Dispatch From The Edge Of The Universe

It was already dark by the time I arrived at this old rice dryer in the Arkansas Delta. I tried to set up the camera in the dark, in the hopes of not attracting the attention of any of the millions of mosquitoes, gnats and other assorted creepy crawlies out there. But it was all for naught, as they all descended as soon as I left the safety of the car. I drenched myself with bug spray, which helped for a bit. The bugs hovered about an inch or two from my face, searching for any chinks in the bug spray armor.

It took me awhile to find the right spot to set up the camera and to get everything in focus. The mosquitoes were beginning to renew their attack so I sprayed myself with bug spray again, and then the air around me. I felt like a middle-school kid trying to put on cologne before his first dance, but it did the trick. The bugs seemed to drift away and avoid me (much like the girls at those middle school dances). I set the camera to start taking pictures, which it would continuously do for the next two hours. I then used the flashlight to shine on the old rice dryer, trying to illuminate it for the pictures. The beam of light from the flashlight did hit the old dryer, but it also caught the multitude of bugs hanging in the air. In the light, they looked like snowflakes in a blizzard.

There wasn't anyone else around, except for a few cars that would drive along the nearby road. But there was some sort of critter or creature that lurked in the old rice dryer. I could hear it scampering about in the night. I retreated back to the car, where I sat for two hours while the camera clicked away and took about 225 pictures. When it was time, I walked out amongst the bugs and gathered the camera and tripod and then headed home.

This is the final result. There is a little bit of light pollution (from the Stuttgart metroplex). And also a bright line of orange, which looks like a rocket taking off but it is actually the moon rising over the horizon.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

If you were to drive out from North Little Rock along Hwy. 70, you would pass by a few massive warehouses (for Amazon and Dollar General). And then you are quickly deposited into the flat lands of the Delta. Massive farms stretch out on both sides of the road, growing everything from soybeans to minnows. I was driving out that way the other day, and spotted this little smiley face painted on the side of a water tank. It was getting late, and light from the setting sun flooded the background of the picture.

Still Standing

You can't help but wonder why certain places have been left empty and abandoned. Why did people leave this home behind, why did they shut that door for the last time? When this old house was built, the road nearby must have been a rough dirt road. Over the roads that road was paved, and is now a busy four-lane highway. The roar of traffic echoes against the quiet old house.

Dust In The Wind

You see houses like this all across the Ozark Mountains. Built decades ago, but now empty and abandoned. The metal roof has turned orange with rust, the wooden siding turned gray by time and weather. The people moved out long ago, for whatever reason. Now a few different critters have snuck in to claim the space for themselves.



The old house sits along an unpaved road, close enough that the dust that is kicked up by passing cars or trucks have coated the porch with a thick layer of dirt and grime. An old chair also sits on the porch, one that perhaps used to be the favorite spot of an old granny who would sit and watch the cars or time pass by. They are gone but the chair remains, covered with a layer of dust like a blanket.





After taking a few pictures I headed back to the car and drove off, kicking off more dust that silently drifted over and settled on the old house.

Living On The Edge

It's kinda weird to be envious of a tree, but I'm a bit jealous of this old Ashe's Juniper tree. It has managed to snag an amazing spot along a bluff, about 250 feet above the Buffalo River. Its roots have dug into the limestone bluff. Its trunks curve and twist, stretching out towards the river. Perhaps it is straining to get a better view of the river, which on this visit had a decent amount of water in it despite the lack of rain this summer. I wish I could always have a view like this, especially on those days when I have to go into the office and have a view of a cubicle walls.