2018 High School Homecoming – Junior Year

Fall is in the air, football season is in full swing and that means that high schools around the country are having homecoming celebrations. Our youngest grand daughter is a junior this year. Yes, I know, where does the time go? There is a local tradition for many of the kids to meet at a local park in the after noon for photos. The park is filled with parents, grandparents and hundreds of kids. It is a fun tradition and everyone seems to enjoy it. Now there are several locations that kids and their parents meet so the crowd is a little more spread out than in the past.

It seems that many high school students don’t date the way we did, back in the stone age. Many of them just meet a large group of friends and hang out at the dance that evening. I think they may actually have more fun than we did. Good for them.

The photo session starts with the grand daughter, then a friend is added, then a small group, and finally…

the whole crowd of friends get involved. Oh to have that much energy again.

Monday’s Music Moves Me.

The theme is music featuring unusual instruments. My choice isn’t based so much on the unusual instruments as it is their use. When was the last time you heard a bluegrass band play classical music?

This group performed at our church Friday night and the crowd loved them. Southern Raised is a family bluegrass band that specializes in gospel music. The three sisters and their little brother are all classically trained in piano and violin. However, their love of gospel music and the genre of bluegrass music led them into the southern gospel industry.  Occasionally, they will give a classical number a new sound. If you hear of these young adults playing at a church near you, go give them a listen. You will not be disappointed.

Here is an example of what they do most. Enjoy. Have a blessed week.

Garden Shed

Okay, so this is more than the average backyard garden shed/greenhouse. This is the greenhouse of the Tulsa Garden Center at Woodward Park, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It sits on the grounds of the historic Snedden mansion. During the early part of the twentieth century oil was discovered in Oklahoma and vast fortunes were made. Tulsa became the oil capital of the world and there are a lot of magnificent estate homes that bear witness to the wealth that was present in this city. I took this photo in 2011. I was looking through some of my old files and found it so I thought I would share it with you. It is an awesome building. Have a blessed week.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Gather ’round boys and girls. This week is a free choice week at Monday’s Music Moves Me so I thought I’d take the opportunity to introduce you to some of the more eclectic tunes in my play list.

First up in Nathanael Rateliff and the Night Sweats. I first heard this band on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. I immediately went to my computer and downloaded the album with this tune on it. Enjoy.

There has been a movement to return country music to it’s classic roots. The genre is called “Red Dirt” music because the bands that originated the sound came out of western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. If you have ever been west of Oklahoma City you will know why it’s called red dirt music. One of the groups goes by the name Red Dirt Rangers. Close your eyes and you can almost see Hank Williams Sr., Ernest Tubbs, and Bob Wills Texas Playboys. Here ya go.

Another “Red Dirt” band is Cross Canadian Ragweed. I don’t know much about them other than I like their sound. I can hear a little Nitty Gritty Dirt Band influence here and Lord knows we’ve all been sick and tired of being sick and tired.

A group that I just discovered is Dead South. I really like some of their work. There’s a little bluegrass, red dirt, and folk rock going on with these guys. Here the guys cover a classic from the sixties, House of the Rising Sun and to say it’s a little on the quirky side is putting it mildly, but I like their wardrobe, their musicianship, and the artistic video. They are the complete package.

Okay, let’s close this session out with a return to some classic blues/rock music. Virtually all of the original masters of blues are gone now and the baton has been passed to the current generation. Few people possess the guitar skills of Joe Bonamassa. Here he covers the BB King classic, “The Thrill is Gone”. Have a blessed week all.

 

We have a red hibiscus in a large pot on our patio and some of you may have seen earlier photos of the blooms. Friday evening I noticed these volunteer mushrooms growing in the same pot so I snapped a couple of images with the intent of posting them for a Wordless Wednesday meme later this month.  Saturday morning I got up to take our cocker spaniel, Lucy, outside and I was reminded just what can happen in less than 24 hours. Here is what the mushrooms looked like then.

Have an Awe…some Monday and a blessed week.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Theme for this week’s Monday’s Music Moves Me post is songs with hand claps or finger snaps. Since I am a few days older than dirt, I thought I would start this post with a blast from the past, “Finger Poppin’ Time”.

You may notice a very close resemblance to another tune from the era. The show is American Bandstand, the audience provides the hand clapping, and Chubby Checker introduces us to “The Twist”.

Digging even deeper into the archives, we find the incredible baritone voice of Tennessee Ernie Ford singing 16 Tons. The record sold over 20 million copies and I am sure that Ernie’s fingers were worn out before this song exited the top 40.

Well, as long as we’re lost in the 50’s, we might as well do a little finger snappin’, hand clappin’ and toe tappin’ to “Willie and the Hand Jive.”

Later Alligator!

Monday I posted a few hot rod photos and nothing says vintage hot rod like a flat head V8. I love the simplicity of these engines and the concept that almost any “shade tree” mechanic could work on them with a few wrenches and screwdriveres. Now, you need thousands of dollars of computerized equipment to tell you what is going on inside those new motors.

Original Image

 

Variation I

 

Variation II

 

Variation III

This past Saturday I went to a local car show. I love muscle cars and hot rods, so this was a great opportunity to photography some rolling art.

This little 1946 Ford pickup truck won “Best Hot Rod”. It really has a classic hot rod look to it  and I really like the low gloss paint. It looks like a work in progress.

This also looks like it was built by the owner (and it was) instead of some custom shop. I like the fact that this is a hands on build and the owner knows every nut and bolt on this ride.

The engine pretty much speaks for itself. Very nicely done.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Once again its an open theme week at 4M. The classic hot rod brings thoughts of Dick Clark, American Bandstand and high school hops. So the music selection this week isn’t quite as important as the activity. Get out on the dance floor and shake a leg!!!

Variations on a Theme II

Original

Variations

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.