Ken Steinhoff, Author at Cape Girardeau History and Photos

December 24, 2013

Christmas Eve 2013

We started a tradition of migrating to Son Matt’s on Christmas Eve for Chinese takeout food several years ago. Wife Lila, Sarah and Malcolm and I stuffed ourselves, then gorged on cookies until we could barely move.

Matt and Company had an even more unconventional “tree” than usual this year. It was made out of bicycle wheels. Next year, he says, he’ll scout around to find wheels of different diameters so the tree will have more of a conical shape.

By the way, Wife Lila did a really nice job of documenting the ornaments we’ve collected since our first Christmas in 1969. I wish I had thought of it.

Malcolm was happy

Looks like we picked the right gift for Grandson Malcolm, a Razor Spark 2.0 kick scooter.

They weren’t kidding about “Spark”

Here’s a photo gallery of Malcolm taking it out for a test drive. Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the sides to move through the gallery of sparks.

Y’all have a Merry Christmas and a Safe New Year. Thanks for your comments and your support.

December 23, 2013

Footsteps on the Moon

Space has been in the news recently with China’s soft landing of the Jade Rabbit on the moon’s surface, the first human touch since 1976. That’s what caused this photo to catch my eye.

Serendipity

Back when I was organizing Full Moon bike rides around Lake Okeechobee, I wanted to know if the coming full moon was going to rise at an appropriate time for the ride, so I installed a moon phase application that would give me the info I needed.

An added bonus was that it came with a desktop image that showed a representation of what the orb was doing at that particular time. I was flipping through the screens on my HTC Droid Incredible and noticed that the Footprint ap that takes a photo and embeds address and GPS coordinates in it was sitting right on top of the moon.

It’s funny that I had been using those applications for several years now without ever noticing that.

Going into slow week

Everybody is going to be super busy with family activities for the next week. I’m going to keep posting, but I won’t be doing any really heavy stories (as this one indicates) for a few days.

I WILL have a special announcement about an Amazon Prime special promotion that starts December 26 that will save you a bundle of money on shipping costs. Stay tuned.

December 23, 2013

The Bill and Ruby Show

Speech teacher and debate coach Ruby Davis was a diminutive force to be reckoned with. She was on the short list of teachers who had a major impact on my life, even if my Swampeast Missouri twang drove her to despair. As I’ve mentioned before, she could dectect the “r” in “warsh” at a hundred yards, even if you were whispering.

She never discouraged my political ambition to be President of the United States in 1984 – the earliest year the Constitution said I could serve – even though she cringed when I told her that I would invite her to Warshington to see me sworn in.

This series of two photos is a chicken-and-egg conundrum. I’m not sure which came first. Bill Hopkins’ sneak attack on Ruby (which was immediately picked up by the eyes in the back of her head) or the next shot.

You don’t mess with Ruby

I’m betting the retaliation photo was the second in the sequence.

So far as I know, no students nor teachers were harmed in the filming of this encounter.

I’m sure Ruby would be happy to know that I gave up my dream of being POTUS after campaign manager Bill Hopkins torpedoed my chances of even making it to President of the Student Body.

She would be even more surprised to learn that Bill – someone she probably thought would be lucky to become a bartender – actually became a member of the bar and a judge who was never indicted. (So far as I know.)

December 22, 2013November 27, 2020

Picking the Perfect Tree

I’m pretty sure Missourian editor jBlue gave me a Christmas bonus in 1966 without calling it one: he ran five of my photos on the front page. That’s $25 in my pocket when my salary was in the neighborhood of $50 a week. Here are most of the shots that ran, plus a couple of extras for good measure. (Click on the photos to make them larger.)

The caption on the Dec. 12, 1966, paper read, “Louis Owens, 805 South Sprigg, asks Mrs. Owens if the specimen he holds is satisfactory.”

“I found it!”

Joy Metje, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earlie Metje, McClure, Ill., shouts she’s found the one she wants.

It’s a cold day

To Jimmy Trickey, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Trickey, it’s a cold day and he wishes mom and dad would hurry and make up their minds.

Mother and daughter choice

Mrs. Lowery B. Miller, white coat, and her daughter, Diane, discuss a tree.

Not the Stones

The paper ran a photo of Mr. and Mrs. John Stone and son, Timmy, 1726 Stoddard Court, but I couldn’t find the negative. I’ll substitute this young woman with a boy instead.

Is this Milton Ueleke?

I don’t know for sure, but this pipe-chomping man looks like “Uncle Milty” Ueleke, science teacher at Central High School.

It’s the season

If you want to leave me a lump of coal or something better, click on the yellow DONATE button at the top right of the page.

I had a lab tech who would always give me a lump of coal as a present. I should have saved them for the fireplace.