Cape Girardeau History and Photos

April 1, 2014April 1, 2014

Odds and Ends Day

I forgot I had taken this shot of my loaded van just before I pulled out of the driveway. Not everything in there is mine: two-thirds of it is taken up with some old computer equipment I’m donating to the museums in Altenburg and Athens.

Morning started off great

I mentioned how I had gotten a good rate on a small, but clean room in Lake City. When I checked out, I had a nice chat with the desk clerk. I asked if he knew of anyplace close where they could replace a nosepiece on my eyeglasses. He suggested Eyeglass Express, just up the road.

Kristina (“With a ‘K'”) McFarland replaced both nosepieces at no charge. They even grind their own lenses there. I’m tempted to get my next set of glasses in Lake City just so I can watch them being made.

Even cheaper rooms

I might have been able to get even cheaper rooms here on 231 outside Troy, Alabama, but I think the sign may have been all that was left.

It reminds me of the place Friend Shari and I ran across last year.

A squirrely encounter

Yesterday’s rest stop photo involved horsin’ around. Today’s photo was a little squirrely. I couldn’t figure out what a young couple was doing. They were running around trying to take low-angle photos with their cell phones and tablets.

Finally, I saw what intrigued them: there was a squirrel running around on the sidewalk. The woman got some potato chips out of her car and tried to entice the little rodent into eating from her hand, but it wasn’t biting, so to speak.

I should have checked out their car tag to see where they had come from that didn’t have squirrels. (Like yesterday, I didn’t even have to get out of the car to shoot the rest stop photo.

Where’s my peanut brittle?

The Oaks Restaurant in Marianna, Florida, has the best peanut brittle I’ve ever eaten. I picked my route specifically so I could snag some for family and friends who also love it. I even called ahead of Friday to have them set aside seven slabs of it for pickup on Monday or Tuesday.

When I got to the place, I was sure glad I had called ahead because the basket where the crunchy nectar lives was empty. The cashier called the owner – Eddie, I think his name was.

Eddie said, “I thought you were coming Tuesday.”

“I said Monday or Tuesday. I’m usually late, but I’m actually either on time or early, depending on how you look at it.”

Eddie broke the news to me: he hadn’t been able to get the word to the woman who makes the brittle. He’s leaving her a voicemail message in the photo. “Could you not smile so much?” I asked him. “I need a sad photo to show all the people I’m going to disappoint.”

No tailgating this guy

As soon as I saw the “Explosives” placard on the back of this 18-wheeler, I decided to pass him and put some distance between us. Maybe I should stop at a truck stop to buy one of those signs to put on the back of my bike.

I should roll into Cape late Tuesday afternoon.

March 31, 2014

Horsing Around in Florida

I finally got on the road back to Cape. I was later than planned, but earlier than I had actually figured I’d be wheels-up. The last thing I did before pulling out of the driveway was to grab a cloth and polish my glasses. That’s when I noticed one of the nose pieces was missing.

Sunday’s not a good time to try to find someplace to fix that, and the glasses didn’t feel too weird, so I decided to find a fix on Monday.

Needed a nap

About 200 miles up the road, I felt a little drowsy, so I swerved into the Canoe Creek rest area on the Florida Turnpike for a 22-minute nap. I actually woke up a couple of minutes early, maybe because of a bright reflection shining into my eyes.

The light was reflecting off a highly-chromed trailer with a window in its side. After staring at it a couple of minutes, something inside stared back at me. I decided it was time to quit horsing around and got back on the road.

Found a cheap, clean room

I made it to Lake City, where I stopped at the Comfort Suites motel I usually stay at. I asked how much for a room, and the clerk said, $98.”

“I’ve stayed here before for $69 and $79. Surely you can do better than that for a regular customer who has recommended you to his friends.”

“I’m sorry, that’s as low as I’m authorized to go,” she said.

I voted with my feet.

A quick Internet search turned up a 2-star motel within eyesight. I wasn’t crazy about the two-star part, but the reviews of the America’s Best Value Inn were favorable. Even the complaints were nit-picking (“it’s a long walk to the ice dispenser”).

The clerk was a nice guy who had been working there for three years. “I installed the carpet in the rooms, and when I was done, the job dried up and nobody was building anything, so I applied for this job.” He assured me that it was clean.

The room is small, but clean. Hey, I’m not holding a dance party. I just want to sleep in it.

Oh, yes. The price was NOT $98. The price was not $79. The price was not $69. The price was $45.95. You can’t beat that with a stick. Another good thing: it had some of the fastest wireless Internet connectivity of anyplace I’ve stayed.

March 29, 2014June 6, 2015

Last Generation Sneak Peek

I mentioned my Last Generation project on March 26. I’ve been working like crazy to get a video presentation done so I can talk with a SEMO historical preservation about shooting regional history (or something like that. I usually don’t know what I’m going to talk about until I get in front of a group).

I finally got it whipped into passable shape this afternoon. Some of the transitions between clips are a little rougher than what I like, but I think the stories Dorothy, Edgar and Myrtle are more important than the technical stuff.

Shooting video is a whole different ballgame than shooting stills, even if you have been shooting picture stories for years. For one thing, the audio is as important, if not MORE important than the images. The best segment of the three was with Edgar Dryer (shown above when he was 8 or 10). He was 78 last fall when I photographed him. I couldn’t have asked for better natural lighting. He was also the first person I used a wireless mike on. That made a world of difference.

The biggest challenge was getting all the audio levels to match when you are shooting different subjects in different places. Watching tutorials and reading the manuals to figure out how to do it was mega-nap-inducing. I got the levels within acceptable levels, but I’m sure someone who knows what he or she is doing could have saved me hours of work.

The Last Generation video

I hope you enjoy the video. I have at least another dozen Perry County folks to work on before the Perry County Lutheran Historical Society’s Third Biennial Immigration History Conference in Altenburg October 23-25.

By the way, if you want to enlarge the video, hover your mouse over the bottom right-hand side of the vido screen. You’ll see a square box that says Full Screen. That will make the video fill your monitor screen. Press ESC to get it back to normal size.

March 29, 2014

McGinty’s Jewelers

One of the bright spots – literally – on Main Street is McGinty’s Jewelers at 117 North Main Street. It’s refreshing to see how much that block has spiffed up in the last few years. (Click on the photos to make them larger.)

The McGinty building is one of the more impressive ones in the downtown area, but the First National Bank that occupied 115-117 North Main from 1905 to 1959 may have been even more impressive, based on the description in Fred Lynch’s October 11, 2013, blog.

First National Bank

From the blog: The bank was constructed of brick with a facade done in Bedford limestone trimmed in bushhammered rock, the building featured a massive arched entrance that was 28 feet tall, 26 feet deep and 24 feet wide, with marble steps that led to the entrance doors. The building featured elaborate detailing around the windows, with an enriched and projecting cornice, brackets and dentils. The roof was highlighted with a balustrade. The interior of the bank was designed elaborately, with a 16-by-30-foot prism skylight supported by six carved Iconic columns. Italian marble wainscoting, mahogany wood trim and a mosaic-type floor were some of the many details found inside.

First National Bank was established in August 1891 and was first at 118 N. Main St. In 1956, the bank relocated to the northwest corner of Broadway and Main Street. Charles Hood, who became the owner of the stone-faced building in 1959, decided to renovate the structure by tearing out the interior, filling in the basement, and removing the stone arch. However, two months into the project, Hood made a change in plans and had the building razed in November 1959.

Downtown jewelers offered personal touch

A February 27, 2005, Missourian story talked about how four long-time jewelers had found that downtown is where they wanted to be. It’s worth a read. The point was made that “Other stores in other parts of town may get more walk-in customers who may be just looking, but when someone comes to Lang Jewelers or McGinty’s or Zickfield or Jayson, it’s a special occasion for them. Their customers come, all the jewelers say, because their parents bought diamonds or watches there, and service and tradition mean something to those families.”

The four businesses mentioned in the story:

Zickfield Jewelers and Gemologists – 29 North Main Street – in business since 1939
McGinty Jewelers – 117 North Main Street – about 25 years in the downtown
Jayson Jewelers – 115 Themis Street – “two generations” according to their website
Lang Jewelers – 126 North Main Street – started as N.S. Weiler Jewelers in 1905 and became Lang in 1916. It closed in the fall of 2012.