Critter Alley

Critter Alley

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Memorial Weekend-Instant Replay





A couple of dozen of our best friends and Memorial weekend on the Saint Francis.  Here are a few of my favorite moments:


















Fishing is always a popular activity.


















What a whopper of a catch!

















Oops! On closer inspection, maybe not so much.

















We discovered this strange prehistoric beast on a granite perch.






















After day moved into night, a potato gun war broke out. Heads up, all ye enemies across the river!






















One sad little face, begging to be released from tent jail. Not to worry, she got to join the party later.

And it was a weekend to remember for another reason, too.

Though I have no photos (cameras and water don't mix), one of the weekend's highlights came on Sunday. The river was high and fast, so we floated the rapids. When we arrived in a calm area of the river a shout rang out,

"Bald eagle!"

I looked up and sure enough, a bald eagle flew about thirty yards overhead.  He circled above us several times as though trying to figure out why we were disturbing his afternoon meal hunt.

We gazed at the majestic bird, while he glided through the air for several minutes, until he dipped, swayed, and moved far away, becoming a tiny speck in the sky that finally disappeared from view.

We don't often see eagles on the St. Francis, so it couldn't have been more exciting to get the opportunity on Memorial weekend. This symbol of our nation is an amazing reminder of our country's freedoms and of those who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free. What a privilege!  

I can only hope that you had a weekend every bit as awesome as ours!

22 comments:

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

Khool!

Having seen them a few times, it is something you never forget!

Khyra's Mom

Life With Dogs said...

It was a great weekend - but no potato guns! :(

Linda O'Connell said...

Sounds like a fun-filled weekend. When our family gets together it usually ends up not in a potato gun fight, but a water fight, and my husband, Grandpa is always the instigator. Ah, but the laughter and memories for the youngest generation.

Donna Volkenannt said...

Great photos, Pat. I love float trips. Missouri is such a scenic state.
Spuds and suds--it doesn't get much better than that.
Donna

Sketching with Dogs said...

Glad you had such a good time on your Memorial weekend. Glad your friend was released from prison eventually!
Wags, Dip Bridge and Elliot xx

Cheryl, Indiana, Shingo and Molly said...

Sounds like you all had a Pawsome holiday!!

Woofs and Kisses!
The Fiesty Three

Mack and Mia said...

Potato guns?! Does that thing shoot french fries into your mouth!

Looks like you guys all had an awesome sauce time!

Wags and woofs,
Mack and Mia

The 'splorin' Wolfies said...

oh what a great time! that is my kind of post!

The Strawberry Mallard said...

What a beautiful and peaceful way to spend Memorial Day Weekend!
Great fishing.......I am VERY envious!
N, G-dog & Beckarooooooooo

Tammy said...

Wow--great pictures again! Loved the driftwood one. Glad to see you had great weather!

Ryker said...

Wow, never heard of a potato gun!
Looks like you had a fantastic weekend. Bet Indy and Bogey are glad to have you back home.

Lynn said...

Nice photos and that is the coolest piece of driftwood!

Two French Bulldogs said...

Wow, that sure does llok like lots of fun. Something is pretty fishy (BOL) about that fish...
Benny & Lily

Taffy said...

Are you telling me that is the same fish in both pics? Hmmm....are you trying to confuse us pups? Glad you had a great weekend. Mom said she has never seen an eagle but would love to.
Snuggles,
Twix

Unknown said...

You brought a grin to my face with the pic of big fish, little fish. What a wonderful way to spend the holiday!

Marlene

The Adventures of the LLB Gang said...

How wonderful...I can just imagine how beautiful that must have been. The closest I have come to that is seeing a whale shark while diving...It is truly amazing the spiritual feeling of catching a glimpse of a rare species!

little princess Luna~ said...

my daddi loves camping and doing outdoor stuff like what you dids~! he liked your post a lot~!! :)
potatoe guns?? intersting. ;)

xo,
luna

An English Shepherd said...

What a great trip :-)

Wizz

Brandon - The dog with a blog said...

Aww, what a cute fish!

Anonymous said...

The lil' face in the tent and the potato war reminded me of my back yard. Mine's the lil' face behind the screen and my neighbors are the ones hitting golf balls into my back yard (those can really hurt me you know). Fun times! Miss you...
Twinkie

ocmist said...

How AWESOME!!! Sounds like a great weekend... Grammy LOVES fishing she says, but we've never gone. Grammy thinks that seeing that eagle on that special day was "truly AWESOME!" as she put it. She says she's only seen a real one once, and actually it was two and they were fishing and far away. She had binoculars to see them a bit closer with.

BECKY said...

Awesome! I'm so happy for you that you had a great weekend!