Category: travel

I was catching up on my favorite blogs one evening and got side tracked in thinking about the numerous things I would like to places I would like to visit. I’ve decided to keep track of my own “bucket list” so I can keep track of where life takes me.
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It’s packing time…

November 17, 2011

It’s final: I’m visiting Tuscan, Arizona!

The United States with pins marking where I have been.

I’m super excited about my upcoming trip, which will be just a weekend visit as I check out the community and its awe-inspiring sights. Even better news is that it is not my only trip planned — my family is part of a group heading to Covington, La., for an annual cook out for the seminarians. My cousin Stephen is the student body president and has asked the Knights of Columbus in our hometown (who help sponsors him as a seminarian) to cook for the event. Of course, my dad and grandpa are cooking and my mom, grandma and I are showing support (plus it sounds fun). 😀

It will be a great distraction as everything starts to slow down as the holidays approach. Duck season has finally arrived as well as the cold meaning that its almost time for Stuttgart’s annual Wings Over the Prairie festival. It kicks off this Saturday with a pageant and goes throughout the Thanksgiving week. The big events are on next Friday and Saturday — the duck calling contests and, of course, gumbo.

Taking a rest.

November 14, 2011
A pretty sight while leaving Pot Latch Education Center at Cook’s Lake in Casscoe. It’s a Great Blue Heron.
A too-common sight this time of year. These birds are Greater White-fronted Geese (locally known as Speckle-Belly Geese).

Cook’s Lake

November 14, 2011
A bottomland hardwood tree.

I’ve been to the Potlatch Education Center at Cook’s Lake before to seeing the hummingbirds (see here and here), however, I never went further then its educational center. I recently tagged along with a co-worker who was looking for places to use in a photo shoot. We ended up in Casscoe, which is home to Cook’s Lake. We decided to stop in at the center and ended up passing it to see the boat launch. It was amazing to see the bottomland hardwood trees and scope out more of the land at Cook’s Lake. If its this amazing in the fall, I can’t wait to see it in the spring! Continue reading “Cook’s Lake”

St. Charles

November 10, 2011

St. Charles is a charming small Arkansas County community. It’s also home to  the White River National Wildlife Refuge, one of my favorite places to go to. The town is like taking a walk into the past with its interesting buildings and rich history, which you can get a taste of at its museum in the St. Charles City Hall. Here’s a quick glance:

The unforgettable Civil War memorial in the middle of the road near the St. Charles City Hall.

Continue reading “St. Charles”

Country Concert

November 1, 2011

My sister and her husband often remark how they can’t believe I’m from Arkansas. My sister is super country while I’m pretty much a city girl. It’s a remark that I’ve actually heard from a lot of native Arkansan friends, however, if there is one thing we have in common, it’s country music.

Two weeks ago I attended a country music concert with my sister, her husband and their friends. It was the last stop of the tour for Miranda Lambert with special guests, the Randy Rogers Band and Justin Moore. It was a blast since I was able to hear some of my favorite songs from both her (such as White Liar and Baggage Claim) and her new group, the Pistol Annies (such as Hell on Heels and Takin’ Pills).

Here are some pictures from the event.

Miranda Lambert singing White Liar.
Justin Moore, who my brother-in-law absolutely loves to listen to. In fact, all we listened to on the way to and from the concert was a Justin Moore CD.
Pistol Annies.

Traveling for work

October 29, 2011

The U.S. Postal Service has selected eight local post offices for further study on whether they should be closed or not. I’ve been traveling to each of the public meetings held for community feedback. The last one in my coverage area was held for the Tichnor Post Office and its customers on Thursday night.

It was neat to attend these meetings because, as a non-Arkansas County native, I was able to learn a little more about these rural communities and their residents.

However, the trips weren’t all work. I was just arriving in Tichnor when I caught a glimpse of the above pond through some pine trees. I just had to stop. Later, I even found a rusted truck that I just had to photograph as well. Continue reading “Traveling for work”

Ducks galore

October 28, 2011
a female wood duck.

It’s time for my newspaper annual Duck Edition, which publishes in late November. In honor of the event (which I’m presently working on), here are some pictures of wood ducks that I took during banding season at the White River National Wildlife Refuge on July 29.