Autumn: A Season of Beauty

September 12, 2017September 12, 2017 / doubledacres / Leave a comment

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“Autumn……….the year’s loveliest smile.” – William Cullen Bryant/ Indian Summer

As autumn nears I get as excited as a child on Christmas Eve except I have visions of “frost on the pumpkin” in my head. I can smell the wood smoke as it wafts through the cool crisp air. I can smell the aroma of chili as it drifts upon the breeze and searches for an unsuspected nose. Tis the season for beans and cornbread. It will soon be time to don the hoodies. Autumn, my season of choice by far.

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Autumn is a busy time for Mother Nature’s critters. Squirrels and chipmunks are burying everything they can. The tiny Hummingbird begins its trip south. Geese can be seen in a “v” formation headed south for the winter. Bear begin gorging themselves with food to prepare themselves for their long winter nap. The days become shorter and the nights become colder as Mother Earth prepares for Old Man Winter to arrive.

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Final Autumn

Maple leaves turn black in the courtyard.

Light drives lower and one blue jay crams

our cold memories out past the sun,

each time your traces come past the shadows

and visit under my looking-glass fingers

that lift and block out the sun.

Come – I’ll trace you one final autumn,

and you can trace your last homecoming

into the snow or the sun.

Annie Finch

Autumn also signals the beginning of the holidays and family gatherings. The smell of baked turkey and dressing, pumpkin and sweet potato pie. Hot chocolate for those cold autumn nights and warm apple cider. Friends gathered around a bonfire talking about what they did “last summer” and all ready making plans for the “new summer”. Its sitting in front of the fire reading your favorite book. It is the season of Thankfulness for all the things you have to be grateful for. Autumn, my favorite season of all.

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly above the earth seeking the successive autumns.” – George Eliot

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Yep, with autumn beginning we know Old Man Winter isn’t far off. Thanks for reading my blog I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed it. Spread the love.

Life Is What You Make It! Be Happy

August 31, 2017August 31, 2017 / doubledacres / Leave a comment

Equine Activities

“Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it is at your work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.” – Earl Nightingale

Henry David Thoreau told us in Walden, “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify! I say let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumbnail.”

Now what an idea. It seems we want our children to participate in every sport there is. I think it is kind of sad that these young people do not really get a chance to really enjoy life going on around them. They don’t have the time to watch a simple sunset or sunrise. Do they ever get the chance to participate in a family meal?

Then there are those who become workaholics and get so wrapped up in their work that they really never learn how fun life can be. They miss out on so much in their family life and all because “they want their children to have it better than they did.” Really? Then start eating together and discussing each other’s day, start taking vacations in the great outdoors. Hug your children and tell them you love them. Most importantly teach them to love themselves and have confidence in themselves.

Photography

“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” – Jim Rohn

So many people look at happiness is a thing of the future, after Johnny graduates, when I get the time, when I get some bills paid off, etc.. Ok, when you get up in the morning, if happiness doesn’t exist in your life then I want you to look in the mirror and say, ” Today is going to be filled with happiness and the only way that can change is I HAVE to let someone change it.” There are so many things you can fill your life with to nurture the happiness in your life. I have posted some of those things under my pics.

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Kayaking

Fishing

Cooking

These are a few examples of what I do. Believe in yourself and assign yourself a dream. A dream that will fill your heart, soul and spirit with pure joy. Live for that happiness now and not for 20 years in the future. You are your own boss and you are in charge of your happiness. Surround yourself with people who are genuinely happy and will lift you up and not pull you down. For those of you that suffer from no happiness in your life don’t give up. Find it. Nurture it. Discover the healing power of happiness.

Thanks for reading my blog. It means a lot. To those of you who take the time to make comments, thank you so much for taking the time to do so. Spread the love!

Big River, The River of My Choice.

July 18, 2017July 18, 2017 / doubledacres / Leave a comment

“Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time? That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future.” – Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

I have had some people ask me what it is that attracts me so much to Big River so for this blog I thought I would share why this river has mesmerized me with its beauty and mystique I cherish so much.

Big River begins near the summit of Johnson Mountain near the ghost town of Enough. It flows through the Missouri counties of Washington, Saint Francois and Jefferson then it empties into the Meramec River near Eureka, MO. It flows through Washington State Park, St. Francois State Park and through the Lead Belt mining district. It meanders 145 miles through the Missouri countryside. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, rock bass, longear sunfish, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish and red horse suckers are some of the fish that can be found in the Big River.

Big River above Leadwood Access

Big River

“Eventually all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the river words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.” – Norman Maclean A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

I seem to always be drawn to big the Lead Belt area of the Big River. The 108 years of mining in that area took a toll on the Big River in the form of contamination by lead. There is a contamination warning on certain kinds of fish caught in the Big River. There are pipes that go into the old mines that are still in the river. I am not sure what they were used for. I was told that they were old test holes, used to pump water out of the mines and numerous other things but do not know for a fact what exactly they were used for.

Big River

I spend a lot of time camped out at night in this area. It seems to hold so much mystery within the banks of the river. Sometimes there seems to be a presence with me as I go about my night of running limb lines and sitting by the camp fire. Not an evil presence but like another presence in another dimension. Sometimes when I am running limb lines and the fog is lifting it looks like spirits rising from the mines out of the water on their way to somewhere else. Some nights it even makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Oddly enough it is a pleasant feeling. At times I have even thought that maybe they are wanting to share their secrets with me. Maybe it is the past inhabitants of the ghost town Enough wanting to converse with me. The mystery stirs my soul deep inside hoping that one day they will share those secrets with me. One night while I was sitting by the fire I smelled cigarette smoke like someone was sitting right next to me smoking a cigarette. Am I crazy? Maybe, maybe not.

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A couple other things that attract me to the Big River is the beautiful scenery and last but not least the fishing. My photos will never do the beauty of the river justice. The tall bluffs and rock formations and the lined banks of beautiful trees make the Big River a great place to float and enjoy life. If the river could talk I wonder what it would say. Would it tell me about the people that came before me, tell me about how it was before they started mining. Oh the things it could share with me.

I hope you have enjoyed my blog. I hope you find it interesting. Maybe some night you will get to camp along the banks of the Big River and you can tell me if I am crazy or not. Be kind to one another, spread the love and don’t squat with your spurs on.

The Joy of Friendship

July 9, 2017July 9, 2017 / doubledacres / Leave a comment

Long time friend David Tripp

“The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it.” – Hubert Humphrey

David and I met in the second grade and thanks to FB we reconnected. David is a retired educator and a profound artist and writer. He now lives in Texas and when he comes to Missouri to visit family we always try to get together and chew the fat. We try to plan a fishing trip once a year and this past week we managed to get some fishing in.

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Rock of David

There is a rock formation on the Big River up river from the Leadwood Access that David wanted to see. I had sent him a picture of it some time ago and he did a plein air water color of it that I was very impressed with so I named it the Rock of David. He finally got to see it Friday with his own eyes and rumor is there will be another plein air watercolor of it in the future.

Since we went to view the Rock of David we decided to get some fishing time in. The river was low so we pulled the boat up on a gravel bar in the middle of the river and did some wading. We caught several fish, panfish, David caught some smallies and I caught a spotted bass. Some of the perch were the size of our hands. We both thought the day felt like a fall day.

It was a good day. We talked about the town of High Ridge that we grew up in. remembered classmates and wondered what happened to some of them. Discussed teachers and sports. Laughed. There was also a lot of quiet time so we could take a walk down memory lane alone. We shared war stories and discussed books. We solved all the world’s problems.

“Friendship is the fruit which the year should bear; it lends its fragrance to the flowers, and its in vain if we get only a large crop of apples without it.” – Henry David Thoreau

Big River

“Life is like the river, sometimes it sweeps you gently along and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere.” – Emma Smith

It is always fun to share the beauty of this part of the river. I don’t think David was disappointed. This stretch of the river has never failed to mesmerize me every time I pass through it.

Big River

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Big River

As the sun began to sink into the western horizon I realized that this perfect day was about to come to an end. I realized how lucky I was to have a friend like David. As I watched the sun as it light seemed to make its final escape from the river the realization that the day was about to end, I realized just how we sometime overlook the importance of a good friend. To think a liberal and conservative spent the day together and didn’t kill each other. Thanks for reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed the photos of the Big River. The beauty of it is stunning and it is easy to get lost in it. Remember to be kind to one another, share the love and don’t squat with your spurs on.

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Finally!!

July 4, 2017 / doubledacres / 4 Comments

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David and Mark

“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” – Thomas Aquinas

On June 22 at noon the Geritol Crew finally shoved off and floated a portion of the Big River. We started at St. Francois State Park and floated to Cherokee Landing. It was a beautiful day for a float. David and Mark used Mark’s canoe and I took my Kayak. Water was low but clear. We caught a few fish but they weren’t biting very well. Mark did catch a sixteen inch smallmouth.

David and Mark

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Big River at St. Francois State Park

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It was a great time with friends. We took a trip down memory lane and revisited our time at Northwest High School. When we got to Cherokee Landing no one was around so we loaded everything in the truck and headed out to St. Francois State Park and pitched tents.

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My tent at St Francois State Park

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Coffee perking

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Frying the bacon

I am lucky that I got to spend some time with some old high school buddies. David and I hit the Bonne Terre lake one day.

Thanks for reading. Hope you liked the pics. Be kind to one another, share the love and don’t squat with your spurs on.

The Ugliness of Failure

June 30, 2017June 30, 2017 / doubledacres / 2 Comments

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford\

Big River above Leadwood.

I had posted that I was taking a seven day float on the Big River. I planned everything except my physical abilities and the water level of the river. Some time ago around the early 80’s I busted my right foot up pretty good. Doctor said about the only thing I didn’t break was my toes. He told me he had some good news and some bad news. I said lets start with the good news. He said I might walk again but if I did it would be with a cane. I said well now lay the bad news on me since you all ready PPed pretty good on my day. He said I really don’t think you will walk again. Well, he missed that one. I do have a lot of pain from time to time with it though. I didn’t expect the river to be so low and couple that with the the extra weight of supplies, there were a lot of places that I had to get out and pull the yaks. By Sunday my ankle was swollen the size of a large grapefruit so I decided to call it quits. I have all ready started working on a better plan. I failed at what I started out to do and it makes me sick.

My rig I used on the trip.

I did manage to leave Mounts on Saturday morning around 9 am. It started out pretty well. I met some folks along the way and the day was beautiful. The back float was doing a great job. Then, then, then, BAM! The float was following right behind the yak when the current sucked into a tree and then a sudden stop. It caused the front end of my yak to go under water and then the whole yak started taking water causing a 63 year old man, who looked like a beached whale, to eject himself from his kayak. To make it worse there was an audience. I was glad to see them though. They helped me drain the kayak and get it back in the water however the tent and sleeping bag got soaked even though they were tucked into dry bags.

Big River

I am not going to accept defeat. I am all ready planning a new attempt sometime in August or September. I have to get all my supplies in one boat. I am thinking, lose the cooler and water. I am going to do some research on water filters. Secondly the only food I will carry is MREs and protein bars. That will help a lot. I am also going to have to find a good boot with support that will take the water. I really believe I will be able to do the 7 day float then.

My friend David concentrating on his fly fishing.

“Some of the best lessons we learn are learned from past mistakes. The error of the past is the wisdom and success of the future.” – Dale Turner

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. It is deeply appreciated. Be kind to one another. Share the love and don’t squat with your spurs on.

Big River

Almost There

June 23, 2017 / doubledacres / 4 Comments

{Left to Right} Mark’s Grandson, David, Me and Mark

“Remember the most valuable antiques are dear old friends.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr

I thought the above quote was quite appropriate however I can’t speak for David and Mark. In the movie Wild Hogs four middle aged men hit the road for adventure on motorcycles. So I guess for three guys hitting the open river for 7 days in kayaks and canoe, I guess we would be called the Wild Yaks. Hopefully we wont hear banjos.

Some months back I had mentioned to them that I was going to do a seven day float on the river and they thought it was such a great idea that they wanted in, so on Saturday the Geritol Crew will begin a seven day journey down the beautiful Big River. I guess we should call it the Rice Krispies float because every time we get out of the boats you can hear snap, crackle, pop.

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One of the places we will pass by. I call it Rock of David, because my friend David brought it to life in water color.

I hate to say it but this float trip was brought together by Facebook. Mark, David and I graduated together and were reunited by Facebook. I will let you know how many bottles of Geritol we go through. Instead of butcher, baker and Indian Chief we have, retired teacher, bails bondsman and semi-retired horseshoer. What a combination. Well with three wild sixty-three year old men unsupervised on the river, I think the bails bondsman will be most beneficial. I just hope I don’t overdose on Geritol.

Another site we will see on the Big River

I have our trip planned to cover around 6 to 8 miles a day. I hope we reach Cherokee Landing by Monday evening. Our final destination is going to be Washington State Park south of De Soto, MO. I figure it is about a forty-five mile float. I hope to get lots of pics and fish. My wish is to some day float the whole Big River and Bourbeuse River.

“Friends…they cherish one another’s hopes. They are kind to one another’s dreams.” – Henry David Thoreau

As our time draws closer my mind wanders back to the times in school when life was so much simpler. Then my mind rockets back to the present making me realize how much different things are today. We all seem to have a little more snow on the roof. Our step doesn’t have as much spring in it as it used to have. I know some mornings I get up and notice that the “git” in my “git along” all ready got up and left without me. Our friendship has endured a long time. I am looking forward to taking a trip down memory lane this weekend, going back to a time when you all climbed into one car and dumped all your change out to get enough gas in the car to ride around all night. Life was good.

Another place on the river we will pass by.

Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed it. Be kind to one another and share the love. Don’t squat with your spurs on and God Bless you one and all.

Oh, The Memories

June 13, 2017 / doubledacres / 1 Comment

My grandparents home in Lafe, Arkansas

“Take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them.” – Bob Dylan

During Memorial Day weekend I headed to Lafe, Arkansas for the yearly family reunion. Driving south on 67 was a real treat. It has been quite a while since I had made that trip. As I traveled down the highway my memory drifted back to when I was a child and we use to make that trip as a family. I could hear my sister saying, “mom Wayne touched me” or “mom Wayne is sitting too close to me”.

After some time I came upon a place in the road that really stirred memories inside of me. My grandpa had got me a pup and helped me get it in the car. I named the pup Penny. We made it about an hour up the road before Penny began to whine. It didn’t sit well with my dad, no siree.

My grandparents lived in this house for as long as I can remember. When I was a yung -un I thought that house was so big. After I became an adult I realized it wasn’t as big as I thought it was. One of the things I remember is that when we had family get togethers my grandma would put the desserts on her bed just outside the kitchen door. We called it the “dessert bed”. We had a well on the porch that we pulled water up in a well bucket. All the kids got together and drilled them a well in 1970. They now had running water. Then in 1973 my uncle and I put an inside bathroom in for them, That summer my grandma refused to use it because in her words it was too pretty to mess up. That winter when the temps dropped and the snow flew grandma decided it wasn’t as pretty as she thought because she began using it.

Grandparents house in Lafe, Arkansas

My grandpa had 3 ponds on the place. I remember one day while fishing with two of my cousins and my cousin Billy Jean hooked my cousin Clois’s eye lid. Man my cousin could scream. My grandma had an old root cellar off the back porch where she kept the food she canned.

Front door to grandparent’s house

As I stood there looking at the front door my mind was drawn back into time remembering all the warm times we enjoyed in their home. The front porch used to be screened in and there was a porch swing on each end. They had a wood stove for heat so we slept in feather beds with so many covers on you, it was almost impossible to turn over. As I stood there I could smell the coffee and bacon like it was real. When I was young these smells woke me up and I would run to the wood stove to try and get warm. Oh the memories. I could go on for ever.

Headstone of Great Grandparents

In closing I would like to mention that my ancestors fought on the side of the South. My great grandfather’s name was Robert E Lee White. That should suffice as to which side my family supported. Since the new mayor of St. Louis is removing a confederate statue I will never spend any money in the city. The mayor can believe that the Civil War was about slavery. I remind her that over 200,000 African Americans fought on the side of the Confederates. I would also like to remind her how racist the American flag is to the Native Americans. It is a symbol of lies, murder and of the people who took their land away from them.

Thanks for reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Be kind to one another, share the love and don’t squat with your spurs on.

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Safety First

June 10, 2017 / doubledacres / 2 Comments

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Bourbeuse River near Union, MO

My story starts on Friday, June 2, 2017. David Tripp, Mark Nelson and myself are planning a week long float on the Big River the last week in June. This float was a preview of our planned float.

My Kayak on the Bourbeuse River

I put in on the Bourbeuse around 5 pm on June 2, planning to have a great weekend. Friday night went pretty well. I set out 10 limb lines and baited them for catfish. I set up camp on a gravel bar and then went on up river and tight line fished. I caught some nice cat and drum that night. The river was falling and very muddy so I was a little surprised that I caught anything at all. I did catch 2 channel cat on the limb lines. I ran the limb lines at 11 pm and 3 am then daybreak. I heated up some beans and weenies for breakfast about 4 am Saturday morning.

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Heating up beans and weenies on the river bank.

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Fish I caught early Saturday morning,

Saturday was like any other day on the river. I spent it bass fishing and fishing for pan fish. About dark I began baiting the limb lines that I had out, When all the lines were baited I headed to my spot that I tight line fished at night.

Dawn came and my fish basket had 6 nice channels in it that I had caught. I started working my way back down river, bass fishing as I went. I managed to get hung up and losing my hook so I tied a new one on. I had been pulled into the shallow water and instead of paddling back up and securing everything before I started through the swift water i made a bad decision to just go ahead and shoot the shallow fast water.

I had been through this spot 4 times since Friday. Water was really swift so away I went. Then all of a sudden the yak hits something, comes to a stop then the rushing water hit it in the rear, forced it side ways and over I went. I was flung head first into the water then the swift water carried me to the end of the shallow into a deep hole. The current surrounding the hole began to push me to the bottom. The water was so muddy I couldn’t see anything. I don’t know how long I had been in the river but my lungs began to hurt so i knew I had to make a decision so I relaxed and let my life jacket do its job and sure enough it started pulling me to the top so I immediately began helping it. When I broke the top I was gasping for breath,

I looked around and I saw the yak and it was heading down river pretty fast so I headed for it. Once I snagged it I had to swim it about 40 yards to the bank. Now if you have ever lifted a ten foot kayak full of water you realize at this point that Preparation H is really man’s best friend. I finally got everything rounded up and I just crashed on a gravel bar as what just happened started sinking into my mind.

I want to thank you for reading my blog. Just a reminder about safety and how important it is. Please wear your life jacket when you are on the river. Be kind to one another, Share the love and don’t squat with your spurs on. God Bless you one and all.

Where Are We Headed?

May 29, 2017 / doubledacres / Leave a comment

Balloon Glow at Engler Park in Farmington, MO

“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.” – Albert Schweitzer

The other night while I was responding to a post on the attack in the UK, I used the word “they” and I had some fanatic climb all over me and accuse me of being a bigot. I asked for an explanation and his response was come on, you were referring to Muslims. I told him I was referring to ISIS but didn’t name them because no one had taken credit yet. He says yeah right, cut the BS and just admit that you were referring to Muslims. This man did not even know me and was putting words in my mouth. He had to have issues to be that adamant that I meant Muslims when I told him I didn’t. It shall remain a mystery to me.

A friend and I had been talking about the shortage of compassion in our world today. We had a discussion about how did we get here and where are we headed. After the conversation with the rude gentleman, I got to thinking about the conversation between my friend and I and it occurred to me that people like this are helping make compassion a thing of the past. This man was so rude, a person would find it very hard to show him any compassion.

In 2013 there were 664,435 legal induced abortions in the US. We are talking human lives. That is over 1800 fetuses ripped daily from the wombs of their mothers. I am in no way judging the people having the abortion because I feel it is their right, however 1800 a day? Where is the compassion? People in this country get more fired up over horse slaughter than they do abortions. Our society has more compassion for animal lives than human. How has this happened?

Compassion – sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it. – Merriam Webster

Our own congress has no compassion for our war veterans. They gut their benefits then give money to refugees entering this country who have it better than our own veterans. That is just wrong on so many levels. Even John McCain, former POW, doesn’t seem to have any compassion for our veterans. Ten years ago Americans were very compassionate about our flag and our National Anthem. I went to a rodeo tonight and I was saddened by the number of people who didn’t remove their hats and those that didn’t stand when a rider brought “Old Glory” into the arena. I know they have that right but ten years ago it would have been 100% participation. Why so much change all of a sudden? Where are we headed?

Balloon glow at Engler Park in Farmington, MO

Is the US destined to become a passionless country? Our government wants to bring refugees into the country as our homeless veterans live in the streets along with other homeless people. We have citizens at this moment that are so passionate about who they thought should be president that it is coming between friends and family. Sad thing is that neither side has enough compassion to initiate a bill forcing them to put money back in social security that they stole and keep the government from using it for anything else. Murder statistics show us that every year our citizenry loses a little more compassion for human life every year. When it comes to our elderly it seems compassion has left the building. Financial crimes against the elderly seems to escalate every year.

I could go on but I think you know what I am saying. Every year compassion becomes more and more an emotion of the past. A relic. Lost and forgotten. I don’t know what your thoughts are I am afraid of what lies ahead for this great nation. It seems that we have all kinds of compassion for the people of other countries but none for the people of the United States like the veterans and elderly. Things have to change in this country and soon but it is going to take ‘us the people” to do it.

Thank you for reading. Remember, don’t squat with your spurs on, share the love and be kind to one another, God Bless you one and all.