Easter Moon, Rising by Joshua Heston Clear skies. Hot afternoon turning to cold dusk. Gravel clattered beneath my truck. It was getting late but not too late to be on the mountain. In the sudden, lingering twilight, sarvisberry blossoms became firework starbursts in white. Delicate new plum flowers trailed the mountainside. From inside Bear Cave,…
March 31 ASA Shoot, White River Bowmen by Joshua Heston Despite the threat of heavy rain, the March 31 Archery Shooters Association (ASA) Shoot just north of Branson, Missouri, hosted by White River Bowmen, was attended by over 60 archers from both Missouri and Arkansas. Davy Wilson and Brandon Beckett work hard to create an open,…
Lessons on the Mountain by Joshua Heston There was once a time when you could scarcely keep me out of the timber. These days, the rigors of editor-in-chief keeps me close to the studio and desktop. For the last couple of years, I’ve kicked myself for not getting out to the mountain in early spring,…
Workout Journey, Feb-Mar ’17 by Joshua Heston Sunday, February 5 After nearly 30 years of not knowing what to do, my journey begins with what I do best: writing and eating. This afternoon, after church, I interview Terry Sartin over the phone and he details working out and eating. We talk for over an hour…
Archery Shoot in White River Country by Joshua Heston One by one, pickups pull into the open space atop the ridge. It is a cold, sunny winter morning above this particular Ozarks cedar glade. Archers of all ages and skill levels amble to the check-in tent, then to the test range. “You know you’re a…
Bonniebrook Autumn by Joshua Ong Apollo’s massive arm encircles Daphne’s throat. The man’s veins and muscles bulge from constraint. Daphne is held tightly to Apollo’s chest, her legs falling limply between his. Both are naked. Daphne’s head is the branches of a tree, her feet setting roots, evading Apollo’s grasp. A Greek god and a…
Kirk Lewis, Blacksmith by Joshua Heston Kirk Lewis, 16, is a blacksmith. What is his inspiration? “We had scrap metal around and I always loved medieval stuff. I just started making things and it formed into what it is now out of research.” The video game Fable was inspiration, as well as film trilogy Lord…
The House Show by Joshua Ong I could hear their screams from the road. Pulling up, a dim green light emitted from a farmhouse. It is here a group of metal enthusiasts came together to rage, just north of Branson, down a few back roads, in a place surrounded by cows. The farm house was…
Alf Bolin: Ozark Tales of a Bushwhacker by Tara Wolf I’ve read many stories, books, documents (and heard tales from many Stone County locals) about the infamous Alf Bolin. To decipher fact from fiction is so difficult these days with there being so many tidbits that are slightly different from each other. There are also…
Miss Kathryn by Gideon Pellegrino The cuckoo clock on the wall is ticking. Faintly, but still it ticks. Reminding me that time is constantly passing. Forever moving. Never stopping, not even for a small moment to let us catch up. We pause and hold our breath, but no, time does not stop. Time… whether we like…