Rockbridge Fun

One of our favorite places for a short day trip is an old mill site located about 25 miles north of the Arkansas border.  The Rockbridge Rainbow Trout and Game Ranch has a post office, restaurant, mill lounge and trout fishing.  We introduced Husband's first cousin (that is his father's twin sister's daughter for those that do not know how to figure cousins Missouri style) to the old mill location a few years ago.  It has become one of those things we do when First Cousin comes to visit ever since then.  And First Cousin is visiting this week.  Today we feasted on smoked trout, dill laced cream cheese and wheat thins.  Yum.

Cousins at Rockbridge Mill

But Rockbridge is more than just food for me.  Rockbridge is a setting that is a celebration of the simplicity of Ozark life.  The beauty of the hills that are really gullies cut into a plateau, according to geologists.  Clear, cool streams that flow fast enough to run grist mills in the past century.  Streams cold enough to support trout.  A diversity in vegetation that allows for stunning colors most fall seasons.  Today was our farewell trip to Rockbridge.  First Cousin is visiting so it was a must do as the moving van will pull up to our home in 22 days.

Anglers working the honey hole for trout as we enjoyed the early fall day.

Husband brought me to this hilly, curvy road and cold winter land from the flatlands north of Dallas, Texas.  The first few years the hills and trees were almost claustrophobic to me.  He loved driving fast on the curves and I would get motion sickness.  My light weight cape was replaced with substantial coats, gloves, hats, scarves and mud/snow boots.  I have grown to love the area.  After living here for 38 years, raising our son, making friends, burying loved ones, this Texas transplant is finding a pretty deep tap root to the area.  Roots that reach to those friends with whom we have gone through the best and the worst of times together.  Roots that reach into the rocky soil in the form of trees, shrubs, flowers and even houses we planted.  Roots that include churches, businesses, careers and the folks those activities have touched.

A former live Christmas tree from about 1998.

London Planar tree planted to replace
red maple destroyed in 2007 ice storm.

Tomorrow we will take First Cousin to another touchstone for our family.  A touchstone that has been a part of my husband's family since 1870, the Adcock homeplace.  That means Husband's taproot is going to be feeling some major tugs tomorrow.  There will be pictures of the home place, a visit to an uncle.  The uncle that helped us move furniture into our first home in Missouri 38 years ago this Thanksgiving.  That retired Air Force sergeant that was a crew member for planes in the Berlin air lift is in assisted living these days.  There will probably be tears tomorrow.  And there will be 21 days till the moving van backs up to our door.