I would like to see some pics of beautiful places near your home. I am going to post some pictures of Arkansas. Most people don’t realize that Arkansas has lots of beautiful waterfalls. Also wonderful lakes with giant striped bass and beautiful mountains – the Ozarks and the Ouachitas. DeSoto spent a year on the Ouachita river about 15 miles from where I am sitting right now. The native Americans in this area helped him survive the winter, though, perhaps many native Americans might have been better off if they had let him perish!
Did you know the name “Arkansas” is a Siouan Indian word? It comes from Acansa, which was the name of a major Quapaw village in southeastern Arkansas. Many people believe that Acansa meant “downstream people,” but that isn’t true—Quapaw, the tribe’s own name for themselves, means “downstream people.” Acansa probably came from the Quapaw word meaning “southern place.” Their non-native neighbors frequently referred to the Quapaw as the Acansa, Arkansas, or Alkansea Indians because of this town. The Quapaw Indians were not the only native people of this region, however. (I copied and pasted that bit.)
The Arkansas Indian tribes were Caddo, Chickasaw, Osage, Quapaw and Tunica.
I am rambling, but, what the heck. I remember an Uncle of mine telling me that he had a great uncle (or something like that) who was a bounty hunter. I don’t believe that that was a profession to be proud of though. I think bounty hunter was not a well thought of profession. He also told me that my great grand mother was a Pawnee Indian. I thought that was really neat. Especially later when I found out that the Pawnee were more than happy to savagely kill white folks, lol. Did you ever see Dances with Wolves. The Indians at the beginning of that movie were Pawnee. They were the ones that killed the settlers and left the little girl for dead.
Anyway, on to a few pictures, what say? Wot? Wot? Cheerio and all that…
The Ozarks
The Ouachita Mts
More of the Ouachitas
Arkansas Waterfall
Another one
We have lots of these. They are cute, but they get over 40 lbs and can tear you to pieces. In other words, don’t try to pet one.
These things are everywhere. I even see them in my yard at night and I live in town, if you consider a town of 20,000 a town. They are pretty much blind and you can walk right up to them, though I wouldn’t. I was riding home from Wal Mart a few months ago on my scooter and one literally ran out of the woods and right under me. I tried to avoid him, but couldn’t. I didn’t hurt him though, he just scurried right on his way. Maybe “quickly waddled” would be more accurate. They aren’t really very fast. I don’t know HOW he got out of the woods and under me so quickly.
If you find yourself tramping around the woods in Arkansas and you run across this guy, consider running away! Oh yes, oh yes, it is very possible to run into one of these guys out in the woods, especially near the riverbank.
We have plenty of these also. Please see previous caption.
Ivory Billed Woodpeckers are very large woodpeckers and were long thought to be extinct, but were recently discovered in Arkansas.
We also have Bald Eagles, Lynx, the occasional Mountain Lion, Rattlesnakes, Cottonmouths, a few Alligators (down where I live) and Deer by the Gazillions, and don’t forget the ever popular Brown Recluse Spider. I have never seen one, but apparently this is the middle of their habitat. If he bites you you could die. At the very least, the area where he bites you will never be the same, it will literally rot away.
Why not come for a visit? You might even catch one of these!
And, NO, that isn’t me. I just snagged a pic off the net. Lake Ouachita is the world’s striped bass capital.
Here is a picture of my dad and Uncle Roy. My dad was under General Stilwell on the Burma Road in WWII. He was a sargeant and an mp. Uncle Roy was under Patton and got frostbite on his toes on the way to Berlin and it bothered him the rest of his life. My dad stayed here in El Dorado. He ALWAYS wore overalls when he wasn’t at work. He loved to farm and stuff. Uncle Roy wound up living in Watertown, NY. I can’t understand why he would want to live way up there where it gets so cold. This picture would have been taken before I was born.
Here is a pic of me with my Great Uncle Elmer when I was a little kid. Dig those crazy clothes and wild home decorations. What were people thinking back in the seventies.
Here is a pic I took on Lake Ouachita.
Here is another one I took from Lake Catherine.
Here is a pic I took on a hiking trail near Lake Catherine. (I doctored the colors in this one though.)
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
— Gandalf, J.R.R. Tolkien
I’m Alright
Life Less Ordinary
