These photos just in from Becky Hall, my fathers twin sister who lives in Damascus, Arkansas. Im not sure if it was big news or not but an f-3 tornado made its way across three states without lifting off of the ground. Much damage, as you can see, was done. My relatives farm was not left untouched; many barns down, fences crushed by trees, roads washed out. My aunt and uncle's property turned into the property of their two sons as well, Chase and Andy, who are both married with one kid each and they and their homes all made it out ok. The only soul who didn't was Ben.
Quite possibly the sweetest dog ever, I got to meet Ben this past summer. He had a nervous habit or a tick (not so sure what to call it in dogs) that was terrifying. Namely, when excited, he would curl and snarl his lips up exposing his teeth. So upon meeting him you would run into a 75 pound black-lipped mountain hound that looked like he was going to eat you alive. Really he was just happy and couldn't help that he was perhaps the world's only dog to actively grin in a human manner. He was grey with black lining his paws, lips and eyes. He was fast, too, following behind the pickup as my uncle Charles gave us a tour of the once-largest-dairy-cattle-operation in Arkansas. Then he would break off only to return to my cortex off in the far distance across a large field chasing white tails out of the woods. Later he would show back up and get his dinner, which was everything that wasn't eaten that night by his human friends. Soup, my own hound, sat outside with him into the star scattered night on thier quiet farm and they made fast friends. Two hounds, one city one country, sharing thier perspectives on gnawing and chewing, digging, running and sleeping.
Ben did not die in the high winds of the tornado, he died in the high waters that followed. While surveying the damage to their propery he jumped into the above pictured water called Brickey Creek, a place he had crossed many times before, and was unable to make it out of the current. He got confused and swam back for the dock instead of the bank and, like other dogs before him in the same spot, didn't make it out alive. Ben, tonight my heart is with you on your hilarious soul's journey into the bigger picture.
To my family in Damascus, I am delighted that you are all OK and wish I could be there to help you clean up.
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