all good vacations must end

I will never try to play 18 holes of golf again.

On Friday, day eight, the guys were up early to tee off at 7:50 am on the Mountain Ranch Golf course. Since there were five of us, we were sent to the 10th hole to begin. One problem was dodging the sprinkers that were still running. And since we had not played in awhile, we were just beginning our 12th hole at 11:30 am, about three hours later. That was all Carl and I could handle in the heat, so we sat in the golf cart for the remaining holes.


After lunch at the condo, Natalie got to ride on Josh's shoulders one more time.

Carl and Sharon headed back to Texas, and Josh and Janelle left for Pennsylvania, stopping overnight in Murfreesboro, Tenn.






We took a group shot before we had to say "goodbye."

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the swimming pool at the unit. Stephen, Leah and Natalie would be leaving early Saturday morning to drive to Wisconsin, and the rest of us would be driving to Pine Bluff for the evening. For one week, we were all one big, happy family again!



Took this photo of a sticker on a motorcycle helmet for Brandon.

Also some of us picked up new nicknames this week: Big Bird, Chicken Little and Hot Princess One (you will have to figure out who these belong to)

vacation in the Ozarks, day seven

We visited some new places this year and one was the Indian Hill Rock Cave at the resort. This view shows the enormous size of the cave, and you can understand how the indians could live inside this cave, a natural protection from the heat and the cold.


One nice thing about the location of the resort was that the trip to Mountain View, AR, was only about 35 minutes. We visited the Arkansas Folk Center Craft Village in the afternoon. This center is a state park and the "artists" are hired to keep the music and crafts alive, as a connection to our past. The Bryson's gave a 30 minute concert the day we were there.



Listening to the concert also gave us a chance to escape the heat for awhile.




For dinner, we headed to JoJO's Catfish Wharf. As you can see in this photo, Leah and Janelle are talking about babies again! (That's Sharon and Winnie in the background)

We finished the day with the concert at the Folk Center, which was my favorite part of the trip! Dave Smith was the MC and he is a favorite at the center. Other groups included "Up a Creek" and "Here Comes Treble".

more outdoor adventures

Cindy and Winnie hiking up the mountain


Layton enjoyed the hike


Scenic view from the top, Natalie with daddy and mam-ma


Stephen, Brandon and Josh take a break near the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain


A tired Brandon and a happy Natalie back at the ferry











Wednesday, Day 6

Our family loves to go hiking on nature trails and on this year's vacation we took advantage of the many "natural state" activities in Arkansas. Fairfield Bay Resort is located on about 14, ooo acres on the man-made Greers Ferry Lake. In 1962, a dam was built across the Little Red River and the the 40,000 acre lake was formed. By 1966, Fairfield Bay Resort had begun. This location was the first of many Fairfield Resorts around the nation. Sugar Loaf Mountain is in the middle of the lake and we took the hike up to the top. We had about two hours to go up and back down before the ferry would take us back to the marina. Most of us made it to the top, but I must admit, I stopped at the top of the bluffs which were about 150 feet short of the top. Natalie enjoyed a piggy-back ride up and down the mountain with the guys taking turn carrying her.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the resort. Carl grilled steaks for supper and Brandon started a new "family tradition" of playing soccer (instead of softball). That night we even began discussing where to go next summer for the "family reunion".

floating down the Buffalo River

Layton shows Natalie a large tadpole with legs


Carl and Stephen ready to "shove off"

Here's proof, Cindy never lost her hat, even when we flipped (Rhonda and Denton lead the way)

Josh and Janelle on the right, Stephen and Leah and Natalie on the left


"Big Bird" and "Chicken Little" looked "whooped" from rescuing us so many times!






Tuesday, Day 5

Rhonda, Denton and Layton arrived to spend a couple days with us. They were our "official" Buffalo River tour guides as canoeing the Buffalo is one of their favorite past-times. Everything started off well, as we canoed for about an hour and half before putting in for our first stop. We stayed there awhile as we watched a group of college age students jumping off the bluff into the river. This is not for the faint of heart! Leah and Janelle, our pregnant moms, decided they should stop at this point, so Josh and Stephen stayed with them. Good idea! I think I should have stopped also, because as we were trying to shove off, Cindy and I flipped our canoe three times! And later as we approached some rapids, we ran into Layton in his kayak and flipped again! We made it the rest of the way, a total of six long miles, and really had a good time. (The Buffalo River is about 135 miles long) Denton paid us a compliment, I think, saying "my mom and dad would never canoe this river!"

Arkansas, the natural state

inside the caverns, this looks like a scene from "lord of the rings"



looking for bats, but you better keep your mouth closed!




Just as the state slogan reads, Arkansas in the Ozarks is refreshing in a "back to nature" way. On Monday, Day 4, we traveled to Blanchard Springs Caverns for the afternoon. Some of us went on the "Dripstone Trail" tour of the caverns while the others explored the hiking trails outside the main building. After the tour, we all visited the area where the springs flow out of the side of the mountain, as well as the swimming area. We ended our day with a visit to downtown Mountain View, AR, to listen to the "music on the square". The locals gather here on several blocks of this town and sing and play their guitars, bangos, and fiddles to keep that old mountain music alive.

Arkansas travelers, the sequel

"The Fairways" at Fairfield Bay

Just returned from our 10 day vacation, including a weeklong "family reunion" in Arkansas. We drove to Arkansas on Friday, June 9th, and spent the night in Pine Bluff. Les and Pam dropped by Saturday morning, believe it or not, on their way to Florida for their vacation. By then, Tropical Depression no.1 had formed and would later become Tropical Storm Alberto. Looks like it was heading for North Florida, so we were glad to be out of town! After we stopped for groceries at Sam's and Wal-Mart, we headed for the resort at Fairfield Bay, arriving early for a change! Two of the units were ready to check in so we unloaded our food and suitcases. Josh and Janelle arrived around 4:30 and Stephen and his family came in later Saturday night.

We went to church Sunday and rested a lot for what would become a busy week of vacation (who said we couldn't do it all in one week!) Carl and Sharon drove up from Texas on Sunday, and by Tuesday Rhonda and her family would join us.

We would be one, big happy family for a week!

on a beautiful golf course

on the road again...

I may not have access to my blog while on vacation, but if I do I will post some photos while traveling. I finally purchased a digital camera, a Kodak Easy Share C533 model, and will be learning to use it this week on vacation. We found out today that all three condos will be in the same area called the Fairways. When we checked last week, one condo was about 4 miles away. Cindy called them two weeks in a row, and this week they were able to change the one location. This resort at Fairfield Bay is huge, encompassing about 14000 acres total. We are looking forward to seeing everyone soon! Pray for safety as we all travel.

link to music schedule at the Ozark Folk Center

a little humor

rebuilding memories

We spent the weekend in SC with Mom and Dad, and I am glad to report she is home from rehab as of Tuesday noon. My wife and I took the opportunity to visit Cleveland Park in Spartanburg, SC, on Sunday afternoon, our 29th anniversary. I tried to find the tree where I "carved our initials" when I proposed and gave her a ring many years ago. Of course, we didn't really carve our initials in a tree and the park has been remodeled and modernized and looks great now. The little choo-choo train is still running and they have added paved walking trails around the playground and the pond.

The newly renovated Cleveland Park offers
the finest in leisure amenities,including Picnic Shelters,
a lakeside Promenade and Amphitheater, an Island
Gazebo, Miniature Train, spacious playground, walking trails,
and a 3,400 square foot Event Center. Facilities within
the park are available to rent for the special occasions
in your life such as family reunions, weddings, receptions,
banquets, school parties, and birthday parties.

Natalie's photo album

Leah added more photos recently to Natalie's online album. Check them all out at this link to Summer Fun

Our little cutie pie!!

Natalie is ready for World Cup Soccer

Natalie with Mommy

Who hid my rubber ducky?!?

family news for June

This is always a special time of the year, as the school is out for the summer and even the grown-ups like to "play" during June and July. This year we plan to travel to Arkansas and vacation with as many family as we can shake a stick at! Together, we have rented three condos with enough room to sleep 18 people.

Driving from Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida and Texas, we will converge on what we call the "center of the USA."

Birthdates for June:

Layton Bell, June 4 . . . Brandy McDonald, June 5 . . .
Jonathan Logan, June 7 . . . Jesse Baggett, June 13 . . .
Sam Baggett, June 21 . . . Rhonda Bell, June 23 . . .
Janelle Franklin, June 28

Other special days:

Tim & Cindy Franklin were married on June 4, 1977

Flag Day on Wednesday, June 14

Father's Day on Sunday, June 18

Keep praying for:

Aunt Jo Ann as she recovers from thyroid surgery.

Martha, my mother as she recovers from a mild stroke.

vacation planning guide

You can tell where we are going on vacation by the links below, but we only have one week and so many things to see and do . . .

The Legend of Pickles Gap

Calico Rock was an important river port on the Upper White River as early as the first half of the 1800s.

At Blanchard Springs Caverns enter an active cave where glistening formations like stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and flowstones are still changeing.

Riddle's Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary was established by Scott and Heidi Riddle in 1990

Enjoy traditional American folk culture, crafts, music, and festivals in the Ozark Mountains

Situated in the Arkansas foothills of the Ozark Mountains, Fairfield Bay offers the perfect opportunity for rest and relaxation

Arkansas has over 9,000 miles of streams, and a good deal of this mileage is perfect for floating - be it by canoe, johnboat, raft or kayak

And, of course, don't forget the Arkansas Mall!!

take time to thank a veteran

A very special Memorial Day Concert took place in Washington, DC, and was broadcast live on PBS stations. The PBS.org website has more to read such as Remembrance and Healing from the Iraq War.

The National D-Day Museum located in New Orleans, LA, strives to preserve the legacy and lessons of World War II through the stories of those who experienced the war.

The Oral History project brings history to life as students become historians of war, culture and heritage experiences. This streaming media project, in partnership with the Library of Congress, is intended to preserve and honor the oral histories of Americans.

The Veterans History Project relies on volunteers to collect and preserve stories of wartime service. Its primary focus is on first-hand accounts of U.S. Veterans from the following 20th Century wars:
World War I (1914-1920)
World War II (1939-1946)
Korean War (1950-1955)
Vietnam War (1961-1975)
Persian Gulf War (1990-1995)
Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts (2001-present)

Heaven on my mind

I think there is an old gospel song that starts with
these words, "I woke up with heaven on my mind..."

Well, I woke up yesterday two or three times during the night with another old "classic" gospel song playing in my head. That song was "Jesus is Coming Soon" which was written by R.E. Winsett in 1942. His music publishing company in Tennessee was a stong hold of southern gospel shape-note music in the first half of the 1900's.

Jesus is Coming Soon

Verse 1:
Troublesome times are here, filling men's hearts with fear,
Freedom we all hold dear now is at stake;
Humbling your heart to God saves from the chast'ning rod,
Seek the way pilgrims trod, Christians, awake.

Chorus:
Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon,
Many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound;
All of the dead shall rise, righteous meet in the skies,
Going where no one dies, Heavenward bound.

Verse 3:
Troubles will soon be o'er, happy forever more,
When we meet on that shore, free from all care;
Rising up in the sky, telling this world goodbye,
Homeward we then will fly, glory to share.


This song was made popular in 1970 by many gospel quartets, the most famous version being sung by the Inspirations Quartet from N.C. The words remind us to be prepared for the Rapture or the return of Jesus Christ to take all Christians home to heaven. This could happen any day and the Bible tells us that no one knows the hour when Christ will come. We need a sense of urgency in our daily lives to serve the Lord and reach others for Christ!

1 Thessalonians 4:14-17
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

BJU summer ministry teams

Here are links to the Bob Jones University summer ministry teams. We here in the south will miss out this time as one team will be in the mid-Atlantic states and one will be traveling in the midwest states. Stephen's church in Beaver Dam, WI and Josh's church in Hanover, PA will have one of the teams at their church in June. Hope you will get to go to one of these presentations, as you will surely be blessed.

Sacred Sounds Itinerary

Truth In Action Itinerary

storm video

With hurricane season starting in June, I thought I would post this link to videos of Hurricane Katrina as well as other natural events like blizzards and tornados. Weather has always been fascinating to me. I guess that why we drive back home to be here when the hurricanes hit, like in 1979 when Hurricane David passed about 60 miles offshore of Jax. We had a flat tire on I-95 at 11:00 pm and about 45 minutes from home. (We found out later that same hour was when David was closest to Jax!)

check out this site for storm video footage

photo gallery

That baby sure is growing! Looks like it is going to be a boy-at least that's my guess!!

the Creation Museum

The Creation Museum is an outreach of Answers in Genesis, a non-profit ministry located near the Cincinnati International Airport, in northern Kentucky, USA. This 50,000 square foot facility will proclaim to the world that the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice and in every area it touches on. Scheduled to open in 2007, this “walk through history” museum will be a wonderful alternative to the evolutionary natural history museums that are turning countless minds against the gospel of Christ and the authority of the Scripture.

Visit the Answers in Genesis web site to hear today's radio broadcast or to read updates on the progress of the Creation Museum. Even Ken Ham has a blog called "Around the World with Ken Ham". Other articles and information to read posted on line such as "Legal Consequences When Creation Is Forgotten"

Blue Devils 2006 signing class

Duke basketball has commitments from four outstanding high school stars for their 2006 freshman class...

Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski announced Monday that the University has received a signed letter-of-intent from Lance Thomas, a standout forward from Newark, N.J. Thomas joins Gerald Henderson, Jr. (Merion Station, Pa.),Jon Scheyer (Northbrook, Ill.) and Brian Zoubek (Haddonfield, N.J.) to make up Duke's incoming freshman class for the 2006-07 season.

At Scout.com you can read all about the four recruits. Brian Zoubek is 7-1 and should give Duke a solid replacement for the "landlord" - Shelden Williams.

You can read the latest headlines about Duke players past and present at dukereport.com

Shelden Williams and J.J. Redick are preparing for the June 28th NBA draft and you can read J.J. Redick: In His Own Words from the Duke Chronicle.

attacks on Christianity

Attacks on Christians and Christianity and Jesus are nothing new. The Bible tells us "the fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." This was written centuries ago in Psalm14:1 and Psalm 53:1. Maybe it is just me, but it seems recently that attacks on our Christian beliefs have increased. Through the media, the movies, you name it - people are "freely" mocking and casting doubt on our Biblical beliefs. A few weeks before Easter, National Geographic Channel presented their "discovery" of the "Gospel of Judas". The May 2006 issue of National Geographic has the article about this discovery, even though the bound papyrus text was actually discovered in the 1970's. It is true that there are many more "gospels" or letters that were written in the first two centuries after Christ was born. We believe, as the Bible teaches, that the books of our Bible are the only truly inspired writings and have been preserved complete throughout history by God. It does not surprise me that someone wrote a "gospel of Judas," but we should not use this fact to question the validity of the Bible. Since we believe the Bible is complete and that there are no contradictions in the Bible, why should we give importance to another "gospel" that is a contradiction?

In the same magazine issue of National Geographic, they interviewed a scientist who specializes in zoology and the study of ants. He uses this forum to speak out against intelligent design. He takes a strong stance "against the mingling of religion and science" and even though he grew up in the Southern Baptist tradition, he has "went away from the faith." Maybe we need to put a PG-13 label on magazines like the National Geographic, so that young minds will not be influenced by reading these articles.

Now adding to the attacks on Christianity, we have the Da Vinci Code movie release this week. If you did not see this interview on NBC, in which one of the actors states, "the Bible should have a 'fiction' disclaimer," you can read about it at newsbusters.org

family photo album

See the new photos posted of our granddaughter at this link to Little Natalie - Natalie Turns Two, May 2006.

be patient mom, we do grow up

fun times in Arkansas


with the grandparents in Florida





the clan in Texas



my favorite Christmas pic

Here are some photos from the past just for Mother's Day!
To all you new moms out there, remember these days for they do not stay that way for very long...

just humor me...

Did I read that sign right??

In a restroom: TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW

In a Laundromat: AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHTGOES OUT

In a London department store: BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS

In an office: WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN

In an office: AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THEDRAINING BOARD

Notice in health food shop window: CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS

Spotted in a safari park: ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR

On a repair shop door: WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)

web watch

Yahoo has a new site which links articles with product reviews from Consumer Reports and PC Magazine and offers helpful advise and information using the search feature at this link to Yahoo! Tech


Zillow.com offers free evaluations of real estate. Zillow.com is designed to help people get estimates on home valuations and gather all sorts of detailed information in their quest to sell or buy property.


Do you like to shop at Kohl's? Maybe you should check out their new website called transformation nation.com .


National Conservative Weekly magazine has been around since 1944 . They also have a web site for those who like to keep up with the latest in conservative politics at humaneventsonline.com


With baseball season in "full swing" (pardon the pun) don't forget about the official website of the Atlanta Braves.

the pooh controversy

This is actually quite funny when you think about. This article was posted on line at the Drudge Report the other day and when I read it again today, I just knew I had to post the link. There are now 14 comments from people around the world. Some of these poeple are quite upset. These people take their "pooh bear" seriously, I guess. Read it for yourself at this link -
Pooh Bear unveils 80th birthday portrait

Winnie the Pooh has joined the Queen in having an 80th birthday portrait.

one of the comments...
Did anyone notice that the Pooh bear in the picture has no honey?

Could this be a faux Pooh? Or maybe Pooh is on Atkin's?

redneck medical terms

I found these Redneck Medical Terms on wokv.com, so pardon the puns and attempts at humor today!

Benign ................................What you be after you be eight
Bacteria...............................Back door to cafeteria
Barium................................What you do with dead folks
Catscan................................Searching for the cat
Cauterize..............................Made eye contact with her
Coma....................................A punctuation mark
D&C .....................................Where Washington is
Dilate....................................To live longer than your kids do
Enema..................................Not a friend
Fester...................................Quicker than someone else
Hangnail..............................What you hang your coat on
Labor pain............................Getting hurt at work
Nitrates................................Cheaper than day rates
Node.....................................Means "I knew it"
Outpatient............................A person who has fainted
Pap Smear............................A fatherhood test
Pelvis....................................Second cousin to Elvis
Tablet...................................A small table to change babies on
Terminal Illness...................Getting sick at the train station
Tumor...................................More than one
Urine.....................................Opposite of you're out
Varicose................................Near by

mountain strings

I started thinking about vacation this weekend as I read this article in our local paper. The excerpt below is from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and was written by Thomas Swick, the travel editor. It reminded me of our trip to the Ozark Folk Center last summer.

It happens every spring, and lasts until the end of October,
this annual migration of fiddles, banjos, dulcimers and guitars to
Mountain View, Ark., a kind of melodious Capistrano of the Ozarks.
The musicians gather in the afternoons and evenings on the courthouse square, or in the neighboring "Pickin' Park"...

Read the entire article at this link to Mountain Strings

know the truth, share the truth

Focus on the Family has created a web site devoted to the learning the truth about The DaVinci Code book and movie called Know the Truth, Share the Truth

family updates for May

Special dates to remember this month . . .

• May 01, 2004 . . . Brandy (Baggett) and Patrick McDonald were married
• May 02, 2004 . . . Natalie Marie Franklin was born
• May 08, 1935 . . . Winifred Marie (Richardson) Baggett was born
• May 10, 1981 . . . Leah Marie (Johnson) Franklin was born
• May 14, 2006 . . . Don't forget - Mother's Day
• May 21, 1981 . . . Lori Ann (Baggett) Wardlaw was born
• May 29, 1971 . . . Zachary Forest Baggett was born

Baby news . . .

We have four babies on the way as of this month:

My nephew Kenny and Casey Arthur (in SC) are expecting a boy in July.

My oldest son Josh and Janelle Franklin (in PA) are expecting a baby around Sept. 10th.

My wife's cousin Noel Baggett and his wife (in CA) are expecting their second child.

My son Stephen and Leah Franklin (in WI) are expecting their second child in December.

Other family updates include ...

Josh and Janelle have finally found a home to buy in Hanover, PA. They hope to be closing around June 19th.

My sister Debbie and her daughter April Logan will be heading to the Dominican Republic for a mission trip in July. They will be spending time with missionaries Doug and Paula Hodges, who used to be on staff at our church in Jax about 25 years ago.

Vacation time for us is about a month away! We are looking forward to seeing all the family at Fairfield Bay Resorts in Arkansas.

getting ready for world cup soccer

USA TODAY.com has a new site just for keeping up with the latest soccer news, profiles of the USA team, and more... or read the latest on the 2006 U.S. World Cup Roster at this link...


Nike has just started a site for die-hard soccer fans. You just need a Google login and password and you can join this site at joga.com... According to Nike, fans worldwide can chat, post photos and videos and blog about favorite players or teams.

Of course, as I mentioned in an earlier blog, the official site for the 2006 World Cup is fifaworldcup.com .

World Cup, Germany
June 12 — U.S. vs. Czech Republic (Gelsenkirchen)
June 17 — U.S. vs. Italy (Kaiserslautern)
June 22 — U.S. vs. Ghana (Nuremberg)

meanwhile, down on the farm

This site is not connected with the "original"
Farmers' Almanac
that is published each year.

Check it out when you have time at

www.farmersalmanactv.com


wit & wisdom from the home page:

Discourage weed from growing in the cracks of the sidewalk. Zap them with a sprinkling of salt.

• There are videos to watch - such as the "combine demolition derby of Lind, Washington"

• Read the lastest post in the "Barn Blog" such as "Planting and Caring for blueberries in the home garden"

Natalie, two years old today!

May 2004 was just a few days ago...







just last summer, 2005




December 2005



My how fast the days go by. Our Natalie is already two!

baby franklin update

We have good news and bad news! As you can see from these photos, the baby is healthy, but the doctor could not tell is the baby will be a boy or girl. Josh and Janelle will have to wait to find out. And, poor grandma! She has been so eager to start buying those baby clothes, she is taking this really hard! We saw the cutest outfit with frogs on it, but girls do not like frogs you know, so we will have to wait on that one. Maybe some of you with medical expertise can look at these photos and tell us whether this is a boy or a girl. Everyone wants to know!