And Yet More Sad News! ::

From Benny Laney:

Do not like to be the one to pass this along , but knew you would want to know. Ray Robinson's Mom passed away this afternoon. Right now it looks like visitation will be Friday night and the funeral Sat. am, but nothing is final at this point. They are meeting with the funeral home in the morning.

[update]
From this morning's The State:

Ruby Blackwell Robinson
CAMDEN - Funeral services for Ruby Blackwell Robinson, 87, will be held Saturday, January 3, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. at Hermitage Baptist Church with burial to follow in Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Rev. Condy Richardson will officiate. The family will receive friends Friday, January 2, 2009, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Kornegay Funeral Home, Camden Chapel. Memorials may be made to Hermitage Baptist Church Building Fund, 814 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Camden, SC 29020 or Hospice of Kershaw County, 200l W. DeKalb Street, Camden, SC 29020.

Ruby Blackwell Robinson, wife of the late Andrew Robinson, passed away December 30, 2008. She was born in Ridgeway, SC, to the late William Charlie and Florrie Player Blackwell. She was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She adored her family. She was a graduate of Columbia Business School and retired from State Farm Insurance. Mrs. Robinson was a devoted member of Hermitage Baptist Church where she was lovingly known as “Mrs. Ruby.” She was a dedicated Sunday School teacher for 22 years of the Gleaners Sunday School Class.

Mrs. Robinson is survived by her children, Charles Andrew (Mary) Robinson, Joyce (Dean) Swofford, Ray Carlton (Becky) Robinson and Sylvia (Wayne) Watkins, all of Camden; grandchildren, Andy (Laura) Robinson, Shannon (Denny) Orr, Amy (Parker) Young, Neal (Brook) Robinson, Ryan Bowers, Josh (Katie) Bowers; great-grandchildren, Kennedy and Jordan Robinson, Anne Charlotte and Sarah Beth Robinson, Denton Orr, Jackson Young, Georgia Grace Young, and Lacey Bowers, Heath Bowers, Tanner Bowers, Austin Bowers, Jesse Wayne Bowers and Andrew Bowers; sister, Lenora Lloyd of Columbia; numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by brothers, Carl Player, Basil Lee and W.C. Blackwell, Jr.

A special thanks to Dr. Carl Kearse, Dr. Michael Roberts, Hospice, and to caregivers, Brenda Stokes, Isabelle Gaskins and Liz Earles. Thank you for the many calls, cards and visits during her illness.

Kornegay Funeral Home, Camden Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.

Online condolences may be sent to the Robinson family by visiting www.kornegayfuneral.com.

From Helen Harter Sheorn ::

Just wanted to let you know that Larson Jaenicke's mother passed away last weekend. Larson and his brothers will be in Camden this coming weekend.

I saw this in the on-line edition of The Camden Chronicle-Independent and wondered if this was the case given how few details were in the obit:

Peggie Jaenicke
Margaret "Peggie" Jaenicke, 93, of Camden, died Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008.

Services are incomplete and will be announced by Kornegay Funeral Home, Camden Chapel.

Our condolences and our thoughts are with the family!




[update]

Margaret Jaenicke
CAMDEN - Margaret “Peggy” Ball Jaenicke of Camden, South Carolina, died December 21, 2008, in Ashland, Kentucky, while visiting her son Kurt and his family. Peggy was the wife of the late R. Walter Jaenicke, the youngest child of Bertram and Lulu Quinn Ball of Yonkers, New York, and the beloved mother and grandmother of three sons and six grandchildren.

Before her marriage to Walter, Peggy received her bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and was employed as a food editor for Good Housekeeping Magazine and by the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson. Peggy and Walter were married after Walter’s service in World War II and ultimately moved to Camden in 1948 where Peggy resided until her death.

After her sons were in their teens, Peggy began a new career as an elementary school teacher in the Kershaw County Public Schools. She was noted for her innovative teaching techniques and made lasting friendships but most importantly committed to helping her students realize their full potential. When Peggy retired after over fifteen years of teaching, she continued to volunteer as a tutor to disadvantaged children.

Peggy was also actively involved in various community organizations. She was a founder of The Camden Players, a local theatre group. She was instrumental in the 1960’s in helping bring mental health facilities to Kershaw County. She was an ardent supporter of Kershaw County’s Fine Arts Center. Peggy was also a long-time member of Bethesda Presbyterian Church which she attended regularly.

Peggy had a special and close relationship with each of her six grandchildren, even though they were physically separated by great distances. Those relationships grew with frequent visits by her grandchildren and the families’ annual vacation at Pawley’s Island, South Carolina.

Peggy was preceded in death by her husband, Walter, her parents, her siblings, Ruth, Will, Emerson and Louise and is survived by her sons, Larson (Carol), Douglas (Alison), and Kurt (Carla), her six grandchildren, Matthew, Julie, Graham, Hannah, Dan and Leah and many nieces and nephews.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, January 3, 2009, in Quaker Cemetery at 11:00 a.m. A celebration will be held following the service at Peggy’s home. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to either the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County, Inc., 810 Lyttleton Street, Camden, SC 29020, or to Bethesda Presbyterian Church, 502 DeKalb Street, Camden, SC 29020.

Kornegay Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Online condolences may be sent to the Jaenicke family by visiting www.kornegayfuneral.com.

Server Problems

In case anyone is looking for some of the photographs over on the right sidepanel, the server out in Arizona seems to be down this morning and I have submitted a trouble ticket. These guys are very good and I only remember a couple of problems in the past which were quickly resolved.

[update] Server is back up and running now!

Sad News To Pass On!

From Danny Stuber to Buster:

Buster, just a short note to let everyone know that Chad Merrill's father passed away about 9:30 am this morning (Sunday) in Greensboro,N.C. fron congestive heart failure. He is my wife's uncle! They are returning the body to Camden tonight and I think the funeral will probably be sometime Wednesday. Hope you will pass this along to our classmates and teammates.

Thanks!
Dan Stuber

[update]From today's The State:

Willard Merrell
CAMDEN - Funeral services for Willard Hampton Merrell, 85, will be held Tuesday, December 30, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. at Hermitage Baptist Church with burial to follow in Forest Lawn Memorial Park with Masonic rites. Rev. Condi Richardson and Mark Hopkins will officiate. The family will receive friends, Monday, December 29, 2008, from 6-8:00 p.m. at Kornegay Funeral Home, Camden Chapel. Memorials may be made to Hermitage Baptist Church Building Fund, 814 Jefferson Davis Highway, Camden, SC 29020.

Mr. Merrell died Sunday, December 28, 2008. Born in North Charleston, SC, he was the son of the late Thomas Lyttle and Jennie Lee Davis Merrell. Mr. Merrell had retired from DuPont and he was a life member of Hermitage Baptist Church where he was a former deacon, Sunday School teacher, choir member, and a member of the building committee in 1953 when the current sanctuary was built, and has held numerous other positions within the church. Mr. Merrell was also a member of Kershaw Lodge #29.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Lois Blackwell Merrell of Camden; son, A. Chad Merrell of Greensboro, NC, and his wife, Jo; grandson, Dr. Chad T. Merrell of Greensboro, NC, and his wife, Patricia; great-grandson, Preston Hampton Merrell and great-granddaughter, Mary Grace Merrell. He was predeceased by brothers, Roy Everette Merrell, Jack J. Merrell and Thomas Lyttle Merrell, Jr.

Kornegay Funeral Home, Camden Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.

On-line condolences may be sent to the Merrell family by visiting www.kornegayfuneral.com.

Christmas Eve ::

Watching It's A Wonderful Life and looking forward to 24 hours of Ralphie's longing for his Red Ryder Carbine in A Christmas Story!

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"

I love it and can't get enough every year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Everyone have a safe and joyous holiday season!

Posting to all sites will be sporadic for the next couple of weeks. I have long overdue computer maintenance to do and I usually manage to totally screw something important up. I always recover, but it takes time! I have a new video card to install and I'm hoping to upgrade the operating system.

Space Shuttle Endeavour On The Return Trip To KSC ::

Over the western United States as photographed by my co-worker at Dryden, Carla Thomas, in a F-18 chase plane. Carla had the good fortune to photograph the launch of Endeavour on STS-126, The landing in California, and the return of the orbiter to Florida. I'm envious since our center, Marshall Space Flight Center, is essentially a research and development site and we seldom get to do any of the really cool stuff!

Jim Ring Blows His Horn! ::

In Atlanta this past Saturday night:








And his thoughts on the occasion:

I filled in on trumpet with Steve Jarrell and the Sons of the Beach at the Christmas party for the Metro Atlanta Automobile Dealers Association held at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Rupert's Orchestra played the first and third sets. We played the second set. There were about 500 guests in attendance. I was the only non-professional musician on stage. And I had a ball.

I added the emphasis and I'm happy for him!

A Tree Grew In Camden! ::

I shot this earlier in the year somewhere down by the revolutionary war village recreation.



I have a friend who searched for years for the perfect tree to photograph. He really wanted something to rival George Tice's famous tree photograph.



My friend came pretty close, but his image will never be as famous as the Tice image above.

I did a photographic workshop with George Tice many years ago: he is an interesting fellow!

DPZ Vision Plan For Camden ::

I've been following this with interest for a while and note that the Camden city council apparently will be seriously considering DPZ's plan. From The Chronicle-Independent:

Camden City Council will officially consider adopting a vision plan drafted earlier this year by Duany Plater-Zyberk (DPZ) focusing, primarily on reinventing the downtown business district. Council decided to add consideration of a resolution adopting the plan for Tuesday's agenda during a work session Thursday.

The decision came after a lengthy discussion with DPZ's Tom Low over next steps -- what council and the city should do first to get the ball rolling.

"We received official word from (Camden City Planner) Shawn Putnam regarding your top points," said Low.

That list, as Low said he understood it, focuses on creating a downtown management organization, mixed use development projects, establishing a mix of housing types, re-growing the downtown retail market and establishing a downtown entertainment venue.

I downloaded the entire plan this afternoon, but I haven't yet had a chance to go through it in any depth, but, on first glance, I have some doubts about the feasibility of the recommendations although I support many of the conclusions.

Of course I have few dogs in this hunt, but I do own a bit of property in Camden and I care about the future of the town in which I spent a good portion of my formative years. I have long been dismayed by the loss of the old stores and I could not bring myself to visit Burns Hardware when it was going out of business given my memories of it when I was a kid! I still can vividly picture in my mind how Zemp's Drug Store looked inside with its magazine rack and soda fountain. I had more than my share of cherry cokes in there!

I'll have more thoughts to share on the DPZ Vision plan as soon as I have a chance to digest it.

Jim Ring: Going For The Gold ::

And I can't tell you how happy I am to hear this:

I can’t believe this is happening to me.

As recently as two years ago, when asked by my high school classmates if I still play my trumpet, my answer was always no. In 1971, after experiencing years of great things because of music, I packed the old horn away. I decided playing music for a career would be a very risky and difficult path to take and a normal family life would not likely be in the cards for me. I had lots of great memories attained through music….the high school championships under the direction of Bill Basden, my stint as an army bandsman in which I ultimately ended up in the recording band for American Forces Network Radio – Europe and, while stationed stateside in Virginia, played in what many felt was the second best R&B band in Virginia at the time. We were the Rotations Band and Show (The #1 R&B band in Virginia in the late sixties was Bill Deal and the Rhondels). Those memories would be enough. It was time to move on. Over the next thirty-six years, with the exception of about a three month period in 1991, my horn just sat in its’ case.

In early 2007 Steve Jarrell, one of the guys I played in the Rotations with, organized a 40th anniversary band reunion. If Steve’s name sounds familiar to you it’s because he is a two-time inductee in the Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame. I pulled the horn out, blew into it and what I heard I wouldn’t wish on any band director anywhere. It was terrible. But I worked hard at it and by the time of the reunion I was good enough to play for maybe thirty minutes without embarrassing myself.

But the bug had bitten and I wanted more. I joined a band that broke up three days after my first gig. Then I joined another band that broke up last September but is now reorganizing.

In the meantime Steve and former Rotation keyboard player Gene Wells have been moonlighting doing a two man show that is greatly enhanced by the use of computers. About a month ago they asked me if I’d be interested in playing four jobs in three days during Thanksgiving weekend (Friday-Sunday)….in the area of the Bahamas known as the Abacos. I went and couldn’t believe what a great time I had. This past Friday Steve called me and asked me to fill-in on trumpet with his regular band, Steve Jarrell and the Sons of the Beach, this Saturday night. I’ll be flying to Atlanta this Saturday afternoon (December 13) to play one one-hour set at the Georgia World Congress Center. We’ll be staying at the Omni Hotel.

I really find it hard to believe all this is happening to me at age sixty-one but I’m really soaking it in and “enjoying the moment” to the max. My guess is all of us from the class of ’65 thinks about his or her mortality from time to time. With some exceptions, we don’t know how much time we have left in our lives. So maybe my message here is to enjoy every moment you have left doing the things you really love to do. You don’t get a second opportunity.

Happy Holidays Everyone.

Jim

I added the emphasis in the last paragraph, but I second Jim's message here. I know that my photographic output has increased tremendously in the past few years and I find myself looking at my surroundings differently.

I'm hoping to get an update from Jim soon on show details. I'm about 2 1/2 hours away from Atlanta and could conceivably make the show if it is public.

[update] Jim doesn't have the details right now, but he thinks it is a private party and will feed me more details as he gets them. I'll keep you posted.

[latest update] Jim passes on the news that this is, indeed, a private function so there will be to trip to Atlanta this weekend for me although I do need to make a trip to see some friends. That will have to wait 'til after the first of the year!

Social Networking ::

I opened a Facebook account a couple of years ago and never did anything with it until just recently. Somehow in the past few days my friend Margarita found this account and sent me a message so I have been updating my Facebook page and I have been reconnecting with some Camden High classmates as well as family members who have Facebook pages. In the past couple of days I have gotten, and shared, messages with Helen Harter Sheorn, Sandra Hughes, Paul Rowell and Delores Cole Adams. Facebook seems to be a great way to keep in contact and I'll be posting some links to Facebook pages over on the right in a few days.

If any others have Facebook pages let us know!

A Photograph ::

Actually this was taken somewhere out around Cassatt last year on one of my trips where I revisited some sites of my long ago youth.



I have long been fascinated by these roadside monuments at the scene of accidental deaths of loved ones and I have a growing collection of images. I don't know who Marty Shirey was, but I probably knew some of his relatives who lived in this area. The smaller crosses at the foot of the larger one lead me to think that maybe this scene saw the death of a family.

This is near where my stepfather had an accident which we always felt eventually led to his fatal heart attack.

Clemson V. Carolina ::

The game starts in a few minutes, but I long ago decided that if there is a way for Clemson to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory the team will find it.

Visitor Stats ::

Normally this site gets between 3 and 7 visitors per day but last Sunday, for some reason, the stats show 163 unique visitors. This is curious, but probably attributable to a spam attack of some sort. Interesting!

Time Only Matters ::

When you're watching the microwave count down!

Happy Thanksgiving! ::

For those who may not be on Jim Ring's e-mail list here is his Thanksgiving message:

I wanted to take a moment to wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving.

In various ways 2008 has been a difficult year for many if not all of us. Still, we have so much to be thankful for. Just look around you...locally and worldwide. By comparison things are pretty good for us. All I have to do to when I get down in the dumps is look at my two grandsons (ages two and five). Living in this country means their futures hold much promise...as has been the case with their parents, grandparents and many generations before them. That thought always brings me back up.

I'm confident each of you, if you think about it for a moment, has much to be thankful for. Please don't lose sight of that. May tomorrow be a most wonderful day for each and everyone of you.

Again, Happy Thanksgiving.

Jim

Well said, and I too wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, not coincidentally since I was born on Thanksgiving Day in 1947, is also my 61th birthday and I'm keeping in mind that 61 is now the old 41!

A Camden Photograph ::

Taken on my last trip over early in September.

Friday Catblogging ::

Here's Missy taking a break on what will soon be decorated as our festive holiday rock:



Thursday, Thanksgiving day, should see the kids, big as they are, and the grandkids here for some fried turkey and I'm hoping to get a photograph of most of us out by the festive holiday rock after we've put the lights on it. I'm hoping this will be our Christmas card this year and I'll post the photo if it works out!

International Space Station Flyover ::

Just curious if anyone else had the opportunity to see it. It was very visible here in North Alabama and I would imagine that it would have been very visible throughout most of the South even in a fairly well lighted area.

I'll check the schedule again and post if there is another sighting opportunity soon! In the meantime here is a photograph of astronaut Steve Bowen on one of his EVA's from this mission:



Looks like Don has stayed inside so far. I can't imagine what it must feel like to be hanging out there approximately 230 miles above the Earth. Most astronauts I have talked with say that they're so busy on an EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity-to us a spacewalk) that they usually get very few moments to enjoy the view.

Camden High Bulldogs Growl! ::

Shamefully stolen from this morning's The State:

CAMDEN — A few seasons out of the spotlight left Camden High’s football players longing for more.

More wins.

More playoff games.

More fun.

A late-season rush, advancing further in the Class 3A playoffs than they have in five years, has helped the Bulldogs accomplish it all.

“Like our coaches said, we’ve got our swagger back,” Camden senior wide receiver Jonathon Marshall said. “We’re going all the way, hopefully.”

Reaching the third round of the playoffs, where they play at Marlboro County on Friday night, represents a return to normalcy for the Bulldogs.

Camden has won seven state championships, with the most recent coming in 2001. The Bulldogs reached the state finals again in 2002, losing to Union, and advanced to the third round in 2003.

Since then, the program fell on hard times.

In the past four seasons, Camden has won just one playoff game. The Bulldogs missed the playoffs in 2006 and had back-to-back losing seasons entering this season.

On Oct. 10, following a 40-7 loss to Wilson, Camden was 3-4 overall, 0-2 in Region 6-3A and appeared headed for another rough fall.

Things changed quickly. Behind improved defense and strong play from its offensive line, Camden (7-5) has won four of five games since then. That includes playoff wins at Georgetown, 33-0 and at Midland Valley, 35-27.

“They are having fun right now,” Camden coach Jimmy Neal said. “They are practicing hard and enjoying it. It’s a fun time of the year. Everybody wants to be here this time of year. They are enjoying it, enjoying every minute of it.”

Camden’s defense has become a brick wall.

Georgetown amassed a minuscule 47 yards of offense while being shut out in the first round. Midland Valley managed 19 rushing yards and 135 yards of total offense. The Mustangs point total is deceiving, as they scored touchdowns on a kick return and an interception return while also scoring a touchdown on the game’s final play.

“We’re motivated,” said Camden senior linebacker Chris Outten, a North-South All-Star pick. “Coaches are giving us great plays. We’re hungry as a defense. We’re just proving that we’re a better team, a better team than our record shows.”

Sophomore running back SaVonn Wingate paces the offense with 1,346 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. Marshall is the team’s top receiver with 445 yards and five touchdowns.

To reach the school’s first Lower State final since 2002, the Bulldogs must win a third consecutive road playoff game. This one comes against a familiar foe. Marlboro County, a fellow Region 6-3A team, won 24-6 at Camden on Oct. 31.

But Outten said the Bulldogs learned a lesson from that defeat, their lone loss in the past five games.

“They were a more physical team than us,” Outten said. “They came out and showed us they were physical. They were giving us late hits, they were holding. It was real physical. We were playing softer than we usually played. Now we know we’ve got to go out there and be more physical.”

They’ll be more physical and, no matter the outcome, more satisfied because the Bulldogs have returned Camden football to prominence.

A Camden Photograph ::

I haven't done one of these in a while, but this photograph taken down Rutledge St. was shot sometime last year:



I'm hoping to make a trip over to Camden and Columbia sometime in December either shortly before or shortly after Christmas. My schedules have been pretty strange lately so we'll have to see how the next few weeks play out.

In the meantime look down at the Space Shuttle and International Space Stations sighting schedules below. Take your kids and grandkids out to see it fly by.

Last year I was out in my backyard during a week long visit by my little granddaughter from Columbia and we watched the Space Station fly by after the Space Shuttle had disconnected from the ISS and was trailing it by some large distance. Both objects were very viewable in the night sky.

Math and science education represents our country's future although I continue to extoll the virtues of reading!

Whad'ya Know ::

I was out running some errands this Saturday morning, as I usually do, listening to NPR, and Michael Feldman of Whad'ya Know tossed out a question about strange foods people fix. The first call was from Camden, S.C. by someone named Reid who fixed a chili for his work group with ingredients beginning with the consonants CH.

Chicken, Chutney, Chiterlings (or as we in the south say, Chitlins) and other assorted ingredients.

Interesting!

Space Shuttle Endeavour And The ISS ::

Endeavour flew just about 15 minutes ago and should rendezvous with the International Space Station on Sunday. There are a couple of good viewing opportunities next week for the Columbia area, which includes Camden:

Wednesday, Nov. 19 @ 5:46pm
The ISS and Endeavour should be visible for 5 minutes at
a maximum elevation of 26 degrees above the horizon
approaching from 11 degrees above the south and departing
to 11 degrees above the East North East horizon.

I don't know how dark it is at 5:46pm in Camden and Columbia, but the combination of the ISS and Endeavour should be very bright in the sky. Look for a bright light traveling rapidly (17,500mph at about 230 miles above the Earth). It's best to be in an area relatively dark although I have stood in a Wal-Mart parking lot, with its lights, and I have seen the ISS by itself pass by.

On Thursday, November 20, the sighting opportunity should be even better:

Thursday, November 20 at 6:13pm
Endeavour and the ISS should be visible for 3 minutes at
a maximum elevation of 60 degrees above the horizon
approaching from 40 degrees from the West South West and departing to 18 degrees above the North East horizon.

This means that the linked ISS and orbiter Endeavour should pass almost directly overhead in Columbia and Camden.

The viewing schedule for other areas can be found here.

I sometimes work with one of the astronauts, Don Pettit, who is flying this mission. Don has been an astronaut since 1996 and has spent 5 1/2 months aboard the ISS. He is a fascinating person (PhD in chemical engineering) and I look forward to his input from this trip.

Fall in the UpState

Camden is a great place to live. It certainly was a great place to grow up. But now that we have lived in other areas I really do think fall is much more impressive further north. We certainly missed the mild winters of SC during our last years with DuPont in the Mid Ohio Valley area - especially when the snow was up to our knees. Spartanburg has been a good compromise for us with cooler summers than Camden or Columbia but plenty of mild winter weather. We still enjoy the typical SC weather but get to enjoy a show of leaves in the fall that just does not happen in the midlands. This is the redbud in our back yard which looks like this for just a few days then drops its leaves like it stole them. Every place has its own beauty. Sometimes in our own back yard.

Bill

Veterans Day, 2008 ::

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

by Lt. Col. John McCrae

Kirk Ring ::

I try to remember to check the on-line edition, such as it is, of The Camden Chronicle-Independent each Monday morning to get some idea of what is happening in Camden. This was published this morning:

Kirk Ring
Kirk Ring, 64, of Richmond, Va., departed this life on Nov. 1 after a mighty fight with cancer. He is preceded in death by his parents, Giles E. Ring Sr. and Sallie (McClung) Ring of Waynesboro, Va. He is survived by his loving wife, Nancy (Britton) Ring; two brothers, Giles E. Ring Jr. of Virginia Beach and James M. Ring and wife, Patricia (Hall) of Mechanicsville, Va.; and their children, Giles M. Ring and Tracy Berry. Also surviving are his mother-in-law Kay Steele; Nancy's children, Douglas Britton, his wife, Amy, and their daughter Madelyn, and Angie Matthews, her husband, David, and their children, Jake and Jessica; and brothers-in-law, Richard, Mike and Ron Steele. Also Spot and Spooky. They will all miss him.

Born in Waynesboro, Va., in 1944, he spent his formative years in Camden and graduated from Camden High School. He attended the University of South Carolina from 1962 to 1965. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and spent three years in Germany in the late 1960s with the Security Agency. He graduated Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 1975 (MBA) and enjoyed a long career in real estate brokerage. He was an adjunct at VCU teaching real estate for 20 years. He also taught at other real estate proprietary schools. He loved to teach!

There will be a Celebration of Life for all his friends and family at Melito's Restaurant on Sunday, Nov. 9, from 2-5 p.m. In lieu of flowers, he requests that donations be made to the Cullather Brain Tumor Quality of Life Center at Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital in Richmond.

Our thoughts are with the Ring family!

An Odd Fact ::

I have two friends, Sherry and then John, who have been on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire.

Each of them won $100,000.

Friday Catblogging ::

Here's Missy in her stealth mode! She takes great delight in trying to hide in plain sight and then attack me!

Once Again The Bearer Of Sad News ::

Buster passed this on to me earlier today:

COLUMBIA - Betty Lou Mahaffey Harris, 62, passed away Thursday, October 23, 2008. A service celebrating her life will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 28, 2008, at Deliverance Tabernacle Church, 300 Mt. Zion Road, Camden, SC, with interment in the church cemetery following the service. Rev. Marvin Tennant will officiate. The family will receive friends Monday, October 27, 6-8 p.m., at her sister’s home, 407 Shandon St., Columbia. Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, West Columbia Chapel, is in charge of the arrangements.

Mrs. Harris was born August 20, 1946, in Hartsville, SC, later moving to Lancaster and Camden, where she was a graduate of Camden High. After marrying, she moved to Hampton Beach, VA, where she worked as a nurses’ assistant. She returned to Camden to work with the coroner’s office and later managed hotels both in Camden and Columbia. Her true calling was being a caregiver. Over recent years, she was a home health care provider to many elderly and ill patients, always carrying for them as family. She was best known and loved for her compassion and her ability to bring smiles and laughter to others. She was a loving and devoted wife, mother, sister, and friend.

Survivors include her daughter, Sonya Norris Sweat, son-in-law, Daniel Sweat both of Columbia; grandchildren, Christopher Burn, Brandon Clifford and Vanessa Clifford, all of Columbia, and Nicholas Burn of Charleston; her sister, Cheryl Mahaffey Sigmon, and brother-in-law, Ray Sigmon, of Columbia; nieces, Ashley Wilson Truluck of Charleston, Beth Sigmon Freeman of Greenville, and Caroline Sigmon of Charleston; and a dear aunt, Mabel McMillan of North Charleston. Mrs. Harris was predeceased by her husband, Townly Floyd Harris; her parents, Gordon Lewis Mahaffey and Wakefield Baltzegar Mahaffey of Camden and Columbia. Memorials can be made to the American Diabetes Association, 2711 Middleburg Drive, Suite 108 B, Columbia, SC 29204.

www.caughmanharmanfuneralhome.com

Note To Self ::

Don't carry the kitten around playfully while wearing a knit shirt!

Friday Kittenblogging ::

I almost forgot again!

Tommy Bowden Is Gone! :;

And I'm not surprised!

Homecoming At Camden High School ::

A note from the CHS Alumni Association:

Members of the CHS Alumni Association:

It's Homecoming week at Camden High. Here is what's happening Friday:


TAILGATING TIME

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17th at ZEMP STADIUM



On Friday, October 17th, the Camden Bulldogs will be back at Zemp Stadium to play Darlington in a region game for Homecoming. Beginning at 6:00, live music by CHS graduates David Franklin, Kevin Taylor and Robert Charles, will begin in the reserved parking area. Dennis Arledge AllState Insurance Agency, the Camden Bulldog Club, and the Camden High Alumni Association will co-host the live music to promote school spirit and to encourage families and friends to tailgate.



Fans that do not have reserved parking will need to park in the general parking areas and walk to the band location. Fans are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs for tailgating and seating. There will be a tent reserved for school alumni.

In the event of rain, the live music will be re-scheduled for a later date.





CAMDEN BULLDOG CLUB SPONSORS SPIRIT PROMOTION

“DECORATE A DOG HOUSE”



The Camden Bulldog Club has partnered with several school groups and businesses to sponsor a “Decorate a Dog House” spirit promotion which is also serving as a fundraiser for various organizations. School groups include the Spirit Club, the Journalism Staff, the Art Department, the Volleyball and Girls’ Tennis teams and the PAWS club (Promote Animal Welfare and Safety).



The decorated dog houses will be on display at the Homecoming Game on Friday, October 17th and at Camden High Library from Monday, October 20th through Thursday, October 30th. Bids can be made on the dog houses at the football game on October 17th and at the school until October 30th. The highest bids will be announced at the Camden vs. Marlboro County football game on Friday, October 31st. Persons who have questions about viewing or bidding on the dog houses should call 243-9368 after 5 p.m.



Go Dogs!!

More information is available at jdeal151@aol.com.

Another Passing-Mozelle Trapp ::

Along with the obit of Larry Owen I want to note the death of Rodney Trapp's mother, Mozelle. Here is the Obituary from todays State. The Trapps were my next door neighbors for years on Lafayette Street. I fondly remember fishing and hunting trips with Rodney to their land out in Boykin as well as trips with his uncle to the old Blaney drag strip.

I was back in Camden just last month and didn't know until then that the Trapps still lived in the same house on Lafayette St. all these years later while most of the street has been taken over by offices. I vaguely remember working on remodeling their house when I was a young kid. My stepfather was a building contractor and we did several remodel jobs in that area.

My sympathies are with the Trapp family as well as with Larry Owen's family!

A Remembrance Of Larry From Jim Ring ::

Sad to hear about Larry. When we were kids he lived a few houses up the street from me. We were in the CHS band together. My most lasting memory of him from our childhoods was when my brother kirk burned up the Owen's front yard with some firecrackers during a particularly dry spell.
After high school I saw him once on campus at USC during the fall of 1965, then not again before Y2K. After that, just a few times until last December. After the social on Saturday night of the Michael Christmas dedication weekend we went to what I think is now called the Old Armory Restaurant (once The Paddock) and had a couple drinks and a real nice conversation. I had no idea he would be gone in less than a year. He probably didn't either. I can't think of any better motivation to live life to its' fullest and appreciate every day to the max because it can all be over so quickly. My thoughts are with Larry, his family and all who were close to him.

Jim

Larry Owen ::

Dr. William Lawrence Owen III
CAMDEN - Funeral services for Dr. William Lawrence Owen, III, DMD, 60, will be held Thursday, October 9, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Camden. Rev. Bruce Hancock will officiate along with Pat and Nancy Wylie. The family will receive friends at the home of Dr. Owen following the service.

Dr. Owen died Tuesday, October 7, 2008. Born October 24, 1947, in Muskogee, Oklahoma, he was the son of the late William L. Owen Jr. and Nan Robertson Owen. He was a graduate of Camden High School Class of 1965 and a graduate of the University of S.C. in 1969 where he was a member of Chi Psi Fraternity and a Varsity cheerleader. Dr. Owen graduated from MUSC College of Dental Medicine in 1977, and had practiced dentistry in Kershaw County for over 30 years. Dr. Owen was a member of First Baptist Church of Camden where he served as a Sunday School teacher and deacon. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran and a captain in the S.C. Air National Guard. Additionally, he was a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry; S.C. Dental Association editor; past president of the Pee Dee District Dental Society; S.C. Dental Association Board of Governors; delegate to S.C. Dental Association’s House of Delegates; and University of S.C. - College of Arts and Sciences Board of Advisors. Dr. Owen was a member of the S.C. Dental Forensic Task Force, the American Dental Association, Pee Dee District Dental Society, Kershaw County Dental Society, Columbia Northeast Implant Study Club, and Sumter Dental Club. He was also a member of the Elgin, SC, Town Council from 1979-1981, Kershaw County YMCA Board, Camden Zoning Board of Appeals, Historic Camden Revolutionary War Park Board, Camden Rotary Club, assistant scoutmaster Troop 238 Boy Scouts of America, Camden Community Concert Band, Five Points Wild Irish Band, Camden Community Theater and Kershaw County Chamber of Commerce.

Surviving are his wife, Dr. Cathy Moss; daughters, Catherine Owen of Camden, and Virginia Owen of Camden; son, William L. “Will” Owen, IV of Charleston; sister, Jane O. Unsworth of Camden; niece, Nandy Byars of Charleston; nephews, William O. “Chip” Unsworth, IV of Camden, and M. Josh Unsworth of Lugoff. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to the Dr. William L. Owen, III Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o 1st Palmetto Bank of Camden, 407 DeKalb Street, Camden, SC 29020.

Kornegay Funeral Home, Camden Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.

On-line condolences may be sent to the Owen family by visiting www.kornegayfuneral.com.

More Sad News! ::

Buster passes on the news that Larry Owen passed away this morning along with the fact that this is the 4th death of one of our classmates this year.

As soon as The State posts the obit, which I presume will be tomorrow, I'll post it here. The State normally updates the obits on-line at 5am and I'm sure there will be some donation information.

International Space Station Sighting For Columbia And Camden ::

Thursday especially should offer a very good viewing opportunity if you're away from city lights and the sky is clear. Sighting information for other areas is available on NASA's Human Spaceflight web site.

While I'm posting some NASA info here I'll put up this photograph of orbiters Atlantis and Endeavour on the launch pad at the same time.




Note the rainbow in the upper quadrant. I have another photograph of this scene taken with a wider angle lens showing the orbiters on the launch pads, the ocean to the right, and the full rainbow. I can't find it on-line right now but I'll get it from work Monday and post it.

Friday Catblogging ::

Here is Missy atop the front yard boulder. It's been a bad pet week, I'm afraid.

Missy pretty much lives in the garage and this evening when I got home from work I activated the garage door opener as usual and pulled in. Missy was there, but she didn't get out of the way quickly enough and I think I ran over her tail as evidenced by the loud shriek I heard before I stopped. She seems to be ok and has been running around and playing normally.


Wednesday evening my dog, Sable, was really in sad shape. She was lethargic and not eating so I took her to my favorite vet early Thursday morning. Turns out she had a very severe uterine infection and emergency surgery was done that afternoon. I picked her up yesterday and she's doing better, but she still suffers the aftereffects of the surgery and is still not eating much. My fingers are crossed that she'll be ok. We have to give her 3 anti-biotic pills each 12 hours and I had forgotten just how much dogs hate swallowing pills!




Here's hoping next week is better to us and our pets!

Remembering Paul Newman ::

“He was smiling... That's right. You know, that, that Luke smile of his. He
had it on his face right to the very end. Hell, if they didn't know it 'fore,
they could tell right then that they weren't a-gonna beat him. That old Luke
smile. Oh, Luke. He was some boy. Cool Hand Luke. Hell, he's a natural-born
world-shaker.”

Making Jelly ::

Every year I grow some Habañero peppers. I started this several years ago on a whim without giving much thought as to what I would do with what is one of the hottest peppers known to man, but somewhere along the way I came across a recipe for Habañero Pepper Jelly so I make a couple dozen pints per year. Most of the hot peppers are late producers and now is the prime time to harvest Habañeros so I spent the late afternoon doing about 14 half pint jars of the jelly.

Oddly, I seldom eat any of it and primarily use it as a glaze on baked chicken. Each 1/2 pint jar of pepper jelly has about 1 cup of sugar and since I'm mildly diabetic I closely watch my sugar intake. More often than not I give the jelly away and one of these jars will go to a co-workers grandmother who really likes it. I also recommend that any small children be given just a tiny bit before their tolerance to the heat is determined.

It is really good with crackers and cream cheese or cream cheese and toasted bagel. I've yet to find anyone who doesn't like the jelly although the reaction to the heat is often delayed!

Photoshop Elements ::

One copy got shipped out to Doug Elliott in Rock Hill earlier this afternoon so there is 1 copy left. Let me know if you want it!

Photoshop Elements ::

I just got a new scanner and a new printer at work and both came with the latest iteration of Photoshop Elements which I do not need. I have been using Photoshop for years and we have a maintenance contract with Adobe on the software at work for approximately 55 licenses.

I have these 2 copies of Elements to give away. If you would like one shoot me an e-mail with your address and I'll get the CD right out to you.

On a side note-I was just out murdering wasps which were building a nest underneath the eave on one corner of the house. One got down my shirt and stung me right next to my belly button. Not a pretty picture!

Hurricane Ike ::

Here's what it looked like 2 days ago (Sept. 10) from the International Space Station orbiting 220 miles above Earth:





Here is a high resolution version from NASA's Human Spaceflight web site.

Camden Alumni Information ::

Passing this on:

September 7, 2008



Dear Camden High Alumni:



Another school year has started and it’s time to start thinking about plans for Homecoming 2008. The CHS Alumni Association is planning a tailgating event at the Homecoming game on Friday, October 17th. We have some Camden High graduates lined up to provide live music. Start time will be 6:00 pm in the reserved parking area behind the home stands. We will have a tent near the band for alumni to socialize. If you do not have reserved parking, you will have to park in one of the general parking areas and walk to the reserved parking area.



We are also planning to have a musical program in the new Performing Arts Center in early 2009. Members of the Alumni Association will have priority on purchasing tickets for the event. Preliminary plans have this event as a fundraiser for one or more scholarships. Stay tuned for more on this event.





Tailgating Time will be co-sponsored by the Camden High School Alumni Association, Dennis Arledge Agency-AllState Insurance and the Camden Bulldog Club.



We hope to see you at Homecoming 2008 and GO DOGS!!



Johnny Deal, Chair
CHS Alumni Association

And then there's this:

CAMDEN BULLDOG CLUB OPEN MEMBERSHIP MEETING

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9th at Camden High



On Tuesday, September 9th, the Camden Bulldog Club will hold its annual open membership meeting. Dr. Frank Morgan has been invited to give an update on the district’s Facilities Equalization Program. The meeting begins at 6:00 pm in the Camden High Library Media Center. All members of the Camden Bulldog Club are encouraged to attend.



Since this is our annual open meeting, anyone may attend.

Johnny Deal can be reached via e-mail at:

jdeal151(at)aol.com

Camden's City Streets ::

I know times are tough, but I've always considered Camden to be relatively affluent and it is past time for many of the streets to be repaved!

My editorial comment for the day!

Twittering

If anyone else out there TWITTERS let me know so I can add your link over on the right.

Twittering is pretty cool-you can quickly post a statement or comment of 140 characters or less.

On The Road ::

We should be pulling out early tomorrow morning for the trip to Columbia and Camden. Not much of an itinerary yet. I just got off the phone with my sister-in-law and apparently my brother had a medical problem yesterday and had to go to the emergency room. Everything seems to be ok now. I'll be visiting my mother in the Karesh Wing of the hospital during the stay and we'll probably make a day trip to Gastonia on Saturday. Since we'll be heading back over here Sunday morning this is looking like another hurried trip. One of these days I'll be able to spend an entire week in Columbia and Camden.

I should have net and e-mail access during the trip and I'm going to try to get in a few photographs. I haven't been watching the hurricane track for the past few days, but my fingers are crossed for good weather.

Clemson Snatching Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory! ::

More than a bit of hyperbole there since Clemson has not even been in the game!

Digital Ink From Buster ::

I got this from Buster a couple of weeks ago and kept forgetting to post it.

THE FOLLOWING IS AN ARTICLE I JUST SUBMITTED TO THE LOCAL PAPER. Afterwards, my face muscles were sore from laughing and smiling.
When Marcelle and Mary were in the first grade, they wondered how old they would be before their feet touched the bus number 10 floor.
About eight years ago some of the girls, now ladies, who graduated from Camden High in 1965 and who rode bus 10, which picked up the kids in the Charllote Thompson area, began having an annual ''get together' on the 3rd Sat. in July. They later expanded the list to include some of the other '65 pedestrians.
The original cast was made up of Mary Holland Young, Pris McLeod, Marcelle Fortner, Pat Price Gillion, and Renee Howel Christopherson.
This year the group met at Helen and Lawrence Graham's oldest daughter Linda's house and they invited a couple of opposite sex members in Ronny Stroud and myself. Other classmates who attended were Cheryl Scott Colvin, Mary Workman Eddings, Barbara Rabon Shiver, Betty Jane McCallum Fort, Jane Barfield Munn, and Sandra Hammond Hughes, who has the unique distinction of having her wedding on Gilbrater.
It was an event of sharing some good laughs and memories. Since all of us are now over 60 years of age and all have 'scrapbooks and skeletons' the conversation was mostly about old times.
The bus 10 ladies had long ago voted Nettles 'Butch' Myers as their favorite bus driver who everyone had the biggest crush. They also had a list of who were the best and worst drivers.
They also had a picture which was taken in the mid to late 50's of most of the local kids who were attending a bible school at Beulah Metodist Church. There were the original members and their siblings, plus a lot of Smith's,Ive's, and Rush's.
Some other old class pictures produced some good chuckles. The sixth grade chorus picture with 30 girls and 60 bobby sox and Cheryl Colvin's majorette boots in the 2nd grade were classics. Jimmy Ring and Billy Ammons annually posed for their class pictures with their top shirt button always buttoned and Jimmy Clyburn always wore a different cowboy outfit for his class picture. Robin Hough had the best bike because his was a Donald Duck model which had a big Donald Duck attached to the handle bars.
The sixth grade must be that time in which kids start becoming part of the social herd because not only are all the girls in the chorus dressed fashionably similar, but there were lots of Perry Como jackets for the boys, as well as the ample use of Butch Hair Wax to keep the flat tops standing
There were also some pictures of former reunions and no one could recall everyone. One would notice that as the years progressed the men seemd to have more grey on top than the ladies.
Pris McLeod, an old drinking buddy of the band 'Alabama' [before they were famous] could have her own show on Comedy Central. She entertained the attendees with stories from her 30+ years of treaching.
The conversation moved to former principals and teachers and the consensus was that no one could strike fear in your heart like the sound of Mrs. Duvall walking in her high heels. Also everyone had a Ruby Dobinca Lindler Zimmerman story. It seemed that everyone who had Mrs. Z can recall board credits, no cutting in the hall and her dancing on her desk.
It is interesting to see what most recall. The funny and the unusual seem to be the norm.
One mystery that was clarified was what happened to several of our classmates when we were in jr. high. Several of us were in a fraternity called 'Lambda Beta Pi' while we were in the 7th and 8th grades. We met weekly at various member's houses, fired up some pilfered Winstons, talked about girls and just messed around. Some of the members who lived down town and did not play ball got together more often and decided to crank up their thrill meter by breaking into houses. After awhile they got caught. Now these kids were the sons of doctors, businessmen, and some of the most prominent and religous families in Camden.
They were sentenced to leave Camden for a year so some were sent to prep schools, while others were sent to live with relatives in other communities. I often think of this episode when I hear people talk of gangs or hear someone say, ' my kid would never do anything wrong.''
There was also great admiration but not envy for the oldest member of our class, Moultrie Burns who is the father of pre schoolers. We did send word to Moultrie that at our reunions we were no longer giving cash prizes to the class member with the youngest kids.
As we have aged all of us have learned to phrase questions in a manner that we do not get put or place someone in an embarrassing situation. We have learned to ask in generalities such as, 'how is everyone,' rather than' how are your parents.' So it was nice also to find out about how many of our parents were doing.
As we have entered our 6th decade many of our parents are int their 8th decade and sometimes they are not as polically correct or they once were and they have alsoearned the right to say what is on their mind. The following is an example.
The Friday before this reunion I went by to check on my mother. Now my mother, Willie, truly detest my beard. The picture above is a couple of years old and since that picture was taken I had shaved the beard, but for some whimsical reason I decided to regrow it at the first of the summer.
When I walked into mother's house her initial statement , before hello, was 'When are you going to cut that beard?'
I replied that since she was now 87 years old that it was difficult to find her a Christmas present, I thought that I would shave the beard on Xmas eve and she could have it for a yule present. The response from her was. 'If that is all you are goimg to do with it, then you can just keep the d... thing.''
The conversation became more civil and after awhile I said my goodbyes and stated to leave. As I closed the door and approached my car I heard her yell something at me. Needing to leave and not wanting to go back inside I told her I could not hear what she was saying. She yelled again and I repeated that I could not understand what she was saying.
She then opened the door and and asked, 'Don't you have a reunion tomorrow with those girls you went to school with.''
I replied, ''Yes mam.''
She then replied. ' Before you meet with those girls, you need to cut off that chickens... beard.''
She was not backing up when she said it,
Thank you for your attention.

The reference to Beulah Methodist church brought back some memories. My stepfather and baby brother are buried there. My brother, Bill, lives near the church and I stopped in a couple of years ago and took some photographs.



Here is the monument dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Cleveland School fire:



I have another Beulah church story which I will share later.

Fried Green Tomatoes! ::

I bought a few pounds of green tomatoes yesterday from a grower from Tennessee who sells down here just outside of Huntsville. I've known Jack for years, but this is the first time I've stopped in and bought anything in some time. I'm processing the tomatoes for the freezer right now and I'm sure they'll be great in the coldness of winter. I've already put up around a bushel of okra as well as some sweet corn. I haven't done as much as usual, but, with the rain, I'm hoping for at least 2 or 3 more weeks of buying food for the freezer. Oh yeah, squash. I love squash and I have been able to freeze a fair amount this year along with some zucchini. For the past few years I have been doing around 75 to 100 pounds of squash and zucchini each year but I wasn't able to do it this year.

I'm hoping to grow my own next year. I just bought a tiller late last week and, if the weather cooperates, I will soon be planting some turnip and collard greens!

Kitten Blogging On Saturday Afternoon ::

The Post From Sandy Below ::

This is what I was hoping many more people would do. This isn't my blog-it's yours, and I would love for everyone to share whatever they may feel like sharing! Anyone over on the right sidebar has posting privileges here and I can open it up to anyone else who wishes to post. Just send me an e-mail to the address on the sidebar. So far only I have admin rights, but I can give that to others also and they can be shared. Anyone with admin rights can change the look of the blog as well as the content. It really is pretty easy! Don't worry about breaking anything--I can fix it!

Buster has sent me an unpublished story which probably most of you have also received, but I will post it in a couple of days here on the blog as well as a PDF link over on the right.

I can attest to the beauty of the country where Sandy lives although I have not been that far north. When I was in the Navy I spent a year on the island of Adak in the Aleutian chain and I loved every minute of it. The island was about 2 miles wide but I forget how long. On one side was the Pacific Ocean and on the other was the Bering Sea. Beauty takes many forms and the Aleutian Islands were the antithesis of South Carolina! One has not experienced cold unless 125mph winds are involved, but, luckily, this only happened for a few days during winter.

I have several friends who have done the Alaska cruise in the past couple of years and the all recommend it!

I wonder if Sandy keeps any Jack Daniels around for those bitterly cold evenings? Just curious since I live about 40 miles from Lynchburg, Tennessee which is, ironically, a dry county!

Hello from the Land of the Midnight Sun

Fred, I read your blogs with wonder. Your life is so totally different from mine. I haven't been to S.C. in 5 or 6 years. After my parents died, I stilled visited Psamn Williamson occasionally, but after she passed away, I just didn't come back. My husband has cousins in N.C., but we haven't seen them either.

I had to retire from my job as RN in the local ICU in 2000 and my husband took an early retirement from Northwest Airlines the next year so he could keep me company in my life as a bum. We've done a lot of traveling since then and had more fun than you could shake a monkey at......or something like that. The last few years we've been spending a large part of the long dark winter down in Arizona. (We lived there from '70 til '82) We found a great place up in the Lake Havasu area. We bought a pontoon boat and spend a lot of time on the Colorado river.

Haven't gotten to do as much fishing this summer as usual, but I did get down to Seward, Alaska a couple of weeks ago to go out inthe ocean for silver salmon. When they're still in the ocean, they're a lot of fun. Fishing was so-so that week, but Resurrection Bay is one of the most beautiful places on earth, so there's certainly no room to complain.

Yesterday I gave a speech at a Women's Conference concerning the Red Hat Society and my chapter, the Vibrant Valley Divas. Dressed ready for the red carpet, of course, with all the trimmings. Then I had to come home and change into my other role because I leave in the morning to go caribou hunting up near Glennallen, AK. Freezer is empty. Must have meat. I never thought I would enjoy hunting so much. I always loved shooting and was pretty good at it, but I had never hunted or fished until we moved here. Caribou hunting is sort of like deer hunting, except that the animal is larger, the meat has to be carried great distances and someone has to always guard from grizzlies. They know that sound means dinner is nearby.

I'm happy as a pig with a new muddle puddle. Will have my 43rd wedding anniversary in January. Did it right the first time I guess. I'm still crazy about hime and wouldn't trade him for a spotted puppy. My kids are healthy and happy and my dog likes me too.

Have some things going on that just made me want to reach out and share. I still think of Camden often and all the people back there. The only ones I'm in contact with are Buster and Camille Baker Powell, but others are often on my mind. Hope there will be another class reunion before I'm too old and decrepid to dance! I'm so sorry I missed the last one. I was going to attend and visit with Psamn, but she got ill and I cancelled my trip. Lot of woulda', coulda', shoulda's there.

Anyway, I enjoy reading the blog and would love to hear from old acquaintances.

Trip Postponement ::

We have to postpone the trip this coming weekend since our pet sitter is not available so we're hoping to make the trip two weekends from now which, I believe, will be Labor Day weekend. That might work out even better. I'll post some contact information when I am sure of the trip.

I could kennel Sable with our vet, who is absolutely wonderful, but Sable hates kennels and the only time she has ever snapped at me was when we returned from a trip to Camden and I went to pick her up. She forgave me for putting her in there with all of those strange dogs and I have never kenneled her again!



As you can probably tell I love my pets and I heartily recommend Chows as pets, especially female Chows. I have had several over the years, both male and female, and find that the females are much easier to get along with as the males tend to be much more stubborn. They are great inside dogs and pretty much train themselves and they are extremely protective.

When a stranger, or, for that matter, someone who we do not know well, comes to visit, Sable will position herself between Jeanie and the other person and either sit or lie at her feet unless the other person takes a step toward her. Then she will stand between that person and Jeanie. Thankfully we've never had to see what would happen if there was true danger, but I feel much better having her with us.

Sable stays in the house almost all of the time. When we leave to go somewhere, even for several hours. she stays inside and we never have any problems. Years ago when I lived in North Georgia my house was broken into twice in one week. I wish I had had a chow inside then!

Friday Cat Blogging ::

Road Trip To Camden ::

I'm hoping to pull out next Thursday, the 21st, for a visit, but there are some challenges to this trip. Ricky, who normally pet sits for me, plans to go to Memphis to be with his brother who was recently in a motorcycle accident and is having a knee replacement as a result. I just also found out that Ricky's mother, Dottie, has been diagnosed with some degree of Alzheimers which saddens me terribly as she is a wonderful person! I'm thinking about bringing both the dog and the cat on the trip which is another challenge as the dog is several years old and has never been around cats. The kitten is only several months old and does not know what to think of the dog!

Vacation schedules have been worked out and the timing right now is good for us although hectic as usual.

Arriving in Columbia sometime late Thursday afternoon.
Visiting in Camden Friday.
Quick trip up to Gastonia Saturday morning to see middle daughter and family.
Visiting back in Camden Saturday evening.
Leaving early Sunday morning for the trip back.

This is tentative, but probably how it will play out.

I'll post an update in a few days with contact information in case anyone would like to get together for a cup of coffee!

Fried Green Tomatoes!

I picked the last of the green tomatoes this afternoon and I fried them a short time ago along with some okra. Supper doesn't get much better than that!

On another note, I seem to be dodging deer on the rural roads much earlier this year than normal. I was basically stopped in the road this morning as a herd crossed in front of me. Well, truth be told, there were five or six and I stopped to watch them watch me. I leave for work at about 5:45 am and I drive rural roads most of the way and I must be constantly vigilant since the deer population is pretty huge around here. If I wanted to put one in my freezer I could go out in the back yard. I've also seen some large turkey tracks lately after rain and flights of geese routinely fly by just yards above the country mansion which reminds me of the hummingbird blogging. The Hummingbirds have been skittish for some reason the past few days, but I'm going to try again this weekend!

Friday Kitten Blogging!

Here's the mighty kitten, Missy, stalking the elusive grasshopper!

The Cat's Eye Nebula ::

Here is the latest iteration of one of my favorite space subjects: The Cat's Eye Nebula. This is a composite image taken from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-Ray telescope and it was just released a day or so ago. Here is what it looks like much larger than I can upload to blogger. I have been lucky enough to work with the Chandra project from the time it was launched and the first images were downloaded 'til now. Marshall Space Flight Center, where I work, has its own Chandra web site, but I usually prefer to work with the Harvard University site.

Keep in mind that this is a composite image and is not representative as to what the telescopes actually see. The colors and densities are added and determined by mission scientists who analyze chemical and physical data gathered by the instruments on the telescope.

As an interesting aside, when the first images came down from Chandra they were processed by the Jet Propulsion Lab in California, and my contact there who actually did the work was from Myrtle Beach!

Also, next week should provide a couple of good viewing opportunities for viewing the International Space Station from the Camden area as it flies by almost directly overhead. I'll post the information over the weekend as well as a link where others in other states and countries can find viewing schedules.

Saturday Evening Hummingbird Blogging ::

We refilled our Hummingbird feeders yesterday and they're finally back in substantial numbers. Lots of people do Friday cat blogging (Kevin and Duncan), but I don't know anyone doing Hummingbird blogging so here goes. I'll try to do this some for the next few weeks before they begin to migrate



These images were taken with a friends 80 to 200 Nikon zoom. He seems to think that there is a focus problem, but if there is I didn't see it this afternoon. I've got another 80 to 200 Nikon lens as well as a 55 to 200 so I may try to do some side by side comparisons.



This afternoon is the first time I've tried photographing the hummingbirds this year and I think I will be changing my approach some. I still want to get one to feed out of my hand!

Dupont Kids ::

An unedited and yet to be published piece from Buster:

'I'm passing by Joe's house or Robinson's hardware.' Jim will tell Kirk.
If you grew up in this community in the 50's and 60's, you knew that '4 to 12' was not a fertilizer. When DuPont opened its plant in the early 50's, it put an indelible stamp on Kershaw County. The people who moved here or were transferred to this area helped make a sleepy burg a much more progressive community.
One did not have to have any family member employed at 'the plant' to be familiar with terms such as safety shoes,Waynesboro, orlon, shirt pocket plastic,or graveyard. I can still remember during the summer, Helen Nims telling all the neighborhood kids to be quiet because Doug was working graveyard. They finally got an a/c window unit that made enough noise to drive away kids and spiders.
These are the stories of some of the people who went to school in the 50's and 60's and some later moved away. All had some connection with the May Plant.
Jim Ring finished Camden High with me in 1965 and did not return to this area for over 30 years. He had 2 older brothers Kirk and Giles, who also graduated from CHS. All three now reside in Va. where their father Skip, a chemist,who was known for wearing short sleeve shirts all year, also retired.
Jim was the first of our class who was in a non kid picture. When he was in the 6th grade he was talented enough to play in the high school band. Now Jim was never tall so the local paper took a picture of him and Pete Cantey with Pete holding his clarinet on Jim's head. It was the first picture of a classmate who was not in a brownie, scout, or in a ball uniform.
Unfortunately, Jim's brother Kirk has cancer and is not doing well, and when Jim travels through here once or twice a year he will call Kirk and do the above travellogue.
I was fortunate enough to come along at the same time as some good athletes; such as All-Americans, all-staters. Shrine Bowl participants,etc. But until we were in the 6th grade the best athletes in our class were Sue Stogner, Bonnie Nowlen and Diana Elliot. They could outrun, outhit, and were stronger than any of the males in our class.
Sue Stogner Wilson, she married Bergen's son Charlie, was a treasure who was lost to us at a very early age. She was not only as good a person as one would want to know, but she could press more weights than anybody in our class. Bonnie is now Bonnie Worten and she lives outside of Atlanta, where her daughter has acted in films and commercials. Diana Elliott Dixon's father, Ace, pitched professionally. Diana could outrun everyone in our class. These three, along with Linda Graham Stogner, Molly Morris, and Susan Brown Leviner formed the nucleus who took the Rockettes all the way to the state champioship.
John Latschar, a fine basketball player,only attended school here while he was in high school. He also drove the team bus for the girl's team. One day he had to drive the team through Kershaw and ran three consecutive stoplights before the screaming got him to slow down. John was red/green color blind and at that time the stoplights in Kershaw were reversed.
If you visit the Gettysburg National Battlefield, you may want to contact John, because he is the director. If you look it up on the web site, there is the picture of a former Bulldog.
While we were of little and pony league age there were two brothers, Jimmy and Billy Sampson, who were good ball players. About 20 years ago Billy [who was spirited and happy-go-lucky] and his wife were instrumental in organiizing an anti Ku Klux Klan meeting. Apparently there was a confrontation between the different sides and Billy was shot and killed.
Steven Cooper, younger brother of Judge Tom Cooper, was one of several really smart kids in our class. We were in the 5th grade together and he made all e's [that should date you] except in penmanship where he made u's. He was lefthanded and did not have long fingers and Mrs. Louise Boykin was tough on writing skills. Mrs. Boykin claimed to be one of if not the first woman in Kershaw County to ride in a car.
Steven is now retired and lives in New Zealand. He and Richard Reed were two of our classmates to attend and graduate from Notre Dame. Richard, who may have been the best center to ever play football here, now lives in Ohio.
Sandra Cole Raynovic's father worked at DuPont until a vision problem caused him to retire. Sandra has lived most of her adult life in Alaska, but does now spend some winter in Arizona. Her son works on the Alaskan pipeline and she says there is plenty of oil and the pipeline has helped the enviroment. She can not understand what those of us in the lower 48 are waiting on.
Delores Cole Adams has a son who lives in Arizona and one of her daughters works with native Americans in New Mexico. Delores is now the chief administrator for transplantation at Case Western Hospital in Cleaveland.
Bill Steed played professional football before begining his career with DuPont. His daughter Suzanne was quite a character and an excellent tennis player. Suzanne once worked as Pepper Rodger's sercretary when Rodgers was the head football coach at Ga. Tech. Once when I was injured she sent me a rather large poster of Pepper adorned in a leisure suit walking across Grant Field.
Lin Watkins began working with Dupont soon after serving in WW11. His son Lin, is now retired from Dupont. Lin, as a tough defensive line starter, was a big reason Camden High went unscored on in 1964.
Preacher Joe Stines is also a DuPont retiree as was Joe Sr. Legend has it that when Joe Sr. retired he took his lunch pail and his alarm clock and hung them on his clothes line. He then took out his shotgun and blasted them to pieces. Guess not everyone was happy about working at a place that had lights in the parking lot.
As we move through the various stages and events of our life, we have contact with scores of people. Those of us who were fortunate enought to grow up here in the simpler times of the 50's and 60's are very fortunate indeed. DuPont made a better life for many.
Thank you for your attention.

I'll also put this up as a PDF link over to the right.

I would be interested in everyone's thoughts about the sale of the DuPont plant to who? Invista? My brother has been medically retired from there after the sale and, as I understand it, the work environment is not nearly as good as it used to be.

For years my mother would exasperate me with the admonition that if I had gone to work for DuPont I could have become a supervisor. I chose a different path with few regrets and many rewards as apparently did many with whom I went to school!

I always learn much more from Buster's writings than I ever knew before. Bonnie apparently still lives in an Atlanta suburb and Suzanne worked as secretary to Pepper Rodgers at Georgia Tech. After I got out of the navy I lived in the Atlanta area for a long time and lived on Ponce De Leon in midtown before I moved to Huntsville. I have to say that I miss Atlanta at times and I still have some really great friends there who I try to visit as much as possible!

An Empty Nester Once Again ::

My little birds escaped the nest sometime during the day. I hope they don't become strangers!

I also forgot to pick up hummingbird food earlier today. We seem to have fewer this year than last, but they have come out in higher numbers in the past few days. Last year I would be sitting on the back porch reading and they would be flitting around within just a few feet of me. I've always wanted to try to feed them out of my hand and I may try it this weekend.

I got some nice photographs of the hummingbirds last year and I'll be shooting some more soon.

Sunday Afternoon Bird Blogging ::

A few weeks ago I noticed a bird nest in my Boston Fern with 4 little greenish-yellow eggs. They hatched a couple of weeks ago andI now have little baby Mockingbirds in my fern causing me to be very careful with my watering, not to mention that I get dive bombed by the parents. Here is what they look like now:



I also got adopted by a stray kitten last Thursday so the menagerie seems to be growing. The little grey kitten showed up at night and looked a bit malnourished. I picked up some basic kitty supplies and she seems to be doing really well and is a very affectionate kitten. She is living in the garage right now and I'm trying to figure out how to acclimate my indoor Chow to a kitten. For some reason the kitty, named Missy, likes to sleep on my fish basket. I would have thought that would be uncomfortable but as long as she is happy I am happy. All I have to look forward to now are more vet bills!

Loving Work ::

A part of the joy associated with what I do is the time I get to spend with educational outreach to all of the educators and students who are associated with NASA and who are a participants in NASA programs. In the past couple of weeks I have photographed teachers who are just entering the workplace this year as educators. I was more than a little taken aback when they got off the bus because, to me, the looked more like high school students than soon to be teachers.

The next week I spent an entire day photographing NASA student interns from universities all around the country meeting and listening to senior Marshall Space Flight Center management officials and then participating in several challenging engineering projects. Marshall is a research and development site and is primarily tasked with propulsion, along with designing the Ares 1 and Ares V next generation of space vehicles, so most of the students were enrolled in engineering programs. As an aside, there was one student from the University of South Carolina, but not a single one from Clemson! This imbalance should be rectified next year!

There is another program going on at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center for the next couple of days and I have been working long distance with one of the legendary early shuttle astronauts, Story Musgrave. We don't know what his schedule will be like for the project at the USSRC, but he is hoping to break away for a bit and visit with my group for at least a short while. Here are some short bio points from Musgrave's past:

At 18, he joined the United States Marine Corps. While in the Corps, Musgrave served as an aviation electrician and instrument technician. After completing this service, he enrolled at Syracuse University where, in 1958, he received a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and statistics. Upon graduation from Syracuse, he went to work for the Eastman Kodak Company as a mathematician and operations analyst.

In the years that followed, he earned an MBA in operations analysis and computer programming from UCLA. The following year he added a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Marietta College and, in 1964, received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Columbia University. Leaving Kodak, he served a surgical internship at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington. He remained at Kentucky on post-doctoral fellowships from the Air Force and the Heart Institute, earning an additional master's degree in physiology and biophysics. High-altitude flight and the then-new space program had created new areas of medicine, and Dr. Musgrave was in the forefront, pursuing research in cardiovascular and exercise physiology and in the medicine of aviation.

[snip]

The first of Dr. Musgrave's six trips into outer space took place on the maiden voyage of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983. While on this mission, Musgrave and Don Peterson performed the first space walks off of the Shuttle. On his second Shuttle mission, he served as systems engineer during launch and reentry, and as a pilot during the orbital operations.

Perhaps the most dramatic of Story Musgrave's space mission was the fifth, on the Shuttle Endeavour. Musgrave commanded the mission to repair the damaged Hubble Space Telescope. During this 11-day mission, the Telescope was restored to full functionality. The repairs required five spacewalks, three performed by Dr. Musgrave himself.

Story Musgrave flew his last space mission in January, 1996, on the Space Shuttle Columbia. On this mission, the crew deployed and retrieved reusable satellites for studying the origin and composition of the stars, and to experiment with super-vacuum conditions in which thin film wafers can be grown for use in the semiconductor industry.

Besides his many scientific degree, Dr. Musgrave has also earned a master's degree in literature. His hobbies include poetry, chess, gardening, photography, computer, running, scuba diving, flying and soaring in gliders.

Needless to say I'm looking forward to spending some time with Story!

Oh yeah, here is a photograph of Musgrave during his Extra Vehicular Activity during the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission:



[update] Unfortunately Story got tied up with his duties relating to his appearance at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and was unable to visit. Maybe next time!