Friday Catblogging ::

It's cold over here in Alabama tonight! I think we're looking at about 10° as the projected low, but the forecast is for us to go up into the mid 40s tomorrow so that will be a break. I dread seeing my utility bill next month, but utilities are fairly low here. My last bill for December was $185-relatively speaking not too bad.

Missy finds great joy in jumping up on the rail in the garage and waiting for me to scratch her. She's getting to be a pretty fat cat and I may have to put her on a diet!



Everyone try to stay comfortable!

Still Here! ::

I'm still here! It's been a pretty hectic new year so far both at work and at home with new projects. Weekends have been given over to redesigning one of my web sites and I'll be posting the link soon.

I'm hoping to get over to Camden in the next few weeks. I'm running out of Camden photographs to post, but here is one from a previous trip:



Whenever I'm in Camden I try to make it a point to at least drive through Quaker Cemetery and I usually find myself taking at least one photograph. I have always found cemeteries to be wonderful places for photography and when I lived in Atlanta I spent many hours in Oakland Cemetery with the 8x10 view camera!

Clemson ::

once again snatches defeat from the jaws of victory! At least the basketball team is playing well!

There are a lot of Clemson grads here in Huntsville and we all bemoan the football team.

Still Having Server Problems ::

The server that hosts the photographs is still experiencing difficulties. This was supposed to have been cleared up, but the techs are still working on fixing the problem. Must be worse than they initially thought!

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!