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Hiking the Little Missouri River Trail

I like hiking so when we camped in Arkansas, the Little Missouri River Trail was in our campsite area. It’s a really nice trail, just over a mile long, partly paved with benches along the way. When we were there it was very lush and green with the trees forming a canopy that made you feel as if you were in another world entirely.

Most days we would put Lucy, our two year old yellow lab, on her leash and walk her through the trail. With bridges over streams she was in Heaven as we let her jump in to splash around a bit. The kids loved it too. There were exercise spots where they would jump on the bars to do chin-ups and even more dangerous feats, such as flipping upside down. And the tales that were woven as we walked were stuff that folklore and fairytales are made of. A family of deer that had come up to greet them on their last walk. Or wild animals with red eyes they had seen peeking through the underbrush. And, of course, I played along. Until they conceded “some” things might not be altogether true and that their mom said they were very good storytellers.

Some of the guys walked down to the river to try their hand at fishing. No fish were caught but Lucy jumped in the moving river and that was quite adventurous as they had to coax her into swimming back to shore. Another day I decided to walk Lucy alone and I don’t usually do that because she weighs seventy-four pounds and has been known to drag me into things causing bodily harm…think Marmaduke. Anyway, that day we set out and she was actually doing quite well. I didn’t see anyone else on the trail so they were no other dogs to distract her. Suddenly a squirrel ran across the path just beyond us and we were on the run as she proceeded to drag me down the trail and through the woods. Whenever I caught my breath I immediately short leashed and reprimanded her and assessed the damage. Only one broken nail on my freshly manicured hand. Whew! What an adventure.

Helen Keller once wrote, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” No truer words have been written, for we had many adventures those few days camping, hiking and just enjoying the beautiful outdoors of Arkansas. These simple things are what life is made of. Experiences, adventures, memories. Things you can hold and cherish in your mind forever.

Camping Trip to Arkansas

We recently made the trek to Murfreesboro, Arkansas for a short camping trip with part of our family. We stayed in Crater of Diamonds State Park. It’s always good to get away from the daily rush of everyday life and connect with nature. Now, we are no primitive campers but we do enjoy the outdoors; hiking, cycling and just enjoying campfire conversations.

Murfreesboro is know for diamond digging and our crew was all in for it! Young and old alike donned rubber boots and proceeded to get muddy. That’s the thing I really like about this group of people I call family; they are all in for every adventure!

As we traipsed through the mud, I became the observer, watching from just far away to capture photos and videos of “real life”. I was amazed that the children were so focused on the task at hand. They would bring buckets of rock-filled mud, dumping it onto a screen and begin washing it as though it were a job. And was I ever impressed with the girls! They are not afraid of a little (or lot in this case) of mud. Covered from head to toe I enjoyed their banter about how HEAVY the buckets were they were carrying. But they continued on until reaching their destination.

So many times we get caught up in things that just don’t matter. Things at home and school and work and gossipy things that shouldn’t even concern us. Grownups and kids alike are stressed more than ever. Getting away from it all and enjoying nature is the perfect prescription. There’s just something about not having to be somewhere or do anything specific that brings about calm.

Having a big family definitely has its ups and downs but at the end of the day it’s pretty great. I didn’t have a large cousin group growing up, but my how I’m enjoying watching it through the eyes of these thirteen cousins I fondly call my “Baker’s Dozen”. From the very beginning, before there were ever quite so many of them, I told them that these will be your people. Friends will come and go but your cousins will be your forever best friends. And they are. Never have I seen such love poured out from a group. And that makes my heart so happy.

Were there any diamonds or gems found that day? Well, there were lots of stones collected. But the only gem that was truly found were more memories to cherish and look back on for years to come.

The Sun Rises and Sets

I am drawn to sunsets. Chase them actually. I find that the Florida Keys have some of the most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen. Visitors to Key West flock to the docks and patiently wait until the sun begins to sink causing all sorts of colors to cast reflections upon the sky and water.

The sun rises and sets each day but no two sunsets are alike. Perhaps that’s why it never grows old for me to chase a sunset and watch as the sun slowly makes its way toward the earth, as though it is dropping into the water itself.

The clouds glide across the sky sometimes finding their way in front of the sun and I can see the disappointment on others faces and hear grumbling about not getting to see a sunset that day. But the sun is still setting, just not in the expected manner. And I love that. The unexpected can be just as beautiful as the expected; more so often times. Those little clouds stretch across the sky as if to say, “I can make this even better, just watch and see.”

It’s magical, the golden hour, as colors change and shadows form and nothing is more important in that moment than the beauty unfolding before my eyes. As Kristen Butler said, “Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, every day can end beautifully.”

Where the Water Meets the Sky

I love the beach. It’s my place. I feel that the sand and sun make all things better. It’s a place where I can simply set a chair and umbrella up, pull out a book and read and nap whilst listening to the waves hit the shore alternately with searching for shells. Breathing the air infused with salt water is healing. It’s good for the body and the soul.

I’m fortunate enough to live part time in the Florida Keys and it’s like no other place I have ever been. Laid back and eclectic, you can really unwind and rest and empty your mind. Some days I get on the boat to go fishing with my husband. I read and he fishes. And the silence is glorious. Sitting surrounded by the most beautifully colored aqua water it often appears that the water and sky become one. There is no way to discern where one begins and the other ends. It’s ethereal. And in that moment I find I can finally breathe unencumbered.

For I find that the combination of water and sky have magical properties. Nature waves its wand and suddenly breathing becomes easier. As organic as the waves that innately wax and wane upon the shore. Calm begins to permeate my very essence And there is power in that silence and calm as it gently whispers in my ear to just be. Be still. Be content. Be grateful. And just like that, I know that all is well in the universe.

Why Tumbleweeds and Cattlegaps

Growing up I would visit my grandparents in a very small town. Folks said if you blinked you would miss it. As we would drive through the woods and over gravel roads and rickety bridges, there was one way to know that I had made it to their house. The bump, bump, bump of the wheels of our car rolling over a cattle gap.

For those of you not familiar with cattlegaps they are metal grates of a sort that are put in place to keep cattle out of an area; in this case specifically their yard. There wasn’t much to do at grandma and grandpa’s house as the only child around so I spent a good bit of time laying in the porch swing listening to the squeaking noise it made with each push of my foot and playing on the cattlegap.

My sister’s memories of the cattlegap were not as fond as mine. She told me she thought trolls lived under it and was afraid to go near it. I think possibly our mother tried to scare her from getting too close to it but I loved playing on it and was never told to stay off of it. I suppose it was a “ being the baby” kind of thing.

Many days I can remember watching grandma milk the cow, feed the chickens and then sitting on the front porch snapping beans and shelling peas. But the simplest and most fond memories are those of playing make believe games by myself on that cattlegap.

As for the tumbleweed part well, I was a a late in life child and grandchild in the family. I most likely got away with more silliness than the older kids ever did at my age and was quite active I’m told. I would twirl around on the lawn until I fell town from dizziness and watch the clouds float by as I imagined they were all sorts of things. It was also the age before car seats were required for children and my mother often said they would turn around and my feet would be over my head. Because of his my grandpa would always refer to me as his little tumbleweed. Whenever I mentioned this to my husband he said that was the perfect name for me! For a tumbleweed is a bunch of weeds whose roots have lifted and formed a ball to be blown from here to there by the wind.

My desire to be blown by the winds of travel were instilled in me early in life, a gift left to me by an absent father yet carried out through a promise by those left behind. I look forward to sharing with you not only my travels but my thoughts on travel as well.