Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2018 i Country Extra

I went on a trip to Las Vegas in November of 2015 with my wife, Heidi, and our 16-year-old son, Alex. One of our must-do excursions was to visit Zion National Park in Utah, which is about a three-hour drive from the city. We hiked the strenuous 5-mile Angels Landing Trail in Zion Canyon. The hike starts out on a flat dirt path. Once the terrain heads uphill, it is steep but easy to walk on. In the photo, you can see many switchbacks on the lower right and the path on the left. Before long, we reached a decision point. We took the warning signs seriously but continued on. It was the most exhilarating hike we have ever been on! Parts of the trail were just a narrow ledge…

While my wife, Christan, and I were babysitting our nieces and nephew, Pippa, Norrie and Finn, we went for a walk along a few of the trails at Yellow Creek Park. It was a cooler day, about 50 degrees. We bundled up in sweaters so we could play outside all day. The kids love to explore nature. As we rounded a corner on one of the trails, the sun streamed beautifully through the trees. The leaves glowed beneath the kids’ feet as they walked along the fence row. Children grow as the seasons change, but memories last a lifetime. Some of my favorite memories of autumn are hayrides with friends on the weekends, and raking piles of leaves and jumping in them. We would go to the high school football…

GINGER-WALNUT BUNDT CAKE Nancy Zimmerman Cape May Court House, New Jersey PREP: 20 min.• BAKE: 40 min. + cooling • MAKES: 16 servings 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup hot brewed coffee 1 cup canola oil 1 cup light molasses ¼ cup sour cream 2 large eggs 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 5 tsp. ground ginger 2 ½ tsp. baking soda 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. salt 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted ¼ cup chopped crystallized ginger Glaze 2 cups confectioners’ sugar 2 tsp. grated lemon zest 3 to 4 Tbsp. lemon juice Additional chopped crystallized ginger 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 10-in. fluted tube pan. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, coffee, oil, molasses and sour cream. Add eggs; beat until…

On a clear night, the North Star shines brightly above Old Glory. Here in the section of the state known as “Wisconsin’s last wilderness,” an eternal flame flickers to honor and remember those who gave a part of themselves—or made the ultimate sacrifice—for their fellow soldiers, our freedom and our great nation. For many years, members of American Legion Post 480 in Presque Isle, Wisconsin, a tiny town of about 600 residents, dreamed of constructing a veterans memorial on a vacant peninsula next to the post building to honor our heroes. Community members donated seed money to develop the project, and the stars finally aligned in 2014. The Legionnaires voted to form a nonprofit organization to procure additional funds. And a committee formed to spearhead the effort, chaired by John…

You will find our little white church aptly situated on Church Road in the borough of Harmony, a quaint community in Pennsylvania. In 1873, the first services of Camp Run Presbyterian Church took place beneath two big oak trees. Descendants of those early worshippers still farm the surrounding countryside. The church was the center of social life in this community well into the early 1970s. There was always a youth group and Bible school for the children in the summer (the congregation rented a bus to bring children who didn’t have transportation). The church had a baseball team, and hosted an annual pancake and sausage dinner, an ice cream festival and many evening activities. And the ladies of the church made quilts—beautiful ones they created for their families or for…

1. MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN The scenery on the way to the top of Mount Katahdin in Maine was amazing. I was so blessed to experience this amazing autumn hike with my brother. THOMAS JONES Pennellville, New York 2. TOUCH OF GOLD My daughter Paisley collected pretty leaves while we played outside on a lovely autumn day. HEIDI SCHROEDER Nevis, Minnesota 3. WALK IN THE WOODS Every season is photogenic at Oak Openings Preserve Metropark in Swanton, Ohio, but none is more colorful than fall. MICHELLE TERRY Kent, Ohio 4. EARLY ENCOUNTER I’ve seen many moose over the years while visiting Grand Teton National Park, but never like this. The big guy just walked right out into the beautiful morning light and before I knew it, he was gone.…

Every Thanksgiving I thank God for all the fun memories and many laughs I share with my family. That’s why we have Thanksgiving—to be thankful for life’s many blessings! The day before the holiday, my older cousin Karie and I go to church with my grandmother. When we get back to Mawmaw’s house, we sit down on the living room floor and play board games. Finally, Mawmaw tells us that we need to get to bed. Karie and I put on our pajamas and snuggle up under the covers. I beg Karie to tell me a story. When she does, I listen. She is a wonderful storyteller, and I lie there fascinated as she tells one tale after another. As I look back, every story she has told had a…

TREES ALL AGLOW Jim and Cindy Bower’s farm is surrounded by autumn’s glory in the mountains of northern Pennsylvania. This land was homesteaded during the 1860s by Scottish settlers. THE LAKE EFFECT A picture-perfect barn overlooks Keyes Lake near Florence, Wisconsin, a small town just south of the state’s border with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Keyes Lake’s clear waters are ideal for fishing and swimming. PEAK OF PERFECTION This unique red barn is tucked in the High Peaks Wilderness of Adirondack Park in North Elba, New York. The wilderness includes Mount Marcy, the tallest peak in the state. Lake Placid, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980, is also nearby. MYSTERY PHOTO Photographer John Knox says, “While driving on a rainy Saturday, this round red barn jumped…

Growing up in rural Arkansas, we watched for the geese as their annual caravan made its way through our neck of the woods. We knew they came from somewhere up north. We also knew they were headed to their winter destination, someplace down south. Between September and November (when Canada geese migrate) it was still fairly warm in our parts. Because we were outdoor creatures, we stayed on the lookout for those friendly wings to come flapping our way high in the sky. Back in the 1950s, many poor rural families didn’t have a television to occupy their time. So every little thing that happened in nature was exciting to us, even the wind blowing up dust, leaves swirling through the autumn air, or storm clouds gathering on the horizon.…

When Thanksgiving comes around, I always remember a funny one that happened years ago when my husband and I were a young married couple stationed at an Air Force base in Albuquerque. My brother-in-law and his wife, Pat, were going to join us for the holiday in our very small apartment. My sister-in-law had won a large turkey from her place of work. It was much too big for four people, so we decided to cut it in two. We’d cook one half for the dinner and freeze the other. A few days before Thanksgiving, my husband told me he had invited a young couple who had just been transferred to the base. They were new to Albuquerque and had no family here. Pat and I thought that half a…

Julie Frient pulled up to a house in her pickup truck and backed the John Deere tractor off the trailer. The homeowner asked if Julie’s husband was coming to brush hog his field. With a smile, she handed him a business card that said it all. Julie is, in fact, the operator. Julie is busy, and more so when her husband, Mike—sergeant first class in the Army—is deployed. (A 27-year veteran, he served in Afghanistan for 13 months from 2011 to 2012.) And like so many military spouses, Julie keeps everything running at home. Julie was driving a tractor even before she started kindergarten, opting for a hand-clutch model because her legs were too short to reach the pedal. Because the 250-acre family farm in Akron, Ohio, adjoined her school’s…

MY HUSBAND AND I LOVE to wander around antique shops. We are always looking for our favorite collectibles, and I’m passionate about collecting cows. It started about five years ago when I saw a cow creamer that looked just like the one that sat on my grandmother’s dining room table. Her cow held the delicious sweet cream that she put in her coffee every morning. I decided that I had to have that little creamer, and the tradition began. Now, whenever I am in a shop it is like an Easter egg hunt because creamers are not as common as they once were. I have found that the four-legged creamers are the most common, the squatters are a little harder to find and the busts are rare. My collection at…

I’m the first to admit that I did not want a dog. Breaking things, making lots of messes—I already have kids for that. So naturally, a wiggly rescue mutt captured my heart completely. And the fuzzy one’s already taught me some important lessons. It’s never too crummy to walk outside. While I might complain at first, about a block or two into our walks I’m grateful for the peace and quiet. It’s calming to get outside for fresh air and exercise each day. The past doesn’t determine the future. Our dog was 5 months old when we adopted her from a shelter and before that she was a stray. With a loving family, big yard, warm bed, steady meals and puppy playmates, her past is firmly behind her. It’s OK…

When my daughter Emily was nearly 10, we moved a few miles down the road to our current home. The next spring, after building a chicken coop, we got a batch of chicks—Red Stars and Buff Orpingtons. All was well for the first couple of weeks. The chicks went from fuzzy little fluff balls to gawky teen chickens trying to grow feathers. Emily and her little brother Eric would often visit the chicks during the day to watch them and pet them. They loved the birds. Then one day Emily ran to her father in tears because something was wrong with one of the chicks. It seemed the little creature had broken its leg somehow. Like a scene out of Charlotte’s Web, as Paul took the chick to end its…

Chubby Chipmunk Each time the critters in my yard saw me fill the bird feeder, they assumed the buffet line was open. One chipmunk climbed inside the long plastic tube and ate so much seed he got stuck! I discovered his plight when I went to refill the feeder and saw his eyes blinking at me from inside the tube. I was so startled I nearly dropped the feeder. I shook it vigorously, but he barely budged. So I removed the top and gave it a huge fling. A furry torpedo flew out and plopped onto the ground. He was too fat to run very fast, but scurried to the shelter of a nearby tree. I thought that was the end of it until I found him stuck again a…

Yellowstone was my first national park, and it’s still my favorite after many visits. I saw these majestic elk in an open field near the Madison River. BRENT YOUNG Pleasant Grove, Utah Wild mustangs are part of our American heritage. Every time I photograph them, I am moved by their beauty and grace. This white stallion was eating moss as the sun came up over the Salt River in Arizona. JERRY COWART Chatsworth, California Whenever I visit my parents in Charlo, Montana, I always schedule a trip to see wildlife at the National Bison Range in Moiese. This pheasant’s brilliant color was too stunning not to share. WENDY YEATER Mesquite, Texas…