By Mark Buckley
Through My Eyes
Recently, Geneva and I traveled to Arkansas to get away from the hustle and bustle of owning a business. We journeyed to Arkansas and the beautiful Buffalo River. It always feels like we are traveling back in time, as its high bluffs, clear water, and fresh pine air are reminders of simpler times. The cabin we stay in is owned by Uncle Sam and built during the depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps. You can see the plane marks in the wood they cut and milled. Their craftmanship in the stone they quarried and laid for generations to enjoy. Those young men left their legacy for future generations to experience.
As I sat on our porch reading and enjoying the scenery, I noticed something missing: flies and mosquitoes. You see, there are caves high in the river’s bluffs filled with bats that eat mosquitoes, and for the flies, the brown swallows take care of them. Something else is missing: the noise of city life. No phone, no TV, no radio, and spotty cell phone service. I know many of you would miss this, but for Geneva and I, it is like Heaven. It allows us to listen to the Carolina wren outside our kitchen window or sit on our porch and watch the deer walk peacefully by.
Don’t think there is not a lot to do. We play Parcheesi, cards, Yahtzee, and checkers, build puzzles, and just hold hands. There is nothing more enjoyable than sitting and holding the hand of the one you love as the sun rises and the forest awakens from its night’s slumber. When we were younger, we would adventure down the river in a canoe. At one point in our lives, we were considered experienced and skilled canoers.
Friends and food are not far away. We have come to this same park and same cabin for so long that we have made many lifelong friends. Just the other evening, we traveled to Fred’s Catfish Restaurant to enjoy a delicious meal with Jimmy and Cinna, the tomato people. Jimmy goes to El Dorado, Ark., every June to pick up hundreds of boxes of delicious tomatoes to sell to the local residents. This year, he sold over 400 cases of tomatoes to a county of just over 3,000 people. That is how we met the Donaldsons some 15+ years ago, we stopped by their tomato stand and made our first purchase.
John, who owns the local comic book store, is a must stop. I trade him comic books for Star Wars action figures and other vintage toys. We visit, and he tells us the latest Yellville gossip. His wife, Carla, is the county clerk, so he gets his news from a reliable source. We always purchase the latest copy of the Mountain Echo to see who was born, married, or died that week. It is filled with fabulous news about who has the largest tomato, where the skunks are running loose and who caught the largest fish.
Larry Davenport and his family ran the Buffalo River Point cabins and restaurant. For over 30 years, we heard stories of his fishing adventures as we watched his children grow into strong, hardworking adults. The restaurant is on the top of one of the highest bluffs, with a fabulous view of the beautiful river below. Arina (the chef) always gave me extra grits with my breakfast, because she knew Geneva would not make them for me “back home”. Larry retired and the restaurant is not the same without his husky southern voice, smile and stories. The new owners are from Oklahoma.
We love going to the cabin each year, seeing the deer, and visiting with friends, but there is no place like home, and it feels great to be back in Hutchinson.
Mark Buckley is the president of Toy Depot. He can be reached at 620-474-6100.