Another week has rolled around in our second summer at home (since we said we’d not spend another summer here because of the heat), and we’re making it a “family” summer.  We’ve actually been able to spend more time with family than any time since we’ve been married!

Ridge became sick last week, and his parents each missed work taking care of him.  They called and asked if we could meet them, and bring him home with us for a few days after which they would come up and enjoy the Independence Day holiday and weekend.

We picked him up mid-afternoon on Sunday at Heber Springs, and all of us were off on another adventure.  We played, explored the yard, and walked.  Each morning we would drive to Quarry Park and stroll/walk around the campground road, and then play at the playground, climbing and sliding, etc.  He wore us out!  It was great, however, watching him “grow” in his walking and maneuvering around steps, rocks, etc., and in his talking and eating.  He totally did away with the booster seat and began sitting in a regular chair, and using his spoon occasionally.

WEDNESDAY:  I began smoking a Boston butt and cooking a big pot of “cowboy” beans Wednesday morning.  First to arrive Wednesday afternoon were Ron and Kaden and their dog, Beau.  Soon following were Karyn and Matt—Ridge was so glad to see his mommy and daddy.  After all had settled in, we had a great barbecue dinner, and the “cowboy” beans, modified from the Pioneer Woman recipe, were maybe the best beans I’ve eaten.

Karyn, Matt, and Kaden took the river boat to the Norfork River where Matt caught several trout, grossly overshadowing Karyn, and poor Kaden who struck out.

THURSDAY:  We celebrated Independence Day by spending a few hours on Norfork Reservoir.  We first anchored at Sand Island, but found the bottom mud to be sticky and messy, and the water a bit dirty by Norfork Reservoir standards.  We moved to a cove east of the dam, and enjoyed a couple of hours of swimming, diving, and floating in the cool clear water.  Our mid-afternoon meal consisted of a hamburger/brats cookout with all the fixin’s and leftovers from the barbecue yesterday.  Kaden proved true to his word by eating 2 hamburgers and 3 brats, all with buns, and a bowl of beans—he’s a growing 17-year old.  As evening approached, we borrowed a kayak from neighbors and Karyn, Kaden, and Matt kayaked the Norfork River, somehow ending up all wet, claiming each threw water on the other with their paddles.  Anyway, they had fun, completing another  full day of non-stop activities. 

FRIDAY:  Friday morning saw Karyn, Kaden, Matt, and me suiting up for a fly fishing foray on the White River.  Here’s the entry from Donald’s Fishin’ Journal:

TIME: 11:00 AM to 2:30 PM
WEATHER: Mid 80s, sunny
WATER CONDITIONS: 2 Units falling
LOCATIONS FISHED: White River, Rim Shoals
FLIES USED: #14 BHFB Pheasant tail
ROD USED: N/A
HATCH: A few midges
OTHER: Guided Karyn, Matt, and Kaden. The trail that I normally take to access downstream was overgrown, and I could not find it. Consequently, we bushwacked through the overgrown riparian habitat, until I found some semblance of trail. After a short hike, we waded into the still high water. Each of the fishers started with different combinations of flies. Karyn started off like gangbusters, catching two fish on a zebra midge. Kayden followed with a fish on a sowbug. And then Matt began what would prove to be a very successful day, catching fish on a BHFB PT. He is a fearless wader, and fished the entire area of the river. And he did it with only one fly, and no accessories or other flies. Karyn was outfitted with Kay’s vest and wading staff, but found the deep water in combination with the multitude of rocks strewn along the bottom to be treacherous, getting wet a couple of times, but seemingly covering the whole river. Nevertheless, she’s a good sport and still caught fish. Kayden remained near our access, and caught 4 fish. He continues to improve as a fly fisher.

As we returned home, we saw that the Norfork River was down.  We quickly ate a taco lunch, and Ron, Matt, and I headed to the Norfork River.  Here’s the entry from Donald’s Fishin’ Journal:

TIME: 4:15 PM TO 6:30 PM
WEATHER: Low 80s, sunny
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, Riffle Above the Island Below Otter Creek and Plunge Pool below Ace in the Hole
FLIES USED: #14 Pink Cockleburr
ROD USED: 9’ 3-wt custom built G Loomis
HATCHES: Sulphurs
OTHER: I “guided” Ron and Matt. On our return from the White River a couple of hours earlier, we noted that the Norfork River was unexpectedly down. After gulping down a late lunch of tacos, Ron and Matt suited up in their waders, and we drove to a neighbors for private access. Another neighbor was fishing Mill Dam Eddy, so we walked upstream and noted fish taking bugs on top like crazy. Armed with Pink Cockleburrs, the guys took one fish after another, and most were 14 to 15 inches and “hot” as firecrackers, not having had a lot of fishing pressure for two weeks. I waded upstream to the plunge pool and had some ferocious hook-ups; I called for Ron to come up and he, too, had some ferocious hits. Regrettably, his leader was too short and dragging his fly under. After rebuilding his leader, he began to see the hook-ups and took several fish. Both guys had a great late afternoon, and I was glad to that Ron was able to fly fish this trip.

SATURDAY:  After an early breakfast, Ron, Kaden, and Beau packed and departed for central Arkansas to ready Kaden for a week at band camp.  Karyn and Matt opted to fly fish, and we were on the water early.  Here’s the entry from Donald’s Fishin’ Journal:

TIME: 8:30 AM TO 11:15 PM
WEATHER: Low 80s, sunny
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, Riffle Above the Island Below Otter Creek
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork River Scud, #20 black/copper Zebra Midge, #14 Pink Cockleburr
ROD USED: 9’ 3-wt custom built G Loomis
HATCHES: Midges, a few Sulphurs
OTHER: I “guided” Karyn and Matt. Hoping for a repeat of late yesterday afternoon, we waded upstream expecting the fish to be rising like crazy, but instead found several dead fish in the pool below the riffle. (I suspect poachers had been in the area during the evening.) I tied on a scud and zebra midge dropper combination on both Karyn and Matt’s lines, but hook-ups proved to be evasive, with only a few fish caught. Switching to a pink cockleburr proved to be no better, and in fact resulted in less hook-ups. Matt fished the plunge pool above the riffle but didn’t have any success. It was a slow fishing day.

Ridge had a 3-hour nap mid-day, and appeared to not be feeling well.  He went down for another nap in the late afternoon.  And, despite the already busy day, Karyn and Matt went for a late kayak run on the Norfork River; generation had pulsed so there was only moderately enough water for moving through the riffles.  Upon returning to the house, they “cleaned up” and headed out for a party while Ridge slept, again, and Kay and I rested, wrapping up a very, very busy week.

I got to enjoy Harper and her mom and dad for another half day on Sunday.  She awoke feeling much better after the long night before; “cutting” new teeth is not easy work!  After playing around the house and eating breakfast, she enjoyed the kiddie pool, and loved splashing water everywhere.  Kids really enjoy water, and don’t seem to mind cool water temperatures.  She tried desperately to catch the water drops.  She is such a pleasant baby when she’s not feeling bad.  We were sad to see them leave as we only get to visit with them a few times each year.  We will travel to Memphis on July 27 to help celebrate her first birthday a few days early, and are already looking forward to seeing them again.  She and her mom make a pretty picture!  I’m sure luck to have beautiful women in my life.

DATE:  Monday, June 24, 2013
TIME:  8:00AM TO 1:30 PM
WEATHER:  Low 90s, partly cloudy, windy

The rest of the week was slow, by our “constantly rushing and staying busy” standards with near 100 degrees Tuesday and remaining hot the rest of the week.  Butterflies were flittering around Tuesday, but slowed down considerably towards the end of the week.  I was able to photograph this female spicebush swallowtail feeding on a nearby lantana.

Happy Father’s Day all you dads.

Once again, attendance at the Sunday school class FUMC asked us to co-teach is challenging—only one couple showed up.  Kay is a real trooper, and continues to teach regardless of the number of attendees.  And, she still gives “a full measure” preparing for each class.  In our society, young adults with children in school are so busy and pulled in many different directions—swim meets, softball, baseball, soccer, lake time, vacation, and maybe a little family time thrown in; regrettably, church and Sunday school take on a low priority for most, but not all, young families.

We had a relatively quiet week.  I enjoyed some great wade fishing on the Norfork River Monday through Thursday, getting caught by unscheduled high water (generation) on Monday and having to walk/run downstream to a walk-out point.

We played duplicate bridge on Friday afternoon, and our lack of bidding knowledge proved to be an Achilles heel as we came in last among 10 partnerships.

My Father’s Day present arrived a few days late—Harper and her parents, Jenny and Brian, arrived Friday evening, and we were quite surprised at her amount of growth, increased dexterity, and inquisitiveness.  Obviously, the rest of the weekend was devoted to spoiling her. She has just begun walking and really gained confidence this weekend, walking all over the place.  Saturday saw her “cutting” teeth, and she was stuffy and a bit unsettled, and didn’t take naps when needed!  We all went to the Farmers’ Market in Mountain Home Saturday morning.  She slept when we first arrived at Norfork Lake, and as we motored to a cove, anchored, and her parents swam. 

She did enjoy some time in the lake, but the mandatory PFD appeared to be quite uncomfortable, and combined with her not being 100 percent made for a less than happy time for her.  And, Saturday evening, she could/would not go to sleep, and I ended up walking her around the house while Jenny and Brian walked and had the traditional s’mores; Harp wanted her mom! She finally went to sleep, with her parents, about 11:00 PM, and that’s the way we ended the blog week.  Despite not feeling well, she was a good baby and had lots of happy time with DD and KK.

Ridge, Karyn, and Matt left Sunday morning after a very busy weekend.

We returned to Quarry Park and the motorhome for a couple more days of cool weather.  When we arrived, our “neighbors” from Ohio were readying their motorhome to drive back, trying to get ahead of foreboding weather along the way.  We said goodbyes, gave them a contact card, and asked that they call us when they come back to the area.  We enjoyed the rest of the evening sitting under a large oak tree along the river.

Early Tuesday morning we loaded everything that had accumulated over the last 12 days—chairs, grill, propane tank, ice chest, table cloth, satellite dish, hoses, camera tripod, etc.—and stuffed it in the Explorer and Honda, retracted the slides and jacks, emptied the tanks at the dump station, and drove home.  There, we rinsed the tanks, and unloaded the motorhome of clothes, computers, and food as we won’t be “camping” again until late July.  And then, I parked it on its newly leveled pad, having had to add about 8 inches of compacted gravel towards the front axle.  Wow, did it ever make a difference!

After a haircut, we washed and dried the motorhome, readying it for its first waxing.  The rest of the week was spent arduously waxing the roof, back, front, and sides, using two containers of wax in the process.  All in all, it took about 12 hours of hard labor, but it shone like a new penny!

On Thursday and Friday, I played hooky for a part of each day and fished with Ed and John, having a blast in the process.  It’s the first time I’ve fished since November 2012 when water levels never dropped and instead increased to the point that Ed and I could not make it back across the river.  Previously, I hadn’t fished since September 2012, so in effect this was the first time fly fishing in about 9 months!

I returned home Sunday after church and Sunday school, meeting and greeting the “Old Girls” before they departed for home.  Kay is amazing regarding the large number of long-term friendships she enjoys.  After the guests departed, we cleaned house and did laundry, readying the Dunnhill “Bed and Breakfast” for next time.  We enjoy entertaining, and designed our house to accommodate guests comfortably; most say they sleep better at Dunnhill than anywhere.

Back at Quarry Park, we met our new next door neighbors, a moderately young couple from Ohio.  We visited quite a while, and learned that the husband, Scott, has been coming to the area for about 20 years, enjoying great trout fishing in both the Norfork and White Rivers.  While here this week, he hooked and released a 24-inch brown trout; of course, there were no photos, just his mother as a witness!  The wife, Christy, is a birder and our RV sites back up to large trees holding many birds.  She and I enjoyed many conversations about birds, and she was great in identifying them. 

Scott identified the Gray Cat Bird, and it was a noisy bird, singing constantly.  It hung out in a large tree behind our motorhome.

This red bird sure looked like a Summer Tanager as viewed relatively close through binoculars, but now looks like a young cardinal.  It was the first time we had seen it, and another accompanied it to the small tree behind our motorhome.

Though we’re “camping”, we return home almost daily to pickup mail, tend to plants, and use the unlimited internet.  As many of you may know, I bought a new HP Windows 8 computer in January to replace the great 2-year old Dell computer with a bad mouse pad.  It was and remains a frustrating experience using the new HP, and particularly using Windows 8.  The HP keyboard is awkward to long-time Dell users, and Windows 8 is totally new and untested (and disliked by most users).  Consequently, I decided to go over to the dark side, and ordered a MacBook Pro, switching to the Apple operating system.  It came in Wednesday afternoon, and was relatively easy to set up.  I was able to transition all the files over to the MacBook Pro by week’s end.  It will require some effort adjusting to new software, file management, and ways of doing things, but it’s got to be better than Windows 8!  By the way, Kay has a really hard time relaxing…yeah, right!  Of course, she has to check up on the grandkids quite often–thank goodness for social media.

There are several “new to me” butterflies showing up in the park, like this Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa antiopa)

 And, we never tire of seeing the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly.

About mid-week, we received a hint that Ridge and his folks might show up late Friday evening for the weekend.  A call on Thursday confirmed the visit, so Friday morning we secured the motorhome, packed a few things to take home, and left to spend the weekend at the house.  

This blog was drafted, but lost!  So here goes.

We were surprised on Sunday by a visit from Ridge, Karyn, and Matt, and one of Matt’s friends and his 12-year old daughter.  We always look forward to seeing Ridge…and of course, his parents.  Kay and I kept Ridge Sunday afternoon while they fished high water on the Norfork, catching lots of big fish, including Karyn’s biggest ever brown trout.  They brought food and we had great pulled pork and all the fixin’s Sunday evening–very good.

They left Monday morning, Memorial Day, and Kay and I did laundry and a quick house cleaning, and spent the rest of the day just hanging out.
On Wednesday afternoon, returning from duplicate bridge lessons, Kay suggested we go camping.  Upon arriving home, the RV slides were withdrawn, satellite and electrical cords unhooked, and we were ready to go.  After selecting a site and setting up the motorhome, we returned home to gather food, clothes, toiletries, and toys and returned to spend a quiet night at Quarry Park, immediately downstream of Norfork Dam.
With the motorhome gone, gravel was ordered and delivered at home to resurface the drive and build-up the RV parking pad.  The driver did a great job of spreading the gravel on the drive, but a couple of areas required significant shoveling and raking.
Kay returned home on Friday morning to receive guests at Dunnhill.  Four ladies who taught with Kay some 30 years ago came to spend the weekend, something they do almost annually.  I stayed at Quarry Park, out of their hair, and we all probably enjoyed the privacy.
I discovered a couple of great butterfly areas at Quarry Park, including the dump station where people dump their sewage, and an overgrown area near the launch ramp and parking area.  In addition, a few day lilies survived the floods and weeds in the overgrown area, offering beauty in an otherwise drab environment.

We’re still working around the place, cutting a few storm damaged trees and ones too close to the lane from the street to the house; most are Eastern red cedar, and the heartwood is really hard.  On Sunday, a couple of local high school boys came by to work a couple of hours and they were really put through the paces, piling logs and limbs.  I worked solo on Monday, cutting several more trees and piling the debris; it’s a real job!  While finishing the job, the on/off switch on the chainsaw stuck in the “On” position, so it was to the repair shop.  I’ll finish next week!  Anyway, the place looks a little bit neater now.

There are still a few butterflies and moths flittering about, offering some photo opportunities.

The duplicate bridge class is waning in attendance, but we are still going on Wednesday afternoons.  An then, on Friday afternoon, we played duplicate bridge at the Van Matre Senior Center.  It was Kay’s first time to play duplicate bridge but she did well, and we finished 5 out of 8 teams—could’ve been better, could’ve been worse.

The days are beginning to warm to the mid-80s with attendant high humidity; consequently, our outdoor activities will begin to cease, unless on water.  Speaking of which, water surface temperature of Norfork Lake is only 68 degrees.

We’re both beginning to have RV withdrawal, but no end is in sight for being homebound!  Until next week…

We’ve finally settled down into a routine and rhythm in our life at Dunnhill.  Both last spring and again this spring, we debated whether or not we wanted to continue to live in Baxter County, Arkansas.  We find the culture to be both delightful and challenging; we miss the opportunities available in larger urban areas such as dining, entertainment, and even the arts.  However, we profoundly enjoy the lakes, rivers, mountains, and forests surrounding us, and our 4 acres is truly heaven on earth for us.  We continually work on the flora, both natural and domestic, and creating good spaces for the birds and butterflies, notwithstanding the deer and turkey.  Having said all this, we think we have finally decided to stay put, at least for 5 years.  Consequently, we’ve been working with an added fervor, and are redecorating the house to more accommodate our lifestyle—we don’t entertain as much as we initially thought, and our family has grown considerably as each of the kids has a significant other, and we have two “new” grandkids.

Each morning, with coffee in hand, we sit out on the patio and watch the birds “come to life” after the weather warms a bit.  The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds take on sugar water for their busy day, and the American Goldfinches, Tufted Titmice, Pine Siskins , Carolina Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Robins, Mourning Doves, and Robins eat black sunflower seeds from the tube feeders, and the Pileated, Red-bellied, and Downy Woodpeckers, and even the Blue Jays, eat the peanut-based suet.

During the course of the day, we’ll see various species of butterflies sipping nectar from one plant or another.  It’s amazing how many butterflies there are around here, if we just look.

I have been chasing a Zebra Swallowtail all spring, but could never get one to sit still long enough to photograph, and then this week this particular butterfly stayed put for a long time, enjoying a small chunk of bark mulch.  It would fly off, and then return to the same spot.

We also have had several Spicebush Swallowtails around the garden, and this particular one really liked the periwinkle, though they also like the marigolds despite the repulsive odor marigolds emit.  If you look carefully, note that it’s right wing is a little frazzled, perhaps from a difficult journey as it migrates north, but it’s still one of God’s beautiful creatures with lots of color and the notable swallowtail. 

Each evening, weather permitting, we sit on the patio and watch the birds, especially the hummingbirds, zoom here and there.  There is always a male guarding each feeder, and Kay calls him the air traffic controller for that particular feeder as he will chase off any other males, but allows any and all female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds to sip away.  Already this year, they are emptying feeders everyday, and we have a half dozen or more. 

So, as you see, despite the challenges here in Baxter County, we love our little piece of heaven, and will stay put here awhile longer.

Today, Kay and I drove to Bentonville to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art to view the Norman Rockwell exhibit.  This is a special exhibit featuring his most famous paintings, sketches, and illustrations, and all the Saturday Evening Post magazine covers attributed to him.

Enroute, we stopped at Pea Ridge National Battlefield and enjoyed the short drive around the park.  The Civil War battle lasted only a couple of days, but was decisive in the Union maintaining Missouri—two CSA general officers were killed; the Pea Ridge battle was payback for the losses the Union suffered at Wilson Creek in the Springfield, Missouri, area.  Many improvements have been made to the grounds in the last few years, and the park roadway would be a great bicycle ride.

Over the years, I have heard much of the Elkhorn Tavern in northwest Arkansas, and finally saw it at Pea Ridge.  This is not the original, but an old replica.

At the Norman Rockwell exhibit, we found the parking lots to be full as the museum was packedl; I dropped Kay off at the door and found someone pulling out in the uppermost lot.  We waited in line about 20 minutes to get into the exhibit hall, but it was worth it. 

With the museum’s IPods in hand and earphones on, we really enjoyed each painting and piece of art in the exhibit.  Photographs were not allowed to be taken at the exhibit, but the flowers along the walkway back to upper lot were beautiful.

Kay and I had a full week.  After church and Sunday school, we worked on the property for a few hours doing odds and ends such as cleaning up ditches, raking leaves, and cleaning out our “dry” creek in back.  A couple of local high school boys helped us by doing all of the heavy lifting and hard labor—character building.
The poison ivy consequence of our fern foray is taking its toll—my left arm is practically covered in a
rash, the right arm is broken out in several places, and the upper part of my left leg and stomach have some rash as well.  We use an OTC product called Tec Nu Extreme, and it helps tremendously in relieving itching and drying up the rash.
One of only two surviving Dunn aunts (an in-law) died early this week.  Aunt Banty, known more properly as Evangeline, was Uncle Tommy’s wife and they lived next door and down the hill from us.  Having a car, she drove her kids to school each day, and always provided me a ride.  The last of a generation, she will be greatly missed, but leaves a magnificent legacy.
Anyway, back to yard work, we hung an oriole feeder I built last week; it has wooden dowels to hold orange halves, and two cup holders for grape jelly.  So far, there have been no takers even though we’ve played Baltimore Oriole calls each morning and afternoon to attract them.  In addition, we installed a moving water feature to assist in attracting birds, comprised of a garbage can lid and a solar pump.  It works great, and the birds and other animals practically drain it each day.  It’s located next to a pile of brush to provide some cover.

And our work last weekend revealed that the “dry” creek is too low in one section, allowing soil and mulch to cover it.  We dug a trench along side it, and installed upright cedar logs, effectively making a short retaining wall.
We also planted red salvia and lantana to provide nectar for the birds and butterflies and to add some color to the yard.  American Goldfinches and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have practically been swarming; we feed about 50 pounds of sunflower seeds each week, filling the tube feeders daily, about 5 blocks of suet, and are now having to refill 7 hummingbird feeders daily.  That’s in addition to 50 pounds of corn per week for the deer and turkeys.  But it’s all worth it, at least to us, for the inner peace and solitude provided.
Ron and Kaden came up Friday evening to spend the weekend with us, celebrating Mother’s Day.  We fished Saturday afternoon, but it was crowded where we like to fish as one of the local guides has begun trespassing on private property, bringing in clients to fish, violating not only “No Trespassing” laws, but also subdivision restrictions preventing commercial and business activities within the subdivision.  Oh well, someone else’s battle to fight!  Fishing was difficult, though Kaden caught a couple, out fishing his dad who only had one.
We all enjoyed a quiet time on the patio watching the hummingbirds swarm a couple of feeders.  Ron bravely held each of the feeders via his outreached arm and saw them feed up close and personal.  He grilled lamb for our dinner meal, and it was delicious, making for a great weekend.