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July 21, 2012
Guitars and Music amateur music, guitar, Jerry White Leave a comment
Here’s a studio portrait I did a few years ago of my great friend, Jerry White. As the photo tries to convey, a classy guy and a great guitar player. Jerry’s enthusiasm and helpful spirit are second to none.
Jer and I shared a lot of laughs!!! We need to get together, Jer!
July 21, 2012
Airplanes I've Known, Family Fun, Old Photos airplane ramp, float planes, Mississippi, Pascagoula, Pascagoula RIver, Piper Super Cub, sea plane Leave a comment
My dad was a nut about airplanes like I am about guitars.
In 1958, we were living in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and Dad bought a brand-new Piper Super-Cub, had it fitted with pontoons at the Piper factory, and then had a ramp built on the Pascagoula River complete with a gas pump and turntable platform above the ramp so the plane could be easily swung around. I can’t imagine what that whole setup cost or why he felt the need to do it.
July 21, 2012
Family Fun, Interesting Places, Old Photos Google street view, Jeff Page, Port Arthur, Texas Leave a comment
Google Street Views is so cool! Thanks to it, I was able to find the house we lived in over 50 years ago, as seen in these two photos.
The photo on the left is from 1961, with my first-grade brother Jeff in the foreground. On the right is the Google street view, present day. The three-car garage has been modified to what looks like living space, but otherwise it looks much the same.
July 21, 2012
Family Fun, Interesting Places, Old Photos "Siloam Springs" double-bedroom sleeper, "Southern Belle" train, Cub Scouts, den mother, Kansas City Southern, Port Arthur, Texas 2 Comments
For the train buffs out there, here’s a photo from 1961 showing our cub-scout pack bravely going off to camp.
Behind me (I’m the kid being scolded by his mom) is the Kansas City Southern’s “Southern Belle” passenger train, which provided service between New Orleans and Kansas City, and the Pullman car shown is the “Siloam Springs” double-bedroom sleeper.
My mom was the most nervous den mother the Scouts ever had! I’ll never forget her trying to teach our pack how to make a Play-Doh Thanksgiving scene. She finally wigged out when it came time to teach us how to make a covered bridge out of toothpicks.
My little friends and I were shocked when she grabbed the toothpicks and paste and threw them into the trash, saying “To Hell with it!” while lighting a cigarette. Those were the days!
July 21, 2012
Family Fun, Interesting Places, Old Photos Amelia Island, beach house, Beatles, Fernandina Beach, Florida, Gator Bowl, Hurricane Dora, Jacksonville, Key West, Scrabble Leave a comment
In this photo taken Saturday, September 12, 1964, my mom and I check out our destroyed duplex beach house in Fernandina (Amelia Island, Florida) after Hurricane Dora.
When Patty and I visited the scene a few years ago, we were able to find part of a concrete block from the house.
Unfortunately, flood/storm insurance was not available on ocean-front property in those days, and my dad even had to pay $600 to have the rubble bulldozed away. Of course, that house was WAY too close to the water!
The Beatles played the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville the next evening, having flown to Key West to avoid the storm. My Uncle Johnny’s girlfriend was ill, and he offered me the ticket he had purchased for her. I was bummed and decided to stay at the family farm on the mainland and play Scrabble with my cousins. BAD DECISION!!!
July 21, 2012
Family Fun, Interesting Places, Old Photos DeSoto Custom Club coupé, fish spotting, Highway 87, John Quinn, menhaden, old cars, pogie fish, Port Arthur, Quinn Menhaden plant, Sabine Pass, Texas, What Makes Texas 15 Comments
I’m going to recycle some recent Facebook entries of mine to kick off this blog. It’s the eco-friendly thing to do!
If anyone wants to know what the weirdest, most pungent smell in the world is, my vote goes for a menhaden fish-processing plant, more commonly called a “pogie plant.” This one was on Highway 87 between Port Arthur and Sabine Pass, Texas, and owned by a friend of my dad’s, John Quinn.
My dad was fascinated by menhaden fish; he’d spot huge schools of them in the Gulf of Mexico from his plane, radio the fishing boats as to the location, and they’d pay him a percentage of the catch’s proceeds. That was called “fish spotting” and some pilots made a lot of money doing that!
A Texas marine biologist’s report from 1960 that I found on the web claimed that this plant, and one other in Texas, processed 60 MILLION pounds of menhaden in 1959. Holy mackerel, that’s a lot of fish!!!
The lettering on the front of the building cracks me up!
Photo from 1958 (I think!).
Here’s another photo of this plant. Aren’t the old vehicles fun to see? My dad’s car is the 1952 DeSoto Custom Club coupé which looks black in this photo, but was actually a very dark green. He loved that car and so did I. I’m guessing that bright-red object is either a gas pump or– and this is entirely possible– Dr Who is visiting Sabine Pass, Texas, for some reason.
July 21, 2012
Family Fun, Pets dogs, Malamute, Milo, Murphy, Raphael, Siberian Husky Leave a comment
Say “Hi!” to a new addition to our neighborhood! Milo, who I guess is either a Husky or a Malamute, is 14 weeks old and he and his owner, Raphael, stopped by a few minutes ago. Murphy is so excited to have a new friend.
Milo has beautiful pale blue eyes, which look somewhat askance at Murphy!
July 21, 2012
Uncategorized James Thurber 5 Comments
Hi!
Welcome to my new blog. The title is, of course, swiped without a blush from James Thurber’s wonderful book, and I hope you’ll read that book if you haven’t already.
Some of my friends (Hi, Tony; Hi, Catherine!) have advised me for quite a while to start a blog. I guess now’s a good time to take them up on it! All I ask of visitors is that they leave any political, sexual, religious or other inflammatory opinions on the sidewalk out front.
Come again soon!
–Jim
Jim's World and Welcome To It 