Awe…some Mondays

What is so Awe…some about this building you ask. When we moved to Northwest Arkansas in 1987 I worked about a block from this structure. It is a gas station, probably built in the late 40’s or early 50’s. The white porcelain panels were the preferred exterior for all modern gas stations of that era. By 1987 the gas pumps were gone and the only service available was tire repair. The building was in pretty rough shape. The tire repair business closed around 2004 and the building sat vacant ever since. The other day I drove by the place and the little structure is getting a new life! The right side of the building was originally the office and the left side was two service bays. I can’t wait ’til this place opens and I get to celebrate the new life. I love these little gas stations but they are disappearing because they are small and not useful for very many types of businesses in this day and age. I think they have done a great job of rehabbing this place and I just hope the food is as good as the design. Are there any successful re-purposed buildings in your town?

Monday’s Music Moves Me

This week is an open choice week so I thought I’d bring another one of my favorite genres of music to the party. I like the blues and I like blues guitar and there are several great musicians out there. The classics like Leadbelly, John Lee Hooker, and Buddy Guy are in a class by themselves. Then there are the rockers turned blues musicians, like Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana. Finally there is the new kid on the block, so to speak, Joe Bonamassa. Joe has been playing since he was five and has been playing with the best in the business since he was 12.

My first selection is combines two of these talented gentlemen, Joe Bonomassa and Eric Clapton playing Further On Up the Road. Enjoy.

Eric Clapton has been a rock/blues musician since the mid-sixties. He was the lead gutairist/vocalist in bands such as Blind Faith, Cream, and Derek & the Dominoes. One of his most popular numbers is Layla and is usually played as an electrified rock number, but listen as he slows it down into an acoustic blues classic.

A personal favorite of mine is Delbert McClinton. Delbert actually toured with the Beatles to provide the harmonica for songs like Love Me Do. I believe that he eventually taught John Lennon how to play the parts. I like a little rasp in my blues vocals and Delbert is just the man for the job.

Blues and Country music have one thing in common, much of the music is about lying, cheating, stealing, and broken hearts. No blues post would be complete without a little BB King.

Original

 

Variations

Over a decade ago I can remember celebrating my sixtieth birthday.  I remember posting on my previous blog about the Beatles song, “When I’m 64”. Paul McCartney wrote that song when he was 16. When I was sixteen, the thought of turning 64 never crossed my mind. It’s not that I didn’t expect to live that long, it’s just that we were more worried about tomorrow than five decades into the future.  I mean, even my parents weren’t 64 in 1964. But five decades later and a few months after celebrating my sixtieth birthday I pondered a few of these thoughts.

I have noticed a few things have changed over the years. Remember as a child you could sit in the floor with your legs crossed and come to a standing position without uncrossing your legs. At 60, that doesn’t even sound like a good idea.
In your 30’s you enjoyed getting outside and mowing the yard. At 60, you take two ibuprofen before mowing and two after mowing just to control the swelling in the joints. If you can afford it, you’ve already bought the riding mower.
In your 40’s you still spent one Saturday a month washing, waxing, and detailing your favorite ride. At 60, you’re thankful for the drive-thru car wash with the auto applied wax.
In your 50’s you were at the top of your profession and enjoyed going to work everyday. At 60, your still at the top, but if you’re in management, it’s starting to look a lot like adult daycare and retirement can’t come soon enough.
Don’t get me wrong 60 is a great age. You have a much better perspective of the world around you. You’re not too excited about the Democrats or the Republicans because in the end, they’re all just a bunch of politicians trying to get elected or re-elected. You realize that life is too short to always be in a crisis management mode. Slow down, enjoy the time with family and friends. I was a “child of the sixties”, now I’m going to enjoy the sixties again.

Now that I am north of seventy and several years into retirement, my statement about politicians rings truer than ever. So does my view of spending time with the ones you love, friends and family. That’s why most of my photography is dedicated to family events. A hundred years from now no one will care about my photos of birds, automobiles, motorcycles, and flowers. What they will enjoy are those images that capture the family in this day and age. And now, for a little music.
The theme for this week’s Monday’s Music Moves Me is “Songs about being a grandparent or growing old.” What better song to start with than “When I’m 64”

The song that best speaks about growing old together and answers the question posed in the Beatles tune comes from the country charts and Randy Travis. When you marry your true love and you do life together the way God intended, the answer is, I will love you forever and ever…amen. My wife and I are at forty-four years and counting. I think this marriage is gonna last.

There are some railroad tracks on one side of town where the passenger trains used to run decades ago. There is a metal building that serves as an office where one of two depots used to sit. Now freight trains make a couple passes through town each week and bring with them examples of what goes on in the big cities. The box cars are turned into rusty canvases and graffiti artists work through the night to complete their work before sunrise and the steel canvas is gone forever or at least moved to the next city for another artist to add their work. While I am not a fan of defacing property, I find these works fascinating. I still don’t know how they get the clean edges to many of the lines. Are they using portable airbrushes instead of spray cans?

The creativity is truly something to behold. I’m sure that there is meaning hidden is some of these works and I imagine that a few of these artists are well known along the rails.

Did “Zoe” pick the color of the rail car canvas based on the paint colors that they brought with him/her?

I saw that blue design on several cars. My question is, “How did the artist get that high?” I don’t get by the tracks as often as I did when I was working. At one time my office was across the street from the tracks, then we moved a mile north of this location, then I retired. I have to remind myself to drive by occasionally to see the new exhibit. After all, it changes quite often. Have a blessed week-end.

A Rose by Any Other Name

Hibiscus – Variations on a Theme

 

Image converted to B&W in PhotoShop Elements 15 then post processed using Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 filters.

Soo…what did you do last week-end. I got the yard mowed, took care of the two grand-dogs and hung out around the house. Our youngest granddaughter decided to “Conquer the Gauntlet” in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Conquer the Gauntlet is a timed event that is four miles long, laced with twenty-five obstacles and multiple changes in elevation and water hazards. It is not for the faint of heart and is a favorite activity of many serious cross-fit enthusiasts. This ladder run is something that I remember from basic training in the Army. The granddaughter is the one on the ladder on the far right

No gauntlet race would be complete without a few water hazards. They also serve to cool down the competitiors. Again, the youngest granddaughter is on the far right.

Over the course of the four miles, every muscle and fiber in your being is tested. There is a vertical wall to scale and there is this inclined obstacle that is conquered by means of a rope.

Lexi has been working with her dad at cross-fit as a means of staying in shape for spring track and soccer. This was the first time she has ever competed in this type of event. How did she do, you ask. Well she finished 2nd in her age group. Did I mention that she is 16. She finished 13th among 1600 women contestants and she finished 72nd against all 2600 male and female participants. Somehow the phrase “tough as nails” comes to mind. Have a blessed day.