WEBVTT - Ep. 135: THIS COUNTRY LIFE - Swimming Holes

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to this country Life. I'm your host, Brent Reeves

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<v Speaker 1>from coon hunting to trot lining and just general country living.

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<v Speaker 1>I want you to stay a while as I share

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<v Speaker 1>my stories and the country skills that will help you

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<v Speaker 1>beat the system. This Country Life is proudly presented as

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<v Speaker 1>part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network, bringing you the best

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<v Speaker 1>outdoor podcast the airways have to offer. All right, friends,

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<v Speaker 1>pull you up a chair or drop that tailgate. I

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<v Speaker 1>think I got a thing or two to teach you.

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<v Speaker 1>Swimming holes. For me, it was an afternoon activity when

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<v Speaker 1>the chores were done, or if I was hot and

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<v Speaker 1>happened to be conveniently close to enough water to get

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<v Speaker 1>in creeks, ponds, lakes in the river where the swimming

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<v Speaker 1>pools of my youth and a swimming party could break out.

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<v Speaker 1>It just about it any time during one of any

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<v Speaker 1>adventures or fishing trips me and my friends found ourselves

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<v Speaker 1>involved in. I'm going to tell you all about them,

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<v Speaker 1>what constitutes a good swimming hole, and why they're imported.

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<v Speaker 1>But first I'm going to tell you a story. It

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<v Speaker 1>was towards the end of the work week in the summertime,

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<v Speaker 1>and as was our routine, my Dad and I were

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<v Speaker 1>down to Mount Albill on the Slaine River. We were

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<v Speaker 1>spending the night and it caught a mess of fish

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<v Speaker 1>that morning, cleaned and fixed them for dinner. Remember that's

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<v Speaker 1>the noon meal down here. We were stated at Uncle

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<v Speaker 1>Dobb in ain't Avis's camp. Now, let me unpack that

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<v Speaker 1>for you. Uncle Dob wasn't actually related to me, and

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<v Speaker 1>neither was ain't Abvis. DoD wasn't even his real name.

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<v Speaker 1>His actual name was Troy Alvin Matthew Atkins, and I

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<v Speaker 1>have no idea where that nickname came from. I'm sure

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<v Speaker 1>it's a good story, and if I ever find out,

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<v Speaker 1>I'll let y'all know. Anyway, he married ain't Avis Irene

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<v Speaker 1>Fry about one hundred years ago. They were close family

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<v Speaker 1>friends of my family, whose land had join one another,

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<v Speaker 1>and had been neighbors since my dad was a baby.

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<v Speaker 1>We were all very close, as most neighbors were back then,

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<v Speaker 1>but ain't Avis's family. The Fries had a camp on

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<v Speaker 1>the river that was built high off the ground on

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<v Speaker 1>poles in the nineteen fifties. In nineteen sixty eight, six

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<v Speaker 1>Fry family members, including in laws like Uncle Dob, poonted

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<v Speaker 1>up one hundred and twenty five dollars each to buy

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<v Speaker 1>this camp. That's seven hundred and fifty dollars, and that's

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<v Speaker 1>equal to about sixty five hundred today. But I'll tell you,

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<v Speaker 1>for the members made there and are still being made there,

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<v Speaker 1>it would have been a bargain at any price. It

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<v Speaker 1>gives me a lot of joy to say that the

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<v Speaker 1>Fry family still owns it, along with my whole family

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<v Speaker 1>spent countless hours and nights down there, hunting, fishing, and

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<v Speaker 1>just visiting with one another. The boat ramp that is

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<v Speaker 1>an easy stones throwaway would eventually be named after my dad,

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<v Speaker 1>and both places were the jumping off spot or the

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<v Speaker 1>rally point for many expeditions involving our family. While we

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<v Speaker 1>usually had several representatives of each family there, on this

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<v Speaker 1>occasion it was just me and Dad. We'd gotten there

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<v Speaker 1>the night before and was on the river just after

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<v Speaker 1>daylight fishing for our dinner, and like I said, we'd

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<v Speaker 1>done pretty good, so good in fact, that while we

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<v Speaker 1>were eating, Dad said he'd take me down to the

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<v Speaker 1>swimming hole, which was a half a mile down the

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<v Speaker 1>river after we finished eating, cleaning up, and resting for

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<v Speaker 1>a spell. I knew that meant taking a nap. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't remember exactly how old I was, but I was

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<v Speaker 1>in elementary school and rest to me back then was

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<v Speaker 1>slowing down enough to catch my breath and get a

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<v Speaker 1>drink of water. It dang sure didn't involve anything that

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<v Speaker 1>took over five minutes, especially a nap. Plus, it was

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<v Speaker 1>hot and I loved to swim in the river. When

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<v Speaker 1>the river was right. That shoal that formed a swimming

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<v Speaker 1>hole gradually sloped upward as you motored toward it downriver,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was shaded in the afternoon along our side,

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<v Speaker 1>with a nice sandy bank and a sandbar to sit

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<v Speaker 1>and play on. It was impossible for me to stay

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<v Speaker 1>out of it, and many times when we made our

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<v Speaker 1>way through there fishing, I just up and bail out

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<v Speaker 1>of the boat. Dad would pull up on the bank

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<v Speaker 1>in the shade and join me, or just let me

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<v Speaker 1>swim awhile before we carried on fishing again. I couldn't wait.

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<v Speaker 1>What better way the top of the morning to catching fish,

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<v Speaker 1>cleaning and eating a belly full of them than by

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<v Speaker 1>cooling off in the swimming hole. There were muscles to

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<v Speaker 1>be dug and open looking for pearls. Tracks on the

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<v Speaker 1>sandbar to be identified and talked about, and flat rocks

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<v Speaker 1>to skip. I didn't have time for a nap, but

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<v Speaker 1>no argument I made was going to work. So after

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<v Speaker 1>the kitchen was cleaned, we headed off to the sleeping room.

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<v Speaker 1>We left the kitchen and walked through the original bedroom

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<v Speaker 1>and passed the bathroom and into the sleeping room, both

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<v Speaker 1>of which had been added in nineteen seventy four from

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<v Speaker 1>lumber scraps from a family member's old home place that

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<v Speaker 1>had been built in the eighteen hundreds. Lots of history

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<v Speaker 1>in that structure. I was about to add some more.

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<v Speaker 1>When you walked into the sleeping room, there was a

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<v Speaker 1>big bed on the right, perpendicular to you as you entered,

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<v Speaker 1>in bunks against the far walls. In front of those bunks,

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<v Speaker 1>aimed at the bed was a big, industrial sized two

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and twenty volt metal fan, like the kind you'd

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<v Speaker 1>see in a chicken house. I wonder where it came from, anyway.

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<v Speaker 1>It was housed in and a square wooden frame that

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<v Speaker 1>sat on the floor like a humongous box fan, and

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<v Speaker 1>when you turned it on, it could literally blow the

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<v Speaker 1>hat off your head or cut it off along with

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<v Speaker 1>your head if you happen to poke either in through

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<v Speaker 1>the backside where there wasn't any chicken wire to keep

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<v Speaker 1>you out of it. There wasn't any air conditioning back there,

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<v Speaker 1>so the windows were up, letting what air was turning

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<v Speaker 1>outside in through the screens. And there may have been

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<v Speaker 1>a few mosquitoes buzzing around in there, but a bald

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<v Speaker 1>eagle couldn't have made any headway against the wind generated

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<v Speaker 1>by that fan. We stripped down to our boxers, and

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<v Speaker 1>he put me on the fan side so I could

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<v Speaker 1>feel the air. Buddy Reeves and Buddy Reeves two point

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<v Speaker 1>zero laying down on top of the sheets on that

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<v Speaker 1>big old bed, but only one of us was looking

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<v Speaker 1>forward to that nap. Dad, let's go swimming. We'll go directly,

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<v Speaker 1>lay down and go to sleep. I ain't sleepy, Hush, now,

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<v Speaker 1>close your eyes. I laid down and closed him, But

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<v Speaker 1>all I could see was that swimming hole. I stared

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<v Speaker 1>at the ceiling. I stared out the window. I checked

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<v Speaker 1>the clock on the table. I stared at the ceiling

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<v Speaker 1>some more. I watched the leaves in the trees out

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<v Speaker 1>the window, barely moving against the wind. It felt like

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<v Speaker 1>three hours had passed. When I checked the clock again,

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<v Speaker 1>and I was disappointed, realizing it ain't been fifteen minutes.

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<v Speaker 1>Time travel slow for a boy wanting to go outside.

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<v Speaker 1>I stared back at the ceiling, and then I heard

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<v Speaker 1>my dad snore a little bit. I looked at him,

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<v Speaker 1>and I saw how easy and rhythmic he was breathing. Man,

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<v Speaker 1>that's the good sleep, the sleep that you wake up

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<v Speaker 1>from feeling fresh and happy, the kind that I look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to now, But at that time it was standing

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<v Speaker 1>in the way of me going swimming. Now, what happened

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<v Speaker 1>next can only be described as an out of body experience.

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<v Speaker 1>I can see it now, played out of my head,

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<v Speaker 1>like those folks that die in the operating room and

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<v Speaker 1>see themselves above everything that's going on, only to realize

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<v Speaker 1>that it's not their time to go, and suddenly they're

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<v Speaker 1>backing their body, conscious and looking around with an incredible

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<v Speaker 1>story to tell. I watched my dad sleeping so peacefully,

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<v Speaker 1>his farmer tan arms were brown as biscuits compared to

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<v Speaker 1>his belly that was as white as the sheets we

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<v Speaker 1>were laid on, and I wondered, I wondered how hard

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<v Speaker 1>I'd had to punch him in the belly to get

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<v Speaker 1>my fist in there. Up to my elbow. Now, for

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<v Speaker 1>the life of me, I have no idea where that

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<v Speaker 1>thought came from or the gumption I had to find out.

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<v Speaker 1>I slowly raised up, making sure I didn't wake him up.

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<v Speaker 1>The racket from the fan had drowned out any squeaks

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<v Speaker 1>from the bed spring, and he was comatose. I clearly

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<v Speaker 1>remember bawling up my fist and looking at it, and

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<v Speaker 1>then looking at his belly, and decided on whether or

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<v Speaker 1>not I should do it. His arms and legs shot

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<v Speaker 1>straight up like a dying roach, and his eyes bugged

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<v Speaker 1>out of his head like Yosemite SAMs did whenever bugs

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<v Speaker 1>Bunny dropped an anvil on his foot. I knocked all

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<v Speaker 1>the wind out of him, and it took him several

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<v Speaker 1>gups of air for him to start breathing again. I

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<v Speaker 1>still don't know why I did it, but I knew

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<v Speaker 1>the safest place I could be at that point of

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<v Speaker 1>my life was anywhere he wasn't. And when my feet

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<v Speaker 1>hit the floor, I was running as fast as I

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<v Speaker 1>possibly could, and regretting the decision I'd considered a good

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<v Speaker 1>idea just a while ago. I didn't even make it

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<v Speaker 1>out of the room before he hemmed me up. There

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<v Speaker 1>was no escape, and I realized right then and there

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<v Speaker 1>that my daddy was going to kill me, and I

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<v Speaker 1>deserved it. He said, boy, I told you to lay

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<v Speaker 1>down and go to sleep. I beat him to the

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<v Speaker 1>bed and I jumped over next to the wall so

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<v Speaker 1>he'd be on the fan side where it was coolest.

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<v Speaker 1>It was the least I could do. He didn't whoop me.

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<v Speaker 1>He laid down, and after a minute I squeaked out,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sorry. Dad. He reached over and patted me on

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<v Speaker 1>the arm and said, close your eyes, and I did.

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<v Speaker 1>In about an hour, he woke me up and he

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<v Speaker 1>took me swimming, just like he said he would. Swimming

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<v Speaker 1>holes sometimes they'll make you lose your mind. So if

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<v Speaker 1>you're wondering about up to my wrist, that's how far

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<v Speaker 1>it got in his belly. It all happened pretty fast,

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<v Speaker 1>but that's just how it happened. Now. What makes a

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<v Speaker 1>good swimming hole, really all you need is a body

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<v Speaker 1>of water big enough to crawl into. But just like

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<v Speaker 1>anything else, some are just better than others. There was

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<v Speaker 1>a small creek that ran through and along the northern

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<v Speaker 1>edge of our farm. It was a magical place that

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<v Speaker 1>was spring fed and where we'd cleaned out our swimming hole,

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<v Speaker 1>and that water was cold as a steel wedge. In

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<v Speaker 1>the heat of the summer. There were big vines hanging

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<v Speaker 1>from the trees, and we cut them with a hatchet

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<v Speaker 1>or a pocket knife and swung from one side to

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<v Speaker 1>the other until we pulled them slap out of the tree,

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<v Speaker 1>which never seemed to happen anywhere but when you were midstream,

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<v Speaker 1>especially if you weren't planning on swimming that day and

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<v Speaker 1>just trying to cross the creek. Todd and Bob rode

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<v Speaker 1>the same school bus that I did, and Bob lived

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<v Speaker 1>just over a quarter of a mile from it, but

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<v Speaker 1>Tod was almost four miles away by the road, but

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<v Speaker 1>we knew it short cut through the woods along some

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<v Speaker 1>old lanes and forgotten roads and trails that made it

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<v Speaker 1>a little over a mile and a mile that wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>no step for a stepper. We worked several days on

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<v Speaker 1>a swimming hole below what we called goat House Hill.

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<v Speaker 1>And before I was born, my and Paul raised goats

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<v Speaker 1>along with chickens and cows, and he had built a

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<v Speaker 1>house for them to stay in. My mama talked about

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<v Speaker 1>the goats climbing all over that structure, and it was

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<v Speaker 1>all gone by the time I started making tracks over there,

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<v Speaker 1>but the name remained. Below the hill where the goats

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<v Speaker 1>used to be was a creek, and where we'd made

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<v Speaker 1>our swimming hole, getting the big rocks out and keeping

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<v Speaker 1>it clean from sticks and broken vines. We were all

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<v Speaker 1>three knocking around the barn one summer day, and my

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<v Speaker 1>grandpa told me that he'd give us a dollar if

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<v Speaker 1>we could find a cow that was missing. Thirty three

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<v Speaker 1>and the third cents each was incentive enough, so off

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<v Speaker 1>we went. We played and looked forward and called that cow,

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<v Speaker 1>but couldn't find her, and eventually we wound up down

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<v Speaker 1>by the swimming hole below goat House hill. Well, we

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<v Speaker 1>might as well go in swimming since we're here, so

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<v Speaker 1>we peeled off our clothes and before Khaki lickors behind

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<v Speaker 1>in the creek, we went chunking mud and laughing and playing,

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<v Speaker 1>and I don't know how long we'd been swimming when

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<v Speaker 1>Todd asked, what's that smell? Now? I hadn't smelled it

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<v Speaker 1>until he said something, but when he did, it was

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<v Speaker 1>unmistakable to anyone that had ever smelled a dead cow.

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<v Speaker 1>We started slipping up the creek. Against the current, all

0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:22.320
<v Speaker 1>naked is the day we were born. In thirty yards

0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:25.360
<v Speaker 1>around a short bend in the creek, we found our

0:13:25.440 --> 0:13:29.640
<v Speaker 1>cow deader than disco, laying in the creek we were

0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:33.000
<v Speaker 1>standing in and only moments before, had been swimming in

0:13:33.160 --> 0:13:35.760
<v Speaker 1>up to our ears. We took off out of there

0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:38.880
<v Speaker 1>like we'd see a monster, grabbed our clothes, climbed out

0:13:38.920 --> 0:13:42.160
<v Speaker 1>on the bank, got dressed, and took off for higher ground.

0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:45.560
<v Speaker 1>We found my grandpa and told him where the cow was.

0:13:45.800 --> 0:13:47.760
<v Speaker 1>He didn't even ask why all our hair was wet.

0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:50.439
<v Speaker 1>I'm sure he probably knew, but he gave us each

0:13:50.480 --> 0:13:53.559
<v Speaker 1>a dollar, which was a pleasant surprise and wiped all

0:13:53.640 --> 0:13:57.240
<v Speaker 1>that trauma away that we'd just been through. After all

0:13:57.320 --> 0:13:59.920
<v Speaker 1>that work we did cleaning and making that swimming hole,

0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:03.160
<v Speaker 1>we never went back to that spot. Swimming creeks and

0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:05.680
<v Speaker 1>swimming holes were a diamond dozen and it wasn't so

0:14:05.800 --> 0:14:09.760
<v Speaker 1>much the activity or the place that was imported, I

0:14:09.840 --> 0:14:12.480
<v Speaker 1>know now. It was the instance of our youth and

0:14:12.520 --> 0:14:15.319
<v Speaker 1>the joy we shared in a wholesome environment, just to

0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:18.400
<v Speaker 1>enjoying each other's company and having fun, whether we were

0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:29.160
<v Speaker 1>fishing in the water or swimming in Warren, Arkansas has

0:14:29.200 --> 0:14:32.800
<v Speaker 1>a ymcaight and a big swimming pool. At one time,

0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:35.800
<v Speaker 1>and it may still be it was the smallest community

0:14:35.840 --> 0:14:39.360
<v Speaker 1>in the nation that had such a facility. I'd get

0:14:39.400 --> 0:14:41.240
<v Speaker 1>a ride to town or stay at my grandma and

0:14:41.360 --> 0:14:44.080
<v Speaker 1>my grandpa's house in town and go in swimming with

0:14:44.160 --> 0:14:46.080
<v Speaker 1>my friends at the wye. But it just wasn't the

0:14:46.120 --> 0:14:49.640
<v Speaker 1>same as swimming in the country. In the country, we

0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:53.200
<v Speaker 1>allowed running on the bank, horseplay and peeling in the pool,

0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:57.000
<v Speaker 1>all activities that were frowned upon by the lifeguards at

0:14:57.000 --> 0:15:00.240
<v Speaker 1>the White ninety five percent of the time. And we

0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:02.440
<v Speaker 1>were swimming in the country. We were swimming in water

0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:05.280
<v Speaker 1>with current, and all you had to do was announce

0:15:05.320 --> 0:15:09.480
<v Speaker 1>your intentions and move away downstream from the crowd and

0:15:09.640 --> 0:15:12.880
<v Speaker 1>let it rip. I never got in a pool then,

0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:15.480
<v Speaker 1>or see one now that I don't look at it

0:15:15.480 --> 0:15:19.760
<v Speaker 1>as one big commode. Come on, Chlorine, do your thing now.

0:15:19.760 --> 0:15:23.120
<v Speaker 1>There are drawbacks to swimming in homemade swimming holes. A

0:15:23.240 --> 0:15:25.880
<v Speaker 1>time that comes to mind was with those same two

0:15:25.960 --> 0:15:28.520
<v Speaker 1>rascals that helped me find that dead cow, and we

0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:31.320
<v Speaker 1>met up with the intentions to go fishing in a

0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:35.640
<v Speaker 1>pond over next to Tod's grandpa's farm. It didn't belong

0:15:35.680 --> 0:15:38.040
<v Speaker 1>to any of us. We just helped the folks fishing

0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:40.640
<v Speaker 1>that did on it when they weren't around to tell

0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:44.400
<v Speaker 1>us no. Anyway, we made our way in the heat

0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:46.720
<v Speaker 1>of the day over to the small pond and we

0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:50.280
<v Speaker 1>started fishing. We noticed the turtle bobbing up and down

0:15:50.360 --> 0:15:52.600
<v Speaker 1>out in the middle, but we didn't think much about it,

0:15:52.640 --> 0:15:55.320
<v Speaker 1>except he stayed in the same place like he was

0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:59.040
<v Speaker 1>hung on something with a fish not biden. I decided

0:15:59.040 --> 0:16:01.640
<v Speaker 1>to swim out, catch that turtle and bring him up

0:16:01.640 --> 0:16:04.800
<v Speaker 1>on the bank to see what his problem was. So,

0:16:05.040 --> 0:16:08.000
<v Speaker 1>having been issued my birthday suit and swimming suit on

0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:11.000
<v Speaker 1>the same day in March in nineteen sixty six, I

0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:13.040
<v Speaker 1>got down to both of them and in the water,

0:16:13.160 --> 0:16:17.160
<v Speaker 1>I went like a country boy. Jacques Cousto, Todd and

0:16:17.200 --> 0:16:19.840
<v Speaker 1>Bob both had enough sense to wait on the bank

0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:22.960
<v Speaker 1>while I performed my mission to mercy on that bobing turtle,

0:16:23.720 --> 0:16:27.280
<v Speaker 1>and man, am I glad they did. I swam out

0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:30.000
<v Speaker 1>toward that turtle and was treading water within the arm's

0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:32.200
<v Speaker 1>reach of him when he bobbed back to the service

0:16:32.600 --> 0:16:34.520
<v Speaker 1>and I reached and grabbed him by the back of

0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:37.640
<v Speaker 1>the shell. He immediately tried to swim away from me,

0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:40.520
<v Speaker 1>but I was an expert turtle catcher and turned and

0:16:40.560 --> 0:16:43.760
<v Speaker 1>headed for the bank and Todd and Bob. I didn't

0:16:43.760 --> 0:16:45.840
<v Speaker 1>make it a foot when that turtle pulled me back

0:16:45.880 --> 0:16:48.040
<v Speaker 1>with a force that confused me. It felt like he

0:16:48.160 --> 0:16:51.240
<v Speaker 1>was tied to something. So I turned back towards him,

0:16:51.280 --> 0:16:53.240
<v Speaker 1>and I pulled him up out of the water, and

0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:55.640
<v Speaker 1>I saw he had a trot line hook in his mouth,

0:16:55.920 --> 0:16:59.320
<v Speaker 1>and I was swimming all around it. How I didn't

0:16:59.320 --> 0:17:02.560
<v Speaker 1>get hung up it myself and drowned was a true miracle.

0:17:02.880 --> 0:17:05.280
<v Speaker 1>I turned the turtle loose, and I yelled, it's a

0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:08.560
<v Speaker 1>trot line, and swam to the bank as fast as

0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:12.080
<v Speaker 1>I could. We found both ends of it, cut it

0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:14.760
<v Speaker 1>and pulled it and the turtle up on the bank.

0:17:15.880 --> 0:17:18.520
<v Speaker 1>We cut that turtle loose and pulled the trot line

0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:21.639
<v Speaker 1>that had the remnants of catfish that had been caught

0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:24.800
<v Speaker 1>and left for the turtles. Deed, someone else had been

0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:27.160
<v Speaker 1>helping them. Folks fish that pond too, but they wasn't

0:17:27.160 --> 0:17:30.040
<v Speaker 1>doing it right. You got to be responsible and run

0:17:30.080 --> 0:17:33.440
<v Speaker 1>your lines regularly. Some bozo had wasted some good catfish

0:17:33.480 --> 0:17:38.159
<v Speaker 1>by not checking his line. Fortunately, three adolescent trespassers came

0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:41.159
<v Speaker 1>along and saved the day. We wrapped it up and

0:17:41.240 --> 0:17:43.080
<v Speaker 1>jobbed the hooks down in a stick and left it

0:17:43.160 --> 0:17:45.600
<v Speaker 1>hanging on a limb by where one end that had

0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:47.639
<v Speaker 1>been tied to the bank. It was. It wasn't going

0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:51.159
<v Speaker 1>to hook anyone or anything else, and it wasn't ours,

0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:54.320
<v Speaker 1>so we couldn't keep it whoever left it out there

0:17:54.400 --> 0:17:57.200
<v Speaker 1>or to be ashamed for doing so. Anyway, if you

0:17:57.280 --> 0:18:00.320
<v Speaker 1>knew the country swimming holes, be mindful that there are

0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:03.200
<v Speaker 1>some advantages to swimming in those big commodes in town

0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:06.720
<v Speaker 1>where the lifeguards are probably not going to encounter any

0:18:06.760 --> 0:18:11.840
<v Speaker 1>turtles or trot lines. But pee good luck with that one.

0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:14.639
<v Speaker 1>I promise to tell you why these places are important,

0:18:15.119 --> 0:18:17.320
<v Speaker 1>but I guess I can only tell you why I

0:18:17.440 --> 0:18:20.720
<v Speaker 1>think they're important, And maybe I'm kind of contradicting my

0:18:20.800 --> 0:18:24.640
<v Speaker 1>first thought about how a particular place wasn't as key

0:18:24.680 --> 0:18:27.879
<v Speaker 1>a component as the activity that I shared with family

0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:32.359
<v Speaker 1>or friends. Morobey, Arkansas, on the Washingta River was at

0:18:32.400 --> 0:18:36.040
<v Speaker 1>the south end of Bradley County when I was sixteen

0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:39.560
<v Speaker 1>and old enough to legally drive. I'd actually been driving

0:18:39.600 --> 0:18:43.399
<v Speaker 1>for seven years before that, but that's another story. My

0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:46.119
<v Speaker 1>friends and I would pile into each other's cars and trucks,

0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:48.960
<v Speaker 1>and in forty five minutes we would have crossed the

0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:52.160
<v Speaker 1>river on a ferry and driven down to a big

0:18:52.240 --> 0:18:55.960
<v Speaker 1>sandy beach at Romeo Shoals to swim and just be

0:18:56.160 --> 0:19:00.000
<v Speaker 1>kids out on her own. My lifelong friend Wade man

0:19:00.000 --> 0:19:02.000
<v Speaker 1>and hollered at me the other day and reminded me

0:19:02.040 --> 0:19:04.439
<v Speaker 1>of a time that we spent down there at the

0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:09.800
<v Speaker 1>river between two a day football practices for hydration. We

0:19:09.880 --> 0:19:13.400
<v Speaker 1>had made some poor choices that day, and football practice

0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:18.439
<v Speaker 1>that afternoon in August in Arkansas was not pleasant of

0:19:18.520 --> 0:19:21.440
<v Speaker 1>all the days for the Booster Club to bring watermelons

0:19:21.440 --> 0:19:25.000
<v Speaker 1>to have after practice. It wasn't a lot of boys

0:19:25.000 --> 0:19:28.119
<v Speaker 1>eating watermelon, at least not the folks that had been

0:19:28.160 --> 0:19:31.040
<v Speaker 1>on the river that day. But Wade mentioned that day

0:19:31.080 --> 0:19:34.399
<v Speaker 1>to me, and immediately my mind was flooded with a

0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:38.359
<v Speaker 1>ton of memories associated with people in that particular place,

0:19:39.680 --> 0:19:41.720
<v Speaker 1>some of the best friends I've ever had, and I

0:19:41.720 --> 0:19:44.960
<v Speaker 1>can see us all together in that place and others

0:19:45.280 --> 0:19:49.280
<v Speaker 1>during the summers of our youth. I enjoy seeing snapshots

0:19:49.280 --> 0:19:52.800
<v Speaker 1>of people, some I don't even know, recreating pictures with

0:19:52.920 --> 0:19:56.280
<v Speaker 1>folks in the same poses, sometimes in the same places

0:19:56.280 --> 0:20:00.439
<v Speaker 1>from days gone by, and the faces may change and

0:20:00.480 --> 0:20:04.680
<v Speaker 1>they may age over time, but the joy man usually remains.

0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:10.040
<v Speaker 1>The places I talked about today are mostly all still there,

0:20:10.640 --> 0:20:13.000
<v Speaker 1>but some of the people are gone now and live

0:20:13.160 --> 0:20:15.680
<v Speaker 1>only when I think of those places and the time

0:20:15.800 --> 0:20:23.080
<v Speaker 1>shared with them. So yeah, places are important. The names

0:20:23.080 --> 0:20:26.320
<v Speaker 1>of those spots are the folders where we store all

0:20:26.400 --> 0:20:28.639
<v Speaker 1>the pictures and the whole movies that we play in

0:20:28.640 --> 0:20:33.400
<v Speaker 1>our heads and our hearts. Whenever they're mentioned, make sure

0:20:33.440 --> 0:20:35.480
<v Speaker 1>you got plenty of room on your hard drive for

0:20:35.600 --> 0:20:39.560
<v Speaker 1>the important files. No Wi Fi is required, and you

0:20:39.600 --> 0:20:43.359
<v Speaker 1>can watch them anytime you want. Sometimes after a call

0:20:43.400 --> 0:20:50.600
<v Speaker 1>from an old friend. That's your challenge this week, think

0:20:50.640 --> 0:20:54.000
<v Speaker 1>about a place and the folks you shared something special with,

0:20:54.600 --> 0:20:57.760
<v Speaker 1>and it doesn't have to be from years ago. I

0:20:57.840 --> 0:21:01.680
<v Speaker 1>talked about things this week that happened a long time ago,

0:21:01.800 --> 0:21:05.080
<v Speaker 1>but I'm still thinking about a wonderful supper that Alexis

0:21:05.080 --> 0:21:10.119
<v Speaker 1>and I shared with new friends just last week. You know,

0:21:10.200 --> 0:21:14.159
<v Speaker 1>the years may sweeten the wine, but the grape it

0:21:14.240 --> 0:21:16.800
<v Speaker 1>was pretty good when it came off the vine. Thank

0:21:16.800 --> 0:21:19.560
<v Speaker 1>you for listening. If you can share it with someone

0:21:19.680 --> 0:21:23.560
<v Speaker 1>you think might enjoy it too. Ratings and reviews are

0:21:23.800 --> 0:21:26.200
<v Speaker 1>always helpful in getting our show out to other folks

0:21:26.280 --> 0:21:28.760
<v Speaker 1>that would like it. I thank y'all so much for

0:21:28.840 --> 0:21:32.120
<v Speaker 1>listening this week. This is Brent Reeves sign it off.

0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:33.480
<v Speaker 1>Y'all be careful