Teaching

Also in 1970, I visited a Salesian school in Saigon, and taught......something.

Dream Blooms

1970

I'm 19 in this Vietnam photo, but look even younger. The slight mustache I was trying to grow won an award from my peers as the worst attempt at growing one.

A Trans Rights flag flies on the Alabama Capitol Building steps on Saturday, September 28th, 2019. The AMA reports a wave of trans murders in the U.S. The first occurred in Montgomery in January. More information and photos HERE.

Night Blooming Cerus

My own plants have yet to produce a single bloom, but one I sent over to Gary James Bridge's house for the season put out this beauty last night. The plants bloom not long before Midnight, and die at sunrise.

Morning Rush Hour on I-85

The Talk

     Took this photo about a year ago at the EJI Lynching Memorial in Montgomery. 
     I imagined a Father having a talk with his son about lynching, trying to answer the question why.

 

Silver(not)ware

...But here's a new sunrise reflection.

Early morning Montgomery, with clouds reflected in the glass side of a vacant bank building alongside I-85.

I Miss Sunrises.

     During the eight years or so that I hosted the CBS 8/ABC 32 morning show, I was able to catch some beautiful sunrises, like this one from March of 2017.
     I do not miss the alarm clock going off at 1:00AM or so, but this was one of the benefits.

Lowndes County Hay

I took a drive through parts of Eastern Lowndes County the other day, including hundreds of acres of land with rolled bales of hay.

I don't think the bicyclist was seriously injured when I heard sirens near home in 2013.

 

 

"Weaver"

      Weaver is really my neighbor's cat...was her parents' cat...and now divides his time between the neighbor's house and ours. Here he kinda looks like he's...well, unhappy...(-: but he is a sweet kitty and we are always glad to welcome him in...and feed him, of course.
      

Photobombed

The CBS 8 TV Tower on Harrison Road in Montgomery photobombs a beautiful evening photo.

Catholic Church behind barbed wire in Saigon, Vietnam, 1970

Dramatic Storm Clouds Saturday Night

Rose' Rose.

A Garden Grows

It has been almost a year since the Blackfin Ameripub Restaurant closed at the Eastchase Shopping Center, but last month some color was being added to sheets of black painted wood panels at the front of the space.

Update: this photo has been selected to be part of the 2019 Regions Bank Exhibit in September. 

 

2019---The church where Dr. Martin Luther King was pastor, on Dexter Avenue in Montgomery, reflected in the RSA office building across the street, which encapsulates the old State Supreme Court building where lawyers for King argued a number of important Civil Rights cases.

This photo shows the RSA building being constructed around the Supreme Court building.

Photo shows construction in 2010.

Garden Pests

     Attacks are fortunately rare, but the Garden Flower Shark season starts today. You're going to need a bigger shovel.

Vietnam, 1970.

The Base at Quang Tri was surrounded by a series of  60 foot or so guard towers. Bunkers were positioned between them to complete the base perimeter.
 

Me during Monsoon season, Wet, wet, wet.

     During the first half of my year in 'Nam, I was assigned to a media office and was required to do guard duty. 
     One night I was on tower duty with two other soldiers, each of us taking three hour shifts, watching with night-vision binoculars for any enemy. 
     My memory tells me we had M-16s, but no ammo for the weapons.         
     Apparently they knew better than to provide people who's real job was clerk or cook with a loaded high power military rifles.
     There's more to the the story of that night, but I'm saving it for the book.

From Atop Red Mountain in Birmingham

The Moon was both a full-moon and a "Blue Moon" Saturday night.

A protest against the new Alabama Abortion Law, My 19. 2019

Another shroom!

As I've said many times before, I'm not a lover of mushrooms, but here's a photo of an unusual one in my yard. All of the rain we've been having is promoting the crop. Anyone know what this one IS? And are those white growths unusual?

Two Looks---The April Full Moon

 

 

Protestors dressed in Handmaid's Tale costumes wait to confront Alabama Legislators who had voted in favor of one of the most restrictive abortion bills in the U.S. 

Prayin' for peace

At a prayer event on Good Friday 2019, praying for an end to street violence in Montgomery.

N.O. Gallery

This has always been a favorite image of mine. Taken in New Orleans early one morning in 2006. I did some post work on it:

The gallery is vacant now, as you can see in this September 2018  GoogleEarthImage

 

Stairwell...Going...Going...Gone. At least as a bureau.

These are the stairs in the Alabama News Network Bureau in Selma that lead to a wooden deck overlooking the Edmund Pettus Bridge. 

We've moved out of that Pre-Civil-War building into one that I hear is much less antique. But those are some OLD floor boards.

The view from the deck.

Certainly The Deck Furniture Needed Replacing!

SPLC's Richard Cohen

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 Cohen, February 2013, holding the Oscar the SPLC won for a documentary, almost 15 years ago.

     He's resigned now, leaving after the co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Morris Dees, was ousted. Cohen wrote on Friday:

“Whatever problems exist at the S.P.L.C. happened on my watch, so I take responsibility for them,” Mr. Cohen wrote.

       You have to give him credit for at least that. Now they've brought in a investigator, Tina Tchen, who was chief of staff to Michelle Obama, to find out if the rumors of discriminatory and sexist behavior inside were true.
     But the damage may be done. Look, if you dare, at the comments below any of the recent media stories. The attack dogs have sprung, having been provided more than ample ammunition by the very people who were supposed to have lived and led to a higher standard. 

 

Yet Another Super Moon

The super worm moon was clearly visible in the sky above Alabama tonight....the eve of the first day of Spring.

Cloud Flag

These clouds over Montgomery today had the feel of a U.S. Flag.