The Old 8mm Home Movies

I was over at my in-laws recently for Christmas when low and behold they pull out the old home movies (when Media Player comes up, hit Alt+3 to enlarge the screen) of my wife and her siblings when they were just youngsters.

The original films were the old 8 mm style movies, which my in-laws had transferred over to VHS several years back. This was before the advent of DVD's.

So while I'm sitting there watching these old movies, I'm thinking about how neat it would be to have them on DVD, since it is now the premier technology. I don't have a DVD burner yet and was trying to think who I knew that might have the equipment to do this.

Then it hit me.

Our camcorder records on a mini DVD, so I decided to point it at the T.V. while the old movies were playing and just start recording. What the heck, I thought.

As you can see it didn't turn out all that bad at all. And next time I'll use a tripod which will eliminate the movement and help square up the T.V. screen with the camcorder lens.

The little boy in the close-up in the beginning of the film is my brother-in-law holding up his prize...a worm to scare the girls with! :)

The narration you hear is mostly from my mother and father-in-law, with some from my wife and her sister.

The ipod experience

We bought our daughter an ipod for Christmas, the "Nano" model.

Being totally new to the ipod experience, I had some difficulty trying to download songs for her. My guess is it was because it was Christmas morning and all those people who got brand new ipods were doing the same thing -- downloading songs from itunes, which slowed things down a great deal.

Ugh!

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we were able to download some songs for her. But then we noticed that it not only downloaded songs from itunes, but it also automatically downloaded every single MP3 and WMA from my own collection.

Double ugh!

We then looked through the instructions that came with the ipod on how to delete songs. There weren't any.

Triple ugh!

I finally had to go to the web for instructions on how to delete songs from an ipod, which I successfully did.

Trouble aside, it's a neat little gadget. I've spent just as much time playing with it as my daughter has. The sound quality coming from those little headphones is amazing! and it's so mobile. Technology marches on.

Unrelated:


Today I'm going to pay a visit to the eye doctor. It's time for some new glasses, or I should say some new lenses because I still like my frames and plan on keeping them a while longer. This time though I'm going to have to ask for bi-focals, because when I read I usually take my glasses off to see more clearly (I'm nearsighted), which is becoming a pain.

Yes, the dreaded sign that I'm getting older: bifocals. :(

That's one big T.V.

Our new Christmas gift is a Samsung 56 inch DLP High Def T.V. My wife decided she wanted to buy us one for Christmas with her bonus money.

As I've written previously on my blog, I'm not a huge T.V. fan, but this adds a whole new dimension. The size of the picture, its color, brightness and clarity are truly amazing. So I guess I'll just have to endure it. :)

We haven't had cable T.V. service or satellite for some time now, so we've only been watching DVD's.

DVD's watched on the big screen so far:

1. Godzilla (I just had to see the big guy on a big screen T.V.)
2. National Treasure
3. Mr. and Mrs. Smith
4. Invincible
5. Kingdom of Heaven
6. It's a Wonderful Life (one of my favorites)

This isn't what Christmas is all about by any stretch, but we'll take a blessing when it comes along.

"Signs", anybody?

My daughter’s favorite movie is “Signs”, by M. Night Shamalan. In fact, she likes nearly all of his films. A big fan for sure.

We’ve watched ”Signs” numerous times together and we never seem to grow tired of it. I like it, too. While the film has some tense moments for sure, it’s not what I would categorize as being gory or violent, which is why we allow our daughter watch it. Indeed most of Shamalan’s other films seem to have the same quality -- the ability to put you on the edge of your seat without subjecting your psyche to the gore and violence that seem to be the hallmark of most modern suspense films.

An earlier director, Alfred Hitchcock, was also a master at this.



When trying to put my finger on why “Signs” amps up my pulse a notch or two whenever I watch it, I would have to say it is because of that “fear of the unknown” quality it has. Near the beginning and mid part of the film, Shamalan only allows the audience to see fleeting glimpses of the ET’s that are plaguing Gram’s farm, the character Mel Gibson plays in the film. These fleeting glimpses are what provokes one’s imagination to run wild about what these ET’s might really look like and why they are here. It is not until the end of the film that the audience gets to see in detail what the aliens look like.


Another reason the film is suspenseful, at least to me, is because I really do believe in the existence of these “so-called” ET’s. But my belief about what these beings really are, or where they’re really from, is quite different from that segment of the population that believes they are beings from outer space.

But that’s another post for another time.

Anyway, if you haven’t seen the film yet and are in the mood for a good, suspenseful flick this weekend, my advice is to go rent it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Some more family history

The article below was written by the Alabama Historical Quarterly, fall issue, 1947. This article, along with much of my family genealogy, is on my family web site, which I may post a link to at a later date.

I am related to John and Katherine Gunter, who founded Guntersville, Alabama. It was passed down to us as children that we are also related, by way of the Gunters, to the late Will Rogers, the famous cowboy, comedian, actor, columnist, and world traveler. But up until a fourth cousin of mine laid it all out for us, we weren't exactly sure how we were related. This can be found at the bottom of the page.



The first white person to settle in what is now Marshall County was John Gunter, from whom Guntersville got its name. He was either a Welshman or Scotsman who was born in North Carolina, went to South Carolina as a child and migrated further south at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War. Gunter came to the great bend of the Tennessee River (near present George Houston Bridge) around 1785, where he was fortunate to find a salt deposit. He decided to settle near the river and trade with the Indians, the majority of which were Cherokees.

A Cherokee by the name of Chief Bushyhead, head of the Paint Clan, brought his beautiful 15 year old daughter, Ghe-go-he-li, to exchange for Gunter's salt. Gunter accepted the bargain and changed his bride's name to Katherine. Chief Bushyhead and Gunter signed a treaty stating "as long as the grass grows and the waters flow the Indians can have salt."

Gunter was described as a man of great ability and exemplary character. The Cherokees admired Gunter and accepted him into their tribe. After other white settlers arrived in the area, Gunter was called on by both the whites and Indians to act as mediator in disputes and treaties. Before his death in 1835, Gunter had become a wealthy landowner and an influential person of the area.


John and Katherine Gunter had seven children---three sons and four daughters. Their sons were: Samuel, who married A-yo-ku: Edward who married Elise McCoy first, and later Letitia Keys; and John Gunter, Jr. Their daughters were: Aky, who married Alexander McCoy; Catherine, who married James B. Vaught first, and later Oliver Lipe; Elizabeth who married Martin Schrimsher; and Martha, who first married Hugh Henry and later Dick Blackburn. Samuel Gunter died in Alabama, never migrating to the Indian Territory, but he left a son, George Gunter, who became a captain in the Second Cherokee Mounted Guards during the War Between the States.

Edward Gunter, who fought for General Jackson at Horseshoe Bend, started a ferry across the Tennessee River in 1818. He was also called "Edmond" and "Ned", and had seven children by his two marriages.

John Gunter, Jr. was his father's favorite, but at 21 he was described as a wild and reckless spender. He moved to the Indian Territory and operated a store at Webber Falls and also owned a steamboat that plied between Cincinnati, Ohio, and his home town of Gunter's Landing. He died aboard his boat of smallpox and was buried below Morrilton on the Arkansas River.

Of John and Katherine Gunter's four daughters, only Aky is not mentioned in the will and it is presumed that she died after marrying Alexander McCoy. They did not have any children.

Catherine Gunter was born in 1811, and moved to the Indian Territory in 1838. The following year she married Oliver W. Lipe. They operated a store at Tahlequah and had several Negro slaves who cared for their farm. The Lipe's had six children: DeWitt Clinton Lipe, born Feb. 17 1840; Nancy Gunter Lipe, born in 1844 and killed in a skirmish near Fort Gibson in 1826; Jennie, born in 1846, married P. M. Blackstone and died in 1894; Clark C., born in 1853, died in 1901; Oliver died in infancy and Fanny, born in 1853, died when she was 16.

Elizabeth Gunter, born in 1804, married Martin M. Schrimsher at Creek Path in 1831. She died at the home of a son, John Gunter Schrimsher near Claremore in 1877. John Gunter Schrimsher was born in 1835, served as captain in the Confederate Army, was twice sheriff of Cooweescoowee District, Indian Territory and later served as judge and senator of that district. He was killed by lightning July 5, 1905.

Martha Gunter married Hugh Henry, whom her father evidently disliked very much. John Gunter, Sr. left Martha the same amount of money as his other children, but his will specified that her brothers be in charge so Henry could not get it. Martha later married Dick Blackburn and moved to Indian Territory, where they settled at Fort Smith, Ark.

John and Katherine Gunter's home was located at the foot of the hill near the present George Houston Bridge for many years. The large double-story house had a "dog trot" hall between the double partitions. The house was "L" shaped and had a large smokehouse at the end of the"L".

GUNTERS HAVE IMPORTANT VISITORS

John Gunter and his sons were living at Gunter's landing in October 1813 when Gen. Andrew Jackson and his army came through on their way to fight the Creeks. The army crossed the Tennessee River at Ditto's Landing (Whitesburg), marched across Brindley Mountain to Brown's Valley and camped for two days near Warrenton whole establishing a depot for supplies. The depot later became know as Fort Deposit.

While Gen. Jackson was waiting for his supplies to catch up with the main army, he raised a volunteer regiment of Cherokees to go with him and fight the Creeks. Edward Gunter was given the rank of major in the company, and Richard Brown was made colonel. When the regiment of Cherokees arrived at Horseshoe Bend, they were sent in to fight the Creeks in advance of Gen. Jackson's main army. The Cherokee regiment numbered only around 200, but inflicted a great deal of damage to the Creeks. Edward Gunter was wounded during the battle, but survived and was taken back to his home on the Tennessee River.

DAVY CROCKETT RIDES THE JACKSON TRAIL

Col. David Crockett, the famous Tennessee pioneer and statesman, was one of the first persons to use the trail which Gen. Jackson's army cleared. Col. Crockett, along with several scouts, followed the trail while trying to catch up with Gen. Jackson.

John S.C. Abbot recorded Col. Crockett's trip, and his account of the famous scout's first glimpse of Raccoon (Sand) Mountain is particularly interesting, since it gives us a picture of what the area looked like in 1813. The exact location which Abbot describes is not known, although it was somewhere near the top of Sand Mountain, quite possibly near the present community of Mount High on Highway 205. Hog Creek, which winds through the Mount High area, could be the stream which Abbott refers to in his recordings. "Upon the banks of a beautiful mountain stream there was a wide plateau, carpeted with the renowned blue grass, as verdant and soft as could be found in any gentleman's park. There was no underbrush. The trees were two or three yard apart, composing a luxurias overhanging canopy of green leaves, more beautiful that art could possible create. Beneath this charming grove, and illuminated by the moonshine, which, in golden tracer pierced the foliage, there were six or eight Indian lodges scattered about.

THE BATTLE FOR GUNTER'S WILL

Before John Gunter died in 1835, he named the Rev. William Potter, superintendent of Creek Path Mission, as executor of his will. The old pioneer had amassed a small fortune down through the years and left large tracts of cleared land, many slaves and around $5,000 in cash. Before the Gunter will was finally settled, several persons had died in gun battles, and it became one of the most talked about events in the early history of Marshall County.

Although Gunter left around $5,000 in cash, he didn't say where it was located. It was generally thought that Gunter had buried the money near his house, so the Rev. Potter formed an excavation party to dig for it. The money was never found. But Louis Wyeth noted that John, Jr. acquired several thousand dollars soon after his father's death.

If John, Jr. did find the money, he may have felt justified because the Indian law held that the first son to obtain his father's estate had the lawful right to it. John, Jr. took possession of his father's house and built a large store and warehouse some 150-yards away. The Gunter house was the largest structure in the county for many years, and when John, Jr. painted it white, it became known as the "White House".

John C. Johnson purchased some of the Gunter property from John. Jr. In the spring of 1836. Included in the sale was a boarding house, a land office and a large stock of goods. Johnson sold the property and goods in the fall of the same year to Col.. Nathaniel Steele.

Questions continued to arise over the legality of John, Jr.'s title to the property, and his right to sell it. In the meantime, the Rev. Potter, unable to settle the will, had become digested and resigned as executor. Sheriff Alexander Riddle of Jackson was named to take his place and immediately got a court order to sell the Gunter property and divide the money among the Gunter heirs, just as the will specified.

The property was sold to a company of men from Claysville for $1,500. The men included Wallace P. Macfarlane, Cornelius Allen, William Wiggs and George Allen.

When the property was sold to the Claysville men, Steele's title to the land became worthless, although Gunter had sold it to him in good faith. Steele vowed to get his property back or die trying, and the matter began to draw great interest locally. While many local people took sides in the feud, the Gunter children---the ones most concerned---stayed out of the quarrel.

One Sunday morning the whole thing came to a climax when Nathaniel Steele and his brother Graves Steele met near the Gunter house with the new owners of the property to settle the dispute one way or another. It soon became apparent that nothing could be settled verbally, and shooting erupted.

The Steele brothers and a man named Collins ran quickly to the Gunter smokehouse, which offered a perfect vantage point of the area. James McFarland was killed immediately, and Eli Feemsted was wounded and died a few day later. The Steele brothers and Collins were arrested following the shooting, but later released on bond.

The trio's trial came up a few months later at Claysville. Nathaniel and Graves Steele and Collins got another one of the Steele brothers to drive them to the trial in his surrey. In the meantime, some of the McFarland clan had laid logs across the road leading to Claysville and had stationed themselves in and old log house nearby. When the unsuspecting party came by, the Macfarlanes opened fire.

Nathaniel and Graves Steele were killed on the spot and the other Steele brother and Collins were wounded. This ended the most famous feud in the early days of Marshall County.

WILL ROGERS, A GUNTER DESCENDANT

John and Katherine Gunter had many descendants, and the most famous of them was their great-grandson, Will Rogers, who was a movie star and popular humorist. He was killed in a plane crash in 1935, exactly 100-years after John Gunter, his great-grandfather, died. Will Rogers had already accepted an invitation from the Guntersville Chamber of Commerce to speak there before he was killed.

James B. Rogers of Beverly Hills, Calif. was a brother of Will Rogers. He wrote the following letter, dated July 8, 1947:

" I would like to state that I am not a Rogers family historian, however, the Indian side of the Rogers family came from Georgia. Robert Rogers, who was my great-grandfather, and who was part Cherokee, moved to the middle west with the great migration of the Cherokee tribe. His wife was named Sallie Vann.

"Robert Rogers, had two brothers, John and James. My grandfather, Clem Vann Rogers, was born near what in now Maysville, Okla. He married Mary Schrimsher of Dutch descent. Her mother was Elizabeth Gunter Schrimsher, who was half-Cherokee.

" My Schrimsher's grandmother was a full-blooded Cherokee by the name of Katherine and her grandfather was John Gunter, a white man of Welsh descent who had settled in the old Indian Territory at a place that became known as Gunter's Landing.Mary Schrimsher
Photo Courtesy of Will Rogers Museum

"From this it would appear that John Gunter and Katherine Gunter would be the great-grandparents on the maternal side of Will Rogers."

Will Rogers' anniversary is observed each November 4 in Claremore, Okla.

Source article: Alabama Historical Quarterly, fall issue, 1947.

I'm told by Denbo family historian, Barbara F. Grimes, that Will Rogers was my 2nd cousin four times removed, because my GGGGG grandparents, John and Katherine Gunter, were Will's Great grandparents.
--Bryan

Barbara writes:

Letitia Denbo was not Edward Gunter's first wife. The wife
through whom he had our line was Elsie McCoy.

John and Catherine Gunter had several children. One of them was
Edward Gunter, through whom our line comes. Another was Elizabeth
Hunt Gunter, though whom Will Roger's line comes. Edward and
Elizabeth were sister and brother.

Edward Gunter and Elsie McCoy had several children, including
Jane Gunter. Jane Gunter and Leroy Keys had several children,
including Letitia Victoria Keys, my great grandmother, and I
believe, the great grandmother of your father, is that right?

Elizabeth Hunt Gunter and Martin Matthew Scrimsher had several
children, including Mary America Scrimsher. Mary America
Scrimsher and Clement Vann Rogers had several children, including
Will Rogers.

Mary America Scrimsher and Jane Gunter were first cousins,
because they both were 2 generations removed from John and
Catherine Gunter--had them as grandparents.

Letitia Victoria Keys and Will Rogers were second cousins,
because they both were 3 generations removed from John and
Catherine Gunter--had them as great grandparents.

That makes Will Rogers my second cousin 3 times removed, because
I am 3 generations removed from Letitia Victoria Keys, his second
cousin.

That would make Will Rogers your second cousin 4 times removed,
because you are 4 generations removed from Letitia Victoria Keys,
his second cousin.

I hope this is clear.

Sincerely, Barbara

Some Family History

I love looking through old family obituaries.

Letitia (below) was my Great, Great Grandmother. From the few remaining records of her life that I’ve read, she is described as being a devoted Christian, wife and mother. Her demise occurred as a result of a Kerosene lamp that burst, causing her burns that became life threatening.

When I first became interested in my family genealogy, I traced down where Letitia was buried. It turns out she and her husband Joseph are buried in a little, mostly forgotten cemetery by the name of “The Denbo Cemetery” in Catoosa, Ok, not far from where I live. Obviously the cemetery is a family cemetery because of its name, Denbo. Many other Denbo’s are also buried there, along with some other family names like Daugherty.

My Dad and I took the opportunity to visit the cemetery about five years ago. It was quite a piece of history for us. As I stood there looking at her stone, I imagined how different her world must have been than my own.

She was the daughter-in-law of John and Katherine Gunter, founders of Guntersville, Alabama.

As you can probably tell from her photograph, she is a great deal Indian -- Cherokee to be exact.
I have the full hand-written account of the accident that took her life. It’s a real tearjerker and when I can find it I may post it.

I copied word for word the below obituary from the original April 17th, 1906, Catoosa newspaper article. Catoosa was then in Indian Territory.

Obituary
Mrs. Letitia Victoria Denbo, wife of J.A. Denbo, aged 63 years, died at her home in this city, Monday night about nine o' clock. Thursday April 5th, Mrs. Denbo was severely burned by the explosion of a lamp, at the time, though her burns were severe, all had hopes of her recovery, but the nervous shock was too great, and though she battled bravely for her life, Friday evening her spirit freed itself from its earthly tenement, winged its flight to "that house not made with hands in the heavens". Letitia Victoria Keys was born near Tahlequah, Indian Territory, January third Eighteen hundred forty three, and was married to J. A. Denbo in 1871. She was the mother of seven children, six of whom, Mesdames, John McKeehan, Milton Thompson, Thomas Daugherty, Robert, Oce, and John Denbo, survive.

The funeral was held Tuesday afternoon at the family residence by her Pastor, Rev. Haymes, and her remains laid to rest in the family Cemetery, near the home where she had spent so many years.

Mrs. Denbo was a genial, warm hearted Christian woman, doing all the good that she possibly could without show or ostentation. She was charitable to all, and comforted those in sickness and distress. Her one motto in life was "to do to others as she wished to be done by" May she rest in peace.



Later, if I decide to, I may post my web page with more information about the Gunter’s on it and how I’m related.

A Game

Here's a game a friend sent me to try. See how long you can go without getting hit. It's not easy.

The holiday has a name: Christmas!!

When I viewed my email "Inbox" today I noticed AT&T had sent me a holiday greeting. But I also noticed how conspicuously absent the word "Christmas" was in the greeting:

The holidays are a great time of year to spend with loved ones and celebrate special relationships with family and friends. During this season of togetherness, we would like to thank you for choosing to be a part of our family.

We look forward to continuing our relationship with you throughout the coming year. To show our appreciation for your business, we've created a unique site that allows you to customize and download a holiday desktop, send a custom e-card or build your own interactive holiday character to share with others.

AT&T Greetings.


My reply:


Thanks, but I'm wondering why you refuse to call it a "Christmas Greeting"? And actually it's a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ , not family relationships, though they are important.

I don't believe in political correctness. And if the reason you called it a "Holiday Greeting" rather than a "Christmas Greeting" is because you're afraid you might offend someone, then what about we Christians? By not calling it Christmas - which is what it actually is - you have offended me, and I know I'm not alone in this.

Bryan

P.S. I hope you have a Merry Christmas.


Enough is enough! I am getting so weary of this worldy anti-Christmas bias!

Foster Brooks

Have a look at this old clip of Dean Martin and Foster Brooks back when comedy actually used to be funny. :)

Oops!

I hope your day starts out better than his. :)

His Return...

I'm going to take a moment away from my usual light-hearted posts this Christmas Season to remind everybody that Christ's return is very near. Never have I been more convinced, and not just because of this video.

Please be ready!

Here's how:

Romans 10:9 (King James Version)
9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

It is not the end of the world for those of us who know Christ, but a beginning.

1 Thessalonians 4 (King James Version)
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..."

My Dad, 70, can still quote poems and sonnets like the one below, and many more. Browning is one of his favorites. Someday I'm going to have to apply myself to memorize such things. Scripture comes easier to me because I hear and read it more often. But still I can't say that I have purposefully memorized many verses. Sure I've got some memorized, but mostly I can repeat them simply because, as I said before, I've read and heard them so many times that repeating them just comes naturally.

There is an uncommon discipline associated with intentionally sitting down to memorize something, without having to do it as homework. I admire those who do.

XLIII. "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..."
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

The wipeout!

My daughter and one of her little friends took a hit from some boys who weren't looking where they were going on the slope this past Saturday. It put her little friend out of commission for a while and we all thought she might be hurt seriously because she's not very big. But after some tender-loving care from her father, it wasn't long before she bounced back and was off sledding with my daughter again.

It only bruised my daughter a bit. And even though it was only an accident, (the boys apologized all over themselves) it looked for a moment like my daughter wanted to give them "what for". :)

Click here for the video clip.

Daredevils

My wife and daughter sledding down a hill where people have been sledding for generations in my hometown. You'll soon see why they were both the stars of the slope today. :)

And to think...they hit the ramp not once, but three times. My wife was the only woman her age out there today who even tried it. I'm proud of her. She said it was bone-jarring but a blast.

The clip will stream about 11 seconds before it starts to play.

We Got Hammered!

I still can't get the stupid blogger software to post any pics so I decided to post them on my own web space instead. Here they are: Snow Pictures.

In case you haven't listened to the news lately, we got hammered Thursday in the Tulsa area by a winter storm, something we're not accustomed to, and in November no less. Way too early here in Oklahoma for that kind of storm.

The sleet started coming down early Thursday morning, turning to snow about midday. It continued on into the wee hours of Friday morning, accumulating around ten inches in the Tulsa area before it finally stopped early the same morning. I work for a large hospital in the area and my department (maintenance) was charged with keeping the hospital roads and sidewalks free from the wintery mix. It was a tough and demoralizing job on Thursday because once we had an area clear, it wasn't long before we had to go right back and do the same area again, because the precipitation just wouldn't let up. It seemed like the night just wouldn't end. We had to take frequent breaks because of the fatigue caused by hard physical work in the bitter cold. Tired muscles, long hours and wet clothes were the order of the day.

Early Thursday I told my lead that I was going to try and work until ten-o-clock that night. But as the day wore on, it was clear that the weather was getting worse by the minute, and if I wanted to spend the night at home instead of at the hospital, I needed to leave no later than 7:45 PM. And besides, I just sleep better in my own bed, and good sleep is exactly what I needed that night.

But I soon found out, as I got on the highway, just exactly how bad the weather had indeed deteriorated. It was very difficult to see because the wind was blowing the snow very hard, creating an almost white-out condition. And to make matters worse, my windshield wipers were icing up, making visibility that much poorer. I was beginning to get a little nervous because I came to the realization that what I was actually doing was driving into a blizzard, and a thirty mile stretch of highway still lay between my home and myself. I drive a Jeep Wrangler which of course made me feel better, and I'm no stranger to the operation of 4x4 vehicles, but seeing the high number of vehicles left abandoned along-side the highway made me realize that being stranded on that particular night could be deadly, if one wasn't alert and prepared.

Further down the road I began to encounter some deep ruts, which, if not handled properly, can throw your vehicle into another vehicle if one happens to be beside you. Fortunately I managed to evade that hazard.

A little while later I noticed another potential hazard looming ahead. The tractor-trailer that was slightly ahead and to the right of me began to slow down, way down. "What did he see"? I said to myself. After I traveled another several hundred feet I then saw what he had spotted. There were three vehicles blocking the middle of the highway, completely stopped. I noticed several occupants of one of the vehicles were actually out on the highway pushing an SUV out of a rut and onto the road, which I'm guessing the owner of the SUV had missed because of the blinding conditions. A dangerous situation to say the least, but it soon became apparent that they had the situation under control and needed no further assistance, so I decided to slowly pass them in order to gain access to the road that I needed access to. It was then that I heard a man yelling and knocking on my passenger-side window, telling me I was headed the wrong way and pointing in the direction that I needed to go instead. I then realized that I, too, had almost missed the road because the deep snow had hidden it from view. But because of that alert Samaritan, I managed to avoid the same mistake the owner of the SUV had made.

Whew!! Yet another bullet I dodged that night because of the grace of God.

The next day, Friday, I was able to get to work without much trouble. The plows had come through and I observed very little traffic on the roads.

As I said previously, around 5 AM Friday morning the snow finally stopped falling, so once we cleared an area it was truly done because we didn't have to go back over it as we had done the previous day. This seemed to make the work go by more quickly and made us actually feel like we were accomplishing something. There is nothing more demoralizing than that "Spinning Your Wheels" feeling as what we had experienced the previous day.

After all was said and done, the most rewarding part of my job during this ordeal was being able to help hospital visitors free their stuck vehicles from the parking lots they were in. We must have helped around 60 or so people get free from their snow and ice-bound parking spaces. I say "rewarding" because people are most appreciative when you are able to help them get on their way again. The look of relief in their eyes is particularly satisfying.

The blizzard of 2006 was a memorable one here in Tulsa.

The Front Porch

I'm out on my front porch with my German Shepherd Jewel this morning enjoying another great cup of Columbian Coffee, sweetened with honey. Ever since a friend suggested I try honey instead, I've been ruined to sugar and Coffee Mate.

Mmm, glad I made the switch.

I notice that I’m always the only one out on the front porch; none of my neighbors are ever out on theirs. I wonder why? In the old days people used to enjoy the front porch; taking time to enjoy the simple things in life is key.

It's a mild 52° outside right now...perfect coffee-sipping weather. The projected high today is 70°. Since I still haven't put my hard top back on my Jeep yet, I think I'll go for a ride and enjoy the day. Maybe I'll even go exploring off-road and take my camcorder along and post some footage of where I go for you.

So you want to be a millionaire?

The pool in the backyard of this palatial home is where we went swimming this past summer. A family member works for the gentleman who owns the home. The home is 30,0000 square feet in size, with all kinds of amenities and expensive pieces of furniture, as you might expect. One heavy, old and well-built piece of furniture caught my attention in particular in one of the rooms in the home. It kind of looked like an armoire of some sort. I asked about the piece. My brother-in-law told me it was from Ireland, and when he gave me a dollar amount of its value, I realized it was more expensive than my whole house. Unbelievable!

The gentlemen's Civil War artifact collection is substantial as well, and includes the original "Missionary Ridge" battle flag of the Confederate Army. Impressive to say the least! And as I was casually mulling about the living room in the home, I picked up what looked to me to be a diary of some sort. When I enquired of my brother-in-law as to what it was, he replied that it was Jefferson Davis' diary. I gasped in disbelief and quickly and carefully put it back where I found it, not wanting to wrinkle any page or leave any trace that I had picked it up! What a piece of history! I asked him what it was valued at? He told me that it was valued at a quarter of a million dollars.

Whew! Glad I wasn't clumsy that day.

I snapped this picture (bottom of the page) of an old Jeep while at the mansion. I asked my brother-in-law who's it was. He told me that it was Allen Jackson's old Jeep, the Jeep he sings about in one of his songs. Apparently the gentleman of the house had purchased it from Jackson at a charity benefit a while back. I guess when you've got the bucks you get the chance to rub shoulders with all kinds of famous people.

Excuse me now while I go back to typing on my computer desk purchased at Wal-Mart. :)



Me, my brother-in-law and his frined sitting around the table at the pool.
The "Missionary Ridge" battle flag.

B-Day Card

I turned 45 this past week. Have a look at the birthday card my sister-in-law gave me. It's a riot!!

Click here to see what it says inside.

And yes, the card really came with the comb.

A Commerical

Thought you might enjoy this one!

Children's Hospital

Some pictures I took yesterday of construction going on where I work. The structure is going to be a new children's hospital. My fascination though is mostly with the crane, as you can tell.
Click on the pics to enlarge.

Here's a pic of the counterweight used to balance the crane. Believe it or not, the crane is not even bolted to the ground; it's free-standing, relying solely on the forces of weight and counterweight to keep it from toppling to the ground.
The hospital.
In this pic, I caught the operator outside his crane walking on the boom making a cell phone call.

Bob Hope in Claremore

An old picture of Bob Hope riding in a parade in my hometown of Claremore, OK. I believe the year was 1949. As it turns out, Bob Hope used to do a regular radio spot from Claremore in the 40's.

For a small town, Claremore has had its share of notoriety. Famous people from Claremore include: Patti Page, the singer; Will Rogers the humorist, cowboy, actor, political commentator and sixth cousin to me, by the way; Lynn Riggs, the playwright who wrote "Green Grow the Lilacs" which became the award-winning musical "Oklahoma", starring Shirley Jones and Gordon McRae. It is a favorite of mine and if you've ever had the opportunity to see it, look closely and you will notice in one scene a railroad station with "Claremore" painted on it. If you're from Claremore...that's a BIG DEAL. :)

A little more about Lynn Riggs: My grandfather, John Ovid Mayberry, had Lynn Riggs as an English professor while he was attending Oklahoma University back in 1926. He asked my grandfather to write about apple pie, making it as descriptive as possible so as to try and convey what it tasted like to a person who had never eaten any.

Just a little bit of family history my dad passed on to me.

Also, the astronaut Stuart Roosa was raised in Claremore but not born here. And I know there are other famous folks I can't think of right now.

One of the Locals

If you hear the sound of "Dueling Banjos" playing in the background, you might want to run. :)

A Tax Break

Please click here for an important tax message: http://216.206.61.233/TaxRefund.pps

If you can't view the above very important message, then you can download Powerpoint Viewer here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=428d5727-43ab-4f24-90b7-a94784af71a4&displaylang=en

What's in a name?

I've been in a mood for Celtic music lately. Don't really know why, maybe because some of my roots are Celtic, as are a great many of us who have European Ancestry. I would one day really like to see the lands where they used to live, Ireland and Scotland in particular.

My ancestry: English, Irish, Scottish, Dutch, German, Cherokee, Spanish and probably some nationalities I'm not yet aware of. I've traced my Ancestry on my Dad's side back to 1750. Frederick (my last name), who came from Germany surprisingly, is an ancestor of mine. I say "surprisingly" because my last name is essentially an English name. Apparently there were some people with my last name who immigrated from England to Germany early on. Someday, when I have time, I want to pursue that part of my genealogy further.

I've had my genealogy pages out on the web for quite a while now, and I have been rewarded with some interesting and informative emails from relatives who have seen my site that I never even knew existed. Many of these third and fourth cousins have shared valuable genealogical information with me to post on my site.

Genealogy can be time-consuming, which is why more retired people (no, I'm not retired) get involved with it than any other age group. I was fortunate that most of the material I have about my lineage was already available to me. My Dad's side of the family kept meticulous records; I was just the guy who made them available on the web for other researchers to benefit from, and in the process I became that much more interested in genealogy.

Someday, when I retire, I would like to do the actual footwork that all serious genealogist do: visit courthouses and graveyards in different states, visit with people by phone and in person, review lots of documents, etc.

For those of us who are not yet able to visit those far-away places to find those nuggets of genealogical gold, the Internet will have to do. And I've got to say it has been a real help to me.

So if you are one who has an interest in your family history, and you have documents and photographs, why not post them online? You might be surprised at the relatives you never knew you had who will send you emails, and probably more information about your family!

The 70's

These guys sure bring back some good musical memories from the seventies. America.


For those of you who missed the 70's, it was a great decade to grow up in. We had some great T.V programs too: The Partridge Family, The Walton's, The Brady Bunch, The Flip Wilson Show, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five O, Bonanza, ABC Movie of the Week, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, NBC Sunday Mystery Movie, The Six Million Dollar Man, Mork and Mindy, and many more.



And I can remember when you could actually watch a Heavyweight Boxing Match for free, before for-pay programming was ever even heard of. And in this neck of the woods, (Tulsa area) there were only three channels to watch: 2, 6 and 8. We had no VCR's to record our favorite programs with; no T.V remotes with which to change channels and adjust the volume, those functions were all done manually by getting our rumps up and going over to actually touch the T.V. To you youngsters out there, that must sound absolutely barbaric!

And our television sets looked something like this. When the tuner would start to wear out, you had to go over and try and adjust the set to get it to hold the channel you were watching. Also the vertical hold would have to be adjusted from time to time to keep the picture from endlessly rolling. Remember those days, Baby Boomers?

But to us they were the best of times, and I wouldn't have traded them for any other decade to grow up in. :)



Susan Dey

More Smokey Mountain and Ohio Vacation Pics

I don't have much to write about today so I'll just post some more pics of our travels this past summer. I snapped this one in Andy Griffith's hometown, Mount Airy, NC.
Mother and daughter
My daughter Hannah in front of Barney's Cafe. Some great food there!
Just like her mother, a natural shopper.
Hannah and myself posing on a rock in Smokey Mountain National Park.

A Halloween Tale

Well, being that it's Halloween, I guess I'll go ahead and post a spooky story I've had out on the web for a few years now. I still get some interesting emails regarding the story from people who visit the page. Some day I'm going to record my Dad telling the story, and then upload it to my web page in MP3 format for all to hear, because he's the one who actually lived through it and no one can tell it like he can.

Well, enough chatter. Here's the story of "700 Elm".

The Thunderbirds

I've seen them (The Thunderbirds) several times and they never cease to amaze me! This is my dream - to hitch a ride in a fighter aircraft someday.

Victorians

I went for an early-morning walk around the old residential section of my hometown this morning with my camera in hand. The crisp, fall weather was just perfect and I took the opportunity to snap some pics of some old Victorians in town, two of which used to belong to my Grandparents. It's a shame that no one in the family currently owns them. Maybe someday one of us will again.



The one above used to belong to my Grandparents and has now been turned into a very nice Bed & Breakfast. My wife and I have actually stayed here since it was made into a B&B and the current owners have done a fantastic job of renovation. It's called the "Carriage House" because of the little house on the side that used to actually be a carriage house back in the old days, horses, buggies and all. If you're ever in town, it's well worth a stay.

I can remember spending many a Merry Christmas here as youngsters together with our cousins, aunts, uncles and friends of the family. We had a close-knit extended family back then. I miss that.

This is an old Victorian that has also been renovated and is currently for sale. This wasn't a family home of ours and I'm not sure about the history of it, but it's a beautiful, spacious home just looking for a lucky owner. (and no, I'm not a real estate agent)

And this old Victorian was built by my Great Grandfather. A cousin of mine actually owned it for a while after my Grandparents passed away, before he finally sold to someone else. As with the "Carriage House" above, the current owners of this home have done a great job of restoration. When my cousin owned it he also did some restoration. It's a sturdy, well-built home with a garage apartment in back. It used to have a slate roof but that was discarded in favor of regular shingles at some point.

More sights and sounds of my hometown later...

The Ads

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has problems with composition from time to time. :)

The Entertainer

Another clip from our recent KC trip. This is Hannah's Uncle Christian, my little brotha' from anotha' motha'. As you can see he's quite entertaining, and from the laughter you hear in the background, has my daughter Hannah in stitches.

All in all we had a great time and the food was super. We ate at a restaurant called "Granite City Food and Brewery". I had the "Four Cheese Rigatoni" which was scrumptious. The beer I chose was the "Two Pull", which was a mix of two different beers. I don't remember which ones now but it was very smooth, not bitter at all and went well with the meal.

The Conversation

My daughter talking to my Dad on the cell phone. As you can see from her expression, she still doesn't know quite what to make of him.

The Coin Toss

On a recent trip to a water park in Kansas City, KS, watch as my wife has to flip a coin to settle a dispute between our 10-year-old daughter and her 9-year-old uncle (don't ask) as to which one will get the top bunk in our room. My daughter may look like me, but she has her mother's Irish temper!!

Nickelback- Savin' Me

Yes, I'm a fan of Nickelback.

A Survey

A survey a couple of classmates sent me recently.

Instructions:
Try this. It is very interesting, especially if it returns to you. Copy to a new email, place an X by all the things you've done,
or remove the x from the ones you have not, and send it to all of your friends, including me.

This is for your entire life:


(x) Smoked a cigarette
(x) Drank so much you threw up
( ) Crashed a friend's car (or a family members)
( ) Stolen a car
(x) Been in love
(x) Been dumped
( ) Shoplifted candy
(x) Quit your job
(x) Been in a fist fight
( ) Snuck out of your parent's house
(x) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( ) Been arrested
(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Lied to a friend
(x ) Skipped school
(x ) Seen someone die
() Been to Canada
() Been to Mexico
(x) Been on a plane
(x) Been lost
(x) Been on the opposite side of the country
( ) Gone to Washington, DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Felt like dying
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x ) Played cops and robbers
( ) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang karaoke?
(x) Paid for a meal with only coins
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) Made prank phone calls... this is the new guy from K-hits...anyone?
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue and made snow angels
( ) Danced in the rain
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x ) Watched the sun rise with someone you care about
(x) Blown bubbles


Mother's name Barbara
What is your favorite drink? Non-alcoholic: Tea. Alcoholic: Merlot
Soda: Coke
Tattoos? none
Body piercing/ears? None
How much do you love your job? Okay
What day is it? Thursday
Current home? Claremore
Favorite vacation spot? Montana, Ohio.
Ever been to Africa? NoEver steal any traffic signs? No
Ever been in a car accident? YesSalad dressing? Ranch
Favorite pie? Pecan
Favorite number? 7
Favorite movies: The Ten Commandments, The Gladiator, The Patriot, Signs, Star Wars, The Quiet Man.
Favorite holiday? Christmas
Favorite food? Too many to list
Favorite day of the week? Sunday
Favorite brand of body soap? Whatever
Favorite toothpaste? Crest
Favorite smell? Freshly cut green grass
What do you do to relax? Sitting on my front porch swing in the morning drinking coffee, with my German Shepherd, Jewel, as company. Driving my Jeep with the top off. Listening to music. Prayer.
Message to your friends reading this: (Mar 8:36) For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
What do you do when you are bored? Computer, what else?

Cheesecake Recipe

Here's an old family cheesecake recipe that you will surely enjoy. It came from my wife's side of the family, passed down from her grandmother who used to live in Ohio. With the holidays soon upon us, I thought I'd post it for others to enjoy.

Cheesecake is my favorite dessert, the only one I think I could over-dose on! :)

Bush Bloopers

Pass your mouse pointer over the screen to start the video.

The Good Old Days

Some pics of me and my hot rod an old friend sent me recently. The good old days.

In the pic at the drive-in, I'm the one kneeling and talking to my brother in the other T/A. My wife (then girlfriend) is sitting in my car, the one in the front of the picture.

The big guy is someone nobody wanted to mess with. It's good to have friends!

In some of the other pics, the guy in the overalls is me.