Sweet - February 2012

sweet

february 2012 AtUrbanMagazine.com

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The Romance of Writing Capturing Wister Clover A Good Boat & The Sea

taste

MANAGING EDITOR

Catherine Frederick

Drowning Can Your Dog Hunt? Contest Winners Beware of Falling Goats DIY: Window of Opportunity Ignite: The Science Barge

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Perk & Party The Answer is Chocolate

destination

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PRESIDENT

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Catherine the Great

Marla Cantrell

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Marla Cantrell Marcus Coker Terah Curry Catherine Frederick Laura Hobbs Kyle Little Tonya McCoy Anita Paddock Buddy Pinneo Todd Whetstine

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Marcus Coker Catherine Frederick Laura Hobbs Todd Whetstine

DESIGNER

Jeromy Price

WEB GURU

David Jamell

PUBLISHER

Read Chair Publishing, LLC

Advertising and Distribution Information

Catherine Frederick at 479 / 782 / 1500 Catherine@AtUrbanMagazine.com Editorial or Artwork Information

Marla Cantrell at 479 / 831 / 9116 Marla@AtUrbanMagazine.com Š2012 Read Chair Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

The opinions contained in @Urban are exclusively those of the writers and do not represent those of Read Chair Publishing, LLC. as a whole or its affiliates. Any correspondence to @Urban or Read Chair Publishing, LLC., including photography becomes the property of Read Chair Publishing, LLC. @Urban reserves the right to edit content and images.

@LETTER FROM CATHERINE

I

t’s February, the month for looove. We could go all sappy on you and tell you how much we love, treasure, and adore you, our loyal readers. We could write you love poems. We could

bring you beautiful flowers and sweet treats- maybe even diamonds. Oh wait, we are doing that!

It’s all here, a gift guide to help you OWN Valentine’s Day, a poem by the winner of our “Looking for Love (Poems)” contest, and a recipe grounded in chocolate.

We also have the story of a man who sells houses for a living, and sails boats out on the ocean.

We’ll take you to the farm to meet a family that raises fainting goats, and we’ll introduce you to a romance writer who is releasing two (yep, two!) new books this year.

Want to get outside? How about a night in a yurt? Want to know whose magnificent dog won our “Can Your Dog Hunt?” contest. Just turn to page 8.

Staying inside? Check out my DIY article on a wonderful project I call “Window of Opportunity,” read our review detailing what your favorite authors did before they became your favorite

authors, and listen to the wonderful music of Bon Iver.

Finally, we have a thought provoking article about a barge used to teach children a love of the earth and an appreciation for science.

That’s in our Ignite series - perhaps it will ignite a spark within you.

So enjoy this month’s issue Urbanities- there’s so much to fall in love with.

XOXO

To reserve this space for your charitable non-profit organization, email: Editors@AtUrbanMagazine.com

@LIFESTYLE

@lines Kyle Little

“You’re a mermaid, and I’m drowning.”

No. You’re a parachute, and I’m falling through sky at a rate of 120 miles per hour.

You’re a flower, and I’m empty without you, maybe a glass or a vase.

You’re a whole case of Pabst Blue Ribbon, and like I really need to get drunk.

You’re a Jewish monk, and I’m etched with ancient rabbinic teachings.

You’re a leeching, and I’m distended.

You’re amended, I’m abridged.

— Russell Brand’s flyleaf inscription to Katy Perry.

You’re wedged between two fat guys at the movie, and I’m those fat guys.

Your thighs are so sculpted that now I’m Rodin, and you’re one of his lesser known but still critically lauded pieces.

I looked it up on Wikipedia, and you’re The Kiss.

Something’s amiss.

You’re a mermaid, and I’m drowning, so you can only see the top of my head.

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@Urban Readers, Thanks to everyone who entered. Your dogs are gorgeous, and it’s evident in your photos that they are not just your hunting buddies, they’re family! It took our judges weeks to make their final decisions. They also named several Honorable Mentions- those photos can been seen on our website, AtUrbanMagazine. com, and our Flickr page (flickr.com/photos/urbanmagazine).

We’d also like to thank the generous sponsors of “Can Your Dog Hunt?”

– Ultimutt, Gelco and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

And keep an eye out for our upcoming fishing photo contest, “Bait and Hook.” We’ll release details in our March issue. So cast your line, you could be our next big winner.

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F

ive-year-old Isaac Garnaat kneels quietly behind an oak tree with his trusty accomplice Woody, a large golden

retriever. The pair wait menacingly outside a pen beside a faded red barn anticipating their attack. Finally Isaac leaps out and screams, “Aaaah!” and Woody joins in with a hearty “woof, woof.” Half a dozen goats fall over onto their sides, stunned, their legs straight and frozen.

“When Isaac was little bitty, he learned patience” says Isaac’s mom, Shannon Garnaat. “He would hide behind that tree and he would wait for them all to get calmly sitting and eating, then he would jump out.

“And our golden, Woody, does it, too. He waits by the fence quietly. He never hurts them or nothing, but they’ll all get to eating and he’ll jump out and he’ll ‘barr-arr-arr’ and spook them and they all fall over. And I swear to God he smiles as he’s walking away because he thinks it’s the funniest thing ever.”

It’s just another day on the farm.

Liberty Hill Farms in Natural Dam is where the Garnaat family raises a unique breed of goats—fainting goats. They are known by different names like: wooden-leg goats, scare goats, and

beware of falling goats

@story Tonya McCoy @images Marcus Coker and Liberty Hill Farms

Tennessee fainting goats, named for the state from which they originated. In the late 1800s a migrant farmhand that was believed to be from Nova Scotia arrived in Tennessee with four fainting goats. That man, John Tinsley, is responsible for introducing fainting goats to Marshall County, which holds an annual festival for fainting goat breeders nationwide.

The fainting goats are also known as myotonic goats for the hereditary medical condition they have, myontonia congenital,

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@LIFESTYLE

which causes the goats’ muscles to tense up for a couple of

To keep them safe, Shannon keeps the goats in a large fenced

seconds when startled. Farmers used to put the vulnerable

area, guarded by two golden retrievers, Woody and Skinner, and

goats in with prize show stock, making them the ultimate ‘scape

two territorial donkeys, Mable and Sherman.

goat.’ The goats made easy prey for predators, like wolves or coyotes, which might otherwise have killed sheep or other

While the goats are not hurt by the fainting, Shannon says she

more valuable livestock. Nowadays these goats have a happier

doesn’t startle them or allow others to startle them incessantly.

fate being show stock themselves and even pets.

And besides, that’s not the only thing that makes these strange goats special. This breed is different than the ones Shannon

Now before you feel a twinge of guilt for snickering at the idea

remembers raising on her farm when she was young.

of goats that drop when spooked, Shannon says the fainting doesn’t hurt the goats. It’s not a true faint in the demure or even

“I grew up in Michigan and it was cold, and I had to milk the darn

the medical sense. The goats do not lose consciousness, and

things when I was a child, and I swore I’d never ever have goats

often can be seen still chewing their cud while in that ‘myotonic’

again. But I love these goats, they’re great. And they eat the

state. And since her tallest bucks only grow to about two and a

poison ivy here. We don’t have a lick of poison ivy on the whole

half feet, the drop to the ground isn’t a steep one.

place. They love it.”

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Isaac and Shannon’s husband Dave happen to be allergic to poison ivy, so the goat’s appetite and resistance to the plant is just another perk. But the main reason Shannon began farming fainting goats is their docile demeanor.

“I wanted something that Isaac could be around as a little kid and not get hurt. I remember raising goats when I was a child and some goats were mean.” But after raising a few fainting goats Shannon realized the difference.

“This is Peggy Sue, she’s one of my favorites. She wants to sit in your lap.” she says as she gathers a white doe up into her arms.

When Peggy Sue has her own kids, Shannon plans to name them after fifties songs.

A mahogany red doe with a broken horn walks up to Shannon.

“This is Calamity Jane. I think I cursed her when she was a baby, naming her that. She broke her horn and she had the end of her tail bitten off. It’s just one thing after another with her.”

“And this is Snip,” Shannon explains, showing off a white snip of hair on the doe’s nose. “She’s ancient. This is my old goat.” Snip is twelve and the longest most goats live is around fifteen years.

But there are plenty of new faces on the farm, too. Half a dozen newborns walk around the barn’s closest pen. Shannon picks up a black one, only about a foot tall, “I think I’m going to name this one Lucky Seven,” she says as she points to the shape of a perfect white seven that makes its way across the black fur on its side. Another baby goat with the same mother wanders up showing off its anchor shaped patch of white fur.” And I’m going to name that one ‘Anchor’s Away.’”

Nearby, a gray baby goat emerges from a small pile of hay, the

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@LIFESTYLE

straw like a crown of fur on its head. It lets out a tiny “meh.”

These critters certainly have the ‘awww’ factor, and it’s easy to see why some people purchase them as pets.

“I know some people who have trained them to be housebroken. They even have a doggie door for them.”

However, in a near pasture stand the fainting goats that you don’t want as pets. Various bucks with long straight or slightly curled horns are grazing, some even playfully butting each other.

These guys aren’t sought after as pets because bucks carry a pungent odor. But Firecracker, Irish Eyes, Harry T. Stinkerman and the gang of studs play an important role in the farm when it’s breeding time.

Shannon’s family raises ‘silkies’ or long hairs and short hairs.

Does and bucks. Mediums and minis. Reds, blacks, grays, and whites. Right now they have about sixty, but once all the does have their kids, they expect their herd to grow to a hundred.

Shannon looks down at the half-dozen baby goats nearby and smiles. “These little guys make me laugh every day.”

If you’re interested in purchasing your own Liberty Hill Farms fainting goat contact Shannon and Dave Garnaat by calling 479.929.5789 or email the couple at libertyhillfarm@hughes.net. Check out the adorable goats at www.libertyhillfarms.net. Prices range from $100-$800 depending on type of goat.

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@LIFESTYLE

I

still haven’t been cured of my Pinterest (Pinterest.com) addiction. Recently, during one of my relapses, I stumbled

upon an old window frame at a local antique shop. The original white paint was weathered and chipped. One of the nine glass panes was cracked, but the others were intact. For only twentynine dollars, how could I resist?

I immediately scoped out my plan for this window. I would

@story

Frederick Catherine s e g a and im

turn it into a large photo frame. Having spent millions of hours a little time on Pinterest, I knew my options were endless. One pin featured a different photo enlarged to fit in each pane, another placed objects into the panes, and another simply placed 4” X 6” photos in the panes and let the wall behind the frame show through, creating a border effect. I wanted something out of the ordinary, so I chose to enlarge one photo and fill the entire frame so that a portion of the photo peeks through each section.

This is a quick project and it’s a true DIY’er, as it requires no power tools- and as you know from my last project, hubby won’t allow me near those.

Click on over to AtUrbanMagazine.com for how-to photos and detailed directions.

Follow me on Pinterest! pinterest.com/catfrederick Find more photos on Flickr: flickr.com/photos/urbanmagazine

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A

popular nursery rhyme asks, “Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?” That’s an excellent question,

but if Mary were part of the average urban population, she’d answer, “I don’t have a garden. My food comes from the grocery store.” But let’s assume Mary has a tomato garden somewhere in the countryside and feels like being honest about it. She’d say, “My garden grows with a lot of dirt, a lot of water, and plenty of pesticides. It also takes up a great deal of space and produces a good amount of carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming.” No wonder Mary’s quite contrary. I bet Mother Earth isn’t too happy either.

Fortunately, there’s a greener way to go about gardening. New York Sun Works is a non-profit organization in New York City

As part of our Ignite series, @Urban brings you stories about extraordinary people who are doing extraordinary things, promoting positive changes in the lives of those around them. Like them, we hope to inspire you to think outside the box, to enrich your life and your community.

that aims to educate schoolchildren about the environment and farming in urban areas. In 2006, they started a project called The Science Barge, a floating greenhouse and education facility that currently resides in the Hudson River in Yonkers. The barge is powered by solar panels, wind turbines, and a generator fueled by waste vegetable oil and biodiesel (made from agricultural and food industry byproducts). These features reduce carbon dioxide emissions and other environmental pollutants.

New York Sun Works has taken every measure to ensure the barge is environmentally friendly. The office is constructed from

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@LIFESTYLE

a refurbished shipping container, something you might see on the

Laurie. “Additionally, it uses up to sixty percent less water than

back of a semi. Evaporation is used for cooling, which decreases

traditional farming methods.”

the need for electricity, and there’s even a composting toilet (feel free to Google it). The barge has an outdoor classroom and

One goal of The Science Barge is to educate people in urban

two greenhouses that produce tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers,

areas about sustainable living, which means the ability to

lettuce, and herbs, right in the middle of New York City. The only

produce the food we need without damaging the environment.

thing you won’t find in the greenhouses is dirt. And no, that’s

For example, the barge doesn’t use pesticides, which pollute

not a misprint.

the air and soil and contaminate lakes and rivers. Instead, they use beneficial insects like ladybugs to control plant-damaging

The Science Barge uses a process called hydroponic farming

insects like aphids.

technology. “Hydroponics speaks very well to the challenges of urban farmers,” says Laurie Schoeman, director of New York

The Science Barge operates primarily during the spring and

Sun Works. “Hydroponics is actually as old as soil farming and

summer, is open to the public, and relies on donations. The food

is practiced in the wetlands and the Nile. It essentially uses

that is grown on the barge is given to a food kitchen in Yonkers.

nutrients instead of soil to support plant growth.” Having no soil means that hydroponics takes up seven times less space

Since opening The Science Barge, New York Sun Works has

than soil farms and yields more crops. “There’s never a point

started an initiative called The Greenhouse Project, which

when you’re not growing. Traditional farms have one or two

further works with schools to promote science and agricultural

harvests a year, and hydroponic farms have four or five,” says

education. “The barge is an amazing field trip, but only provides

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@LIFESTYLE

a one-off experience. We wanted to enter the schools to provide support in the classroom,” Laurie explains. The Greenhouse Project helps schools build and maintain their own gardens, which not only produce usable crops, but also instill confidence in students as they gain hands-on experience answering the question, “How do you produce food in an urban environment?”

Some schools build their own greenhouses, maybe on a rooftop or in a parking lot. Others use planters and artificial light to create small hydroponic farms in their classrooms. “You can take this model and scale it to any school that has classroom space available. It’s the least costly model.” A full-scale greenhouse can cost $325 a square foot, so many of the schools have partnered with corporate sponsors to offset expenses.

The food that’s grown in the schools is used in their cafeterias, as well as distributed to community restaurants and parents.

“Our goal is not to grow food, although that’s a nice side benefit.

Our goal is to provide innovative science education, to get kids thinking outside the box, to become critical thinkers.”

Clearly, The Science Barge and The Greenhouse Project are doing a lot to challenge the way we think about our food and our environment, about how we educate ourselves and our children. Their work begs the question, “How could a community like ours benefit from programs like theirs?” With the Arkansas River winding through our area, the opportunities seem boundless. Perhaps their example will ignite a scheme for our own barge on the Arkansas, or inspire you to try more sustainable methods in your own garden. I’d bet even Mary, Mary, quite contrary, would like that.

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For more information about New York Sun Works and The Science Barge, visit nysunworks.org.

Don’t Quit Your Day Job: Acclaimed Authors and the Day Jobs They Quit Edited By Sonny Brewer 240 Pages @review Anita Paddock

R

ick Bragg, one of the contributors to this book, writes

next job, at sixteen, was working on a summer construction

on the back cover, “The truth is that this book will allow

crew in Mobile. On the first day at work, the foreman asked

writers to do the one thing they strive for most: build a

him if he was afraid of heights. Because he’d never been

bridge between ourselves and our readers. It will connect

on anything very high, he told the man no. He learned from

us, fiercely, with the people who love to read, and those

that job that “if anyone asks you if you’re afraid of heights,

who dream about writing as they work at their own jobs.”

tell them yes.”

Well, that says it all. So if you’ve ever wondered what the

John Grisham is one funny guy. If you haven’t read Ford

likes of Pat Conroy or John Grisham or Winston Groom did

County, do so because his book of short stories will make you

before they hit it big, this book is for you.

laugh out loud. He begins his essay by telling you that most lawyers are great storytellers, and they learn to embellish

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The author of Forrest Gump, Winston Groom, tells us that

a story because that’s how they win their cases—whoever

what he learned from his first job, delivering newspapers,

embellishes the best, wins. I don’t care if he takes liberties

was that he didn’t like getting up early in the morning. His

in telling about his jobs as a plumber’s helper, a member

@ENTERTAINMENT

of a Mississippi highway asphalt crew in the summer, or his

end loader that cut roads and cleared lots. Rick and his

stint in retail (where it was cool) selling men’s underwear.

brothers worked for their uncle. His first job, when he was

They made me laugh. They also convinced me that above all

about ten, was cleaning mud and roots from the tracks that

else in life, I love a good story.

got all gummed up with debris. Later he did pick and shovel work, clearing out the tight spaces where the machines

Tom Franklin, author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, a

couldn’t get. Rick calls it “hateful” work that didn’t teach

Mississippi mystery I loved, tells about his job as a pizza

him character. It taught him toughness, that he could stoop

delivery guy while he was in graduate school in Fayetteville,

lower and strain harder than most people were willing to

Arkansas. He was thirty-two, and his manager was twenty-

do. He remembers that work, saying, “When all I do is tap a

one. No shirker to hard work, he’d put himself through

damn key, and I rarely get it right the first time.”

college by working at a warehouse, a factory that made sandblasting grit, a chemical plant, a hospital morgue, an

Twenty-three writers contributed to this book. They are all

automobile repair shop, and gas stations. He once took five

from the South, where good storytellers live. I bet you’ve

classes while he worked eighty hours a week. All of these

got someone in your family who can keep everybody at

jobs gave him a writer’s education, and you’ll see these jobs

the supper table, long after the meal is over. You probably

in the books he writes.

should write their stories down, don’t you think?

Michelle Richmond, author of Year of Fog, which is being made into a movie, tells us the stories about her early jobs, and they will not make you laugh. Instead, you’ll admire her perseverance in doing those sometimes degrading jobs that paid the rent and bought the groceries.

Rick Bragg, author of All Over but the Shoutin’ , is a good ole Southern boy from the hills of Alabama who grew up poor.

Raised by a single mom, whom he lovingly writes about, along with his grandparents, and his father (not so lovingly) in non-fiction books that have made him something of an icon in the South, is also a great storyteller. He says writers like to talk about how hard it is to write, how lonely it is, or how stiff your fingers get. But any tough writer like Hemingway or Mailer would have lasted about a week on his Uncle Ed’s crew. Uncle Ed ran a bulldozer and a front

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@ENTERTAINMENT

long to mention here. (The Grammy Awards will be announced on February 12.)

It’s been an impressive ride for the Eau Claire artist, but not totally unexpected. This album, with its doubling tracks and octaves, grabs you from the opening guitar riff. Justin carries the guitar melody directly into the vocals. Before you realize it, track two is playing and you’re in the groove.

Track three, “Holocene,” is the heart of the album. It’s hard to imagine anything more beautiful. This song alone is worth buying the entire album.

“Towers,” the next track, is nearly a hoedown. And not in a bad way.

Shuffling, rambling and jangly, it picks up the pace refreshingly.

now hear this bon iver — bon iver @review Buddy Pinneo

I

Next up is “Michicant,” a track that is so lovely it could almost be a lullaby.

Justin counters that track when he comes back in full voice with “Hinnom, TX.”

n 2007, after a breakup with his band and with his girlfriend,

This is clearly a work intended for listening from start to finish.

Justin Vernon retreated to a cabin deep in the Wisconsin

It’s haunting, chilling, and absolutely gorgeous. And listening

woods, where he reportedly fought off a bout of mononucleosis,

to it in February will give you just one more reason to tell the

watched old episodes of the TV hit Northern Exposure, and

person next to you bon hiver. It really is a good winter.

recorded one of indie folk’s best albums, For Emma, Forever Ago. He released the album as Bon Iver, a moniker he derived from the French bon hiver, meaning “good winter.”

Justin kept the name, expanded the band, and released the self-titled Bon Iver album last year. In November, the group received so many Grammy Award nominations the list is too

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O

zark author Gwen Ford Faukenberry lives on an unpaved road just outside the city. Hers is one of three houses

set on 450 acres of family land. “We call it the Triple F Ranch, because my family lives here, and my brother and his family, and my mom and dad. Ford, Ford, Faulkenberry,” Gwen says, tapping her fingers as she says each name.

Her home, built from limestone gathered from the land, sits on the crest of a hill. “It took us about six months to get enough stone for all three houses,” she says. “We were using a pickup and a trailer. Those were some long weekends.”

gwen ford faulkenberry @story Marla Cantrell @images Marcus Coker

Long, but worth it. The three families now live close enough to see each other every day, if time permits. But time is a little scarce these days. Gwen, who just turned forty, is expecting a baby in a few weeks. Her three children, who are eleven, nine and four, can’t wait for their new sister. She’s also teaching composition and literature at Arkansas Tech University – Ozark Campus, and she’s finishing two books due out this year.

Two books. It sounds overwhelming, but Gwen smiles as she describes the scheduling it takes to keep everything in check.

“If I go too long without writing,” she says, ”I feel a little crazy and I’m not too effective in the other areas of my life.”

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@PEOPLE

She makes a convincing argument until she mentions she’s currently still promoting her fifth book, a devotional titled Jesus, Be Near Me. At this point in the conversation, when others might be hyperventilating, Gwen absolutely sparkles. To be fair, there are sequins on both her blouse and her shoes, but that’s not the reason. She understands how incredible it is that she’s in this position, especially since she didn’t set out to be a writer.

She planned on becoming a doctor. Her senior year at the University of Central Arkansas, however, she switched her major to English, which is what you might expect from a writer. But

“After I graduated from UCA, we spent ten weeks backpacking

then, after graduating, she earned a scholarship to the UA School

across Europe,” she says. “We’ve been to Israel, Africa, Japan,

of Law. After a year there, she realized her lot in life was in a

Spain, Russia. Traveling can be an epic adventure, but it’s also

far less lucrative field. “I knew I had to do something creative.

filled with ordinary experiences. There are days when not a lot

I quit law school, worked as a waitress, and then landed a job

happens. But I noticed things, like the dust coming up in clouds

at Day Spring in Siloam Springs writing mostly greeting cards.”

around my shoes. The smells of food, the sounds all around me.

And I kept journals about it all.

That was the first time she was paid to write. She was in heaven.

Then the cutbacks came and her position was eliminated.

“It broadened my worldview, and I think that helps as a writer.

We didn’t have much money, so we hitchhiked some, we stayed

So she returned home to Ozark where she and her husband,

in cheap places with eccentric characters, we rode a lot of trains.

Stone, opened a bed and breakfast. “I met the most fascinating

It’s great, but I also love coming home.”

people that I would never have met otherwise.” Eventually, she returned to school, where she earned her master’s degree, this

Which brings us back to Arkansas, and to the connection she

time in liberal arts. Her project? She wrote a novel, set in Ozark,

made at Day Springs. A friend she made there had started

which is one of the two books she’ll release this year.

Summerside Press, and he was going to publish a series of Christian romance novels set in real places across the U.S. He

And somewhere, in the whirlwind of all that was happening,

asked Gwen to submit a book proposal. Hers went in with at

she and her husband managed several trips abroad. “While

least 100 others. She landed a contract. Love Finds You in

other couples were buying houses and cars, we were saving our

Romeo, Colorado came out in 2008.

money and seeing the world.

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@PEOPLE

Her next novel was Love Finds You in Branson. In both books,

Gwen’s gossamer threads travel far. Just last year Gwen received

she tells compelling stories – the endings will surprise you –

a letter from a reader in Australia, who’d recently lost her mother.

that showcase good people with good intentions looking for

Soon after the funeral, she found herself in Malaysia, in a small

love (and faith) in a complicated world.

shop where she picked up one of Gwen’s three devotional books, A Beautiful Life. She found a passage that brought her

The writing is lyrical at times. “The oaks,” she writes, “which

great comfort. “That’s something I didn’t expect,” Gwen says,

seemed to reach out and beckon her, looked in the midmorning

and her voice breaks. “That someone from Australia would be

light like a group of old ladies gathered for tea.” She describes

in Malaysia and find my book at just the right time.”

fence posts that stretch along miles of highway as looking like a form of earth acupuncture. And she talks about Georgia

Gwen tells the story while standing on the deck that spans the

O’Keefe and D.H. Lawrence lying beneath an old pine, gazing up

length of her house. Above her, the bald eagles soar above

through the verdant branches, and the painting that resulted

the treetops of oak and cedar. Below, the Arkansas rushes by,

from that ordinary event.

swishing against the banks in the exact spot where the river curves around the town of Ozark.

Gwen looks to current writers like Jan Karon for inspiration.

She likes books about community, family, the inner workings

A few yards away, Dot, the family’s big white dog, sniffs the

of everyday life. The great writer Jane Austin also influences

ground beside the pen where the goats rest. A pickup shuffles

Gwen. She loves the idea of finding the extraordinary in the

along, the sound of its muffler loud in the otherwise quiet day.

commonplace, of showing how incredible we all are when you

Tonight, when the kids are asleep, Gwen will be back at it. There

take the time to see how our hearts and minds work.

are books to write, there are editors waiting. And there might be another traveler somewhere, she thinks, looking for a souvenir,

She also loves Arkansas, and uses her home state in both books.

who finds instead the comfort of kind words.

And in the Romeo book, the main character is a professor who teaches writing.

Gwen’s books are available at cbd.com, amazon.com, Gwen talks about her own students. “I think writing and

Medi-Quik Pharmacy in Ozark, Lifeway Christian

teaching are symbiotic,” she says. “They come in with such

Bookstores, and Barnes and Noble.

fresh, new ideas. I get to balance that with the classics.” She introduces them to “The Noiseless Patient Spider,” by poet Walt Whitman. “This spider is sending out gossamer threads looking for a connection,” she says. “I think about what that means to all of us. You might never know the connections you make.”

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@story Terah Curry @images Mark Frantz

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@PEOPLE

F

ort Smith native Mark Frantz is modest when talking about his craft — which he insists is a hobby — yet not all hobby photographers have

captured iconic places like the covered Bridges of Madison County with such grace.

His work first caught my eye after I ordered coffee at Dewey’s Café inside the Fort Smith Public Library. “Wister Clover,” hung near the sugar and napkins, and was nothing shy of a visual Sabbath. Luminous and a little ethereal, this field of scarlet clover, warmed by the sun, hedged by twin oaks and a glimmering lake, held the glow of an Italian oil painting.

Mark remembers every detail of the day he took the photo. “There were four of us - photographer friends of mine- and we went exploring,” Mark said. “My buddy Mike wanted to go to Wister, Oklahoma, because he had seen this spot earlier in the week and knew we had to be there at a certain time. Mike said, ‘Let’s go by Wister. There’s a clover patch there that looks pretty cool at a certain time of the day.’ It was pretty funny. There were three of us guys on our knees, shoulder to shoulder, waiting to get the right shot. All three of us have kind of the same shot, but they’re different. We’re all in virtually a four-foot square area. “Wister Clover” was a combo of three shots blended together HDR - which means high dynamic range – which is basically blending several photos of the same shots together.”

Mark’s interest in photography developed when his parents bought him a camera when he graduated from high school. He took it with him to college, but he didn’t have a lot of money to buy film.

“I got back into photography during the late eighties, and then got out of it and became busy with life. About 2005, I had an opportunity to go to Alaska, and I wanted to get a better camera. I got my first digital SLR, selling off a lot of my hunting equipment to buy camera equipment.

“I went three times to the Prince of Wales Island, which is in the Tongass

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National Forest. The first trip was nice with no rain for a week,

Mark sells resins to the composite industry – which produces

but the subsequent times it rained every day with low visibility.

products ranging from boats to bowling balls.

I went there originally to hunt black bears, but found myself carrying my camera and tripod instead of a gun. I have since

“I’ve been to Nebraska, Iowa, Kentucky, and if I go to Vegas or

traded most of my guns in for photo equipment.”

something I always try to spend a day or two extra with the intent to take pictures. That’s my real job - that one that pays

Many of Mark’s photos are distinguished by the use of infrared,

the bills – and it involves me driving 70,000 miles a year. I take

a wavelength of light invisible to the human eye, but when

a lot of pictures in this area, but the covered bridges are the

used in digital photography, produces photos with a slightly

Bridges of Madison County in Iowa.

otherworldly effect.

“I’m trying to learn to look at smaller things and to focus on “I like scenic, wildlife, and pretty much anything except people,”

the picture within the picture. My buddy says I need to get in

Mark said laughing. “I don’t take portraits. I can barely get my

picture mode instead of sales mode.”

nephew to sit still for a second. I may spend two hours walking around looking at a place – my head is always on a swivel.”

Mark jokingly calls himself a “jack of all trades, master of none.”

He currently presides over the Fort Smith Photographer’s

Mark’s job affords him opportunities to photograph scenic

Alliance, which meets on the first, second and third Thursday

landscapes around the country. Many are “destination” photos

of each month.

as a result of his profession as a salesman. The company he works for is headquartered near Memphis, Tennessee, and

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“We hold contests, have internal contests, train on new

@PEOPLE

products, new techniques, or have group outings. We may meet at a new location and shoot. People like Tim Ernst [the renowned Arkansas nature photographer] may come in and do a slide show. A photographer may come in and talk about how to shoot a portrait. Basically we just do anything we can to try and promote photography.”

While “Wister Clover” is eye-catching, his “Wilson Rock Bridge” is work of art in black and white. “’Wilson Rock’ was taken one day when I was out with my buddy Mike. We were going to Wilson Rock in Oklahoma, and this bridge was on the way. We both took several shots of this bridge and this particular one was my favorite out of the shots I took. Sadly, this bridge was replaced several years ago with a concrete structure.”

That’s part of the joy Mark finds in photography. He can take a memory and turn it into a permanent piece of art.

Those who follow Mark’s work are thankful he does. They’re also thankful his parents decided to buy him the camera that sparked his interest in photography and set the course for all the days that followed.

Mark’s photos are on display through February at in the Mercy gallery inside the hospital’s main entrance at 7301 Rogers Avenue in Fort Smith. Prices for Mark’s framed photographs range from $110 for a 12 x 14, to around $300 for the panoramic shots. You can contact him at 479.461.8003, or at maf7600@gmail.com.

@story Marla Cantrell @images Kevin King

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@PEOPLE

K

evin King sat at the helm of the forty-four foot sailboat

to get back to the sea.

named Liberty and listened to the roiling waves. The night

was black, darker than he had ever seen it, even back home in

During the day Kevin and the first mate fished. “We caught

Arkansas, in the country, way up in the hills. If he lined up the

tuna, mahi-mahi. It was this incredible feeling.”

boat’s mast with the moon and then steered just to the right, he’d be bearing due east. That was good, he thought. If he kept

And then, two days into the rally, the boat’s auto-pilot failed.

going, he’d make Bermuda in a few days. He’d asked the captain

They were sailing old-school now, and that required a lot more

where the nearest land was, and the captain shook his head.

diligence. The winds caused the boat to list, so that when they

“Two miles away,” he said, and then pointed at the spot beneath

slept – now for two hours at a time instead of four – they were

Kevin’s feet. “Two miles,” he repeated. “Straight down.”

kept in the bunk by a curtain that caught them before they were tossed to the floor.

The Fort Smith realtor was about 400 miles off the coast, battling the Atlantic in a 1983 Bruce Roberts Offshore that was

“I’m a big guy,” Kevin said. “I work out. I love a challenge. But

part of the Carribean 1500, a world cruising rally. Sixty-one

there we were, at the helm two hours, on deck two hours,

other sailboats had entered the race, shown up in Hampton,

and then trying to sleep two hours. Keeping your eye on the

Virginia, before the launch date of November seventh. Most

compass, staying on course, it was testing my endurance but it

were headed to the British Virgin Islands; another small group

wasn’t pushing me to the limits,” Kevin said.

would land in the Bahamas. But while they readied their gear, Tropical Storm Sean began blowing through.

That’s because Kevin knows how to pack. “I always have a backup plan. When I was getting my pilot’s license – it was

Finally, on Friday, November eleventh, they were given the

night flying - my instructor says, ‘What if everything goes out?’

green light. Kevin, who’d been sailing for two years, boarded

And he took away my flashlight, and I said, ‘Well, I grab my other

the Liberty, along with the captain and first mate.

flashlight.’ So he took away that one. And he said, ‘What do you do now?’ So I grabbed my penlight. I had four lights with me.

The three jockeyed for space. It was tight inside, a tiny galley,

So he finally sighed and said, ‘Let’s just imagine you don’t have

a scrunch of bunks, not much wiggle room. “There’s a romantic

any lights with you.’

notion about sailboats,” Kevin said. “But if you really want to know what it’s like to live on one, ask two or three of your

“On this trip I had my iPad with me. I wasn’t in charge of

closest friends over and have them spend the weekend with

navigating or plotting the course but I planned for emergencies

you in your laundry room. That’s what it’s like.”

anyway. I had two software navigation apps downloaded. I also had the handheld GPS I use while flying, and I had called in and

Still, Kevin loved it. It was his second competition – he’d

gotten the mariner’s version, so I had the winds and the waves

entered the Atlantic Cup last May – and he was getting anxious

and sea temperature.”

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@PEOPLE

Even better planning? “I actually had XM Radio, so I could listen to the Razorback game out on the Atlantic.

“At night sometimes I got really lonely. I was never really afraid out there, but I missed my wife and kids. There was one night when the winds kicked up to first fifteen, eighteen and then twenty-two knots. I was on watch. I could hear the wind whipping. We were trying to cut the engine as much as possible.

This boat tended to sail upwind, so the winds were coming to the right. You want to sail into the wind, but not directly. We hit that sweet spot and I could feel the speed pick up and I could feel it throttle us forward. That was worth the whole trip.”

In the end, the captain decided to drop out of the race. The fuel supply was low and more storms were brewing. St. Thomas was too far away, so the crew headed for Bermuda. They had been sailing since two in the afternoon on Friday. They hit land at two the following Thursday.

For all his wanderlust, his favorite place is still at home. He and his wife Elizabeth, who will both turn forty on the same day this month, schedule their days around one event. They take their children to school together, every day. No matter what.

But one day the kids will leave home. So he plans ahead. He will sail around the world, bringing back stories of faraway places, of nights so black the stars are the only map he has to follow. It’s all he’ll need, he says, a good boat, his wife at his side, and the sea.

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@image and recipe Jeromy Price

2 cups Seattle’s Best cinnamon coffee 3 Tbs. half & half 3 Tbs. Torani French vanilla 2 Tbs. caramel Whipped cream for garnish

1.5 oz cherry vodka

4 oz ginger ale

— splash of grenadine

1 cherry for garnish

Combine ingredients and stir thoroughly Garnish with whipped cream Drizzle with additional caramel

@image and recipe Catherine Frederick

Mix ingredients in a glass filled with ice and garnish with a cherry.

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@TASTE

To some people – OK, let’s get real – to most people, hot chocolate is a chalky, pale powder you mix with hot water (or hot milk if you’re feeling especially decadent) to form a thin, runny drink that, if you think real hard and squint your eyes just right, kinda tastes like chocolate. Mmmm… Delicious dipotassium

phosphate…

monoglycerides…

corn

syrup…

hydrogenated

coconut

oil… and those funky white chunks they call marshmallows… Mainstream, instant hot chocolate has become a mere shadow of its thicker, richer, REALER former self. Not to worry: I’m bringin’ sexy hot chocolate back.

But first, a quick history lesson. Versions of hot chocolate date as far back as the Maya, roughly 2,000 years ago. Their rendition of the drink consisted of cocoa bean paste mixed with cornmeal, chili peppers and water, and was poured back and forth between two pots until a frothy, foamy drink formed. In fifteenth century Central America, the Aztecs adopted the cacao plant into their culture and developed Xocolatl, a drink made with cocoa beans, vanilla, chili peppers and super-bitter achiote. Because sugar had yet to make it to the Americas, @recipe & im

ages Laura Hobbs

Xocolatl was an…um, acquired taste.

After slaying the Aztecs in the sixteenth century, Hernan Cortes returned to Spain and brought chocolate back with him as a so-called souvenir. Over the next centuries, chocolate

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@TASTE gained popularity in Europe, people figured out it was tastier with milk and sugar, the Dutch figured out how to make it into powder, the English figured

Hot Chocolate (serves 4 – 6)

Mega-abridged history lesson over.

When it comes to hot chocolate, I’m a purist. I don’t

Whipped Cream

out how to make it into a bar, the Spanish started making those dang good churros, the French came up with these great things called marshmallows, and badda bing, hot chocolate became what it is today.

want cinnamon. I don’t want mint. I don’t want chili. Heck, I don’t even want alcohol! I want the bare-bones basics of milk, chocolate, sugar, and some sweetened whipped cream to top the whole thing off. For my rendition, I began by heating up a blend of whole milk and half and half to just below a simmer. Off the heat, I added an equal parts mixture of dark chocolate and milk chocolate, a little sugar and some vanilla to deepen the flavor. After a brisk whisk, I got to work on my whipped cream.

As I mention in the recipe, super cold ingredients are essential to a high volume, perfectly-peaked whipped cream. Be sure that your heavy cream is cold, and stick your mixing bowl and your beaters in the freezer for about ten minutes before you whip the cream. Heck, even stick your sugar in the freezer. About halfway

4 cups whole milk 1 cup half & half 4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped 4 oz. milk chocolate, chopped 2 tbs. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream 1 tbs. powdered sugar

In a saucepan, heat the milk and half and half over medium heat until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan and the mixture is steaming. Remove from the heat and add the chocolates, sugar and vanilla, whisking vigorously to combine. Gently reheat over medium low heat, being careful not to boil, and serve with whipped cream.

To whip the cream*, beat the heavy cream on high in the bowl of a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer. When the cream is almost done, add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes total. *Cold ingredients are best for whipping cream. Be sure the heavy cream is very cold, and put the bowl, the mixer attachments and the sugar in the freezer for a few minutes before whipping.

through the whipping, add the sugar to the cream; if you add the sugar too early, the volume won’t be as great. A little pinch of salt helps, too.

Enjoy!

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@story Todd Whetstine @images Wild Woods Photography

46

@DESTINATION

L

ake Catherine State Park was built in the early 1930s and became a state park in 1935. It was one of the masterpieces

built by the CCC (Civil Conservation Corps). As the men, who were working as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, cleared the land and built the rustic cabins, they no doubt imagined families enjoying the wonderful new park in Arkansas.

But the military stepped in, voicing its own needs, and for a time, during the 1940s, the park became a POW camp for the captured forces of German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, whom you might recognize from your history classes. Late in the war, Rommel was linked to the rebels within the German ranks, who plotted to overthrow Hitler.

While in custody in Arkansas, Rommel’s POWs built several stone walls, as well as steps and walkways. There is a spot by the steps you can see where a prisoner inscribed “PW ’45.”

Over the years many visitors have talked about coming out to the camp to see the prisoners play baseball.

But the park’s history can be traced even farther back. The land

prime real estate for roaming. Three trails with different lengths

was once owned by Harvey Couch, who had a dream of building

and skill levels give hikers plenty of choices. The trails total ten

a hydro-electric dam. The dam was finished and Lake Catherine

miles, ranging from two and a half to four miles in length. One

was commissioned in 1924. Remmell Dam is still providing

trailhead, located inside the park, provides access for all three

power for area residents.

trails. A word of warning here: make sure you keep a close eye on your kids on the trails and keep them safe. You don’t want

Today, Lake Catherine State Park offers forty-five AAA campsites

them hurrying ahead where you can’t see them.

with fifty amp power, water, and sewer. This will be handy for the folks cruising in the big RVs. And if you’re looking for a heated

You can also catch fish straight from your campsite. Once

(or air conditioned once summer hits) cabin, Lake Catherine has

you’ve caught your fill, there are fire rings and grills for cooking.

you covered. Eighteen original cabins, built by the CCC, are still

During the summer months the marina offers boat rentals.

in service.

Party barges, fishing boats, motors, fuel and bait are available.

Canoes, kayaks, water bikes and pedal boats can also be rented

This densely forested park provides visitors with 2,240 acres of

at the marina.

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@DESTINATION

adults learn the footprints of critters that live in the park. Other fun activities include guided hikes, scenic lake cruises, nature talks, and demonstrations. Special programs include Wildflower Walks, Fall Foilage Tours, and Eagle Awareness activities.

Groups can also request tours in advance to accommodate their particular interests.

For those looking for a unique place to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Lake Catherine is the natural choice. Check to see if they have room for you in one of the cabins that line the gorgeous shores of Lake Catherine. Now is a great time to see the state They even rent camps and yurts for people that don’t have all the gear. The rent-a-camp provides campers with a 9x12 tent with a wood floor, a lantern, a two-burner stove, a table and a grill. All you’ll need to bring is food and sleeping bags.

The yurt is a round tent with three bunk beds, lanterns, a stove, a table and chairs, and a wood floor. There are electric outlets inside. During the winter you may want your own portable heater.

park, since the cabins can book up two years ahead of time during the summer.

I’ve traveled this state for years checking out the great state park system Arkansas has to offer. I’ve seen many of these historic CCC-built sites, and this is one of the most stunning. Take the picturesque three hour drive from Fort Smith and see for yourself why this park has become my new favorite place to camp.

It can get pretty cold when the temperatures drop below forty.

A beach and swimming area offer relief during the warmer months. There is also a very large picnic area with grills, water, restrooms, and a covered pavilion within walking distance of the beach.

Families will enjoy a large variety of interpretive programs. A nature cabin by the beach has exhibits containing clues to the park’s past. During the warmer months, the snake programs are most popular. Kids at the snake shows get to handle nonpoisonous snakes indigenous to the park. Another popular program is the tracking program. This is where children and

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For more on Lake Catherine State Park, log on to arkansasstateparks.com/lakecatherine or call 501-844-4176.

EXHIBIT On Tuesday, February 21, at 7 p.m. Todd is having a slide show presentation of his nature photography at the Fort Smith Library, at 3201 Rogers Avenue. You’ll have a chance to meet Todd, ask questions, and see a collection of his wonderful work.

Read Chair Publishing, LLC 3811 Rogers Avenue Suite C Fort Smith, Arkansas 72903