Bluff Spring Journal
December 2005
This is going to be a busy month. Just looking ahead at the events we have scheduled excites and scares me. Work, family outings and the LCITW (Little Cabin in the Woods) will occupy most of our time. We just hope we have some time to get out and take a few photographs.
December 9th , 2005
Off to spend a couple of days with my Mom. My young bride has left me for the weekend and I'm looking for a good home cooked meal. Mom always seems to have stew cooking and I can't wait to get around a couple bowls. The two hour drive also gives me time to think about the many projects that we have going. Our LCITW now has concrete basement walls and a retaining wall to keep the driveway from slipping down the mountain side. We also had materials delivered this week for our builder to start framing out the basement wall and place floor joists before starting the 1 st story with cedar logs. I plan to leave Mom's house tomorrow and drive to the cabin to see the progress.
As Mom promised she did have stew. Cooked in a pressure cooker that is at least 30 years old. I keep waiting for the lid to blow off that cooker and create a permanent art fixture in the ceiling! But, as long as the great stew keeps on coming out of that cooker, I'm not saying a thing.
Visiting with Mom was great as usual. She is in her 7 th decade and still substitute teaches at the high school. She is just finishing a 5 week substitute job for one of the ladies that is out on maternity leave. I don't know how she does it and keeps up with her Rotary, Library Committee and heavens knows what other committees she is a member of. I just hope some of those longevity with a purpose genes have been passed on to me.
December 10th , 2005
After a good visit with Mom I'm off to check on the progress the LCITW. It's a two hour drive through some of the most beautiful country in Arkansas and I am again reminded of what a privilege we have to leave in such a great country.
Upon arriving at the cabin site I saw that the material we had delivered was still stacked along side the basement walls. I was hoping to see that material stacked in a slightly different configuration, namely being in the form of a wall and flooring deck. Oh well, we've come to learn to wait patiently when it comes to the LCITW. Seeing that we had originally planned to have Christmas in the cabin you can see how one would need to have the patience of Job to have gotten this far without a breakdown or two.
I quickly took a few photographs and headed towards home. My beautiful bride was going to be calling from that far off land she was visiting and I didn't want to miss hearing her familiar voice.
December 14th , 2005
Christmas is coming and it's time to get with the program. Santa is planning on giving some of his favorite photographs away this year. They have to be printed, dried, matted and framed and I'm sure it will keep the little elves busy. Santa's two elves are Annie and Mica. Pictures below.
You can see Santa is going to have to do most of this by himself.
December 16th, 2005
You know, people are much friendlier when you're dressed up like Santa Claus. One of my wife's co-workers had asked me to be Santa at their annual Christmas party. So, dressed as Santa I drove across town and I was amazed at the number of people that just waved and smiled as if I had known them for years. I think that the next time I'm feeling down I'll just put that suit on and drive around for awhile.
Back to the Christmas party. I arrived at the party dressed in my Santa outfit and did the usual “Ho, Ho, Ho”. I then proceeded to look in my Santa sack for just the right gift for my lovely bride. I told her Santa didn't want to give her something she already had and then pulled out a picture of our Welsh Corgi, I quickly said-Oh, No that won't do, you already have a Corgi. I next pulled out a picture of her co-workers and then quickly said, Oh, No won't do, you already have a great group to work with. Next I pulled out a Muscle Magazine with a buffed out guy with muscles from top to bottom, emphasis on the bottom! I then quickly said, Oh No that won't do you already have one of those. Of course trying to make a reference to myself. That got a really big laugh. I guess those ladies won't be getting anything from Santa for Christmas.
I then gave her the wonderful present her staff had given to me to deliver and then said my good byes to all and to all a good night. I think everyone should dress up as Santa occasionally. You'd be amazed at the joy you get and give.
As a P.S. to the party, my lovely bride didn't recognize me the entire time I was picking her gift out of Santa's bag. It wasn't until I was walking out the door that she finally recognized me. Maybe that buffed bottom caught her attention.----Did I just hear another big laugh?? Remember--Santa's watching!
December 17th, 2005
I think I could really get into this Santa gig. I got to dress up as Santa again to deliver gifts to our adopted Christmas family. Our friends at work decided this year that instead of exchanging gifts in the office we would use the money to buy gifts for an adopted family for Christmas. I am so proud of our friends. They came through with great enthusiasm to meet the needs of this little family that was wondering if they would be able to give their kids a, 'good Christmas' this year. Their father was away in military service and was just returning this week. We considered it a privilege that while the father was away serving the families of our country we were able to serve his family at home. It was just an added bonus that I got to dress up as Santa again. The kids, 3 of them, were so surprised that Santa actually knew their names and was bringing their gifts early. After I had called them by name the oldest, a 5 year old, asked his mommy, "How did he know our names?". To which the mother replied, "I told you that Santa knows everything". Oh, to have the innocence of a child and still believe.
After Santa's helpers, Tom and Nancy, had carried the gifts and food inside we said good bye to the kids and wished them a Merry Christmas. On the way out the door I asked the oldest child if his teacher's name was Mrs. Smith. With wide eyes he confirmed that yes Mrs. Smith was his teacher. I then told him to do everything that his teacher asked him to do because Santa was watching. He quickly said that he would. That teacher owes me one!
December 22nd,
The logs are here! What a joy to talk to Bob and confirm that 70 of the cedar logs for the LCITW (Little Cabin in the Woods) had arrived at the building site and were awaiting treatment. We had a stressful time figuring out what to use to treat the logs to preserve their beautiful Eastern Red Cedar color. Bob had done most of the research on treating the logs and with a joint decision, mainly so there would be more people to share the blame if it didn't work, we decided on a water based treatment. Richard, our builder, had traveled to Jasper to purchase the treatment and found out that the supplier didn't have the waterbased product in stock. All that they had was the oil based product. So.. wait another couple of weeks or use the oil based product. We really wanted to preserve the natural color of the logs and were concerned that the oil based product would turn them an ugly orange. All our stress was for naught as the preservative went on and did not affect the beautiful red color of the cedar.
December 25th, 2005
Now, where did I put that scotch tape and those scissors? The heck with it, hand me another gift bag!
Merry Christmas to all. What a beautiful day to remember the birth of a small child in a remote village that changed the lives of so many. My wish for you is that you all enjoy the company of family and friends. For those members of our extended family who are away from their loved ones serving our country I wish you a quick and safe return.
December 27th, 2005
It was good to get out in the woods if only for a couple of hours. I love Christmas, but I've had enough food to last for a week and thought I'd better get out and work some of it off before I really start to fill out that Santa suit.
I came across this pair of Mallards who were fast asleep on one leg. Something startled them and both their heads came up at once. Luckily I had the remote cable release in my hand and was able to capture this cute couple poised on one leg each.
Amazing how a short hike in the woods can clear your senses and bring back the wonderment of the creation around you.
December 30th, 2005
It's got to be an age thing. It seems the older I get the less and less sleep I need. Well at least that is my excuse for waking up at 2 and 3 am for the last 3 days. But today, I have a reason to be up. My beautiful wife has agreed to follow me into the Boxley Valley for a chance to photograph a couple of Trumpeter Swans. Fortified with 2 or 3 cups of coffee we made our way through the fog filled valleys and arrived at the pond with no one in sight. I was afraid that there would be a crowd there as this type of news travels fast in photographer circles. I spotted the swans way across the pond, and even with my telephoto lens, it was not the shot I had hoped for. I have learned that you often take what you get and wait for the better so I fired off a couple of dozen shots and then just waited. My better half was still in the SUV babysitting our Welsh Corgi. It was by my suggestion that the Corgi was not to get out for a while so as not to spook the swans. So, after a while both of my girls got out of the vehicle and made their way around to my side by the pond. Much to my surprise both of the swans began swimming directly towards us. They seemed curious as to what type of dog has such short legs and such a engaging smile. Well let me tell you that I wasted no time in firing off at least 100 shots as they made their way first to the middle of the pond where I got the photo below.
The swans then proceeded to swim calmly to within 30 feet of us and then just as calmly started feeding as if we were not even there. Of course Annie, our Welsh Corgi, had to growl a couple of times just to let the swans know she thought she was the boss. It was a magical moment with the swans swimming there so close to us, a cold crispness in the air, the sun just coming up and two of my favorite girls there to experience it with me.
After piling everyone back in the vehicle we headed down the Boxley valley towards our LCITW (Little Cabin in the Woods) building site to check on the progress. Just as we rounded the last curve before the turn off to Steel Creek we were treated to a large group of elk grazing very close to the road. My beautiful wife was to later count over 50 elk enjoying an early morning breakfast. I've often got photographs of these magnificent creatures but never tire of trying to capture that perfect image. I quickly pulled over to the side of the road, grabbed my camera and tripod and began taking pictures. Of course Annie the guard dog, was growling so loud from the Honda that I could hear her from some 40 feet away. All the elk heard her also and quickly stood at attention so that I could take the following photo. Annie is getting to be quite the photographer's assistant. I'm sure she is going to ask for a pay raise in the form of additional food in her bowl for being such a good helper!
