Marching to a different Beat

Sticker I got during EMU Band Day 1970

It was a nice crisp fall day when our band bus pulled into the parking lot at EMU Stadium. We were to join the field during Halftime with 25 to 30 other Marching Bands. I remember the warm-up drills like it was yesterday. I'm glad I memorized all my songs. The first time my Lyre fell off my trombone taught me a lesson in memorization. Never again will I fake playing my songs or worry about my music falling in the mud, plus its so much easier concentrating on my marching without staring at the music. We played some pretty groovy songs by Santana and Chicago but 1 band had some music in a different key than the rest of us. Man did that sound sour :-] I dont remember who won the game but they certainly played better than my highschool did. Every play was fast, sharp and executed with the utmost precision but I guess they would since these are the best high school guys who get schiolarships and a few will be drafted into the NFL once they graduate. These days some go into the NFL or other pro sports right out of highschool. I wish I had taken a camera. Im not sure I had one then and I doubt those throwaway cameras were even invented yet. Marching Band was very enjoyable. We got to stare at a lot of Cheerleaders since we usually had front row seats. This is Jimio saying "Have a Nice Fall"

Autumn

Fall Colors in Full Bloom near Alpena Michigan



Missy and Mindy celebrating the Harvest

 What can I say about Autumn? It's a very colorful time and the smell of leaves in the air is so invigorating. A very robust fermented like smell, not as sweet as spring flowers but a more mildly acidic with a touch of sweetness. Nothing is more enjoyable than "Indian Summer" with its warm temperatures and cool nights. Why do leaves change their color? Some say its due to temperatures dropping   but the experts say it's because of the nights getting longer and this causes less chlorophyll to be produced. Eventually all chlorophyll stops being made and the carotenoids and anthocyanins inside the leaves are unmasked to expose their bright colors. The Oaks turn red, brown or russet. The Hickories turn a golden bronze. Aspens and Poplars turn yellow. The Dogwoods turn a purplish red and the Beech Trees turn tan. Maples differ from species to species from brilliant scarlet to red-orange to a glowing yellow. A succession of warm days and cool but not freezing nights should produce dazzling color displays. It's all due to warm days producing lots of sugars in the leaf but the cool nights trap the sugars in the leaf by leaf veins constricting during the cold nights. A warm dry fall will usually produce duller colors as seemed to happen this year. The word Autumn comes from the old French word Autompne in the 12th century or Automne in modern French. Also before the 16th century the word Harvest was used per the Dutch word Herfst and the German word Herbst. Eventually the word Harvest became know as to harvest the crops. The word Fall comes from the Old English word Fiaell or Feallan which means to fall from a height and I suspect it is to describe the leaves falling off the trees. I also enjoy the burning of leaves. The smell is somewhat like tobacco but more pungent and smokier. And who doesn't like hotdogs or marshmellows on a stick cooked over a burning pile of leaves! This is Jimio saying "Happy Fall- Autumn - Equinox"

Why cant Cars look Great and have Quality?

Why can't we see this beautiful design in today's cars?

I have always wondered why cars started losing their great looks. The 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s cars had such style n grace in their design. I feel the wildest grooviest designs in cars were the years 1967,1968 and 1969. Around 1980 they started getting this "box" look to them. I'm not sure if that was due to their unibody frame but they looked like blocks going down the road. The very first cars were nothing but horse carriges with motors on them, but hey, they just came out, you cant fault them in first few years of existance. After time they started looking pretty sleek. The Dusenbugs, Mercedes and Cadillacs set the trend as did the foreign cars Jaguar, Peugeou,Mazzeratti and Porsche. I understand today we need lighter vehicles to save on fuel and for electric motors which dont seem to have the power a combustion engine has, but still cant engineers design some half-way decent looks to them? Starting in the 40s these cars had such wonderful lines and every Company had their own unique design. Even models within the same company had their special style. When I worked on cars from 1992 to 2006, I noticed how flimsey they were made. If I just touch something inside the motor it would crack apart or fall off. I understand parts need to be replaced but they should be able to withstand a light tug or pull. Many things made today break down or need to be replaced in 3 years when they should have lasted 10 years. Im sure this is done to make sure a company keeps selling more of their products that way. It seems insulting to me that they feel the need to purposely make junk to keep them rich. I was upset when computers had to be upgraded so often but I realized that was due to the technology improving so fast, and I suppose that was a good thing to be able to do so many great things on computers now. do we really need all this high-tech in cars though? I do like the GPS to track your car if it is lost or stolen and the Map technology that even tells you a traffic jam is up ahead and what exit to take to avoid it, but having computer monitors on the dashboard? A car that parks itself? If you get a car that drives itself, you might as well ride a train! Oh well, change happens. I first noticed change in 1973. I thought the Hippies and long hair will be here forever but that was not the case. I thought the Metal and Psychedelic music would always dominate. I thought muscle cars would get more muscular and the bell bottoms would get wider. Something strange happened. People started cutting their hair and music on the radio started getting more boring and laid-back. Radio stations stopped playing whole albums and many went into these non-live formats with programed songs in a loop that repeated every 3 hours. What a nightmare! Now I realize "What comes around, goes around". I have seen little kids with peace signs around their necks and wearing tie-dye shirts. And now with 2 wars dragging on and on, we might even get a whole new batch of war protestors, so its odd how some things never change except you are older and they are younger =B-] This is Jimio saying "Peace-Love and Better Designing through High-Tech" 

Civil War Muster-The Past Comes to Life

Battle of Bethel Church Virginia June 10 1861



Beautiful Civil War dress

 This was my 2nd visit to a Civil war Re-enactment, the first being over 22 years ago in this very same spot. It sure has grown. I saw more troops, more cannons and more vistors. I also met Historical Ken, a blogger of  http://passionforthepast.blogspot.com/ and we talked for a bit about re-enacting. It was a beautiful day, though rather hot but that helped the liquid refreshment Saloon get many thirsty customers. There were many stuffed animal heads of a Buffalo, a Moose and an Elk I believe and the Bar looked right out of the 1860s. I had to go to the Saloon twice it was so humid out. The women were dressed in very authentic looking period clothing for the 1860s. The prominent women of lawyers and doctors and such wore beautiful dresses with a hoop skirt that makes them puff out and give them that "Southern Belle" look. Many children were there wearing accurate period clothing and a few young teens fought in the battle just like some did back in the 1860s. The children also played with toys from the 1860s, it was like you were transported back to the civil war. Even the campfires were perfect replicas, maybe even real 1860s cookware and they had the fires burning on tree logs split with axes with actual food sizzling in the pans *smelled so good!* Everything there, was down to a T and the re-enactors stayed the night in their tents for this wonderful 2 day Muster Event. Plus I must mention the great playing of the Michigan 5th Infantry Band. Baritones, Trumpets, Drums and Piccalos played 1860s Era songs to the delight of all. When the Battle of Bethel Church started, the Muskets were pretty loud, but when the 8 Cannons went off, every toddler in the crowd seem to be crying. They did not expect such a huge *BOOM!* I'm certain the next 4 years of this 150th anniversary of the Civil War will be just as exciting as this year was.

Summer on Maple Hill

Jimio with Tractor and Red Wagon to carry Missy and Mindy

Its amazing I can still remember the Summers on Maple Street like they were yesterday. Our House was high on top of a hill and the driveway went around it. Me Brad and Missy and Mindy plus a few neighbor kids would ride our bikes, tricycles and a tractor around the house while somebody played traffic cop and signaled who had to stop and who could go. I gave rides for the girls and sometimes only the stuffed animals and dolls would ride along. As we passed by the garage, there was a older boy named David [we called him Crazy David] and he would throw ice cream at us from the roof of the garage. It was ok if you could catch enough ice cream in your hand and eat it. There was this guy across the street who made balsa wood airplanes and they had little gas engines on them. He hung them from his living room ceiling and it was awesome for a little 5 year old dude like me sitting there on the couch and staring at them all. One summer this guy came by on a horse and was taking pictures of kids on his horse for like $3 or $5 a photo. He had these cowboy outfits we could wear and my brother and sisters all had our pictures taken. I have the pics somewhere, I must dig them up some day. I remember walking on the sidewalk and I said "Hi" to this kid and he punched me right in the face. Dont know why but I went running home crying all the way ;-] I guess he just wanted to prove he was tuff. Im glad I had many more good memories than bad ones. One was looking out my Grandma's bedroom window late at night and seeing her with Momio and Dadio out on the back lawn with the Tahiti Torches burning and Nat King Cole playing on the record player. I could even hear the clinking of the ice cubes in their mixed drinks.

Perfect Time to Fly a Kite

Mother  and Young Daughter out on a Windy August Day

I always thought of March as the time to fly a kite but it seems this Mom and her young Daughter found a breezy day in August as the perfect time. It definately was more warmer than March and the smell of the grass and plants and flowers was being whisked into our nostrils from the wind whipping through the neighborhood. What I found so wonderful was, the young child actually flew the kite herself for quite a little while. Her only complaint was mainly from the bright sun making her eyes squint and blocking her view of the Blue and Yellow Bird flying over her head. It's nice to see a young Mom with her Daughter enjoying themselves and getting exercise at the same time instead of being Kooped Up inside the house watching TV or playing Video Games.

The Lure of a Neon Sign

This Neon Sign been on this building probably longer than I've been alive

Neon Signs, they call out to us in the dawn or dusk. In the rain, sleet, snow and fog they guide our way to the Pubs, Bars, Taverns, Restaurants,Diners,Massage Palours,Hardware Stores, Tanners and a whole bunch of other places. Many stores use neon signs now. They are shaped like Cars, Guitars and even Dogs n Cats. Anything to catch our eyes. There is even many songs about neon signs. I suppose it has to do with all the things you can do in a building with a neon sign. The possibilities are limitless. Artists captures neon signs in paintings and directors used them in movies to get that certain look. A look of desparation or loneliness. A look of calmness and celebration. Each neon sign invokes it's own emotion. Once you find the Neon Sign that suits your taste, you go inside the building and discover smaller neon signs taunting and teasing you, forever emblazened on your retinas. Their images are still there even though your eyes are closed. Well the Roxy Cafe enticed me at least 2 or 3 times to engage in a gastronomical festival. Roxy Cafe has been named the best place to have breakfast in Jackson Magazine. I had the best pancakes and omlets there, thats for sure. One thing that bothers me is I am having a difficult time finding any history about the Roxy Cafe. For as long as it has been around I thought for sure there must be something. Maybe I should chat with the owner. He might know if there was something there before the restaurant or when the Roxy came into being and the wild times there, since I saw a sign that said, "Motorcyclists Welcome" on the sidewalk. Maybe that is for the Robin's Roost, a Bar that is next door in the same building. Hopefully I can dig something up and repost it here or in a new post. There is just too much history at the Roxy Cafe to overlook!