Don Robinson State Park

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My fiancé and I decided to check out Don Robinson State Park on New Year’s Eve. We arrived around 9 a.m. and it appeared that it was going to be an unusually warm day in January. The park opened January 26,2017 and this was our first visit to the park. Recent rains had left the trail pretty muddy in spots and we found that the trails weren’t marked very well but we didn’t get lost. It turned out to be a very nice day. Good hike.

There are 3 trails located within the park. 1) Sandstone Canyon Trail: Rated – Moderate/ 3.9 miles – Estimated time 1 hour 39 minutes 2) Sandstone Canyon Western Loop: Rated – Easy – length 2.3 miles – Estimated time 56 minutes 3) LaBarque Hills Trail: Rated – Moderate – Length 2.9 miles – Estimated time 1 hour 16 minutes.

Each trail has its own unique views. You can walk along a trail atop a sandstone canyon overlooking the LaBarque Creek. You walk past caves, cliffs and glades, through dry woodlands with oak.

Don Robertson State Park is a public recreation area that consists of a little over 800 acres located in Jefferson County Missouri. The entrance gate opens at 7 a.m. and closes one-half hour after sunset. There are 42 species of fish found in LaBarque Creek. There are nearly 650 species of plants and numerous songbirds can be seen within the park. There is a public bathroom.

Anderson Campground

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I took this photo near Brushy Creek, Texas. It is the Anderson Campground, commonly called the Brushy Creek Arbor. Families, who most came from Brushy Creek located in Anderson County South Carolina, began settling the area in the 1850s.

In 1873 land was set aside by a local Methodist congregation, to be used as a religious campground. E.S. Jamison acquired the land for sixty dollars of gold. A building was constructed to be used for religious meetings. A spring provided water for the campground where religious camp meetings were held each summer.

Weeklong services were held, and the local residents attended and lived in tents. They brought their own provisions and sometimes stayed for weeks. Sermons were preached several times a day. People of several faiths were represented and took part in baptisms and religious services.

In the 1870s, a sanctuary for the Brushy Creek Methodist Church was erected and in 1894 it was replaced by the present building. The popularity of religious camp meetings began to decline in popularity and came to an end in the 1980s. Even though not many arbors were able to survive, Brushy Creek survived for over 130 years.

On September 6, 1981, a Texas Historical Commission Marker was erected on the site and Anderson Campground received a National Register of Historic Places designation.

A Big Thank You

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The end of 2022 is near and we will start a new year. A big thank you to all of those who follow my blog. You are very much appreciated. I am thankful for all of you. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. I hope the New Year is good to you and many blessings come your way. May the new year be prosperous and bring you much happiness. Merry Christmas!

After the Shot

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With new technology and computers, the art of photography has changed immensely. Adobe and many more companies have added editing tools to enhance the photograph. The possibilities seem endless. I was a hold out until recently. I refused to use these tools until another photographer named Dave Shultz got me to think outside of the box.

Now photographers aren’t finished after the shot. It is just the beginning. I prefer Adobe’s Light Room. It is loaded with many possibilities. Like anything in life, there are those that love it and those who don’t. It does things that you can’t do with just a camera. New photo editing software has changed the world of photography. Good or bad, I think it will be around for a while. What say you?

Thanks for reading. I would love to hear what others think.

St Francis River

We were created from dust and one day we will return to dust. We are a part of Mother Earth.
I sit here drinking in what God has created and it leaves me speechless. Such beauty.
Temp is hovering around 30 degrees. I can feel the sun’s warmth on my face. Not a cloud in the sky.

I am so blessed to be able to enjoy what God has created. The feeling of peace and healing is within me. The sound of the river mesmerizes me and I get lost in the music the St Francis River is playing.
It’s a sad day though. It is our last day however we will return on March 1st.

St Francis River

News Flash! There has been a big change in my life. I am engaged to Evelyn Zarbo. We met in the 7th grade and were reunited at our 50th year Class Reunion. Her brother and sister-in-law are Camp Hosts at Silver Mines. Next year we will be co-hosts. We will live there for 8 months. we are excited about joining them. Reception is lousy, so it is tough to get internet service.

Evelyn and Me
Woke up to this on November 11, 2022
St Francis River

Life Changes

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Two Years Later

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Tomorrow, October 7th will be two years since I had my complete ankle replacement surgery. The recovery hasn’t been that easy but I was able to get through it. I still have some pain and I am always battling the inflammation. However it is bearable and a far better place than where I was.

I don’t have the chronic pain like I had, so my quality of life has improved. I have been doing some hiking trying to build back up to where I use to be. I can do a moderate trail with very little problems but tried one difficult trail and it didn’t go as well as I was hoping. Maybe next year. The healing process goes on.

Even with the swelling and some pain, I am much better off than I was before the surgery. I am at least hiking and I am fly fishing again. All in all the surgery was worth it and I would do it again. I am once again enjoying camping and some hiking.

I am not going to sugar coat it. The recovery is tough. Don’t ever think it is going to be a walk in the park. It feels good to be able to do things

Love My Blackstone Griddle

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Blackstone griddle

“Cooking is a philosophy; it’s not a recipe.” — Marco Pierre White

Marco Pierre White

I thought I would do something a little different. My fiancé bought me a new toy. Welcome to hillbilly intro to cooking. It’s simple but tasty. The key ingredient is the Blackstone griddle. The flat top is made of cold-rolled steel. This design and material allows for even heat distribution and controlled cooking across the whole griddle.

Stir fry vegetables and meat.

Today is a stir fry vegetable with crawfish tails and andouille sausage. For the vegetables I used cabbage, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, minced garlic, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. I cooked everything in olive oil.

Stir fry

I put some olive oil on the griddle and then I added the meat and cooked for about 5 minutes, then I added more olive oil and put the vegetables on the griddle and mixed together and stir fried.

Before I started cooking I put 2 packages of ramen noodles in a bowl, covered with cold water and added bullion and soaked for 20 minutes. When vegetables were about half done, I drained the water, and h CC I added noodles to the vegetables and meat, then I mixed thoroughly and stir fried until noodles were crispy.

Finished

Believe it or not this is quite tasty. Thanks for reading. Remember to be kind to each other and spread the love!