Return to paradise

At more than 30 people, It was the largest gathering of print, broadcast and Internet journalists to attend the annual reunion of writers at Gaston's White River Resort since the event began in 2007.

As in previous years, those who write mostly of the outdoors came to this resort with its salmon-pink 77 cabins from places as distant as Wisconsin to adjacent Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri and Louisiana.

Those who'd never been to the most relaxing place on earth were awed to discover so much serenity and scenery beside this crystalline stream in the heart of the Ozarks. I don't know anyone who isn't mesmerized by the transcendent blend of scenery from the wide, ever-swirling river that generates its mystical fog each morning and the white-headed couple raising two eaglets in a nest high above the river.

Sharing a boat with Brent Frazee, Outdoors editor of the Kansas City Star, and Missouri outdoor author and journalist Kenneth Kieser, we drifted down the expanse on a cloudy day, letting veteran guide Richie Hayes take control. Richie guided me, my son and little granddaughter Elizabeth on her first trout adventure a year or so back. I lost track of how many fish she reeled in that day, always examining their shimmering hues before joyfully setting them free.

This was, let's just say, a different matter. Richie was guiding three outdoor types who'd been trout-fishing for a combined total of, oh, I dunno, maybe 636 years, yet still discovered unique ways to make impossible nests of 4-pound-test line, hang up on the bottom and lose lures with greater frequency than had my 7-year-old granddaughter.

The banter? Well, you'd have to be a guy in a boat with three others to appreciate the endless retorts. An example:

Kieser: "Hey Mike, where'd you get that camo hat? I like it a lot."

Frazee: "I don't. It's a sissy hat."

Me: "This from a hat critic wearing an orange cap that just screams yes?"

And so the hours slipped past, filled with teasing, laughs and twisted, crossed lines and mutual awe about this sacred place with its towering bluffs and swift current generated by the Bull Shoals Dam several miles upstream.

At one point, Richie pointed to the eagles' nest as we drifted past. "If ya look close, fellas, you'll see those eaglets stick their heads up and look around," he said. And by golly, we did. The pair even stood and flapped to prepare for adolescent flight training to come. One parent sat with them while the other perched in a tree upstream patiently searching for their breakfasts.

Later that evening as several sat to pick-and-grin for the group, Larry Rea of Memphis, who tirelessly organizes the gathering each year, cleared his throat and belted out this year's a capella version of Del Shannon's 1962 hit, "Hats off to Larry."

I also met what's best described as "a gregarious force" named Patrick J. Kalmerton of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, who owns and operates a highly successful charter fishing and hunting service through his multidimensional outdoor service called Wolf Pack Adventures.

A bona fide boat captain, he's also known as a bit of a philosopher and for knowing how and where to catch lots of big salmon, walleye and crappie in and around Lake Michigan. Pat quoted his 67-year-old father Roy in relating dad's advice for life. "Dad always told me to leave nothing behind but your footprints and take nothing with you but memories." A wise man, doncha think?

Congressional honor

Third District Congressman Steve Womack of Rogers saw to it that the annual M&N Augustine Easter Feed was memorialized in the Congressional Record the other day when he offered this richly deserved tribute on the floor of Congress. "Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the outstanding work of Dr. Merlin Augustine and his wife, Beverly, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and the event his foundation has sponsored for 22 years--the annual Easter Feed, held the Saturday before Easter. This year, a record 6,741 people enjoyed a meal fit for kings, served by men and women of all walks--including ... local, state, and federal officials and scores of volunteers.

"Years ago, Mr. Speaker, Dr. Augustine's parents left their compassionate son an inheritance of $10,000 with which he established a foundation purposed in helping the less fortunate. The Easter Feed is its signature event. It's the kind of event that warms the heart, reminding all of us of our duty to care for those around us.

"I want the nation to know how much I appreciate this beautiful couple for their kindness and their decency and their dedication to our community."

Bidding JPH Godspeed

Final farewells are set for former 3rd District Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt of Harrison, who died April 1. The graveside service is at 11 a.m. May 2 in Maplewood Cemetery. Visitation is on May 3 between 2 and 6 p.m. at his offices at Northark Community College. His memorial service is at 2 p.m. May 4 at the Presbyterian Church, with parking at the nearby high school and shuttles available for the two-minute drive to the church.

The memorial sermon will be delivered by the Rev. H.D McCarty of Fayetteville, founder of Ventures for Christ and former longtime senior pastor of Fayetteville's University Baptist Church.

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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at mikemasterson10@hotmail.com.

Editorial on 04/18/2015

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