Refreshed in February
Nature Arts -- getting inspired by kids making art, and their curious, adventuresome imaginations!
Refreshed in February: Happy Groundhog Day! According to reports, today it's overcast and cold in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. But the legendary groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, somehow saw his shadow. The prediction is for six more weeks of winter. Regardless, I am feeling refreshed in February. Whew! January seemed to drag on forever. Captain Mark River is back in town, along with Mayfly (Ceili Hale) and River Otter (Heather Crosse).
We recently refreshened our signage out front on Sunflower Avenue.
And our Nature Arts Program (with partner Griot Arts) has restarted. Class will be making a Mississippi River field trip when it warms up later this spring. One River. One Community. One Mississippi.
Creative minds converting experience in nature into art!
Sunflower River. Every day we take a walk along the Sunflower River for exploration and gathering art ideas. Then we return to base to share, examine, explain, and then create art!
Dandelions blooming most recently! Everyone picked dandelion blossoms. A couple tried eating dandelion greens (I was one of them -- a little bitter, but very tasty).
Time to make art! Cache painted a Water Tiger. The tiger was eating a squirrel. The tiger's tail is a snake. The snake is looking backwards and is eating a rat. Deena created texture with real sand in a painting she titled "Beach Time". George made a highly energetic pencil drawing of a vulture. Gabby painted a river scene with birds, fish and trees.
Victoria painted a robin who was not scared when she walked by. Later, when she walked back by, the same robin was in the same place. She feels like that robin was a friend.
Landon made a cubist sort of pencil portrait of Tater & I playing music on railroad tracks (from another painting, made from a photo). Landon is a quick study, and was the first to completely fill his notebook in 2024. ~~~Recap of Recent Posts~~~ We made it through a long, dark January, and now everything looks brighter in this shortest of months. Hope you feel the same way too. Thanks to everyone for your responses to last week's "Survival" post. We're going to figure it out -- how can we not? -- with friends like you. We Mighty Quapawz are meeting weekly for tightening our belts, buckling down, and laying plans for creating a sustainable future. All while serving you and our Queen mother Mississippi River. She is our queen; we are her worker bees. Mark River's post "There Will Be Struggles" written in honor of his father, Earl Peoples Jr. (1933-2024), was one of our most-liked newsletters ever. Thanks to all for your sympathies and shout-outs to Chief Guide Mark River Peoples. Your love shown has been helpful to his recovery process (as has been with mine in losing my good friend Possum) Speaking of whom, I've added a few more colorful stories to the Phil "Possum" Cauthen tribute post "Doing the Possum Trot" Many friends and family we lost last year: including Patty Johnson, Hank Burdine, "Red" Randy Peyton, and many others. Continued consolations for you for those you lost. Their lives make us who we are today. ~~~2025 Adventures~~~ Tributary Rivers of the South: I am looking forward to upcoming Mighty Quapaw projects and adventures, including top-to-bottom expeditions down the length of the Ouachita River, and one down the length of the Buffalo River, to follow the White River to its confluence with the Mississippi at Big Island. These trips will be open to others interested (for sections, or the entire thing). Dates forthcoming 1254 Miles of Free-Flowing Water: We will paddle the Middle & Lower Mississippi from St. Louis to the Gulf of Mexico, in part to update the Rivergator: Paddler's Guide to the Lower Mississippi River. I am working on a hard copy publication of Rivertgator, which will become available in single volume print form, with maps, in 2026. Magic on the Mississippi: Our annual collaboration adventure with Dave & Emma Cornthwaite is on the calendar two times in October. Magic on the Mississippi is life changing! If you are at a crossroads, and don't see a clear path forward, Magic on the Mississippi will help illuminate the way! Magic #1 Oct 19-26 and Magic #1 is 26-Nov 2. Mississippi River Huck & Jim Seminars: Wilderness Expedition on the Lower Mississippi River, Oct 11-19 from Clarksdale, MS, 4 days on land 5 days on the river. Led by St. John's College alums Jim Bailey (A83) and John Ruskey (SF90) for St. Johnnie's but open to all.
~~~2025 Popular Trips Open to All~~~ Full Moon Trips, New Moon All-Nighter Trips: We will continue our popular Full Moon adventures in 2025. Go to online calendar and pick one out! In the summer months we will offer all-night paddles during the new moon, for experience of the heavens, sometimes with expert astrophotographer Walt Busby on board. Community Canoe: Monthly Community Canoes are scheduled on our online calendar. Scroll through the months and pick one out! Community canoe is for youth, families, and teachers. And anyone else who wants to paddle the big river, but never had the opportunity. Free for youth under 18 accompanied by parent or guardian. 1/4 price for educators. 1/2 price everyone else. Made possible by the Lower Mississippi River Foundation. ~~~2025 Summer Camp~~~ Overseen by Lower Mississippi River Foundation. One week for high school boys, one week for high school girls. Scheduled for May and June. Designed to foster long-term stewardship of the river amongst Delta youth. Students learn to canoe and camp, as well as the history and ecology of the Mississippi. Each day during the week, participants take on more responsibility as they learn the skills necessary for survival -- on the river -- and in their lives. Our Youth: Our youth will inherit the earth -- and the river; we want to make sure they have a deep and heartfelt relationship with their river!
Sat Feb 15th Sunflower River Cleanup Day 1-3pm: February is for Friends of the Sunflower River. Cleanup starting at 1pm. Meet down at river level, behind the Quapaw Canoe Company. Wear gloves and rubber boots. Pack trash bags. Our poor neglected Sunflower River. So full of life. And yet so trashed out, and dumped upon, and ignored. On Saturday, Feb 15th, we will be rolling up our sleeves, and showing some love for our sad Sunflower. Our plan is divide and conquer. We will split up into teams, and head out upstream and downstream, and do some spring cleaning. ~~~Other River Services along the Mississippi River & Tributaries~~~ (that we've inspired over the decades) Vicksburg Outpost. The Quapaw Canoe Company Vicksburg Outpost was stablished in 2016 by big river guide “Water Opossum” Layne Logue for access into the wilds of the Mississippi Delta Hardwoods, Loess bluffs and Northeastern Louisiana Floodplain. Educational adventures also conducted into adjacent oxbow Lakes, river chutes, back channels, and seasonally flooded landscapes. Canoe and kayak adventures & expeditions on the Lower Mississippi River including Greenville, Mayersville, Lake Providence, Tara Wildlife Preserve, Madison Parish Boat Ramp (Tallulah, LA), Vicksburg, Grand Gulf State Park, Claiborne County Public Boat Ramp, Natchez, St Francisville, Venice, LA to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atchafalaya River. Mississippi River Expeditions of Memphis provides high-quality custom guided adventures on the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee. Access remote wilderness locations in our big Voyageur canoes and camp under the stars on river islands. We offer complete packaging: outfitting, guiding, cooking, and shuttling. All you have to do is arrive with your personal items and be prepared to paddle. No previous experience necessary. Choose your section of the river, and we’ll take you there and get you safely back. Big Muddy Adventures, St. Louis. Founder Big Muddy Mike and I are old friends and partnered on many continent-spanning adventures, including paddling dugout canoes from the Rockies to the Pacific and back to the Heartlands. BMA started as a partner organization. Now fully independent and also now operating as a non-profit. Services St. Louis on the Mississippi, Missouri and surrounding rivers. Iberville Landing. Opening March 2025! Paddle in the shadows of Louisiana's indigenous tribes and French explorers. Explore historic Bayou Manchac and Alligator Bayou by canoe or kayak. Shuttles, camping, lodging and resupply. Red River Canoe Company. Opening later in 2025! The Red River Canoe Company was established in 2024 by big river guide Jon Soul. Based in Shreveport, LA.
Lower Mississippi River Dispatch No. 955 "Voice of the Lower Mississippi River" Vicksburg, MS ~ Memphis, TN ~ Clarksdale, MS ~ Wilson, AR Quapaw Canoe Company ~ Celebrating 27 Years of Service ~ ~Winner of the SBA 2024 Small Business of the Year Award~
Always lovely to see the young folks exploring, being creative, and having fun with you guys at Quapaw (dandelion sandwiches are yummy - my father-in-law use to have dandelion sandwiches made with beef or pork dripping for his school lunches).