The Natural State
July 01, 2015
When my wife first told me Arkansas motto was "The Natural State," I laughed. I laughed long and hard - but then I moved here. Now, I'm too busy meandering around in wonderment to remember how silly it used to seem
I was a cocky Northern California boy, born and raised in what I knew to be Paradise - out in the Redwood forests next to the Pacific Ocean. The perfect climate, the perfect weather, the unchanging glory of all that is grand and green in the West!
And then, I moved to Arkansas. Where even living in the state capital, I'm surrounded by a lush, gorgeous living world that rivals the rain-forests and jungles I've traveled to!
But of course, I'm not expecting you to just take me at my word. Sit back, and enjoy a few thousand words worth of pictures below:
That's Pinnacle Mountain, in Spring - just one of many spectacular views from up top, and "up top" is an easy couple-hour day hike up gorgeous trails
This was a guest at my Brother-in-law's place, down in New Boston. There are better pictures of that turtle too :)
This is a group doing a "short day hike" to find a swimming hole. It was a beautiful (and hot) day!
...We never did make it to that swimming hole, the water was too high. But! Someone left us a junked canoe! Without a paddle, of course. Who's up where without a what?
It rained on us on the way back, and we passed bicyclists on the trail, not to mention a family of Armadillos - a mother and her babies.
That's right. I got to see wild, baby Armadillos. Awwww yeah!
This is the hand-built path to a friend's house up in Yellville, waaay up in Northern Arkansas
Here's the view just around the corner, I particularly enjoyed the in-set benches, and the tiny tiny crayfish running around in that creek
The barn out back, by the chicken coop, on one heck of a beautiful morning!
The magical path to Adam's grandmother's bottomless Sunday brunch. The most overwhelming combination of family, friends, food, and the rapture of bacon. Two kinds of bacon. And pancakes. And biscuits and gravy.
Mmmmmm!
We went all the way up to Yellville to see the Buffalo River. Quite possibly the most beautiful river I've ever been on, and I've been around.
Zelda went swimming here for the first time! See the cover photo. She's not a big fan of swimming, but she *loves* standing in water
And she loves her momma ;)
This was a random day in the park - bike polo! This day was a little less nice, well over 90 and muggy. Didn't stop these teams from getting crazy on the court, though.
They also had a beat-up above ground pool for in-between games, but it ended in tragedy...
This is part of the approach to the Watershed.
See below for the Watershed:
It's incredible out there - smooth, warm water with cool undercurrents, so you're never too hot or too cold. Great for floating, lap swimming, diving. Last time we were out there was a speed boat (keeping a respectful distance away) that offered us inner-tube rides, just to be neighborly.
And this, wonder of wonders, is my back yard:
Complete with dog, kitten, christmas lights - the works!
And the work ;) still working on my yard maintenance skills, you can see the line where the whacking is on pause and the jungle is closing in!
But I paused because...
This little charmer was right in my path. I ran right over the poor feller, but he was none the worse for wear.
And then, of course, there are these
I still love you, California - but this place? It deserves that title, the Natural State. I found a turtle in my back yard, there are fireflies every night, and rivers, and lakes, and endless miles of beautiful woods. It really is spectacular and I've only seen a tiny part of it.
But it's not even what it looks like, it's how it feels! Right now, just shy of midnight, on my front porch, it's a quiet street lightly covered in venerable old oaks. Every house on the street has a grassy lawn that's green without being watered. The air is full of bird song (yes, at 11 pm at night) and fireflies. There's a full moon, and the quiet sway of my porch swing is just the little bit of breeze I need to fully enjoy the 82 degree night air.
It's a whole different level of relaxed than I've ever had before. In fact, before I go to bed, I think I'll swing out there for a while.
'Night y'all :)
1 comments
In the name of California, I'm jealous. I mean, California is jealous! It sounds like you've found a wonderful place. I guess that's okay.
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