CLOUDLAND CABIN JOURNAL - DECEMBER 2004 All photos in this Journal are available as Fine Art Prints
SNOW UPDATE - Wednesday morning at daylight STILL TIME TO get color prints made for Christmas - view the online galleries HERE. | ||
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*** HOOTERS. Knockers. Boobs. Breasts. Bosom. Floppies. Taters. Gum Drops. Twangers. Speed Bags. Heavin-In-You-Hands. Boob-A-Licious. Nanas. Ta-Tas. Lollies. Sweater Kittens. Jigglers. Charlie's Bouncers. Frontmen. Boobies. Melons. Bongos. Knobs. Chi-Chis. Ya-Yas. Bouncing Betties. Bo Yos. Boulders. Silky Milkies. Whammies. Honkers. NO MATTER WHAT YOU CALL THEM THEY ARE STILL AT RISK! It is with a great deal of pride and pleasure that I post the following announcement from the most wonderful person in the world - my bride has taken on a tremendous personal challenge, and I hope that many of you will be able to be part of this in some way. We hesitate to ever ask for money for any cause (unless you want to buy a book!), but this one is too powerful and in need that Pam felt like the six-month committment of her time and energies was well worth it. I have never seen such a tremendous organization as these folks have put together, and it is an honor to be part of such a great team. Pam will be in training for this event seven days a week for nearly six months, and those days will include up to 18 MILES of walking in a single day! THANKS for taking the time to have a look, and to care... To all Journal readers: This year, I'll be participating in a very special event called the Breast Cancer 3-Day. I'll walk 60 miles over the course of three days with thousands of other women and men. The net proceeds will support breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment through the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. I've agreed to raise at least $2,100 in donations. So I need your help. Would you please consider making a donation? Please take a look at the attached link and donation form and designate the amount that's right for you. Please keep in mind how far I'm walking - and how hard I'll have to train. According to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, approximately 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and nearly 40,000 will die from the disease. That's why I'm walking so far. To do something bold about breast cancer. I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with me - by supporting me in my fundraising efforts. Thank you in advance for your generosity! - Pam Ernst Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support The Breast Cancer 3-Day CLOUDLAND JOURNAL, UPDATED 12/22/04 Ken & Terry's house is gone... 12/01/04. BRIGHT SUNSHINE at first light this morning! It is cool and crisp, but only 28 degrees and warming up fast. It was crunch, crunch, crunch as I hiked up to the office in the darkness at 6am to get to work, the music coming from the heavy frost that blanketed the leaves on the forest floor this morning. My bride reports quite a few frost flowers out along the road to the bus stop - one of these mornings I will get out and take a few pictures..... SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI PROGRAM! We just set up a slide program in Nixa, Missouri, which is just a few minutes drive south of Springfield. I'll be showing both of the new digital slide programs, and we'll have some tremendous book and calendar deals for you in time for last-minute Christmas shopping! It will be on December 18th, at 6pm, located at "The Center" in Nixa - this is the parks and recreation community building (I'll post directions later this week). This will be our only show in the Springfield area this fall, so I hope you can attend. We have the rooms rented from 5:30 to 7:30, and expect to begin the programs around 6pm. SPRINGDALE PROGRAM TOO! Also I will be showing both of these programs at the Ozark Highlands Trail Association club meeting on December 12th in Springdale, beginning around 7:30pm (holiday treats will be served at 7pm). The meeting is free and open to the public as always. We'll be at the Benton Public Library tomorrow evening, and at Bella Vista on Friday - see the slide show link for more details.
12/05/04 Goodness it seems to have been ages since I wrote here! We've had a long and exhaustive week and I have not had the inclination nor the time to write, but have landed on our feet and all is well now. It is very dark outside this Sunday eve, quite wet and rainy and FOGGY. The girls are trying to make their way home from Missouri, and I can't wait to hear the dogs start howling, which will signal their weary arrival. We had a TERRIFIC program at the SALINE COUNTY LIBRARY in Benton Thursday night, and I want to thank JULIE HEART, STEVE PERDUE, and all of their staff for doing so much work to make it all happen! You folks are super, and I hope we can continue to produce programs worthy of your library and customers! We had the usual packed house for this one, and a record number of Journal readers in the crowd - as always, SO VERY NICE to meet and see each and every one of you! I got to looking around during the programs at the faces in the audience - there were a number of young folks there, and it was SO GREAT to see their eyes light up and the smiles on their faces when images came up on the screen. One little fellow in particular really made my day - he was sitting near the front of the room next to his dad, and spent a lot of time pointing and whispering to his dad about this photo or that one. There was a lot of conversation between them, and you could tell the two of them spend a lot of time together and enjoy it. By the end of the show the kid was in his dad's lap, eyes still glued to the screen. I bet those two were out exploring the wilderness someplace this weekend. A older gentleman was at the front corner of the room, sitting right next to my table, where I was running the computer. For those of you who have never seen one of my programs, or have not been in view of me while it was showing, may not know that I cannot get enough of these programs myself - I tend to soak up each and every image up on the big screen, and even on the little computer screen, as the programs are playing; plus I really do enjoy the music, ah yes, the MUSIC is what makes these programs so special! Anyway, when the second program was over the older gentlemen looked at me and said "YOU seemed to have enjoyed the shows as much as WE did!" Yes, sir, you bet. If not I would not be there. And I would hope everyone feels that way about their jobs. It was a VERY long day for us, and late at night when we made our way back up into the Ozarks. As we were passing through Ozone a half-full moon began to show up over in the west - it was just climbing up out of the trees, and was as bright orange as you can get. "Look at how HUGE that moon is!" my bride screamed out the first time we saw it. Of course, then she said "NO, you watch the ROAD, I'll look at the moon!" She was right - we were in the middle of all those sharp curves, so I didn't get to enjoy the scene much. But every now and then the moon would pop up from behind the hill right in front of me and I got to sneak a look. Funny thing about the moon this night - sometimes it would appear very large, while other times not so large - all the while being just above the horizon and all of those trees. I wonder why? We thought we were going to get a nice break on Friday morning, but the time flew by and we only had a couple of hours to attack the piles of work on our desks and in the computers, and then we were off once again, to judge the photo contest at the Pack Rat Outdoor Center in Fayetteville, and then onto this rather odd meeting at "Chef Bruces" in Bella Vista later in the afternoon. We didn't sell too many books, but enjoyed meeting even more folks. On the way home we got caught up in one of the largest traffic jams I've ever seen in northwest Arkansas, so it was a really slow trip home, but we made it, late at night and both of us exhausted. I had planned to work inside all day Saturday and spend most of Sunday outside, working on the road; cutting, splitting, and hauling firewood; plus doing a dozen other chores that were getting out of hand. As luck would have it, while I did spend most of the entire day Saturday at the computer and up at the office, when Sunday arrived, it was rainy and cold and foggy and I really didn't feel much like working outside. So I continued to work inside, working on a couple of printing chores, the internet, and scores of other jobs that have just had to wait until I found the time. We did get to take off for about an hour yesterday, and the two of us went on a short hike around the loop, with the sunshine beaming and the leaves crunching and the birds and squirrels chattering away and Aspen and Lucy chasing whatever they could find. It was a glorious afternoon in the Ozarks, and the temps were quite warm for a mid-December day. This afternoon I just could not stand it any longer, so I put on my rain jacket and headed out the door. HEAVY fog all around, with blowing wind and COLD rain. But man, oh man, it felt TERRIFIC! Don't get me wrong - I absolutely LOVE being at the cabin working on the computer, but I so cherish times out in the wilderness too, and I've not had many of them of late. As I wandered around in the forest the fog would come and go - at times I couldn't see more than 20 feet; while at other times the fog would retreat until I could see a couple hundred feet - right out to the very edge of the forest. Not many critters out today, in fact I never saw a single one, not even any birds. There was a great deal of RICH COLOR out today though! The browns of the leaves and grays of the trees and especially the GREENS of the moss-covered boulders that seemed to be everywhere! Moisture brings out all that wonderful color.
Sometimes when I am out wandering around in the fog, like today, I sort of lose track of the time and the place, and it really doesn't matter. It give you some sort of freedom to not be tied down by time and space, and your soul is free to wander wherever and for however long you care to, and explore whatever you choose. I guess I was out there for a couple of hours, and went who knows where. One place I kept seeking out were the little dry places underneath some of the larger boulders and at the base of the small bluffs. I would duck under the drip line and look around in the dusty homes of mice and squirrels and foxes and several sorts of birds, and probably skunks too. Lots of different types, shapes, and sizes of footprints in the soft earth under there. And tons of discarded, hollow acorns, that once provided nourishment for small critters of several species. These nuts provide not only food but also warmth, insulation, and bedding for some critters - a multipurpose nut! (I know some folks kindly refer to me that way too!) As it began to get dusky dark I figured I might as well wander on back towards the cabin - I wouldn't be able to enjoy any moon or starlight to see my way home on this foggy night! As I went through Mom's meadow I found one last flower of the season - a dewberry I believe. One last bit of summer joy before the snows come!
THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER! This is for all of you who have already answered the call and contributed to Pam's cancer walk - it is amazing how many WONDERFUL people there are that read this Journal! She has been extremely overjoyed at the response - please know that not only have you lent a helping hand to help cure this terrible disease (the real reason for all of this), but you have pushed my bride on a little farther and faster towards her goal, so THANKS once again! She has a great deal of work to do - not only to raise more money - but to get into shape for the 60-mile hike in June. I hope to be right there with her along the way, and by the end of it all, we BOTH will be in good shape! Speaking of, the dogs are getting nervous, and I think I see a pair of headlights way out there in the fog - my girls are home - yippie! 12/08/04 I'm really trying to get more sleep these days, honest, especially after I heard a report on NPR yesterday that said those who don't get enough sleep tend to overeat - I'm guilty of both. But something woke me up around 3-something am this morning, and I just could not get back to sleep. It was a TINY sliver of a moon creeping up over the far ridge to the east - when I rolled over and looked at it the darn thing was still down in the trees, but heading up into the sky at a rapid pace. I soon gave up on sleep and went down for a soak in the hot tub. It was rather LOUD outside - both the Buffalo and Whitaker Creek were roaring from recent rains, and that deep bass tone echoed all across the wilderness and back again. They were calling for a low of 28 degrees, but it was way warmer than that - up into the low 40's. That sliver of a moon rose up into view between the main forks of a large red oak tree that we have growing up out of the lower deck in back. There were a million stars out, but the sky behind them was not coal black as it has been these past few nights this week, but rather a very dark gray, and there weren't nearly as many stars visible as normal. A few hours before I was sitting in the hot tub for my nightly soak, and Orion was rising in the east - with the three main stars of the belt buckle lined up inside the very same two forks of that big old red oak tree. The other stars in the constellation were spread out on either side of the tree. If you ask me the ancients that made up these things must have been smoking something (and indeed they most likely were), because I've never seen a single item they named these constellations after. Orion looks more like a butterfly with wings spread out to me than whatever it is supposed to be. Anyway, it was a glorious constellation-rise last night, all lined up with that old red oak tree. Just about every day this week I've had plans to sneak off early in the morning and go shoot waterfalls photos, but I have yet to do so - always something gets in the way. It continues to be a very busy time for us here, even though we only have two programs this week (Friday in Harrison and Sunday in Springdale). I remember way back a number of years ago when I would go months without anything really to do, and now we work twin 14-18 days, seven days a week, and still don't even come close to getting it all done. I do believe this business was built just for me because I love being busy with it all! Just wish there were more hours in the day so I could get out into the wood more! As I was trying to work this morning, the pre-dawn sky began to glow yellow and orange and red. I could see it was going to be some nice color, so I set up the tripod and camera and got ready for it. While Pam was off delivering Amber to the bus, I headed out the door. To give you some idea of how the timing on this sort of color works, I spent about 30 minutes taking photos, then another 30 minutes processing the images here at the computer, and the SUN is just now rising - note to yourself - the REALLY GOOD color often happens well before sunrise! The same is true of sunset, and you can often get terrific color 30 minutes or more after the sun goes down.
My young bride is out the door again this morning to blaze trail all day. I've got a ton of paperwork to do yet this morning, then I plan to spend the afternoon working on outdoor chores. I have a pretty strict rule, or I guess I should say goal here at Cloudland.net Publishing - we get all orders out the door either the say day or at the very latest the next day. That means that is you order a book today you will often get it tomorrow or the next day (if in state), or within several days if you don't live in Arkansas. I also get right on to making custom prints, and try to do the computer work and get them printed either the day of the order or the next - I'll be working on a number of print orders we got last night this morning, and will get them all finished before I go outside for my afternoon chores. With prints it takes a couple of days for them to "cure" before we ship to you, but even counting that you can order prints from us this week and still get them next week - in plenty of time for Christmas! (hint, hint) Speaking of Christmas, we have only three programs left this year where you can get incredible deals on picture books, calendars, and now we bring a selection of matted prints at killer prices - you can just pick them up and stick them in standard frame and presto, you have a wonderful present! Friday in Harrison, Sunday in Springdale, and next Saturday (the 18th) in Nixa, Missouri. Come and get them! 12/09/04 Well, can you believe it! When I finally got all of the paperwork chores that I HAD to get done yesterday completed, it was only 9:30! (you might recall my plan was to work indoors in the morning and then outdoors all afternoon) Best laid plans of mice and men. Hum, the only problem was that it was PM instead of AM when I shut down for the day - I never got even a minute to get any outdoor work done, although I did get to hike up to the office several times throughout the day. I worked from 3am until 9:30pm without hardly a moment to stop and breathe - just lots of stuff to do these days. Right in the middle of all this most busy day, the western sky began to glow, and get rather intense. I rushed out the door with camera and tripod in hand and spent the next 30 minutes frantically trying to find a good spot to photograph, but ended up standing right on the back deck as the colors grew to INTENSE that it almost hurt your eyes. As I was standing there swapping lenses - I'm doing some testing of using old-fashioned manual-focus German prime lenses on my digital camera instead of the auto-everything new-fangled zoom lenses - I realized that what I was looking at spread out in the sky in front of and above me was probably the most different shades of color that I had ever seen in a sunset before - the photo posted here hardly does it any justice at all. It was one incredible, brilliant, display of the color of Momma Nature.
Pam had a great day in the woods, and blazed nearly nine miles of new trail. It was some pretty tough trail because even Aspen came home exhausted - they didn't get home until well after dark. In fact I was about to pack up the rescue bag and head out the door looking for them when two tiny spots of lights appeared in the dark woods way on up the hill - "my bride is home, yippie!" Speaking of my bride, she continues to be amazed at how many of you have been so generous and are contributing to the breast cancer event - THANK YOU SO MUCH! She will be up to the task and will make you proud, and your donation will go a long way towards eliminating this terrible killer.... OK, the sun has cleared the eastern ridge - at least I think so - there is a heavy layer of dark gray clouds covering everything up - and so it is time for me to get to work. Aspen is laying over in his big over-stuffed leather chair moaning and has this look of despair on his face.... Oops, I almost forgot, I guess there was a very good interview on KY3 tv (Springfield, but covers much of northcentral Arkansas) early this morning about the upcoming program in Harrison tomorrow at the historic Lyric Theater there - I think we'll have a grand show, and hope to have a good crowd too - just a reminder, we'll have some terrific deals on books and calendars, and we hope to see ya there! 12/12/04 We had one of those sunrises this morning - or actually before the sun rose - where the sky was brilliant blue in the background, with streaks of bright red and yellow and orange and pink clouds all across the eastern sky. The view from where I was sitting was through the bare branches of the big oak and maple trees on the east side of the cabin, and all of them were silhouetted and black against all of that color. The peak of color happened about 30 minutes before the sun actually showed up - by then the sky was nearly pure white, and sort of "hot" to look at directly. It is not too cool outside - in the 40's - and is still and just delightful outside now an hour after sunrise. I have seen two flocks of birds - one being bluebirds, and it is just great to see them in the area; and the other is a flock of about 15 robins, with their bright chests beaming brightly in the morning sunshine. (Is this a sign of SPRING? I hope not because I've got a lot of SNOW pictures to take yet!) Yesterday I got up early and spent the entire day doing paperwork, making prints, processing and packing book orders, and answering e-mail. When I finally saw the light of day and was ready to head outside for a quick hike there was no daylight - it was DARK! No matter, I really needed to get out and get some fresh air into my lungs, so I grabbed my down jacket and headed out the door. No flashlight. I followed Aspen's white rump for the first hundred yards or so into the woods, but soon his rump disappeared into the night and my eyes got adjusted to the darkness and I no longer needed him rump for navigation. Nothing but stars out, but there were a few gazillion of them. It was very quiet and still out, and the temp seemed just about perfect for hiking. It continue to amaze me how well you can actually see in the dark woods on a moonless night way out here in the wilderness - with only that slightest hint of light coming down from the stars. You couldn't see to run through the forest, but you sure can go step by step, and if you are careful, manage right on through. Of course, I will often hike with my hands out in front of me just in case some small branches escape my view. But most of the time I can sense a branch coming at me before it arrives - I wonder if this is some sort of sixth sense that we have - the ability to tell if something is about to smash into our eyes in the dark and to react to get out of the way? It has been quite a while since I heard a chorus of coyotes, but goodness they were out in full force this night and singing loud and clear. I stopped a couple of times, leaned up against a big old oak tree, and just listened. I know they were having FUN! I spent some time moving along the dirt lane through the meadows, and at one point, was standing there looking at the stars that were reflected in a pool of water (a mud hole) when a shooting star streaked across the sky - and across the mud hole. I do believe that is a sign of good fortune to witness a shooting star in a mud hole! Speaking of good fortune, we had a WONDERFUL program at the Lyric Theater in Harrison on Friday night. We showed up two and a half hours early to set everything up, and by the time the crowd started drifting in we had perhaps three or four minutes of down time. We sent Glenn and Stacey next door to grab some sandwiches for dinner, knowing full well we would not get to touch them until later - turns out we didn't get to eat those sandwiches until on the way home around 10:45! But we were so busy we hardly noticed. In case you live in this area and have never been to the newly-renovated Lyric Theater (like me), I HIGHLY recommend that you get there soon for a classic movie or stage production - it is one of the most wonderful old theaters I have ever seen! And during those three or four minutes of down time before the show I hustled up into the balcony and staked out a pair of soft seats way back in one of the dark corners where I plan to take my bride to see a movie one of these days. Later in the evening I was told by more than one individual that they had done the very same thing - 50 years before! Not only did the crowd pack the place - we had about 300 folks there - but they were perhaps the very best group that I had ever give a program to - loud and talkative and friendly and just great - AND there was no rotten tomatoes tossed onto the stage at me! It was both a highlight of my professional year and an immensely humbling experience for me. Many thanks to all of you who attended (quite a few drove many hours to get there), and THANKS a million for all of your kind words - they are quite undeserving, after all, I just push the button on the camera, really. It was kind of an odd setup for us, and because of the limited space we had to set up the book display tables on one side of the theater and my book signing and computer stuff on the other side. While the actual slide programs were going on I was not able to get over to see or talk to my bride, nor with Glenn and Stacey who were helping out (and selling Glenn's swimming hole guidebook). And likewise, after the show, when everyone headed down to the front to look at prints and buy books and ask questions, it was a real mob scene. Anyway, there were times that we had to use hand signals to communicate with each other, to do things like "bring me something to DRINK please!" Our good friend, Don Nelms, took quite a few photos of the event, and I wanted to post a few of them here. No way to really get a sense of what it was like in there, or how large and beautiful this facility is, or how great the crowd was, but Don took some really nice photos so here they are:
As you probaby know, I don't photograph very well, and am rather shy because of it - this is the main reason why I became a photographer so that I would always be BEHIND the camera and not IN FRONT of it! However, Don took some great photos, so I thought you should see what I really look like in my Cloudland uniform (and just like my dad, I always seem to have my mouth open - hum...):
We have one more Arkansas program tonight - in Springdale - and then one in Nixa, Missouri Saturday night, then we will be finished for the year. For those of you heading to the show in Nixa on Saturday, I recommend that you get there EARLY. We'll show up around 5pm, and the program will start at around 6 - we only have the room until 7:30, so will have to get finished in a hurry, and you know how long I can talk. By the way, for any of you who have not been able to get to a program and purchase books or prints for holiday giving, you still have plenty of time to order any of our products through the online store - we will ship either the same day you order or at the very latest the next day. And I'm making a special effort to get PRINTS printed the same day you order and shipped out the next, or perhaps just a couple of days later (they need a full day to "cure" before shipping). So, keep on ordering folks, and we'll get them out to you ASAP in plenty of time to put under the tree! Also, we can personalize anything and ship direct to someone else (sorry, but no gift wrapping!). By the way #2, for those of you in the KUAF listening area, I will be in town on Tuesday for PJ's trivia quiz at 10:06am. I'm not exactly sure of this yet, but I THINK I will be able to draw the winning names out of the wooden chicken, a great honor reserved for kings and queens and other traveling royalty! I say "winners" because I will be giving away more than one prize - PJ has been giving away our 2005 calendar all month, and besides those she will give away an autographed copy of the BUFFALO RIVER WILDERNESS picture book too. 91.3 on your radio dial, AND for everyone else, you can listen on the radio at www.KUAF.com. Good luck! One last shameless business plug. We are down to just a few boxes of that Buffalo River Wilderness picture book, and they will not be reprinted. So if you have ever wanted one, NOW is the time to buy one - they will be sold out and out of print soon. (You can also purchase them at you local bookstore.)
12/15/04 Just got back in from making the rounds of the hoards of frost flowers that are out blooming once again this morning. The temp was about ten degrees warmer than predicted - hum, could be all this hot air swirling around the cabin - but the flowers were out anyway. Although just as soon as the sun began to kiss these little wonders, they started to melt away. I spent a lot of time down on my belly trying to get the very best angle for photos - these little buggers are tough to photograph because they have so much "depth" to them, and when you are shooting close-up photos like these the macro lenses don't have much depth of field to work with. But it was kind of fun crawling around on my belly in the leaves anyway - I don't get to do that much anymore! The biggest problem this morning was the fact that the WIND was howling, and not only did that make getting the little ice formations and frost flower plants hold still, but every now and then a gust would blow up under my jacket and brother it was COLD!!! Anyway, here are a few examples of what the flowers looked like this morning.
We had a great time doing the KUAF trivia quiz yesterday morning with PJ - she is such a hoot. I was scheduled to do about a two-minute interview, and 15 minutes after we went on the air, PJ paused to get to the quiz question, then we picked right up again afterwards for another five minutes! They all do such a terrific job down at that radio station, and often work on a shoestring budget. I hope some of you got to listen, either on the air or online. For those that didn't, we wound up giving away the normal calendar, but also a Buffalo River Wilderness book (ALMOST out of print - we only have a few cases left, and when they are sold, there won't be any more available), plus an Arkansas Wilderness picture book. I even got to send a message to our UPS driver that we needed a pickup and could he please come out to the cabin! Seems like we put in about 48 hours of work yesterday, but I did get to hike around a little bit during the daylight hours while running back and forth to the office. For some reason, the air was so clean and clear and crisp yesterday. The winter woodlands looked so clean and refreshed and bright. And that SUNSHINE feels soooooo good! Today looks like a carbon copy, and since it started out so much warmer than yesterday I suspect this afternoon will be really, really nice outside. We are scrambling to get enough work done so that we can sneak away, but who knows. I just got an order for 24 prints, and while it is not a rush order, I like to jump on such things, but still take my time, so I'll be working on those much of the next week (THANKS Mike!) Time to go help my bride with the book orders.......(we're getting book, calendar, and even print orders out within 24 hours so you can still order for x-mas even into next week!) 12/16/04 Kind of a lazy afternoon at Cloudland. I've got a large bourbon and coke at arm's length, a fat dog stretched out at my feet, the little woman is off to pick up the child at the bus stop, a huge 24 x 33 inch print file is being uploaded to the BEDFORDS server for printing, and the sun is dipping low in the western sky - actually in the southwestern sky - very near the old Buffalo Fire Tower. The moon set right behind the tower the other day, I think. The sun gets right next to the tower on Dec. 21st but doesn't quite get behind it, then it begins to head back north again. I'm going to make an early-morning trip into the Buzzard Roost Arch sometime next week to see if the sun will rise under the arch - I kind of think it will still be too far to the north, but we will see. Spent a bit of time out wandering in the woods this afternoon in between book processing chores. It was still and quiet and almost warm in the sunshine. The forest floor has been changing texture this past few weeks - now the thick carpet of leaves is already beginning to break down and the leaves make a hushed crunch instead of a sharp crunch when you walk on them. These will be the food for the soil in the coming year as they biodegrade into nutrients. That low sun was bright, but still easy on the eyes and I was able to wander around without any sunglasses. The sky above was blue, with a few wisps of high thin clouds hanging around. It was a very comforting little hike somehow, with not a care in the world, or at least the cares floated on off with the slight breezes that drifted through the trees. I got to thinking about squirrels. Some lovely ladies dropped by earlier for a visit (no connection with the squirrels) - Fern Nicholson, Patty Fredrick and company - and they talked about how they love to hike in the winter because the views are so much more open - they were headed to Hawksbill Crag and Haley Falls - Fern has just been in the hospital with an IV stuck in her YESTERDAY, and today she was out hiking! They purchased two of the last copies of BUFFALO RIVER WILDERNESS (we only have a few cases of them left, and I always love to receive visitors that come bearing cash or credit cards!). Anyway, today as I was wandering around I could see a lot more squirrel "holes" in the trees than I could see just a few weeks ago. Same old places I have been hiking in, but now with no leaves on the trees I can see those holes. You can tell if a hole in a tree is active or now by how it looks - if it "looks" like it is being used - i.e. the outside of the hole is slick - then it is an active hole/nest. Squirrels will hollow out the rotten places where limbs used to be and burrow into the middle of the tree in the winter - they are more protected from harsh weather there in the winter. In the spring and summer, their nests are often made up of bunches of leaves all thatched together high up in the branches. I saw quite a few slick and active holes this afternoon - we have quite a few squirrels around. The sun is sinking lower in the west now - almost all the way down to the horizon. The grill is on and we are having burgers for dinner. I must go see about the grill, and get the burgers on before the girls get home. And fill up my drink! The sun is now right on the horizon, slowly disappearing down into the fine line of trees way on over there. Ummm, the burgers smell good, with special seasoning and sauce - heck, even my child loves them that way! Looks like it is going to be a chilly night, with clear skies, and lots of stars - HEY GLENN, aren't you going to come out and shoot star trail photos tonight? Last program of the season in Nixa, Missouri, Saturday night, 6pm, at the Community Center. We'll be showing both slide programs and have some great book and PRINT sales going on - hope to see ya there!
12/17/04 It was after 10pm when Glenn showed up, then we hiked on down to the Crag and spent nearly an hour setting up a star-trails shot with his camera. It was really nice out, not too cold, no wind at all, and just a beautiful, star-lit night. At one point while we were working on the setup, a coyote had crept up pretty close and let out a yell just a bench or two above us - the sound echoed through the wilderness as clear as a bell, as did the rest of his howls. The guy must have been wanting to see what the heck we were up to. After Glenn did a test shot and started his hour-long exposure, I left him to his chores and headed back to the cabin. It wasn't until I had taken a few steps away from his setup on the edge of the tall bluff that I realized I would have to hike without a flashlight so that I did not mess up his photo. No problem - there was plenty of starlight, and I was able to see the trail at my feet just fine. In fact I hiked at almost my normal pace, not having to worry about branches slapping me in the face since it was a trail and not just wandering through the woods. Once I broke out into the open meadows up on top of the ridge my pace slowed considerably - I couldn't help it - the sky above was just so INCREDIBLE! Orion and other guys up there were beaming down and looking mighty fine, and each individual star seemed to be winking at me with every step I took. I didn't even notice the cold, except when I took that frigid air deep into my lungs - so refreshing! It was well after midnight when I began to see a dim light way out there through the trees - the glow of the Cloudland Christmas Tree lights to show me the way home. No dogs rose up to announce my arrival - heck no, they were way too smart for that, being tucked away one on top of the bed and snuggled at Pam's feet, the other burrowed back in underneath the bed. By the time I woke up this morning at 5:30 Glenn had already e-mailed the results of his photos - he only took one then headed on home (an hour drive away). While he didn't get the perfect photo this time, we have refined the process and hope to spend another night or two out on the Crag in the near future. These sorts of photos are tough to get, but we'll keep trying... It was a bit hazy at first light this morning, sort of a thin blue haze that has actually built up into more of a thicker haze now an hour after sunrise. What we really need is about a foot of SNOW to come in and wash it all away!
Tere was a great article in today's weekend section of the Springfield News Leader about our slide programs (thanks Kathleen!). For any of you in the Springfield area - or within an hour or two drive from there - we will be giving the very last program of the year, and for a good long while, in Nixa, Missouri, tomorrow night (Saturday), 6pm, at the Nixa Community Center. We'll have the books and calendars on sale, plus a selection of about 50 matted color prints for you to look through and buy, and, of course, both of the new slide programs. I'll be leading a dayhike tomorrow morning (meet at the Round Top Mountain Trailhead just south of Jasper right on Hwy. 7 at 10am), and will be heading up to the program direct from there - please forgive if I smell just a little bit like the woods! 12/18/04 I've been up and at the computer since about 3 this morning, now the eastern horizon is beginning to glow red and orange and pink. Looks like there are a few thin clouds hanging around. Very still outside with no wind at all. The temp is not too bad, and I suspect it will be a great day outside in the Ozarks today! I hear rumblings above my head - the girls will be getting up soon and will head off to Missouri. I will head up to the office as soon as it gets daylight and load up the truck for the program tonight, then will drive on over to the Round Top Mountain trailhead just south of Jasper to lead a hike on this wonderful little trail. Two items of note early this morning: First, Don Kurz will be joining us for the program in Nixa tonight. He will be signing copies of three books of his - ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS, OZARK WILDFLOWERS, and SCENIC DRIVING THE OZARKS. Starting tomorrow, we'll have the latter two books added to our online store, so you can order them - we hope to keep these in stock from now on. While we also sell the Carl Hunter "Arkansas Wildflowers" guidebook, Don's "Ozark Wildflowers" guidebook is MUCH better, and is $10 cheaper too! We also will be adding the classic Ken Smith book "Buffalo River Country" to the store tomorrow, plus several unique and handy "hiker hankies" - bandannas with trail and safety information on them for local trails. Be sure to log on beginning Sunday afternoon for these new goodies! And one sad note to report - our good friend and all around great egg Ruth Ann Wilson passed away at age 61 this past week in Jasper. While she has been a fixture in the Jasper community for 40 years, many of you probably met and knew her without even knowing it - she put together and ran the Elk Information Center in Jasper. She always had a bright smile and was happy to see everyone. We especially liked taking Amber by the Elk Center every chance we got - not only to see the exhibits there, but to visit with Ruth. She was one class act, and will be sorely missed! (Ruth, you will never know the many thousands of people's lives you touched.) While I have never actually dedicated a hike to anyone, today's hike up to Round Top Mountain will be dedicated to Ruth, and I suspect she will be up there with us today.......... The eastern sky is now really glowing bright red - must be Ruth over there saying hello and wishing us a great start to this day! 12/19/04 (our e-mail has died once again tonight, and nothing is coming in or going out - the server in Fayetteville must be clogged with SPAM once again - come on CONGRESS, DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING!!!) Just had a nice moonlit-stroll out into the forest tonight - it was rather brisk to say the least, but at least the wind wasn't blowing. The nearly 3/4 moon was covered with a thin layer of clouds, and so the diffuse moonlight was softened even more than normal. Plenty of light to see to hike around wherever you wanted to. My main target was the office up on the hill, but on the way back I took the liberty of making a wide path back to the cabin, wandering out and about for about 30 minutes. So much to see out there in the moonlight, and it is easy on your eyes. Although sometimes you THINK that you see something but you really aren't SURE - that soft and dim moonlight can play tricks on you. Then you have to stop and squint and study the landscape to see if what you think it is really is. Most of the time it is not. I spent about three or four minutes this evening staring at this object up on the hill - knowing it was a deer standing there. They can stand perfectly still without flinching for a good long while. The longer you stare at something, the more you are convinced that it is not what you thought it was. In this case, I happened to be correct, and finally the deer relaxed and walked on up the hillside and out of site, deciding that I was not great threat to her. Those moments out there in the forest when I am face to face with some critter like this deer are one reason why I continue to seek out wild places - it just gets deep down inside you. I led a hike yesterday up to and around Round Top Mountain. This mountain is one of the great hills of dirt and sandstone and trees that tower over the little hamlet of Jasper. Back in 1948 a bomber on a training mission slammed right into the side of this mountain, and now there is a hiking trail that goes to the crash site - the site just happens to be on the scenic route at the base of the bluff. And SCENIC it is! This is one of the best hiking trails in Arkansas at any time of the year. We had a crew of about 20 folks yesterday, and spent a couple of hours exploring around the mountain. We found a Geocache (I think there are actually two of them along this trail - I left a guidebook), and several of the folks went rock climbing to get up to the top edge of south end of the bluffline - I'm sure it was pretty neat up there, but I remained firmly on the ground with the rest of the group.
Then it was off to Nixa, Missouri, for our last program of the year. This had started as a quiet evening at Pam's parents house in Nixa - they wanted to invite a few close friends over to view the slide programs. We soon realized that was not going to work, and found a place in town to rent. With a little help from our good friend at the Springfield News Leader - Kathleen Odell - and the note in the Journal here, we ended up with more than 125 folks at the program! The room we had rented only came with 60 chairs, and the poor man who took great care of us there scrambled to find more seating. The room just kept filling up and up and up with people! At one point the guy came wheeling in a large silver thing, which turned out to be a set of BLEACHERS! Never had that happen before. I believe we set another Journal Reader record - there were a BUNCH of Journal readers in the crowd, and while I know I didn't get a chance to say hi to each of you, I'm so glad you made the effort to come to the program - I hope you enjoyed it! It was after midnight when we got back to the cabin - four tired and wore out feet hit the bed with a loud thud. It has been one terrific run of programs this past couple of months, and I want to thank each and every one of YOU who came out to visit! We'll do it again next year - with all new programs, some in the same locations and others in new locations - I'll keep you posted. I spent today working at the computer (making prints), up at the office (processing book orders), and out on the tractor (filling in pot holes). I have my camera gear all packed up and ready for a quick trip out the door at around 4am tomorrow - I want to shoot the sun rising under the great stone arch at Buzzard Roost - although I don't have a clue if it will actually rise in the correct location or not. In fact it probably won't but I have to go and see for myself and then I will know. It is about a two-hour drive from here, then about a mile hike along a four-wheeler road - I'll be able to hike in the pre-dawn twilight so it will be easy. I just hope the temp doesn't get too cold tonight! As I put this to bed for the night I want to send a nod skyward - 25 years ago this hour I came home to my parents's house and found the greatest man I have ever known lifeless on the couch. THANKS pop - you taught me well, and I will continue to follow your lead... 12/20/04 Holy fudgecicle, it was COLD when I rolled out of bed around 4 this morning - the wind chill showed 22 below zero - at first I thought it was a mistake, but noticed the temp was just above 20 degrees and the wind was HOWLING outside, throwing furniture all over the deck and up against the cabin, and the gauge showed gusts up to and above 40mph - and I was getting ready to go hiking in this to catch the sunrise? YIKES!!! The winds had died down somewhat as I backed the truck into a narrow spot between several trees next to this tiny 4WD road that I had been traveling on to get as close as I could to my sunrise location. The eastern horizon had already begun to glow orange and pink and red, but I knew that sunrise was still more than a half hour away so I was not in a great rush. The temp was 19, with the wind blowing probably 20mph - certainly still below zero wind chill, but a little bit warmer than back at the cabin. When I left the cabin in the dark this morning I grabbed all the clothes, hats, and gloves that I could find - we have a pretty good arsenal of that stuff out here. I didn't want to dress TOO warm because I would be hauling all of my camera gear back UP the hill after the shoot, and I didn't want to work up a sweat. I put on a sweatshirt, down jacket, and rain jacket, plus a full-face stocking cap, and a pair of liner gloves and special lightweight-windproof outer gloves. OK, out into the deep freeze I go! I was met with a really frigid blast of arctic wind that almost knocked me over, but soon I was walking and all warmed up and everything was just peachy. The trail/road was easy to follow in the pre-dawn light, and within 15 minutes I was at the point where I left the old road and started to bushwhack into thick brush, on down a VERY steep hillside, to the base of the bluffline where the great Buzzard Roost Arch was located. The eastern horizon got really RED for a few moments, then the color began to fade - hum, sunrise wouldn't be long now. OK, I climbed up and took a position underneath the arch, set up my tripod and camera, and shot a few photos looking through the arch at the eastern horizon. It had been nine months since I first found this location, and I have planned on and wanted to return on this very day to shoot what I had HOPED would be a view of the sun rising underneath the arch. I had been there before at sunrise and found the sun too far to the north. I really didn't have a clue if the sun was going to cooperate or not, but I knew it would be close, and so I was there and ready. Come on sunrise! I sat there in the leaves next to my camera for a couple of minutes just gazing around at how incredible this place is. The rock arch guards a little area up and behind it where I was set up that is at the base of the bluff - the bridge arches out in between two points on the bluff in front. Instead of just sitting there waiting for the sun to rise - and getting a little bit chilled - I decided to get off my lazy fanny and go exploring. I went on over to one end of the arch, near the base, and climbed up as high as I could. Still needed another ten feet or so UP if I wanted to get up on top of the arch, but there was no way to do that. While I was over there I noticed a glint of orange light on part of the stone - YIPPIE, the sun was up! I scrambled on back down and quickly ran over to the camera, which was still in total shadow, so I knew that position would not work. So now my long-awaited question would be answered - could I actually get a shot of the sun rising under the arch? The answer is, well yes, and no. I managed to find a spot that was right at the very edge of where I could place my tripod and camera, actually part way up one section of the bluff, and sure enough, son of a gun, there was the rising sun, right on cue, under the great arch!!! I fired off about 75 shots using various exposures - no need for me to use different lenses because it took the very widest lens that I had to get the all of the arch included - a 17mm lens on a full frame camera. The sun was only in the right place for a few minutes, then it rose up too high. That fast I was finished. After a nine-month wait, I finally had my photo baby! Looked to me like probably a couple of days on either side of this date would still be ok for the proper sunrise location, but certainly a week or two from now and the sun would be in the wrong position - tomorrow will be the southern end of its travel, then it will begin to move back to the north, and behind one end of this massive stone arch.
I packed up my gear and headed back to the truck, another successful photo in the bag! Oh yea, the cold - while I was shooing the sunrise I never paid any attention to the frigid conditions, but as soon as I stopped shooting I felt really cold and frozen and had to bundle back up again - sometimes you just get so excited that you lose track of everything else that is going on! 12/22/04 When we went to bed last night we expected to wake up to a winter wonderland. It was a big letdown - it was chilly and windy, and a little white on the ground, but nothing like what the gloom and doomers had predicted. In fact we didn't really get any snow until after noon, and then it finally started snowing a little bit. When I last went out just after dark we had probably two inches, yippie! With the snow dry and blowing and not much of it, photos were not going to be good today. So I remained at the cabin and finished up my last big printing job. They are all now safely tucked away in the curing drawers until after Christmas. TOMORROW will be another story, I hope! Once I figure out where the most snow fell, I will try to come up with a game plan and head out early in the morning in search of snow photos - I've got several spots in mind already, but most of it will depend on what they look like once I arrive, and how easy it is to get along. You'll be the first to know if I get anything good, or if I don't get anything! Of course, I may just decide to remain at home and rest up from a long and exhausting year, and enjoy my girls. Or do a little bit of both... One photo note for those of you who follow that sort of thing - I have turned over camera systems once again. I'm still shooting Canon digital, but now have the big new Canon in my bag (16.7 mega pixels), plus TEN new lenses - all prime lenses - and no zooms. My camera bag weighs about 50 pounds! This is all in line with my continuing efforts to extract every single bit of quality out of the camera that I am using. And for those are interest, the "new" lenses that I am using - at least half of them - are very old German designs - some of them are used - and are MANUAL lenses. I will have to redirect my brainwaves when I am shooting now away from the rush, rush of auto-everything, and will be able to slow down and concentrate a little bit more on what I am doing, and I think in the end the result will be better photos. I can't wait! Now, if I could only find that mule to carry all my stuff... Amber and I did a little bit of tobogganing tonight just as it was getting dark. This kid lives for snow, and although it was me who woke her up this morning with a miniature snowball in the face, she would rather be out in the snow that doing just about anything else in the world. We probably should spend more time in snow country with her - perhaps in the future we will. Anyway, we got that old-time long wooden sled going pretty fast, so much so that it went completely airborne one time - much to the delight of my daughter! The snow is mostly dry power, and does not seem to be sticking to the trees well like the really neat wet stuff does. Still, the forest looks pretty nice, and especially the ground, which is covered with white. We got some terrible news today about a near tragedy. Our good friends, Ken and Terry Eastin, and their daughter, Jessie, were in their lovely and historical home on a hill overlooking Fayetteville the other morning when it caught fire - everything was destroyed. They all managed to escape with the clothes on their backs and little else. Two dear family pets perished. Something like this is awful at any time of the year, but especially now. They are basically homeless now, save for a trailer that hey have been living in on the job site - they design and build large multi-use trail projects, and are the best at this in the country. Our heart goes out to them, and I know they will pull through this most difficult time. Back to top | ||
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