Cleaning Off The Desktop

I've been a bit of a slacker as a writer of late, but, hey, I'm just one man, and working for free, at that, so  don't start complaining. Not that I've had complaints, but I know that it could start at any time, so I'll try to throw a little bit of something for everybody out there.

I'm always on alert for article ideas, some of which actually hit the blog and some of which seem to languish on my desktop, never getting enough meat on the bones to stand on their own. Most have at least some small merit as news or entertainment, so I'll sweep them off of the desktop and onto this space.

It's still dry, but a glorious fall, nonetheless!

Fall colors provide background for the new tower on the BDB's southwest ramp.

 

Fall usually brings rain, which motivates us to load the kayaks and head off into the Ozarks; however, our ongoing drought means that the creeks have been dry and we have been satisfied circling Central Arkansas. As reports of spectacular colors rolled in from the north, we thought we might have missed the show, but almost overnight the muted colors of our local leaves got an intensity boost. I'm sure that there are prettier places, but the scenes along the Arkansas River Trail are hard to beat.

 

The Arkansas Queen locked through with a load of sightseers on a recent Saturday morning.

 

 

Hill country beauty in the heart of town.

 

 

The Society Page

 

I usually leave wedding photos to the Dem-Gaz High Profile section, but local cyclists Sarah Miller and Frank Webber tied the knot last week as the Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church. Following the wedding, guests were treated to an elegant reception at the Downtown Women's Club that featured catering by The Pantry, a candy buffet, a popcorn bar, a Jack Daniels coke float bar, a photo booth and a jumpin' bluegrass band. Diane has commented that the only way that she got me to attend my own wedding was by having it at my house on the river, so it's high praise when I say that this wedding was a blast!

 Frank and Sarah made the rounds to visit with their guests.

 

 

That fancy dress did not slow Sarah on the dance floor.

 

Congratulations to the bride and groom, and thanks for including us in the celebration! The Quapaw Quarter Church was struck by lightning the next day, blowing a chimney to pieces. That's quite an exclamation point on the heels of the big event. 

 

Buddy's Picnic Grounds

 

 

Judge Buddy Villines announced plans for a picnic area on this spot, the former location of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

 

 

Single Track Mind: The Joy of Being Willie

 

Diane and I have two very mixed breed dogs, Zuli and Willie. Zuli is still frisky at 12-years old and Willie is in his prime at about 3. Both love to get out and run, but while Zuli slows to a trot after a bit these days, Willie can maintain a full-on gallop for miles. The only place that he really gets to do that without getting called back is out on the trails of Camp Robinson with me trying to hold his (w)heel on my mountain bike.

Willie knows that as long as my wheels are rolling, he can simply run the trail. It's pure joy as he stays about 20 yards ahead of me at a steady 10 MPH. I wish I shared his zeal for the run!

 

My neighbor has named Willie the "squirrel missile", and he'll make an occasional launch off of the trail to make sure that those critters are chased up into the trees where they belong.

Cooling the paws and hydrating along the Airport Loop.

 

Thanks go out to the CARP crew and others who have been doing trail work at Camp. While a blanket of leaves still covers some of the more remote trails, miles of the more frequently used loops are clean and in fantastic shape as seen in the photo above.

 

 

PopUp Main Street/ Color Run

 

 

South Main was temporarily transformed recently into a bike-friendly environment.

 

PopUp Main was not the only event downtown on that Saturday. These folks had just participated in the Color Run, an event in which runners are hosed with colored cornstarch powder as they compete in a 5K. It doesn't have to make sense to be fun!!

 

"Why me?" Oh, pity the poor little children. Well, that's not exactly how the conversation was going with our exuberant young friend, here. She had a blast!

 

 

FREE KITTENS WITH BIKE RENTAL!! ..or maybe, a free bike rental with kitten.

At Fike's Bikes River Trail Station, the resident cat recently produced a litter of four kittens. Amos and this little guy were relaxing as the other kitties romped around as kittens do. David needs to find home for the young ones, so, if you're in the market for a cat......  The momma cat is a black and white and smallish. Other than this handsome tabby, the kittens nicely marked somewhat like their mom.

 

I'm off to get ready for all of the chores leading up to the big Thursday feast. I hope that all of you enjoy family, friends, good food, and some quality miles over the weekend. I plan to!

JB