Monday, November 30, 2009

Cold drizzle

The Lady Mocs lost their first conference game to Samford 74-52.

Today was back to the usual routine of swimming, Walmart, and bridge. I didn't even have to get much at Walmart. And the cards were pretty crappy. Oh, well - I guess it takes a little time to get things back to normal.

It is turning into winter. It was a raw, blustery day - high of 54, and drizzle.
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There is all sorts of abandoned machinery along the Erie Canal.

 
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Sunday, November 29, 2009

A bonus recipe

CRANBERRY CHUTNEY

1 (16oz) can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (Tabasco, etc.)
2 tablespoons molasses
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Place all ingredients in a heavy-bottom sauce pan and bring gently to a boil. Simmer for 25 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. Cool. Bottle and store in refrigerator. Great with turkey, pork, or any meat - or on biscuits. Keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Happy Birthday, John (3/4)

Margaret left fairly early, after having done the beds, and loaded up with a bunch of leftovers. We finished up putting stuff away - food, dishes, linens, etc. I did the usual laundry, plus all the extra towels and table linens. Other than that, this was a day of recuperation - football and basketball games, and getting caught up with some of the TV programs we recorded over the weekend.

Plus it's John's birthday. As he says, he's now 3/4 old. He got a bunch of cards, e-mail messages, Facebook messages, and phone calls - always fun.

Next week, we'll pretty much get back to what we laughingly call normal.
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These are some local residents along the Erie Canal.

 
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Saturday, November 28, 2009

Thanksgiving Day + 2 = the Real One

We've had a great day - long and busy, but great. We had some many of our great family and friends with us at one time or another, plus the standard Thanksgiving dishes (which we love) - turkey and dressing, gravy, sweet potatoes, squash casserole, green bean casserole, scalloped oysters, various pickles and veggies, cranberries (sauce, relish & chutney), wine, dessert, and coffee. It's a good thing we do this only one time a year.

I do have to say that the country ham we fixed for Friday was one of the best we've ever done. It was SO tender and sweet.

I ran the dishwasher three times today. The first one was a short wash - just dessert from last night plus breakfast. But we could only get a little more than half from the big dinner today - so I ran it once, then emptied it and put the rest of the stuff in.

John and Margaret went up to the Lady Vols/UCLA game this afternoon, so they didn't get the "good stuff" until they got home about 7.

Mostly good ballgames - UT beat KY, SC beat Clemson, LSU beat Arkansas, the Lady Vols beat UCLA. Unfortunately Auburn lost and the Lady Mocs lost. Oh, well.....

I'm really tired (imagine that!) and am heading off to bed shortly. Margaret is the only one still here. The others have all gone, so they're not on the road tomorrow (the terrible travel day). They've checked in, and got home safely.
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Heading west on the Erie Canal.

 
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Thanksgiving + 1 = Country Ham

John carved the ham this morning. I don't know whether it was the ham or the cooking, but there must have a convergence of sorts - this is one of the best hams we've ever had. Much YUM!

We had a great midday dinner (ham, corn, mashed potatoes, fruit, raw veggies, etc.) Then some of the folks headed out for the Tennessee/College of Charleston basketball game (men) (Tennessee won).

All the prep got done for the turkey cooking tomorrow. The dressing is made, the bird is stuffed. Again, we'll be having an early meal, so folks can go to a Lady Vols game or head home Saturday evening. There will be much less traffic on Saturday than on Sunday, so they want to avoid the bad stuff.

Has anybody seen the movie, "Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing and Charm School"? Jean brought it, and those left at home watched it. It's a delightful little movie with an amazing cast. Check it out if you get the chance.
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This is the dock at Lyons, NY. Our boat, Freedom, is the small one with the red hull.

 
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Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving

It's been a lovely day! It so great to have the family coming in and out - even if they don't stay long. And we got to visit with Jesse only by phone - but that's a treat anyway!

Today, we had our traditional Thanksgiving lasagna - and even had some leftovers from that. But that's some of the best eating - the leftovers.

If you're one of the day-after-Thanksgiving shoppers, have a good day tomorrow. Personally, I wouldn't go anywhere near a store on Black Friday.

I hope everybody had a good day today, and gave some special thought to all the good things in our lives - the things we usually take for granted.
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Today's photo was taken in Lyons, NY.

 
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Too sleepy

I'm just too sleepy tonight - so I'm off to bed for a little reading and some good sleep-time.

I did get a bunch of chopping, mixing, and assembling stuff today.

This photo is a street in Lyons, NY.

 
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Another grey day - heading to Thanksgiving

Today was another gloomy chilly day today. I had to go back to Walmart today to get the few things I had forgotten yesterday. Yuck! But I got there about 8, so it wasn't too bad.

I went by the bank and got the cash I needed for our Xmas presents for the girls and grands. I have always written checks, but it's been a hassle. Since we'll be seeing at least all the parents this weekend, and most of the grands, I'm comfortable with getting the envelopes to them directly. It's certainly easier that way, and now it's done! (Oops, sorry - now you know what you're getting for Xmas.)

I got a little bit of "cooking" done this afternoon - made the dips for snacks. I'll get most of the stuff that I can do ahead of time tomorrow afternoon and Thursday morning. It's supposed to be cold enough Friday night that I'll be able to use the big walk-in refrigerator (the screened porch).

I'm always tired when I finish the cooking for Thanksgiving, but we do spread it out over three days. AND, I've finally learned to sort of pace myself in the preparations. And there is so much good help.
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Today's photo is the courthouse in Lyons, NY.

 
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Monday, November 23, 2009

Plays well with others...Grade F

Betsy sent me a copy of this commentary from The Texas Tribune. I wanted to share this Dave McNeely piece about the talk by Lyndon Olson.

Lyndon Olson: Disagree, Without Being Disagreeable


Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Dave McNeely

Perhaps it takes a former American diplomat to raise the question: why has our political discourse become so uncivil?

Lyndon Olson, the popular former Waco state representative and later Ambassador to Sweden, said many of those on the political stump and airwaves would draw failing marks if they were in the first grade.

“I'm not talking about your arithmetic or reading or penmanship grades,” Olson said, in a speech at the Center for Public Policy Priorities annual Legacy Luncheon in Austin on Thursday ((11/12/09)).

“I'm talking about the comportment column, with things such as ‘Exercises self-control; Respects the rights of others; Shows kindness and consideration for others; Indicates willingness to cooperate; Uses handkerchief (important even before the H1N1 virus).’

“And,” Olson said, “my favorite was usually right up at the top of that six-week report card, and it’s of particular significance to our discussion: ‘Plays well with others.’

In first grade, “We were being taught about and graded on one of the most fundamental skills of our civilization: how to get along with others,” Olson told the high-powered audience of about 500. “There is a reason that ‘Plays well with others’ was one of the first things we were taught and evaluated on.”

Olson’s wasn’t the message one might expect from this year’s honoree of a group that strives to improve public policies to help those at the bottom of the economic food chain,.

But Olson -- lauded by people across the political spectrum for his compassion, generosity, humor, and yes, civility – said he thought the subject was too important to ignore.

“Where did all this come from?” he asked. Those over age 40 “grew up in a political world with strong feelings and positions, yes. And we took swings at each other politically. But it didn't come down to the moral equivalent of street brawls and knife fights.

“Politics has always been a contact sport, but the conflict didn't permeate every aspect of our society and rise to today’s level of social and verbal hostility,” Olson said.

“It is very unhealthy,” Olson said. “And I'm not sure what to do about it. But I know it when I see it and hear it. And I know it is time we focus as much attention on our civil behavior as we do on achieving our personal and partisan agendas. . . .

“We live in an era of rudeness, in society in general, in the popular culture, and in our political life. Our culture today, in fact, rewards incivility, crudeness, and cynicism,” Olson said. “You can get on TV, get your own talk show or reality series if you out-shout and offend the other guy.

“Everyone screams, no one listens. We produce a lot of heat but little light,” Olson said. “People don’t just disagree; the challenge to the other is a battle to the death,” Olson said.

“Character assassination, verbal abuse, obnoxious behavior, and an overbearing attention on scandal and titillation – all that isn’t just reserved to day-time TV anymore,” Olson said. “It’s the currency of prime-time, of late night, of cable news, of the Internet, and of society in general.”

He blamed a 24-hour news cycle that feeds “controversy, scandal, and easy answers to difficult questions. . . . instantaneous information and jarring entertainment values, not sober analysis or wisdom.”

Olson said much of the loss of civil, non-hostile discourse is due to a combination of much of the media “more prone to focus on the loudest, the most outrageous, and the most partisan actors, (and) the rise of the political consultant class.

“Candidates and campaigns are louder,more outrageous, and mega-partisan. Political consultants have helped create a permanent campaign, where politics takes precedence over governance. The political consultants (are) paid handsomely to cause strife and create conflict in orderto raise hackles, money, and attention, fomenting issues to suit their agenda.

“It's all about the message,” Olson said, “not the solution, not the negotiation, the debate, the compromise to move forward.”

The audience included a former governor, two former lieutenant governors, several present and former Texas legislators, two sitting members of Congress, and another former ambassador and Olson’s friend from their six years in the Texas House of Representatives: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Schieffer, for whom Olson is campaign treasurer.

Olson called on his audience to help seek ways to upgrade public discourse.

“If civil discourse self-destructs,” he said, “we cannot move on the issues that really matter.”

# # #

For a video of Olson’s speech, and a written transcript, go to: http://www.cppp.org/events/event_details.php?eid=229

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Getting ready

It was yucky all day here - the high hovered around 50, and it rained or drizzled constantly. The soup I made surely did taste good!

We did manage to accomplish the planned chores. I surely am getting a long list for Walmart for tomorrow - just the usual stuff for the cooking. It's been fun reading the comic strip Cathy this week. She's looking for holiday hints from her mother and mother-in-law. The mothers keep talking about recipes they get on line and short cuts and frozen stuff, and today decide that they can order everything from a local restaurant. I haven't quite gotten to that yet, but I surely do things the easy way. So far, this is one time I really enjoy cooking. I guess it's because I don't have to make any decisions - the menu has been set for a long time.

I always love to photograph windows, and this reflection abstraction was irresistible.

 
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Saturday, November 21, 2009

Getting started

And now it's time to start the Thanksgiving prep. We're getting more of a handle on who's going to be here and when and for how long...always subject to change, of course.

Today, I made some soup for dinner tomorrow and moved the turkey from the freezer to the fridge. And I made some of the dill oyster crackers. I'm tentatively planning to have lasagna on Thursday night, country ham on Friday, and the turkey/fixings on Saturday. This, too, is always subject to change. Plus leftovers, naturally.

We've definitely decided to sign up for the Rice Alumni trip to Iceland next summer. And then, we need to decide about what else we can do after that. We always think we need to make our flights count.

Today's photo is the stern of Freedom, with the captain's seat and the wheel.

 
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Friday, November 20, 2009

Secondhand Lions

I got involved watching Secondhand Lions (one of our favorites!), and clear forgot to write.

How about some geese flying south over the Erie Canal!

 
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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Lady Mocs 57, UGA 74

Today was lots busier than our usual Thursday. Our regular lunch group seems to have fizzled out - the last time we were there, nobody else showed up. So we decided to go to a second day of bridge from 10-1 today. It's a nice group of folks - some of he same ones we play with on Mondays. Unfortunately, the cards went from mediocre to bad. Oh, well.

A new Mexican restaurant has opened near the mall and civic center, so we decided to try it out for lunch after bridge. It was good - and we're pleased to have a good Mexican place near the house.

Home for a little bit, and then we headed back out for basketball. Our Lady Mocs played the Lady Bulldogs of Georgia. The gals did pretty good in the first half - leading by three points at half-time. Unfortunately, we had to come back for the second half. The Georgia coach obviously got their attention at half-time, because UGA pretty much took control in the second half. The final score was 74-57, with UGA ahead. Oh, well - on to the next one.

We "ate out" again for supper..we stopped at Burger King for carryout on the way home from the game.

Can you find the great blue heron in today's reflection?

 
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Sunny and cool!

Today turned off SO pretty. It was cold and drizzly all day yesterday, and still yucky early this morning. Butn then the sun came out early, and it's been nice. It's down in the 40s now, though.

At least the pool was open this morning. I don't know what the problem was that caused it to be closed Monday and Tuesday. But we all do hate missing our exercise class and the social aspect.

We watched TCM's repeat of the Johnny Mercer special (The Dream's on Me) tonight. That's a great program, and we certainly enjoy all his wonderful music.

I got started on the Thanksgiving planning and cooking today. I got the cranberry chutney made. We'll start the country ham soaking on Sunday, and probably cook it on Thursday. Our main dinner will be on Saturday, I guess.

Today's photo is more Erie Canal Reflections.

 
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Just a photo

Just a photo tonight - Rushes along the Erie Canal.

 
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Monday, November 16, 2009

Too much chlorine?

When we got to the Y this morning, we found out the pool was closed - something to do with the chlorine. Turns out it was closed last night. It's a shame that they didn't bother to call the instructors so they could call/e-mail the students. But our leader is trying to get them to do that in the future. Some of the group still went to Panera for coffee. That's always fun, and I got to Walmart early. I had mostly pretty good cards today at bridge, so that was nice.

Today's photo is an old railroad bridge over the Erie Canal.

 
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Sunday, November 15, 2009

It's time for basketball!

Women's college basketball is underway - finally. The Lady Vols beat Baylor 74-65. The Lady Mocs beat Austin Peay 76-66.

The wonderful program, "Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me", is going to be rerun on TCM on Wednesday night, starting at 6 p.m. ET. This is to be followed by "The Harvey Girls". November 2009 would have been Johnny Mercer's 100th birthday, so TCM is having Johnny Mercer night on Wednesdays this month. Check your listings.
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Motoring down the Erie Canal.

 
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Saturday, November 14, 2009

Next to Nothing

Today, I did pretty much what I had planned...next to nothing!

I got my hair cut - the haircut that didn't happen on Thursday. I got the scarf pinned down for blocking.

For a special treat, I watched all of Oklahoma, uncut on TCM.

And I read and knitted and that was about it.

Lovely!

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If you didn't see Bill Moyer's Journal Friday night, you missed a really good program. We had it recorded, and watched it tonight. Almost the entire program was an interview with Anna Deveare Smith. She has a play at the Second Stage Theater in Manhattan entitled "Let Me Down Easy". You can CLICK HERE for the web site, and listen to the interview online. Smith is terrific!

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Another plug to go to CNN Heroes to vote for Jordan Thomas from Chattanooga for CNN's Hero of the Year.

Friday, November 13, 2009

A Great Friday!

I've had the best time last night and today. Our Friends of the Library annual meeting was today, and our speaker was Allan Stypeck of Second Story Books in Washington, DC, and one of the NPR Book Guys.

John and I picked him up last night at the airport, took him to his B&B, and took him to dinner. What a delightful story-filled man he is. We had a great evening, talking constantly. I picked him up this morning to take to the luncheon. His talk was great - all about how he got into the used/rare books business and why he stays in it. Plus he did some appraisals of books that folks brought in for him. Hearing how that process works was fascinating.

I was so glad that I had been asked to undertake the "chore" of being his guide and chauffeur while he was here. And I really hated to leave him off at the airport. We'll surely go by his store the next time we're in DC.

The day finished up with the Chattanooga Symphony. There was a guest conductor - another candidate for the position of Music Director/Conductor. This was a young man from Australia. He seemed to be very personable and interacted well with the orchestra members and the audience. It's expected to take at least a year or so to choose the new Director.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

A Day in Three Parts

Part 1: The guys from EPB came about 8:15 or so to install our new fiberoptic bundle. They finished up with the installation in about 1 1/2 hours, and then watched for another half-hour while we talked with the tech guy at EPB, getting the mail to download through John's Windows e-mail program. We had one small glitch because I had not gotten the e-mail address correct, but we got it straightened out.

Part 2: We decided to go to the Thursday lunch, and drove over there - but nobody else showed up. We skipped lunch there, and went to the other side of town to get our haircuts. I had gotten the time wrong, and Rose wasn't there (not my day). So we headed on home. A nonproductive circuit of town. I got the address book copied into the new e-mail program, and sent out a change of address e-mail.

Part 3: I was due to pick up Allan Stypeck, the speaker for the Friends of the Library annual meeting. John and I met him at the airport and took him in to his B&B downtown. He got settled into his room, and then we took him out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. He's a delightful man, and we talked easily about family and travels and activities. After dinner, I drove him around downtown Chattanooga for a bit, and then took him back to his "home". I'm looking forward to hearing him speak tomorrow.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

A more normal Wednesday

Today was a much more normal day - nothing much going on. Headed into another couple of busy days, though.

Our Friends of the Library annual meeting is Friday. The speaker is coming in tomorrow afternoon. I'm picking him up at the airport and will be taking him to his B&B, and then out to dinner. Plus, I'll be his chauffeur on Friday, too - getting him to the luncheon, and then to the airport to get his return flight.

I've exchanged a couple of e-mails with him, and am looking forward to meeting him. He's Allan Stypek, who was one of The Book Guys on NPR. He now has a used and rare book store in Washington, DC.

And then we have symphony tickets for the concert on Friday night. John and Margaret will be going to Knoxville to a Lady Vols exhibition game on Sunday. So I think I'll pretty much do nothing over the weekend.
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The photo is exiting our first lock on the Seneca/Cuyohoga Canal.

 
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

A really long day

We've had solid rain all day today. I don't know how much - I'll have to check the gauge in the morning after the rain stops.

The surgeon said that he could now see new bone at the fracture site on John's latest x-rays, and he could feel bone growth. And John is having no pain. So they are not considering any surgery right now, and he is to continue physical therapy for as long as he and the therapist feel he is continuing to make progress. And the surgeon says promised him that he would be able to row in the spring. So that's where that stands.

Today was a very long day for me. I left the house at 9 and picked up a book at the library. Next to get my car's emission test so I can order new tags for 2010. I went to the gallery for the day, but took time out to go with John to a lawyer's office. We've made a slight change in our medical power of attorney/living will, which required signatures and initials on four documents each, plus signatures of two witnesses and getting them notarized.

I went back to the gallery and stayed until nearly 4. I had an executive committee (of the Friends of the Library) budget meeting at 4:30 - I'm VP for the upcoming year, so that's another meeting for me. That ran long, of course, so I just stayed downtown to meet John and Allan at UTC for a concert by the UTC Symphony Orchestra. The first part was pretty good - understanding that these are just students. But the second part was pretty poor. Oh, well....

No time for supper before the concert, so I was pretty hungry when it was over. I had to drive home in the dark, in the rain (YUCK!), but I stopped to get a BK Whopper Junior and fries for supper. So now I'm happily in my chair with the heating pad - and it's still raining.

Whew - I'm not used to being out and about for 12 hours. I'm headed for the bed shortly!

Reflections on bridge

John and I finished first (him) and second at bridge last week. We knew we had good cards, but the numbers were exceptional. I had something like 8400 points and was second; John had about 9500 to be first. For you non-bridge-players, these are huge numbers for 3+ hours of bridge. Of course, today, we got the corresponding mediocre cards. Sigh..............
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I'd like to recommend another blog. SQUARE SUNSHINE is written by a great photographer/writer in the UK. Give him a look.
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This is one last photograph of this old mill, with a rippled reflection this time.

 
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Sunday, November 08, 2009

Reflections

I do love reflections. This is the Seneca Knitting Mills, Seneca Falls, NY. It's been vacant for a while, but is going to be rehabbed into the new building for the Women's Suffrage Museum (Seneca Falls is the home of the Women's Suffrage Movement).

 
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Saturday, November 07, 2009

Jordan Thomas - Vote

In 2005, Jordan Thomas was a 16 year-old prep school student from Chattanooga, on an annual family boating trip in Florida. A terrible accident occurred, and both Jordan's legs were amputated. He underwent years of treatments and was fitted with top-of-the-line prostheses. His family had health insurance and was able to afford other parts of his treatment.

During his rehab, he saw other amputees, children, whose families were unable to afford the quality prosthetics like the ones Jordan had received.

Jordan has started the Jordan Thomas Foundation to raise money to help these children and their families get the treatment they need.

Click here to read the full story of this young man and the work he has been doing.

He has been chosen as one of the ten finalists for CNN Hero of the Year, with contributions to be made to his Foundation. At the top of the page with the story is a place to click to vote for the CNN Hero of the Year. Please go there and vote for Chattanooga's Jordan Thomas. You can vote early and often!

VOTE HERE

This is Jordan Thomas.

Friday, November 06, 2009

Vietnamese food

We had an artist's reception this evening, so I was at the Gallery until about suppertime.

John and I went out to dinner at one of our favorite places - Old Saigon. If you haven't had Vietnamese food, you should give it a try sometime. It is so fresh and flavorful - and healthy. The flavors are very subtle, but distinct - if it's possible to be both of those at the same time. Yum!

Vietnamese spring rolls are especially wonderful.

 
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Thursday, November 05, 2009

BASKETBALL!!

The UTC women's basketball season has finally started. We do go into basketball withdrawal in the summertime. The Lady Mocs played an exhibition game against Lee University. After a really slow start, the Lady Mocs kept the game well in hand. A couple of the freshmen got a lot of minutes playing, and looked pretty good.
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I finished Pat Conroy's new book, South of Broad. This is more like the Conroy we loved in his first books. And the story definitely reveals his great love for Charleston. I'll recommend this one.
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Today's photo is another iconic Wright feature.

 
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Wednesday, November 04, 2009

TV

There were actually two new excellent shows on TV tonight.

First we watched a great show about Johnny Mercer, the great lyricist, and his music on TMC. Mercer was born 100 years ago this month, so this channel is featuring his work during this time. What a treat to get to listen to this terrific music and learn more about this talented man.

And, because our local PBS station showed it twice, we were able to watch the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor award show. The prize this year was awarded to Bill Cosby. This man has had a huge impact on American humor, and even his early work is still wildly funny and is actually timeless. We can all remember his piece about God telling Noah to build the ark.

In any case, it was an unusual evening, and most enjoyable.

These are the famous cantilevered balconies at Fallingwater that hang over the creek. They're not quite level, but have been stabilized so they won't sink any more.

 
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Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Just a photo

Just a photo today - One of Wright's corner windows.


 
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Monday, November 02, 2009

Reprinted without comment from WRCB-TV web site

This story was reported on our NBC affiliate during the 6 p.m. news broadcast tonight.

"Censorship" at Chattooga High: Photos Too Hot for Yearbook?
Posted: Nov 02, 2009 6:15 PM EST Updated: Nov 02, 2009 7:09 PM EST

By David Carroll

dcarroll@wrcbtv.com

SUMMERVILLE, GA (WRCB) - Some Chattooga (GA) High School students paid $50 in advance for their 2009 yearbook, but when they picked it up last week, four pages were cut out, literally.

They were told the pictures were inappropriate. We wondered, how bad could they possibly be? What type of photos were so scandalous, they had to be removed from an already-printed school yearbook?

The 2009 yearbook was delivered to students, two months late with pages 11-14 clipped out. The books arrived at Chattooga High in early September, but are just now going out to those students who had purchased them last year. On page 10, you see part of a girl's head, next to an unrelated page 15. What happened to the pages in between?

2009 grad Aaron Wentz said, "I was real upset, looks like it was done with a box cutter, you can't miss it. It's been mutilated. I paid for it in advance, it's my property and the school has taken it upon themselves to rip it up."

The yearbook was dedicated to former Chattooga teacher Dr. Alan Perry, who supervised the yearbook for the past 27 years. After he retired in May, a new principal and yearbook advisor didn't like what they saw: photos of shirtless boys playing basketball. So before distributing to students, they began the two-month process of cutting pages 11-14 out of every yearbook.

Dr. Perry, who was able to obtain an original, uncut version of the yearbook, posted the pages on his Facebook site. He said, "I'm very disappointed with the decision to mutilate a wonderful yearbook--a decision that was completely unnecessary. There was absolutely nothing inappropriate about the pages that were cut from the book; I am offended by the lack of regard shown for the students pictured on those pages, the students who worked on the yearbook staff last year, and most of all, the students who purchased the yearbook."

2009 graduate Marcus Lee said, "They have stolen our memories. I have several friends on those pages, and they deserve to be in the yearbook. These pictures are not appropriate. They are good guys, just playing ball without their shirts on, and there are other pictures in this yearbook of guys without shirts. You show these pictures to anyone, they wouldn't see anything offensive."

New principal Jimmy Lenderman, who took over the school in July, after the yearbook went to press, issued this statement to Eyewitness News:

"Inadvertently, the school administration did not approve the 2008 -2009 yearbook in its entirety; there were several photographs that did not reflect an appropriate image of the school or our community. The pages which contained the photos were removed." He declined further comment.

Mr. Lenderman confirmed that he has offered to refund the full purchase price to anyone who returns the yearbook, but parent Beth Wentz says, "No deal. The right thing to do would be to give a new book with all the pages in it. These pictures are no worse than anything I've seen in other yearbooks, ever since I was in school 30 years ago."

We spoke with Chattooga Co. Superintendent Dr. Dwight Pullen, and he says he supports the principal's decision. "Mr. Lenderman is trying to improve the image of the school, and the academic programs of the school. He has it headed in the right direction."

But Mrs. Wentz disagrees. "They had no business cutting up everybody's yearbook over some pictures of boys without shirts. These students will keep these books the rest of their lives, and they shouldn't have to pay for, and keep a yearbook that has been cut up and mutilated, losing pictures of their friends and school activities. A young person only gets one senior yearbook, and this school has ruined it for them."

Click here to read and/or watch video about this story.

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Sunny Sunday

It was nice to see the sunshine all day today. We're predicted to have some all-but-perfect weather this week - highs in the mid60s and lows in the mid40s. But it was still a day of rest.

I'm finally feeling better, so I think I'm going to get into the regular Monday stuff tomorrow. We'll see how long I last.

Since we couldn't take photographs inside Fallingwater on the tour we took, I'll have just a few from the outside.

 
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Rainy Saturday miscellany

We had nearly 2" of rain in the last 24 hours. But it's supposed to be a lovely sunny day tomorrow. We shall see....

Today was Halloween, and we did have some candy ready. But we had only one knock on the door (2 kids). At least I've learned not to buy too much candy, and to buy something that we don't like.

The best news today was that Tennessee really "whomped up on" South Carolina tonight!

I hope everybody has remembered to change their clocks tonight (fall back) - at least most of the folks in the US.

On our tour of Fallingwater, we couldn't take photos in the house, so our photos are pretty much limited to quick outdoor shots. Here's one from the most familiar angle.

 
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