The Ghost Of School Days Past

Do you believe in Haunted Houses? (or Hainted Houses...depending on which side of the Mason-Dixon yer on).  A few days ago, I was "almost persuaded" there were "Spooks a'runnin' Loose"!

I was working on a project at the old "Iberia Academy and Junior College" in Iberia, Missouri.  As you can see from the first picture below, the old administrative building is very dilapidated.  I would guess that in it's prime it was a very beautiful, stately structure.

The back is much the same as the front, with an old broken down motor home adding to the clutter of the landscape.  As I was working (in the 2° weather), I just happened to focus real good on one of the windows.  When I saw what I see'ed, I bout' jumped out of my hide!  There was a woman standing at one of the second story windows, just a'lookin' at me!!  After my heart settled down, I walked up and took a closer look and realized it was a mannequin head with a dress hung below it.  See if you can find her without looking at the close-up picture at the bottom.

And there she is!!!

If you want to read more about this old landmark there is a good article with some good b&w photos right HERE  This is a big pdf so you will need to give it some time to load.

A "Breezy" Morning

Why do bad things happen to good people?  This question has been pondered and postulated on "since who flung the chunk."

I was working in the Tuesday morning, 19° weather and it happened...I ripped my britches.  Now this usually happens when I try to step over a tight barb wire fence or...there's too much gluteus maximus in the seatus endus of my LeviStrasses.  This was not the case today.  I merely "took the knee" to dig up a rebar corner marker and my jeans split on the right side (as in right-left not right-wrong) from my belt to my knee.  This was somewhat embarrassing.  But the exposure of bare skin to an 8° wind chill factor was PAINFUL!  Thankfully I finished the job fairly quickly and my house was right on the way back to the office.  And no, pictures are not forthcoming!

Well...just one.....

 LOL!!!!
 

"Those Who Kill"!

Bet I got your attention with that post title!  Well folks, it's time for another post of our Thanksgiving trip to California.  Does anyone out there in "Blogdom" know what "Yosemite" means?  In case you didn't know and couldn't guess, it is an Indian word describing the Indian tribe living in the Yosemite valley when it was first explored by the white man...."Those Who Kill".  The surrounding, somewhat peaceful Indian tribes had given this name to the "Yosemite" dwellers.  However...

The Yosemite People called Yosemite
Ahwahnee or “mouth,” because the valley
walls resembled a gaping bear’s mouth.
 by Daniel E. Anderson, "Origin of the Word Yosemite"

If you want to read more about the origin of the word "Yosemite", there is an excellent article right here.

Our Cousin, Steve Burris, was so gracious to take a day out of his busy schedule and drive us up to Ahwahnee.  The "Us" was Tami, Tab, Anson and myself.  The last time we went to Yosemite it was summer time so it was exciting to see it in fall of the year.  It was Anson's first trip to Yosemite so we tried to get in as much sight-seeing as possible.  It was warm enough in the sun to eat a picnic lunch and just enjoy the beauty of the park.  I guess the highlight of the trip was the visit to the skating rink.  The rink was nice, the ice was cold and smooth, the coffee was good and hot, the campfire was welcomed...I enjoyed all of this while standing outside of the rink.  No, I did not attempt to skate.  Tami and I were content to stand outside and watch all the other people who thought they could skate!  I will have to say I was impressed by Tab and Anson's skating abilities.  Tabitha learned to roller-blade on Grandpa Bean's front porch and she just transferred that ability to the ice rink.  Being a northerner, it must have just come natural to Anson!  But Steve...Wow!  He was hands-down the best skater on the ice.  You could always pick him out of all the other skaters on the ice...just look for a big black cowboy hat!!  He was always helping people up, giving advice to the younger skaters and generally just being Steve.

I never visit a wonder of nature without thinking of a passage in Norman Duncan's, "Doctor Luke of the Labrador".  It refers to the sea and seacoast but I think it applies here also.

"In our land the works of the Lord are not obscured by what the hands of men have made.  The twofold vision ranges free and far. here are no brick walls, no unnatural need or circumstance, no confusing inventions, no gasping haste, no specious distractions, no clamour of wheel and heartless voices, to blind the soul, to pervert its pure desires, to deaden its fears, to deafen its ears to the sweeter calls - to shut it in, to shrivel it:  to sicken it in every part.  Rock and waste of sea and the high sweep of the sky - winds and rain and sunlight and flying clouds - great hills, mysterious distances, flaming sunsets, the still, vast darkness of night!  These are the mighty works of the Lord, and of none other - unspoiled and unobscured.  In them He proclaims Himself.  They who have not know before that the heavens and the earth are the handiwork of God, here discover it: and perceive the Presence an the Power, and are ashamed and overawed.  Thus our land works its marvel in the sensitive soul.  I have sometimes thought that in the waste is sounded the great keynote of life - with which true hearts ever seek to vibrate in tune."

Enjoy the pictures!

On the road to Yosemite

The Ferguson Rockslide on CA Route 140

This picture from Wikipedia

Bridalveil Fall

Picnic!

El Capitan

Half Dome

Skating!!

Half Dome at dusk

27 Easy Steps To.....Nowhere

There are some sights I see as I travel the highways and byways (mostly byways) of the Ozarks that I surely don't understand.  It's kinda like going to Wal-Mart at certain times of the month....only at fifty-five miles an hour (BTW...I usually leave Wal-Mart vowing to buy Pajamagram stock!).  OK!  Got that out of my system!...

On 14 Highway, east of Ava about nine miles, and just west of the new bridge over Whites Creek, there are some steps.....  They are on the side of a steep bank on the north side of the road, are constructed out of rock and concrete and lead to.....nowhere.  If someone has seen these and know their story, please comment.  Hope you enjoy the photographs below!

Power Outage!!

At 2:25 this morning Tami woke me up with the exciting news that our electricity was off.  The first thing I checked was the time (hence the exact time of getting awoken) and then the temperature...3°.  Our house has a central propane furnace which shuts down with no power.  All was not frost though...we have a ventless propane wall heater that works just dandy!   We just turned'er on and all of us huddled up in the living room (Our Great Niece, Cheyanne Bean, was spending the night).  Tami had bought some battery powered candles (is that an oxymoron?) in California so I turned a couple of them on and they worked like a charm.  The power came back on at 4:45...and stayed on for about two minutes...Bummer!  It finally came on to stay at 5:10.  It is now -1°, I am on my second cup of coffee and we have our fingers crossed.  Tami and I were/are praying for all the people not so blessed as us that are suffering through this arctic cold spell.  Thanks to HOE for getting the crews out to fix the problem and get the power back on!!

Never, Ever, Ever....

...leave your phone in someone else's care while you are in California!  I was in several group pictures on Thanksgiving Day so I simply asked for SOMEONE to take a picture with my phone camera.  They did! and did! and did!....

See the evidence below!!

As I was waiting for these pictures to load I remembered a laundromat that used to be on 6th Street just east of Porter Wagner Blvd.  It was called the "Helpee Selfee" and it's logo was a little fat Chinese guy.  Well...These California nuts just took my phone and "Helpee'ed" their selves and made some funny "Selfee's"!  They are just too funny!

Momo's Walnut Cookies

I got a hankerin' for some of my Grandma Riggs' (Momo) walnut cookies this afternoon...so...I got out her old recipe book...

 Tami and I had already picked out the walnut "goodies"...

So we mixed it all up and made a test run of about four cookies.  Now, if you read in the recipe it says, add "enough milk to make soft dough that holds its shape when dropped from a spoon"...we didn't...so the cookies were good but not the shape that Momo made.  I added milk til I thought it was bout right then run off another batch!

How bout it Riggs Cousins?  Bout the right size and shape?  They ain't in a shoe box but they are authentic.  How do I know?  I've ate about four or five and so far I've hit two pieces of walnut hull!!!

California Thanksgiving 2013

We thoroughly enjoyed our Thanksgiving vacation with the Driscoll and Burris clan in Atwater California.  We were family a'visitin' but I've got a sneakin' suspicion that they would treat rank strangers with the same hospitality.  We began the festivities with a prayer from the Patriarch of the clan - Steve Driscoll.

Also in this picture is Sheila (Driscoll) Burris and Steve Burris (Sorry about the unflattering shot Steve!)
I was so busy eating that I didn't get any pictures of the food.  This is completely unforgivable since it was such a wonderful meal.  I did however, get pictures of the Burris and Driscoll families with a couple of caveats...If I get your name spelled wrong just chalk it up to me turning fifty a couple of weeks ago...I didn't get pictures of everybody that was at the feast...also if there is a list of names it will be picture left to right (I always like to see things moving more to the right)

Sam and Rachelle Burris

Driscolls - Darrin, Sue, Steve, Bethany (Driscoll) Rodriguez

Driscoll and Rodriguez

Front - Clay, Jenessa, Darren, Sue, Steve Bethany, Cody (and Lane Rodriguez)
Back - Conner (holding Landon Rodriguez) Jennifer(holding Lucy) Richie Rodriguez

(A better shot of Steve Burris!)

Hockey and Trash Train on the patio

Finishing up with a brutal game of touch football

Clay was purty serious about this game!!

Thanks all you "Californios" for a memorable Thanksgiving Day!