Last evening in the Ozarks....Lasting memories...From my lens to yours

  (Written late Wednesday evening)

The "Arkansas" Cabin

 As they say, all good things must come to an end and our stay in Newton County where I was born and raised, is quickly coming to an end.
 I will never forget the time spent here in Ponca and the Boxley Valley.  Tomorrow will end our time in the cabin with spectacular views. Our daughter-in-law, Lee Anne, is a nurse, and duty calls.  While the rest of the crew are in bed, I'm reflecting on the week and how blessed we have been to spend time with our 8 month old grandson along with his parents. We have had great quality family time and have made memories that will last a lifetime.

We got up early this morning and made the short drive (one hour) to Branson. We shopped for a few hours and stopped to eat at  Steak and Shake on the way back to the cabin. Steak and Shake is my favorite place for a burger and you can't beat their price.

We returned to the cabin around 3:00 in the afternoon, took a nap (I could get used to this), and then decided to go to the Low Gap Café to eat.  Let me just say, the food is great at this little café tucked away in the middle of nowhere. It is a "hopping" place.  We have friends who drive up from Russellville just to eat here. It is definitely worth the trip and you also get to enjoy incredible views along the way. 

We, once again, after dinner, decided to drive through the valley to see the elk.  Even though it was getting dark, several were grazing in the fields.  We saw one elk running frantically through the pasture, tossing her head from side to side.  We came to a complete stop and saw a baby elk on the opposite side of the fence.  He found a hole, went through it,  and ran up to his momma.  There was an immediate calm to the mother.  It is amazing that all mother's (including animals), have that motherly instinct and go into panic mode when their child is missing  Motherly love is hard to explain until you experience it. 

We then drove up to the little white church in the valley at Boxley.  The sun had just gone down behind it and the colors in the sky were beautiful.  Of course, the chasing sunsets part of me took over and I had to take several photos of it.  Such peacefulness surrounds this place.  If you visit Boxley Valley, you must drive up to the church.

Even though we're sad to be leaving we are thankful for the time we have had here together.  I sure have enjoyed this simple life and I'm definitely going to miss it.  I hope we get to do this a little more often, even if it is a weekend getaway. 

We do have plans tomorrow, so I hope you check back.  I plan to get up at the crack of dawn to go check out the elk for one last time.

I have enjoyed blogging and posting the photos and hope you have enjoyed them as well.

Until tomorrow, from my lens to yours.