The month of June has kept us in a whirlwind of activity. I had a fleeting idea that things would slow down a bit when school was out but somehow activities have kept coming fast and furiously. Sometimes it keeps my head in a spin just trying to keep up with all the events on the calendar. On the rare occasion when I do have an evening at home with no meeting to attend or story to write, I seem to fall asleep before I can finish reading what I'd planned or before the end of the TV show arrives.
Just after mid month, my editor and I went to Springdale to attend a meeting at the Democrat-Gazette office and get some instruction in a new program called PhotoSlinger. The newspaper is changing the way we process and submit photos and, fortunately, the new method doesn't seem to be too hard to catch on to. I was just beginning to get the hang of the old system after doing it about a year. That evening, after I returned to Gravette, Jim and I joined a group from the Gravette Senior Center for supper at El Bohemio.
Our friends Jeff Davis and Bill Mattler returned from their trip out west and brought me a nice little stack of postcards for my collection. Then Ken Foxx brought about a half dozen more from a business trip to Alaska. In the last couple of weeks, I've received a letter from my friend Lil in Florida, telling of rain and flooding there, and a note from my friend in Tulsa who recently lost her husband. I do love those cards and letters.
On Friday, the 19th, and Sunday, the 21st, I traveled with friends south of town to the "Imitate Jesus" 2015 convention of Jehovah's Witnesses at the Fort Smith Convention Center. We heard many good Bible-based talks, saw inspiring videos and sang several songs of praise. On the way home Friday evening, we stopped by Natural Dam, where the water was swollen from recent rains. We got out of the vehicle and took a few photos.
Natural Dam is in the Ozark National Forest, just off Highway 59 north of Van Buren. Located on Mountain Fork Creek, the natural dam spans the entire creek, a distance of almost 200 feet. When William Larrimore discovered the falls on a hunting trip in 1819, he decided he'd found the perfect place for a grist mill. He had two large grinding stones shipped to Van Buren and used two teams of oxen to pull them to the location. The mill and a church camp Larrimore established were soon drawing settlers from throughout the area. By 1838 a store and post office also went up near the dam. Today the pool below the dam is a popular swimming hole. A foundation in the woods west of the dam is all that remains of the mill.
I went to the farmers' market on Saturday and purchased a few beets, some nice red potatoes and a carton of blueberries. I stopped by the concrete plant several times during the day and took photos of the Lions Club members who were hanging the mural there. In the afternoon, I attended quilt class, saw several pretty quilts and sampled a number of dishes prepared by the good cooks in the group. After a long, busy, yet rewarding day, I enjoyed a pasta dish Jim had prepared the previous day.
Last Saturday I returned to Fort Smith for another session of the "Imitate Jesus" convention. Soon after we started home, our driver suggested stopping for ice cream and we all readily agreed. I enjoyed a hot fudge brownie sundae with sliced almonds, whipped cream and a cherry on top. Meanwhile I was reminiscing about making homemade ice cream when we were kids. We all clamored to have our turn at cranking the handle. It required a good deal of patience but, boy, the result was sure worth waiting for. I told my friends July was National Ice Cream Month and we were just celebrating a little early.
While I was gone, Jim took grandson Matthew to the fishing derby at Sulphur Springs. Once again he caught only one fish. He was snagged so well that Jim broke the hook when taking him off. They hadn't taken any spares, so they just returned home, where Matthew helped rake the yard while Jim used the weed eater. Matthew went back to his house with another good fishing tale and a little extra spending money in his pocket, so it was a good day.
Susan Holland s a reporter for the Westside Eagle Observer and a long-time resident of northwest Arkansas. She may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 07/01/2015