Across The Fence 
(Feb 2003)
Across The Fence
(Feb 2003)
Winter Blahs. We've often wondered why, if there is a "dog days of summer," why isn't there something similar for winter. If there were, it would be occurring about now. Gone is much of the
thrill of a new snowfall. Grey days and the silence of the forests have lost their freshness. Late February and early March promise only that we'll anticipate all the more, the first new breath of spring .
Its this time of year that we dress warmly and take to the woods for next winter's firewood supply. By next winter the firewood will be well seasoned for keeping us toasty warm inside the Bluffhouse. And, we must supply firewood for the cottages, cabins, and the outdoor fire pits at each location. Cutting, loading, hauling from the woods, unloading, splitting, and stacking -- all those operations -- warm us this winter. Photo shows your hosts at work on the woodpile.For Fishermen only! Need to know the fishing details this year? Rules, sizes, license requirements, etc. All this information and plenty more is quickly available on the web at the Missouri Department of Conservation website. There is a wealth of info, but fishing people can start here: http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/fish/ Remember, our canoes are at the private landing at the river for your use whenever you have the yen to wet a line or just explore rock eddy. We love to hear all fish stories, true or not.
Our springtime gift to you is something we enjoy ourselves. A spring day will often find us rambling the woods
with one of these books in hand, leaning to identify a wildflower or studying the shape and bark of a tree that we can't name. These are our old standby field books. We want to give you one of these books for any weekday (Sunday thru Thursday) that you spend with us during April and May. (Book now!) They are: Trees of Missouri, from University of Missouri; and Missouri Wildflowers, from the Missouri Department of Conservation. We'll have extra copies, so even if you escape to Rock Eddy Bluff any other time, you can still purchase one for your own happy tramping.
Woodland Hide and Seek. Beautiful days and the local flora and fauna are enough to inspire many Rock Eddy guests to venture into the woodland. Now the "techies" have given
us a new reason for an outdoor jaunt: Geocaching. Our guests introduced us to this new, innocent form of treasure hunting. Pull on your hiking boots and grab your global positioning system (GPS) device and you are set. The object is to to discover a cache which another party has hidden, giving you the exact GPS position on the Geocaching website. There's even a cache near Clifty Creek Natural Arch for you to discover. Find a list of caches in our locality here.
The treasure? Not much, just trinkets and a log book to sign when you find it. On the web site you can also read entries of those people those who visited the cache. The treasure lies in the adventure...and a wonderful day a field.When the Buzzards return to Rock Eddy. No, perhaps they are not swallows nor is this the Mission at Capistrano, but to us, our buzzards are our own harbinger of spring. They arrive here mysteriously in late February. Suddenly we gaze out over the valley and they have assumed their old routine, soaring in the updrafts over the bluffs. Sure, there are a few more weeks of colder weather, but the arrival of our buzzards promises that we are on the downhill slope of another winter. They'll remain here, gently soaring in the air each day until late next fall.
Take a float trip on the Gasconade River beneath us and in 3 or 4 days you'll find yourself in the "Mighty Mo" just a few miles upstream from Herman, Missouri. You are then directly in the path taken by Lewis and
Clark nearly two hundred years ago. That epic journey is the subject of much activity and celebration leading up to the actual bicentennial of the Corps of Discovery's departure next spring.
For information on activities in Missouri, spectacular photos and resource material for anyone interested in this historic adventure, log onto http://www.lewisandclark.state.mo.us/index.htmlFor the birds. We take special care of our birds in winter. In fact, our outside is festooned with nutritious items for our feathered pals. We have several seed feeders, plus dispensers for our own peanut butter-based blend, and something that often brings a muted gasp, "What's that?" It is raw suet hanging from hooks just off our deck. The birds don't care if it looks like a meat market, and that sue
t draws every species of woodpecker that frequents Missouri. If one of our resident eagles or a hawk comes too close, the feeding birds quickly scatter and disappear.
We wish you peace of mind in these times of fear and uncertainty. In our own lives, we have found the one unfailing tonic for stressful periods: Nature...the therapy of the hills, the flowers and trees, animals... stroking an old dog, the smell of horses.....early
mornings...sunsets.
We are happy to share!
All our best from the Bluff,
"Spring rides no horses down the hill,/ But comes on foot a goose girl still..." Edna St. Vincent Millay
"The only real way to look younger is not to be born so soon." Charles Schulz, cartoonist (1922-2000)
"It is with the utmost sorrow that we leave tomorrow, we say lugubriously." Jim & Sandra at Turkey Ridge Cottage
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