Bragg Family South

  I would be remiss in not acknowledging the big spring and early summer Beth has had--in case you hadn't heard, she graduated Monticello High School with high honors back in May!  As with Kenny before her, Beth persevered through the unique trials and tribulations of her generation--the covid years--and flourished in her role as a diligent high school student (look at all those sashes, medals, cords, and banners on her!). At the beginning of the weeks-long graduation festivities, we hosted a social event at our house for Beth, with many family friends and even some family--Rick Pruden--attending.  Above, she smiles with her graduating classmate Autumn...   Beth was one of numerous repeat honorees at the high school's awards ceremony in which her academics were recognized, as well as multiple scholarships.  Pictured below, Beth is receiving a medal for getting "Distinguished Honors" (a greater than 4.0 grade point average): Unlike Kenny, who had to wait sev...

Another Arkansas Archeological Society Summer Dig is in the books!  Kenny and I spent most of the last two weeks in De Queen, Arkansas (southwestern part of the state) assisting in an archeological excavation of a salt production area that had both prehistoric (Caddo Indian) and historic (antebellum to Civil War) components to it...  The place we worked was on a privately owned cattle ranch near a small, salty spring called "Holman Springs", picture below (we are working behind the trees on the far side of the water): If you recall, we also dug at this site last year, and it was because of what we found (the historic brick salt furnace) that we returned to De Queen this year.  Below is what the site looked like just as we started getting ready to work: Pictured below is our dig director, Dr. Carl Drexler of the Arkansas Archeological Survey (part of the state agency, within the University of Arkansas system).  Carl is getting ready to use a laser surveying instrument...