Katie plays Cinderella

Our granddaughter Katie is majoring in "Theatre and Dance" at the University of Alabama.
She recently played the part of Cinderella in the play "Into The Woods" at the University.
Our son and daughter in-law were kind enough to treat us to the play including a round trip ride to the University.
It was a thrill to watch her and listen to her lovely voice as she sang several songs.

This is a excerpt from an article that the critic wrote about the play and actors.


"Without a doubt, some of the most impressive musical performances are by Katie Burton as Cinderella and Kelly Ann Shamburger as Rapunzel. Burton's clear, perfectly pitched tone is faultless at all times and Shamburger's lilting melodies sung from offstage are absolutely gorgeous. Both of these ladies also conveyed the personalities of their character with ease. Stephanie Marie Mosley once again showcases her immense talent with a stunning performance as Little Red Riding Hood who is en route to visit her grandmother, of course, through the woods. Mosley brings such life to a familiar character that destroys all your past preconceptions about Little Red and ensures hilarity."

A couple of videos were somehow taken and posted on "you tube". The video quality is below par but the vocals are okay. Please click on the following links to hear Katie singing.

Katie's video #1
Katie's video #2

Fried Green Tomato

One of my favorite foods is crispy fried sliced green tomato coated in corn meal.
The type you get in restaurants are almost uneatable in my opinion.
They use large tomatoes that are almost ripe and slice them too thick.
The trick is to pick them about half grown with less water content to get them crispy.
My mouth has been watering since I planted my 9 plants and watching this first tomato reach the picking size.
Today is the day if I can get Madeline to cook it for me since she is the expert in getting it just the way I like it.
I'll grill her favorite food, which is salmon, using my secret marinade and seasoning so I bet she will agree.
MMMM MMMMMMM Good......... Karl ..

Fast forward ahead..........After lunch

My plan worked..Best meal ever.
Delicious crispy green tomato slices, Salmon fit for a queen and my own style of grilled chopped potatoes with rosemary and garlic seasoning.
I believe those were the best fried tomatoes Madeline has ever cooked and she loved the salmon and taters. We topped it off with strawberry shortcake. Is this a good life or what?

Grant's High School Graduation Night

Graduation day finally arrived for 39 happy cheering, singing and even crying seniors.
Our grandson Grant is third from the right, first row.

It seems Grant and his smiling classmate are enjoying the event.

One last hug as he receives his diploma.

I got it! I got it! he is probably thinking.

He looks great in that Tux.

He presents his mother with a rose to cap off an immensely happy occasion.

Congratulations Grant and "ROLL TIDE".

Graduation Eve

Our grandson Grant is graduating from high school tonight and his older brother, Eric, traveled from his home in Texas to attend the ceremony. Grant is in the background and Eric is holding his son Ethan, our only great grandchild. Ethan was trembling from the cool water but pitched a fit when he had to get out. He loved the water.
We decided to have a pool party in honor of Grant's graduation and Eric's family visit.
Sixteen of us were present yesterday afternoon and evening and several went swimming in spite of rather cool water. We all had a great time and probably ate more than we should have.
Grant will be attending the University of Alabama in the fall.


Our oldest daughter with Ethan her only grandchild, the new love of her life.

Caught Red Handed

These sneaky little rodents are too cute to get mad at but it keeps Madeline busy trying to feed the birds.

These thieves along with the chipmunks stuff their mouths as soon as she leaves the area. The birds have to scream for Madeline to refill the feeders. A fifty pound bag doesn't last long.

I took this picture through the window since they probably have a guilty conscience and scat when we approach. They should know by now that we won't harm them.

School Spring Musical

TCS, the school that our grand kids Adam and Joseph attend presented their Spring Musical, In God We Trust. Adam, above, played the part of Eagle Eye and rapped a song in defense of keeping the motto, "In God We trust" on our money.
The case was argued before the "Supreme Court" and some of the actors played the part of great Americans of the past.

Joseph, above, played the part of Benjamin Franklin and did an excellent job

Joseph was almost unrecognisable dressed as Ben Franklin and he made a good speech. Great job Joseph.

Adam did a superb job as Eagle Eye. I knew he had a great singing voice but it seems he could make it in the rapping world as well. Great Job Adam.

The entire cast did a remarkable job and our hats are off to those that were responsible in presenting it. Great job everyone involved.

Madeline and I certainly enjoyed it and they even served treats afterwards. Thanks TCS.

Please click on the Brasher Girl link to the left to see a video of Adam and Joseph as they performed.

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.