View

V is for View. I really thought long and hard on the "V" post. View seemed like it was a bit weak, but couldn't think of anything else. Let's start with the view from the house I grew up in. For several years we lived in a house just outside of Erie, Colorado. Our house sat on a little rise, and we had a great view of the Front Range. A couple of years ago I visited the old place and took this picture of the view.


VIEW FROM MY CHILDHOOD HOME IN ERIE, COLORADO

When I was a boy, I would spend a week every summer at Glacier View Ranch. I always had a good time at summer camp. A few years ago, I made a return visit to Glacier View. I hadn't been there since I was a boy. I was surprised by how much things looked the same. The view from the parking lot was just as I remembered it.


VIEW FROM GLACIER VIEW RANCH

One of the most beautiful views I have ever seen is the view from my brother-in-law Duane's cabin. It is located above Leadville, Colorado and the surroundings are beautiful. The view from Duane's cabin is as pretty as any view in the area.


VIEW FROM DUANE'S CABIN IN LEADVILLE, COLORADO

One of my favorite views is the view of my backyard. Each season has a special beauty. there are dogwoods and redbuds in the spring. In the summer the trees have so many leaves that you can't tell I live in town. I believe that it is the most beautiful in the fall. Here is a view of my backyard in the fall. Duane built the table and benches out of granite slabs.


VIEW OF MY BACKYARD IN THE FALL

The Talimena Scenic Drive has some of the most beautiful views in Arkansas. We are very blessed to have such beautiful views so close. Here are a couple of views from the Talimena Drive.


VIEW FROM GRAND VIEW VISTA


WINTER VIEW FROM THE TALIMENA SCENIC DRIVE

One of the most amazing views I have seen in Arkansas, is the view from The Lodge At Mount Magazine. Mount Magazine State park is the highest point in Arkansas. The lodge and the grounds surrounding it have breathtaking views. The great room has large windows that look out from the highest point in Arkansas.


VIEW FROM THE LODGE AT MOUNT MAGAZINE

The last few days we have been experiencing the effects of a very destructive ice storm.  Last Thursday freezing rain coated the trees and broke many trees causing many roads to be impassible and widespread electrical outages.  Here in town we were without electricity for about 24 hours, but many Polk County residents are still without power 6 days later.  Here is the view down Polk Road 70.

VIEW DOWN POLK ROAD 70 NEAR MENA, ARKANSAS

You can read the blog post that I wrote shortly after our electricity was restored by clicking here.  Even though the ice storm was so destructive, it created some beautiful scenes.  This photo was taken near my house.

VIEW DOWN SOUTH MENA STREET

After all of this ice and cold weather, I saved my favorite view for last. Gina and I love to visit Belize. Our favorite place is San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. The last two times we have visited San Pedro, we have stayed at the SunBreeze Hotel right on the beach. The view from our room was beautiful. Right now we are having freezing rain and sleet here in Arkansas. I wish I was in Belize with this view.


VIEW FROM THE SUNBREEZE HOTEL IN SAN PEDRO, BELIZE

The ABC Wednesday Meme is a fun way to see some great blogs.

From Water Leaks to Barred Owls

This morning I made a quick trip to the store to buy fixins for breakfast burritos. When I got back home and started to set the grocery sacks on the kitchen table I noticed that it was very wet. I looked up and saw that the water was coming from the ceiling. The water pipes for the upstairs run between the upstairs floor joists. What a way to start the day.

After such a unsettling start to the day, we decided to take a drive. We drove up the Talimena Drive to Queen Wilhelmina State Park on Rich Mountain.  As we drove up the mountain we saw that the trees were iced over at the higher elevations.  The ice made the scenery even more beautiful than usual.

We turned off of Talimena Drive onto Polk County Road 100, a rough dirt road that goes down the back side of Rich Mountain and connects with Highway 8.  Polk County Road 100 is a seldom traveled road through uninhabited land.

As we were slowly making our way down the road , my wife pointed out an owl .  We watched as the owl landed on a dead tree.  I drove the car carefully until we were right beside the tree.  The owl's head was turned away from us.  My wife called to the owl and I snapped the photo just as he turned his head.

Getting to see and photograph a Barred Owl today made me forget for awhile the problems that I had to face back home. It was a very special moment.

P.S.  The plumber is supposed to be here in the morning.

Ice

The ABC Wednesday Meme is a fun way to see some great blogs. This week the letter is "I". I is for ice. Ice can beautiful and it can be deadly.

Christmas Day 2000 Polk County and a lot of the surrounding area experienced a significant ice storm.  We lost more than ten trees, and one neighbor had their chimney knocked off of their house by a falling tree while another neighbor had a limb go through their roof and was through the ceiling of their bedroom.  We were without power for 6 days and we had friends who lived on a country road who were without power for 23 days.  Ice can be very powerful.

Ice can also be quite beautiful.  Here are a few ice pictures I have taken over the past few years.





















As beautiful as ice can be, I much prefer spring!