Cannot Camo Joy

Found the old camo head gear at the base of the stand. A good fit for Nathaniel.

On the stand

Nathaniel climbs the Meat Stand ladder with his father Landon. It was our first outing together to the Osceola.

The Long Haulers

And so we pass the ole pigskin to another long hauler. Perhaps the old half back will live to see the fleet Nathaniel from the Trenton stands make that first touchdown. Perhaps he shall hear, like I heard my fathers voice above all the cheers, Way to go John! It echoes to this day.
It shall always resound. And still the little boy runs for that touchdown. And still the fathers cheer them on.....

We could have gone to State

...had I played football instead of basketball! Looking back, looking back, always looking back like Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite! In my earlier JV days, I was quite the football player if I may have an Uncle Rico moment. I was a half back with Johnny Henry the fullback. We had that end around toss play, with Johnny leading the blocking, along with Bill and Jack Whitehurst pulling off the line, and off we would go. It was good night Louise and hello end zone. In the old year book is the skinny little halfback with the apt title, John makes another long haul. Sammy Miller, the varsity football coach tried to get me to go out for the team, but in my high school rebellion, opted to play point guard on the all-black basketball team. Again, in Uncle Rico fashion, had I to do it over, it would have been football and basketball.
What were we thinking back then? Well, it sure keeps this Rico thinking even now, What if? What if?

Faith Temple

Shot by sticking the camera out the window as I drove through downtown on my way to the shoals. I enjoyed the time I walked up Marion Street photographing the buildings and people. This Faith Temple was once the old movie theatre on Marion Street.

WWF Paul

And then with the excitement of the two Toms still upon my mind, just ahead was Paul Christie walking in front of his house. Paul is a janitor with the County. I suppose this day he was out for an exercise walk. Long ago, when my dad was the minister at the United Methodist Church, we went out to eat with Paul and his parents, now both deceased. Paul was in a leg cast. He had been to a WWF wrestling match in Jacksonville and the wrestler in the ring dared anyone in the audience to come and wrestle him. Paul obliged and in the first throw got a broke leg for the bravado. His fifteen minutes of fame coming to an abrupt end.

Frantic Tom

On the ride up to visit Big Shoals on the 23rd, while on Lassie Black road, two Toms ran across the road in front of me. I came to a stop to watch them. They did not try and fly over the fence, but kept repeatedly framing into the fence, trying to force their way through one of the holes. It looked like this one was not going to get stuck and I was about to get out of the car and help him, but he squeezed on through and mad a bee line to the pines beyond.

The Eastern Lights

Another dashboard composition. On the journey to Olustee ten PM Tuesday evening to get Jordon at Olustee, I set the tripod mounted S95 on the dash for a 15 second exposure of the sky. On the straight stretch of US90 heading east, I was surprised how the stars stayed in relative sharpness, due no doubt to my wonderfully skillful steady driving. We left the PT Cruiser there that night and returned yesterday, trying again, this time with success to get it started. It is one quirky vehicle.

Delicate sound of light

First light this morning over Mrs Duncan's yard. I am becoming quite familiar with her landscape, at all hours of the morning, night and evening. I use her red roof as a framing line, trying to keep it out of my photographs.

Harry and Franken-bike

Yesterday I took the rear V-brakes up to Harry at the Harry's Bike Shop to install on the Franken-bike, so named by Professor Shaun. Fitting, as nothing is working from the parts we took from Rogers bike and moved over to this frame. Here, you can see the Rock Shock Judy red front suspension fork, clashing mightly with the purple frame Roger gave me from one of his trips up to Wisconson.
Harry has been quite patient in the attempt. Not sure when complete, but the cost will probably equal what a new bike would cost.
But, what price are we willing to pay for memory and sentimentality?

Moon and Star

Last evening following the Hors Categorie(Beyond Category) sunset, the moon and star quietly made their appearance. In taking the garbage to the road, i had the camera in pocket as usual. I took the little tripod with the magnet tips and set it on the old rusty stove top plate atop the 'stokes' pole at the driveway entrance and made this 15 second exposure. As is the case, the moon in its sliver was over-exposed, but you get the picture.

Free birds above prisons

On the ride home from getting the PT Cruiser in Olustee, a wonderful sunset unfolded. I was following Jordon in the Pathfinder and did not want to pull over, so I set the Canon S95 up on the little tripod on the dash and kept driving. I put the camera on a one second delay so my pressing the shutter would be eliminated, as enough shaking was already going on. I set the camera on manual with a 2.8 at 80 exposure.
As we were going through the area where the three prisons are, a large flock of birds was circling, getting ready to roost. I had enough time to get one shot as I drove under them. I should have stopped, but didn't. Also, two interpretations of the same shot. Both from Picnik, a photo site from Google that sadly is going away this April. It will be missed by me as it has the signature I like and the framing.