Florence Renaissance Festival &Angela's Halloween Party

Paul and I made it to the Florence Renaissance Festival this past Saturday. Hadn't gotten to go in a couple of years so it was nice to finally make it back. Its definitely grown a bit since last time; there are quite a few more vendors. We mowed down on a couple turkey legs and then wandered around taking in all the sights.

Various hilts from swords from a historical group that does some of the sword fight acts and a general information talk on life in the middle ages which is really quite interesting. I ended up carrying my practice foil actually - it added a nice touch to my outfit.


LifeSouth had a blood drive going on one of the blocked-off streets.


Loved this sign!


Water glass music is beautiful and eerie all at the same time.


A set of pretty little dolls one of the vendors had.


A random stranger asked if she could take some photo of us while we were talking to a friend which was kinda funny - I guess the three of us all had good outfits? She wanted me to look longingly at Paul... but no touching - because guys and gals weren't aloud to touch in public back then. She was really nice so we obliged. And then had our friend snap a photo of us together - which was cool - because we don't usually have anyone to take pictures of the two of us.


Later that day we joined the crowd at Angela's Halloween party only to discover Captain Ohad Sparrow...


Batwoman and her demon (whom we had to keep pulling back from the bonfire...poor thing...)


And a very Piratey crew... (for somereason 1/2 the attendees were dressed up like pirates - completely unplanned which made it all the funnier!)
ARRRRRRRRRRRRGG!!

My folks just came into town this afternoon and in a couple days it'll be my Dad's birthday - so I'm sure I'll post more photos soon!

Blast From The Past #37

Been a while for my Blast from the Past, hasn't it? Well, this is a picture of Paul in 2nd grade. Paul said that if he'd done the caption for this photo it would be "Hi, my name is Paul and I have great earning potential." Protractors are funnier! And I also made a promise I'd post photo of me in the 2nd grade when my Mom dug one up.

Another Ode to Flagler Days

I just read Karisse's post on "An Ode to Flagler Days" - and I highly recommend it for everyone who went to Flagler with us - or is just curious.

I have to add to this batch of memories -

Chris, Joy and I adding our names to the fort a few months into our freshman year - when we discovered a patch of nice wet concrete on the wall next to the water. Last time I saw it you could still read "SSS" and "CS" but Joy carved very lightly - just in case her initials could be traced back to her...

On the food "decorations" that I'd leave for the kitchen crew - I am particularly found of the replica I made of the fort - bastions and all - out of leftover mashed potatoes. I wish I had taken a photo of it. It really was a piece of art.

Sneaking into the art building to work on design projects after 11 when it closed. (they had cameras installed after that semester) Sneaking around the basement and up to the 4th floor. Checking out the "mirror door" room - the room that the ghost of Flagler's wife was supposed to haunt.

Watching my first black and white print magically appear in the developer in the dark room from a photo I took myself. Sad to say they tore out the dark room when they redid the art building and studios - and have gone to all digital photography now. I think the students have really lost something there.

The story I left in Karisse's comments about the fire we had late one night.

Having a picnic, and doing cheerleading moves on the grassy hills by the fort with Karisse, Travis, Jerm, Laura, and a bunch of other folks one sunny fall day. I have some great photos from that day!

Visiting AM at Cousins (a sandwich shop on St. George Street), eating bagels at Schmagel's Bagels. Getting candy apples from Savannah Sweets, and cuban sandwiches and plantains from The Columbia.

Interning and later working at HUE Design.

Picking up packages from my folks from always cheerful Flagler mailman Terry, getting notes from friends and little treats in by little mailbox.

Helping with several archaeological digs around the city. There's something to be said for finding a piece of history that hasn't seen the light of day since the 1500s.

Watching my bestest roomie Laura throw herself down on her bed and roll around yelling " I have to get organized!" Catching wayward lizards in our room while she either ran away or went eewww. Listening to her complain about my stinky cheese that my folks would mail me. Coming up with plans for our door decoration and putting them together.

*sigh*
Good times.

When did I get to be such a boring grown up?

Touching the Past

So I left off with Sunday morning at the Great Salt Petere Cave Preserve.


Andy had shown Jennifer and Angela some local petroglyphs Saturday afternoon and told us about it that evening. I really wanted to go see them. So Sunday morning before Angela and I took off for Alabama Andy took us over so I could view them.

Talk about touching the past. These petroglyphs are located on a little sandstone outcropping up the hill from a spring. Its wild to think how deep they must have been carved to have lasted this long in sandstone. They were simply fantastic.

Andy and Angela - patiently waiting while I took about 50 pictures...

Here's a close up of the book Andy was showing Angela and I - Rock Art of Kentucky. It that has a nice diagram of the Daugherty Bear Track petroglyph site.

This is the central "figure" of lines.

The circle to the left of the figure.

There's a bear paw print ont he left side - and an odd inverted "V" with another line to the right hand side. They aren't on the diagram, but I think they must be a part of the petroglyph too.

1961 (Blast from the Past #36)

Found a slide in cigar box in a closet last time I was home. Had it scanned and a few prints made at Wolf Camera the other day. My Mom and Dad, circa 1961. He was 26 and she was 23. And in my opinion both of them were pretty much stylin'. My tiny Mom looks so much like my Aunt Sally in this photo. She looks less like her now and more like her other sister, Shirley. And then my Dad, with his charcoal black hair and as tan as ever. They are still just as cool.

Certayne Lavves (Blast From the Past #35)

No, my spell check isn't broken. And yes - I'm quite behind on reporting all my fun adventures - but for now I'm going to do a bit of "slight of hand" to distract you.

Certayne Lavves is another way of saying Certain Laws – the laws of printing that is. In the mid-16th century printers were graphic designers and artists all wrapped into one neat package. So think of this list as a Murphy's Law for Printers and Graphic Designers of todays world. And all the "Lavves" ring true to this very day.

Ws were printed using two Vs. J and I were kind of interchangeable. Ss looked a lot like F. Spelling was a bit, well – optional shall we say. It wasn't till the advent of Mr. Webster that words officially became misspelled. I'm a horrible speller. Spell check is definitely a close friend of mine. I dream about a time and place where spelling didn't matter and then I remember, oh yeah they had the plague too. Poor spelling or the plague? Hmmm. Decisions, decisions. I think I'll take door number one Bob.

(double click for larger view)

Credit where credit is due: This piece was printed by Ian Robertson at The Slow Loris Press in 1985

Blast From the Past #34

Aunt Sally, Gary, Mom and Paul in Crossings Cave

You've been gone one year.
But we still miss you Gary.

Gary Cotney
More Gary Cotney

Blast From the Past #33

Mom and I + a ridiculously large pair of underwear=

So this is a blast from the recent past in December 2006. And of course this is at Mike's Merchandise in Guntersville, AL - where else would you find huge boxers that two people could fit in? I'm not sure if the lady in the background was horrified at the fact BOTH of us were trying them on - (one at a time please!) or of my father taking photos of us trying them on while we were all laughing our assive munderwear off!

Blast From the Past #32

Its funny the items you find tucked deep inside the corners of your wallet, isn't it?
These fortunes are from - July 3rd, 2006, as noted on the backs.
Top to bottom - my Mother's, Father's, Paul's and mine.

Blast From the Past #31

Broken, but Loved Anyway

Tucked carefully in and amongst dishes on the third shelf, live my beautiful broken Salt and Pepper shakers. I dropped the salt shaker maybe 3 years ago when it got snagged on another dish I was pulling out. After cursing myself a few times I decided I just couldn't throw them away. I think they are the most fantastic S&P shakers there are, and I love the way the hills and trees go up and down on all three sides (they're triangular) but even better is the fact that the hills match up when you stand them back to back so they form a square. Laura, "my bestest roomie" made them for me 7 years ago in Saint Augustine, FL at the pottery painting place that no longer exists anymore.

Blast from the Past Thursday #29

I am clearing out my apartment, tossing the majority of the junk (not all the junk mind you - everyone's gotta keep some particularly good junk for art projects, don't they?), organizing, straightening, combining and packing items for a Goodwill drop. In the midst of all this freakish cleaning I came across my first pair of caving boots. I had stopped wearing them about 7 months ago after I discovered all the padding had finally worn out of the heels on a short hike that ended in some nice blisters. I've heard a 3+ year run for caving boots is pretty darn amazing, not to mention I'd used them for hiking during that time too. I decided I'd at least document them for posterity and then toss them in the trash. So I shot some photos, but as I lifted the lid of the trash bin I just couldn't do it. Was I really that sentimental about a stupid pair of boots? These boots have seen dozens of caves for the first time, been on hikes with a friend now lost, seen water, rocks, domes, and pits. A long, slow, moldy decay in a landfill somewhere for my trusty caving boots just didn't seem right. So I asked Paul if I could tuck them on a shelf in the garage so I could give them a more appropriate sending off at TAG. My boots are patiently waiting for next October, when the phoenix rises again from Lookout Mountain.

Blast From the Past Thursay #28

I went home to Florida for part of my two weeks off. I have lots of photos and stories to tell - but they will have to wait till another day. Today is Thursday and seeing as how I have been slacking on my blasts - I've managed to dig up a particularly good one while I was rooting through some of my old things at the homestead. I have to say these are definitely some of the funniest photos of my friends from high school and college. Some of these were dated, some weren't - but the ones that were place them between 1995 and 1996. I remember the one of all the hands and arms we did because not all of us could fit in there at one time - I think we were upwards of about 12 people that day. We sure did have a great time scrambling in and out of the photo booth. Makes me wonder who ended up with the other three of each set and what kind of faces we were making in those photos.

Blast From the (Ghost of Christmas) Past Thursday #27

So as we get in the spirit of the holiday season we pause to remember the times that made childhood special. Candy canes, christmas parades, carols, sitting in Santa's lap and whispering that you were indeed a good girl or boy the past year. Randy, Julie, Paul and I took a walk through the Huntsville Botanical Gardens last week to look at all the beautiful lights they put up. And as an added bonus - Paul fulfilled an unrealized childhood wish. Randy just went along for moral support of course. Santa, the jovial, rosy cheeked fellow that he is, took it all in stride, although I'm sure his legs will be a bit sore.

Blast From the Past Thursday #26

So every time I think of my girlie girls from back home (Florida) I picture this in my head. This photo is hanging on my wall at my apartment and every time I see it, it never ceases to make my laugh. I LOVE this photo. On March 2nd 2003, Laura, Annamaria, Joy and I stopped at Dairy Queen on the way to the church for Annamaria's wedding. This would be the perfect ad campaign for trying to make ice cream look sexy.

And just as a bonus - I've included another picture from later that evening of Jennie, Adam, Lea Am, Laura, Joy, Kelli and Shannon. (Miss you all!!)


And then as an extra extra added bonus - a picture of me (in mid-blink) from WAY later that evening when the remaining 5 of us decided to go to IHOP. This photo will seriously start a bridesmaid fashion trend for sure. I couldn't handle wearing my uncomfortable fancy shoes anymore, so I rooted around my trunk and found my hiking/caving boots. Looks like I'd just bought them because they still look nice and clean. You know I actually stopped wearing these boots just a few months ago, when the padding finally wore out. Three years is an amazingly long lifespan for caving boots.

Blast From the Past Thursday #25

This is what 23 year old gum looks like.


So I'm helping Paul pull up carpet this past weekend - the original carpet from the house - he is toting the carpet out to the curb, while I am rolling up the old pad, and then both of us are vacuuming and sweeping up - So I look down and to my utter shock and dismay I see this: A piece of discarded chewing gum. 23 year old chewing gum that has been quietly and secretly lurking underneath the carpet since the house was built! Yuuuuummmy! So of course I had to document it being pried up off the concrete floor. This is one piece of chewing gum that will lurk no more!

Blast From the Past Thursday #24

I've fallen behind in my Blast From the Pasts - because surprisingly I have had a lot to do on Thursdays of late. (I have already given myself ten lashes with a wet noodle.)

In honor of my late grandmother(my Mom's Mom), I have a blast from her past - her birthday was just this last Sunday, she would have been 99 years old. This is she and I, in her little apartment kitchen, surrounded by family, and in front of a rather large cake at one of her rather significant birthdays long ago.

Blast From the Past Thursday #23

So this is Paul at the Webster Flea Market this past May displaying a "Must Have" bathroom addition - especially for hard core Harley Bikers or morgues.

Blast From the Past Thursday #23

Nearly 10 years ago to the day this impressed on me the importance of not wasting any time, of not wasting any life. I think its part of the reason why I don't like sitting still for too long - there's much to much to be explored and enjoyed and experienced to just sit at home watching TV. I hand copied it on August 13th, 1996 so I could commit it to memory. And then I decided to hang it up where I would see it everyday as a reminder to "Carpe Diem!" It hung for all 4 years in my Flagler College dorm room right above my desk, and then on the wall at home for a while and now it hangs on my wall at work. Some days it blends in with the notes, phone number list, checklists, ToDo's and calendar on my office wall. But every few days I'll read it again. This was one of those days.

Blast From the Past #22

So the very first time I went to Disney World I went for something like two weeks! And I was old enough to remember it too - because my Mom waited till I was well into gradeschool to take me - i want to say maybe 3rd or 4th grade. My Mom and I, her sisters and a few cousins (I think) enjoyed Fort Wilderness, the hotels, Disney and Epcot - MGM wasn't around back then - and niether was Universal Studios either. Another reason why I remember the trip so vividly was that around the same time - I got my first camera. And it was "SO COOL." It was flourescent pink, and took 110-D film. I'm pretty sure this photo was taken with it. This is my Aunt and I laying on grass (probably where we werent' supposed to) in front of the Epcot Golf-ball. To me it looks so perfect it should be a picture postcard for Epcot - but then you notice the two goofs on the grass.

Blast From the Past #21

Well since I just had a birthday I decided to go with a birthday themed Blast From the Past. From what I can tell this is my 6th birthday. The top photo from left to right: Felicia Altenburger, Shannon Zellars, me, Brittany Duke, ? don't remember her name ?, Krista Travesa. I went to school for at least 9 years with some and 12 years with Felicia and Brittany and now I don't even know what they are doing, or where they are. The second photo is hysterical to me - apparently I was quite disgusted with the candles on the pizza.