Arkansas Ozarks Backpacking ~ Ouachita National Forest ~ Eagle Rock Loop

Another memorable moment for the Coplins!  Luke, Pippet, and I had some fun family time by taking a 2 night backpacking trip in the Ozarks.  What a refreshing trip!  It took about 5 hours to get to Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas - close to Oklahoma.  We tried to hike the Eagle Rock Loop (26 miles), but debating how to cross high water crossins prevented that.  We ended up hiking about 15 miles of the loop.  Here is the link for more information on the trail: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/ouachita/maps/documents/TR-36_Eagle_Rock_Loop_000.pdf

Luke and I had a blast, but the first day proved challenging due to the water crossings.  We had called ahead to the ranger station to make sure the water wasn't too high or dangerous.  They approved the trail, but someone had their info wrong.  I think it has rained more this fall than the spring.  As a result, these water crossings were waist deep instead of being "stepping stone-ish."  You can see all of the pictures on the link below, but here you can see that Luke was getting very deep into the rushing water. 

I did not take any pictures past this because I was FREEZING.  I really believe that my feet have never been that cold.  I was wearing my Teva sandals.  We could not make a fire due all of the recent rain.  That was very frustrating with my feet being so cold.  I hate to be a baby, but I really do not remember my feet being that numb.  Luke was my hero and boiled some water to put in a nalgene bottle inside my sleeping bag.  I did not partake in the instant potatoes that night in fear that I might get cold again getting out of my bag ;)  But the next morning it was gorgeous!  Praise God :)


That morning around 10AM we walked about  2 more miles and got to another deep water crossing.  We got across the first part after about 20 minutes and then realized we had another that was even more difficult right away.  At that point, we decided to turn around because we would need to walk over10 more miles for that day and it was already past noon.  We went 5 miles back to the start and then a 300 foot climb to a narrow rocky ridge overlooking Albert Pike.  This was called the Winding Stair Trail.  It was beautiful.  We made it about 3 miles into that side of the trail before camping out and cooking a well deserved meal!



You can view the rest of the pictures below.  Enjoy!

You are invited to view Lindsey C's photo album: Arkansas Backpacking Slideshow Arkansas Backpacking Slideshow Eagle Rock Loop - Oct 23, 2009 by Lindsey C View Album Play slideshow If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=lindseycoplin&target=ALBUM&id=5397830252833576897&authkey=Gv1sRgCO-J3JDA1MuyCw&invite=CO3Kn6AM&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

Happy Birthday Dal!

Don't we all feel like this on these rainy days??  

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAL (Luke's brother)!  That's what Pippet is shouting.

A poem to dog mom

My name is Pippet
I'm a Pointer-Whippet

I like to go on walks
and pounce away after I poop

one day I got free from the reins
and chased after some game

it turned out to be a stray dog
i stayed in tunnel vision - it's quite a fog

my mom ran after me
as far as she could

she ran back to get the car
like a good mom should

she was worried and cried
she thought I had died

but there i was standing on a corner
a few blocks over

i didn't know where I was
but then i heard my mom

i heard my name to come
and i leaped and bounded to her like I had done nothing wrong

i hopped in the car
tired from running so far

that night I was so happy to crawl in bed
bone and all to rest my little black head

i love my mom's lap
especially after that neighborhood lap

The Watson Visit

We all had a blast this past weekend spending time with our dear Watson family.  I had posted a while back they had moved to Jackson, MS.  They were in town for a wedding and lodged at the Coplin Commune.  Luke and I watched Greer both Friday and Saturday night as Geoff and Ashley went to wedding festivities....I ate it up!  Greer, almost 5 months old, is one of the best and cutest babies.

I am very sad to say that I somehow didn't get a picture of him.  Maybe it was because we were busy making him smile, eat, sleep, bathe, and do it all over again whilst watching over the other children (dogs) Webster (a puggle) and Pip (our pippet)?  haha.  I did, however, snap a few shots when he was sleeping the last night we had with the Watsons.  We had a great time with them.  We played scrabble and all piled on the couch (sans Geoff).

Bark in the Park Photography

Bark in the Park Photography! Howard Bernstein, the photographer, goes to the Forgey off-leash dog park in Germantown, which we often frequent. He brings his camera along with his 3 dogs and snaps some great candid shots. He also does private sessions. I haven't bought any of his pictures yet, but I am considering having him do some photos for us. We haven't really had any professional pictures taken of us since we have been married. Check out his website: http://barkintheparkpetphotos.com/

Here are some pictures he took of Pippet and a puppy dalmation, Cash:

http://web.mac.com/frag01/Bark_in_the_Park/Galleries/Pages/Bark_in_the_Park.html#6

http://web.mac.com/frag01/Bark_in_the_Park/Galleries/Pages/Bark_in_the_Park.html#8

Gun Fun

Just thought I would share some good times that Luke and I had at the Coplin Farm. It is such a treat to go there and relax and spend some time outdoors AND with his precious family. We thoroughly enjoy their land :) This time we got to use Luke's new Remington 12 gauge shot gun. It holds quite a few rounds, so it's fun to just shoot, shoot, shoot! Oh, and the pump action is quite empowering. However, I do not think I like the shotgun as much as the 22 glock. Easy to hold, but not as heavy and accurate. I wish I got a picture of the can that Luke destroyed (we set cans up on wildflowers to shoot at).



Pippet, 1.5, had a great time with Homer, 13, too. They both wadded in the water quite a bit because it was so hot. I felt like I had to be like US Weekly there and add the age next to the name. ha! This was Pippet's first time to really fetch and swim. All the way to the middle of the pond! I'm proud that she has moved up to water dog status.

bored dog, sad dog, bad dog!

Hey everyone!!
No exciting news at the Coplin Commune. We've really enjoyed kicking back in this nice summer weather and I've been sticking with my P90X workout, which has been quite a time commitment. However, I must admit that week 4 was spread over 2 weeks because of Memorial Day and I wanted to add some running sessions to the mix. I started Phase 2 this week and haven't seen a huge difference yet, but Luke says he can. I'm just trying to have a healthy lifestyle. To add to all of that, Luke and I have flown through the first 2 seasons of LOST - pretty dang addicting.

Anyway, back to the title. Pippet has enjoyed not living the day in the kennel. We began leaving her in the front room of our house to watch out the window for over a month now. She was doing great until about 3 weeks in. I She began chewing on her bed's outter piping as well as the old pillow on the love seat. She also liked to knock the cushions off the love seat. She is a strange dog. I believe it is because she needs more off-leash exercise time and they have closed down the Forgey off leash dog park in Germantown where we used to take her weekly.
This is a pic of her and her dad, Dash, at that dog park:

This was the last day it was open to the public before they closed it down to instal electric gates among other maintenance. It will be until late June/early July until we can go back and with that we will have to start paying. Seems worth it because this is what she looks like after visiting the park. She looks kinda scary, but she was smiling in her sleep...pretty funny.


For now, Luke and I are trying to enjoy Memphis. We love Shelby Farms. There are great places to hike, run, and ride bikes. There is an off-leash dog park area there, but I'm not so sure I trust Pippet or other dogs off leash in such a huge, not compeletely fenced in area. So, we will stick to hiking on leash for now ;)



In other news,

Justin & Mandy Payne welcomed JAMES WILLIAM PAYNE!!!

Born 5/28/2009 at 12:57pm

7 pounds, 5 ounces / 20.5 inches

Mom and baby are doing great!

Farmin it up.

Gotta love the Coplin Farm...good times just chattin, woods walkin, gun shootin, 4wheeler ridin, eat til your pant button pops off fun. Luke and I took Good Friday off to enjoy the Easter weekend relaxing and meditating at the Coplin Farm. It was great to see Dal, Luke's brother, and his wife Courtney as well as all of the other family members. We watched Dakota & Dillon, Luke's cousins, play baseball and hung out with Pappaw, Mammaw, and Grandaddy. Pippet always has fun running through the woods and has really impressed us with her agility. She was very obedient and stayed right by our side. Except for the time she saw the hawks in the sky and ran to the property line, but that still wasn't far...she came right back. She loves to play frisbee and only skid on the side of the pond rather than swim. Poor thing. She did run into some barb wire fence bless her heart, but she will be fine. We hope to go back soon and camp out on seresa hill! You can check out a complete photo album on facebook. Enjoy!

The Coplin Commune is in business!

I broke down and finally started a blog. People had been telling me this is how to keep a rolling log of your life experiences in one place. Better here than Facebook I assume!

Luke and I want to share our hearts and be transparent about the wonderful life that God has blessed us with. Not only with material things, but also with intangible things and experiences.

I will keep you updated on our house, dog (Pippet), and the many happenings of our life. And as I said, the Coplin Commune is open for business! And when I say that I mean our door is always open to stay, sit, and chat a while as many of you know!