Joseph Wins Spelling Bee

Our grandson Joseph won the spelling bee in his 3rd grade class. Since the regular Bee is for grades 4 through 8, in the fall, each class in grades 1 through 3 have one in the spring.

He placed second in his first grade class, won last year in his second grade class, and now this one in his third grade class. Maybe he will enter the big one next year.

His winning word this year was "Squirrel".

Congratulations Joseph.

Martial Arts Medal Winners

Our grandson Logan on the right is a medal winner. Congratulations Logan

Our grandson Drake on the left is a medal winner. Congratulations Drake...

We Love Spring

The Azaleas, thrift, dogwoods, redbuds, cherry trees and other flowers are blooming out and are as pretty as we have ever seen them here. These pictures are just a few of the first to bloom in our yard.

Happy Easter

For I remember it is Easter morn,And life and love and peace are all new born. ~Alice Freeman Palmer.

Spring has Sprung

How can you not love spring? It's like a new beginning seeing all that nature has to offer.

These are just a few of God's creations in their beautiful colors spread throughout our yard.

Madeline painted the Easter Bunny and egg and Karl built the bird house.

We have about a 100 azaleas in various colors in the process of about to bud, budding and becoming fully flowered.

We believe this will be the prettiest year yet since we haven't had a late freeze and it rained at the right time. Keep your fingers crossed that we don't get a spring freeze.

Ethan's Easter Play

Our great grandson Ethan is showing off the outfit he will wear in an annual church play that is presented in the church that is pastored by our grandson. They live in Texas, so we will not be able to see him. He's a cutie and a sweety and we miss him.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

We wish everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day and that you get the loving you deserve.

Jefferson County Spelling Bee

Adam won the Jefferson County Spelling Bee.

His next stop will be at the State Bee in March.

Click on the Brasher Girl link to see all the words he spelled.

I saw only a few that I would be sure of spelling correctly.

Birmingham News Article

Adam Brasher, 12, of Morris is Jefferson County spelling champ
Posted by Birmingham News staff February 06, 2008 3:28 PM
A 12-year-old from the north Jefferson County town of Morris was the county's top speller today in a competition in Birmingham that lasted nearly two hours.
Adam Brasher, who is in the sixth grade in Gardendale's Tabernacle Christian School, wiped his brow after correctly spelling the word "interrogative," a word with Latin roots that means requiring or seeming to require an answer from the hearer or reader.
"It's hot in here," he said at the conclusion of the 81st annual Jefferson County Spelling Bee held at the JCCEO administrative office in the former Graymont Elementary School at 300 Eighth Ave. West.
It took 43 rounds to eliminate 18 other spellers from public and private schools across the county. Contestants must not have passed the eighth grade to compete.
Gregory L. Ridgel Jr., a 9-year-old fourth grader from Birmingham's EPIC School, was runner up was.
The county spelling bee is sponsored by The Birmingham News.
Brasher will advance to the state spelling bee on March 8 at the Birmingham Museum of Art. State winners will travel to Washington for the Scripps National Spelling Bee scheduled for May 25-31.
Walter Bryant

Adam's ACEA Awards

Adam cleaned house again . Click on Brasher Girl link on left to read what he won.
Way to go Adam.

Timbuctoo, Ca. A Gold Rush Town.

Many think Timbuctoo was just an old make believe place.

It was a real town of over 1000 people in the last half of the 19th century.

Located a little west of Grass Valley, Ca. on Hwy 20, it was a bustling mining town with it's share of saloons and brothels until the mining played out.

It had a Wells Fargo Office (see pictures) and I imagine much gold passed through it's heavy iron doors.

I was stationed at Beale Air Force Base which is a few miles west of Timbuctoo and met Madeline at her near by home town of Nevada City, Ca.

We went through Timbuctoo many times until I was discharged in Sept. 1955.

We took these pictures in Aug. 1955. The building was gone when we went through there a few years back.

The building is the Wells Fargo Bdlg and the sign is between the iron doors.

We are sitting on a bench in front of the bldg. Gosh, we were young then.

US Route 66 Remembered

NO...That isn't us in the picture....:-)

Memories Memories Memories
I remember in November 1956, Madeline and I along with our 5 month old first born daughter took our first trip on Route 66 to California. We had driven the northern route over the mountains from California after my discharge from the Army a year before. We decided to take the southern route this time since cold weather was approaching

We loaded everything we had into our 1951 ford, said our goodbyes, and hit the road.
We traveled through Mississippi, Louisiana. and the everlasting state of Texas until we met up with Route 66 in Amarillo.

All roads were two lane at that time and trucks in front of you were always slow, especially uphill. Passing was like Russian roulette at times.

We were so young at that time, that we didn't see the real beauty of what nature had to offer.
Our main objective was to get to her parents home in Northern California.

Instead of enjoying the small towns, we thought they were just slowing us down.
We saw the desert sights as waste lands without seeing their real beauty.

Some of the signs and billboards were entertaining and actually got our mouths to watering for that special treat only 192 miles ahead. Every few miles another sign, only 145 more miles etc.
We were usually disappointed when we arrived because nothing could be as great as the advertising that tempted us.

We lived in California a few years before moving back to Alabama.
We made that trip a few times, but with each trip more of Route 66 was displaced with the Interstate Highway.
The small towns were by-passed on the most part, and some died.

A few sections of the old route are still there and a few years back we traveled those we found.
Some groups have been preserving what they can of this unique roadway.

We are at an age now that we can truly love and respect the beauty of Mother Nature's work.

I would love to make one more trip and spend more time enjoying every mile and every sight.
If you haven't seen the southwest, especially New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, you haven't enjoyed America to the fullest.



ROUTE 66 Lyrics

Well if you ever plan to motor west

Just take my way that's the highway that's the best

Get your kicks on Route 66

Well it winds from Chicago to L.A.

More than 2000 miles all the way

Get your kicks on Route 66

Well goes from St. Louie down to Missouri

Oklahoma City looks oh so pretty

You'll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico Flagstaff, Arizona

don't forget Winona Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino

Would you get hip to this kindly tip

And go take that California trip

Get your kicks on Route 66

Well goes from St. Louie down to Missouri

Oklahoma city looks oh so pretty

You'll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico Flagstaff, Arizona

don't forget Winona Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino

Would you get hip to this kindly tip

And go take that California trip

Get your kicks on Route 66

Adam Won

As I predicted last year, when he came in second, our grandson Adam won this year's area IV District Spelling Bee today.

He had won his school spelling bee a while back.

Ten schools participated in today's event and he was still standing at the end.

He now advances to the Jefferson County Spelling Bee to be held in the near future.

He is busy studying for it and looking forward to the challenge.

Mamaw and Pawpaw are proud as usual of Adam and I'm sure he will do his best.

Reminiscing Again

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity . . .
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities.

Those lines echo most of my first two decades of life.
Having been born during the depression and living through the Second world War, I saw the worst of times.
The wars end and the memorial fifties stand out in my mind as the best of times.
Every once in a while something triggers my memory of those years and it's as if they weren't that far in the past.
That trigger went off yesterday as I was exploring a link from a blog, (Wandering The Web) see link on left
It was about Birmingham's past called Birmingham Rebound.

I suppose you would have had to live in those days to truly appreciate the life we experienced.

Who could forget the Polar Bear Spinning Wheel in Wahouma? (See Picture above)

I remember the Theaters in downtown Birmingham as if it was still yesterday. We had the Capitol, Galax, Strand, Melba, Empire, Lyric, Ritz, and the greatest of all, the Alabama.

The kids had their choice for the huge sum of ten cents. The adults, over twelve, had to fork over 25 cents. Some of us stretched another year before we were forced to pay that extra 15 cents. Heck, that cost us a coke, popcorn, and a candy bar.

Every neighborhood and small town had their own theater and most of us went every Saturday and maybe one other day.

When we started dating, the theater was usually the choice of destination. They had ushers back then who watched out for any "hanky panky". No "smooching" was allowed or you would get the flashlight on you. Oh, those were the days.

Some of the old pictures on that site brought back vivid memories of what Birmingham used to be like. I remember the 5 & dime stores clustered around 19th street North. There were Newberrys. Silvers, Grants, Woolworth and Kress. You could Christmas shop for your entire family for a dollar or two.

It cost 7 cents to ride the streetcar to town and most transfers were free if you wanted to go to other places. I could ride the streetcar both ways, go in the Downtowner Restaurant and eat 2 hot dogs and a chocolate drink, go to a movie and buy a coke and pop corn all for 49 cents.

Where did the years go?...Karl...

Christmas Day 2007

The table is prepared with all the goodies. Our mouths are watering.

Our middle daughter with her husband and 2 sons arrive first.

Our son with his wife, son and daughter arrive next.

Our oldest daughter with her 2 sons, daughter-in-law, and her grandson arrive next. Her daughter is married and spent the day with her husband's family. We missed them.

Her oldest son and daughter-in-law live in Texas with her only grandchild and will have to leave in a few days.

Our youngest daughter with her husband and 4 children didn't arrive since they live in Washington State and couldn't make it. We were with her on the phone and opened the gifts she had sent so we could feel her presence.

Our great grandson, Ethan, had a ball. He had his dad's younger cousins to play with and he ruled the day.

Mamaw with Ethan, Adam and Joseph. They both loved him to pieces.

Mamaw and Pawpaw with our precious little treasure. Notice the "I love Jesus" hat he is wearing.

Our daughter and son-in-law capping off a great day with a little loving affection.

Everyone had a great time and exchanged many gifts but it passed much too fast as usual.

Time is passing so fast, as we age, so next christmas will be here in a month or two.

Tatted Snowflakes From Tattycat

My good friend Laura (Laura's tatting muse) surprized me with a special gift this morning.

I've always admired her beautiful tatting and I just adore these lovely tatted snowflakes. I have a special spot for them.

To see more of her work please click the tattycat link on this page. Thanks again Laura.

Love..Madeline...

Tis The Season

Gifts in hand, they came from the East, toward

The reason for the season

Part of our Western style Court yard .....

Karl & Madeline wish everyone a very merry and safe Christmas from Doves Retreat.

Washington Grand Angels Visit Santa

Our daughter, son in-law and our 4 grandchildren visiting good old Saint Nick in Washington State.

It's much too far for them to come "home" for Christmas so we will spend another Holiday season without them. That's the bad news.

The good news is that the rest of the family including our oldest grandson and his wife will be here with our only great grandchild. They live in Texas and we seldom get to see them.

I will post Christmas pictures of the family after the get to-gether.

Merry Christmas to all.......................................

Grant is Mr. K.C.S.

Our grandson Grant is a senior at Kingwood Christian School and was voted Mr. K.C.S. (Kingwood Christian School). This award, voted on by teachers and administrators, was based on Character, Leadership and grades.

The students voted him the best all around, best dressed and most likely to be president.

Great going Grant. Mamaw and Pawpaw are so proud of you and know you will be a big hit at the University of Alabama.

We will have to give you a stick to beat the girls off...:-)

A Different Christmas Poem

Copied, with permission, from a local blog.


The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at "Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Palos Mine Explosion 1910

This article tells of the death of Sam Goolsby, Karl's Grandfather. The Goolsby family story follows.


Palos, Alabama
No. 3 Coal Mine Explosion
May 5, 1910

MANY ARE KILLED IN MINE
Nearly Two Hundred at Work and All Are Believed to Be Dead – Three Bodies Found.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., May 5. – Forty-five white men and between 130 and 140 negroes are entombed in No. 3 coal mine at Palos tonight as the result of a terrific explosion occurring this morning and it is believed all are dead. Palos is forty miles west of Birmingham and the mines are owned by the Palos Coal and Coke company of this city. Three bodies were found early tonight but it is expected that few of those remaining in the mine can be recovered before morning. The flames resulting from the explosion shot into the air from the slope for a distance of 200 feet and the shock was felt for miles. Timbers from the slope were hurled several hundred feet from its mouth and rocks from the roof of the slope caved in and made access to the mouth very difficult. The fan machinery was badly damaged but air is being pumped into the mine tonight in hopes that some of the men are still alive.
Residents began to do what they could to relieve the men but the relief train arrived in Palos from Birmingham shortly after 4 o’clock with eight physicians and surgeons, four undertakers, and a number of special helpers.
The first rescuers who went into the mine after the explosion were overcome by firedamp and had to be carried out. Mr. Rutledge was among the first to enter and after working his way 1,400 feet down the slope found the second right entry caved in. The bodies recovered tonight were in the main slope.

WASHINGTON, May 5. – Geological Survey Mine Rescue Experts J. J. Rutledge and George F. Rice, who were in Birmingham investigating the Mulga disaster, have been instructed to proceed with their rescue equipment to the Palos mine.
When member of congress heard of the disaster then thoughts turned at once to the measure now in conference for the creation of a bureau of mines in the interior department.
Senator Scott, who had charge of the bill in the senate immediately took steps to get the conferees together for the adjustment of the differences between the senate and the house. The bill will become a law as soon as the conference report is adopted and the act is signed by the president.

PALOS, Ala., May 5 – Eleven bodies have been found in mine No. 3 of the Palos Coal and Coke company late tonight. Rescue parties have reached the 1,400 foot level and are working steadily toward the 2,300 foot level where the majority of the miners were working at the time of explosion.
All of the bodies found are horribly mangled and burned, some being beyond recognition. The head of an unknown white man was found several feet away from his body.
The work of bringing the bodies to the surface will not begin until tomorrow.

The Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, NE 6 May 1910

Among those identified was C. H. Stansberry, assistant mine foreman. Among the dead in the mine is said to be H. A. McARDLE, whose brother is president of the amalgamated association of tin and steel-workers in Pennsylvania.
James Liddell, one of the best known miners in the Birmingham district and a former legislator, was overcome by afterdamp while aiding in the work of rescue. His condition was serious for a time, but when he recovered he again took charge of one of the rescue crews.

The Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, NE 7 May 1910

RESCUE WORK IS HAMPERED
Smoke in Palos Mines Caused Considerable Delay.
PALOS, Ala., May 7. – The discovery of a small fire in No. 4 right entry at the Palos mines, where Thursday’s disastrous explosion occurred, seriously hampered the rescue work today. When the fire was discovered all miners were ordered out of the mine. The blaze was small but much smoke delayed for hours the rescue work.
While only thirty-five bodies have been brought up, the men are still working with vigor tonight. The Red Cross relief fund is still growing and the response in Birmingham has been remarkably spontaneous and substantial. Practically all the dead miners leave families.

The Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, NE 8 May 1910

BURIAL OF MINE VICTIMS.
Decomposed Bodies Taken From Workings at Palos, Ala.
PALOS, Ala., May 8. – The bodies taken today from the Palos mine where last Thursday’s explosion occurred, were so decomposed that it was almost impossible to handle them. Disinfectants are being shipped in. In a number of cases it was impossible to get bodies into the coffins provided. The funerals in the little mining camp began today. A special plot of ground was set aside on the opposite side of the hill from the mouth of the slope and here men were engaged all day digging graves while the mourners carried their loved ones and laid them to their last rest.
The rescuers have not reached the lowest part of the slope and have been working their way back examining headings on the other side. Eight of ten bodies were found in one little group. Last night about midnight three bodies were lying close together with every indication that they had not been killed by the explosion but had died of suffocation. One of the men had taken off his coat and wrapped it around his head as if to keep out the gar. Another was lying face downward with his arms covering his face. Another was holding a cloth of some kind over his face.
At 10 o’clock tonight sixty-seven bodies had been recovered from the mine and a number of others had been located.
State Mine Inspector Hillhouse said at midnight that he expected to have everybody out of the mine by tomorrow noon. The rescuers are working constantly and bodies are now being brought up every few minutes. The work is expected to proceed very rapidly from now on unless there are further accidents to delay the rescuers.

The Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, NE 9 May 1910

James Gousby***, a mail carrier, was caught by the explosion thirty feet from the mouth of the slope, and his body was hurled into the Warrior river.

***Sam Goolsby is the correct name

The Post Standard, Syracuse, NY 6 May 1910
Articles transcribed by Jenni lanham Thank you, Jenni!