currents jan-feb 2013

A BigPortionof Faith

Little Portion monasteryspreads the Gospel

with open arms

Viva laTaverne!

Upscale eatery offersdining elegance, excellence

Brother RockEureka Springsband SXRexkeeps folk-rock jams in the family

Holiday Island entrepreneur paints custom fancy finishes on guns, more

Eureka Springs band SXRex keeps folk-rock jams in the

family

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January/February | 2013 | Currents | 3

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What’s InsideFinding Faith

A Big Portion of FaithLittle Portion monastery spreads the Gospel with open arms

Cover Story

When Art Meets FirepowerHoliday Island entrepreneur paints custom fancy finishes on guns, more

The Entertainers

Brother RockEureka Springs band SXRex keeps folk-rock jams in the family

Arts Scene

Art on a MissionEureka Springs artist, furniture-maker ready to tackle a new cause

Beautiful Buildings

Cabin FeverCustom-built Berryville home made of Cypress is impressive, comfortable

Helping Hands

Helping the HelplessWildflowers aims to be much more than food bank, open women’s shelter

Table for Two

Viva la Grand Taverne!Upscale eatery offers dining elegance, excellence — perfect for Valentines

Here’s to Health

Take It Off!Lose those extra holiday pounds the safe and natural way

Art of the Lens

Photographing in the SnowThe white stuff can throw off your camera; we’ll show you how to remedy it

Pass the Popcorn

Coming to a Theater Near YouExpert previews of films set for release in January, February, early March

To-Do List

Mark Your CalendarsThe biggest, best family-friendly events in the region for January & February

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CurrentsA magazine dedicated to Carroll Countians

PUBLISHERBob Moore

EDITOR IN CHIEFKristal Kuykendall

[email protected]

ART DIRECTORMelody Rust

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVESCharles Henry Ford II

Shelly AndersonMary Ann Carlson

Steve JohnsonJim Sexton

CONTRIBUTING EDITORDon Lee

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS David Bell

Kathryn LucarielloJim Fain

Tina ParkerRussell Pinkston

Darlene SimmonsT.S. Strickland

PHOTOGRAPHERSDavid Bell

Charles Henry Ford IIKristal Kuykendall

Charles N. ChappellChip Ford

TO ADVERTISE(870) 423-6636

MAILING ADDRESS:P.O. Box 232, Berryville AR 72616

Currents is published semi-monthly and distributed free in Berryville, Eureka Springs, Green Forest, Holiday Island and throughout Carroll and surrounding counties.Currents is a joint publication of Carroll County News, Lovely County Citizen and Rust Communications.

Copyright 2013


Ed

itor’s Note

I despise getting my picture taken.Unless I have very recently consumed substantial amounts

of wine, whenever someone holds a camera to my face, every “flaw” that I believe I possess takes front and center in my mind, and I cannot relax nor can I enjoy myself. And cameras pick up on that. Fake smiles ensue, and I get a sick feeling in my stom-ach, longing for the camera to disappear.

Recently, Berryville photographer Charles N. Chappell agreed to do a “photo shoot” for me. I wanted some fun, creative, natural-looking photographs to use not only in Currents, Car-roll County News and Lovely County Citizen — where my pic-ture appears occasionally with things I write, such as this letter each issue — but I also wanted some recent, professional-quality pics to frame and give to a few family members as gifts.

I warned him a little about not being able to relax in front of the camera, but even he was surprised I think — because he knows me personally and knows how laidback I normally am — when I immediately tensed up as soon as he took out his camera.

One thing about Charlie, though, is his fun personality. De-spite my best attempt to resist and remain tense and uncomfort-able (LOL), he had me laughing my head off, and having fun in spite of myself, within about a half hour.

He took a lot of beautiful photos, a sampling of which are displayed on this page. Please believe me when I tell you these are the best “portraits” or photographs of myself I have ever had taken. He showed me dozens of images and allowed me to “rate” them, narrowing down the dozens to about 10-12 favorites.

Not only did he take great photos, but on a few of them, his photo editing skills made all the difference. At my request, about five of the final selections were digitally altered ever so slight-ly to make me appear about 10 pounds lighter! (I have a very persistent double chin, despite all efforts to eliminate it.) How awesome is that?

Charlie also took the photos for the band SXRex, featured in this month’s “The Entertainers” article. They turned out beau-tifully as Charlie again worked his magic with the subjects, the framing and the natural lighting. He was even able to digitally remove graffiti off one of the “props” we used in the photos, pro-viding us a much better image.

Something I re-learned through this process: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. If you don’t like something, try it a different way. Don’t give up.

And this too: If you need a good photographer, a good choice is Charles N. Chappell. He can be reached at [email protected], or through his website, www.cncim-ages.com. So thank you, Charlie, for making me feel beautiful and for cap-turing that feeling on (digital) film! Now that, my friends, is priceless.

Letter from the editor


He looks like a prophet of old, with his long white hair, long flowing beard and brown monk’s robe.

And, like many prophets of old, John Michael Talbot had a vision and is seeing it come to pass. As he says on his website, “God gave me a vision

of itinerant ministry going from parish to parish in a time of great need in our culture. I believe that our current ministry is fulfilling that vision. The Catholic Church has nearly died in recent years, but God is raising us to new life in Christ if we will but accept it. We are rebuilding the church one parish at a time, and renewing hearts one life at a time!”

The ministry is the Brothers and Sisters of Charity and the Lit-tle Portion Training and Retreat Center near Eureka Springs.

HistoryAccording to his biography, the 58-year-old Talbot was born

into a musical Methodist family in Oklahoma City and began learning guitar as a child. At age 15 he dropped out of school and

Little Portion monastery aims to rebuild parishes, renew hearts – one life at a time

A big portion of

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joined the country–rock band Mason Prof-fit with his older brother. When the band broke up, Talbot turned to the Jesus move-ment and fundamentalism. He joined the burgeoning Christian music scene and became a founding artist for Sparrow re-cords, releasing two albums produced by Billy Ray Hearn.

After a search of denominations, Talbot studied at a Franciscan center and joined the Roman Catholic Church in 1978, studying the life of Francis of Assisi. He started a house of prayer called The Little Portion, which he moved to land near Eu-reka Springs in 1982 and started to build, founding the Brothers and Sister of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage. He is its Min-ister General and spiritual father. The her-mitage started with just six members.

Between 1985 and 1987, the hermitage began to go through what might be called growing pains.

“JMT wanted to go back to the origi-nal vision of community and more radical poverty and prayer,” said Sister Carolyn. “All the celibate members left.”

In 1988, as part of the New Monasticism Movement, the hermitage became the first “integrated monastic community” – con-sisting of celibate brothers and sisters, sin-gles and families – in North America, and the first in the U.S. with canonical approval from the Catholic Church. In 1989, Talbot married Viola Pratka, with permission of the church. New celibates came to stay and the “domestic expression” began, those who live outside the monastery in the sec-ular world. They do not have to be Catholic

Finding

Faith By Kathryn Lucariello



but can belong if they profess the content of the Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds.

In 1989 also, the Charity Chapel was built, along with the sisters’ quarters and the brothers’ grove. In 1993-94, the build-ings were expanded.

Talbot continued with his music min-istry and in 1992 started his own label, “Troubadour for the Lord.” He has pro-duced 53 albums. In 1988 he was named the No. 1 Christian artist by Billboard magazine.

From 1996 to 2006, the monastery ran a mission in Nicaragua and then sold it. It also had a free medical clinic in Berryville,

called Little Flowers. It passed on to be-come Mission Clinic of Berryville, with one of the current members continuing to volunteer there.

In April 2008, a devastating fire wiped out the main chapel and common center at the hermitage. By October of that year, the Talbots broke ground for a new, Cal-ifornia mission-style building, completed and dedicated in 2010. The new building uses green technology to make it environ-mentally friendly and energy efficient.

The front garden uses “xeriscaping,” a method of using native plants to minimize the need for irrigation. Runoff from the

roof forms a small pond.Membership

Over the years the resident population has fluctuated from the six it started with to 45 at its height. Currently there are 18 adults and nine children who live at the hermitage full-time. Among the adults are three celibate sisters and one celibate broth-er, one single brother, and four married couples. A volunteer program is available for people who want to live at the monas-tery and offer their labor without making a profession. One volunteer has lived there for more than a year.

There are also around 270 members in the “domestic expression,” people who don’t live at the monastery, but live “out in the world, but not of the world.” They live in six regions of the U.S. in their own homes but are organized into “cell groups” that wor-ship, teach, intercede and build community together.

“We have a couple of Skype cell groups,” said Sister Carolyn. “They meet on Skype to say the daily prayers.”

Some of the cell groups also live in “clus-ters” of members who live close together in a city and share daily common prayer and mutual family support. There is one cluster in Chicago and one in Kerrville, Texas.

“Though we believe in the full mani-festation of our charism is in the Monastic Expression, we recognize that the Domes-tic Expression holds the greatest poten-tial for the average Christian and Catholic who wants to get more serious about their faith in Christ and the radical Gospel life,” a brochure explains. “We are excited about this movement of cell groups and clusters committed to living the Gospel of Jesus in a more radical but not fanatical way.”

Becoming a member of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity is a gradual process. The first step is candidacy, a time of prayer and researching the community. Then comes postulancy, from six months to a year, of asking questions. After that, a seeker be-comes a novitiate, one to two years, begin-ning when the new member is formally ac-cepted into the community and engages in serious prayer, study and living the commu-nity’s way of life. That is followed by a tem-porary profession of three to six years, con-tinuing to live this way of life. Some, but not all, go on to the permanent profession, for a lifetime commitment. That can begin after about four and a half years as a postulant,

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and obedience, and for each of the expressions, that may mean different

things. Chastity is complete celibacy for

celibates, but for singles it means abstinence until marriage, and for married

couples, fidelity.


Finding

Faith By Kathryn Lucariello

novice or temporary professed member. Domestics can be permanently professed, as well as celibates and singles.

Members promise to observe poverty, chastity and obedience, and for each of the expressions, that may mean different things. Chastity is complete celibacy for celibates, but for singles it means abstinence until marriage, and for married couples, fidelity.

New members who wish to live at the monastery must be in good health and not older than 45, Sr. Carolyn said.“You have to be healthy because of our emphasis on manual labor. Our labor is farming, clean-ing, gardening and maintenance.”

Daily LifeDaily life at the monastery consists of si-

lence until noon, when the Angelus prayer – reciting the words of the Annunciation (the announcement of Mary conceiving Christ) – is said, along with Hail Marys. Meals are cooked by local domestic mem-bers, and during the week, the community eats lunch together. On Wednesday and Friday they have fasting meals of eggs and bread or eggs and rice. On Fridays they hold the “chapel of faults,” with members calling out their faults and transgressions made during the week and asking forgive-ness of the membership.

Most members work on the farm or in the garden during the weekdays. The res-ident children are home-schooled. Every-one takes an hour of private prayer at some point during the day.

On Saturdays there is no common meal. Celibates can go into town to the library

and don’t have to wear their monastic hab-its. Celibates don’t have cell phones, but families do, and single and families can own computers and vehicles if they want. Celibates share communal computers.

On Sundays, Father Barnabus from Bella Vista comes to say mass and evening prayer, and the community eats their eve-ning meal together.

SupportOnce a year the community has a gen-

eral gathering around the Feast of St. Fran-cis on Oct. 4, and usually upwards of 200 people attend.

Praise and worship are part of the cele-bration, and contemplative and charismat-ic prayer are integrated.

The monastery’s main source of in-come is Talbot’s teaching and music min-istry, with the sale of books and CDs. The monastery also runs a retreat center. The farm has a vegetable garden, fruit trees, chickens and hogs. In 2006 the farm be-came a serious source of income, said Sis-ter Carolyn. The pasture-raised chickens were grown and sold for meat for several years. The monastery hit a snag in 2010, however, when it applied for an ADEQ permit to process the birds on site, and the local community protested for environ-mental reasons. Little Portion abandoned the request and eventually stopped selling chicken. But the community is planning to sell graded eggs in the near future, Sis-ter Carolyn added.

There is also a hog operation. The com-munity’s 40 to 50 hogs are pasture-raised, and the meat (processed off-site) is sold wholesale and retail.

Other items sold are crafts: homemade soap, rosaries, some stained glass and reli-gious items in the small store.

New directionsThis year in June, a new monastery – St.

Clare’s – was opened in Houston, Texas, and the Talbots have been staying there to oversee its establishment while also con-tinuing their traveling ministry. It is an integrated monastic ministry and voca-tion house whose mission is “to provide a presence in a major population center in the U.S.A.” It is staffed year-round by two women, a celibate sister and a single, and the resident domestic community.

Daily life at the monastery consists of silence until noon. Meals are cooked by local domestic members, and during the week, the community eats lunch together. On Wednesday and Friday they have fasting meals of eggs and bread or eggs and rice.


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Another new venture is to build “youth buildings,” a complex where the domestic youth volunteers who come each year can stay and eat and recreate when they come for the annual gather-ing. The land was cleared last summer for that.

There are also plans to refurbish the prayer garden, which was partially burned in the 2008 fire.

“We are spending more time doing vocation work, recruiting new mem-bers,” Sister Carolyn said. “We go to different events and make our materials available.”

Recruiting is important, she said, part of the vision of revitalizing parish-es, which is part of Talbot’s mission.

“Religious life is dying in the U.S.,” Sister Carolyn said. “Communities are closing, and there are fewer Catholic schools, even though the church feeds, clothes and teaches more people than any other institution in the world.”

Talbot’s latest efforts include a se-ries of retreats planned in June and July 2013 under the broad title, “Nothing is Impossible,” also the title of his latest DVD of teachings. They include living the Gospel in a negative modern soci-ety, learning how to live in new monas-ticism, meditation and an exploration of the monastic vocation.

Sister Carolyn explained the vision of Little Portion and why it is so important

in today’s world.“Our main charism is love,” she said.

“We live that by our integrations. We embrace different lifestyles – families, children, other denominations. We fos-ter unity with other churches.”

She said Little Portion was not founded to do a specific mission, like some are. They try to fill a need where they see it, but more importantly, “In a monastery like this, our main mission is really prayer. In cloisters in the spir-itual world, prayer has power. Praying the liturgy of the hours daily is prima-ry.”

She said there is something powerful about also just being there.

“The ministry of presence – just the way we’re living inspires people. We get hundreds of visitors every year.”

The Brothers and Sisters of Charity are happy to give tours of the areas open to the pubic, which consist of the main chapel, the chapel foyer and the porti-uncula chapel. They request that visitors call to schedule a tour.

Little Portion is located at 350 CR 248 in Berryville and can be reached at 479-253-7710. More information can be found at their websites, www.littlepor-tion.org, www.johnmichaeltalbot.com, on their Facebook pages, Little Portion and Brothers and Sisters of Charity, and on Talbot’s YouTube page, JohnMichael-Talbot.


when ART meets

Boyd Lemons calls himself a “jack of all trades, master of none,” but his busi-ness, Hillbilly 223 Custom Firearm

Finishing, has taken off in unexpected ways, to the point where he may have to expand in the spring.

Boyd and his wife, Valerie, opened the shop in Holiday Island’s Park Shopping Cen-ter in May and have been going strong ever since.

Boyd’s story is one of self-determination. He says he came from “not a very happy childhood.” He was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Wichita, Kan.

“I had alcoholic parents and was in and out of trouble with the law,” he said.

But his life took a turn for the better when, at the age of fifteen and a half, he met Valerie, two years his senior. He ran away from the halfway house in which he was living and moved in with her. They’ve been together ever since, for the last 29 years. They

have a 26-year-old son.“A lot of our focus is family,” said Boyd.

“One of the most important parts of my life is blessings from the Lord and the support from my wife.”

“Everything we do, we do together,” said Valerie. “We have gone through losses, jobs and heartaches, but we’ve always had faith while we struggled.”

Boyd’s work experience includes being a sales manager for a bicycle shop for 10 years and an operations manager for a trucking company for eight years.

After so many years, Boyd said he got frustrated with the corporate world.

In 2005, the family decided “to move to our dream town” of Eureka Springs. They had been vacationing here since they got to-gether, and Valerie’s family had been coming here since she was a child. They moved to Holiday Island.

“Everything fell into place,” Valerie said.

Cover Story By Kathryn Lucariello

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Boyd began working full-time as a house framer for Design Builders.

At night online he saw airbrush tech-niques and began painting with knives and tomahawks in 2008, working in the evenings after he got home from work.

He says he’s “never been an artist” and has no training, but “I consider myself an artist now, and I’m constantly coming up with new colors and finishes.”

Two years ago, he met Craig Gholson and Mark Stone of Nighthawk Custom and be-gan to do some work for them. Six months after that, he started doing all their custom camo jobs.

Boyd also built his own business by going to firearms websites and sharing his work. People started coming to him to have cus-tom work done. He built a website and used social media such as Facebook to spread the word to build up his business.

“We have done all this without loans and debts,” Valerie said.

The company name – Hillbilly 223 – is because of the character of the Ozarks region and because 223 is the caliber of an AR-15 rifle, the most popular firearm in the U.S., Boyd said.

The process starts with receiving a fire-arm from an owner and logging it into the ATF log books. The shop has to be federally licensed to repair, refurbish and sell firearms.

The firearm is disabled, degreased and cleaned so there is no residue before the ar-tistic work begins; otherwise the paint won’t stick, he said.

He then puts on a base coat and then ap-plies his designs and finishes with a clear coat for extra protection. It takes 30 days to fully cure, and he includes instructions on how to handle the firearm while it is still curing.

Boyd does his artwork on knives, toma-hawks, pistols, revolvers and shotguns. He has also branched out to the work on game controllers, cell phone cases, and other items.

“Anything they want paint on, I’ll paint,” he said.

“Our biggest seller is the AR-15 stock set,” he added. “It comes in multiple colors.”

Book Review


Including pink, a big seller with the la-dies. And he is always coming up with new designs and color combinations.

Boyd’s work has gotten so popular that two major firearms magazines have contact-ed him about doing stories.

“We may have to expand our shop next year,” he said. “We probably reached 200,000 people last year. When we hit the magazines, we will probably grow exponentially.”

He also had his work at a major gun show last year, the Shot Show.

But he wants to be careful about growing too large.

“We don’t want to overwhelm ourselves. Our focus is that we are a one-of-a-kind camo finisher, with customer service and quality work you can’t get anywhere else.”

Boyd says there are other finishers doing this kind of work, but no one doing it like he is. He uses his own designs, and oftentimes a customer’s color request will generate new design ideas.

His designs are called “Urban Zombie,” “Urban Skull,” “Urban Chick” and “HTACK 223.”

He continues as Nighthawk’s sponsored painter, and they enter guns with his work and logo on them in competitions. It helps advertise him.

“I owe a lot to them for everything they’ve done for me,” he said.

“They’ve really helped us out,” Valerie

Cover Story By Kathryn Lucariello


added.Boyd is also venturing into doing custom

builds – taking a manufactured gun build and modifying it so that it performs better, he said.

He said he’s never had a complaint or a return.

In the shop, Boyd and Valerie also sell new and used suppressors, short barrel rifles and shotguns and survival supplies and food.

Two different instructors are affiliated with the shop, and they teach the basic NRA pistol class and a concealed carry class.

“We recommend these to anyone who is intimidated or unsure about their guns,” said Valerie, who has taken the classes her-self. “We do believe that safety is number

one, and in teaching children about gun safety.”

Boyd and Valerie are thankful they were finally able to move here and build a thriving business. They consider them-selves blessed, and for the couple, their focus has made it all a dream come true.

“Primary to me are God, my wife and our relationship and then our business,” Boyd said.

Hillbilly 223 is located at 3 Parkwood Drive, Suite B, in the Park Shopping Cen-ter in Holiday Island. Hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday from noon to 5 p.m. They are closed on Sunday and Monday. They can be reached at 479-981-6031. For more information, visit their website at www.hillbilly223.com.

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one, and in teaching children about gun safety.”

Boyd and Valerie are thankful they were finally able to move here and build a thriving business. They consider them-selves blessed, and for the couple, their focus has made it all a dream come true.

“Primary to me are God, my wife and our relationship and then our business,” Boyd said.

Hillbilly 223 is located at 3 Parkwood Drive, Suite B, in the Park Shopping Cen-ter in Holiday Island. Hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday from noon to 5 p.m. They are closed on Sunday and Monday. They can be reached at 479-981-6031. For more information, visit their website at www.hillbilly223.com.

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SxRex keepsfolk-rock jams

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There are not a lot of folk-rock bands in Carroll County coming up with good original music these

days, much less music that’s good enough to earn them spots on stages across the region and beyond.

That makes the band called SxRex — pronounced S-X-Rex — out of Eureka Springs pretty unique already.

But add to it the fact that the band is made up of three brothers, and you’ve got something really unusual — some

would say magical — and their musical chemistry on stage is undeniable.

SxRex’s sound features hard-rock drumming, blues-influenced bass lines and a heavy dose of Celtic and folk mu-sical flavor, with a mandolin to boot. It all adds up to one of the most unique, upbeat and melodic folk-rock sounds you’ve likely heard in a while.

The three-piece folk-rock group showcases soulful, on-the-mark lead vocals by personable and fun-to-watch frontman (and oldest brother) Josh Bow-


The Entertainers By Kristal Kuykendall • Photos by Charles N

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sets that include trippy instrumentals — think Ireland’s answer to Wide-spread Panic — and songs with mu-sical themes covering a wide range of genres, including Celtic rock (a la Flogging Molly and the Pogues), modern blues-rock (a la The Black Keys), reggae (a la Bob Marley), and progressive jam-grass (a la Mumford and Sons or Trampled By Turtles). They even have a comically heart-felt country song about a dog.

SxRex also covers a wide range of popular hits, including tracks by Queens of the Stone Age, The Black Keys, The Misfits, Rage Against The Machine, Scissor Sisters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ween and Mumford and Sons, among others.

The band got its start, you might say, with teenagers Chris and Josh playing Metallica in their garage. Po-lice were called, they admit, laughing. It was a little loud.

Josh went on to play some solo gigs in his late teens, in Colorado and in Austin, Texas, before moving back

to Eureka Springs in 2010. Not long after, Chris moved to Eureka as well, buying a bass guitar — which he had never played prior to that time. Al-though Josh had played around town a few times as a two-piece previously, after Chris joined them on bass, they played their first show as a three-piece on New Year’s Eve 2010, at Fire-house Pub in Eureka Springs.

“We had problems finding a solid drummer that wanted to play a lot, and we had to get someone else to go on the road with us for our two Col-orado tours in 2011,” explains Josh. “Then Nick played a small festival gig with us, and he became our full-time drummer in March, improving the band exponentially.”

In addition to the tours in Colora-do — which included venues in Coni-fer, Carbondale, Denver and Steam-boat Springs — SxRex has performed all over Arkansas and Missouri in-cluding at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville; at Reed Springs (Mo.) Rockfest; and in venues in Little

er, who also plays mandolin and guitar, depend-ing on the song.

Middle brother Chris Bower, a contributing songwriter, mans a mean bass guitar and con-tributes vocals as well.

Youngest sibling Nick drives the drum-kit and is a contributing songwriter. All three add their own flavor to the band’s overall sound and the development of the group’s scores of original tracks, which range in sound from straight-out rock to Celtic-flavored folk-rock and progres-sive-bluegrass tunes.

The group is known for long, variety-filled

I believe music has the power to reach people like nearly

nothing else has and change their lives,keep them going ...

– Josh Bower


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s Rock; Springfield, Mo.; Webb City, Mo.; and Branson, Mo.

The brothers have performed a num-ber of times alongside many well-known and highly respected acts in the region, including Mountain Sprout; Don’t Stop Please; Groovement; Cadillac Jackson; Fossils of Ancient Robots; Dumptruck Butterlips out of Lawrence, Kan.; and others.

The Bower boys say they have a wide variety of musical influences, but one re-peating theme for each of them is how “music opens up a world of possibilities,” they say.

Josh says their father introduced him to the music of Leon Russell, The Band, Neil Young, Jethro Tull, which helped shape his songwriting skills and his love for music as a whole. His mother’s affinity for Blues Traveler and Elton John helped him have an appreciation for beautiful music no matter the style, he explains, and his brother Mike got him “hooked” on the harder rock of Ween and Tool, two of his favorite bands ever since.

“My influences are too numerable to list, really,” Josh says. “I was very inspired by all the music of the ‘60s and ‘70s grow-ing up and continue to be, and I would love for music to have an influence in the world like it did then. I believe it has the power to reach people like nearly noth-ing else has and change their lives, keep them going — it has kept me alive basi-cally and has been the only thing I’ve had at times.”

Nowadays, Josh, Chris and Nick are working on recording a new album — their first full-length effort together — and hoping to book more shows in the near future, both near and far, such as at SXSW Music Festival in Austin in the spring.

Meanwhile, keep an ear out for these fellas, because they mean business when it comes to their music.

“I just have this feeling I need to keep writing and to get the ball rolling on per-forming more, and get better recordings finished and released, just, you know, get our legs under us some more,” Josh says. “We’re so happy to have Nick playing with us now — he really just added an awesome ‘Let’s do this’ attitude, and now we can just get past challenges we faced early on and focus on the music.”

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Arts Scene By Tina Parker

reating large-scale paint-ings, teaching and encour-aging others to paint, and making furniture from what some would call trash is nothing new to Robert “Bob” R. Norman.

The Eureka Springs artist and fur-niture-maker has carved his niche in these areas, but he’ll soon take on a new mission: teaching and encouraging others to recycle and

reuse while they’re creating their own masterpieces.

Norman is well-known throughout Eureka Springs and across the country for his hand-built rustic furniture and more recently, for his larger-than-life paintings. His art tends to reflect chapters of his life — sometimes in Eureka Springs but mostly a period from his youth in Michigan, where he grew up as an avid angler. “I know fish; I know what they look like and I use them in almost all of my paintings,” he says.

Norman uses his art as a way to connect with people in the community. For several years he hosted “Drink and Draw” events at his home; he provided all of the materials for people to come and get creative on canvas for a $5 do-nation. “A lot of my friends were wasting their time drinking and not producing anything — most of them are very talented artists — I figured if I gave them paint brush-es and a canvas maybe they would create something, and they did,” Norman said.

After a particularly harsh win-

ter when the roads to Norman’s house became too dangerous for people to drive, he moved Drink and Draw to Chelsea’s Corner Café and Bar in Eureka Springs, where it still takes place most Wednesday evenings.

Though Drink and Draw has been very successful in drawing the creativity out of local residents, Norman doesn’t want the weekly art meet-up to become stagnant; he wants to try something new. He is currently devising ways to make Drink and Draw more versatile, and hopes to give other artists the opportunity to host their own and make it their event, possibly with a weekly theme.

“I am getting kind of burned out, and I want to pass it on to oth-er artists,” Norman said recently. “I think other artists and different people could liven it up – it would get more people involved – the whole idea is to get people off their butts and get creative.”

For those who worry Norman may not return to Drink and Draw, there is no need, he says; he still plans to host the event every oth-

Eureka Springs artist, furniture-maker about to tackle a new causewith his creations


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er week. But the new, every-oth-er-week sabbatical will give Nor-man more time to work on other projects.

In April, he will take on one of those new projects, and it may end up being a big one, as he plans to teach a class on rustic furni-ture-making at Eureka Springs School of the Arts. The class will focus on a new concept that he wants to share with others in the community and eventually across the country. Eventually, Norman would like to take “Ditches to Rich-

es” and all that it can create — and recycle — on the road.

“The purpose is to open your mind to see that not all trash is trash,” Norman explains. Indeed, the artist wants to show the world how to make functional art and furniture out of things people throw away every day, and provide people with the necessary tools to create their own pieces.

“Some things aren’t trash and don’t need to go to the landfill,” he says. “There is value in what some people consider trash. A brush pile

or construction waste has value, and I can create a piece of furniture from ‘trash’ and attach a monetary value to it.”

Norman wants to share the trash-to-treasure concept with the world and remind people to keep things out of landfills. “Don’t buy garbage. Stop buying stuff from outlet stores,” he said. “The way the world is going there is no need to make more stuff. Use what you have.”

After beginning with the course at ESSA, Norman hopes to spread the word, first by doing demon-strations at festivals – though his dream is to get a TV show similar to “American Pickers” on the His-tory Channel.

“I want to get people thinking that not all trash belongs in the trash, and I want to get a move-ment going across the country,” he says excitedly. “I want to have a blog or a website that puts all the resources people need in one spot to create their own workshops.”

Meanwhile, Norman has some other things in the works. He is expected to again this year contrib-ute a piece for ESSA’s April 1 ReArt Chair-ity fundraiser, to be held at the Inn of the Ozarks. The event aims to raise money to keep ESSA’s doors open and continue providing low-cost art classes. Six to eight art-ists create and donate unique chairs that will be auctioned.

“At last year’s event, I personally got the Poseidon Throne Seahorse chair by Bob,” says ESSA Executive Director Peggy Kjelgaard. “Oh, it’s a great chair: The colors are phe-nomenal and it is actually made out of driftwood from the White River. I live on the White River; for me, it is special. The construction and driftwood are awesome, and it’s re-ally comfortable.”

Even though Norman has al-ways been an artist, he didn’t al-ways want to paint. It became an outlet for him and has helped him along his journey from alcoholism toward sobriety. Art has eased the void left in his life after his ex-wife

“There is value in what some people consider trash. A brush pile or construction waste has value, and I can create a piece of furniture from ‘trash’ and attach a monetary value to it.”

– roBert “BoB” r. NormaN


Arts Scene By Tina Parker

moved away with their daughter, and it has given him a creative out-let to express himself.

In 2011, the novice painter en-tered one of his pieces into an art competition for the May Festival of the Arts poster contest — and he won. He then began selling copies of the poster, and that was when he met Practical Magic Art Supply and gallery owner Raven Derge.

“When I first met Bob, he sold his prints out of the back of his van for $1 or $2, and as he began to get recognition for his work, the price began to go up,” Derge recalls. “We framed the prints we bought from him and hung them in our gallery, and sales sky-rocketed.”

Norman now displays large pieces of his work at Derge’s gallery in Bentonville, along with several rustic chairs he’s made.

Norman’s life was a lot differ-ent 17 years ago. He owned and operated a business employing six craftsmen at his roadside fur-niture shop, Roadside Rustics. He created rustic chairs, tables and benches from found wood and he is well-known for his sassafras benches with fish backs. “I creat-ed this style of bench, and I have since seen benches like this that were inspired from my creations,” he said. “I didn’t expect the busi-ness to begin like it did, but once I started making the benches and displaying them along the high-way, sales took off.”

The owner of Bass Pro Shop, Johnny Morris, is said to have two of Norman’s fish benches at the corporate office in Springfield, Mo. “He saw my furniture out front and stopped to check it out,” Norman says. “He ended up buy-ing two benches from me and dis-playing them in one of his stores in Missouri. A few years later I got a call and a designer wanted two more for the Bass Pro corporate headquarters, and they are still there today.”

When Norman came back from Burning Man festival several years ago, he decided that he no longer

wanted to make furniture full-time, so he sold his business to his employees. “I decided that I want-ed to do art full-time, so I let go of Roadside Rustics to focus on my art,” he explains.

Though he sold the business, he still creates his signature benches and builds large commissioned furniture pieces to ship across the country. The building that once housed all of Norman’s furniture is now a display studio for his many works of art. Passersby his studio may notice there is often a 4-by-8-foot painting on an easel pointed towards the roadway; a painting normally sits on that outdoor easel regardless of weather conditions.

A large robot painting that was displayed for over two weeks in December was recently propped up on its side underneath the porch, soaking in a puddle left be-hind from a recent thunderstorm. “That painting out there can take some abuse — if it falls over or gets ruined it doesn’t matter,” he said. “The art is about how it affects peo-ple that see it; if someone driving by sees my art and it makes them smile, then I have succeeded.”


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Beautiful B

uilding

s By Darlene Sim

mons

Don’t let the technicalities fool you.Although technically listed in Berryville,

our Beautiful Building featured in this edi-tion of Currents is truly a country home; it lies between that little spot-in-the-road Maple and the slightly larger town of Oak Grove.

And while, technically, the home might be called a log “cabin,” that moniker does not do justice to the simple elegance that is revealed within, all sitting dramatically atop the hill down a long, winding dirt road past a white, wooden fence on Highway 21 North outside of Berryville.

Constructed just under a decade ago, the log home owned by Gary and Isabelle Myers was a labor of love from the start and epito-mizes the term “custom-built.” Formed from full-dimension Cypress logs, this “cabin” of-fers its inhabitants 3,600 square feet of appeal and charm. An additional 2,000 square feet of wooden deck surrounds the entire build-ing, adding a large area that can be used for all sorts of outdoor entertaining.

The handrails of the deck, as well as the house’s overhang, are also Cypress. What is

so special about Cypress? Gary explains: “The logs are a full 6 inch-

es in diameter and are flat on the inside of the house, while rounded on the outside. Every log is between 80 and 100 years old. They will not rot, and bugs, such as termites, won’t touch them.”

The logs provide excellent insulation for the home, as well. “These logs come with a 60-year warranty,” Gary adds. “They will have minimal shrinkage, as they are oil-based, rather than water-based.

“Pine and cedar — the other logs used for building cabins — have a real problem with shrinkage,” notes Isabelle, who adds that they currently have the home listed for sale with Montgomery Whitely Realty.

Guests enter the home through a thick, pine front door, which leads into the foyer. The 17-foot-tall entryway provides a lovely backdrop against which the unusual stair-case is displayed. This staircase, made of ponderosa pine, is an outstanding example of fine craftsmanship: Each spindle, rail and support is formed by a hand lathe, rather than mass produced by a factory. It is a “T”

Custom-built Berryville homemade of Cypress logs is impressive, comfortable


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s stairwell, which means that from the top, one walks downward to a landing or split where one can turn left or right. The staircase then continues down in both directions, so that the person descending may arrive either at the kitchen door or in the front entryway.

The four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home boasts full-di-mension, solid-pine doors, and all cabinets within the house are custom-made. All trim is pon-derosa pine, and all windows are double-hung with removable sashes for easy washing.

The floors are either covered with a deep, cream-colored wall-to-wall carpeting, as in the bedrooms and living room; tiled with 12-inch tiles, as in the kitchen; or fitted with wide-plank, red oak wood flooring, as in the office and formal dining room. There is also a “toy room” downstairs that opens into the living room through French doors.

The focus of a spacious living room is the cultured-stone gas fireplace that takes up most of one wall. This room, easily the hub of the house, is perfect for gatherings, large and small: Its warmth and hospitality would easily be a draw to visitors and residents alike.

The kitchen is roomy, fitted with the latest in upscale appli-ances, and boasts a large walk-in pantry. The island can seat two at barstools and has a small sink, as well. The adjacent breakfast nook can hold a large table to seat several, and displays a bay window complete with window seat. The laundry room, just off the kitchen, has its own sink and wardrobe hanging area.

Upstairs are four bedrooms; the master plus three smaller rooms. The master measures 17 by 20 feet and has its own huge walk-in closet. The master bath includes an oversized whirlpool tub as well as large enclosed shower. It also has a built-in van-

ity and is mirrored on two walls. The second upstairs bath

is a “Jack and Jill” bathroom: It has two sinks, divided by a glass-block wall for privacy. The bathrooms also have “wa-ter closets”: The toilets are con-tained in a small room of their own with a door to be closed for privacy. Outside the second bath, the upstairs landing is large enough to provide its own sitting area.

The home also has a du-al-controlled central heat-and-air system. This unusual feature allows the ability to control the temperature of the upstairs and downstairs areas separately.

An oversized, two-car ga-rage completes this extraordi-nary property, and the proper-ty includes 20 acres of wooded land, Isabelle says.

The Myers’ house is set in a grove of old hardwoods, sup-plying a spectacular view, es-pecially in the fall months. “It is absolutely gorgeous here in the fall,” Isabelle says. “Sure, it is gorgeous here in all seasons, but in fall, these woods are ablaze with color.”

Such a finely crafted home in such a gorgeous Carroll County setting is what makes this log “cabin” Currents Mag-azine’s Beautiful Building of the month.

• • •Editor’s note: Is there a Beau-

tiful Building in your neck of the woods you’d like to see featured in Currents? We are seeking nomi-nations for Beautiful Buildings; we accept any types of structures: churches, lodges, hotels, homes, barns and more. If you have seen a Beautiful Building some-where around Carroll County and thought, “Now that’s pretty enough to be in a magazine!” then please drop us a line about it. We want your requests and ideas; we will do all the work! Email a brief description or the address of the building you are nominating to: [email protected].


Help

ing H

ands By T.S. Strickland

When Jimmie Lou Robinson’s daughter died, she left behind a baby girl. Rob-inson was a single parent at the time, with two children of her own still at

home. She was already strug-gling to support her brood, trying to get on disability. After assuming responsibility for her granddaughter’s care, Robin-son took to visiting food banks around Carroll County and the region to fill the fridge, but she said she often left feeling ashamed: People looked down their noses at her.

Then, she found Wildflow-ers.The Christian-based minis-try — housed in a little, yellow building on Highway 62 in Eu-reka Springs — has distributed food to the hungry in Carroll County one day a week for 18 years.

The work is fueled entirely by generosity. No one — from the lowliest volunteer to the se-nior pastor — is paid for their labor. “Every penny that comes in here goes out to something. … Nothing gets put in anyone’s pocket,” Bill Grissom said.

Grissom is the administrator — the “boss,” as he jokingly put it — of the ministry. He “retired” to Eure-ka Springs after 30 years as a skydiving instructor; he’s hurled himself Earth-ward from about 12,000 planes, he says.

After all that high-flying, free-falling, adrena-line-sloshing existence, it’s unsurprising that Grissom should have trouble slowing down in his retirement. He now logs 60 hours or more each week at Wildflowers.

Grissom isn’t the only one punching overtime at the ministry. Out of 16 volunteers, Grissom estimated that six or seven of them work nearly as many hours as him.

The ministry is funded through private donations and by the thrift store that operates out of Wildflow-ers’ building. The dedicated volun-teers do whatever it takes to help a needy neighbor to his or her feet — whether it takes a bag of food, a warm jacket, or a bed and a hot shower.

That’s what Robinson found. When she visited the food bank on that Friday so many years ago, her granddaughter needed clothes. The

volunteers at Wildflowers gave them to her, from the stash of secondhand garments at the thrift store. They also gave her genuine care and respect. “If you’ve got a problem they’ll listen to you,” she said, “and if they can help you they will.” Robinson now volunteers at Wild-flowers three days a week.

Wildflowers is hard to miss. As you drive east from Eureka Springs on Highway 62, just look for the bright-ly lettered sign declaring the end of times. Despite the apocalyptic foreboding — or maybe because of it — the small congregation is singularly devoted to helping in the here and now.

Every Sunday, the pews in the snug sanctuary are filled with parishioners. However, each Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the parishioners give way to

Wildflowers ministry aims

to be much more than a

food bank, open a

shelter for battered women

Bill Grissom, above, and several volunteers routinely put in scores of hours per week helping the needy through Wildflowers ministries.


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brimming bags of food, and the hungry file in to accept the harvest from the pews.

Grissom said the ministry feeds 100 to 150 families each week. During the lean months of fall and winter, when the tour-ism rush lulls to a hush and the holidays loom, the numbers can be even higher. Administrators are expecting an especial-ly busy year in 2013, due to the economic downturn and the uncertain future of the Great Passion Play.

During times like these, administrators say, Wildflowers fills a vital role. There are other food banks in the area. However, most or all are open only once a month. Wildflowers’ doors are open every week — and to every body.

Wildflowers does not require clients to provide proof of income, unlike many oth-er food banks. “If someone walks through that door and says, ‘I need help,’ we help,” Grissom said. The practice is rooted in the ministry’s Christian values.

“There’s a lot of places that have a lot of restrictions on things,” Grissom said, “but we work off Isaiah 58 … and trust that they come here honestly. We know some don’t. We know people come here every day with their hand out, and they could probably buy this place, but we do it anyway because that’s what God wants us to do. That’s what we’re here for.”

“They’re there for you no matter who you are, what situation your in, what color you are,” Robinson said.

Humble beginnings, big dreamsWildflower Ministries got its name from

the dried wildflower arrangements made by Annie Whitely. A florist by trade, she founded the organization with husband Ronald “Rocky” Whitely some 20 years ago.

The couple had only recently relocat-ed from Texas, where they owned Rocky’s Texas Bar and Grill — “the swingin’est place in Central Texas.”

Ronald Whitely, a retired Air Force pi-lot who flew combat missions during the Vietnam War, also taught government and economics at Texas State University.

The couple glimpsed Eureka Springs for the first time in the mid-1980s. From an airplane, they saw the little hamlet nestled into the underlying valleys, and they fell in love. “It looked so beautiful, seemed to have such a peaceful calm,” Ronald Whitely said of that first sighting.

They moved to Eureka Springs not long after, intending — like Grissom — to retire. However, that notion didn’t last long. Short-ly after the move, Annie Whitely met Mag-gie Durand, who worked with the Catholic church in Berryville. Ronald Whitely refers to her affectionately as the “Mother Teresa of Carroll County.”

At the time, Durand was trying to raise money to start a battered women’s shelter — to be called the Martha Mary House. At Annie’s urging, Ronald Whitely built the Wildflowers thrift store to raise money for Durand’s vision.

“She raised enough money that Wild-flowers was able to pay the rent on (the shel-ter) for 16 or 18 months,” Ronald Whitely said. However, after that, the relationship between the two ministries ended. The shel-ter fell on hard times and closed in the mid-1990s.

Whitely said they opened the food bank in response to what they saw as a real need in the community. Now, 18 years later, the Whitelys have turned their attention to an-other need — and not a new one: They want to resurrect the Martha Mary House.

Grissom said the Carroll County Prose-cuting Attorney’s Office had told them one woman a day and at least five over each weekend are abused in Carroll County.

“There is nowhere here for them to go,” he said. “There are shelters in Bentonville, Rogers, and Fayetteville, and they stay full all the time. There are no beds available. Most women in this area, if they are abused, don’t want to leave their kids or their family because they live here. They don’t want to go

to Louisiana, or Little Rock, or Pine Bluff or somewhere like that.”

The shelter would be housed on several acres of land currently owned by the White-lys. The property includes two buildings that, when renovated, could house 18 wom-en. There is also space to expand in the fu-ture, Whitely said.

The shelter would be watched over by “house-parents,” and staffed by a platoon of mental health, substance abuse, and career counsellors. “We’re gonna try to get these women up on their feet and going again,” Grissom said.

The ministry has already begun raising funds for the project. They have set a goal of $444,000. Whitley said it would cost $260,000 to pay off the mortgage on the property. The rest would be used for renova-tions and operating costs.

As of December 2012, Whitely said, Wildflowers had raised almost $25,000. That’s a long way from the goal, of course, but Whitely was confident they would suc-ceed.

The rest of the crew seems equally as-sured. Tina Lewis, one of Wildflowers’ bul-warks, put it this way: “In the book of Mat-thew it says if you’ll first seek (God) and his righteousness, everything we need will be added to us.

“As long as we do that, as long as we’re constantly searching what he wants us to do here, he adds to us the things that we need.”

Table for Tw

o By Kristal Kuykendall • Photos by D

avid Bell

With Valentine’s Day ap-proaching, every sweet-heart in the region is prob-ably starting to think about

where to take their honey for that special dinner date. Currents did a little early re-search for just this occasion, and found an excellent choice: the Grand Taverne inside the Grand Central Hotel in downtown Eu-reka Springs.

In 1782 the first restaurant offering food selections from a menu and served at private tables was opened in Paris. It was called Le Grande Tavernee des Londres (The Grand Taverne of London). Eureka’s Grand Tav-erne was named after this eatery to reflect the owners’ intent to be first in food quality and service standards.

We’d say they’re living up to their inten-tions.

When we visited, we were instantly, after being seated, greeted by our waiter, Mark “Slim” Nelson. He proved to be exception-ally skilled at his job – a true professional of

the business – and we were grateful for his keen attention.

Our first good impression of Mark came when he shared his wine knowledge with us, to our great benefit. Not sure which char-donnay to ask for, we voiced a preference for the buttery- and/or oaky-flavored labels of that type of vino, and left it up to Mark. He delivered superbly, bringing a William Hill chardonnay that was very smooth, oaky, and slightly buttery with an awesome balance and a nice, light, floral bouquet – exactly what I’d requested, and not outrageous at just $8 a glass.

For starters, we chose the Grilled Buffalo Mozzarella & Pan-Seared Crab Cake.

The Grilled Buffalo Mozzarella, $9, is three rectangular chunks of fresh moz-zarella, seasoned and wrapped in thinly sliced prosciutto and romaine leaves, grilled lightly and served with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. The cheese carries a wonderful, smoky flavor, and the lettuce leaf was slightly crunchy, slightly damp and soft all at once. It

was a well-balanced dish, with a meaty den-sity that was surprisingly filling.

The healthy-sized Pan-Seared Crab Cake ($12) arrived dark golden on the outside, about 4.5 inches in diameter and about 2 inches tall at its thickest. It was beautifully served on a bed of bright orange Creole red pepper cream, alongside smoked Roma to-mato remoulade and garnished with strips of fried beets. The remoulade was slightly smoky with just a hint of sweetness.

The Classic Caesar ($6) was served very fresh, already having been tossed in a home-made Caesar dressing that was bold but lip-smackingly delicious.

About this time, we dug into our fresh-ly baked Ozark wheat loaf, served with whipped honey butter; the loaf was very light and airy – almost refreshing and not too filling, considering it was, after all, bread.

For our entrees, we chose the Special of the evening, which Mark told us is one of Chef Dave Gilderson’s favorite dishes: Pan-Seared Tournedos of Beef Tenderloin Au



Poivre. This featured peppercorn-en-crusted medallions of beef filet, cov-ered in a port wine demi-glaze and topped with crumbles of Maytag blue cheese; by itself, the cheese almost would be too strong, but the finely tuned sweet-and-smooth port wine sauce took the edge off the Maytag’s tart and tang.

The filet medallions, we’d been told, were as fine a quality and as tender as any Kobe beef – and the dish was not oversold as it lived up to this high praise. And the peppercorn crust-like spice covering was out-standing and just the right touch.

We had a choice of side items and had chosen the gratin dauphinois po-tatoes, and the seasonal vegetable.

The potato dish appeared to be au gratin potato slices stacked up on top of each other, with ricotta cheese in between the slices, more cheese on top, all baked like a casserole. It was absolutely delicious,

and, somehow, not too heavy.Lastly, the asparagus was the most

perfectly cooked specimen of that vegetable that either of us had ever had, anywhere. A well done dinner special, all the way around; the price was $34.

Our Pan-Seared Scallops were extremely tender, very fresh, and per-fectly seared – not too overcooked as seafood is so prone to being. It was served almosst swimming in a lobster butter sauce that took us straight to New Orleans and some of the finest establishments known to mankind – it was that good.

Very mild, it featured the fresh fla-vor of, say, lobster bisque, but carried the consistency of a semi-rich buttery

sauce you might find in a Cajun or Italian dish. With a quick hint of Cay-enne pepper and the flavor of Louisi-ana’s finest foods, the sauce compli-mented everything on the plate very well – even the risotto and asparagus.

Like the port wine sauce, it was not overpowering or all that much on its own, but it certainly played a big part in guiding you in the right direction as far as what we were tasting. Not all that creamy, not too heavy or rich, but substantial.

Yes, I am raving about a sauce. My companion for dinner muttered after just two bites: “This butter sauce.

For dessert, we had a few options, but two really stood out: the white chocolate creme brûlée (really good

Hours: Dinner: 5 to 9 p.m. nightlyLunch: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday-SaturdayReservations and info: 800-344-6050Address: 37 N. Main St., Eureka SpringsOnline: http://grandcentralresort.com/tavern.html

If you go


if you like very sweet brulee), and the Chocolate Paradise Cake, a rare treat indeed. The latter is a slice of dense, flourless, dark chocolate cake with seven – count them! – layers of choc-olate ganash. It is served on a plate covered with vanilla crème glaze and raspberry sauce garnish, and is in-tense, but unbelievably marvelous.

Helping Gilderson out in the kitch-en were sous chefs Jeff Clements and Dylan Sunday, who Chef Dave called his right hands.

And helping entertain guests on piano every Thursday and Saturday evening is Jerry Yester of the Lovin Spoonfuls. Arkansas Red plays acous-tic guitar for dining guests every Fri-day night from 6 to 9 p.m.

With gentle, not-too-loud, roman-tic live music as an added bonus to the phenomenal food offered at Grand Taverne, we can’t think of a better place to treat your sweetheart this Val-entine’s Day or on any other special occasion. Viva la Grand Taverne!

Table for Tw

o By Kristal Kuykendall • Photos by D

avid Bell


After the holidays we have unintend-ed rituals like reducing the use of our credit cards and ugghh, the biggest

one: weight loss. As hard as this is to do, deep inside we all know being of proper weight is good for us physically and it makes us feel bet-ter about ourselves as well.

From science we know that calorie reduc-tion causes us to live a little longer and perhaps much better. Turns out many of the ailments that come with age have to do with carrying too much poundage. In this land of plenty who would have that skinny (less) is better? This goes against the grain for many people who

believe that more (bigger) is better.Weight loss (and gain) is based

upon many ingrained charac-teristics. We all have a base metabolic rate, which is different from anyone else’s. Some folks have an engine that constantly revs high while

others barely putter along. Our age has to do with fat stores, as does

whether we are male or female. The effect of the hormones produced by the thyroid gland

can make the difference between be-ing skinny as a rail, or no matter

how hard you try, weight just won’t come off.

Medicines can cause weight gain. And if you

reach for a can of Betty Crocker

frosting when you get emotionally upset (i.e.,

comfort food) — that can make you a Two-Ton Tessie/

Tom, too. To make it all the more frus-

trating we all have “set points,” which the body comes to and then stubbornly refuses to budge

down below; however, cleansing supplements can be of great value

at that point.Mother Nature has given us an

automatic way of protecting our-selves during winter and difficult

times: We put on extra weight. As hunter/gatherers we needed to do

that to survive. We don’t need that ben-efit nowadays, but it is pretty much hardwired into our systems.

We are just past the time of the year for feasting. There was an abundance of rich and calorie-laden foods seemingly everywhere we went, beckoning to be eaten. Can a piece of cactus help?

Yes, according to a study by the Brown Medical School, Division of Endocrinology, Hallett Center for Diabetes and Endocrinolo-gy located in Providence, Rhode Island. I did a PubMed search for this study and found the information I was looking for.

Though studied in rats, the data should translate over to humans. They showed a like-ly reduction in feeling hungry and an increase in feeling full. Further, human trials have been

By J

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to H

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Hoodia, a cactus, can

help balance the complex system

of hunger and fullness.

Lose those extra pounds you gained over the holidays the safe and natural way


done with very overweight people reduc-ing their daily calorie intake by 1,000 a day. Clearly, Hoodia staves off hunger. This cac-tus helps our brain balance the complex sys-tem of hunger/fullness.

Ever wonder why people in the know say that grass-fed animals that produce food such as meat, milk (cheese) and eggs are better for you? I mean, actually better for your health — not just that the flavor is better. What if I told you it is due to a type of natural fat you ingest when you consume the meat of these animals, and that this par-ticular fat is only naturally found in grass-fed animals and some mushrooms?

What would you say if I said this fat could reduce the spare tire around your middle, help protect women from breast cancer, help protect men from prostate can-cer and could reduce high estrogen levels? CLA-branded as Tonalin, also known as conjugated linoleic acid, this fat has a good deal of science stating exactly these benefits.

Weight loss is complicated. Your weight shouldn’t be based upon pictures in mag-azines or societal pressure but upon your acceptance of yourself and how you want to be. Bottom line is, you have to burn more than you take in.

While I like the South Beach Diet, find a food plan you can get into and stick with, one that won’t make you feel deprived. Ex-ercise at least three times a week; aerobics is best for weight loss. Use supplements in combination such as Hoodia, Rhodiola, Green Coffee Bean Extract, and chromium picolinate, and trust the many herbals that help with insulin levels.

Find a food plan you can stick with that doesn’t make you feel deprived. Exercise at least three times a week

to increase your chances of successful weight loss.

TO ADVERTISE(870) 423-6636

Calll today to advertise in

Currents(479) 253-0080

“Doing business without

advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know

what you are doing, but nobody else does.”

– Stuart Henderson Britt


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Correct exposure is a crucial part of making great photographs. And correct exposure is de-pendent upon accurate metering of any given

scene. This is especially true, and tricky, in winter’s beautiful snow-covered landscapes.

The human eye is sensitive to a wide range of light levels, wider than film or a camera’s imaging sensor can record. So there are decisions to be made when considering exposure and how a camera meter sees light. Either the photographer can make those deci-sions by metering in what’s known as manual mode, or the camera can do it in automatic mode. With manual mode, the photographer is in a good position to get the picture he wants. With automatic mode, you will be shooting whatever the camera decides is

best, which may or may not actually be best. A picture that receives too much light – overex-

posed – falls short of optimal technical quality. Dit-to for an underexposed picture. The more over- or underexposed the image is, the less satisfactory the results.

HOW A CAMERA CONTROLS EXPOSUREExposure-wise – and aside from ISO/film speed

– there are only two controls: shutter speed and lens

opening, called f-stop. Most serious photographers know how to use the camera’s meter to set the shutter speed and f-stop manually. But on today’s cameras. there are also numerous special and automatic set-tings, many of which revolve around helping to ac-curately meter tricky lighting situations, by adjusting the basic exposure controls.

“What are the basic controls?” should be your first question. Glad you asked.

Essentially, a camera is a dark box, with a lens opening and a shutter. Very basic film cameras, such as Kodak’s venerable Brownies and Instamatics, and Fuji’s single-use cameras, have only one lens opening and one shutter speed. That single exposure is suited for bright daylight only. As the sun goes down, pic-tures from these very simple cameras become pro-gressively underexposed.

More complex cameras – both SLR and the point-and-shoot variety – have lenses with variable open-ings and multiple shutter speeds. When the shutter button is pressed, the shutter opens, allowing light to strike the sensor. How much exposure, or light, is recorded depends on the size of the lens opening – a.k.a., the f-stop – and how long the shutter stays open, or its shutter speed.

These two work together to control exposure. There are reasons why a photographer might use a large f-stop instead of a tiny one; or a short exposure instead of longer one. And many of those automatic and program settings on your camera are engineered to replicate what photographers used to have to do manually – and the things that most serious photog-raphers still do manually.

Beautiful photographs are possible in the snow, like this shot at a high mountain lake in Montana.

The human eye is sensitive to a

wide range of light levels, wider than film or a camera’s

imaging sensor can record.

This graph shows that the range of the human eye is much wider that what a camera can record. Metering is to help the photographer set the camera settings in the best position for a great photograph.

Tips fortaking great

picturesin the


Art of the Lens Story and photos by D

avid Bell

IT’S ALL ABOUT AVERAGESCamera meters depend on the reflectance of

light objects, dark objects and all those in between. The camera meter assumes, and depends upon, the average reflectance of all those parts of the scene averaging out to a point halfway in-between black and white: a shade called “middle gray.” It is es-sential that all those lights and darks in front of the lens average out to middle gray in order for the shutter speed and f-stop to be set correctly. If the camera misinterprets the light level, then an un-der- or overexposure error occurs, and the image is less than optimal.

Remember, the camera “thinks” anything it “sees” is middle gray, and if the scene’s reflectance doesn’t match that assumption, the exposure will be wrong.

WINTER WONDERLANDLet’s consider a problematic seasonal photo situ-

ation: photographing a snow scene. If you point the camera at a snow-covered hillside the camera is go-ing to assume it’s seeing a middle-gray average of re-flectance. The camera doesn’t know that it’s actually a bright white subject. Because the camera thinks the scene has an average reflectance of middle gray it will recommend a shutter speed and f-stop that will make the snow appear middle gray.

Essentially, the high reflectance of the snow is fool-ing the camera’s meter into underexposing the scene

– and, as a result, what should be delicately textured, pure, white snow will be rendered gray. Take a look at the two examples of a snow scene pictured here. The first photo was metered without consideration of the snow. The second renders the snow accurately, so all the tones, including the snow, are accurately dis-played.

The black dog on the white snow average out to middle gray when metered. That’s one time when in the snow your camera will make an accurate meter reading.

This is what happens when snow is metered wrong – gray snow.

When properly metered, or compensation is made, you get snow that looks like snow.

When properly metered the texture of both the snow and the fence post are properly rendered.

Sunset can cast interesting shadows in the snow.

Proper compensation renders both the snow and the bird properly. Underexposing creates gray snow and a bird with no detail in its feathers.

If you point the camera at a snow-covered hillside, the camera is going to assume it’s seeing a middle-gray average of reflectance. The camera doesn’t know that it’s actually a bright white subject.


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Pictures can be lightened or darkened in Photo-shop to compensate for a small amount of under- or overexposure. The best pictures have the best, most accurate exposure possible. So the photographer must understand what is happening when the camera is pointed at a snowy scene and make the necessary compensations.

There are several ways to properly meter a snow scene.

One technique to properly meter in snow is to aim the camera at a part of the scene that has a variety of both light and dark tones, such as a section with trees, greenery and rocks as well as snow. This is a quick way to meter such snow scenes.

Another method to meter properly is to use a gray card. The photographer points the camera at the middle-gray-colored card and takes a manual meter reading of the scene in the same light as that of the scene to be photographed. Since the camera is actu-ally seeing what it expects, this represents the most accurate metering of a scene. The photo of the scene will be recorded accurately – white snow, green vege-tation, blue sky. No gray snow.

Most photographers do not routinely carry gray cards with them. So another accurate technique they often use is to meter the palm of their hand. The

palms of most every human hand have the same re-flectance – that is, one stop lighter than middle-gray. So photographers will meter their palm and then ad-just the exposure by giving one additional “stop” of exposure. All three of these techniques can provide near-perfect exposure readings.

EXPOSURE AUTOMATIONCamera manufacturers know that most camera

users will never take advantage of manual metering. So, they have engineered custom functions for their cameras. That’s what those icons on your camera or camera menu represent, having an appearance like the scene they are supposed to be used for.

For example, an icon of a snowflake may stand for a custom setting that compensates for the fact that snow is brighter and more reflective than middle gray; the camera put on that setting automatically will adjust the exposure for that situation. This keeps from dropping shadow details.

The key is this. By recognizing when scenes, such as snow or the beach, need special treatment, the photographer is able to adjust the camera manually, or the camera user is able to chose a custom setting that takes those conditions into account.

So get out there with your camera and don’t be afraid to say “let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!”

#4

Proper knowledge of lighting and exposure will prepare you for shooting photographs when the white stuff falls this winter.

I Show the depth of the snow with foreground/background as here at the Izaak Walton Inn near Glacier National Park in Montana.

Proper exposure maintains the subtle details in delicate snow.

Accentuate the shape of the evergreen trees standing out against a vast snow field.

Have fun with your photography, like I did with my brother, JP, up in Montana.

Lake McDonald W Rocks Use snow to create a feeling of cold in pictures.

The palms of most every human being

have the same reflectance –

that is, one ‘stop’ lighter than

middle-gray. So photographers

will meter their palm and

then adjust the exposure

by giving one additional stop of

exposure.


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2012 is over. For me the past movie year consisted of the Good (The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit: An Un-expected Journey, Jack Reacher), the Bad (Madea’s Witness Protection, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Snow White

and the Huntsman) and the Disappointing (The Amazing Spiderman, Taken 2). It appears the Mayans were wrong, so take a friend or someone you love and head out to your local theater. Grab your favorite beverage and snack, find the perfect seat and sit back and enjoy another movie filled year ... and pass me the popcorn.

JANUARY 11n GANGSTER SQUAD: Ryan Goslin

(Crazy – Stupid Love), Josh Brolin, Emma Stone and Sean Penn star in this gritting crime story. It was originally set to be released last year but the violent ending was reshot due to the

Aurora, CO Dark Knight Rises shooting. Trailer looked good but I am worried

the reshoots may have hurt the story.

JANUARY 18n THE LAST STAND: Back in the

80’s and 90’s Arnold Schwarzenegger was my favorite action star. After a few years in politics Arnold is back where he belongs. This time he is a small town sherriff on the border

who must protect his town from some drug dealing bad guy scum.

I can’t wait to see Arnold kick some butt and crack some corny one liners again.

n BROKEN CITY: Mark Wahlberg plays a cop who is hired by the Mayor (Russell Crowe) to find out if is wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is having an affair. Wahlberg plays a good cop but these crime dramas aren’t really what gets

me rushing out the theaters.

JANUARY 25n HANSEL AND GRETEL: Witch

Hunters: Jeremy Renner (The Bourne Legacy) and Gemma Arterton (Clash of the Titans) play grown-up versions from the fairy tale story. Since surviving the attack by the witch as kids

they vow to hunt and kill all witches. It’s kind of an interesting ideal but I

hope this movie and they fair better than Abraham Lincoln did vs. vampires last year. That movie bombed.

n PARKER: Betrayed by his team and partner (Michael Chiklis) and left for dead, a professional thief (Jason Statham) seeks his revenge. Jennifer Lopez provides the eye candy.

As a kid Arnold was my action hero, as an adult there is

noone any better at kicking bad guy butt then Jason Statham. I love almost every movie he’s in.

FEBRUARY 1n BULLET TO THE HEAD: Sylvester

Stallone plays a hitman who teams up with a cop played by Sung Kang (Fast Five) to avenge the deaths of their partners. It’s a good time to be an action movie fan (like me) with Schwarzenegger,

Statham and Stallone all starring in movies hitting theaters within weeks of each other.

n WARM BODIES: Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class) stars as one of the walking dead who falls for a human (Teresa Palmer) who he rescues in this zombie love story. They had me at zombie but almost

Coming Attractions

Movie reviewer Russell Pinkston represented Berryville as one-half of the team of CineManiacs on the nationally broadcast show Movie Mob, which was on the Reelz Channel. He lives in Harrison and works in Berryville. His reviews can be heard live on thedirectorscutradio.com podcast every Saturday night from 6-8 p.m. CST. You can find him (TheReelRussell) on Twitter and Facebook. He also posts his movie reviews on his blog on thedirectorscutradio.com webpage.


Pass the P

opcorn By Russell Pinkston

lost me at love story but the trailer looked good. I am a little worried about the PG-13 rating on a zombie film but I am very interested in seeing this movie.

FEBRUARY 8n IDENTITY THIEF: Jason Bateman

(Horrible Bosses) plays a guy who is a victim of identity thief (thus the title of the movie) who pursues the lady (Bridesmaids Melissa McCarthy) who is commiting it in

order to clear his name. I loved Horrible Bosses which was also directed by Seth Gordon and starred Bateman so I am excited to see this comedy.

FEBRUARY 13n BEAUTIFUL CREATURES: A

supernatural love story based on the popular teen book series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. With the success of the Twilight movies everyone is trying to

cash in. I am not a fan of these sappy silly love stories so I am not crazy about seeing this movie. Even my teen daughter who was a fan of the book isn’t excited for this movie.

FEBRUARY 14n SAFE HAVEN: Yet another love

story movie by Nicholas Sparks. But good thing Sparks knows how to write and his movies (Dear John, The Lucky One, The Notebook) aren’t that bad. Besides

Valentine’s Day is the day for love and this would be the perfect movie for couples to see.

Good thing I am single.

n ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH: Animated film featuring the voices of Brendon Fraser (The Mummy), Rob Corddry (What Happens in Vegas) and Jessica Alba (Sin City). A little brother must come to the

rescue of his hero big brother. Looks cute and funny. Would be

a good movie for me and the kids to enjoy.

n A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD:I love the original film (my brother played a hostage in it) and part 4 was pretty good so I am looking forward to seeing this 5th John McClane film. Valentine’s Day is the perfect day

for this film. You can send your wife or girlfriend to go see Safe Haven and then you can watch this action movie filled with mind numbing explosions and gunfire.

FEBRUARY 22n SNITCH: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

stars as a father who goes undercover to expose a drug cartel in order to save his son from prison. The Rock is quickly becoming one of my favorite action stars. He knows how to kick butt and

take no crap.

MARCH 1n JACK THE GIANT SLAYER: It should

be a good year for Nicholas Hoult as he stars in this and Febuary’s Warm Bodies. This is another film loosely based on a fairy tale. A farmer must face giants in order to rescue a

princess. It’s directed by Brian Singer (The

Unusal Suspects, X-Men, Superman Returns) so it should be well made. We’ll see how grown up the story is though.

MARCH 8n OZ: The Great and Powerful:

ames Franco stars as a average magician who is blown to Oz and must prove to be an exceptional wizard in order to save Oz and defeat the Wicked Witch (Rachel Weisz). Also stars Mila Kunis

(Friends with Benefits) and Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine).

MARCH 15n CARRIE: Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick

Ass) star in this reboot/remake of the 1976 movie based on the Stephen King novel. I wasn’t a fan of the original but Chloë is an awesome up and coming actress so maybe this will be

better than the original.


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JANUARY5 – Mardi Gras Kings Day Kick off Party, Eureka Springs. Kick off the city’s Mardi Gras celebrations at Rowdy Beaver Tav-ern on U.S. Highway 62. The Mardi Gras Royal Court will be introduced. For more information visit www.krazo.ureeka.org or call 479-881-9551. Cash bar, dancing and second-lining.

17 – UARK Bowl Comedy Club presents Ralphie May, Fayetteville. Comedian Ral-phie May will perform at 8 p.m. To pur-chase tickets visit www.uarkbowl.com or call 479-301-2030.

19 – Oberlin Dance Collective presents The Velveteen Rabbit, Fayetteville. Ober-lin Dance Collective (ODC) enlivens Mar-gery Williams’ classic tale of a well-worn nursery rabbit that becomes real. Told though music, dance and a powerful nar-rative, The Velveteen Rabbit celebrates the unique relationship between a little boy and his stuffed rabbit, and the enduring power of love. Walton Arts Center, www.waltonartscenter.org or 479-443-5600.

19 – Taste of N’Awlins, Eureka Springs. Come celebrate Mardi Gras in style with a taste of the New Orleans cuisine at Keels

Creek Winery at 2 p.m. For more infor-mation call 479-881-9551 or visit krazo.ureeka.org.

25 – Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Fayetteville. The New York-based dance company will visit the Walton Arts Cen-ter on its tour. Cutting-edge, contempo-rary ballet will integrate movement and multimedia during the ballet. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.waltonartscenter.org or call 479-443-5600.

26 — Mardi Gras Christening of the Floats, Eureka Springs. Come to Rowdy Beaver Tavern at 5 p.m. on U.S. Highway 62 and bless the floats at Sponsor Appre-ciation Day. For more information visit w-ww.krazo.ureeka.org or call 479-881-9551. Cash bar, dancing and second-lin-ing.

26 – Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA) Masterworks II, Fayetteville. This Russian masterworks concert will feature some of the most famous, classical pieces ever written. Tickets range from $28-48 for adults; $5 for children; $10 for stu-dents. To purchase tickets call 479-443-5600 or visit www.sonamusic.org.

FEBRUARY

1-28 – Month-long Murder Mystery The-ater Weekends and/or Dinners. Call Bear Mountain Log Cabins for more informa-tion 479-253-6185.

2 – Mardi Gras Light & Sound Night Pa-rade, Eureka Springs. Celebrate the won-ders of Mardi Gras with a parade from Spring Street to Main Street at 6 p.m. Af-terward visit some of the bars along Main Street and Spring Street for a festive event.

5 – Memphis, the Musical, Fayetteville. Presented by Walton Arts Center. For tickets and more information, visit www.waltonartscenter.org or call 479-443-5600.

7 – Hookers and Jokers Ball, Eureka Springs. What better way to celebrate Mar-di Gras than dressing for a costume ball? The ball will be held at Inn of the Ozarks. There will be an Hors d’Oeuvres buffet and live music by Terry and the Executives, as well as a Costume Contest with prizes. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.krazo.ureeka.org or call 479-253-8737.

Mark your Calendars!


To-Do

List By Tina Parker8 – Coronation Masquerade Royalty Ball, Eureka Springs. Enjoy a Champagne Buffet Supper at the King and Queen Royal Court Promenade and Grand March Royalty at the Crescent Hotel Crystal Ballroom. For-mal Attire or royal costumes are required. There will be live entertainment from Swing and a Miss. Tickets are $35 a person. Reservations can be made at 479-981-9551.

9 – Mardi Gras Day Parade, Eureka Springs. The Mardi Gras parade will kick off at 2 p.m. with decorated floats with an “Aquarius Eureka” theme. “Krewe of Barkus”, a canine parade, will precede the parade. Dress up and join in the parade. Followed by a costume contest at New De-hli Café at 3:30 p.m. Cash prizes will be of-fered for best costume.

9 — Chocolate Lovers Festival, Eureka

Springs. Relish in love at the Chocolate Lovers Festival at the Inn of the Ozarks from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more informa-tion call 479-253-9768 or 800-552-3785.

10 – Jazz Brunch, Eureka Springs. A New Orleans style brunch will be offered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Crescent Ho-tel. There will be live jazz entertainment and sumptuous food. Reservations are re-quired at 479-253-9652.

11 – 10th Annual Valentine Ball, Eureka Springs. Dine your valentine at the 10th Annual Valentine Ball presented by Eure-ka Health Care Volunteer Guild at the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks. Live music by Jody Simrell. For more information con-tact Kay Halper at 479-253-7114 or 479-253-3756.

11 – ArtiGras Artist Reception, Eureka Springs. An Artist reception will be held at Caribe Cantina from 6 to 9p.m. Admis-sion is free.

12 – Fat Tuesday St. ‘Lizabeth’s King Cake Ball and Mardi Gras Supper, Eure-ka Springs. Enjoy a Cajun dinner and live music by Naturally Brass at St. Elizabeth’s Parish Center from 6 to 10:30 p.m. There will be a cash bar and Eureka’s largest King Cake. Tickets are $65 a couple or $35 for an individual. Call 479-636-8864 to pur-chase tickets.

15-17 – Sweethearts Weekend at Hobbs State Park, Rogers. Spend a day in nature with your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day weekend. Take an eagle watch cruise on beautiful Beaver Lake guided by one of our park interpreters. Afterward, continue to the nearby War Eagle Mill for a delicious lunch . Then head to the park’s visitor cen-ter for a hike along our newest nature trail, followed by a tour of the center which is a Silver LEEDS green building. Limited to the first 10 couples or 20 individuals. Reg-istration and pre-payment required. Con-tact the park for more information and to register. Admission: $60 per couple or $30 per person. For more information, email [email protected] or call 479-789-5000.

16 – Freakin Eurekan 15K Trail Run, Lake Leatherwood. Ready for some trail run-ning? Get freaky at the Freakin Eurekan 15K trail race. The event will begin at 10 a.m. with registration from 8 to 9:30 a.m. The course will follow trails around Lake

Leatherwood. For more information, call Russ at Fleet Feet Sports, 479-571-8786.

16 – Grace Kelly Quintet, Fayetteville. Sax-ophonist, singer, composer, and arranger Grace Kelly is a 20-year-old wunderkind who blow you away with her proficiency and creativity. Presented by Walton Arts Center. For tickets and more information, visit www.waltonartscenter.org or call 479-443-5600.

19 – The Little Prince, Fayetteville. All grown-ups were children once, although few of us remember the wonderment of childhood. This beautiful tale will remind you! A pilot crashes in the Sahara des-ert and while trying to repair his wrecked plane he is interrupted by the apparition of a little boy who asks him to draw a sheep. As absurd as it seems, a thousand miles from all inhabited regions and in danger of death, he takes out a scrap of paper and a pen… and so begins their adventure. Presented by Walton Arts Center. For tickets and more information, visit www.waltonartscenter.org or call 479-443-5600.

22-23 – Hair, the Musical. Presented by Walton Arts Center. For tickets and more information, visit www.waltonartscenter.org or call 479-443-5600.

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