Ozark Thanksgiving and other happenings

This episode of our View Of Life In The South, covers a few activities we had around Thanksgiving. We'll cover our family tradition of seasonal apple picking, the local past-time of "brush hogging", Thanksgiving 2010, and a trip to see a reenactment of the 148 anniversary of the Civil War battle at Prarie Grove, Arkansas.

There are no photos of apple picking because, apparently self-pickin is not something people do down here. Maybe we're spoiled by places like Apple Holler in Wisconsin where your kids can pet a goat (watch your fingers Nora), see bees in a hive exhibit, take a hayride, pick 30 varieties of apples, eat a pie or bring out a few beers and have a picinic. The apples down here are not much to write home about. With the exception of one variety, the Arkansas Black, most could only be considered no better than a horse-apple. It's got a tough skin, and as a result, is considered a peeling apple, and has an old-timey spicy taste. The only story to come out of the trip was that we drove for about 1 1/2 hrs to get to the orchard near the border of Missouri, but the GPS directed us to the address of the apple picker's ratty meth trailer in the middle of a cow pasture. I'm not kidding. Jacqui insisted that we continue to follow the GPS off the main road, down a dirt trail past 20 mamma cows and their calfs. I finally decided to turn around in a field so we wouldn't get shot as cow poachers, or meth-lab trespassers. If you have seen the movie Winter's Bone ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0khRUfTfPM ), which featured life in the area, you probably know what I'm talking about.

I don't have much to say about brush hoggin, aka bush hoggin. In the south, it seems that you can add the term "hoggin" to almost anything to give the impression of it being more intense. Like, "catfish hoggin" where you go fishing for ... catfish...with your bare hands...by thrusting your hand into an underwater hole in a riverbank and hopefully don't get bit by a croc, or a snake, or snapping turtle. Brush hoggin is driving a type of tractor into heavy brush that probably may contain bees, snakes, birds, deer or some combination of all of that. It makes a racket, all that stuff comes flying out, and you'd better have a few beers "cause this job's gotta git done".

We took a road trip to St. Louis to visit Jacqui's cousins and celebrate Thanksgiving ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujt7n64NkRg ). Had a good time, Jack got to go in a "bouncy house" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voHw1QFhQ7c) , and we ate some great food. Everybody's got their own holiday cooking mishap story, and this year we did too. Somehow, the oven got shut off, leaving the Turkey pretty raw when we took it out to carve. Put it back in for about 2hrs at around 400 and it came out great.

The fall season of sailing is over, frostbite sailing season starts next week. Here's a link to a video of our last race on the J24 named Jaded with Captain Jimmie ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI9vHrn-TQc ) and our crew. We won, and as a result took first place over-all for the fall season.

Then, there's Prarie Grove Battlefield. I went to the 148th anniversary reenactment of the Civil War battle. In a word - Awesome! The first thing you see when you pull into the parking area is a huge tent city holding a few thousand guys. These guys camped out in old-time white cotton tents, in December! The first guy I came across was too hungover to participate in the battle.

He said there were some hijinks in the night after they passed around the moonshine (real shine in a jug). He said the yankees snuck into camp and stole some wood, so they went over and knocked down some tents.

Then I saw some guys from the 12th Texas regiment doing drills. Some of these guys take it very seriously, staying in character, talking in old-timey accents, but then there are some other guys that seem to be having some fun with it see my video( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtJqoPXBoY4) . So when I asked a group of them "where do we go to get the yankee costumes" I was surprised that they took some offense. I learned the gear is called a "kit", "you gotta bring it with you", and most of these guys lost a some family members in the war. So, no surprise I guess, that they sent me on a 1hour walk in the wrong direction, through the woods, to find the Yankee camp. After I figured that out, I changed direction, and came across this "old sawbones" guy .

He was portraying a field medic. There were a couple of people there talking to him and he was telling a story about how they treated venereal disease among the troops. He said they heated this very thin silver wire then threaded it up the ureathra wiggling it and rotating it around and yanking it out to "pull out the mucus and pustuals". It got very quiet and uncomfortable at the edge of the forest there. He started to rearrange his leech boxes and horsehair sutures and a few people walked away, and I'm struggling so I said "so, did you ahh, .... is there a, ahhh, ummm, Was it any better to be on the other side?"

So I kept walking through the field behind him where I could see the other camp (and porta potties - not authentic).

These guys were from Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. I was hoping for New Englanders or maybe even New Yorkers or some guys from Jersey (Ed Hardy shirts under the kit). Makes sense though as many of these guys had relatives that fought in this battle too. The guys from the northeast fought in Virginia, SoCarolina, Alabama, and then burned Atlanta - twice (sorry Nan).

I saw two very official looking guys, one was the bugler, so I interviewed them next ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um_vqWZ7ggk ) and got the story on the battle. Good history lesson.

Hope you enjoy these photos and videos. More can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/user/eyevid101?feature=mhsn#p/u

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving, and we look forward to sharing our view of Christmas and our latest adventures next time.

Getting Back To Basics

As you may know, when fall comes around, Jacqui is all about football, Octoberfest and tailgating. She has also added a few other activities to her loves:, hiking, leaf peeping, donkey jump and Halloween parties (for children).

We’ve been closely following the MI State Spartans, while keeping an eye on The Irish, but have been trying to watch a lot of SEC games this year, with special attention placed on the Arkansas Razorbacks – Pig Soooie!! I got a chance to

tailgate with Chad and some fratboys at a

recent game. We put the feedbag on - Big Time!

They have some fun sayings like

“When the Crown goes around,

someone’s going down”.




The leaves began to turn colors in our area a few weeks ago, but the heat and drought in August put a lot of stress on the trees, so they’ve been dropping leaves early in some areas. A few weeks ago we headed out to see some foliage and hiked to an area along the famous Trail Of Tears and saw the beginning of the southern foliage season. The Trail Of Tears was the forced march of native Americans out of this area, and took place during the decade after the passage of the federal Indian Removal Act in 1830. Approximately 60,000 people crossed through the area, headed for resettlement in nearby Oklahoma. Many didn't make it.

Here's a photo of Jacqui and Jack on a recent hike near the most photographed site in Arkansas, called Hawksbill Crag, or Whitaker Point, depending on who you ask.

There are quite a few great hikes in the area. We recently drove 2 ½ hours to hike along the bluff leading to the highest point in the Ozarks, Mount Magazine. Along the way there we stopped for directions at an old folks home. Jacqui made me go in and I have to say, it was bizzah. I thought I was in a horror movie. It seems there’s truth to the saying “it sucks to get old”. It sucks even worse to get old out in the boonies.

The hike we wanted to do at Mount Magazine takes you up to an elevation of about 2,700 feet above sea level. Not very high, but all the area around it is lowland and valley, so the entire elevation is a vertical climb. About 15 minutes into our hike up the trail, Jack started to flip out. We had to turn around and begin the 2 ½ hour drive back home. Note for future hikes: remember to bring an extra pacifier on the hike.

We went to Pea Ridge with Jacqui's friends Lindsey and Joel for some fall fun (apple crisp, bouncy house, donkey jump). What can you say about The Donkey Jump? It's

good fun for the family, and the donkeys don't complain that much. I've got some literature around somewhere, but as I understand, area donkeys were trained to jump fences and rock piles in preparation for coon hunting season.

We got some great shots of Jack in his first Halloween costume. He was a lion - ROAR! He got some good use out of it as Jacqui took him to a block party, then a fundraiser / party at the place he goes for daycare, and then to a party at one of our neighbors homes. He didn't mind the suit, but the furry mane made him look like Abe Lincoln, and when people laughed, he got self conscious.

Here he is with some of the neighbor kids being a ball-hog. Earlier he had been trying to pick up three at once, and when he realized he couldn't hold them all at once, he just sat on them, so no one else could get to them. I think the clinical term is only-child syndrome.







Looking forward to catching you up with more of Our View Of Life In The South. Next up: apple pickin', brush-hoggin', and the Prairie Grove Civil War battle reenactment (I'm proudly joining the Yankee side).

H-billies go to Chicago

After an apparently exhausting trip to Michigan, Jack slept through a quick sightseeing excursion in Chicago's Grant Park. Here is Jack sleeping in front of the amazing Geary Pavillion

Snoozing in front of the spectacular spouting fountains, next to where he slumbered beneath the sculpture known as The Bean.

A brief nap by the art decco masterpiece Wrigley building on Michigan Avenue was interupted by some big city shopping. No camo, no problem.

Jack also had a great time with family friends the Whal's (Ty, Marie and Juleen) where he hopefully got a few lessons in sharing and taking turns.

So much done is such a short time. New favorite words: acorn, shells, gulls, robot.

Well, that's all for now as we bring a close to the summer season. Fall is right around the corner, and we're sure to keep you updated on the comings and goings and a view of our life in the south. And, as Jacqui likes to say, "fall is all about getting back to basics", so whatever that means, you'll be seeing some of it.

TuTu is Hawaiian for Grandma

After Maine, we spent a few weeks back in Arkansas with the heat (90 days above 90 degrees) and humidity and decided that our trip to Maine went so well, we should spend another week away. This time we headed north to Michigan, to see Jack's other grandmother, Bonnie, who now goes by TuTu (which, I'm told, is Hawaiian for grandmother).

Bonnie lives in picturesque Grand Haven, and her home, which she calls Waikiki East, has a great view of Lake Michigan. Bonnie has an amazing collection of shells and coral (illegal?) from her travels to Hawaii. Jack got to learn a new word "shells" and how some are to be touched, and some not touched (unless TuTu breaks down and says "ok, just once").

Bonnie's friend Jim B. hosted a birthday party for TuTu on his boat with a few of her close friends, and later took us up the Grand River, and for a quick run into Lake Michigan. Jack says "safety first" and sports a great life jacket provided by his uncle Jimmy C.

Jack got to sit on the bridge, blow the horn, and wave to the tourists on the Grand Haven pier.

Da drove the boat, and after being relieved by Captain Jim, had a few relaxation beverages.

TuTu had a very active schedule planned for Jack that included, among other things, a trip to the Myer Sculpture Garden, where Jack ignored the sculptures and gardens and focused on the boats and moats exhibit, and concentrated on pouring water all over himself. No worries, TuTu saw that coming, and brought extra clothes.

Another stop on TuTu Tour 2010 was the John Ball Zoo where Jack learned the difference between the two ends of a goat, how long to chase a chicken, and that a turkey poop takes a while to get off your fingers. The zoo was fun and Jack got to see "gwen-gwins" (penguines) swimming in an underwater tank, and a "robot" (guy in a scuba suit cleaning the tank).

When Jack's handlers at daycare ask him about his summer vacation he can tell them all this:

I went to visit my cousins who had all gathered in Maine. At first I wasn't sure we were related, because they are the darkest Irish people I've ever seen. But after a while we had a blast. I had big laughs with my cousin Catrina in the mornings (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HKzaur_a5E&feature=search , learned how to answer a phone from my best big cousin Drew (he can ride a bike), and was serenaded by Mia and Hannah. Me likey attention.

I went to the beach every day, collected clam shells, snails, rocks, sand and seawater. It smells awesome, especially when you mix it, let it bake in the sun and pour it out on Aunt Chris' porch.

My mom let me touch hermit crabs and turtles, and my dad let me ride on the big tractor with Uncle Buck. We dug a really deep hole and those gasoline containers didn't even explode. Dad said none of that is really safe but we have insurance.

I got lots of time for hugs and books with my Nana and Pa, learned new words (fish, rububba-ball), and entertained everyone with ability to just sit there and smile.

Parade

I've always been able to appreciate a good parade. My dad often marched in our local town parade as an elected town official and as a veteran and we always went out to cheer for him, see the marching bands, and wave flags.

In my opinion, the idea of what settles for a good parade was corrupted. Today, in most towns that still host a parade, you'd probably see the crappy 5th grade music class trying to play "Eye Of The Tiger" and marching alongside every little leaguer and kickball team in town. Perhaps dwindling budgets for these types of events, and our acceptance of celebrating mediocrity contributed to this.

Not down here. The local Fourth Of July parade that I took Jack to was awesome. It had three professional marching bands, giant military vehicles, fire trucks, clowns throwing candy to the kids and a local dentist tossing tooth brushes (with his practice's name) right after. The local 4H club riding team was well represented, the Shriners had a banjo and kazoo band, and because the rodeo was in town, there were REAL cowboys (and cowgirls).

Hope you enjoy the photos.

Southern or Western?

I've been asked, by a few of the blog's more ardent followers, to provide a bit more commentary. Something that gives the readers, in addition to the sometimes funny photos, more of a feel for my opinion of our experience in the south.

I've attached a few photos of our recent trip to a few Rodeos. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons these do not include photos of the Rodeo Dance. The photos, I believe will surprise some of you who view Arkansas as more of a "southern" state than a "western" state.

Arkansas, in my opinion, struggles a bit with its identity. Is it a "southern" state? Most here would say yes. After all, it was a member of the Confederacy. Granted, it came into that collection of "slave states" as a part of the Missouri Compromise (the offsetting "free state" was Michigan).

The town square in Bentonville is dominated by a large statue commemorating the sacrifices of confederate soldiers. It seems every other guy has a "swamp beard", and the state flag is essentially the "Rebel Flag" turned on its axis. Some of you kids may remember the TV show Dukes Of Hazzard where the roof of the car named "The General Lee" was adorned with the Reb flag. Down here they eat catfish and crawdads, drink sweet tea and listen to country music (rather than the other kind - western music).

A competing segment of the population see the state as more of a "western" state. The gun culture is well developed, many people have "hobby" cattle farms, and horses are often seen grazing in the fields all around us. This group celebrates its identity outwardly by hosting several of the most popular rodeos in the country. Fort Smith, about 45 minutes south of us, hosts "Old Fort Days" which is a major stop along the P.B.R. (Professional Bull Riders) tour. Springdale, just a few minutes north of us hosts the number one outdoor rodeo in the country (as rated by P.B.R.).

I highly recommend the rodeo. It's a family event which is kicked off with God Bless America AND the Pledge of Allegiance. You'll find buckles & boots, Bud in a can, cotton candy, pretty girls and no fights in the stands. All good stuff.

Enjoy.

2010 Mother's Day

We celebrated Mother's Day by taking Jacqui to the famous AQ Chicken House for Sunday Dinner. We stopped at "University House" on the U. of Arkansas "Razorbacks" campus for a quick photo shoot.

We took a trip to Chicago for Derby Day and stopped in St. Louis to visit Jacqui's cousin Kara.

While we were in Chicago, we treated Jack to some Mariachi music to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

We've done some hiking

Wendy, Jacqui's sister, joined us for a hike at Hobbs. Jacqui followed the gps directions regligiously and drove us off-road (dirt trail) in my car for about 10 miles. At one point we drove across a dam with water running over the top about two inches up the tires. The trail was nice, but Jack especially like the displays at the visitor's center. It had beavers, bears, bobcats, turtles, snakes, and birds.

We went back a few weeks later and Jacqui got about 6 ticks. I groomed her like a monkey for about an hour. I think it was from sitting in this area eating lunch. Jack and I were both clean. We'll watch her closely for simptoms of Lyme disease, Scropula, Rheumatiz and The Dropsy.

Future NASCAR driver?

Forget Wheaties, this boy says Donuts at daycare are the formula for success in NASCAR. Maybe we should give Dunkies a call for a sponsorship.

First cone

Jack had his first icecream cone. Actually, took it out of my hand and scurried off across the lawn as far away as he could get. Then turned his back. Hillarious.