Author: Timothy

I am a Christian, a husband, father, and friend, with the calling of an itinerant pastor. I also serve special needs kids in the public schools.

How do I?

To my photography followers,

The earlier post I sent out today, via email, was unintended. I’m trying to post non-photography posts in a way that you do not receive it, because I’m quite certain you are probably not interested in it. When I published the post the first time, I made it private so that you would not be bothered by an email of that post. Then, when I changed it to public, because I do want some readers to view it if possible, it sent the email out.

Does anyone know how I can make a single post, without sending out emails to all my subscribers?

BTW, I’m testing with this one as well.

Thanks,

Timothy

 

My Father’s House

Back in March 2014, my father took me and my boys down to Galveston, TX, and we were able to tour the house where he was born and grew up on Ball Street. The house was built before the 1900 hurricane (the worst hurricane in U.S. history) and most recently survived Hurricane Ike. It’s a well-built home.

The family lived in this house until after World War II when they moved to Houston.

Childhood Bedroom

Out on the balcony, my father told us that this was where his bedroom was growing up. It was closed in, but not with much which made the winter’s especially hard. The cold, wet winds off the gulf in the winter can be brutal.

 

1940’s Hurricane

The house was hit by a hurricane in the early 1940s, but since there was a war going on, most people don’t know about that one. My dad told the story that they were sitting down to each lunch after church on Sunday, when the chimney came crashing through the roof into the room where they were eating (see photo above of him pointing up at the ceiling where the chimney fell through.) He was about 12 at the time. He said his father calmly suggested they take their food downstairs and finish lunch. My dad wanted to make sure and get some of the fried chicken, so he grabbed two chicken legs, and stuffed them in his pockets and went down stairs to eat.

 

Cross Country in Canton

Andrew, my oldest son, had a cross-country meet in Canton, TX, earlier this week. I was able to attend and managed to take a few shots. Since I’m not much into sports photography, I was surprised at some of the shots I captured.

You will see that he finished in 11:35, which we think is a decent time. Because of all the rain, they altered the course, and no one was sure how far they were actually running. They said it was about a mile and a half, but no one was sure about that.

You may also notice that Andrew is the tallest runner out there. Cross country is very similar to the marathon. It goes to the guy who is 5’2″ tall and weighs 90 lbs. I’m still proud of him for getting out there and giving it his best.

Continue reading Cross Country in Canton

Happy Anniversary Bekah and Tyler

Last October, our youngest daughter Bekah got married and they asked me to be the “official” photographer. I was more than happy to do so, especially since it justified getting a new camera. The camera I bought was not top of the line, but one that I could get for a fairly decent price at the Canon website. But…it was a huge improvement over and above my previous camera, which was a second generation Canon Rebel, that I got back in 2004. All the recent pictures you see are with the newer camera.

But, this is not about photography. It’s about a wedding. In which, I was the photographer. It was our gift to Bekah and Tyler for me to take the pictures, edit them, and put them into a photo album for them. I think that was a wonderful gift. But again, this isn’t about what I did…it’s about the fact that I have pictures. I have a way to share them. And, I can say, “Happy anniversary Bekah and Tyler! May the LORD bless you with many, many more anniversaries.”

Continue reading Happy Anniversary Bekah and Tyler

Hank the Cowdog Illustrator

I read that the illustrator for Hank the Cowdog, Gerald L. Holmes, died on Thursday. Hank the Cowdog was a staple in our home when the boys were younger. So in honor of Mr. Holmes, I share with you our boys outside of one of the book stores in Brenham, TX, after getting another in the long series of Hank the Cowdog.

 

Date Morning

Instead of going out to eat, we go out to shop, since we eat much better at home than we do at the local restaurants. Our Saturday morning dates are becoming a tradition, a stop at Starbucks for coffee, shopping at Trader Joe’s for the essentials (chocolate and wine), and gas in the Murano in preparation for Sunday’s worship. We like traditions.

 

I’m Standin’ on a Corner in Winslow, Arizona…

(Originally published in April 2013).

If you grew up in the 1970s like I did, you can finish the above verse as the song automatically pops into your head. I have to say that it has been bouncing around inside my head since I told my brother, Gene who lives in Scottsdale, that I was coming over last week on I-40. He immediately let me know I would be passing through Winslow, and he didn’t have to tell me why that was important, the song jumped immediately into my head.

I had to stop in Winslow. I had to find the corner. I had to ask two different people where it was.

“Excuse me, where is the corner?”

“The what?”

I was really surprised at their response. Come on! This is Winslow. Winslow is only famous for one reason: the corner. The corner in which Jackson Browne was standing in which he had a fine sight to see. It was a girl, and this is the part where Jackson got religion, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford and she’s slowing down to take a look at me! Come on, baby! Don’t say maybe! I gotta know if your sweet love is going to save me!

Jackson knew he needed saving, but I’m not sure he was thinking the same type of salvation that we Christians think of. After all, his savior was that girl, in the flatbed Ford. She is probably old and grey by now, like the rest of us who were singing to song in the 1970s. Not much salvation there.

But back to the corner. I had to tell the people I was looking for THE corner in Winslow, AZ.

The second man I asked was able to tell me that I was close and needed to drive one block over, and five blocks downtown to find it. He had actually been there when he first moved to Winslow 18 months ago. The first man I asked, well, let’s just say his English wasn’t so good, and my Spanish was even worse.

Back to the corner.

I immediately headed downtown like any good tourist in search of my momentary Mecca of adventure. I was on a pilgrimage so to speak. Not a religious one. But one that if I wasn’t a pastor, just might become so. Let’s just face, I was taking a few moments out of my 12-hour drive for some goofy fun and wanted to find THE corner.

I did. I jumped out of my car with camera in hand and took it all in. There was the statue of … I think Jackson Browne. Funny thing is that no one was sure who the statue was for. We, the other goofy tourists, looked for a nameplate or something to indicate who the statue was, but couldn’t find anything. It’s like the people who made the corner into a visitors attraction were more interested in putting their names up than the name of the guys who made their corner famous. Odd. There were names every where. Names on the bricks, names on the corner, names on plagues telling us who had the idea for the corner, who gave money for the funding of the corner. There was even one sign that let us know the good people of Hampton Hotels declared the corner a “must see.” I’m sure they made that declaration for small contribution.

There was even a sign telling us the corner was dedicated on September 11, 1999. That was two years before the WTC bombings, so I’m sure it has nothing to do with that. But there was nothing about the people who wrote the song or sang it. We know it was Jackson Browne, along with Glenn Fry and Don Henley. But they apparently didn’t contribute any money to the corner. They just sang about it, so their names were left off of it. Really odd.

There was also a refurbished, red, flatbed Ford along with plenty of Route 66 signs. And the song, it could be heard everywhere! The entire corner was drenched with the sounds of The Eagles singing Take It Easy. (That’s the actual name of the song for those of you who missed out on The Eagles).

I have to confess that I was giddy with joy. What a way to break up the long, long monotonous drive to Scottsdale. It was great. I got to touch a bit of Top 40 history and see a town that I would never have stopped in had there not been a song about one of its corners. As far as the experience goes, the only way it could have been better is if there was a hamburger joint close by. I was getting hungry. But alas, the need for a hamburger leads us to my next adventure which I will write about in a couple of days.

Here is the picture of me and my buddy: Anonymous Bronze Statue Man! He is holding a bronze guitar as well. Look in the picture above and you can see it. I really do think it’s Jackson Browne, but it could be the organizer’s son for all we know.

(Originally published April 2013.)