Your Candy or Your Life ... GGGrrrrrrrrrr

TRICK OR TREAT!!!

(psst! click on any picture to make it bigger and more gruesome)

Here are some scary covers of the comic book TALES FROM THE CRYPT of yesteryear. The ones I selected all have sort of a Halloween theme, so BOO!

And coincidentally they all are by Georgia grown EC artist Jack Davis.

BOO!! Again.

Also, if you want to see some classier Halloween blogs, check out my three friends':

Pappy

El Postino

Harry Green

And I know, I know, El Postino used the same punch line I did - if you can call “Boo!” a punch line. It is like El Postino and I are the same person in different disguises – but we are not one – and the same goes for the other two. Or maybe it is just that all warped minds think alike.

A Week at Unicoi Stay park in North Georgia

Anna Ruby Falls at Unicoi Park - click for bigness.

The other day I mentioned we spent our honeymoon in December 1967 at Unicoi State Park, Helen, Georgia.

Wait! There’s more.

On a weekend fall day excursion to the north Georgia Mountains we went to Anna Ruby falls with our married buddies Linda and Joe.

Before we got to Unicoi Park we stopped in Dahlonega, Dahlonega is famous for being the center of the gold fever back in the 1830s. Actually, it was not Dahlonega that was near most the gold mining processing but a little town named Aurara.

We stopped for gas in Dahlonega. While pulling out of the service station lot I remember was a big sign that said, “MAKE PEACE WITH JESUS!”

Joe said, “I didn’t know we were at war with Him.”

On to Unicoi State Park.

We noticed that the park had cabins on the grounds. I think on that same trip we decided that would be a nice place, removed from civilization to spend a week our honeymoon.

We went to park’s ranger’s office, which was adjacent to his living quarters. We told him we were getting married in December the 9th and would like to rent a cabin for a week.

He was somewhat shy but very friendly. He looked to be in his 60s. He told us his wife died a couple months ago and he missed her terribly.

During our visit he told me he wanted to show me something on the back porch. I followed him out and there was a horizontal freezer. I know there is another name for a not-upright freezer but I don’t remember. He began to open it and I braced my mind – I thought I was going to meet the Mrs. Park Ranger, frozen stiff.

He wanted to show me all the frozen vegetables that he and his wife grew and prepared for the freezer. He told us anytime we wanted to some frozen veggies, just come on down, he said, he said he couldn’t possibly eat all that.

The Alpine Helen had not yet been created when we were there that December for a week. It was just a little town on a hill. As I said in a previous posting, two of my ancestor John Hunter’s children were in-laws to the founders of Helen.

I remember the laundry-mat in town and also just north of town was a country store that had a bunch of working good old boys that seem to always be hanging out. I don’t think they were the kind to sit around and play checkers.


The park’s property is huge. There is a big lake with a dam and a lot of trails and little roads which we explored. Off someplace we came upon a barracks. Later we asked the park ranger about the old run-down barracks we saw and he said it was his understanding German prisoners were kept there in World War II.

I bet there is a hidden story about that place.

And of course the Anna Ruby Falls is the big draw. It is multi tear falls.


Here I am at the top of the falls smoking a cigarette looking like I am in deep thought. Back then it was a known fact you could see things much profound and deeper if you inhaled smoke during your thinking process.

If you don’t believe me just look at some old movies with Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, or Greta Garbo.

Paul and his Dogs

These two pictures were probably taken years apart. In the one with the bike Paul looks much younger.

I think both make the same statement: These are my dogs!

Another Lunch at Brandi’s World Famous Hotdogs

After I got out of my North Georgia History class this morning I took my neighbor for her 87th birthday lunch at Brandi’s World Famous Hotdogs.

My neighbor had never been there but she has listened to me rave about the place. So, today I thought I would giver her a taste of what my raving was about.

When we entered I did not see the sign I have been used to seeing:

No Shoes,
No Shirt,
No Service!

Did Brandi loosen her dressing code. Nah. I think maybe the dress code is universally understood.

My neighbor sat there amazed at the down-to-earth style the place has. You just don’t see non-pretentious restaurants in Cobb County anymore…. But here one is.

The chili that goes on the hotdogs and hamburgers are sinus dripping delicious. The spicy seems to heat up your sinus cavities to the melting point. I bet it is good for colds.

I overheard Brandi tell a table with all girls that she is expecting (again) in January – or maybe she said February.

One of the girls knew one of her relatives and to listen to Brandi try to pin-point exactly who she was talking about was a hoot… naming names and how they were related, through so and so uncle, or maybe a cousin’s aunt-in-law. It sounded very complicated that only a genealogy program could straighten out.

As I was paying I asked Brandi at the cash register does she sell her chili in containers solo. Yes, for a small cup it is $2, and a larger drink-size cup it is $4, I think that is a very good price. The next time we have hotdogs left over here, I know what I am going to do.

I remember about a moth ago I dropped by for hotdogs to go, early, maybe 10:30 before there were many people there. In the back, out of sight I heard a WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! Somebody was making some kind of repairs. After my hotdogs were put in to a sack somebody called for Brandi and out she comes from the area of the whamming. She was doing her old work or repairs – whatever that was.

Brandi’s clientele are mostly blue collar workers… men who work outside with their hands, girls from offices, and retirees. And, other than girls who come in groups I would just about be willing to bet 75 to 90% of them are Cobb natives.

Senator Alexander Stephens Clay Likeness

Man! What a nice head of hair. If I had a full head of hair like that I would want a statue of me in the park too!

Helen, Georgia and the Sautee Valley

The Sautee Store - click to enlarge.

Deborah Wilson's Corridors blog has a good and interesting story about the Sautee Valley and the close-by Nacoochee, in north Georgia.

It reminded me of my ties there.

The Sautee Store is a short distance from the famous vacation town of Helen – probably less than 6 or 7 miles south towards Cleveland.

Helen used to not be so famous. As Deborah said it was a logging town. Nearby is Unicoi State Park where Anna and I spent our honeymoon in December 1967, very close to Anna Ruby Falls.

Helen was founded by early settlers which included Richard England and his family. Two of Richard’s children, a male and female, married two of John Hunter’s children. Richard and his family is buried near the center of Helen close to the Chattahoochee River.

Harriet Hunter (with child) and husband Daniel England

Just a couple of miles north of Helen is Robertstown. About ten years after our honeymoon, doing genealogy research I discovered some of my Trammell relatives festered in Robertstown after the killing in Macon County, North Carollina.

On our way to our honeymoon we stopped at the Sautee Store. It was not nearly as artsy and pseudo country and gift shop it is now. But the lady that owned it then was trying to get it that way. Then, it was a one-woman operation. When she learned we had just married she gave us a candelabrum and a cheese cutter - both made of copper. She also owned a store in the community of Vinings in south Cobb County which was like what the Sautee Store ended up being.

Beside the store is an intersection. The oncoming road, if you turn off on it you will pass the Stovall House Bread and Breakfast a few miles up the road on the right. On up the road just a mile or more so you will approach a bridge. Look over to your right and you will a covered bridge from days gone by.

The road now by- passes the beautiful covered bridge, and there are short poles embedded that will not allow a car to drive over it. Underneath it and the new bridge is a beautiful deep looking sedate creek.

The covered bridge is a retired movie star. It was a focal point in the movie “I’d Climb the Highest Mountain” with Susan Hayworth. Several of my Hunter relatives were extras in the movie. The next generation or two down the same family line they were extras in “Deliverance” So, don’t bend over and squeal – it might bring back old times.







In the area someplace Leander Newton Trammell lived. Leander went on to be a lawyer and a state representative. His biggest claim to fame was being the railway commissioner of Georgia. He and his family had a home in Marietta on Trammell Street and also Dalton, Ga., also on Trammell Street. For one day he was technically the legal governor of Georgia by default. When he was a young man he was a neighbor to Moses Harshaw.

His grandson Niles Trammell was president of NBC and responsible for Amos & Andy and also for NBC going into television.

Moses Harshaw married Richard England’s sister Nancy England. Nancy was an aunt-in-law to two of John Hunter’s children, Harriet and William.

Moses Harshaw treated his slaves very inhumanely. He was charged with manslaughter on many occasions. He was known at the time as “The Meanest Man in Georgia”. His tombstone reads, “Died and Gone to Hell”.

When a slave got to old or sickly to be productive and became a liability Moses would carry him up to Lynch Mountain to a steep edge and simply push him off. The stories also said Moses would have an unproductive slave dig his own grave then shot.

Moses also did not believe a slave had a right to ride in a wagon. He felt that was for white folks. When he went to get supplies or whatever else he needed muscle power he would carry a slave but instead of the slave riding in the wagon Moses would put something like a leather strap around his neck and tie a rope or long leather bridle to the wagon and he to run to keep up. Tch tech.

Moses was charged with manslaughter several times, but being a lawyer himself, he knew all the loopholes. He worked on weekdays as a lawyer at Clarksville, Georgia.

Once while in Moses was away in Clarksville a slave child died. His wife Nancy England bought a new dress at the local store for the child to be buried in.

When Moses returned and found out a new dressed was purchased for a slave child he had the child’s remains dug up and the dress removed.

Nancy divorced him.

A couple of years ago we visited Moses House, which was then, and I think still is Stovall Bed and Breakfast. The family that lived there and some people helping were working getting ready for a wedding reception. He told us we were welcome to walk around and look. Which we did. It is a fine old house and finely decorated. The porch goes completely around the house. In the back from the porch you can see a huge green valley with rolling hills.

I wonder if Moses and Nancy ever sat down to appreciate the beauty all around them? To stop and smell the roses, so to speak?

Postal Career Success Story

Yesterday I was talking about only 25% birds survived to be adult birds and only about 50% of new hires at the postal service kept their jobs for any length of time. Statistics show that after they realize the deadline pressure and the never ending mandatory overtime they just quit or get fired.

Carolyn of Ginger Quill made a comment saying that she knew that I retired from the Postal Service so I belonged to the 50% that made it…. Or something like that.

NOT!!! I was fired the second week. Really!

I was hired as a carrier. I had to take a postal vehicle driving training and I was assigned at a station on Peachtree Road, near Chamblee. I worked the rest of the first week there with a carrier, he showed me how to sort mail in his case and on the route he showed me some celebrities’ houses, or near celebrity that was on his route, such as Bo Calloway’s brother.

Bo Calloway was an heir of Calloway Mills in LaGrange, Georgia, and just a year or two before he was the first Republican to run for governor since reconstruction. He lost to Lester Maddox. I voted for Bo. Lester was a joke.

The second week I reported to a Postal Vehicle maintenance building near the Atlanta Stadium for driver training.

A guy named Hoot was my instructor. He was to drive a regular Postal jeep around southeast Atlanta and I was to follow him in a little Postal Mailster – just slightly bigger than a motor scooter. Hoot forgot he could go faster than me and go off and leave me while I had to stop for a red-light or something. Sometimes he would pull over and wait for me. One time he didn’t. I was going slowly looking down each street looking for him when I passed a street going downhill I saw his mail jeep waiting on me.

Without thinking and without out turning on my blinker I quickly turned. When I did a car coming from the other direction and I scraped sides.

Hoot called the office and they sent an inspector out. Hoot completely changed the story. He made it look like I couldn’t keep my mind on keeping up with him…. Not that he sped away from me each time he got a chance.

The next day I reported to the station I had been working at – I think it was called North Atlanta Station, or 30319. Sometime in the morning Andrew Jackson called to have me report to his office.

I drove downtown to the Main Post Office on Forsyth Street and reported to Andrew Jackson’s office. Andrew Jackson was a courtly polite elderly black man. He was a good speaker but poor on getting the facts right and putting my version on paper.

After he finished with me he told me to report to the Federal Annex to Mr. Jack Wheeler’s office. Jack Wheeler was the head of the Atlanta Carriers.

I was shown into his office and the old fart looked up at me and said the postal service could not afford me, my job was finished. Leave and a check would be mailed to me for the days I was there. He was rude and I was dumbfounded.

I turned around and was walking out when he called me back and said if I wanted to still work for the Post Office go to see Mr. Waldrop next door – he might hire me as a clerk. Which I did, and Willy Waldrop did hire me as a clerk.

The rest is history.

And here are some fragments of that history:

About 12 or 13 years after I was fired and rehired I was a data technician at the Postal Data Center in Atlanta. The Postal Service had a manager trainee’s program could come in the Postal Service and go through their manager trainee’s program and, well, be a high ranking “yes man” (or woman). I think you had to have a degree to qualify and I think the program tended to ignore the people with degrees already on the workforce of the front lines.

Part of the training was that they had spend several weeks or months in each work area so they would know how the mailed flowed and how things were figured – that is where the Date Collection Site comes in. In our office for a while we usually had a manager trainee with us taking notes – or not taking notes if he knew he had it made anyway.

One of the people not taking notes was Hoot Jr. The son of the man that I feel caused me to get fired that time. I also learned he did not have a degree. It was just old fashion nepotism – which the Postal Service was good at. For a while Hoot Jr. and I got along fine, then I couldn’t keep my feelings to myself and I told him I took a dim view of people who knew or was related to somebody and got special privileges. We didn’t get alone after that and he avoided me, which was fine with me.

Another trainee at the same time was a young man from Marietta I will call Dave C. We went out drinking together and he became a good friend. Remember his name, he will show up later.

Years later I would up at my last work place, Sprayberry Branch Post Office in Marietta. One of my co-workers at Sprayberry was Brenda D. Brenda was a very warm lady with a big heart… and extremely witty. I enjoyed her company as we worked. One day she told me her maiden name was Wheeler. Wheeler? That name rang a bell. I told her that a Jack Wheeler, head of the carriers in the Atlanta Post Office fired me. She said that was her uncle. Her father’s brother was Jack Wheeler and he was over the carriers in Atlanta… but he was just too nice of a guy to fire anybody.

“Yes he did!” I said.

“No, he couldn’t have!” she retorted, “He was too sweet!”

Sweet, my ass.

I forgot what happened to Brenda. I forgot if she transferred or resigned. She was always threatening to do either one.

I transferred to Sprayberry Post Office about 1984 on the day they opened and spent the next 16 years there. One of the station managers who came back more than once was my old drinking buddy Dave C., but now he was white headed.

If I remember correctly Dave C. told me Hoot Jr. lost his job years ago. Poetic justice? Nah!

Paul Foster in Macon, Ga.

This is another picture of Paul E. Foster recently uncovered. Paul was/is my wife Anna's grandfather.

On the back it says Paul Foster in Macon, Ga. I suppose the picture was taken at a studio in Macon, Ga.

Paul was born in 1895. I think this picture was probably taken around 1920.

Image Is Everything! = $$$

The headlines of an Associated Press story today was: Palin Stylish paid more than McCain's Adviser.

In the story it said that Amy Strozzi, who works on the reality show, "So, You Think You Can Dance" has been Pallin's traveling stylist was paid $22,800 according to campaign finance reports for the first two weeks of October and McCain's Foreign Policy Adviser Randy Scheunemann was paid $12,500.

You get what you pay for.

Sunday Morning Inspirational Talk

Did you know that for every 100 birds born only 25 reach adulthood?*

That reminds me of when I went to work for the Post Office in 1968. We (new hires) had a few days of indoctrination. On the first day about 100 of us met in a big room. An administrator gave us forms to fill out. A couple others spoke. One was a sophisticated courtly old gray headed guy named Andrew Jackson. I don’t think he could speak without being inspirational. Another guy, the head of operations, I think, told us flatly that they hired us 100 because they need 50. He said about half of us would not make it – they knew that by previous statistics.

That was a comforting thought – one out of two of us would not make it. Opps! What did I get myself into?

Getting back to the birds: Did God or Mother Nature arrange the environment so for every bird needed to carry on the nature business of scattering seeds and whatever else three are born?

I think all four of the birds are needed. One to reach adulthood to mate to keep the cycle going – for every 4 birds they reproduce one will reach adulthood… on and on.

And the three birds that didn’t make it – that died young died for a purpose: usually to be food for other animals.

That is what some animals do. They have to eat other animals to survive. They have to eat sweet little cuddly things so they can live and carry out their purpose to keep life going on and on.

I suppose you could even say animals who die of a disease gave their lives for the continuing survival of tiny little germs so they could go forth and multiply too.

Never mind all those bloody cruel thoughts. Go ahead and eat your breakfast. What are you having this morning – eggs and bacon?

*Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Almanac

Friday - Fatback Almanac and Atlanta

click on pictures to enlarge

Yesterday we went to the big city of Atlanta. The purpose of our trip was to find the parking lot that jurors can park free while on the Federal Jury – which is coming up for me.

That morning our computers could not get on-line. We left them that way.

It was pouring down rain all day so it wasn’t the best conditions to go for a ride to Atlanta but I’m glad we did. The parking lot wasn’t hard to find, according to their directions and it is my old stomping grounds – the parking lot was only one or two blocks from my old work place, the Postal Federal Annex.



Then, afterwards, content, knowing I will know my way around we drove down Peachtree Street which is always interesting. There is always something new – a new building, new big sign or something. This time we saw a new sight: a big Arc(h) de Triumph in the Peachtree Center area. It had Carnegie’s name on it. I suppose that is the same steel industrialist Carnegie who was ruthless in business but then gave away fortunes building libraries and other things the public will remember his name for.

On up Peachtree at 12th Street was a huge Egyptian figure – part human and part animal – the kind of creature that is buried with the elite to protect them – was looming and advertising the upcoming King Tut exhibit that will be at the Atlanta Civic Center.



Then we got on Piedmont Road at Piedmont Park and stopped at Fat Matt's Rib Shack for lunch. We have heard a lot about this place – how it was one of the best barbecue places in Atlanta and all. I got to say, it had its own style… good blues music on the speakers. But we were unimpressed with the bbq sandwiches – which looked more like a sloppy Joe or a Manwich. However, the ribs looked good I saw other people eating. And it was crowded. After we got our food the lined piled up out the door. This is something that happens regularly with us – we walk into a place and walk right up and get waited on and minutes afterwards the line goes out the door.



To have such a big lunch crowd they must be doing something right.

The name Fat Matt's Rib Shack reminded me of a name I considered for my blog: FATBACK’S ALMANAC.


Unique looking church across from Fat Matt's.

We rode on down Piedmont. A place we used to go when we were dating was a place called The Great Southeastern Music Hall where we seen several good shows – such as Steve Martin (before he was white headed) – Joan Baez’s sister Mimi Farini (or something like that), and others that either made a name for themselves or didn’t.

There were so many new buildings we could not figure out exactly where the Great Southeastern Music Hall was… we knew it was in Broadview Plaza – but it looked like it has been eaten up by big buildings.

I remember across the street from Broadview Plaza was a Shoney’s. Next door was a closed Sinclair Station. At the time I worked for Sinclair. I remember a little short guy with the last name Partain, a gas truck driver, was sent out to that closed station to pump the gas out of the underground tank. He was such a humble little polite guy… always nice and apologetic and yielding. That morning, next door, some of the breakfast diners at Shoney’s saw Partain run across the parking lot in flames.

Something went wrong.

Partain probably died, burnt to a crisp before he hit the ground from running. I hope he died or lost conscious before he even got running good.

We rode down West Paces Ferry Road. We were looking for the long driveway that has dogwood trees lined up on each side and in the spring time it is beautiful…but we couldn’t find it – I wonder if that yard and house was bulldozed to make way for a bigger house or houses or what?

postcard of the missing dogwood-line driveway


By the way, the governor’s mansion is on West Paces Ferry Road and many other huge mansions. I noticed several Vote for Saxy Chambliss signs on that road, who claims to be a fighter for the middle class… hhmmfff!

We did some shopping and then back home in the afternoon. The computer on-line was still down. I called Bell South’s help desk. A very patient Indian lady walked me through everything and we got the line back up by reconfiguring the modem. However, to do it, we had to by-pass the router. She gave me the 1-800 number of the router’s help desk. I called them and ended up talking to a very excitable shrill sounding Pilipino lady who was very good and knowledgeable. Not only did she walk us through reconfiguring the router so it would work she also had us pull out our old laptop which we haven’t used in years because we could not get it to get it to jive to our jive and walked us through it. I think she spent over two hours with both us on the line.

It was a well spent day.

Digital Photo Frame

Above - Waterman Street Grammar School, Marietta, Ga.

Several months ago I received as a gift a Digital Photo Frame from Rocky and Sabrina. It comes with its own built-in hobby.... picture collecting and picture dating.

When I received it there were already quiet a few pictures in it that Rocky and Sabrina had downloaded. Then I started putting pictures in and got the picture fever.

My hoggish compulsive state of mind took over.

There is a connection on the back that allows you to put several types of memory cards – which will give you more memory. I decided to use a memory card.

First I decided I wanted the pictures in categories. My pictures were already sorted digitally in categories of the different surnames we were related to – but the categorizing got complicated in the Immediate Family group. To start with there are two immediate families: Anna’s and mine. Then comes a third immediate family after we married and had kids.

Then the way I figure it a sister-in-law of a late brother-in-law would be part of the immediate family, but her with her kids, as a whole, would be part of the extended family.

Uncles and aunts would be one of the surnames extended families. Of course our parents would be part of the immediate family, but before they were married they would be part of an extended family. I get confused just thinking about it.

Then, I gave a roughly estimated date to each picture that didn’t already have a date. Then, I had pictures in categories that lined in chronological sequence.

I had about 1600 pictures loaded which not only had ancestors, relatives, and friends, but also vacations and special occasions.. According to my planning, the groups or categories would come out one at a time and be shown in date order.

Wrong! They randomly appeared without any sort of sequence order.

Then I went back, and changed the name of each picture to a number only. The earliest picture is the postcard of John Hunter’s cabin built in 1835 or so. No pictures had names, they all had numbers. Looking at the line-up on the pictures, all the pictures fell in order that I had plan.

But when I plug the memory card in the digital photo frame the first thing was my uncle and aunt Leonard and Jeannette Petty’s 50th wedding anniversary, which was in the early 1990s. The pictures mostly stayed in categories or groups but in no order that I can tell. However, each time I turn it on, it follows the identical sequence as far as I can tell. It always starts out with the Petty’s 50th anniversary and so on.

I think of it as a pleasure to have it on running and half way forget it is there, and you happen to look up and see a picture of a person or a scene that you haven’t thought about in a long time… It think it is just the pleasure of seeing something or someone familiar that is not in the on-line memory of your mind anymore and you get a warm feeling inside.

So, does a good snort of Jack Daniel’s.

Hello Dali! Meeting Time

This morning I met two of my ex-coworkers Tony and Herman for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. We are all retired now. Time means nothing now that we are retired, or does it?

We agreed to meet at 9:00am. I left the house a few minutes after 8:00. On the way over I thought that all three when working were habitual early. We were never late…. Well, rarely late. Herman said he was late one time in his thirty plus years, I don’t think Tony has ever been late, and I have been late once too (during a snow storm was I was 5 minutes late).

I drove up in the Cracker Barrel parking lot at 8:30. Thirty minutes early. I thought they would probably be early too. I went inside and looked over the flood of merchandise available – things with COKE logos, UGA logos, books, audio books, bird houses, and you name it. Tony arrive at 8:43 and while I was shaking hands with Tony Herman walked in. We were all at least 15 minutes early.

I wonder how does early-aholics set a meeting time. Because all three of us were there by 8:45 we should have said, “ok, lets meet at 8:45”. Then we would have all arrived by 8:30.

Maybe we should have went to other way on the clock and said, “OK, lets meet at 9:15” – and then at least the Estimated Time of Arrival would be what we wanted it to be anyway, 9:00.

Our meeting was good. We talked about old times and “remember when…” and “whatever happen to….” And about how our family members were doing.. and how stupid supervisors can be.

We had such a good time we decided to do it again soon… if we can ever figure how to settle on a meeting time.

No Proof These Are Proofs

click to enlarge.

I am fairly certain these are proofs. They are of Anna’s Foster (their name - not their legal parental position) grandparents, probably very close to their wedding date. Irene looks so young.

There are some interesting poses, such as he on the telephone – well, the type of phone is interesting. That picture seems to say, “business as usual”

The picture of her – the first picture – on the next to last row – she looks to be in a completely unnatural pose and looks very uncomfortable in mind and body language.

Bill Rampley's Video Southern Comfort

These pictures of Bill were taken at the Bell Reunion less than a month ago.

I went through high school with Bill Rampley. We went to different grammar schools - and I don't remember us crossing paths then - I don't see how I could have missed him - he always has been tall for his age.

We ran in the same complicated intertwined bunches. All the social bunches we were in were the kind that the assistant principal and principal had to keep their eyes on.

Bill has co-produced and is the MC of a pilot video about the South. I think they did a great job. They took it to the New York Film Fest and won an award.

So, here it is - click the below and take it way Bill!

Bill Rampley's Southern Comfort.

Atherton Park in Marietta, Ga

Atherton Park in Marietta is an interesting place to stop, sit, and relax and watch the people.

Atherton Park is named for Howard “Red” Atherton, one of the previous mayors of Marietta. Red was second in command at Atherton’s Drug Store. His daddy was the rude one who would run off a loitering teenager in a blink of the eye.

On the left is the Kennesaw House, which houses the Marietta History Museum. Straight ahead is the Marietta Visitors’ Center and what used to be the Train Depot.

Of course the train tracks are on the other side of the Visitors' Center - and you can hear them roar by about every 40 minutes or so.

The black wrought-iron chairs and tables are usually occupied by young people who look to be college students with a dash of bohemian. You usually see a few bicycles and motorcycles, and someone playing the guitar and a high percentage of them smoking.

I think the tables and chairs are owned by the coffee house. The backdoor to the coffee house is the white doors in the bottom photo.

Not only do you get to watch the interactions of the hip bunch but also young families going to the Kennesaw House or the Marietta Visitor’s Center which is a parade of yuppies.

This area is at the corner of two alley-type streets.. like on one side are back entrances and loading areas for the stores facing the West Park Square area in the center of town... it is just enough away from the mainstream of downtown to hear it but not be part of it.

People Will Believe Anything

It would be funny if – well, heck, it is funny. It is funny because it is so ridiculous. The two men running for the United States Senate here in Georgia are turning half-truths about each other into slanderous lies. Both of them, the Republican incumbent Chambliss and the Democrat opposition Martin are throwing mud balls with rocks packed inside.

Both of them are tossing mud at each other that is just not true. And several investigated reporters and political reporters have pointed the real facts out that they are both lying. – even though “I approve of this message.”

The race is neck and neck. So, it will get more personal and bloodier.

And they know their gullible public will swallow anything.

And thanks to fellow blogger Kenju – who I swiped the picture from.

This is my 2000th Post here. Celebrate!

I Did a Whole Lot of Nothings.

This is my 2000th post on this blog.

If you don’t believe me, count them. And while you are at it count the posts in Chickenfat also. I have 24 on Chickenfat and 2000 on Chicken Fat. That is a lot of B.S.

How many quality posts do I think I have in this large quantity? None, I’m still practicing.

Big Decision

Some people are wondering why John McCain picked Sarah Palin as a running-MATE after meeting her one time. I don't know.

Maybe there is some insight in this video:

John Mc

The Invisible Man Strikes P.F. Chang’s

To embigger (as Kenju says) a picture click on it.

Our little band of restauranteers went to P.F. Chang’s Restaurant Saturday night to celebrate Rocky and Sabrina’s birthday. They were in South Korea the day of his birthday. And Sabrina’s actual birthday was the following day, Sunday – which was yesterday. Confused?

Anna, Anna’s mother, my two sisters, Adam, Rocky, Sabrina, and Sabrina’s mother made up the group. And oh yes, me too – I forgot about me - I am so easily to be overlooked.

For instance, when we sat down I sat beside Anna – it was only a matter of a minute or two that someone counted people and counted the napkins and eating utensils and decided we had one set of dining tools too many. I pointed out that did not have any dining tools. Oh.

The birthday girl, Sabrina, brought the birthday cake – or in this case, birthday cupcakes. The cupcakes were handed out. The person handing out the cup cakes thought the job was finished – then I pointed I that I haven’t received mine. Oh.

I think I am going to have to start putting bandage tape around my head and body like a mummy and of course leave openings for eating and seeing.

We had belated birthday presents for Rocky and pre-birthday presents for Sabrina.

And, to our delight they had presents for us. They bought us gifts in South Korea. They are very thoughtful.

They gave me a little press or a stamp of a sort that presses an ancient Chinese symbol . The ancient Chinese symbol means HUNTER*. Below is a picture of the stamp, the red stuff which you use. It is like a seal. They had it made by an artisan who specializing in these. Rocky had one made for him that said HUNTER in ancient Korean.

Neat! I love it!




*Doing more research on the ancient Chinese symbols I discovered that anyone except one with the name HUNTER looks at this symbol it will cause an agonizing painful death within six months. You didn’t look did you?**

** But I know you didn’t fall for the above old gag – after all, I’m sure you remember it in MAD comicbook #23, takeoff on RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT drawn by Wallace Wood (below).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SABRINA!!

The Old Marietta City Hall

This was Marietta City Hall.

You could walk right in and walk up to a counter and pay your water and light bill and talk to Mrs. Goscha. Mrs. Goscha’s husband was a Sealtest milkman. I think my aunt Sarah may have worked there too one time before she worked for the downtown library.

If you were old enough and young enough you could climb the high wide stairs and go to the TAC (teenage canteen).

On a certain week night you could come and watch the city councilmen and mayor make big plans for the city. You just about knew all the councilmen and they knew you.

Or you could walk around back and see the big shiny red fire engines of Fire Station #1, The firemen hanging around were always good for a reflective strip to put on your bicycle or some literature on how to prevent a fire – well? It was free wasn’t it?

I think most of the building has been bulldozed away and now it is much smaller building that has a small office within – maybe the office is an insurance or an architect’s office.

Plans? Why Bother?

It seems every time I plan something –something else with more priority pops up. I think the Supreme Being enjoys putting little stumbling blocks in my way – just for kicks.

Yesterday I took my mother-in-law to the doctor. Afterwards, I had plans of dropping by Krogers and buying a couple of items before going home. I also planned when I arrived home to have a bowl of gumbo soup doused with James Brown Hot Sauce. My mouth was watering just thinking about it.

Just before leaving to pick up my mother-in-law Jason the kitchen cabinet carpenter called and said he was ready to drop by and finish up – would I be home. I told him I was taking my mother-in-law to the doctor but I would hurry back and we agreed I was call him on the cell phone while driving back so he could be there just about as soon as I arrived home to get back to work.

Well, there goes the items at Krogers… no big deal, the carpentry is a priority.

And there went my gumbo. I couldn’t prepare it in the kitchen while Jason the carpenter was there.

No problem, I thought, I could still have something spicy, I would ride by McDonald’s and get a spicy chicken sandwich. This time I’ll try out the one on Canton Highway because I was nearer that one. The other McDonald’s closer to me has messed up my order more than once.

As I was riding down Canton Highway on my way to McDonald’s I noticed a helicopter high in the sky hovering in the same place about three quarters of a mile ahead of me. As I got closer I could why the helicopter was there. It was a TV news helicopter. In front of McDonald’s were about six or eight police cars turned every which way and they all had their blue lights flashing. They were directing the traffic to turn around.

I don’t know what was going on – but I did know not to make any more plans for lunch that day.

The Fosters One More Time!

Where was I? I wandered off the path for about a week didn’t I?

I think the three strips of pictures were probably taken by the same photographer the same day. The grownups are siblings Lena, Luther, and Claude Foster.




The children are nephews and niece to the top group and siblings to themselves (make sense?). They are the children of Paul Everett Foster: Marie, Charles, and Paul Foster.

I estimate the pictures were made about 1926. The little girl Marie was born in 1920.