Uncle Ron's Blog

Uncle Ron's Wood Chipper CHILI...

2012-01-17T06:29:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Margie and I were talking to some new friends and they wanted to know why we called each other Norm and Margie...well we asked them if they had ever seen the film called "Fargo" which is a black comedy about two weird kidnapper's who are pursued by a pregnant sheriff who lives in Fargo, North Dakota...Her husband is an artist named Norm...and her name is Margie...At the end of the film is when one of the crooks tries to get rid of his dead buddy's remains in a wood chipper...(Yuk!!!)

Well it was one of the first movies we saw together back when we started dating and we had fun talking like those wonderful folk who live up there...with their "Yaaahs" and "You betchas"...and so we called each other by the film characters names..."Norm and Margie"...

Now for the chili recipe...

Every October I would enter the Group Therapy chili cook off in Columbia and each time I was required to give my chili a name...So Margie (Linda) suggested the one you see in the pix...Uncle Ron's Wood Chipper Chili...It sounds pretty gross and so we used it...Margie (Linda) found a rubber foot at a dollar store and we put a white sock on it and attached it to a large wooden ladle...and thus you can see the results...The chili was a hit and we had to replenish the pot with more beans and tomatoes we bought at a local drug store to keep the pot going...I forget how much we sold (1.00 a cup) but all of the money was given to charity...The recipe is in the second photo for anyone to try...

Bon appetite...

Mr. Bumper Magoo and the ornaments

2012-01-11T07:05:00.000-05:00

Here's a short clip of Mr. Magoo ...We gave him a first name...Bumper...It will show you why he's so loved by us...

Boy am I Gorgeous (2)

2012-01-08T08:48:00.000-05:00

Here are some excerps from our Zoo trip...Check out the video...

Boy Am I Gorgeous...

2012-01-07T11:20:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite places to photograph is at our Riverbanks Zoo...Margie (Linda) said we should take advantage of the FREE admission on Fridays during January and February... so...Off we went and had a very enjoyable afternoon...I took my old Olympus SP-500 UZ digital camera with us...It's 10X zoom lens proved highly capable of capturing these wonderful animals...Enjoy...

The End...(for now)

MaGoo moves In...

2011-12-25T04:43:00.004-05:00

A few months ago Margie found an ad in the paper telling about a cat looking for a good home...This cat has a disabling affliction which won't allow him to walk normally...He has to drag himself whereever he's going...And Margie fell in love with him...So he now shares our home with Margie ...Cocoa (Margie's long haired dachshund)...and me...Here are a few candid shots we took of him...

How could you not love that face...We've named him..."Mr. Magoo!"

ETV Old Timers Meet Again

2011-12-09T06:45:00.000-05:00

The ETV Old Timers like to eat...so we meet to eat...at the Brooklyn Cacye Baptist Convention Center every 3 months...This is our Christmas Luncheon group...Not a bad looking group!

My Neighbors on Charlie Rast Rd.

2011-12-07T12:36:00.001-05:00

This family must have moved in recently...I hadn't seen them before...

My friend Ray up in Vacouver got a kick out of this pix
and decided to add a few captions...See below...

Some people just can't leave things alone....he-he

The Last Rose of Summer

2011-11-05T18:12:00.001-04:00

This rose was the only... and last rose in my daughter,Sandra's front yard (They were having a Yard Sale last Saturday)...My son-in-law, Mike cut it and I asked him to hold it so I could photograph it with my phone-camera...After viewing it on my computer later I realized just how beautiful it is...A lucky shot!

Play It Again Uncle Sam (1973 Movie)

2011-10-27T22:23:00.003-04:00

Back 1973 I was asked by a young director (Larry Lancit) at the SCETV Network to come over and try out for a part in a musical show starring Gloria Loring...At that time she was starring in a daytime soap opera called,"Days of Our Lives".Her husband then was Alan Thicke and he and Larry were co-directors of a new show which was called "Play It Again Uncle Sam"...Well I was very skeptical about applying for a roll in this show since I had never aspired to be an actor or singer...Larry said they were looking for someone to portray an old sea dog who sings with his crew while they haul the lines of the ship...

So I walked into the studio at ETV and introduced myself...Back then I was 37 years old with a full head of hair down to my shoulders and a full beard and I weighed a little over 210 pounds...Alan looked at me and said to no one in particular..."Well he looks the part...Can he sing?"...I was ready for him and I started to sing in my best deep falsetto voice..."Poor Judd is dead.... poor Judd Fry is dead..."

I heard Alan say..."Well maybe he can lip sync it!"

And I was hired...

The show was about the history of America using the songs and music from way back then...Most of it was shot down in Charleston SC at the Charlestowne Landing Park...They had a large vessel moored in small creek...It was an old bark that had seen its last days...Large enough for someone to walk the deck and swing on the yard arm rigging...I became that someone...

I had to learn a new song...New for me...but old for all the seamen who sailed around Cape Horn and braved the treacherous seas of our Blue Planet...It was called,"Blood Red Roses" and it was sung by the first mate and the crew whenever they had to haul up the mainsail or haul in the anchor...it was a great experience for me...

Since I had worked for the SCETV for over ten years (as an artist and set designer/builder)and had left to become an art director for a local advertising agency the year previously...I knew most of the crew who worked on the show...They had many a good laugh when I did my thing...Back then they didn't have portable mikes like they do today and there was a long audio line which came out the bottom of my britches...That was a no-no...So what did they do? They had me lip sync it...It's a good thing I had learned the lines...So...If you click on the link below you can enjoy an old video from 1973 starring Gloria Loring, Bob Hope, Tommy Smothers, Taj mahal, Henry Mancinni, Sammy Kahn and yours truly...

Enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUDVQIubLm8

(The movie had been put on You Tube by a banjo picker Johnny Fenlayson (banjovi1953) who also had a part in the movie...he looked a lot younger then too)

Stand back and take a good look - On the Scene - TheState.com

2011-10-06T11:01:00.006-04:00

Click on the link below and read about my friend and fellow artist Kirkland Smith...

She is without a doubt one of the most innovative a brilliant artists in the USA today...

Stand back and take a good look - On the Scene - TheState.com

You can find out more about Kirkland by going to her web page:

http://www.kirklandsmith.com/

Health is the Wealth of Old Age

2011-08-25T06:03:00.000-04:00

I was writing to a friend this morning and I penned this quote,"Health is the wealth of old age". I said to myself, "That sounds pretty good...I don't think I have ever heard that line before". So I tried to look it up on the inter net and I could not find it...So...you folks who have ventured to my blog can say..."I read it here".

Old Pix I found yesterday

2011-08-08T09:17:00.001-04:00


These were taken back in January 2011 after our big snowfall...

Maybe they will cool you off....hehe

Ron's blogging again

2011-08-03T08:13:00.000-04:00

My friend in Vancouver likes to show flower portraits on his blog (Ray's blogging again)...So I thought I'd start blogging again with a flower portrait I took a day or so ago...What kind of flower is it?

My First Tomato Pie

2011-07-12T04:53:00.000-04:00

This is my first Tomato Pie...If you have never eaten one I suggest you bake one for yourself...It doesn't take much to make it and when it is done and cooled down enough to slice it like this one...Don't wait ...go directly to you PC or Laptop and Google Paula Deen's Tomato Pie Recipe...You will thank me BIG TIME...Bon Appetite Y'all...

PS...I've got to thank my nephew,David and his wonderful girlfriend Lori for putting me on to this recipe...Thanks Yousguys...

Blue Sky and Hokusai...

2011-06-21T12:14:00.006-04:00

Years past I read a novel by James Mitchner which had to do with the South Pacific...Since he wrote several about that area in the world , I can't remember the exact one...but...In it he talks about a famous artist (Hokusai) who wanted to advertise his artistic abilities by painting a portrait of Budda or some other famous religious figure on a canvas that was 600 feet long...and he used brooms as brushes and when it was completed he attached logs at one end and had it hung up on the side of a very tall building...This portrait brought his artistic abilities to the local shogun...Who then asked him to enter a competition with other local artists which he won...and the way he won is by dipping a chicken's feet into some red paint and letting it run across his canvas (rice paper,etc.) which he had painted a blue line onto... He explained to the shogun that it was fallen maple leafs on a river...If you don't believe me ...look him up in Wikipedia...

Now what has that got to do with Blue Sky? Well back in the 70's...Not many people knew of Blue's abilities...But...Blue decided to paint this wonderful mural he called Tunnelvision...And it was big...

Get the picture?

Well my complements go out to him...He is a terrific artist and has proved it time and time again...Why have I got a picture of a somewhat broken or bent fire hydrant? Because it reminds me of one of the world's finest muralist...Blue Sky

Here is a photo of Blue's Fire Hydrant Sculpture in front of his mural "Tunnelvision"...
Click on...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Sky_%28artist%29

Columibia's Gervais St. Bridge Early Morning

2011-06-02T10:00:00.003-04:00

My blogger friend, Ray who lives out in Vancouver BC loves to put scenic shots of Vancouver on his blog...So I decided to do the same with an old shot I took of Columbia back in '06...The lights on the bridge are still on making it a better shot..

Bob Bender's First Video

2011-05-30T09:40:00.028-04:00

Here is my old friend Bob Bender...He lives in Port Royal, SC and heads up the Low Country Estuarium...I've known Bob over forty years...He and his brother Chuck once lived in Columbia...Back then, Bob was a bartender at the once famous Forum Lounge...But bartending was only a way for paying the bills...Bob's true love was those crazy little critters that live in the marshlands of our state...fiddler crabs...periwinkles...alligators...red fish ...shrimp...stone crabs...blue crabs...you name it...So... he moved to Beaufort. SC and settled there... Oh...Did I forget...Bob is and artist...I guess you can tell that by his van...

Bob opened his first Estuarium in his home...Back then he called it an Aquarium...This was way before the State built the new aquarium in Charleston...He lived in a two story house in the old historic district of Beaufort...He lived on the second floor but the first floor was the most interesting place in Beaufort...He filled it with fish tanks...big ones...and they had to be saltwater tanks...because the critters who lived in them came from our salt marshes...Bob shared his knowledge by conducting tours for tourists and school children and anyone interested in preserving the wonderful wildlife we have on our coast...He visited schools and brought critters with him to spark interest in those children of the wonders of nature...After many years he found a building in Port Royal to house his critters...And he named it the Low Country Estuarium...You can see the first video which he has posted on You tube here...http://www.youtube.com/user/Mr1bender?feature=mhee#p/a/u/2/j8hOml_jEb4

Bob needs comments ...so please help him out...

Happy Birthday to my son Robert Chapiesky

2011-05-26T09:12:00.002-04:00

May 28th of this year is my son, Robert's 48th birthday...

I hope he finds my blog and knows that I still love him and care about him...

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T12:00:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone...

I hope all my friends who are mothers grand mothers are having a great day ...I am sending you a flower(s) which is growing on my deck...

(I wish I knew what it is,,,)

My blogger friend Ray...seem to think this is a flower from the family of Columbines...click on ...

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/columbines/flower.shtml

How it ended up on my back deck is a mystery to me ...

Vivian Maier 1926 - 2009 Photographer Extraordinaire

2011-05-04T17:54:00.001-04:00

One of the finest street photographers who ever lived was a woman named Vivian Maier....I am writing about her because I feel a kinship with her...Her photographs which were discovered recently are some of the finest ever done...Go to her web site (http://www.vivianmaier.com/) which they created for her and see what I mean...Below is an excerpt from the online encyclopedia Wikipedia...

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maier in one of several self-portraits she took on the streets of Chicago

Vivian Maier (February 1, 1926 – April 21, 2009) was an American amateur street photographer who was born in New York but grew up in France, and after returning to the U.S., worked for about forty years as a nanny in Chicago. During those years she took about 100,000 photographs, primarily of people and cityscapes most often in Chicago, although she traveled and photographed worldwide.
Her photographs remained unknown and mostly undeveloped until they were discovered by a local historian, John Maloof, in 2007. Following Maier's death her work began to receive critical acclaim.^[1]^[2] Her photographs have appeared in newspapers in Italy, Argentina, and England, and have been exhibited alongside other artists' work in Denmark and Norway; her first solo exhibition ran at the Chicago Cultural Center from January 8 until April 3, 2011.^[3]^[4]

^{______________________________________________________________________________________________}

I noticed that one of her photos was a shot taken of a man selling papers and magazines in a kiosk..This reminded me of a shot I took many years ago in Chicago while I was there visiting with relatives...It is also of a man selling papers and magazines in a kiosk...I call it,"It's so nice to be nice"...

Uncle Ray's Chips

2011-05-02T15:17:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone...

I just finished writing a e-mail to the folks who make Uncle Ray's Chips...Why? Well I'll tell you why...They are selling some mighty fine chips...and sending out stories about the life of Uncle Ray...My bag had Chapter 24 on it is called "Rip Van Winkle"...Here's a little bit of the story...

Have you ever done something wrong and wish you could do undo that wrong? I attended Boynton School located in Detroit, Michigan. In the seventh grade I had been chosen to play the part of Rip Van Winkle in our school play. After many weeks of rehearsals with my classmates the day had finally come. There was one problem. I was suffering from an acute case of stage fright. The day of the play I never made it to school.

When I returned to school neither my teacher or my classmates ever said a word to me about how I disappointed them. Over the past 48 years I have often wished I could go back in time and shown up at school that day. It would give me a chance to do my best in spite of my fears. Should my teacher or my classmates read this, I would like to tell them how sorry I am for disappointing them. I have learned in business as well as in life, it's not failing that matters, but the fact that you tried and that you care.

There's more to read on Uncle Ray's bag but I will let you find a bag and read it your self...You can go to his web site here:http://www.unclerays.com/

So if you find a bag of Uncle Ray's Chips in your grocery store ...give it a try...Tell them... "Uncle Ron made you do it"...

Uncle Ron's back...

Try Flowers on your next Birthday Cake

2011-04-28T07:03:00.000-04:00

I like to bake cakes...And...over the years I have made some very delicious ones...But I think my last one not only tasted good but was very pleasing to look at...Why?

I used flowers to decorate it...

75 Years Ago...The Doctor slapped me on my bare butt...

2011-02-07T17:18:00.004-05:00

That's right...and here I am today...3/4ths of a century later, typing on my blog...Back then there wasn't any blogs..There weren't any laptops...(well there were several of them) ...but none you could type on...

As the old saying goes,"I've come a long way, Baby!"

And (like the Energizer Bunny) I hope to keep going and going and going...

I did not follow the rules of etiquette and invited my family and my brother John and his family and my girlfriend Linda (Margie) to my 75th Birthday party at nice restaurant...And...I asked them to pay for their own meals...Of course I said I would furnish the the dessert and party hats...This was not your usual way to have a birthday party...In fact...It was quite a cheap way to celebrate my birthday and receive presents as well...Let me say here that I am very lucky to be related to everyone who came to my party and brought me gifts...I thank you one and all...The party was a success and I know that I personally had a great time...I especially want to thank my daughter Sandra for the wonderful bag of "over the hill" gifts she found for me...They brought many laughs from all that were there... And my lady friend, Linda (Margie) who helped set everything up at the restaurant and took oodles and oodles of photos on her phone camera...

Linda, Cheyenne and Sandra

Sue and Bill

Grandchildren David and Cheyenne

Sandy's grandchildren, Tyler and Triston

Niece Mary Lauren and...

husband, Hal

Lori and son, David

Lori and David and Ashlyn

Me and Mike and Sandra

The Cake

Candle blowing time

Johnny & Marie (reading "Over the Hill Book")

Joey and Sandy

Grandaughter Cheyenne and me

Birthday Card

Son in law Mike

Red Bird Feeder

Survival Chain

Johnny and Marie and Sandy and me

Linda (Margie) and me

Me and Nephew David

Sue and Bill

Nephews Joey and Chip

David and Me

Sandra and grandson Josh

David

Me and my daughter Sandra

Joey and Sandy

Sandy's grandson Triston

To all who attended and those who could not...I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Some Bird Feeders just don't work...

2011-01-24T00:03:00.000-05:00

Check out this guy...

It'll make you laugh...

2011-01-15T06:07:00.001-05:00

Hi Folks...I like to look at the comics every morning on my pooter...They make me laugh...and we all know ..."Laughter is the Best Medicine"...so...I'm recommending this strip to you...It's called Flo and Friends by Jenny Campbell...Please check it out...Especially you old guys and gals out there...and remember...you heard it first from Dr. Ron...

P.S....check out some of the older ones...

http://comics.com/flo&friends/

The Big Snow of 2011...

2011-01-12T10:35:00.001-05:00

Cocao says..."I don't know a bout this stuff'"

"I'll give it a try."

Paradise?

A New Pizza on the Block.

2011-01-02T18:59:00.004-05:00

I grew up in an Italian neighborhood in inner city Chicago...The parents of kids I played with on my block would always make me sit down with them when they ate lunch or supper...Pizza was just one course on their menus...It was like an appetizer...then came the salad and the spaghetti and then the desserts...Oh and into my teens they would let us drink some table wine...My mom always wondered why I didn't eat at home...I couldn't...I was stuffed most of the time...

So I know a little bit about pizza...and recently I lucked up and found this one...

Talk about Goooooooooooooooooooood....Momma Mia....This pizza has not only the BEST crust of any frozen pizza I've ever ate...but it has the best sauce and cheese as well...

I found it by accident a month ago in our local Food Lion store...It must have been an advertising gimmic because they were selling them at (3) for $10.00....I took 3 home with me and after savoring the first one we were licking our chops for more ... so I went back and bought 6 more...and ...now that we've only have one left...I may have to go back and buy one at full price...6.59...and if they're not on sale I'll still buy one...

Oh...didn't I mention the name...

PALERMO'S...

It's made in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...

Try it...you'll love it...I've never had better...

and check out their web site too....it's very interesting...

http://www.palermospizza.com/index.aspx

Lunar Eclipse 2010

2010-12-21T08:42:00.003-05:00

Last night there was an event we will never ever see again in our life time...a total lunar eclipse...Check out the photo taken from the National Post magazine credited to ...Doug Murray/Reuters...What a fantastic shot...Please check out the other photos on their web site...

And now check out the one taken by yours truly ....hehe

Pretty similar ...don't you think?

SCETV Retiree's Luncheon

2010-12-14T07:15:00.000-05:00

Every three months we meet for lunch at beautiful Banquet & Conference Center....I call our group..."the Oldtimers Luncheon"...because most of us are old...We all have all spent some of our lives working for a wonderful educational facility called ETV... It began in the late 50's in a Columbia high school and was headed up by it's principal, R. Lynn Kalmbach...It's first art director was Jerry Tiemann (we call him Tee- Bobber)...

From that high school, it moved to an old vacant Winn Dixie Store...where it grew and grew and grew...Jerry hired me around 1962...We have been friends ever since...Here is a group shot taken of us last Thursday...I would like to name them all but I can't...but I will name the guy who's sitting down...That's Jerry!

Jack Palance and Me

2010-12-11T10:45:00.001-05:00

Hi Folks...

Most of you know I like to read Ripley's Believe It or Not cartoon in the AM...Recently I came across one of my favorite actors in it...Jack Palance...He is one of the few movie actors I have personnaly met in my life time...He has played a major part in my life unbeknownst to him...Read on...

In 1954 I apprenticed at an Art and Photography Studio in downtown Chicago...At that studio was a young woman model who posed for a fashion artist...She looked at a pastel portrait I did from a photo in Life magazine ( The article was about the "Shane" a western movie starring Allen Ladd and the deadly gunfighter he had to face)...It was of Jack Palance... The portrait here on my blog is one I have just done in the style I did back then (the first one was better)...Well...She wanted to buy my sketch and asked me my price...I had never sold a piece of my artwork (I was 18 years old at that time) and did not know how to price it...She said she had never bought an original piece of artwork and did not know what to offer me for it...So....I said "How about $5.00?"...She was happy and so was I...That was the first five dollars I earned from my artistic ability...

Now let's come forward in time...I read in the newspaper that Jack ws coming to columbia promoting his book of poetry...Wow...I decided that I would meet him and tell him my story about my first sale of the portrait I did of him as a young man...Here's a photo of Jack and my grandson David and I (check out my ponytail)...

Oh...did I tell you I bought his book?

And he signed it to Uncle Ron...

Baking a Turkey by Chef Ron

2010-11-28T22:30:00.000-05:00

This Thanksgiving season I have read and seen on TV many ways to roast a turkey...they show you how to mix various spices with butter and then freeze the prepared butter in a roll and then when its hard to slice it into poker chip pieces and then to slide these chips under the skin of your bird and slather the outside with more of the same and stuff it with fruit and dressing and bake it upside down and cover it with foil for half the time and ...and....and...

Bull Pucky............I baked a 21 pounder this AM by cleaning out its cavity (neck and bag of inners)...Laying it down on a rack (breast side up)so it will lay upright...Rubbed a little olive oil on it and sprinkled it with a little garlic powder and pepper...Preheated oven to 325 and covered the breast with a square of tin foil ...baked it for 3 hours and took the foil off it...checked it with a thermomiter at 4 hours (it was over 165 degrees) and took it out...

Best moist breast meat you ever tasted...(Actually I shoved an apple and an onion in it and poured a cup of coffee in the pan also...)

Hans Pawley...An Old Friend Has Past

2010-11-28T08:07:00.003-05:00

My dear friend of over 40 years has past...He was the finest art teacher any child could ever have...He inspired children (preschoolers) to paint and draw and even sculpt...his programs on art taped at the SC ETV studios back in the late 60's will be remebered by children and adults who used the ETV as a tool to educate and illuminate the minds of thousands of students ...I met Hans while I worked for the SCETV as an illustrator in their art department...Hans needed some young children to be on his show and I volunteered my two sons Mark and Robert...They delighted in the experience and I have fond memories of them painting on the studio floor in smocks and their hands full of paint and various painted pictures strewn across the floor...Hans believed and taught that the art children produced should always be praised...The more praise you give a child at their efforts helped them to build their self esteem...

Mark creating a masterpiece...

His sense of humor always made working with Hans a treat...While taping one show he was using plaster of paris to create something and when the the director stopped the filming to change an angle on the camera he asked Hans if he could stop what he was doing ( which was mixing water witht the plaster of paris) and Hans replied to him, "Plaster waits for no man!"...

I will miss him but never forget him...

Hans Anton Pawley

DARLINGTON - Hans Anton Pawley, age 97, died Tuesday, November 23, 2010. A Catholic Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 27, 2010, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Hartsville. Burial will follow in Darlington Memory Gardens , directed by Belk Funeral Home.
Hans was born Johannes Anton Pawlak in Schiffbek, jetzt Hamburg , Germany , August 21, 1913. He was a son of the late Johann Alexander Pawlak and the late Anna Zeleni Pawlak. He served in the Unites States Army in the Headquarter Military Intelligence Services. Mr. Pawley served a year and a half overseas, including participating in the battles at Normandy , Northern France, Rhineland, and Central Europe . During this time he was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal, European African Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with four service stars and the Bronze Star.
Mr. Pawley was an art ambassador, teaching at all levels of education, from elementary to university levels, including Darlington County Schools. His artwork can be found in many locations such as the Louvre in Paris , France , the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City , and many other prominent locations. He served in many civic capacities, including: Founder and host of "Art and Imagination" and "Art and You" television shows on ETV, former president of the South Carolina Education Association, representative for the State of South Carolina for National Art Education Association, and a founding member of Francis Marion University.
Throughout his life, he became colleagues with many influential people including Albert Einstein and General Dwight D. Eisenhower, whom he served under during World War II. He will be remembered as loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was a dedicated member of Saint Joseph 's Catholic Church in Darlington , SC.
Surviving are his children, Richard (Sharon) Pawley, Bill (Helen) Pawley, Mike (Deborah) Pawley, Paul Pawley, Darlene (Carol) Dunbar, Mary (Alan) Waters, Anne (Mark) Stephen, Donna Graham, Chrysa (Keith) Kerr, grandchildren: Katherine (J.R.), Eleanor (Roberto), Jason (Mary), Heather (John), Jennifer, Maeghan, Jennifer, Christine, Chris (Shaye), David (Lauren), Beth, Kevin, Dawn, Sean, Adair, Valerie, Rachel, Greg ory, Ashleigh (Jamie), Casey, Kelley, Jon, Savannah, Hunter, Logan, Bridgette, Catherine, Collin; great-grandchildren: Kailey, Ava, Roberto Jr., Carys, Grant, Scott, Jared, Hampton, Andrew, Isaiah, Nolan, Caden, Mckenna, Justin, Amanda, Courtney, Bubba, Keyanna, Trevor; also his brother, Edward (Ginny) Pawlak. He was preceded in death by his wife, Marion Dunbar Pawley.
Published in The State on November 25, 2010

Miyobi's Birthday Party

2010-11-19T16:03:00.002-05:00

My oldest grandson (David) turned 26 yesterday and his birthday was celebrated at a Japanese Steak House named Miyobi...The videos are not in order...due to my lack of knowledge loading on to my blog but each has some intereting actions...Please enjoy...I did!

Uncle Ron's 2-2-2-2-2 World Famous Pancakes on Sunday

2010-11-15T10:26:00.000-05:00

For those of you who know me for my wry sense of humor let me tell you that I almost photographed my latest batch of pancakes but they looked so enticing I couldn't resist them and so...here's all that remains...I wish you all could have been here....Mmmmmmm... they were delicious!!!!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T23:25:00.000-04:00

Margie and I had the best time this Halloween...

We dressed up like...like...

Well take a look...

Margie and Norm

Jerry wasn't Scared at all...

Let's Get Out and Vote!

2010-11-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

Today we can choose our leaders...Don't stay home...If you like them...Vote them in...If you don't...Vote them out...But Vote!

Uncle Ron's Hamburger and Peas Recipe

2010-11-02T08:34:00.001-04:00

Here's a dish my mother used to make for us back when I was growing up in our home in Chicago...It's simple and tasty...I have Googled it and found one recipe by the same name but it is nothing like my Mother's...It sounds good though...

Hamburger and Peas
(over Boiled Potatoes)

Ingredients

1-lb. ground beef or venison
1 med. onion chopped
1-can of peas (15 oz.) drained
1-can of diced tomatoes (15 oz.) w/ juice
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup water or coffee
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Brown beef in a large skillet (add a little butter if using venison) ...Add onion and stir until onion starts to clear...Add tomatoes, peas, Worcestershire sauce and water (or leftover morning coffee)...Salt and pepper and bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for a half hour...Serve over boiled peeled potatoes...

number of servings: 4-6

This is delicious on cold fall or winter nights...

Test Photos taken with my Canon P/S SX10 IS

2010-10-29T13:47:00.000-04:00

I took these two years ago...They're simply images you would find around my house if you came to visit...

Michael G. Reagan ...Artist Extraordinaire

2010-10-29T10:42:00.000-04:00

I like to read Ripley's "Believe It or Not!" every morning...It usually has stuff I'm not that interested in but the other day I found this one with Michael Reagan in it and it blew my mind...I never heard of Michael before and now I find out that he is giving his time and talent to the families of the fallen heros of the Iraq war...What a great American and talented artist...I found his web site and learned quite abit about him...http://www.michaelgreaganartist.com/

Please check him out...

Ray's e-mail on pollution

2010-10-26T15:06:00.003-04:00

My blogger friend,Ray, sent me this e-mail recently which I asked him if I could put it on my blog...Read on and you will see why...

___________________________________________________
Years ago, before I retired onto a much lower income,

I used to spend frequent weekends at one of the resorts
out on the west coast of Vancouver Island, because near
there are some lovely long open sandy beaches.
The water's usually colder than a mother-in-law's heart,
but on a nice day, it's still a very pleasant place to be.

I used to ride a mountain bike along the edges of the surf,
and even then, over 25 years ago, it was surprising how much
plastic trash washed ashore from the ocean. Mostly plastic bottles,
like this story says, but also pieces of broken fish nets, poly ropes,
and stuff like that. It's beginning to be obvious that we can't
continue using our oceans as the ultimate garbage disposal -
yet that's exactly what we're doing, and not just with plastics.
There's also untreated sewage and industrial wastes being dumped
into it constantly. Our oceans are becoming a gigantic septic tank
which never gets cleaned out because nobody knows how or
where else to put that stuff.

This wasn't so noticeable when there were a lot fewer of us doing it,
but these days, the world population is increasing faster & faster
as there becomes more and more of us - in my lifetime alone,
the world's population has tripled, from around 2 billion to over 6,
nearing 7 billion. What other spacecraft do we know about which
can keep on accepting endless additions to its passenger list ?
None, of course - and neither can this one, but everyone seems to
be looking the other way and pretending there's no problem there.

Global warming isn't some isolated condition that just happened to
pop up while we weren't looking. It comes directly from the numbers
of us and our constant demands for 'more & better everything'
of course, and the only permanent solution to that would be to impose
a limit on the total numbers of 'passengers' allowed to ride this craft.
And any time you want to start 'World War Three', just try floating
that idea around freely. If they can't blackball you or brand you as
an alarmist nutcase, they'll find some other way to shut you up.....
I'd bet on that. But sooner or later, we'll have to deal with all that,
or else kiss our asses goodbye and watch it all 'fade to black'.
- Ray.

_______________________________________________________

You can check out Ray's Blog here:

http://raysbloggingagain.blogspot.com/

Raven's Bread

2010-10-03T07:37:00.004-04:00

Recently I read about a Newsletter for
hermits on Ripley's Believe it or Not!

I looked it up on the web...Sure enough it does exist...and it is a fine newsletter, let me tell you...Why don't you google it and see what I mean...

Lucy is my new neighbor

2010-09-26T16:22:00.002-04:00

Yes...Lucy is my new neighbor...and she is a special breed of dog which goes back a long way...She is a Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog...That's right...You can look up her breed on the internet...Full grown she should weigh around 90 to 100 lbs...

More Flower Pix

2010-09-24T08:42:00.005-04:00

These were from yesterday...

Save the Myrtles

2010-09-23T08:19:00.011-04:00

My friend Linda lives amidst a massive road widening project near the airport. Although she sacrificed two large crepe myrtles in the process, the roots sproated out "baby myrtles" en mass. The construction crew offered to dig these up with their backhoe. I volunteered to show off my horticultural talents to pot these for later re-planting and here are the results below............

Check out the white circled area...

Linda gets out her phone camera as they bring in the backhoe ...

Aren't backhoes wonderful? It sure beats digging them up with a shovel...

A mix of potting and top soil and prayer ...

Future Farmers of America...move over...hehe

I'm dog sitting Lucy

2010-09-22T11:13:00.001-04:00

My neighbors have asked me to feed their new puppy (Lucy) every morning for a week while they are on vacation...I have the mornng shift...meaning have to feed her when the sun starts to rise...cause she's hungry...Well I have no trouble getting up early at my age so this isn't a chore for me...They have a lovely garden up there and I have brought my cell phone camera to play on Lucy an some beautiful flowers...Check these out...

Here's Lucy...

I took these with my phone camera (Sony Ericcson 8 mp) Please click on them to enlarge them...

1977 Photo of Sutro Tower in San Francisco

2010-09-13T09:06:00.001-04:00

This a digital copy I made of a photo I took from a helicopter in San Francisco in 1977, when I had a photo shoot there...I had hired the helicopter for one hour and my photo shoot was ten miles south of S/F...It only took me 15 minutes to take the photos I needed then (I was doing an aerial shot of a school named Nueva in Hillsborough)...I asked the pilot if we could could fly up to S/F so I could take some shots of this tower...The reason I wanted to do this was because my brother John was then working for the company which fabricated this tower in Columbia, SC and shipped it in pieces to S/F for construction...When I returned to Columbia...I had a 16 x 20 color print made of it which I gave to my brother to hang in his office...It was a big hit there and his boss wanted to know how he came by it...When he found out I took it ...he ordered a copy for himself...That wast back in 1977...

Uncle Ron's 2-2-2-2-2 Pancakes Recipe

2010-09-06T00:20:00.004-04:00

My World Famous

2-2-2-2-2

Pancake Recipe...

2-Tbsp White Vinegar

2-Cups Milk

2-Large Eggs

2-Cups Self Rising Flour

2-Tblsp Butter

First...

Take:

2 tbsps of white vinegar

Add them to 2 cups of whole milk (1 or 2 % is okay)

and stir...

Let stand 4-5 minutes so the vinegar can sour the milk...(Home made Buttermilk)

Then crack 2 large eggs into the milk...

and stir...

(use a fork to break the yokes)

Then add 2 cups of self rising flour to a large bowl

(you don't have to sift it)

Now

add your milk/vinegar/egg mixture to the flour

and stir...

Last but not least,take 2 tablespoons of butter

and liquify them in a microwave

or in a sauce pan on the stove ...

The butter will help the cakes from sticking and also add extra flovor...

Then let the butter cool...

Then stir butter into the pancake mix...

Note...I don't add anything else to this mix including sugar...

Baking powder and salt are in the self rising floor...

Now if you haven't already done it...

Heat up your frying pan (I prefer a large electric steel or teflon one) on high...

When it's heated up...

Test your fry pan by dripping some water on it...If the water bubbles into little bubbles which dance on it ...then you are ready to make a test cake...Pour 2 tablespoons of batter to the pan...let them fry till you see bubbles popping on them and their edges start to turn brown...now turn it over and fry on the other side...Make sure both sides are golden brown...

Now taste your sample cake with a little butter and syrup on it...

Mmmmmm...Mmmmm...Good!

Now you can make at least 12-6 inch pancakes...

Here is a photo of some I made the other day.....

You know they gotta be good...

Let's go make some!

Uncle Ron Gets a Haircut

2010-08-06T07:46:00.000-04:00

Before

After

Phone Camera photos

2010-08-04T23:09:00.000-04:00

My Sony Ericsson phone has quite a unique camera in it...Here are two shots taken within seconds of each other...The first one looks normal...the second one show a screen wire in front of the flowers...the first shot does not show the screen ...yet it had to be there...

How can this be?

Daily Photo(s)

2010-07-27T18:17:00.001-04:00

We had two visitors to the deck yesterday...
Peter was keenly aware of both of them...

One was green....the other was brown...
The brown one answered to the name of Coco....

the Green one...didn't...

Daily Photo(s)

2010-07-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

I haven't been blogging lately so I thought I would drop in some pix I took recently which I like...They were taken with my 8mp. phone camera (Sony Ericsson)...It's the second one I've used and it has a problem with the speaker and it's going back this week...The camera works well though...

Margie's mailbox flag...

Margie's posies...

Margie's posey

This 4th of July...Remember Project Compassion

2010-06-30T11:40:00.001-04:00

Let's remember the hundreds of service men and women who have fought and died for this great nation of ours...Please give a little something to this marvelous cause called Project Compassion...Go to it...Read about it...And give something if you can...

http://www.heropaintings.com/ShowGallery.aspx?Gallery=1

You won't regret it...

Portrait of Arnold Palmer

2010-06-29T11:30:00.000-04:00

While sitting in a doctor's office I came across a photo of Arnold Palmer on the cover of an old Golf Digest Magaazine taken by Johnn Dominis...In 1964 I did a scratchboard illustration from that photo...I always liked that photo of Arnie...but I always liked the scratchboard I did of him over forty years ago too...

Peace Pilgrim Walks On...

2010-06-18T15:43:00.000-04:00

In one of my earlier blogs I mentioned the Peace Pilgrim...Although I don't believe she ever professed a personal religous belief... I feel she had to be as close to a saint as anyone has ever come...To read more about her go to:

http://www.peacepilgrim.com/

or the latest news letter from Friends of the Peace Pilgrim:

http://www.peacepilgrim.org/FoPP/newsletter/pdf/nl54.pdf

Peace Pilgrim

1908 - 1981

Between 1953 and 1981 Peace Pilgrim walked more then 25,000 miles across the country spreading her message— "This is the way of peace: Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love." Carrying in her tunic pockets her only possessions, she vowed, "I shall remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food." She talked with people on dusty roads and city streets, to church, college, civic groups, on TV and radio, discussing peace within and without.

Her pilgrimage covered the entire peace picture: peace among nations, groups, individuals, and the very important inner peace—because that is where peace begins.

She believed that world peace would come when enough people attain inner peace. Her life and work showed that one person with inner peace can make a significant contribution to world peace.

( There is a book on her and her beliefs...it is free...check out her web site and get you a copy...It may help change your life...Uncle Ron)

Let's talk about FOOD...

2010-06-18T10:38:00.000-04:00

A couple of nights ago I took my lady friend to a Mexican Restaurant...Why? Because she likes Mexican food...I have other friends who like it as well...I have not been in the same camp...It wasn't that I didn't like it...I just never knew what to order off the menu...I don't speak Spanish...I barely speak American...So when I look at a menu that offers me Enchiladas...Quesadillas...Chimichanga...Tortillas...Fiattas...Papadzules...I begin to sweat...I just don't know what these names mean...Okay...so I know a couple...But I really would prefer a menu that says Chicken in Peanut Sauce (we call it Pollo Encachuatdo)...or... Tender pork topped with Onions (we call it Poc-Chuc)

OK...laugh at me...A month ago...A group I belong to called "The Sociable Singles" went to this very restaurant I am speaking of...Everyone (there was about 9 of us...) seemed to know what to order...One member sitting across from me ordered the Taco Salad...That didn't sound all that filling until she said you can eat the bowl it is served in...What...Eat the bowl too?...I never heard of such a thing...Well I ordered it also and with chicken...She ordered it with beef...And do you know what?...I ate the whoooooooole thing...

So what did I order this time...That's right...but with beef this time...Yum Yum...

Old Town - New Town

2010-06-14T11:59:00.000-04:00

The New Township

Boy It's Hot...(photo by Margie)

Beautiful silk flags being sold next to my booth...

Panorama of Block Party

The Old Township Auditorium is now...The New Township Auditorium...and it is beautiful...both inside and out...So...for the opening they held a street party with lots of artistic folks selling their wares...I brought my sombreros with me and was ready to do some sketches but the weather was soooooooo hot...I don't think they wanted to sit for me yesterday...But...we (Margie and I)did have a cool breeze most of the day...and there was a large stage with lots of live entertainment all day ...and there was free hot dogs and colas, and popcorn...and we ended up at a staff party in the basement with lots of good eats (Marge and I loved the boiled shrimp)and drinks...

Jeffrey Day

Miss Olive Oyl

We were honored to have two well known figures stop by for the festivities...The first was Jeffrey Day...Our resident art critic...I guess he came to check out all of the fine artist's work he wouldn't normally see in the museums...and the second was the most famous wrestling fan of all..Miss Olive Oyl...Anyone who has ever attended the famous wrestling matches which the Township was known for will remember her...She use to sit ringside almost in the same seat every week and give those wrestlers, Rick Fair and others a fit with her vocal comments...(Those were the days , my friends)

June 14 th... Flag Day

2010-06-10T22:00:00.000-04:00

I never forget Flag Day...Because my older brother John was born on that day...This year he will turn 87 years old...No...he will turn 87 years young!

Our mom and dad had four sons...Victor, John , Roger and Ronny (that's me) Our two brothers Vic and Rog have passed away...We were all born in Chicago, IL...Johnny married a West Coumbia girl and settled in West Columbia...I married a southern Ohio girl and settled in Columbia...Both of our dear wives have passed on...But Johnny,at the age of 85 has remarried...(You son-of-a-gun ,you) His lovely wife, Marie and he are avid health advocates...They try to eat veggies and fruits every chance they get...Johnny says he's going to live to be 100...I hope so...and I hope I'm around to celebrate that day too...but for now I'm going to celebrate Monday, (Flag Day) with Johnny and his family..."Happy Birthday, Brother...."

Mad Lady Maxine of wrestling

2010-06-09T12:07:00.000-04:00

Back in 1985 when I had my own commercial photography studio in Columbia, I had the privilege of photographing four young "Up and Coming" lady wrestlers ...They were moving down to Florida to grapple with more lady wrestlers...They decided to put together a brochure with photos to advertise themselves...Well...the most notable of these women was the tallest...She stood 6'-2" in her bare feet with a mohawk hairdo...She had a great figure and weighed about 170 lbs....She was called Mad Maxine...Since most wrestlers are typed as either Good Guys or Bad Guys...Maxine was a Bad Guy...And she was very formidable when she entered the ring...In her move to Florida she renamed herself "Lady Maxine"...

I had often wondered whatever happened to her...Well lo and behold...from out of the blue, I get this e-mail from her the other day...She is writing her memoirs of her wrestling days and came across my name on one of my photos...She googled me and found my blog...This world is getting smaller isn't it? She only wrestled for a year or so...but she made her mark on the wrestling scene...She is listed in Wikipedia as Mad Maxine...Look her up...
(The other ladies in the photo are Peggy Lee Pringle, Angella "Luna" Vachon and Tamara...)

Is life not good?

To Flush Or Not to Flush...

2010-06-08T23:09:00.000-04:00

That is the question...Nooooooooooo....That WAS the question...Now that my septic tank has been found and relieved of 25 years of poopoo....I can FLUUUUUUUUUSH all I want...HallalooYa Baby..... I have to say that these two young men worked diligently probing the ground with that T-bar tool in the picture until they found the tank ...They had to trek through my woods full of briers and bugs and animals for about thirty yards (probing all the way) until they found it...EUREKA!!! I was never so relieved in my whole life...It reminded me of the old jingle that Alka-Seltzer used way back when..."Plop,plop...Fizz, fizz...Oh what a relief it is...."

I froze at the Freeze (Flash Freeze)

2010-06-06T20:27:00.000-04:00

I participated in a Flash Freeze the other day at the Dutch Square Mall at 1:00 PM...check out the video...This group of artists are called Artrageous-SC...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgHQv5XED3o

Daily Photo... Cloud Face

2010-05-29T08:09:00.000-04:00

I've been told many times that my head is always in the clouds...I don't exactly know what they mean by that but I have to admit I like looking at clouds especially when I'm driving my van...I've taken hundreds of cloud pictures...Here's one I saw yesterday which looks like there's a face in it...click on it and see if you see what I saw...hehe

Daily Photo ...The River

2010-05-28T21:43:00.000-04:00

I went down to the Congaree River today which runs right through Columbia...a couple of rafters were frolicking on the large boulders in the middle...I watched them for a while and wished I had their energy and could do the same...I did see my heart specialist today and he gave me another six month to live...I love that guy...

A Wabi-sabi Rainbow

2010-05-24T08:17:00.000-04:00

Nothing lasts....nothing is finished....and nothing is perfect...

King for a Day...(Maybe an Hour)

2010-05-21T09:40:00.000-04:00

B/K offers a Sausage, egg, cheese biscuit for only a buck...can't beat that...

Daily Photo

2010-05-13T10:46:00.000-04:00

I have been slow with my camera lately...Here's a shot I took in Linda's front pond...

Daily Photo

2010-05-11T06:47:00.000-04:00

I told you I'd get a pix of that Painted Bunting....He and his girlfriend flew in for an evening snack...Colorful little guy isn't he?

Now I can HEAR...

2010-05-07T10:17:00.000-04:00

I don't know why I didn't do this a long time ago but I didn't...I need a hearing aid but I can't afford one...AND...I spend a lot of time on my laptop (notebook) which has very tiny speakers in it...Sometimes I try to turn up the volume but certain things just won't go high enough and I am perplexed..So I decided to invest a whole lot of money (19.95 plus tax) in some new speakers for my laptop...(ALTEC Lansing BXR 1220 Speaker System)...

Small but built well...I recommend them highly ...

They are awesome....

Daily Photo

2010-05-03T01:06:00.000-04:00

Check out this bicycle...I saw it at the Rosewood Dr. Annual Crawfish Festival...It looks to be made out of 2-1x6 treated wooden boards and some bicycle wheels and parts...I just looked it up and it is called a Recumbent Bicycle...This must be his own design...The rider's weight is distributed more evenly over the bike's frame than a regular two weeler...Your buttocks rest on a flat seat as opposed to a normal bike seat...The original bike made in France holds the speed record for two wheelers (close to 50 mph)... It was outlawed from "normal" bike racing in 1934...check it out on Wikipedia...

Sombraros are Free

2010-05-02T14:33:00.000-04:00

Spelling has never been my forte'...I couldn't spell my way out of a croacker sac...hehe

but sometimes and error can produce some action...My eye catching sign brought gahuffs from many passerbys but did bring in some business...

Sign: "Free Sombraro with 1st.-10 Portraits"

Uncle Ron starts drawing...

First hat goes to Vivian's daddy...

Lil Mama said she'd pass...

Dillon passed too but this was a rerun from last year...

Dillon's Dad and Dillon and Linda

Mildred said she belonged to the Sociable Singles...

Professor Ron Edge played some old tunes on his accordian...

Victoria had beautiful long hair...

Harriette and her grandaughter Mia...

Jane's sister and Uncle Ron and Jane...

That lovable Mud Bugg and Linda and Uncle Ron...

Jerry turns 76

2010-04-28T08:33:00.000-04:00

My good friend Jerry Tiemann turned 76 on April 7th....We've been frinds for over 40 years...In fact...Jerry was one of my first bosses when I first moved to Columbia...In 1960, Jerry headed up the SCETV Art Department...In those days, ETV was just emerging to become the finest ETV in the Nation if not the World...I went to work for Jerry in 1962...He was the most vibrant art dirctor I have ever worked for...And he is also one of the finest men I have ever known...Here is a little video of Penny and I singing "Happy Birthday" to Jerry...This the first video I have put in my blog, so bear with me...

Brother John goes to Washington

2010-04-27T23:31:00.000-04:00

My brother John went to Washington last week for one day...He and several other Veterans were flown to the nation's capital for the purpose of viewing the War Memorials which have been built there...He was accompanied by a young Carolina student who made sure he didn't miss a bus or trip up some stairs or stumble in a fountain...While he was there he met Congressman Jim Clyburn...(who by the way is an old friend of mine)...Govenor Sandford was at the airport to see them off...He also got to spend some time with his grandson Jake who works in DC...He said that he couldn't believe how many different monuments and places of interest you could see in just one day...

Daily Photo

2010-04-25T21:50:00.000-04:00

Hi again...

Today I had the priviledge of spotting a Painted Bunting at my bird feeder...What a marvelous bird...I didn't have my camera handy so I didn't get a shot of it...but...tomorrow...I will be ready...trust me!

Movie Moral...

2010-04-25T16:34:00.000-04:00

I just finished watching a movie last night about... us...

we...

everyone...

It's called "Up in the Air" with George Clooney and Vera Farmiga...It's about a guy who has thousands of air miles and who's job it is to fire people at companies around the world...for the man who owns these companies and is afraid to do it himself...(Sounds petty disgusting doesn't it?)

I won't tell you any more so not to spoil it for those who have not seen it...but the moral of this film is important...And it concerns all of us...

When all is said and done about our lives...regardless of who we are...what we are...where are we going...who do we love...who loves us...

the important thing is...

WHAT IS IMPORTANT?

Think about that...

Natalie Brown and Friends

2010-04-24T14:28:00.000-04:00

Natalie Brown is a serious belly dancer and teacher...She and her troupe put on a very memerable performance last night at the Vista's Art Bar...I can say as a self proclaimed belly dancer afficianado that this performance was one of the best I have ever seen and photographed...Truely remarkable talents...

Daily Photo

2010-04-23T11:51:00.000-04:00

How many of you out there remember George Mears...George lives at the coast now...He was the owner of one of the greatest bars in Columbia's Five Points...It is called "Group Therapy"...I took many a photo in here and many made it to the wall...Even a few of myself...check out the bottom pix...Group therapy holds a "Chili Cookoff" for charity every year and I have participated in several of them...(Check out one of my earlier blogs...)

Daily Photo

2010-04-22T14:02:00.000-04:00

It's time to get the pontoon boat out and head for the lake...hehe

Daily Photo

2010-04-21T09:18:00.000-04:00

Here's a shot I took at Folly Beach some summers ago...I particularly like the way both the girl and her dog have their foot and front paw suspended above the sand..and their ensuing shadaows as well...

Daily Photo (or is it Weekly ?)

2010-04-20T08:54:00.000-04:00

Some "lucky guys" get all the hugs...

at the Sea and Sand Festival in Folly Beach last Saturday...

Beware of folding chairs...

2010-04-11T13:19:00.000-04:00

Attending a Co-op Meeting at a local high school gymnasium ...I was sitting in the last row listening attentively to the speaker when my chair disentigrated beneath me...and...I ended up on my back looking at several folk looking down at me...Did I hurt myself? I don't think so...Those lovely folks helped me up and found me another chair...Was I humiliated ? You might say that...

It's about time for that diet I guess...

NO SMOKIN

2010-04-02T10:01:00.000-04:00

Hooray...I came home last night from the pool room and my clothes didn't smell...(from cigarette smoke)...That's right...That awful nicotine smell that permiates your shirts, jackets, pants, whatever you have on...I quit smoking about 30 years ago and never looked back...that means I never have wanted another cigarette ever again...I could remember when I did smoke and became highly incensed at a restaurant whose owner decided to post "No Smoking " signs on his tables in the rear of his place..(that's were I usually sat) ...I said to him..."You're a smoker...where are you going to smoke?" He replied that he was going to smoke out the back door when he needed one...I told him he was crazy...That was 30 years ago...

And now my pool playing, cigarette smoking friends are incensed that they have to go outside to fulfill their need..."Times are achangin" Bob Dylan

(for the better...I hope)

A Fishin Weekend

2010-03-28T22:28:00.000-04:00

There was a lot of fishin going on this weekend at the Annual Palmetto Sportsman's Classic at the Fair grounds...It is hosted by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources...The fish tank had about a thousand Rainbow Trout in it waiting to bite some little boy or girl's hook...

First you got to get in there and "fish"...

Hold her steady...son...

Say "Cheeeeeeese"!

Each child who caught a fish was given a folder with a digital color print of themselves in it ...like this delightful one taken by my friend Linda...

Easter B'egg Hunt

2010-03-28T21:52:00.000-04:00

There was a Easter party Saturday afternoon at PETS Inc. in West Columbia ...for animals...mostly dogs and their owners....Hot Dogs and Hambergers were selling like Hot Cakes (pun intended) ...Baked goods were sold...Prizes were awarded...DJ's were Jiving...Everyone looked happy...even the pet owners...

Aaaaaaa...I wouldn't a eat the Easter Bunny..

I would!...Which way did he go? Which way did he go?

I said "together"...we're suppose to walk together...

Like the two behind us...

No...they're not fattening...

Where's da BEEF?

Hot dog...You're eating a HOT DOG...

Mmmmmm just one bite...Pleeeeeeeeease?

A heart shaped balloon?

Well maybe one little guy wasn't so thrilled with the festivities...

"Well... at least I get my picture taken"...

Old and The New

2010-03-27T23:48:00.000-04:00

I have always loved watching bellydancers...They have always intrieged me the way they move to the music ( which has always intrieged me as well)...I once came apon a nightclub on Powell St. in San Francico back in 1977 that featured bellydancers...It was only block or so away from the Sir Francis Drake Hotel were I was staying...They allowed customers to photographer these exotic dancers so I went back to my hotel and got one of my cameras...and photographed them...Columbia has several women who love to bellydance...They some times dance in the Vista at the Art Bar...I took some photos there in 2007...Please compare...
(also check out the photo in my archives on Friday, Dec. 18, 2009)

American Goldfinch

2010-03-24T10:23:00.000-04:00

My bird feeder has been a busy landing spot lately...I photographed some American Goldfinches chowing down yesterday...

Last Nightime Space Launch

2010-03-23T07:23:00.000-04:00

This was sent to me by my friend David S. (He did not take the picture)...

The picture was taken in Ponte Vedra from the top of the i-210 bridge crossing the intracoastal looking south towards St, Augustine and Cape Canaveral.

Whoever took it got up very early and took this picture of the last nighttime space shuttle launch and was kind enough to share with his co-workers and whomever else would appreciate the beauty of the space launch.

The picture was taken using a tri-pod and the elapsed time for the picture was several minutes in order to get the full fire-trail (this is why the stars are little lines instead of dots).

Monday, February 8, 2010 @ 4:14 am

Top of the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge in Ponte Vedra, FL

115 Miles from the launch

34 Degrees outside!

Little Dog Lost

2010-03-21T11:51:00.000-04:00

Here's a cartoon I came across this AM which signifys my feelings exactly...

Single and Sociable...

2010-03-17T15:30:00.000-04:00

If you are single and sociable...then you can find a group of like-folks at the Columbia Senior Center near Five Points...They meet once a week and join forces to attend various functions in Columbia and the surrounding area that are fun to go to...You know...dances...plays... picnics...you name it...

First of course is buisness...They take time to plan their coming days, weeks, and even months...(Want to go on a cruise?)

But when the business is done...Bam! Out the door and onto a restaurant of their choice...This Tuesday night they were going to Buffalo Wild Wings...They called for reservations...(No dice..they didn't take reservations)...when we got there we could see why...The place was packed!!!

So...they went to plan "B"...and that was...Ruby Tuesdays was right next door..."HURRAH"...and that's where they landed...

BonAppetite...Tres Bien!

The previous week we met and partied at a members house and roasted hotdogs and marshmellows...

Dylan Sneed and Chuck Brodsky at the UU Coffee House

2010-03-15T22:28:00.000-04:00

We went to the UU Coffee House last Saturday night...It is held in the Universal Unitarian Church...They have a host of musicians and song writers thereand the ambiance of the gathering is phenominal...A fun place to be...This particualar night we heard and saw two arists...Dylan Sneed and Chuck Brodsky...Both of them had distinctive styles and both were good...very good...

Rose Chiu ...Watercolorist

2010-03-12T23:49:00.000-05:00

Columbia has been been blessed this week with the presence of a very gifted artist by the name of Rose Chiu...She hails from Taiwan and has a fantastic art exhibit at the Richland County Library on Assembly Street...Her work is fresh and inspiring...If you have a chance...don't miss seeing it...

Linda Z. and Ms. Chiu and I...

Sketch Artist at work

2010-03-10T15:16:00.000-05:00

A young man named David gave me a photo he took of me during a festival last year...The artist looks quite "Dapper" in his beret and his posies...hehe

This young lady who I sketched previously decided to draw my lady friend and I ...She did quite well...Don't you think?

View of Columbia

2010-03-04T21:16:00.000-05:00

I have always liked Columbia's skyline...and driving east on the Jarvas Klapman Highway towards it is always a pleasure...I've taken this shot many times and I think this is one of the better ones...On the left side of the pix is a frontage road that I once lived on (in the '60s) ...My wife Nancy and I bought ( made payments on) a two bedroom bungalow for 7 thousand dollars on a quarter acre of land...From our side porch, we had a wonderful view of Columbia...Alas, the family grew and we had sell the house and we headed west...(not to California though...) just west of where we were living...

Penny the Poser...

2010-03-03T10:16:00.000-05:00

Last night my friend Penny and her daughter Dede and my old friend Jerry went to the About Face Session at the Art Museum where Penny posed for the portrait group...It was a cold and blustery night (and a promise of snow) so not many of the group were there...But we had a lot of fun painting Penny...

About Face Session

2010-02-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

We had a very lovely model last night at the portrait session of the About Face Group...The group was started several years ago for artists of all mediums to practice working from a live model...We have no insructor but we learn from each other..What is handy about having a laptop is the fact that you can alter photos in Photoshop as I did with my portrait here...I thought thelower part of my portrait was'nt correct so I worked on it and came up with what you see here...Of course the painting itself still looks the same but I can repaint it if I so desire...

The Oyster Rules...

2010-02-20T14:30:00.000-05:00

That means...the oyster is supreme....Raw ...Steamed...or Deep Fried...If you have come to know oysters then you have arrived...And we (my nephews and I )came to know em last night....Hmmmmmmm Yummy

About Face...

2010-02-17T09:53:00.000-05:00

There is a wonderful group of artists who meet in the basement of our art museum once a week to paint and draw potraits from a live model...They call their group..."About Face"...Last night that live model wore a yellow cap and a bright red scarf... Check out their work...

More Snow Pix

2010-02-14T22:35:00.000-05:00

Big Snow of 2010

2010-02-14T22:21:00.000-05:00

We had 4 to 8 inches of snow the other night...Here's how my road looked at 9 AM....

Be My Valentine...

2010-02-14T12:40:00.000-05:00

Ya...hooooooooo...I received a Valentine today...

from a secret admirer...hehe

Happy Valentine's Day to all my lady friends out there...I love you guys...

More Zoo Pix

2010-02-11T07:51:00.000-05:00

I have been looking at other photographer's web sites recently and they have prompted me to show more of my own work...So I went back to some of my zoo pix which I enjoy...I hope you do too...

Love Birds?

She was a delight to watch...

I caught this one through a window...

Some kind of plant called a"Paper Tree"?

You know you're getting old...

2010-02-09T22:54:00.000-05:00

when you bake your own cake for your 74th birthday party and because you have nothing to decorate it with...you decide to use a spoon and write your age in to the icing with it ...AND...you add 10 years to your age...hehe

Thanks to my daughter, Sandra and my son-in-law, Mike and my grand children...I had a very nice party...