Newton County Highway in the Fall
Every good and perfect gift is from above...James 1:17
Jack and I make a point of never taking for granted the fact that we live in one of the most beautiful places on earth! We really believe that, and many guests agree. Proof of this is the fact that we and every other cabin/lodge in Newton County has a "No Vacancy" sign at the door, and are reluctantly turning away folks who want to visit last minute. Our October dates have been booked for weeks. We understand the lure of the Ozarks in autumn, and try to schedule our activities to allow lots of drives through the mountains and also time to participate in all the special events/festivals in the area this time of year.
We make War Eagle Fair an annual event--always going on Sunday afternoon. Usually, the crowds are smaller and the shopping pace is slower--time to visit with vendors we know. This year, the weather was perfect--cool and sunny. And, the crowds had the same idea that we had!
We did enjoy the fair though. And we always find a few special treasures we "need". We bought several Christmas presents for those who "have everything". Bet they don't have a robin's egg-shaped bird feeder, or a hand-painted tin box for fishing flies!!! Unlike the midway at the carnival, the food is not always fried. The chocolate-covered strawberries-on-a-stick I got on the way out were somewhat healthy.
Saturday afternoon the sun was out and so were the people as they participated in the annual Newton County Tour of Homes. The old and beautiful "Orphie Duty" house has had a major facelift thanks to Steve and Jackie Ray from Kansas. They lovingly and meticuously restored it and the surrounding fields and barns so it is once again the beatiuful old white home standing proudly by the side of the road in Boxley Valley.
Another stop on the tour was the old Villines Store--a small rock structure owned and brought back to life by Joe and Genevieve Villines, decendants of the original owner, Hez Villines. The young couple choose to live and raise their two boys close to family and the farm that is a part of Joe's heritage. The store is now a gallery for local artists.
I have to stop and look out the large window by my desk. Oh! the beauty I see! The gold, red, and yellow leaves are never still as the winds blow briskly across the mountains--another sign of fall in the Ozarks. It is not possible to describe such color! Artists try as they paint greens, golds, yellows, reds, and every hue in between. These colors are sandwiched between an azure sky and the emerald green pastures yet untouched by a killing frost.
If we didn't remember why we kept coming back time and time again until we finally had to live here, we do now!
Fall, a special time of transition from the business of summer to the slow-paced winter months ahead. What a wonderful way to celebrate! It is God's gift to all of us.
The earth is so full of a number of things
I think we should all be as happy as kings.
R.L. Stevenson
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