Kingsley Plantation

Two and a half years ago I had thrown together a little post about Kingsley Plantation. I had attempted to use some photos off the web but the owners felt a little reticent about sharing so I have been waiting for a chance to make the trip and do my own photography.

The main house is closed for renovation but the kitchen house and a combination carriage house/chapel is open.
One and a half miles of winding dirt road leads to the plantation.
The ruins of slave quarters are on both side of the entrance road
Inside the Carriage/chapel house
The Carriage/chapel house
Inside the kitchen house
The lower floor of the kitchen house was used for cooking meals. The upper floor was used as plantation office.


A 120 foot covered walkway connects the cook house to the main house
More links and information for Kingsley Plantation
http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/geo-flor/21.htm

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=11054987843707503957&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-sk-ppage&utm_term=kingsley%20plantation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingsley_Plantation

http://fcit.usf.edu/FLORIDA/photos/historic/kingsl/kingsl.htm

A Trip To The Zoo

I had put it off until the weather was cooler, this trip to the zoo. With over 150 shots, these were the only real keepers in the bunch. Later I may upload in this same post some of the scenery shots that are worth your time and interest.

The problem was the next stop on this trip. The Kingsley plantation update that was to follow the same day. In the hast to finish up at the zoo and drive the 18 miles to the plantation before loosing the light and beating the rush hour traffic, I was not able to wait for the good shot that it always takes to get that aha moment.

Back to Windows XP

Windows 7 goes to the back burner

3 or 4 days ago I got a little frustrated with Windows XP and gave in to temptation and grabbed a full version of Windows 7 Professional. Everything seemed to be going well and only noticed a slight jerkiness as I moved around the desk top. Small little glitches that were really bothersome while I worked on my graphic projects.

I figured that the older software could be merged into the new operating system. This is where I really needed a reliable system and was in no mood to fight another battle with compatibility.

Old reliable Windows XP was still on a hard drive in the same machine, so with a slight feeling of regret; I disconnected Windows 7 and returned to an old friend that rarely let me down.

Sometime, when I have the time I may return to fiddling with the latest Microsoft adventure. But until that time I am staying with this old operating system with the 4 gigs of memory and 1 gig of graphic card power.

After all these years I have come to the conclusion that if your car is not giving you a problem and the roof don’t leak, the pump is still pumping water and you are still making award winning graphics with the older operating system, why change anything?

Finding Art at the County Fair

Watching the leaves change

Last weekend we made a fast expedition to Virginia to photograph some colorful fall foliage.
The color was not as good this year so we made the best of the skimpy color choices, even making shots from the back window of a fast moving car

Memories of Choppy's Resturant

Perry Winkle and the coincident

After school I worked as a car hop at Choppy’s Restaurant in Columbus and most of the time our boss was a fellow named Perry Winkle, honest in-jun, and he was listed in the phone book by that name

He looked and acted like Huntz Hall of The Bowery Boys. A little silly and a little sissy fied. He tried to act tough but we all saw right through him and knew he was just a nice guy trying to get by being what he was and not making too many waves. In the end, he could tell funny stories and that was enough to make him alright in our book.

I quit this job to join the Army and was eventually assigned as training cadre member of the same company where I took my basic training. This alone would be a coincident but herein is the real coincident.

Every eight week basic training cycle produced a new batch of shave tails for the advanced Army courses, artillery, infantry, motor pool etc, etc.

The first morning in a new recruits life was the oh so early breakfast and what a shock it most of been for poor old Perry Winkle with his dainty eating habits, to look up and see one of his former car hops stand at the mess hall door and shout in that monster deep voice.

“You have three minutes to eat and get the hell out of here before the big bad ass first sergeant gets here!”

The old Choppy's building is still there but no longer a drive-in. For memories to other Columbus eateries:

Maxine and the allotment checks

Most of the car hops were young fellows, still in school and amazed at all the pretty waitresses that worked inside Choppy's and the large restaurant. Some were married, some were single and some were in between.

Maxine was not in either group as she was married to at least 5 Army fellows, all at one time.

It was during the Korean War and she had managed to get each fellow to marry her under a different maiden name. Being in transit or in advanced training the fellow might have been shipped out within days or weeks of the marriage, leaving Maxine with an allotment as a wife and dependent, allowing her to receive monthly checks for each husband. Buster, the Liquor Store manage told us that Maxine would cash her checks at five different banks, using SS numbers of former boy friends and husbands.

At the time she was looking for a sixth recruit.

Buster's Liquor Store

On the street side of Choppy's was Buster's Liquor Store. Buster owned and ran the store and we car hops got to know him fairly well.

The night shift carhops made a great deal of their money by second hand sales of just one of his many alcohol products.

It was really a good brand but sold for only $1.33 for a half pint at that time. The bars would close at 12 midnight and so the late night party goers would seek out some of the nooks and crannies where you could find a bottle of Whiskey, Wine or Beer.

Just before mid-night we would have one of the older car hops buy up all the Black Label and pay him 25 cent on the dollar for each. In turn the younger car hops would sell it at $3.00 a bottle to the party goers.

WeekEnd Assignment, Self Portraits

A weekend assignment from Digital Photography School

Giant Spider's Cousin Returns

I was secure in thinking that large monster spiders had given up in their effort to nab a good catch at my house as the only ones near the back door were small and not at all scary. Further away from the old web was this creepy monster. Should I grab my hunting rifle and do the deed before he gets larger and tries to climb in the window? Anyone need a pet spider? He doesn't eat much maybe a small rodent once a week. Could this be the cousin of last years terror, coming to find redemption?

The Battle of Marathon, 490 BC

The battle of Marathon is one of history's most famous military engagements. It is also one of the earliest recorded battles. Their victory over the Persian invaders gave the fledgling Greek city-states confidence in their ability to defend themselves and belief in their continued existence. The battle is therefore considered a defining moment in the development of European culture.

In September of 490 BC a Persian armada of 600 ships disgorged an invasion force of approximately 20,000 infantry and cavalry on Greek soil just north of Athens. Their mission was to crush the Greek states in retaliation for their support of their Ionian cousins who had revolted against Persian rule.

Undaunted by the numerical superiority of the invaders, Athens mobilized Continued

Recipes Tried and True

I was browsing the vast Gutenberg online library when I came across this gem from 1894

Here are a few sample recipes:

A FINE SOUP. MRS. W. H. ECKHART.

Take good soup stock and strain it.  When it boils add cracker balls,

made thus:  To one pint of cracker crumbs add a pinch of salt and

pepper, one teaspoonful parsley, cut fine, one teaspoonful baking

powder, mixed with the crumbs, one small dessert spoon of butter, one

egg; stir all together; make into balls size of a marble; place on

platter to dry for about two hours; when ready to serve your soup put

them into the stock; boil five minutes.

BEEFSTEAK AND ONIONS. MRS. H. T. VAN FLEET.

Have a steak well hacked; over this sprinkle pepper, salt, and a

little flour.  Into a very hot spider drop one teaspoonful of lard;

when melted, lay in steak; pour over this two tablespoons boiling

water, and cover steak with four good-sized onions, sliced very thin.

Cover quickly and cook five minutes; then turn all over together, and

cook five minutes longer.  Care should be taken that the onions do not

turn.  Take up on hot platter; place onions on top of meat, and serve

immediately.

SCRAPPLE. MRS. EDWARD E. POWERS.

Two pounds pork, two pounds liver, two pounds beef, a small heart;

boil all until thoroughly cooked; take up and chop while warm; put

back into broth (altogether you will have two and one-half or three

gallons); then make quite thick with corn meal.  Cook one-half hour.

Put in pans to mold.  Season meat while cooking with salt, pepper, and

sage.





CUSTARD CAKE.  MISS ANN THOMPSON.

Four eggs, one and one-half cups sugar, two tablespoons water, two

cups flour, two teaspoons baking powder.



FILLING.--One egg, one-half pint sweet milk, one-half cup sugar, two

tablespoons flour, butter size of hickory nut.  Flavor to taste.

Remember Your Younger Siblings?

It is rare that I use someone else' s photograph on my blog, but this is a special picture for me. Two of the youngsters were very close to me, one as a brother and one as a friend, and I did get a start in photography from the old gray headed fellow that made this school photo. For many years Mr. Bass would dress up as Santa and entertain kids at Christmas.

The Garden Party

It's about time to display one of my master sketches. There was neither rhyme nor reason for calling it a garden party. I am not even sure what a garden party is anyhow.

I am the fellow in the back with the horn rim glasses.

At the time I thought that doing pretty pictures way beneath me.

Bob the Bird

I do not remember much about how I came to be here and because I have never learned to talk like my Mother I have no idea why I am so different from my big sister who is much larger and has not one feather that I can see. While both my mother and sister stay in the big house most of the time, I get to stay outside in this nice screened in area where I can see the big sky without getting wet when it rains because of the nice roof that daddy made just for me.

It was really nice talking with you and I wish you would come again as not too many visitors come this way. Oh and close the door when you leave as the big yellow four legged thing thinks that I am something to eat.

McClay Gardens

http://www.floridastateparks.org/MACLAYGARDENS/

Brown eyed susans

Barney Frank Insults Wrong Constituent.

All together, now, just for Barney!

I have never seen a purple pig and I never hope to see one but I can tell you this my friend, I would rather see than be one

What to wear, gabardine or corduroy?

He has to appear on a Fox News Network Show, what should he wear, gabardine or corduroy? We report, You Decide

Rent-A-Friend for only $19.99

Are you having a bit of a go at it in the civil or social part of your life? Need a friend or a pet to see you though the latest break up in a stormy relationship?

Well we here at curbside view may have found a way to help solve some of your problems.

With the help of one of our elderly parishioners, who is giving us the loan of their thirteen year old pit bull dog at a rather reasonable hourly rate, we can now do an Add-A-Friend feature to the churches many services.

Sentenced to Death

Little Roy
Rhea Ann
Sandy

They had come from varying backgrounds and the path to the death house was as varied as day is to night.

Little Roy had spent many days on the back of a pickup truck with very little to do other than what he was trained for and that was in running and having fun in the piney woods.

Once in a while he would be given a greasy rag with the sweet smell of another heart pounding chase through the sand hills and over gopher holes, across stretches of dry hammocks, along side a algae covered and stagnant pond until he reached the narrow dirt road on the other side of the swamp.

Little Roy’s days were always full of sunshine and fresh air until he caught his leg in the beaver trap.

Rhea Anne was so small and unobtrusive that the big people that came to take Miss Heather to the funeral home left her in the apartment for days where she spent almost a week wondering from room to room, looking for the friend that would never return. Then the big black headed woman came and put her in a strange looking contraption with a metal door on the front and brought her to stay with the wildest sounding crowd that she had ever seen in all her three years of life.

Sandy could not remember much about her past life, in fact she had a hard time remembering what happened two minutes ago. She was sure that she would get to go out and run on the cool green grass that she saw from the back of her cage each day because a memory persisted of the door opening and she knew somehow to lift the latch on the gate so she waited for just the right moment but the moment never seemed to come, yet in her eternal optimism she had warm and furry dreams of another day.

There had been many more life stories to tell but the fact was the lives were gone long before the story could be told.

the big piñata