“How high’s the water mama?”

Not far from the birthplace of legendary singer Johnny Cash is this sign with its feet in water. The sign, on US Highway 79 just north of Kingsland, Arkansas, normally high and dry, is being encroached upon by waters from the swollen Saline River, less than a mile north.

The symbolism of the sign with its feet in the water, in 2009,  is all too familiar to Arkansans. No one alive can remember a rainier year. All of which prompts one to hum “How high’s the water mama?” without too much provocation. I had the pleasure of watching the man in black perform that tune at Rison, Arkansas, a short ride up the road, in the seventies. I had no idea then that the tune would take on new meaning in this neck of the woods. Some local bards, tongues firmly ensconced in their cheeks, are musing, ” … makes Noah’s flood look like a mornin’ dew,” along with similar, but more colorful observations which I will eschew. Something about a boot.

See it at Corndancer dot com

This story started in Cleveland County, but water was not the subject. A really cool old barn was. I could not help but notice the water while going after the barn.

Click here to take a barn-break on the Photo of the Week page at Corndancer dot Com, a very cool thing to do.  We’ll be waiting here for you when you get back.

We nearly made it through the year without a moisture laden seven-fold amen to the aquatic symphony which has been 2009, but the two days before Christmas were soakers for most of the state.  Reports of six to 10 inches for the two days were not uncommon. As a result, the Saline has been a river on steroids.

On Christmas day, this equipment, parked at the foot of the US Highway 79 bridge over the Saline was high and dry. Yesterday, Dec. 26, the truck and ‘dozer were still high and dry with a few inches of water over the tracks of the back hoe. This morning, Dec. 27, it was a different story. Blub, blub.

Bridges and other man-made structures are good standards by which Mother Nature’s machinations can be measured. In less than 24 hours December 26 and 27, Saline grew several feet. The signs and the bridge below are prima facie evidence of a misbehaving river.

This sign is on the east side of the south end of the US 79 bridge over the Saline River between Rison and Kingsland, Arkansas. The left picture was shot at about 4:30 p.m., December 26, 2009. The right picture was shot about 11:30 a.m., December 27, 2009. The water color is the same, the direction of light is different, hence the different appearance.

POOL ACCESS

I was recently made aware of the origins of the name of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission access point, “POOL ACCESS.” It was explained to me by my good friend, Dick Warriner. The Saline, for the most part is not a deep or wide river. Under normal circumstances it is a docile stream and at least at one time, was legendary as a fishing resource. It may still be, but you could not prove it by me.

The river widens and deepens somewhat at POOL, just down river from the bridge, hence the name. There is also a bluff at POOL  which was also the site of the “old bridge,” and more importantly to Dick, a favorite swimming hole frequented by his family during his childhood. Dick’s grandfather, Grover Roberts, a resident of nearby Herbine, built a retractable tire swing there which was well used by his progeny and I’m certain by other youngsters in the area. Thanks for the info Dick.

The US 79 bridge over troubling Saline River waters between Rison and Kingsland, Arkansas

Parting Shot

While crawling over the bridge on the west side, south end, on top of the abutment, I found a pile of nuts and bolts. These were certainly not placed here by four legged critters or birds, or one would certainly think so. And, there have been no plausible rumors of cults the members of which have a thing for galvanized nuts and bolts. Since this is not a pedestrian bridge, and few besides myself have probably ever noticed the hardware collection, the local curiosity coefficient is low, so an explanation is yet to be revealed.  Why pray tell, is there a pile of nuts and bolts on the abutment?

This is nutty. But the nuts and bolts are the same as hold the bridge railings together.

Thanks for dropping by and Happy New Year!!!

Joe Dempsey
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

The Saline River starts out in the Ouachita Mountains west of Benton, Arkansas with four forks. The four forks converge near Riverside in Saline County, Arkansas. The river leaves Saline County and winds on a serpentine path through Grant, Dallas, Cleveland, Bradley, Drew, and Ashley Counties. It empties into the Ouachita River near Felsanthal in Ashely County.

Before we go too much further, this “old bridge” story actually started in Mooringsport, Louisiana with a story about and pictures of an old draw bridge on the Photo of the Week Page at Corndancer dot com. Click here to see the old Mooringsport bridge and get the story.

Tull Bridge over the Saline River, west of Tull, Arkansas was was finished and opened for service in 1916. The bridge was in use until it was replaced in 2005. I have driven over the one-lane bridge on many occasions. Though the wooden floor rattled loudly as you drove over the bridge, you finally become accustomed to the noise after enough trips to gain confidence that the rusty structure would indeed keep you high and dry.

I first came across the Tull Bridge the mid-seventies. It was a ferrous oxide poster child and rattled like a box full of bones then, but there was a certain charm to traversing a bridge with a wooden floor. That certain charm for the most part, ameliorated the fear and trepidation brought about by the attendant sound effects.

Looking at the Tull Bridge from the east bank of the Saline River. You can see the floor planking, the source of the bridge's percussion serenade as you dared to venture across it. the new bridge, completed in 2005 is visible in the picture to the right.

Even the approaches to the Tull Bridge were planked with wood. The approaches did not rattle like the planks on the bridge. On most trips across the bridge, if other traffic was not present, I would stop on the bridge and get out of my vehicle just to look at the construction. Don’t tell my mother I did this.

Looking south from the new bridge, you get a view of the bridge not afforded until the new bridge was completed. And you begin to think, " ... I drove across that sucker a bunch of times."

If you seriously travel central and southeast Arkansas, crossing the Saline River is inevitable. On this trip, I lost count of the number of times I crossed it. Like most rivers, as it progresses downstream, it becomes a bit but not overly turbid. Under normal circumstances, the waters of the forks, originating in Ouachita Mountains, are gin-clear.

The upstream side of an abandoned bridge across the North Fork of the Saline River off Arkansas Highway 128 near the junction with Arkansas Highway 5.

Meanwhile, a county or so away,
still yet another abandoned bridge beckoned

This bridge in northern Garland County, Arkansas was built by a county road department in 1931. It has been replaced by a newer bridge which I was standing under to get the shot above.  The bridge is a favorite for photographers, but not at this angle. It took some delicate steps over some serious rip-rap at the base of the bridge to set up for the shot.

County road departments these days, it appears, eschew the obvious aesthetic considerations their predecessors put into this one. It is graceful with a shape reminiscent of a gull in flight. Not an easy appearance to achieve with concrete. They did well and someone was thinking in the right direction to leave the bridge standing. Whomsoever you are, thanks.

One can see the second arch in this bridge from the downstream side. The sturdy bridge has a classic, but bruised bridge beauty. Even in rural Arkansas, grubby graffiti shows up.

It’s nice to see a couple of old bridges which did not suffer destruction. We’ll look for more.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

The smaller of two buildings at the abandoned "Chateau Log Cabin Hunting Club" near Carthage, Arkansas. The red circle is where a load of what appears to be number six shot impacted on the building. From the shot pattern, one can presume the shooter was standing and the muzzle of the gun was not far from the impact area. Looks suspiciously like one of the infamous, " ... I thought it was unloaded" shenanigans. See the closeup below.

This story started on the Photo of the Week Page at Corndancer dot com, where you will see pictures of the cabin and the hunting club sign. To see those pictures and find out how this whole thing started, click here, a very cool thing to do.

The two old buildings at the no longer active Chateau Log Cabin Hunting Club, just west of Carthage, Arkansas are just barely visible from Arkansas Highway 48 at highway speed. After a turn around and traversing a muddy ditch alongside the highway, I arrived on the premises. The building above has two rooms, both appeared to be bedrooms. Meals and socializing, of equal importance to the hunt in the hierarchy of deer hunting activity, probably took place in the cabin building just behind this one and to the right.

A shotgun probably loaded with a squirrel shot discharged not far from these pellet holes.

We are presuming the pellet holes in the front of the building were accidentally made. One simply does not normally blast away at one’s deer club with a shotgun at point blank range. After the discharge there was probably a universal underwear change made by the members present at the time.

Hunting clubs run from palatial to pedestrian, with this one closer to pedestrian than palatial. Furnishings were (and still are) for the most part, spare furniture that most families accumulate by just being a family. Creature comfort is not the big issue, but protection from the elements is and this structure could handle that job well.

The Hilton, it ain't, out of the weather it is. Accommodations were tight and if you had one really accomplished snorer, he probably filled the room with his raucous nasal concertos. The blue boxes in the window are electrical outlets, no doubt added after the walls were built. The window was the easiest and quickest place to mount the boxes. They were not shooting for a mention in Architectural Digest, only to have "juice" available.

Further down highway 48, I turned north on Arkansas Highway 9. North of Tulip on Highway 9, I came across Hunter Chaple Methodist Church, according to their sign, built in 1850. The church, in pristine condition is testimonial to a congregation of  caring members who understand the meaning of what is truly valuable.

Hunter Chapel Methodist Church north of Tulip, Arkansas on Arkansas Highway 9.

Further up highway 9 is Lono, home of the Country Corner, purveyors of great sandwiches among other things. There is an old residence on its last legs across the highway from the Country Corner. I figured we had best shoot that sucker while we can.

The elements are about to win. The fat lady is not singing, but she is warming up.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/

Phyllis Crady, co-proprietor of Carroway's General Store in Ida, Louisiana carries the torch for a tradition that began in 1926. The store started then as Perry Mercantile. The store and restaurant are managed and operated by a complete staff of women.

This story had its beginnings on the Photo of the Week page at Corndancer dot com. To see other pictures of Carroway’s and get in on the start of the story, click here, a very cool thing to do.

A succession of owners since 1926 have kept structural and equipment changes to a minimum at Carroway’s General Store in Ida, Louisiana. The store started business as Perry Mercantile. Two years after they started the business, the Perrys sold the store to the Carroway’s who operated it for forty years. Since the store left the hands of the Carroways, it has gone through several ownership changes. Most of the time, when a business changes hands a lot, it tends to lose its original identity, pandering to the current ego-in-charge. Carroway’s has not suffered that fate.

The current owners, Phyllis and Grady Crady are continuing that honored and proven tradition of keeping things the same as much as possible. Phyllis is quick to point out that the retail fixtures, shelving and some of the old business machines and hardware are vintage. Being a modern business, the store uses modern business equipment, but the vintage equipment is kept in plain sight. Customer service is definitely and delightfully “out of the past.”

Carroway's front porch is an inviting and relaxing place. It provides a place for "visiting," and work breaks. It is also a popular venue for politicians making election year "stump" speeches. Former governors Huey P. Long, Earl Long, and musician-turned-governor Jimmie Davis are among the notables who have availed themselves of Carroway's front porch.

Carroway’s shelves are stocked with a big variety of merchandise ranging from groceries and household supplies to hardware and antiques, the latter of which sometimes bears some explanation. Phyllis Crady says store visitors sometimes have misconceptions about what they  find in the store. “I hear the question, ‘ … is this a museum? … ‘, I quickly tell them that this is a store and what you see is for sale. For that matter, so is the store.”

Carroway's General Store shelves stocked with lots of merchandise, old and new. And it's all for sale. The shelves and glass cases are have been in the store since day one in 1926.

Carroway’s is more than a store. It is also a first class restaurant with a loyal following originating locally and from a fifty-mile radius of Ida. Customers from Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana; Atlanta, Texas, and Texarkana USA show up on a regular basis for breakfast, lunch, and supper, (OK dinner if you insist).

Carroway's General Store Restaurant keeps the down-home tradition in its decor. The glass cabinet to the right contains an eclectic collection of memorabilia. To the curious and to antique aficionados, the cabinet collection is a meal for the eyes, as the menu is for the tummy.

As if a fine general store and a first class restaurant were not enough, the Cradys reestablished the Ida Barbershop, yes a real live barbershop in the store. The barber, JoJo Norton is in the shop every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and during the week by appointment before 9:00 a.m.

JoJo Norton's Ida Barbershop in Carroway's General Store. A shave and a haircut in today's economy are somewhat more than six bits, but well worth the trip.

It is probably not a “discovery” to the Cradys that keeping valued traditions alive and well is good for business. In fact, from all outward appearances, it just comes naturally to them. It is said that marketing is “finding out what people want and giving them more of it … and finding out what they don’t like and giving them less of it.” It appears that a succession of Carroway’s proprietors were and are in tune with that concept. Works for me.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind
http://joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

It ain't the slime from Hades that ate Brooklyn surrounding the bear. It's common duckweed.

This critter compendium started on the photo of the week page at Corndancer dot com with a gray fox and some ‘gators. To get in on the start of the festivities and see the critters, click here. We’ll wait while you look.

The black bear is swimming in the pond of the swamp area at Audubon Park, otherwise known as the New Orleans Zoo. Mind you, this shot was made with film around the mid nineties, so the bear and the pond are not the same, if at all.

When you first see the image, you say, “  … yuk, gah-rohss, eeetch!$#@! … ” look at the bear in the slime. The green stuff is neither algae nor slime; it is duckweed, a prolific, emerald green aquatic plant that will cover a pond quickly. What appear to be green freckles on the bear’s muzzle are duckweed leaves.  It is an inordinately warm day in mid-April and brother bear has opted for a dip to cool the savage beast, duckweed notwithstanding.

Now where in the $#@!!!^%* did I leave that lottery ticket?

Not far away, perched high above the ground is a monkey, the genre of which escapes me. He looks like he is wearing a roaring twenties raccoon coat. One thing I do know, it appears that his left ear is itching because he is vigorously scratching in that direction.  He looks like he has just lost his lottery ticket. Folks, these critters are why we go and gladly pay to get it. Go forth, learn and enjoy.

All steamed up

Cotton Belt Engine 819, built, retired, and restored in Pine Bluff, Arkansas

What, you say, do monkeys, bears, and locomotives have in common? At first blush, nothing. Howsomever, these three do. They share a residence in my film image archives. This week, in-lieu of plying the highways and byways for Grist matter, I groveled through the archives. From a technical standpoint,  for those of you interested in photography, this image took a bit of unconventional chicanery. I knew I would not get to see the engine until the afternoon of that day, which, unfortunately meant the business end, which you see above, would be in the shadows. So I took a couple of 600 watt studio strobes and about a 175′ of extension cord to the rail yards and blasted 819 with a sterilizing dose of strobe to get the shot. I got some really weird stares and a couple of mild electrical shocks since steam engines cast off water, but, in the end, I got the shot and that was what counted. The images on this post are all in the 14-15 year old range, shot on Fujichrome 100.

The 819 was built in the Cotton Belt Shops at Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1943. The locomotive was in regular service on the Stl Lour and Southwestern Railroad, more popularly known in theses environs as the Cotton Belt Line, until 1955 when it was retired. The mighty locomotive was placed on permanent display in a city park in Pine Bluff where it remained until December 1, 1983 when a group of enthusiasts put the engine back on rails, returned it to the shops where it originated and meticulously restored it to the last minute detail. There is much more to this story than this synopsis, most of which you can find here. The 819 is currently housed in the Arkansas Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

Where is this building (or where was it)?

This old build is (or was) in plain sight, visible for a long way in either direction on the highway where it was located. Where, was that, within 100 miles?

Who will be the first to tell me where this building is, within a hundred miles, or so, a generous latitude of locations? I have passed this old structure a number of times and finally photographed it about 15 years ago. It’s been seven years since I have been past the building, so I am not certain that it is still standing. Who knows, it could have been razed or simply collapsed. For those who want to participate, email or post a comment below? Hint: It is west of where I live. I will reveal the answer (within a 100 miles or so) next week, it not sooner.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

The supply of stuff to see in the Delta never seems to run dry. Well, from a tongue-in-cheek standpoint, right now, at 18-24″ or so of rain over average, depending on where you are, precious little in the Delta is “running dry.”

Weather comments notwithstanding, in this edition of Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind, we again meander around the Delta, seeing stuff. The trip started through a tunnel of pecans trees south of Scott, Arkansas. Click here to see two pictures of the tunnel and get in on the start of the story on the Photo of the Week page at Corndancer do com.

What's left of the "big" house on the Tucker Plantation, Tucker, Arkansas.

Families lived here, deals were struck here and a large farming operation was once managed from this formerly imposing residence. The Tucker Plantation, at Tucker, Arkansas was established in 1871 according to local signage.

In the rich soil of the Delta, vines are "happy in their work." The second floor window would have been to a bedroom, if the floor plan was typical of the day.

Typical of farming operations in the day, there was a store and gin which were part of the plantation. The farming part of the operation continues. The residential, retail and ginning parts are things of the past. The model of economic growth for the last half of the twentieth century, and continuing to the 21st seems to summarily jettison “outmoded” entities and let them die on the vine rather than devote resources to a proper burial. Not de jure, but de facto.

Rail cars on permanent display in down town Lonoke, Arkansas.

Further to the north at Lonoke, Arkansas local organizations have acquired a couple of rail cars which provide a colorful addition to the downtown area of the city. The former depot has also been nicely restored.

I was unable to get any information on the Stecks building past an obituary for Carl Stecks who moved his family to the farm in 1932.

Northwest of Scott, Arkansas on Bearskin Lake Road, you’ll find this old building which has the appearance of a store of the era indicated by the date on the sign. An obituary for Mr. Carl Stecks says he moved his family to this location in 1932. It further indicated that Mr. Stecks was an innovative and energetic individual.

Depending on your point of view, the tree trucks you see, appearing like feet on a George Lucas animation are actually trees in a small body of water at Humnoke, Arkansas. The trees and the water abut the highway on both sides for 75 to 100 yards, or so.

The waterlines on the trees above tell the story. It’s been a bunch higher than it now is. Give the current circumstances, probably not long ago,

And finally,

After many years and miles of running about with a camera, I finally manged to get stuck. The truck was “high-centered” after I misjudged backing up in an attempt to turn around. There was foreboding water ahead I had no intention of testing even though the truck has a very respectable fording depth,

When a vehicle is "high-centered," the four wheel drive is about as useful as wings on a pig.

Fortunately, there was a residence just up the road from the site of my temporary insanity. I set out on a short stroll northward. When I knocked on the door and explained to Carolyn Underwood what my problem was, she put me in her SUV and started a search for someone with a chain. The first person she asked, Bobby Peoples, had a chain and was willing to help unstick the truck. He recruited Gerrel Peoples. Carolyn led us all to the tractor which had a grain cart attached.

The Peoples quickly detached the grain cart and headed for the stuck truck. They attached the chain and set about to do the deed. Pulling the truck from the ditch was light work for the massive John Deere tractor.

My newfound friends steadfastly refused compensation for their services and sent me on the way with their best wishes. Life is good and full of rich experiences, some of which are brought about by temporarily imposed adverse circumstances. These circumstances like most adverse circumstances were self-imposed.  Fortunately, there are still good people around who will unhesitatingly jump to your rescue . I stuck a pickup in the big middle of a bunch of ‘em. All’s well that ends well.

Thanks for dropping by,
Joe Dempsey
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind.
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

Altar at Trinity Episcopal Church, Pine Bluff, Arkansas was installed in 1929 by the Italian sculptors who created it. To the delight of parishioners, they sang while they worked.

Now approaching the 139th anniversary of its first worship service, the sanctuary of Trinity Episcopal Church of Pine Bluff, Arkansas,  is an example of timeless design and function. Before the first service was conducted on Christmas day in 1870, the entire cost of some $18,000 to construct the building was paid. See an exterior picture and another interior picture and get in on the beginning of this story on the Photo of the Week page at corndancer.com. Click here to make the trip.

Marble and music

Trinity’s distinctive altar, installed in 1929 was crafted by sculptors at Antonia Studios in Florence, Italy. The three ton work of art took nearly a year to the date to be completed and shipped to church. Sculptors from Antonio Studios accompanied the altar and assembled in it the church. They had other talents. My friends, the late Charles and Alice Warriner, told me years ago that the artisans were imbued with the legendary Italian propensity to sing and sing they did as they installed the altar. According to Charlie and Alice, word of these impromptu performances spread quickly and local people gathered to observe and listen.

This window, a memorial to Julia Embree Roane, was moved in 1929 from the east wall of the church, (now occupied by the altar), to the southwest corner of the nave.

Get ready to rumble

The sanctuary, designed before public address systems were conjured in even the wildest of dreams has acoustic characteristics which give rise to music that will raise the hair on the back of your neck and cover you with goose bumps. The fine organ will rumble the foundation. Add a couple of trumpets or other free-standing instruments and you will hear sounds you will not forget.

The music is made here at thte console by Faron Wilson, Trinity's talented choirmaster and organist. The sounds you hear roll from the chambers and surround you with melody and rhythm.

The building is truly magnificent. It is well preserved and cared for with all due diligence. But the building is a symbol and its true meaning could be lost were it not for the Christian people who make up the parish, occupy the pews and take up the mantle and follow the teachings of Christ. That my friends is the church.

More pictures

Blog picture reproduction, most of the time, leaves a bit to be desired, so I have posted these photos, the photos from Corndancer and several others in an additional gallery with better resolution. See those pictures here.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

The road running west from Rockbridge Missouri is a virtual honey hole of neat stuff and good folks. First you see the Mackey Place barn, which you’ll find on the photo of the week page at Corndancer dot com. Click here to see the photo of the week page. Back on the road, ford a couple of low-water bridges, curl around some steep hills and the barn below pops up.

Gary Russell's barn was built in 1923 with lumber made from trees felled while clearing the land.

Gary Russell and his wife welcomed me to their property to shoot the barn. They explained that the builder and original owner cleared the land with a team of oxen and a couple of Jacks. He made lumber from the trees he felled and built the barn and the house where the Russells now live.  I  found out a short way down the road that this is in the Souder, Missouri community.

Souder Store, a fine country establishment. They stock RC Colas and Moon Pies.

Liz Macmillan, proprietress of Souder Store, Souder, Missouri is every bit as gracious as Gary Russell. Liz and her daughters Katy and Chelsea comprise the entire population of Souder. The population was temporarily at five while I was there, including a friendly neighbor, the driver of the four wheeler out front, Glenn Plaster. Well, six counting Glenn’s dog. Liz allowed as how she was the mayor, city council, and  the chamber of commerce for Souder. I asked if she was also the parade marshall and all agreed. That too. She’s operated the store two years now and appears to enjoy a decent business. She has her merchandising act together, stocking both RC Colas and Moon Pies. Katy and Chelsea attend school in Gainsville, Missouri, a daily hour-and-a-half ride both ways on dirt roads. They take it in stride. The flag out front is the “Don’t tread on me” flag. I like her style.

Souder Church of Christ. The original building (the right side) was built in 1909.

Not far from the Souder Store, is the Souder Church of Christ. As I was shooting, I wondered when the church was built. While pondering this question, Glen Plaster rolled up on his four wheeler (with dog) and gave me the particulars, 1909. Turns out, there are some Indian graves in the cemetery. Speaks well of early settlers.

Unexplained barn.

Within sight of Souder Church of Christ is this old barn. It shows signs of age but is hanging in there well. Not a soul was in sight so I have no explanation or information for the barn other than this: Since the days of it’s highest and best use are long gone, its new job is to sit there and look cool. It is doing a great job.

Souder School. Home of the three Rs for many, I'm certain, well educated and well-informed students.

The last stop on this odyssey was the Souder School. It stands there replete with an outside hand water pump in the front and off to the rear, an outhouse. Neither of which degraded the three R’s I strongly suspect. The odd looking arrangement to the left of the porch is a shower installed when the now completely abandoned school was used for a while as a hunting camp and/or club.

Many would have been entertained as I contorted my somewhat aged 6′-3″ frame between a fence and a tree to get the proper angle for the shot. You had to be there. But if you were within a mile or two, probably heard the joints creaking and snapping.

The parting shot

Oh #!**#??%$##!!

On our return trip from the rolling hills of southern MIssouri back to the flat lands of the Delta, we came across this tractor between Hoxie and Tuckerman, Arkansas. This condition clearly demonstrates the propensity of gumbo soil, AKA “buckshot,” to stick to anything. The goo has a particular affinity for high dollar tractors.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

One American River Otter seems to be whispering "sweet nothings" to his or her mate. The otters, residents of the Little Rock Zoo, put on a good show, swimming and cavorting as otters do.

Most of us, yours truly for certain, have had that mild curse tossed in our directions. However pointed, the encouragement could not be more appropriate in this day and time. While the world around us seems to reinvent itself on a daily basis, the critters at the zoo are still tigers, they are still giraffes, and they are still otters and antelopes, you get the drift. Before we venture further, this zoo adventure started on the Photo of the Week page at Corndancer dot com. Click here to see a fine tiger and a 15-pound antelope with a suspicious name and get in on the start of the story.

Two giraffes at the Little Rock Zoo seem to enjoy each others company. While observing the gentle giants glide-walk around their compound, one thinks of ballet on steroids.

If for no other reason than to put ourselves in the company of creatures unconcerned about memory upgrades, car payments, tanning beds, liposuction, dripping faucets, expired car tags, and pizza coupons, there is great value to a zoo visit. You get an instant reminder that Mother Nature’s forces are running in the background, 24/7/365. And, your visit helps keep the zoo in business, so others and succeeding generations may receive the same gentle reminder.

Ring tailed lemurs at the zoo seem to be turning the tables on zoo visitors. At the Little Rock Zoo, lemurs have their own private island which is viewable from two sides and one end, a good thing, since these little critters like to stay on the move, Or at least that's been my observation.

The value of the reminder, is that it helps us, at least temporarily until mental contamination mutates again, to put things in proper perspective. To see the immensity of an elephant, the elegance of a giraffe, the frightening beauty of a big cat, should, if we allow it to sink in,  give some relief to creeping feelings of self importance and the dreaded woe is me syndrome. Then when the wind shifts, and we get a olfactory reminder that these are fully functioning creatures with which we have a systemic similarity. The zoo educates us in all sensory areas, no senses left behind.

On the cute scale, these African Spotted Neck Otters are stiff competitors. They are smaller than sea or river otters. This pair seemed to enjoy having an audience. Short legged like Basset Hounds, on land, their gracefulness as swimmers quickly goes to the nether regions in a hand basket. On terra firma, they are hopeless waddlers.

On the other hand, some critters are well, cute, despite my railings on cuteness. Since they are, you might as well enjoy this dessert of genetic appearance. On the flip side of that, remind yourself that they are predators and consume other living things. For those of us who savor raw oysters, or just about anything else that won’t eat us first, that is no big deal.

This Malaysian Siamang is displaying some very human like emotions. Perhaps news of the old 401k tanking just arrived. In reality, not. But the look is surely there.

Bottom line, a trip to the zoo can be therapeutic. For this therapy to work, there are two requirements. First, go to the zoo. Second, let the therapy work. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

This is the 57th edition of Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind which means that five weeks ago, our first anniversary passed sans fanfare and hoopla. Fortunately, we survived this self-imposed ignominy to shoot and write again.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

PS: The Little Rock Zoo, of which we are obviously fans, uses “You belong in a Zoo” as one of their slogans. We could not agree more.
JPD

These falls at Lake Catherine State Park, near Hot Springs, Arkansas are about midway in a relatively easy hiking trail that loops from a camping area along the lake shore. A healthy rain the day before this shot gave the falls a bit more oomph, a plus for the "WOW!" factor.

The “WOW!” stuff we encounter in our lives is analogous to life’s desserts. Sure we can live without ‘em, but why? As a dessert, these experiences are non-fattening, low cholesterol and may, as in the case of the waterfall above, offer an opportunity for a tad of exercise. We actually started this “WOW!” exploration on the Photo of the Week page at Corndancer dot Com. To see some more pictures from “WOW!” experiences and get in on the start of the story, click here, a very cool thing to do.

Water rushes over a low water bridge on an abandoned road off Arkansas Highway 171 west of Lake Catherine State Park. When the water is not up, you would probably miss it.

Granted, you do not have to take a trip to a waterfall or other special location to experience a “WOW!”, but for the most part, you exponentially increase the odds of being WOWED, if you put yourself in position to be WOWED. This means that occasionally one must cut the umbilical to daily or even weekend routines and nose about for something new. You may not know where you are going. A discovery is even more delicious if it is uncovered due to a random act of deciding which way to turn. Sally forth in a new direction and see what can be discovered. You never know what you will see. As an example, take a gander at the road sign below:

Lick Skillet Road off Arkansas Highway 80 east of Waldron, Arkansas.

When I saw the sign, I, in the words of W. C. Fields, ” … was compelled … ” to turn and drive down the road. This was not the first Lick Skillet Road sign I saw, but was the most skewed, so it made the cut to be published. I encountered a friendly young man in a pickup and asked if he knew how the road got its name. He allowed as how he understood that around the turn of the 20th century, a woman operated an eatery on the road. The good ol’ boys of the time observed that the food there was so good, you wanted to lick the skillet. And thus the name.

Further investigation by Googling the term indicated that this appellation, Lick Skillet, at the time, was popular. Turns out there are a bunch of Lick Skillet places and other Lick Skillet roads promiscuously scattered around the nation. There is indeed precious little new under the sun. Sooner or later, someone will claim to be “The Original Lick Skillet.” Or perhaps that claim has already been made.

Abandoned house on Mad Dog Hill Lane near Bluffton, Arkansas on state highway 80.

After having followed Lick Skillet Road until it terminated on Arkansas Highway 80 east of Waldron, I more or less folded the tent with the idea of beating a path back home. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but an abandoned house with some Victorian trappings on the confluence of highway 80 and  “Mad Dog Hill Lane.”  In my time, I’ve known a few people, who will remain unidentified, the address of whom would appropriately contain such a street — you know who you are.

No one came forth with an explanation for the name, so I folded the tent again and headed south. Our imagination can fill in the blanks on Mad Dog Hill Lane until something better comes along.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com
http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html