Life

Brrrr….Baby It’s Cold Outside!!

/ doubledacres / 4 Comments

Wow! Just wow. Once upon a time we were visited by warmer than normal temperatures day after day, even though it was officially winter. In the back of my mind, I knew we would pay for that nice weather. Then! Then it finally happened, and it wasn’t pretty. No sir ladies and gentlemen it wasn’t. We were enjoying highs in the 40s and 50s with lows in the upper 30s.

Quickly our highs went to highs of low 20s to single digits and lows from 5 to -10 with strong winds and the snow arrived. Accumulations were never above 5 inches. For the record I am one of those crazy people who love snow and the colder temperatures, but in my old age the cold air seems to have a bit more bite to it, then it used too. 

I did manage to get out a couple of times to hike. The first one was to Elephant Rocks State Park. When I headed out it was a balmy 22 degrees and by the time, I got back to the truck it was 18 degrees with a 20 mph Northwest wind. No snow on the ground but I did manage to get a few shots and one very interesting one. I called them “dirtcicles”. They originated from underneath the ground and formed icecicles with dirt at the very top. Picture below.

I also got a couple of other pics.

Then I really went off the deep end and decided to take a brisk hike up Hughes Mountain. That was my first mistake. When I got out of the truck it was a warm 8 degrees and a dusting of snow on the ground. Just enough to make walking challenging. Well against my better judgement I started up the trail. I soon ran into a section covered in ice. With some creative hiking I managed to get about halfway up and took a couple of pics overlooking the valley below. The first pic on my post was one of them. Now with the next two you will know how the valley looks at 8 degrees. I know deep down you really want to know, LOL.

Now it was time to head back. Apparently, my creative hiking had went somewhere warmer, because all of a sudden, my feet went out from underneath me, and I was headed downhill rather quickly. I’m sure it wasn’t a pretty sight to behold, and I’m sure if anybody heard my screams, they thought I was being attacked by a mountain lion. Gary Fultz, just how hard are you laughing right now? I finally came to a stop. I finally arrived home safe and sound.

Now what does this photographer do when he can’t get out? He hones his photography skills by taking pictures of birds. Lots of pictures. I will only bore you with a couple.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my post. You are very much appreciated.

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My Fascination With the Moon

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Moon over the St Francis River

“The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to.“

Carl Sandburg

As a child I remember staring at the moon looking to see the “Man in the Moon”. I always looked forward to seeing the full moon. It was always so peaceful perched high up in the night sky. It always had a calming effect on me. It seemed to be tugging at my soul.

As an adult it still has a hold on me. I love taking walks in the moonlight. I feel like God is telling me He sees me and is beside me reassuring me that I am not alone. It moves across the night sky in silence casting its light upon the countryside adding serenity to the landscape. The moon’s light has a way of making me feel warm and safe inside and nourishing my soul.

The glow of its light can be mesmerizing and cause excitement to fill my body and I feel closer to Mother Earth. It makes me feel special as if it is only playing just for me. My very own light show from heaven above, yet I know deep inside it is for everyone to enjoy. I can sit for hours drinking in the beauty it casts upon Mother Earth. It takes me back to the days I gazed upon its beauty as a child. Pleasant memories.

During our time as campground hosts at Silver Mines Campground, my wife and I would take a ten o’clock run through the park and we would stop on the old Highway D bridge that still crosses the St Francis River and admire the beauty of the moon. Our quiet time and time to reflect on our day.

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read the ramblings of an old, retired farrier. I appreciate you all very much.

Boaters of Silver Mines

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The St Francis River flows through the Silver Mines Recreation Area and is the playground of a lot of kayakers and I had the honor of meeting several of them. The St. Francis River is the only river in Missouri that has been classified as “white water”.

The Missouri Whitewater Championships take place the third weekend of March and are subject to water levels. They begin at Millstream Gardens and continue downstream. The boaters have a choice of different events, slalom races, freestyle competitions, and downriver races.

The competition also draws a lot of spectators. There are some areas designated for spectators to watch the competition or they can watch from the riverbank. The boaters give them lots of action to watch and the crowd gets into cheering them on. Competitors are from all over the country and come in young and old.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog.

Life After Shoeing Horses

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Ever wonder what a retired farrier does after they retire from shoeing horses? Some of us tap into our creative side. Not everyone just some of us.

“The power of imagination makes us infinite.” John Muir. It seems that every day someone is creating something new in the world of horseshoe art. Pinterest is full of pieces of horseshoe art. Maybe it isn’t really an art, but I like to think it is. Maybe it isn’t as elegant as an oil painting or a bronze sculpture, but it has its purpose. It does require skills and a certain amount of imagination. Being able to work metal in a forge and knowing how to weld are a must.

I make many different types of Christmas trees. These are 3 of them. We are only limited by our imagination. Crosses are very popular.

These two are the most popular, for me anyway.

Symbol of winter and the holidays.

Let us not forget about Halloween.

Then there are just those things people want.

I also get a lot of requests for signs.

The next photo isn’t horseshoe art but is quite popular.

Combination grill/fire pit.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Silver Mines a Missouri Gem

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Believe me when I tell you as a campground host in Silver Mines, that you won’t become rich in a monetary sense, but you will leave rich in memories. Part of our job was to lock the gate into the Turkey Creek Day Use Area at 10 pm and unlock it at 6 am. I would leave at 5:30 am to go unlock the gate. I loved that part of my job. The deer became use to our golf cart and would let me get pretty close to them. I also saw some beautiful sunrises.

Bulletin Board at Turkey Day Use area. The pay tube is to the right of it.
River Loop Campground Bulletin Board. There was electric at these sites.
Sunrise on the St Francis River in Silver Mines

Steps on the trail leading to the Summit Campground.
One of the trail signs.

We would police the park for trash every day. I wish I had a penny for every cigarette butt we picked up. We probably picked up a coffee can full a week. Soda cans, beer bottles, Wal Mart bags, fast food wrappers, and even dirty diapers along the road were also a problem. We worked hard to keep the park free of litter.

Water over the old highway D bridge.
Flood water rushing over the rocks, on the St Francis River.

It was a weird year as far as the weather. The first week we were there in March we had a lot of rain causing the river to rise. The river came up pretty fast and then it crested. That was a teaser because a couple of hours later, it started rising again with a vengeance, rising 2 foot an hour. We almost had to move the camper to higher ground, it was close, very close, but at the last minute, it started dropping. The river got over the old highway D bridge 5 times this year.

Thanks for stopping by and reading. It is very much appreciated.

Silver Mines Recreation Area

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Around the year 1855, Mr. Beaugholtz, noticed that that boulders of quartz on a hillside overlooking the St. Francis River contained what appeared to be silver bearing galena.  He convinced a man by the name of Lloyd to help him find the quartz vein.  Together they dug several prospect holes, but due to their lack of mining experience, failed to locate the vein.

An experienced miner by the name of William Einstein heard about the quartz boulders and was successful in finding the quartz vein and began prospecting and mapping it for the next 16 years, then he and Samuel Knox bought the property.

He finally decided on a place to begin a shaft on May 5th, 1875.  He hired a group of men to begin digging and the deeper they dug there was an improvement in the ore.  He decided to look for a newer location of the vein closer to the river.  He was successful and found the vein located just a few feet above the elevation of the river.  He then directed his focus to this area.  He began looking for investors and was able to persuade Samuel Knox Jr. and Gerald Allen to join him and Samuel Knox and the Home Silver Mining Company was founded in May of 1878.  It was estimated that it took $175,000 to develop the mine.

Construction of a state of the art three story mill began and 20 acres of land was set aside for the development of a town that was named Silver Mountain and consisted of the Company Office, hotel, school, grocery store, dry goods store, drug store, blacksmith shop, two butcher shops.  Two to three hundred miners were employed and along with their family members created a population estimated to be 800 to 900 people.

The Madison County court approved the Home Silver Mining Company, and a stone dam was constructed a short distance upriver from the mine and was used to produce energy to provide power to the mill.  With all the improvements, the mine began producing 100 tons of ore a day that contained approximately 15 to 90 ounces of silver a day.

August 24th, 1879, the company shipped its first load only to close 4 months later.  In December 1879, Einstein was replaced by Donald Palmer who ordered all equipment removed from the mine.  All unprocessed ore was sold, and the miners were let go.  Within a year and a half, the town was abandoned.  In the time it operated, 70,000 pounds of lead and 3,000 ounces of silver were produced.

There were several people who didn’t want to give up on the mine and several attempts were made to reopen it.  Later, uses for Tungsten were developed and beginning in 1916 several companies attempted to mine Tungsten from it.  All mining operations were halted in 1958.

It was originally named “Einstein Silver Mine” and in 1879 a post office was established and called Einstein Silver Mines and in 1892 the name was changed to Silver Mine.  The town was named after a silver mine located nearby.  In 1955 the post office was closed.

The photograph is of the walking bridge that spans Turkey Creek. It is in Turkey Creek Day Use area.

I have been gone for a while. My wife and I volunteered at Silver Mines as campground hosts. Internet service was minimal to nonexistent. We were there for 8 months. I am going to do some blogs about our adventure and share my photographs. This was an introduction of how Silver Mines came about. More to come.

Silver Mines Recreation Area has an abundance of wildlife and beautiful landscapes. I hope I don’t bore you with the photos.

A Big Thank You

/ doubledacres / 20 Comments

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!