Monday, March 29, 2010

An Ongoing Tradition.....

Spring is popping up all over and it's that special time of year of rebirth and joy.

Yes. Here comes Easter.

And my annual posting of two pictures.

Old timers with my blog will remember that a nearby church had to cancel their Sunrise Service one year and I happened by with my camera.

Later I did attend an old-fashioned outdoor tent revival at that church and saw the preacher place a glass of liquid on the lectern. I asked about it and was told it was his "bug glass."

Preaching outdoors meant coping with flying insects and if he choked on one, there was the water. Made sense.



The other picture - really a cartoon - often comes to mind a few days or weeks after Easter.

This time I remembered it in time.

I see you smiling.

Have a nice day.

(Recently I Googled "bunny rabbits" and this pair of ravaged chocolate edibles came up. A lot!

Guess it's not my little secret anymore.)

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Monday, March 22, 2010

Can't Beat The Real Thing....

Coca-Cola built a new headquarters in downtown Atlanta.

The old one was near Underground Atlanta and the new one is next to the Georgia Aquarium.

If you are offering tours to the public it makes sense to position yourself among other attractions.

I'm not sure what the tie-in is with the i-pod but it appears in the new section of images and marketing Coke.

Did not see ANY mention of early-Cokes containing controlled substances but there were claims of it being a curative and tonic for good health.

A sign stated the "popular Coca Cola Polar Bear" would pose for pictures with children in a designated setting.

Saw an historic picture of Betty White in an ad for Butter Nut Coffee, a Coke Company product, dating back to the 1970s.

After her Super Bowl ad for Snickers, the public started an online petition and she soon will be the guest host for a Saturday Night Live.

Guess Abe Vigoda, her co-star in the commercial, will have to wait his turn to be on SNL.


Hmm, I never noticed before but polar bear claws do NOT retract like a cat does.

A huge room had a bottling operation behind glass on one side and several multi-fauceted dispensers so you could taste a variety of Coca cola company beverages including Hi-C and other fruit juices.

The machines were marked Asia, Africa, North America, Mexico, etc so you could taste how the mixtures, colors and tastes of the products vary around the world.

You also were given a Coke bottled right there as a reminder of your visit.

Like most large scale attractions, to reach the exit, signs direct you through the souvenir shop. A really BIG store. Featuring all things Coke.
(Like always, click on the photos for more detail. Thanks.)

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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Craig Ferguson.... Funny Man From Scotland

So you drive over to Atlanta to see Scotsman Craig Ferguson on tour doing live stand up comedy freed of all those pesky network censors.

The star of the Late, Late Show on CBS is appearing at the Performing Arts Centre in NW Atlanta so first we need to find a good stop for an early meal.

Hmmm - there's a Celtic themed place nearby called The Tilted Kilt. Come to find out it's an Irish version of Hooters. Hey, close enough. It's a sports bar with good pub food and the ladies wear abbreviated kilts.

The Arts Centre rises up to really, really high nosebleed seats. (I saw a sign once at a hockey match calling its highest section The Ceiling Fans.)

It looks like our man from Glasgow is drawing nearly a full house.

The opening performer comes out to harass and browbeat the crowd. He's ok but we're there to see how potty-mouth Craig will be.

Craig dances onstage dressed casually in jeans and wearing a black leather jacket.

Two dance partners assist him in opening the show then they depart and,14 seconds later, the first "F-Bomb" is dropped.

Sit back and laugh.. he's funny as h*ll and he's on a roll.

He has commented often that he dislikes the dressed up look expected of a television talk show host. Now we hear about his days as a teenager playing in a heavy metal band, immersed in drugs and booze and his disdain of ever wearing a suit and tie and sitting behind a desk.

It was a fun evening and Craig was totally hilarious, unhindered by constraints.

But..is cable television ready for him?

*The hits on my blog really spiked as people searched for Craig Ferguson so I've added a few more shots that I took. No Cameras Allowed so two were taken with the camera held in my lap and I couldn't adjust the exposure. Sorry.
Craig is in a white spotlight. The rest were taken at the end of the show when we all jumped to our feet, applauding and cameras suddenly appeared. I felt comfortable taking a few pictures...would they kick me out then?









(Be sure to click on the photos for lots of detail. Thank you.)

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Friday, March 12, 2010

Hanging out at Barnes & Noble.

Being part of a Photography Exhibit is pretty exciting.

Barnes & Noble (West Ashley) provided space for a month to hang colorful mounted photos right next to the coffee counter. Prime location!

The 21st Century Photography Group was founded two years ago and at our monthly meetings the members keep coming up with great ideas like this display.

Kevin Harp, one of the two Co-Organizers, presented this concept, talked to the B&N folks and made this happen the entire month of February.

Kevin even did the actual placement and hanging of all the pictures.

The first batch was replaced mid-month with more from the "Best Shot of 2009" collection submitted by the members.

Each month we do a popular SHOW & TELL and members get to see what the others are doing and hear technical details.

The membership now is 145 photographers and wannabes.

Information on the group can be found on the 21st Century website. Come by and bring some of your favorite photos.

And your camera.

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Friday, March 05, 2010

75 years old...give or take

T-Model Ford is his name. Not the car he drives.

He's an authentic Bluesman from Mississippi.

He may be only 75. Or 85.

He and his drummer "Spam" have been known to start making music and play for eight hours straight.

Tonight it was only for three at Home Team BBQ in West Ashley but we got our money's worth.

It was a quiet crowd. Nobody got rowdy. Guess they had read that T-Model had served 10 years on a chain gang for murder.

He was asked years ago how many times he'd been in jail. He thought it was a trick question.

"Every Saturday night there for awhile."


Almost every song ended with a shrug and a sip of amber liquid in the glass at his elbow.

"Jack Daniels Time," he'd announce.

(Click on the pictures to see more detail and go to his MySpace site to hear some raspy Blues.)

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