~~~ Oh NO~~~

I have not deserted you but have been sick with an upper respiratory infection that turned into pneumonia and not up to sitting at the computer... Will be back as soon as I am well...

♥♥♥Thanks for all your concerns♥♥♥

Love & Miss you all

Happy Veterns Day

May you find a quiet moment this Veteran's day to reflect on our many blessings...
freedom, family, friendship, liberty and love......
and remember those who sacrificed for the peace and security of all.



A Prayer for Our Nation

God bless America
And keep us safe and free,
Safe from "all our enemies"
Wherever they may be.

For enemies are forces
That often dwell within,
Things that seem so harmless
Become a major sin.

Little acts of selfishness
Grow into lust and greed,
And make the love of power
Our idol and our creed.

For all our wealth and progress
Are as worthless as can be,
Without the faith that made us great
And kept our nation free.

And while it's hard to understand
The complexities of war,
Each one of us must realize
That we are fighting for
The principles of freedom
And the decency of man,
But all of this much be achieved
According to God's plan.

So help us as Americans
To search deep down inside,
And discover if the things we do
Are always justified.

And teach us to walk humbly
And closer in Thy ways,
And give us faith and courage
And put purpose in our days.

And make each one of us aware
That each must do his part,
For in the individual is where peace
Must have its start.

For a better world to live in
Where all are safe and free,
Must start with faith and hope
And love deep in the heart of "Me."
~~~~~~~

~ Helen Steiner Rice ~

God Bless America

~~~Mount Magazine, Arkansas~~~

The other day we went on a drive and visited Mount Magazine State Park... Mount Magazine State Park is located on Scenic Highway 309 approximately 17 miles south of Paris; or from Danville, travel nine miles west on Ark. 10 to Havana, then go 10 miles north on Scenic Highway 309

At 2,753-feet, Mount Magazine is Arkansas's highest mountain, rising dramatically above the broad valleys of the Petit Jean River to the south and the Arkansas River to its north. Graced with timeless natural beauty, this plateau-a remnant of an ancient sea floor-runs east-west stretching six miles long and up to a mile across. Rugged, isolated, and rich in natural resources including rare and endangered species, Mount Magazine has long lured explorers, adventurers, scientists, and naturalists.

Settlers came to the mountain in the 1800s and farmed here. Later cabins and lodges were built atop Mount Magazine to attract and accommodate the travelers who journeyed to the mountain for recreation, relaxation, and the escape from the heat in the lowlands below that the summit's cooler temperatures afforded.

The park's 8,000-square-foot visitor center welcomes you to Mount Magazine State Park. It is the place to begin your discovery of the beauty and fascinating history of this unique mountain. The visitor center features exhibits on the geology, history, flora, and fauna of Mount Magazine, offers daily audiovisual programs, and has a large wildlife observation area overlooking a native plant garden. This is the starting place for many of the park's guided walks, special workshops and wildlife and history programs.

The park's magnificent 60-room Lodge at Mount Magazine and 13 park cabins opened in May 2006. Forty of these guest rooms include balconies and 17 offer spa tubs. Featuring breathtaking views from Mount Magazine's south bluff, these first-class facilities carry on the mountain's lodging tradition that has been a part of the recreational legacy of Mount Magazine since 1900, one most recently carried forward by the U.S. Forest Service lodge that operated on the mountain, at the same site, from the 1940s until it was destroyed by fire in 1971. Fine dining can be enjoyed in the lodge's Skycrest Restaurant where large windows frame the dramatic view from the bluff.

Rental Cabins

Lodge of Mount Magazine

The campground at Mount Magazine State Park is Cameron Bluff Campground. The park campground, which opened in the summer of 2001, features reconstructions and upgrades to the original campground. The campground including 18 campsites with water, electric, and sewer hookups. This Arkansas campground also offers a barrier-free bathhouse with hot showers and flush toilets. For campers, the park also offers an RV dump station. There are 2 sites - Water/50 Amp/Sewer and 15 sites Water/30 Amp/Sewer. All have view of the woods and satelite tv would be iffy.

Hope you enjoyed Mount Magazine in Arkansas

It's time for Happy Hour

...How about that moon...

Susan at A Southern Daydreamer is our wonderful host for "Outdoor Wednesday". If you are interested in this event head on over to Susan's place....There is a link on the logo picture....go visit more Outdoor Wednesdays and learn what it is all about. Join in the fun..... See all the wonderful places and events that others are sharing!
Thank you very much Susan

Close up of the moon on November 2nd

Hasn't the moon been just magnificient the past couple of nights... I just can't get enough of looking at it... If it was warmer here I might be tempted into staying out all night veiwing the beauty... I am a MOON child for sure.

Here are some photos of the moon November 2nd on the Arkansas River

Look at that moon way above Tassie... Do you notice that most of the trees have lost their leaves giving us a very wintery look... However (knock on wood) our weather has been just about perfect lately

"Pray to the Moon, when She is round,"
"Luck with you, shall then abound."
"What ever you seek for Shall be found,"

Interesting Facts

Moon's Age: The moon is far older than previously expected. Maybe even older than the Earth or the Sun. The oldest age for the Earth is estimated to be 4.6 billion years old; moon rocks were dated at 5.3 billion years old, and the dust upon which they were resting was at least another billion years older.

The Moon takes about 27 days (27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes, 11.6 seconds) to go all the way around the Earth and return to its starting position.

The surface of the moon has many things on it such as craters, lava plains, mountains, and valleys. Scientists believe the craters were formed around 3.5 to 4.5 billion years ago by meteors hitting the moon's surface.

The full moon is a lunar phase occurring when the moon is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun and all three bodies are aligned in a straight line. It appears as an entire circle in the sky.

The only month that can occur without a full moon is February.

The world's tidal ranges are at their maximum during the full moon when the sun, earth and moon are in line.

The full moon is given different names, depending on when it appears:

January - Moon After Yule, Wolf Moon, or Old Moon
February - Snow Moon or Hunger Moon
March - Sap Moon, Crow Moon, Worm Moon or Lenten Moon
April - Grass Moon, Frog Moon or Egg Moon
May - Milk Moon or Planting Moon
June - Rose Moon, Flower Moon, or Strawberry Moon
July - Thunder Moon or Hay Moon
August - Grain Moon or Green Corn Moon
September - Fruit Moon or Harvest Moon
October - Harvest Moon or Hunter's Moon
November - Hunter's Moon, Frosty Moon, or Beaver Moon
December - Moon Before Yule or Long Night Moon.

Until Later

~~~American White Pelican~~~

The American White Pelican in Arkansas

Yesterday was a beautiful day and while enjoying the outside we noticed around 20 or more American White Pelicans swimming in the river behind our site... They are on their way to Florida or Texas where they spend the winter months. During the summer they go up to South Dakota, Canada and a few other northwestern states...

It is a very large and plump bird & has a wingspan of about 95–120 in and weighs between 11 and 20 lb. The plumage is almost entirely bright white, except the black on their wings, which are hardly visible except in flight. From early spring until after breeding has finished in mid-late summer, the breast feathers have a yellowish hue. After moulting into the eclipse plumage, the upper head often has a grey hue, as blackish feathers grow between the small wispy white crest. The bill is long and flat, with a large throat sac, and in the breeding season vivid orange like the iris, the bare skin around the eye, and the feet. In the breeding season, there is a laterally flattened "horn" on the upper bill, about one-third the bill's length behind the tip. This is shed off after the birds have mated and laid their eggs, and outside the breeding season the bare parts become duller in color, with the facial skin yellow and the bill, pouch and feet an orangy-flesh color. Apart from the difference in size, males and females look exactly alike. Immature birds have light grey plumage with darker brownish nape and remiges. Their bare parts are dull grey. Hatchlings are naked at first, then grow white down feathers all over, before moulting to immature plumage.

Here is a migration map of the American White Pelican

When we were in South Dakota last summer I saw the American White Pelicans flying around... Ralph thought I was crazy seeing them but as we later found out this is where they come to nest during the summer... The American White Pelican is one of the largest birds found in South Dakota. They are migrants through most of the state, but do nest in some of the northeastern counties. Unlike their cousins, the Brown Pelican, American White Pelicans do not plunge dive, but feed by dipping their large pouched bill into the water and scooping up fish. Note the raised bump on the top of the beak (shown in bird to the right) is only present during the breeding season.

Until Later