August 2011

August 21, 2011September 18, 2011

Tower Rock Persimmons

Mother’s not going to be happy with me for writing about this.She considers this her personal secret stash of persimmons.

When I got my van back from LeGrand Bros Transmission, I wanted to give it a good workout before heading to Florida. The road from Cape Girardeau through Perry County to the washed-away community of Wittenberg was the right mixture of hills and curves to see if it had any kinks. The final test was to take it on the hilly gravel road that leads to one of my favorite places, Tower Rock on the Mississippi River.

We always make it a point to go up there during Mother’s Birthday Season because there are some of the best persimmon trees we’ve ever seen at the overlook parking area. [Click on the photos to make them larger.]

Most persimmons don’t ripen before frost

Almost every persimmon I’ve seen isn’t ripe until after the first frost. I don’t know if the frost provides something to make them sweet or if the timing is just right when the frost arrives.

Most persimmons will turn your mouth inside out if they are the least bit green. If it’s ever happened to you, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven’t had it happen, come here. I have something I’d like for you to taste.

This tree doesn’t need a frost

What’s unusual about the fruit on this tree is that it ripens without a frost.

When I visited Tower Rock earlier in the spring, I thought this might be a light year. The rain and windstorms had knocked a lot of the fruit to the ground.

When we showed up today, the tree was loaded. Mother picked around on the ground until she found a couple that had fallen off the tree and had that rich, golden brown look. She wanted to taste persimmon a lot more than I was willing to risk, but she pronounced them good. If it had been Brother Mark, I wouldn’t have trusted him, but your mother won’t lie to you.

So, now I’ve let the secret out of the bag. I bet Brothers David and Mark just moved up a notch in the will.

August 20, 2011September 18, 2011

Cape Clouds at Sunset

Here are the clouds we spotted just before heading out to the new Central High School stadium to see if it would make a good foreground for a sunset photo. I’m glad we discovered the Marching Band practicing there, but I would have been satisfied with some cloud photos. This was due south when we climbed into the car. [You can click any of the photos to make them larger.]

Cloud was boiling and growing

Second by second, this massive white mass was boiling and growing larger. It was neat, but I wanted something more interesting in the foreground. In Florida, there are always palm trees handy. Palm trees are a cliche, but even cliches can make a nice photo.

Wife Lila was driving and she cautioned that I should shoot what was in front of me because the light was changing so quickly that the magic might leak out. I’m usually the one saying that, so this was a real role reversal.

Sunset coming fast

She was right (as always), though. The sun was getting ready to go down. As soon as that happened, the wonderful white highlights would go away. Still, I thought there might be a better shot elsewhere.

Aggravating circumstances

Normally I would have hated to have been stuck at a long red light, but this gave me a chance to experiment with the clouds and passing truck traffic at Silver Springs and Shawnee Parkway. The composition isn’t quite what I would liked to have had, but the red light changed to green before a truck with his side running lights could streak by with another truck in front of him. I have to confess I was hoping that the guy in the foreground who hadn’t turned his marker lights on would get ticketed by a cop, but I don’t think the charge of aggravating a photographer is in the state statutes.

If I hadn’t been convinced that there might be a better shot at the high school, I’d have stayed here to work on a little nicer photo. The elements were there, just not in the right combination during this light cycle.

August 20, 2011September 18, 2011

My $3,498.34 Honda Odyssey

That gray 2000 Honda Odyssey van with a bike rack and a Florida Share the Road license plate sporting my amateur radio callsign was ready for pickup at LeGrand Transmissions Friday right before noon. I should get a lot better gas mileage on my way back to Florida because my wallet is $3,498.34 lighter.

The good news is that the rebuilt transmission is guaranteed for 50K miles or five years. That’s one less thing to worry about. Now I can worry about the engine blowing up, the AC giving out or the wheels falling off.

Click on the Amazon ad, please

I guess now might be a good time to mention that Amazon ad on the left side of the page. If you normally buy stuff from Amazon, please click on that ad. It’ll take you to Amazon just like you had gone there directly, but I get about 6% of whatever you buy without it costing you anything extra.

So, if you need to buy a tattoo kit with plastic practice skin (been done), a camera, a tire pump, pet food (got friends who do), or anything else that Amazon carries, please, click the ad to place your order and help me pay for my transmission. Oh, and don’t worry. I get a report that shows WHAT was purchased, but I don’t know WHO bought it.

August 19, 2011April 1, 2012

Central High School Marching Band

Wife Lila and I spotted some great clouds when we left dinner Thursday night. My car’s still at the transmission shop, so she’s driving a rental car. After shooting a dozen or so frames, I asked her to follow my cryptic directions to get to the new Central High School. When I passed it on I-55 the other night, I noticed the stadium lights were burning, so I thought maybe I could get a shot with them in the foreground and the neat sunset in the background.

When we got close enough to see the field, we noticed activity on the field – it was the Central High School Marching Band practicing for their September 2 opener. [Click on any photo to make it larger.]

You can’t beat a three-fer

I had been thinking all day that I should do something to commemorate the first day of school. Here was a chance to get the first day of school, the new football stadium and a weather shot all at one time. (I’m saving the earlier cloud shots for filler when I’m on my way back to Florida.)

Lining up to practice last routine

I got there just as the sun was setting and the band was getting set to practice their last routine. I’m pretty sure I recognized some of the kids from the Sikeston-CHS football game I shot last fall.

Band alums keep eye on practice

Former band members Billy Keys (seated) and Josh Lamar keep an eye on the green troops.

Band boosters like what they see

The woman in the front row, second from left, said she had three grandkids on the field.

Human lightning rod

When I first got to the stadium, there was an occasional flash of lightning in the clouds way off in the distance. It was far enough away that you couldn’t hear the thunder. Still, I was a bit uncomfortable as I was making my way across the metal bleachers. That’s when I spotted the human lightning rod at the very tip-top of the press box. I figured it would get him before it got me, and I felt a little better.

The lightning rod turned out to be veteran band director Neil Casey.

Casey’s in 29th year

Casey has been band director since 1983. This is his 29th and final year, he said. He followed Bill Ewing, Tony Carosello and William Shivelbine.

Megan Peters, color guard coordinator, said that her group had been practicing together since July.25. The band started August 1. They explained that the musicians received their music earlier, so they could start working on their pieces individually. Megan’s group has to be able to work together on their routines.

Marching Band Photo Gallery

Here’s a gallery of photos of band practice. Click on any image to make it larger, then click on the left or right side to move through the gallery.