Bamacowboy's Hideout

I Drove up to Nashville yesterday to see my friend, Dan. Last time I actually spent any time shooting in Nashville was over a dozen years ago and I got so lost that day that I don’t think I got a single shot. Dan showed me around a few of the nicer spots in town.

The calendar may still think it is winter for a few more days, but the weather, flowers and people in the parks clearly believed it is spring if not summer. With temps already hitting the 80s no telling how high the thermometer is going to go this summer. So hoping to enjoy a few more days like yesterday. While some flowers still have not woken from their winter slumber plenty were looking beautiful already. Even the storm that popped up was useful as a backdrop to the people, buildings and other scenes I saw around town.

First we spent some time at the Tennessee Agricultural Museum gorgeous place that I WILL be going back to. Then we went to The Parthenon at Centennial Park. Then we found a few spots to shoot the skyline. We drove by where he used to work Paul C Buff Pro Photo Lighting and Paul’s Different Strokes Art Gallery. Last spot was we went to Marathon Village where Antique Archeology’s Nashville store (American Pickers) is located. It was so crowded and we were not positive that it was the right spot so we went on by.

Here is one of the shots from my Nashville Road trip The Batman Tower aka ATT building

Between March 26 and 30th our hosting company is doing some major upgrades and service may be limited for a few minutes. Everything should be behind the scenes, but there may be some visible glitches.

Spent most of last week driving through Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas and Southern California. Not sure where all going to go while out here in California or on the way home, but sure there will be one or two more large albums full of shots from the road. Drove out here so Dad and I can spend Christmas with my younger Brother Brian, his wife Maggie and boys. Plan to do a little sight seeing around the area as well as on the way home. Depending on the Weather plan on taking pretty much the same route home except instead of Oklahoma, Tennessee and Arkansas going to head east from Texas through Louisiana in to Mississippi on home. Along with larger version of the shot below from Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu have 4 pages of over 100 shots from Arkansas to California.

Malibu, CA

I just posted two new folders with around 100 photos total from yesterday’s 2011 Bob Jones HS Homecoming Parade. I have lived in Madison almost all of my 37 years and even if the leaves are not falling can always tell Fall is here when hear the BJHS Marching band starting off the Homecoming parade.

Wednesday night when the sun went down it was still pretty warm and felt like summer, but Autumn came in roaring. A heavy storm that luckily was more bark than bite around here. It lit up the sky for a few hours and drastically dropped the temps. Luckily when the sun came up everything was pretty much way it was when the sun went down with the exception of being wetter and colder. It was looking a little nasty at first, but middle of the afternoon sun popped bout out and it was a gorgeous day for the parade. Tonight the 3-0 Patriots will have the 1-2 Grissom Tigers out of Huntsville coming to town.

Bob Jones HS Homecoming Court 2011

 Bob Jones HS Homecoming Parade 2011

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Here is a good tip for those that don’t already know about it. Instead of breaking the bank buying dozens of various cleaning supplies just get a gallon of white vinegar and a spray bottle.

Well may not have been my typical start to a weekend, but I had to do some heavy and I do mean HEAVY cleaning today. With everything that has been going on past few months I have stayed fairly busy and cleaning had been cut way back. Last night after dinner was so tired didn’t even rinse dishes. We made a Taco and Nacho bar last night. Shredded American and Cheddar, refried beans, sliced black olives, Jalapeños, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, taco shells and corn chips. So I had a lot of dirty dishes. Add that the dishwasher was half full to begin with knew I was in for a job.

Before turning the dishwasher on I remembered a few things needed to be done. So I made fresh batches of Gatorade, Lemonade and tea. Luckily I also remembered the extra cheese I shredded. Last few times we have had tacos I shredded too much cheese, still not used to cooking for just 2. Last night I made extra on purpose because we had pimentos on hand and dad and I love pimento spread sandwiches or even just on crackers. Once I got that all done I rewashed the processor and loaded the dishwasher.

Once I got dishes washed and loaded in dishwasher I decided to tackle cleaning the kitchen from top to bottom. I started off around the sink. We just got a new storage rack last month and have slowly been organizing the kitchen. Did a little more moving stuff to it as well as tossing out some stuff. Actually can find stuff again with counter space clear enough to actually use. Once I got things cleared off started scrubbing on the counter.

We have an old laminate counter top. Not sure how old it is, but our house is almost 50 years old and we have lived here over 36 and it has never been replaced. Add in that both my parents smoked heavily for 30 of those years and all the grease that flies around in a kitchen they were discolored pretty bad. Scrubbing with soap and water was getting the counter clean, but was still yellowed with age. I had one area soap and water was not doing the job. I grabbed my bottle of vinegar instead of one of the more toxic cleaners to see if it would do the job. I was shocked at how easily it was coming clean. Not just clean it was literally changing colors before my eyes from a dingy yellow back to  white.

Once it was done I tackled the rough area. The counter next to the stove where we also use one of those counter top skillets was filthy. Grease seems to find it’s way everywhere on it. I had to use a little elbow grease, about a half quart of vinegar and scrub pad. When I was almost done I showed dad and even he was shocked at how clean it was coming. Literally cleaner than he could remember.

Don’t get me wrong, mom always kept a clean house. Even when she was working two jobs after dad got sick back in the early to mid 90s and we took over most of the cleaning. On her off day when she got one she usually spent it scrubbing the house top to bottom. Even after she got sick she supervised us making sure things got cleaned way she liked it. Not sure if she didn’t know what a great cleaner Vinegar truly is or just forgot and had got convinced by all the sales pitches from the millions of cleaning supplies flooding the stores.

Thanks to the web I have found dozens of the uses for Vinegar. There is even a book about the millions of uses for it.  First one I learned back in science class years ago, cleaning tarnished metals. Add a little baking soda and it will literally eat away the tarnish. Of course be careful what you use that one on because it can also damage the metals. Lot of folks use on coins and silverware, but it can actually damage them and lower their value as the aging on them does less to lower their value than a destructive cleaning.

Second use, I found out that it works great for Sunburn relief. It pulls the fire out and along with aloe Vera really helps a mild to moderately severe burn. Use a spray bottle to mist the burned area or dab with paper towel soaked in it. Definitely use the paper towel technique on your face because spraying it into your eyes will cause lot more pain than the sunburn. I leaned this one after a pretty severe sunburn a few years back and posted about it in more detail at “Love summer but hate sunburns”

Since I already talked about how well it works at cutting grease, cleaning dirt, grime, tobacco stains and pretty much anything else will find on counters or floors so no need of talking about it. So on to next to last thing I have found it is good for. While vinegar does not have the most pleasant smell unlike a lot of deodorizers it doesn’t mask smells it actually gets rid of them. Whether it is smoke, spoiled food or other musky smells I have found it really works. After the tornadoes that knocked the power out in most of the Huntsville area had quite a bit of food spoiled despite best efforts. I had to do a heavy clean on fridge and freezer, but nothing could get rid of that smell from them being without power for 5 days luckily temps were cooler than had been or would have been worse. I knew it worked on cigarette smoke similar to commercial air cleaners. Washed the shelves and drawers and sprayed them and the walls and wiped down. Few hours was good as new.

After how well it cleaned the counters I tried it on few other things. It did  a good job on the shower walls and a decent job on the tub. Not sure if it was because the smell did not get to me as bad as other spray cleaners or just it, but definitely was able to get it cleaner than normal. Still did not get it spotless, but I was so exhausted need to tackle it again later this weekend or early next week. I also checked to see how well it worked on glass and plastic glass. Oven door as well as eye glasses it did a real good job.

As good a cleaner as it is few best reasons to use it are not only does it cost less than most cleaners it replaces several. Instead of a cabinet full of cleaners that cost over $100 total only need a gallon bottle that can get for a dollar or two. Another selling factor is it is not toxic. So you can use it pretty much anywhere and everywhere. While it does not have a very pleasant smell it smells a lot better than most cleaners and many air fresheners. More so don’t have to worry about it messing up your lungs. I have lung problems and I am able to clean for hours using it while most others I have to take breaks every 5 minutes with windows open and fan going.

I had a handful of random shots that didn’t really fit in anywhere. I decided to create a new album just for them. I will probably add more as the summer goes on and no telling what all will wind up in there. Majority of the photos right now are from Family Reunion July 2nd and are also on www.TurnerFamilyAlbum.com along with a few extremely random shots. Photos from our garden, Test shot from club concert as well as photos from the 4th of July.

Family Reunion

As much as I love photography I love aviation, especially Military aircraft, even more. Friday I had to drive dad to Birmingham’s VA Hospital. After we left the VA we drove by the Airport and I got quite a few shots of the outdoor exhibits at the Southern Museum of Flight. This here may not be the best shot of the day, but it is of my favorite aircraft.

This Plane goes by a lot of names. This particular one is a RFD-6Q (Radar Countermeasures), but no matter what designation they went by they all rolled out of the Douglas factory as a variation of the DC-3 Gooneybird. My first time around the majestic Gooneybird was at Redstone Airfield where dad spent nearly half of his 21 years in the Army. I remember well the  C-47 Gooneybirds in MICOM (Missile Command) colors. Them along with my absolute favorite the CV-2B Caribou with the MICOM shield on the side were the most beautiful things to me especially when I saw them flying.

I was 5 years old when dad retired from the Army and I only visited the airfield a few times after he retired. I am not sure when they got rid of them, but I oftent hought about them over the years. When I was in my mid 20s I really got an up close and personal relationship with the Gooneybird.

Growing up I always dreamed of being a pilot due to various reasons closest I have come was being a forklift driver loading and unloading auto parts  on various aircraft and trailer trucks. While I never got to ride on one due to bad luck and timing I loaded and unloaded hundreds at Huntsville international Airport’s freight transfer yard. The one plane that came in the most was a Douglas DC-3 flying out of Canada. It had been modified since it rolled off the line, but nothing unusal about that. The Unusual part about the DC-3 Gooneybird is they have been flying almost since Orville and Wilbur took that first flight at Kitty Hawk. The first DC-3 flew 76 years ago on the 32nd Anniversary of the Wright Brother’s flight. Out of the more than 16,000 built in the 30s and 40s as of 1998 over 400 were still flying and the oldest one still flying today was built in 1936.

During World War 2 one of the many jobs it did was 102 US Army C-47s took part in the Berlin Airlift hauling over 300tons of food and supplies daily. During Korea and Vietnam it did everything from haul troops and cargo to strapping on some guns changing it to a AC-47 Spooky able of putting a 20mm slug in every square foot of a football field with a 3-second burst from its three electrically operated miniguns. These days they aren’t used much for hauling people or laying down fire, but several still get a work out hauling cargo round the world. Like the old saying goes you can crash a GooneyBird, but you can’t wear em out. When we are lucky to find a car that will last 20 years it is amazing to think of an aircraft still in the air as more than a flying Museum over 75 years after it rolled out of the factory. With the DC-3 I would not be surprised to see them still being workhorses in 2035 on the 100th anniversary of their first flight.

Dad started out July in the hospital with Pneumonia. He went the previous Sunday evening by ambulance and they released him. Wednesday he had to get another ride and this time they sent him to MICU for a couple days. He got out just in time for our annual Family Reunion on the 2nd and I think the day out at the park was just what he needed. While it wore him out and he missed church that Sunday he was getting better. He did not do much on the 4th, but meds kicked in and the next day he was up and running. On the 7th the weather was too hot to do anything around the house and we needed some exercise. Instead of us staying inside in front of the TV we decided to head to Athens to the Alabama Veterans Museum.

Alabama Veteran's Museum Athens Alabama

Dad’s Uncle is one of the folks that provide informative tours around the museum. So that was one more reason we had been planning to go for ages. Located in the old L&N Freight Depot west of US 31 and north of US 72 it is way too close for us to have taken this long to go. Now that we have finally gone and see what all they have we definitely plan to go back.

They have items covering US Military history from the Revolutionary war to the current Military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. They literally have more items than they have room to showcase with stuff from the floor to ceiling corner to corner. Many of the items have been donated by service members or their families in honor of them. Some of the items even came from folks that served with my dad and folks that I know or knew.

With a major interest in American and Military history it was a very fun day for me. I knew a lot of the stories behind many of the items, but I still learned a lot. They have tea bricks like the ones dumped in Boston Harbor on December 17, 1773. Two full cases of guns from the different eras. Documents, Maps and tons of photos and artwork. One of the more interesting things for me was seeing the different uniforms from a Colonial Minute Man’s to a fallen Marine’s Desert BDU worn in Iraq. Most of the museums I have gone to are a lot larger with bigger bank accounts so they have ton of floor space with mostly large items, Trucks, Tanks, Planes, Missiles and more. You won’t find many of those items here, but you will find a lot more personal history since many of the folks featured were local men and women that served  and often paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Back on June 17th, Dad and I decided to go get him a new recliner for Fathers Day and made a day out of it. We drove up to Story & Lee Furniture in Leoma, Tn www.StoryandLee.com Have to give them a quick shout out because they truly are worth the drive. Friendly folks, great inventory and pretty good prices for the quality. Hopefully we won’t have to replace any furniture soon, but when we are ready for something new will head back up there.

We took the long way up there and decided to take the even longer way home. We decided to go to Florence to see dad’s brother. I dropped him off and headed on in to Tuscumbia for some shooting.

Cold Water Falls Tuscumbia, Al

The photos from Big Spring Park, Cold water Falls, the Colbert County Courthouse and downtown Tuscumbia have been on line a few weeks. I first went to downtown Tuscumbia about a decade ago for same reason, to do some shooting. Back then Big spring park looked a lot different. I have gone back since Cold Water Falls, The largest man made water fall in the world, was built. Unfortunately that was almost a decade ago and at the time they were still improving the park. Now they have a water feature made out of 50 fountains that spray over 40 ft in the air and a center one that shoots over 100 ft in the air. The fountains are set to dance to music playing through out the park over a PA system and at night they are lighted as well. They put in one of those kiddie trains that runs around the park lot of fun for the kids, but also good way to see what all the park really has. While majority of the park is like most others with a few memorial monuments, including a 325 million year old  petrified tree stump donated by my uncle in memory of my cousin Leslie, they also have some fun items for the kids during the summer and a couple of restaurants.

A lot has been going on this year and I have got behind on posting some recent photos as well as blogging. I have added a few new sets and instead of a super long post about all of them I am going to split it up into a few.

I have been trying to shoot a lot more often lately and back in April I upgraded my camera with a new Pentax Kr since I could see that my current camera a 5 year old Pentax IST DL was starting to have problems that would cost more to repair than replace. The Kr may not be as great as some of the more expensive cameras running round, but it was a good step up from my 6 megapixel DSLR and from what I have seen is great camera that I am loving.

Cold water Falls

UPS delievered it on Friday April 29. Luckily the battery that came with it as well as the 2 spares I ordered were fully charged. After the tornados that hit North Alabama on Wednesday the 27th we did not get power back until Sunday the 1st of May. So I was afraid it would just collect dust for no telling how long and I had a few things to shoot that weekend.

I did not get out and shoot any of the storm damage. That is not my type of shooting. Just driving through some of the areas made me sick to my stomach, but I did shoot a lot with it that week after reading the manual so by the time power came back on batteries were ready for a charge. With so much going on the next several weeks I did not get much free time until the middle of June. In the past 6 weeks I have shot about double what I did the previous 6 weeks; Random stuff around the house and town, Downtown Tuscumbia, Family Reunion, few concerts, Fireworks, Veterans Museum and trip to Birmingham’s Aviation Museum. If I am able will be heading to an outdoor concert Monday week. Currently I am looking for a few new models to work with for www.DBatesPhoto.com and my mature portfolio www.DBatesPhoto18up.com. I am planning a group model shoot tentatively planned for Early October. I am pretty sure that I will have least one if not more trips back to the VA hospital in Birmingham that I plan to use to my advantage and swing by few places down there. If half my plans come together will be doing a lot more shoots to add here and to the rest of the Southern Shots websites. So be sure to keep an eye out for a lot more updates this year.