cloudland a couple of weeks ago, it arrived in the rest of the country today. And it was one spectacular day for sure! Clear blue skies, lots of sunshine, and very warm temps.

I had a lot of office work to do (including updating the weekend journal), so most of my morning was spent inside. Just about noon, the Wildman showed up and we spent an hour or so putting the finishing touches on his lodge. He has a single large buffalo painted on one side of it, a large horse on the other, and three dancers on the back. His liner has a colorful dancer in the middle, and a Native American shield on either side. His lodge is the same size as Aspen's, about twenty feet by eighteen feet inside. The Wildman's Lodge will remain up at Cloudland for a while, but will not be a permanent structure here.

The Wildman and his new lodge (note the painted dancers and the smoke flap poles).

By late afternoon I just couldn't take it any longer, so I packed up my camera bag with the new camera system and headed out to find a picture, and to practice with the new equipment.

Finally, I was free and on my way out into the gorgeous wilderness with my camera. I live for this sort of thing you see, and taking pictures is not work at all, and even more than recreation, it is, I don't know, a natural high I guess. And this would be my first real professional photo project since moving to Cloudland, so I was extra excited. Plus I had about ten grand in new camera equipment that I had not taken a single picture with.

First thing that I did was trip and twist my ankle, falling flat on my face in the leaves. The heavy wood tripod went flying, as did my camera bag filled with brand new stuff. Good thing no one was watching. I had planned to make my way down a steep hillside and along the top of a big bluff, but that didn't seem like a good idea now, on my bad ankle.

So I loaded my stuff up into my truck and drove over towards Dug Hollow. I found my new neighbor Tom Triplet over at his place getting ready to cut a few weeds.

I drove on down to the Woods boys cabin and parked the car. My ankle was a bit sore, but not too bad. So we stuck off into the woods, and I was keeping a careful eye on the ground ahead.

We dropped on down into Dug Hollow, passing the large waterfall area there. The sun was already low, and these falls were partly in shadow. I wasn't interested in photographing them, although they were singing a lovely tune and looking mighty nice.

The object of my search was a popcorn tree, in full bloom, along the top of the bluffline on the other side of the hollow. The afternoon sun was lighting it up nicely. I set up my tripod and dug out the new camera gear, and soon had the brilliant white blossoms framed against a cobalt blue sky.

This new camera of mine takes much larger film than what I have been using (medium format instead of 35mm). The larger film will produce sharper images in my books, and nicer large display prints. The camera itself is a bit bulky, but pretty easy to use. I am somewhat limited in my lens selection, but that's OK - there are plenty of terrific scenes out there to photograph with what I have.

One of the main differences with my new camera equipment is that it costs me one dollar every time that I push the shutter (for film and processing). With my old system, it wasn't uncommon for me to shoot 100 or more pictures of each scene. I'll have to be a bit more careful with this film!

The popcorn tree was tremendous, and I got a good shot of it, although the wind wasn't cooperating so I packed up and moved on. We dropped on down into the main hollow, were I found a neat smaller waterfall. I am still kind of in the learning and testing stages with the new camera, and while this little waterfall might not make the cover of a book, it was certainly worth a few exposures.

Aspen was quickly learning that when I set up my tripod, he would have a bit of time to run around and play in the immediate area. This particular spot was very steep and rugged (many really scenic spots are this way), so he had a great time jumping from boulder to boulder and scrambling up each hillside.

OK, a few good pictures of the waterfall, so it was on to something else. The sun was dropping fast, and in fact had already left this little valley, but I wanted to find one more scene before climbing out.

I made my way up the opposite hillside and wandered along the base of a large bluffline until I came to an Adam and Eve Orchid that I knew about. This had the largest leaf that I had ever seen, and it was unbroken and beautiful. The light was fading, so I quickly set up my gear and framed a lovely picture of a single leaf. Click, whirr. Click, whirr. My new camera has a motor drive. I'm getting lazy.

I've been wanting to photograph this orchid's leaves ever since I found them a while back. The lighting conditions were not perfect, but I did get a good shot or two, and I was satisfied, so I put my gear away. I vowed to return and get the perfect picture the next time we had a drizzly, wet day. The sunshine today was terrific for taking a nap in the sun, but not for nature photography.

The climb out was a steep one. About half way up I stopped and looked around and was greeted by a wonderful. The setting sun had lit up the bluffs on the other side of the hollow, and it was a great light show. Many scenes in nature are spectacular, but can't be photographed. This was one of those, so I was reduced to sitting down and taking it all in, just for my brains sake, not on film.

It was nearly dark when I reached my truck. Aspen was covered with mud from head to toe. We both got in and motored back to the cabin in the twilight. It had been a very good first photo hike of the season.

I will write about many of my upcoming photo trips, but I probably won't publish many photos from them here in the journal. My digital camera is great for the journal pics, but useless for my real work, and I will no doubt leave it behind much of the time because I just can't afford the extra weight. Plus it can't really take the same kinds of pictures that I will be shooting (like blurred waterfalls, extreme macros, and stuff like that). But I will carry it with me whenever I can, and show you some of the remarkable places that I plan to visit.

After a hot shower I grabbed a bag of caramel corn popcorn and a mug of Cloudland beer and sat out on the back deck a while. There were several bats working the airspace above the little meadow. I hope they get fat this year eating mosquitoes.

I am writing this at the computer in the cabin. Over my left shoulder I just noticed that the huge moon has cleared the far ridge, and is making its way up into the star-filled black sky. Aspen is snoozing on the couch. The hot tub is calling. All is well.

While in the tub I realized that the day-after full moon was pretty darn spectacular, so after my soak I put on my boots and headed out for a hike in the wonderful moonlight. I didn't make it very far - just up to Aspen's Meadow.

From inside the lodge the moonlight and the wind created a surreal scene, with . All of those buffaloes    were backlit and dancing back and forth as the wind moved the tipi. Instead of lighting a fire and sitting inside, I decided to go outside and lay down for a spell and gaze up into the bright sky.

The wind was kicking up pretty good, so it was a bit cool, but I just pulled my sleeping bag around me and was fine. Not too many stars out tonight, although I did see, or rather heard, three flocks of geese passing overhead (or the same flock flying in circles). Each time I heard the honks I strained to see the flock in the moonlight, but was never able to. Aspen was happy just romping around the meadow chasing no telling what. He did finally come on over and laid down next to me. Just a guy and his dog and a few geese and the moonlight.

3/21/00 Sunshine again this morning, although there were a few clouds building in the west. It was warm - in the upper 50's, and felt like rain.

I shouldered my camera bag and continued my search for the perfect popcorn tree to photograph. Well, there are many perfect one blooming now, but I needed a perfect situation - dramatic lighting, the right angle, and a clear and unobstructed view of the tree. Plus no wind.

These popcorn trees just love to live right at the top of bluffs, usually in a very inaccessible area. I guess they are shy. But having pure white blooms, they do stand out in the crowd of trees.

After about an hour of searching, I did indeed find the very tree that I was looking for. It was in full bloom, right at the top of an 80 foot bluff, and all by itself. And the scene behind it was very dark (a distant hillside), which when in shadow, would contrast nicely with the brilliant backlit white blossoms. Only problem was that my sunshine had disappeared by the time I found this tree. And it didn't look like it was going to return anytime soon, so I noted the location and returned to the cabin. I would come find this jewel again - next time we had sunshine in the morning.

My next photo trip was a much longer one. I wanted to finally go take a look at this giant popcorn tree that I had been watching bloom from my back deck through the telescope. It is located far up the Whitaker Creek drainage, growing out in front of the big bluffline there. I didn't think that I would have much of a chance to get the shot that I wanted, but I had been watching this tree bloom every year now for a while, and now had the excuse that I needed to go see it in person.

We had a delightful hike through the forest, strolling across wide benches and sliding down steep hillsides. Aspen took off and disappeared more than once, but a holler or two usually brought him bounding back. After several miles of hiking, I found the bluffline and begin my search.

It was interesting getting to see the views from this the opposite end of the valley from where my cabin is. And yes, I could see my cabin from this area of the wilderness, but it was way off over there, mostly hidden in the trees. It was a most welcome sight for me. Just over to the right (and across the river) was the giant green open field that has a red barn and several houses in it (this is the same field and buildings that you see from Hawksbill Crag). Those folks (the community of Mossville) have been there for a very long time, and I bet have one spectacular view! I must go over the sometime and see for myself.

OK, back to the bluff. This is the same sandstone bluff that winds its way throughout the entire wilderness, and it seems like every foot of it has something new and interesting to see. Lots of color in this stretch. The hillside that comes down to meet it is very steep, and rather difficult to walk along. In fact, in some places, it is dangerous hiking. I was concerned for Aspen, especially with his leaping talents. But he sensed something was amiss, and actually stayed back from the edge and a ways up the hillside.

It didn't take me too long to find the giant popcorn tree. There is was in all its splendor, a tree perhaps fifty feet tall, and full of bright white blooms. But just as I had guesses, there was no way that I could get an angle to take a picture from. In fact, it was tough to see the entire tree from any one spot at all - it was closely guarded on both side. My view from the cabin is unobstructed, but I would have to be floating out there in space in order to get that same angle. So no picture. But no matter. It was great to visit and say hi to such a spectacular tree.

Just about that time I heard raindrops. Oops. No raincoat in my camera bag, but my camera bag does have its own raincoat, so I covered it up and headed back up the hillside.

On the hike back I came a large pond, right on top of the hill, tucked away in a stand of thick trees. And nearby there were several old homesteads, and they were filled with blooming flowers, bushes and trees. I do enjoy seeing these old homesteads, and often linger around and wonder what the people must have been like, what hardships they had to endure, and what fun they must of had! But I was getting wet, so I pressed on.

The hike back went fast. Lots of walking this morning, and not a single picture. Its all part of my job.

And speaking of work, the rain let up, and I decided it was time for some manual labor around my place. I had been putting off several chores, and today seemed like a good time to get them done.

First I cut down a few small trees and opened up a wider drive for delivery trucks up at the cabin. I had planned the site so that these trucks could make a circle drive and not have to backup, but ended up with not enough room. Now there was plenty of room.

Next I cut up a good supply of firewood for next winter. Not nearly enough for the entire winter, but it will give me a good start. That little chore took me through most of the afternoon. Both me and my little dog were plum tuckered once the saw was turned off. (Aspen runs full blast no matter if I am hiking or working in one spot.)

My neighbor Eddy Silcott and his daughter hiked through and stopped to say hi and look at the tipis. He has been thinking about the possibility of putting one on his land nearby. And Bob Chester and a friend came up from the East meadow to look at the view and inspect the lodges as well. Lots of folks on the mountain today. And I saw several hikers on and off the trail as well. It was a great day to be outside, even if you had to dodge a raindrop here and there.

My final chore was to install a gate on the new road that leads up to the tipis. Since I had to put in a larger gate a couple of months ago, I already had the perfect gate, but first I had to un-install it, which proved to be more of a job that I had planned on. But Aspen was there to help me out, so in no time I had the gate moved and in its new home. I don't mind visitors to Aspen's meadow and the tipis, but the small lane can't handle too much vehicle traffic.

It was about dark when we made it back to the cabin. Lots of thick black clouds swirling around overhead. There was no sunset - just darker and darker shades of grey.

It had been a long day, and my bones were weary. But I had lots of office work waiting on me, so after dinner we hiked on up to the office and spent several hours there. I'm ready to shut down the computer now and head out into the darkness. No bright moon like last night!

3/22/00 More clouds at daylight. I wanted to go back and photograph that really nice popcorn tree that I had found the day before. It appeared there might be a break in the clouds for a few minutes of dramatic sunshine. Since the tree was located in a very dangerous spot, I decided to leave Aspen in the cabin - he might try an 80 foot leap, and I didn't like the thought of digging another grave.

I made it to the tree just fine, roped myself up to keep from making the 80 foot leap myself, and waited. The wind was calm, which was great. This magnificent tree stood bright and still and posed for me. But I really needed some sunshine. Soon it began to sprinkle. Then it quit. Then raindrops came down, lightly.

I wasn't sure if I would ever get the perfect conditions for this shot or not, so I took a few pictures in between the drops. I was still just kind of learning this new camera anyway, and using up some film was the only way to figure it all out. Besides, one of these shots just might look great - sometimes you never know until you see the processed film.

After a couple of rolls, the sky was still grey and dark. And the rain picked up a bit. I decided to give it up for the morning. I packed up and headed back, then made a quick trip into town to pick up some supplies for a TV cooking show that I would be doing tomorrow.

When I returned to the cabin, it was well after dark. The sky had cleared, and there were lots of stars out. I spent a bit of time getting ready for the TV show. While I would be doing some of the cooking live, and in front of an audience at the NWA Mall in Fayetteville, I was told to have enough food so that 70 folks could sample it.

The Wal Mart SuperCenter in Fayetteville had donated a bunch of salmon and tuna filets - both my favorites - and after a couple of hours in the special marinade, I fired up the grill and laid them all on. I also cooked a batch of Cloudland Appetizers, and made up all of the ingredients for Cloudland Banff Pasta. All in all, I spent about four hours in the kitchen getting everything just right.

Tuna and salmon filets on the grill, without the moon

There was one very dramatic moment out on the back deck. I had lifted the lid to the grill and was basting the filets. The butter and olive oil in this baste always make the flames jump up for a few seconds. When it did this tonight, it was rather large, and bright. Bright enough in fact to light up a nearby service berry tree that was in full bloom just off of the deck. If that wasn't strange enough, right behind the blooming tree a huge orange moon had just topped the distant ridge. Salmon, service berry and the moon. Sounds like the makings for a song.

And speaking of songs, I received the following poem from a journal reader. She told me that this poem reminded her of Cloudland, and had recently been published in the Hot Springs newspaper. She also writes songs and has had a couple published.

It was very late when I finally shut everything down. And the place smelled like fish. And I never got a single bite!

3/23/00 TV cooking day. I tossed and turned all night worrying about my list of ingredients, if I had all the pots and pans necessary, and stuff like that. I also worried about that popcorn tree. So I was up and outside at first light, which was at about 5:45 this morning.

It looked like I might get the sunshine that I needed for the picture, although the wind was blowing. I had a bunch of office work to do before I drove into town, so I spent some time at the office. When sunshine hit me in the face through the window, I knew it was time to get to the photo spot.

Once again I left Aspen behind, and was soon was standing there at the edge of the big bluff looking at one of the most wonderful trees I had ever seen. The sun was backlighting these brilliant white "popcorn" balls, and all of the background was in shadow. Perfect. Except the wind was blowing.

I set everything up and sat down and waited. And waited. And waited. The wind continued to blow. This happens to me a lot. Sometime I will spend an hour, or two or three just waiting for the wind to stop. Often it never does. But after rolling all night, it was great to settle back and let my mind drift, especially while looking at such a gorgeous scene.

Over the course of an hour the wind died down for a few seconds several times - enough for me to get about forty pictures. The lighting was very dramatic, and I also shoot several of my "double-exposure-blur" shots. I was satisfied, so I packed up and headed back to the cabin.

Good thing I got my picture, because it was time to load up the truck and get to the TV station. I wondered if I would have stayed there all day if the wind hadn't stopped?

I will only talk about this TV thing because I told everyone in the audience to log onto the web page and read about it in the journal. And I remembered to take the little camera to take a picture or two. I won't go into the details too much, but will say that I had a great time on the cooking show and the audience was great. And I didn't mess things up too bad, although one of the tuna filets got a tad dark!

A very special guest in the audience was my mom, the greatest cook that ever lived. She made quite a reputation for herself back in the 1960's and early 1970's. I still run into folks who rave about her cakes, cookies and pies.

The TV cooking show was part of a regular series that Kelly Kemp from KFSM TV 5 in Fayetteville does. She normally has an area chef on every Thursday for a month. This month she featured a different outdoor personality each week. Others were Zoe Caywood (War Eagle Mill), Phyllis Speer from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and Steve Wilson, Director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (he will be on next week). I applaud Kelly and all of her staff for the terrific job that they do. And the best part is that the audience gets a taste!

Kelly and I during the live broadcast

The audience during the live shoot, with Buddy, the director, telling us we only have ONE minute left!

It had rained a little more by the time I returned to the cabin. And there were more black clouds lined up on the horizon. This storm was coming from the east, and I had to make a quick trip up to the meadow to close the smoke flaps on the tipis, or re-close the smoke flaps so that the easterly wind would not blow them open. The wind was gusting up into the low 30mph range.

Lots of rain in the forecast, and I hope that they are right! I am up at the office right now, and there is a lot of commotion going on outside. It would be great to get drenched on my hike back to the cabin later tonight.

Oh yea, I got all of the film processed that I have shot this week with the new camera, including the stuff from this morning. (Colliers Photo in Fayetteville does all of my film processing - they are very good and fast too.) While most of the images just laid there on the light table and were not particularly interesting to me, the ones that I shot this morning were VERY nice! One of them will make it into the new book for sure. I have wanted to get a really good shot of a service berry tree now for some time, and especially this year for the new book. It is a great feeling to get the shot that I have been searching for. OK, now on to the next scene!

A very strange thing happened as I was leaving the office tonight. I was talking on the phone while walking away - it was not raining. In fact. The sky was clear and filled with a million stars. As I got out into the woods, the automatic light cut off and I was standing in near total darkness - forgot to bring a flashlight.

After about five minutes, my eyes adjusted to the tiny bit of starlight and I was able to move about. But in the meantime, standing there in the dark under starry skies, it began to RAIN! And I'm not talking about a sprinkle, but actual rain. It looked like solid star cover to me, but there must have been a cloud that passed by way up high, dumped the rain, and then ran on and hid. The rain didn't last too long. Talking to someone on the phone while out there in the dark and in the rain added an additional bit of oddity to the situation.

Once the rain quit and I got off the phone, the forest became really quiet.  And then there was a noise, a loud noise, somewhere out there nearby in the darkness. I don't really mind noises in the night much, except when I can't tell if they are made by beast or vegetable matter. Was this noise a tree creaking, or a bear sneaking in close? It was one of those noises that I just couldn't tell. Oh well, if it was a bear, I hoped he had already eaten, and I hiked on in the dark.

Back at the cabin, just as I was stepping into the hot tub, the stars disappeared and the sky opened up and it poured, which felt great - sitting neck deep in hot water, with cold streaks hitting my face.

3/24/00 It must have been a very long day yesterday, because the bright sunshine startled me early this morning, and I did not want to get up. But there was something in the air, and I did jump out of bed and ran down and hopped into the tub. Everything was washed and fresh smelling, and there were dozens of birds out singing lively tunes. And it was warm, already up in the 60's. It felt like one terrific spring day!

But I had to spend most of the morning inside, slaving away at the computer, and at the vacuum. Since the outside was scrubbed clean, I felt obligated to make the inside that way too. It takes a while to clean around here, especially with the D-O-G, and an outdoor photographer coming and going all the time. Aspen was happy to lay out in the warm sunshine and let me do all the work.

By the way, I guess I should report that there is now a mouse problem at the cabin. It seems that field mice have discovered a way into the basement. This has puzzled me for a couple of weeks - the concrete walls are eight inches thick. But this morning I discovered their entry way - the hole where the utilities come into the basement. I promptly stuffed it with steel wool, and hoped that took care of the problem.

By noon I could not take it any longer, and while there was still a pile of paperwork on my desk, I left it all behind and headed out for a hike.

My oh my, what a splendid day! It was sunny, blue skies but with a few puff balls hanging around, and warm with a refreshing breeze. And many parts of the forest floor were covered with tiny wildflowers. There was this one spot where I just had to get down on my belly and look at them up close - spring beauty wildflowers. HUNDREDS OF THEM! I'd never seen so many before.

It was a double edged sword for me. On the one hand, it was tough for me to see this incredible carpet of wildflowers and not be able to photograph them (there was a constant wind, and I would have had to have absolute stillness for pictures). But on the other hand, I did not have to WORK, and I could simply ENJOY them!

Later we hiked through my neighbor's big open field. The moment we stepped into it the fragrance hit me. All of these service berry or "popcorn" trees that I have been talking about and photographing are gorgeous, but they don't have any fragrance. But today, something else was blooming, and the air was sweet, oh so very sweet - wild PLUMS! There were a number of wild plums around the edge of this field, and they had just popped open today with the warm sunshine.

Aspen has always loved running and jumping and playing in a field of grass, but he knew today was special and put a little extra "umph" into it today. He flew from one side of the field to the other, chasing birds, and grasshoppers, and butterflies, and the wind. Yes indeed, spring was in the air.

The big green field, with a few wild plums at the edge blooming. That blur near the middle is Aspen.

We passed the trailhead parking lot and found a number of cars and hikers there. Aspen made a point of visiting each one of them, as he did all of those that we passed on the trail as well.

One stretch of the trail passed through a flat that had several hundred trout lilies in it, most of them blooming. This is a funny flower. The leaf is stunning, and the flower is very uniquely shaped, but it always turns its head down, so it is rather tough to get a good look. Another time to get down on your belly.

Seeing all of these trout lilies in bloom reminded me that I need to go down to the river and check on the yellow ones down there and see if they are open yet. Just another part of my job.

It is obvious today that the great suck up has begun. That is when the trees and bushes begin to suck groundwater into their roots and eventually up into their trunk. They require a huge amount of water to produce their leaves. What this means is that surface water disappears as the ground water is sucked up. A couple of the little streams that have had ample water in them were nearly dry today, even though we have had rain several times this past week. It will take a great deal more rain in order for the creeks and especially the waterfalls to get up and run full tilt. I'll be out there ready for them, camera in hand.

The trip back to the cabin was a quick one, followed by a short nap and a bag of popcorn.

3/25/00 Since the weather service said there was NO chance of rain today or tomorrow, I had planned to make several trips into Fayetteville to haul out a few more trailer loads of books and stuff from my home and office there. As I was hooking up the trailer in the dim light of predawn, I heard thunder off in the distance. Still just dreaming I thought. Ha. Before I reached the gate, it was pouring. So much for the weather service.

And it rained all the way to town - this was no isolated cloud burst. I had mixed feelings about the rain. I was not happy at the prospect of getting thousands of dollars of books ruined, although we sure did need the wet stuff. In the end a smile formed as I drove on.

The Wildman came over and helped me load the trailer and his van. And while the rain did finally stop, I wrapped my cargo in heavy plastic, just in case.

This was the first trailer of loaded pallets (about a ton of boxed books) that I had brought out since I put down another couple truckloads of gravel at the office, and I wasn't sure how the additional height would affect my carefully planned unloading system. I backed the trailer right on up and into the warehouse, released the tip trailer latch, and unloaded the pallets with the pallet jack without a whimper. Some times things do work out just right.

On my way back to town I stopped and tried to photograph the most INCREDIBLE patch of yellow trout lilies that I had ever seen. They were right next to the highway, and had just popped out after the rain. These beauties were all growing around many bright green moss-covered rocks, and the sight of that yellow and green was overwhelming. I was able to get permission from the land owner to take pictures (not a good idea to trespass, even to take pictures). And while I spent an hour working with my subjects, I never got a really good picture because the wind would not stop blowing. Oh well, I had the memory of that wonderful scene etched on my brain.

3/26/00 A small heard of large mice making noise down in the kitchen woke me early. It was Roy and Norma. They had spent the night downstairs in the guest room. It was very late when I returned from cabin, and they were already asleep.

We all got up and tried to plan the day. It was looking as though there would be no sunny day as had been forecast. That was fine with me - I was in the mood to take a few pictures, and didn't want to risk another trailer load with it feeling like rain. But first, I had to get up to the warehouse an arrange some of the tons of cargo that I had brought out the day before.

Roy and Norma left out to run a shuttle for Roy, who would be hiking the Buffalo River Trail the next few days.

I had finished up my office chores at about the same time they returned. We all headed out again - Roy and Norma with repelling ropes in hand, and me and Aspen with camera gear.

Aspen jumped right on over the bluff again, like it was a mere rock in the way. It was cloudy and windy, but no rain yet. We headed down the trail towards the river, hoping to find that patch of yellow trout lilies in bloom just like the ones beside the highway.

I passed a wonderful group of bloodroot wildflowers in full bloom about half way down. The wind was blowing, and since my main goal was the bloodroots, I noted their location and would catch them on the return trip. Just below them I hiked through a flat area that was teaming with little spots of color. There were perhaps a dozen different kinds of wildflowers in bloom, and all were waving to me.

The first snake of the season showed up - a harmless garter snake. I know that it is just a matter of time before Aspen gets bit by a snake - probably will get bit several times this summer. So I was anxious to see what he would do with this little guy. I called him over. He ran right on up to me, and then continued down the trail, running over the snake without ever noticing him. The snake did not find getting trampled by a puppy humorous, and fled into the leaves.

The first snake of the season

My anticipation of a sea of yellow was met with a sea of spotted green leaves, and only a few bit of yellow. I guess this patch of trout lilies didn't get enough sunlight like the other patch had received. I would wait them out, and return again and again until they all bloomed, if that ever happened.

In the meantime, I hunted around to see what else I could fine. I did locate this miniature colony of spring beauty wildflowers, all growing right out of a bed of bright green moss. Something about that delicate purple color against a rich green background - it was a lush scene, and one that you had to get down on your hands and knees to appreciate. I am good at that, and spent nearly an hour setting up and photographing them. This scene would go into the new book for sure. For those of you who have never been down on your hands and knees in the springtime forest, these tiny wildflowers are a bit smaller than a dime, and the entire cluster was only a couple of inches across.

I highly recommend spending time down on all fours in the forest.

Speaking of all fours, Aspen was having a delightful time playing in the creek. This is the very first time that he appeared to realize that he was born to play in the water. There was this one moss-covered rock out in the middle of the creek nearby that he would use as a resting point. It was close enough to me for him to keep an eye on what I was doing.

Aspen and his green resting rock

OK, one picture in the bag. I returned to the trout lily patch and found this single bloom that looked great (don't they all?), and the wind appeared to have stopped. I quickly set up my rig and got ready to shoot. Just then the wind picked up again. I waited. And waited. And waited. I could hear shouts coming from the bluff far above - Roy and Norma communicating at opposite ends of both the rope and bluff. The wind continued to blow. I was ready, with cable release in hand.

Aspen ran around and investigated each bush and pile of brush. Every now and then he would come over and sit patiently right next to me, gazing up into my eyes and wondering what the hold up was. Then he would bound off again.

After about thirty minutes of waiting, the breeze slowed down enough a couple of times for me to shoot pictures using a special technique that I have developed. I won't know if any of the images turned out good until I see the processed film, but I did all that I could, so I packed up and moved on.

Back up the hill we trudged (I trudged, Aspen flew). I stopped at the level area that had all the wildflowers, and photographed a group of trillium leaves against a bunch of grass. I got off three exposures during a lull in the wind before it kicked up again. And then several large raindrops hit the ground around me. Oops. Rain doesn't particularly bother me, but I couldn't shoot delicate wildflowers that were being pounded by these large drops, so I hoped it would hold off for a little while.

The rain stopped, but the wind continued, so I moved on, wanting to get back to that group of bloodroots that I had seen on the way down.

When you are trying to get a great picture of wildflowers you must look for different things than if you are just enjoying their beauty. I have been out with a lot of folks who just didn't understand why this or that group of flowers wasn't good enough for me camera. Each and every flower is a work of art for sure, but some groups lend themselves to a two-dimensional photograph better than others. And in fact those groups that work are really few and far between. It is this very special flower, or rock, or tree, or waterfall that I am constantly on the lookout for, and devote much of my life in search of. Once I find such a work of art, the actual process of putting the scene on film is relatively easy. All I have to do is push one little button on the camera. Mother Nature does all the work.

OK, back to the trail. When I got back to this wonderful little group of bloodroots, I found them wound up very tightly. In less than two hours they had gone from brilliant blossoms, wide open and beaming their beauty to the world, to nothing more than a central leaf with a bare stem coming up out of it. These guys were either very shy, or were preparing for something that I was not aware of.

I looked up into the sky and noticed a bit of green cast in the clouds. Uh oh, that was not a good sign. So got down and whispered to the little flowers that I would see them later - on a sunny day - and scooted on up the steep hillside.

As we reached the top of the bluff, Roy and Norma were there on their way out as well - "thunder and lightning" they said. And sure enough, within minutes of when we reached the cabin, the sky opened up and it began to rain.

There was a great treat waiting for us at the cabin. A great friend and benefactor of Cloudland was there, bearing gifts as usual. She doesn't like for her name to appear in this journal, so I will just call her "Erna" from Hot Springs. Erna was on her way over to White Rock Mountain where she always spends some time helping with the spring cleaning of the historical cabins there.

Today she brought us four bags of homemade cookies, two containers of chili, a half gallon of fresh squeezed orange juice, and a tub of Swedish meatballs. Like I have said many times before, "Erna" is always welcome at Cloudland! The others all had a cold beer, but I had three glasses of the yellow heaven - can't beat fresh OJ.

While we were sampling the bear-shaped cookies, it got really noisy outside. That green color that I had seen had once again forecast what was to come - HAIL! Within minutes the back deck was covered with icy balls, some up to quarter size. And they didn't just casually come on down and land on the deck, but rather they came CRASHING down with a great deal of force. And the rain was heavy. Boy, that sure felt good!

The hail was really coming down

A pile of quarter-size hail

But the wet stuff didn't last nearly long enough (about a half inch), and before long we all were on our way again - Erna to White Rock, Roy and Norma on a hike, and me on over into a nearby hollow with camera gear in hand.

I wanted to return to this Adam and Eve orchid plant that had the giant leaves and get another picture of them with the forest all wet. It didn't take me long to find the plant, set up, and get the picture that I had wanted to get for two years now. Another picture for the new book in the bag.

While I was down on my knees in the wet forest floor, I found several other great compositions. There were baby may apple plants shooting up through the leaves all around. I have always loved may apples, but to tell the truth had never really gotten down and looked at them closely when they were just getting started like today. They were quite interesting, looking like miniature ballistic missiles emerging from their underground silos.

I found one group of two baby mayapples and set up and spent nearly an hour shooting. Then I found a group of three (odd numbers usually work best), and another half hour was spent with them. These plants will grow up, unfold their umbrellas, and produce a wonderful white and yellow bloom next month, so I will photograph them again, probably several times this spring.

It was getting dark overhead, and my exposures were up to a minute long. Hum, it wasn't close to dark yet.

There is this one giant rock slab that has broken off from the main bluffline and is covered with thick moss. The sheer wall is about twenty feet tall. I have always loved how this wall of green meets the sea of brown leaves below. Today conditions were just right, and I set up and took a couple of pictures. Although it was getting really dark, so I quickly packed up and headed out.

The forest was alive with the sound of raindrops just as I reached the cabin. Roy and Norma had just arrived as well, and within minutes the sky opened up once again and it began to pour. That was TWICE today we had made it to the cabin just in time.

It rained on for a while - another half inch - but then the real show began. A light show. Lot of thunderbolts filled the sky and lit up the wilderness. And some of them were RED - I'd never seen red lighting before. It was great entertainment.

3/27/00 The big mice were up very early this morning - 5am. Roy was hitting the trail today, and Norma had to get into work early after dropping him at the trailhead. I said my good-bys from bed. Soon they packed up and drove off, leaving the aroma of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls to fill the cabin.

Sunrise was early - it began to light up the trees around the cabin at 6:14. Clear blue skies and not a cloud in sight. And everything had been scrubbed clean. The birds were chirping, and it was a delightful spring morning!

I spent a couple of hours tromping around down below the bluff, toting the heavy camera pack. While it was really a stunning day out, with an electric blue sky, I never even took the camera out of the bag. I was a bit surprised, and saddened, to find that most of the wildflowers in bloom were destroyed by the hail. I mean there wasn't a bloom in sight for a long time.

As the day wore on I did find a few bloodroot blossoms coming out, but they looked like they had been through a war. There were a bunch of phlox out too, but 75% of each batch was damaged. I'm sure they will recover, although I know it must have been a blow to the system.

Had to spend most of the day in town. As I was driving out here after dark a little while ago, there were hundreds of moths out and flying around. First time this season I have seen such activity. Flying squirrels and bats love moths.

3/28/00 When I awoke this morning, there was a pair of eyes staring down at me. My dog was motioning me to look out the window, where I found an incredible yellow ball climbing into the sky. Another stunning spring morning at Cloudland!

After a short hike in the cool air, I spent several hours doing paper work and boxing up books for the UPS pickup man. Bob came by with hordes of relatives from several states. They toured the office, tipis and cabin. Aspen did is best to welcome them, but he often gets a little over zealous, especially with muddy feet.

Later I spent some quiet time out on the back deck, munching on a bag of popcorn and sipping some fresh squeezed OJ. It was becoming clear that spring was on the march. Today for the first time this year I could see quite a few trees just beginning to pop out with a cast of green color. There seemed to be more of them on the western slopes, although I didn't have a good view of any southern exposures - I'll bet there are more there. Once the trees begin to sprout leaves, as long as they get sun and rain, the progression of brilliant green will be quick.

I got to thinking about my little view from the cabin. It has mostly been the same since late October - an overall brown cast. Now it will change to that incredible vibrant green of new growth, then slowly the green will deepen, and it will remain that way until early fall, when things will begin to move towards the warmer spectrum of colors of yellow, orange and red. That will only last a few weeks, and then after what will most certainly be another spectacular fall color season, the leaves will drop off, and the view will return to this brown, only to be broken by a snowstorm or two during the winter. I rather like all the colors of the seasons here in the Ozarks, and look forward to each one with a great deal of enthusiasm.

Something else that was in the air today was love. A pair of phoebes (little birds) were chasing each other around. They made a nest on the west side of the cabin last spring. And there were several pairs of mourning doves around, all moaning at each other. And way out in the upper end of the main river valley I could see a pair of red-tailed hawks. They were flying in formation, first low to the ground, then climbing higher as they circled around each other. Eventually they climbed out of the valley and soared high above. Up and up they went, until I could no longer see them. A courtship of sorts no doubt. 

Then a pair of bright yellow butterflies drifted by. They too were circling each other as they made their way across the meadow. As I got to looking around, I saw four or five different species of butterflies. Looks like it is going to be a great butterfly year as well.

As luck would have it, I have a date today too. We are going to have dinner with the governor and Miss Arkansas. Us and about 500 other folks. Since this is a banquet, I will have to dress up. For me that means my best pair of blue jeans, tennis shoes, a Neil Compton t-shirt, and a sport coat. One of the things that we will all do tonight is take part in the induction of the great Neil Compton into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame (so I thought the t-shirt would be appropriate). I hope the gov. appreciates that fact that I had to do an extra load of laundry just so that I could have a clean pair of tennis shoes.

The governor will be there to honor a number of well deserving folks as The Henry Awards are given out. Our hiking club (Ozark Highlands Trail Association) is up for "The Natural State Award." I don't really expect for us to win (we are up against a program of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and The Old Mill in N. Little Rock), and I am really going to honor Neil, and to show off the fact that I will actually have a date. And speaking of which, I think she is arriving right now. I'll let you know how I make out, uh, er, if we win the award...

GOVERNOR'S BANQUET: - and THE NATURAL STATE AWARD goes to...........The Old Mill. We were close, but no cigar.

Anyway, I enjoyed the banquet and got to have a conversation with Governor Huckabee. And it was great to see my old friend Senator Dale Bumpers. He has probably done more for The Natural State than any other politician. He was inducted into the tourism Hall of Fame, and rightly so.

But the highlight of the evening for me was when they inducted Neil Compton into the Hall of Fame. No single individual has done more to protect and promote wilderness in Arkansas than did Neil. No one deserved more praise then he. All of us who walk the backcountry trails, float the free-flowing streams, or breathe in clean air owe him a great deal. He died last year, just a couple of days after leading a hike.

It was a great night for Neil, and for the state of Arkansas. And while the Governor did not say anything about my casual dress, he did comment about the new hole in my head - I put a large one there yesterday while down below somewhere taking pictures in the weeds. I get rips, tears, and other assorted damage to my skin all the time. This one just happened to be right on the top of my head, where there is no hair to conceal the damage!

3/30/00 It was very foggy when I woke this morning. I laid there in bed for a little while, then realized that I had to GET UP AND GO TAKE PICTURES! I love taking pictures in the fog. And now I am obsessed with getting the perfect picture of a red bud tree. They are quite spectacular this year, and I have not been able to find one to my liking.

So I jumped up and hit the ground running. First stopped at the Faddis meadow and spent some time composing and waiting for the wind to stop. It was 40 degrees, with a stiff breeze, and very wet out. It didn't take long for me to realize that I should have worn boots instead of my tennis shoes, which quickly became soaked and nearly frozen.

A redbud in the fog

I moved on down the road, heading towards my favorite redbud tree of all time, which is located on the other side of Ponca, about a half hour drive away. Every few minutes I passed what I thought was a great scene and would come to a quick halt, some times turning around, then running over and setting up a picture, only to have the wind get in the way, or another tree, or something else. It took me nearly two hours to get to my favorite redbud.

When I got there I was really disappointed - it had already peaked and there was not much color left. So I turned around and headed back to the cabin, stopping several times to look at this or that scene, but not ever getting any good pictures. My feet were soaked and almost numb.

After a quick breakfast, and a bit of office work, I headed out once again. The fog had lifted but it was still cloudy and moist - my favorite conditions. This time I went looking for a wild plum, and I got lucky at the very first stop. This was one of my very own wild plums that is located on the lane between the East and Faddis meadows. After about 40 shots I moved on and found an incredible stand of wild plums nearby, and I shot all of the film that I had with me. And there was a redbud growing up right in the middle of all the delicate lavender color, which made for a nice contrasty scene.

The wind cooperated too, so I think I got a good picture or two. All the while I was taking the pictures, I was breathing in that luscious fragrance. Tough to beat wild plum.

Once I resupplied my film stock I drove on down to and through Boxley Valley and parked at the Ponca bridge. I wanted to hike up Leatherwood Creek and see what secrets I could find.

And it was a very nice hike indeed. This little creek has some interesting waterfalls and undercuts along the way, and a giant limestone bluff way back in. And I have been told that there are more early season wildflowers there than in just about any other place. I found thousands of wildflowers for sure, but hardly any of them were in bloom.

I spent most of my time along one high bank, searching for anything that would be backlighted with a dark rock or bluff behind. There were many smaller broken bluffs throughout this area. I came across one batch new ferns that were just opening up, and spent about an hour trying to get a good picture. The wind was blowing ever so slightly, and I won't really know if I got my picture until I examine the processed transparencies.

New ferns unrolling to greet spring

On the way back out I happened on this narrow trace of some sort. I had not been used in a long while, was about two feet wide, and had probably been there a hundred years. It cut across a very steep hillside, so I was glad to have it. After about a quarter mile the trail seemed to end, right there in the middle of all that steepness. While looking around for it, I discovered a neat Ozark Wake Robin wildflower in bloom. Then I found two of them growing right next to each other.

I quickly set up the camera and took about twenty five shots - the wind actually cooperated this time!

I found this pair of jewels at the end of the trail - Ozark Wake Robins

It was a great day of shooting, although I could have done with a little less wind!

April 2000 Journal