I'll never forget Charlie....

In the mid eighties I answered an ad in a photographic journal I subscribed to from Techno Balcar looking for a rep for their line of photographic equipment. They were based out of Chicago and wanted a rep for Missouri and Arkansas. They flew me to Chicago for training and my immediate supervisor was Charlie Moore. Charlie was about my age and looked to be Italian. We hit it off and I completed the training. Balcar made very sophisticated equipment meant for the true Professional Photographer. Very pricy equipment but it was worth the money. While them I was flown back to Chicago to help them cover Chi-Caribe a celebration for the media producers in Chicago. Models, suppliers, photographers, ad agencies, designers, anyone of notation within the Chicago area was there. It was a grand time and Tecno was photographing attendees and giving them 8 x 10 Polaroid prints. Charlie and I got one together.

Techno was sold to another supplier and my tenure with them was ended. It was a real shame as I had to return $ 100,000 worth of equipment they gave me to use and demonstrate to clients with. Part of the job was to demo the products at different shows. One was in Kansas City and I was responsible for my own accommodations. I took Motel Six close to the Missouri River as the Show was across the river and M6 was much cheaper that the hotel that housed the convention. Charlie had all of the ingredients for the hospitality room Techno was hosting and I had a six pack in my room. I had a car so I picked Charlie up as we were going to dinner at one of the KC steak Houses on the Plaza We decided to have a beer before we ate so we stopped by by room to get one. I pulled in about the same time a mud strewn Cadillac pulled in and three guys hopped out in Bib overalls. Reaching for the door handle in the car I started to get out. Charlie grabbed me and said STOP !! I looked at him and he had a look of terror in his face. I said "what's going on ??? Morgan you have to change hotels !! he replied. With a look of confusion I said "WTF Charlie...?? He asked if I had seen the guys get out of the car. I said "Yes"...He replied..."Didn't you see the overalls ??? I said" Yes"........."They're Rednecks Morgan......They may start something....MOVE OUT !!! " I was astounded....I explained to him that people in rural America have all at one time or another have owned one or more pairs of Bibs to work in.....don't be concerned. We got out of the car went into the room had a beer and went to eat. 

Techno closed and Charlie then started an apartment rehab business and was doing well and then had a cardiac surprise at almost killed him. He called after he got out of the hospital and gave me an update. The heart attack ended his rehab career but he then became a guide at night for the Observatory on the lakeshore and loved it. 

I got an assignment from the National Funeral Directors to create a multi-image slide show introducing Chicago to their attendees. I called Charlie explaining that I needed to show all parts of the city and some cemeteries to be included. I asked him to guide me through the city. I used Carl Sandburg writings as a basis for giving the city a personality of an old man. The show started with the morning light and ended with dusk into night. My nephew Tim Putnam created a terrific music background for the narration. Charlie and I covered the city in a day and decided to hit some Jazz clubs after dinner. We got back to his apartment about three in the morning and were pretty wound up after the day of shooting. 

I noticed a large photo album on his living room table and started to thumb through it. There were pictures of different black families, Charlie as a kid, his brothers and sisters, and as I was looking the asked me if I knew he was black. I said no, but so what ! He then started to tell me a little family history. He was what his family called high yellow....evidently meaning light skinned. I frankly told him that I thought he might have been Italian. In the conversation we had he told me one thing I had never considered.... the difference between being in the Minority and Majority. Charlie decided several years before that he needed to trace his family history which led him to take a trip to Africa. He said he found a tribe that he thought his ancestors came from and was pleased. He did say that for the first time in his life he was in the racial majority and he had NEVER been there before. 

Be low are two photographs Charlie and I at the Chi Caribe in an 8 x 10 polaroid and Charlie in one of the cemetery shots. Looking back...how much it says about the future. I got a call from one of the former employees of Techno telling me that Charlie had passed.....

He had a heart attack in the observatory and died. The Chicago Tribune ran an article on him with the Byline....Master of the Universe has passed......

Charlie was just a great guy and good friend.

Great Catalog for amazing seeds...

Check out amazing seeds.com for the best selection of non-GMO altered seeds available. This company has the catalog that is a true visual joy to see and just thumbing through it makes me want to start planting seeds right now for spring planting. However I will wait till February to do so. 

Order the catalog and become a true Gardner......I'm not responsible for your whole yard becoming a huge and great garden....but enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Almost done with Fall....and a fabulous bit of family news

 I've taken down the banana trees and probably going to eliminate them as they are spreading like poison ivy. Karen is afraid of my creating a new Banana Republic. I think the only way to contain them is obviously in a pot or whisky barrel. The garden beds are done and the mushroom soil mixed in with the Oklahoma sandy loom. It will be a great spring planting time. In February I will start my seeds in the north window of the house and by April they will be ready t plant.The cycle starts again.....

I did move my 40 year old Sego Palm outside this last spring and it flourished. I built a small greenhouse to protect it from what might be a very hard winter. I would hate to lose it as it's been around so long and through moves to New Orleans, Dallas, Joplin, and finally landing here in Tulsa. By this time I guess I should give it a family name.

Which reminds me,,,,My grandson Adam Cain has just told us that he tried out for the Marine Band with an audition. A man was flown in from the band to hear him play and he was accepted !!!! He will report to basic and them take his place in the band. What a GREAT choice he has made which I hope leads him around the world and helps cement his future into music history. What an excellent choice he has made. Way to go Adam !!!!!

Yes I have bananas.........

 We cut down the banana trees yesterday but saved the one with the bananas, The flower is edible and we may try that today for a twist in  the usual menu. In the picture with the cut trunks my leg and foot are in the lower left to give you an idea of the size of the trees. They were actually taller than the roofline. I think they will soon take over the neighborhood.....wife IS concerned...

The upper deck is ready for the fall however the plants are soon to be history as we dig out the bulbs to put in wood chips and seal for the winter. We have saved about $ 300. to $ 400. a year by doing so. The bulbs are stored in the garage and in the spring we replant them and all is well. Have a great Fall and stay safe....we are NOT out of the woods.

An oldie from the 70's...............

 I think this was my first award in "73" from the Missouri Professional Photographers Association. This was when I had hair and no knee, hip, or back replacements....the start of a fun career. Had I known then what I know now, I would have never believed it would be possible. I've traveled the world on assignments, including Canada, Central America, and the Middle East, as well as all over the U.S. It goes to show I think that if you pay attention to who you meet, find out a bit about them, be interested in them and be open about your abilities, anything can follow. I could NEVER believe this could happen to a small town guy. SHAZZZZAAAAAAAMMMMMMM !!!

FlapJack

One more plant note....

 Just a quick note on one more favorite plant....the FlapJack....Had this for years and have propagated several from it. It just hangs out and grows but in the Fall the leaves get the red trim. That becomes the really BIG DEAL for this plant....

Tomorrow I'm going to work on the gardens putting new mushroom soil in them to replenish them from this season. I'm heavily tempted to try straw bail gardening for a new crop of potatoes but haven't decided yet if I will. Starting in the fall you take one bail of straw and wet it down and cover it with commercially purchased manure and let its over the winter. In the spring plant the potato eyes deeply into the straw and water it as you would a regular garden. The potato plants will grow and by late summer the potatoes will be available harvest by digging through the straw. In the Fall the straw composts into the garden improving the soil. 

Fall has arrived...

 For the first time one of my Bonsai trees has turned with the weather. This Red Maple is about 6 years oldand has finally realized that it is to change colors in the Fall. I have several others that may change next year.....

I guess that makes it a red letter day....

My favorite time to photograph........almost..

 Fall is in the air and I'm getting in the mood to do some work for myself. Kind of a strange thought - photographing for myself-but I like the mystery of setting out to capture what is usually missed through everyday seeing. It's kind of like William Last Heat-Moons book "Blue Highways." In it he just started out to "discover" the America he lived in. The journey took him on a path that was determined by what seemed to be the "right" direction amnd ended by completing a circle through the United States.  

A touch of fall/The Moonlight is done

 I bought the "Moonlight" as a nonfunctioning searchlight at a flea market several years ago and I have finally taken the time to mount it so that it is working properly. I'll photograph it tonight to give you a clue as to what is casting that spotlight over Tulsa tonight. Eat your heart out Batman !!!

Hard rain gonna fall.....for days

So many songs, great songs in fact, have been written about the rain. The first that comes to mind is Bob Dylans " A Hard Rains Gonna Fall, "followed up by Jose Feliciano's,"  Listen to the Falling Rain", and then tremendous thunder storms that I loved as a child. Middle of the night booms followed by brilliant flashes of light. I was always amazed. My Grandfather Speer told me that the thunder was the sound of Trolls throwing bowling balls down the alleys and the lightning announced the strikes. As a kid I wondered what it would be like living on top of a cloud and what the bowling alleys looked like. Always a concern as I looked up, and wondering what it would be like to see earth from above, was the question of how thick the cloud must be before you would fall through. I also surmised that although I thought of space as black, the world was covered by white clouds that turned the black into blue. I really felt sorry, although I did admire jet pilots, ( Buck Rogers ), watching the jet trails across one horizon to the other, eventually crashing as I had never seen one land.

The thoughts of a kids' reality in the 50's. Surprised that I made it through childhood.

Talking of clouds and flying, Superman on TV was a big deal. It's a bird !!! It's a plane !!! It's SUPERMAN. I remember one afternoon I figured if he could fly so could I. It had to be the suit he wore. I found a pair of longjohns and put them on. Then a pair of Jockey shorts so I had a super suit almost like his, and safety penned a towel to the shoulders on the top of the longjohns, I was Euclids Superboy. I tried to jump a couple of times and nothing happened. Our 56 Ford was parked in front of the house and I just figured I needed a head start to get into the skyway like SUPERMAN. Climbing on top of the fender on the passenger side I took the leaf of faith !!! I flew for less than the time it takes to realize I couldn't fly, and knocked all the wind out of me. I knew I was going to die......then I got my wind back, looked around, and slowly walked back to get in regular clothes before anyone saw me as an earthbound superboy. I never tried to fly again....

Tomatoes/walkway

Just a couple of images from the backyard. We added some river pebbles to the west walkway to prevent the soil from eroding. As I mentioned in a couple of past entries my tomatoes luck is fantastic. These are the Cosmic tomatoes I have mentioned before. They are cherry size and varied in color from black to yellow, orange blue and black. The really taste great and can be eaten like popcorn-by the hand full. A truly great find 1!!!!

Dog days...

It's hot here in Tulsa on everything is slowing to a crawl. Our governor Kevin Stitt, who has been somewhat of a skeptic to the Covid situation, and refused to close down anything state wide has come down with the Covid problem. It will be interesting to see if he changes his tune. Masking is vital to staying free form the disease however being at home is the best.

Please stay safe and watch what you do......life as usual is too short.....preserve your health.

MURDER !!!!

This morning I went out on the  deck to water and was shocked as I happened upon what was an untouched crime scene. White, one of our caged birds, had been attacked sometime in the darkness of night.

I immediately noticed that she was missing from the cage and then saw her feet and a tail feather

    which had been discarded due to obviously no interest.

Further investigation led to the discovery of her remains.....

It is obvious that the culprit, the fiend, had a good part of her anatomy for a late snack.

All I can say is that I hope it has a great time trying to digest her styrofoam body.

Rest In peace White, and sing on for eternity......

Cosmic tomatoes...

I was a bit surprised at the size of the tomatoes I chose to plant....at least one variety, The Cosmic set....

I expected large tomatoes like I had was a kid but these came out like cherry tomatoes.....disappointed
till I tasted them. They are fantastic ! We've been taking them off the vine in multitudes as they grow on one stem with a general count of 6 per stem. yum....yummmm..


I have several different types taking off and I'll follow up with a review when I get them in my hands....click on the picture to make it bigger...

Potatoes...

Tomatoes-potatoes..the grand experiment...

One of the pots of potatoes had dying plants which is generally an indication of what should be an impending harvest. I took the hint and got my crop out of the dirt. I have another pot that is still vibrant and I'll wait on it. I initially questioned the sense, or lack of, in plantings the seed potatoes. Potatoes are cheap at the store and it had been decades since I planted them and never in a pot. The grand experiment took place with two large pots on the deck and patio.

In the spring I planted the seed potatoes in good soil, watered them faithfully and watched them grow. Homegrown tomatoes have a great taste and I was wondering if the taste would be different with homegrown potatoes. The jury is still out....we'll have them for dinner tonight....so I'll have to keep you posted. Only the Shadow knows for sure...

However.....it was fun watching them through the growing process......it doesn't take much to keep me entertained...

Tomatoes

As mentioned before and shown in previous stories I planted tomatoes in my raised beds in the garden. They have taken off and we are enjoying the taste I haven't had since I was a kid. Home grown tomatoes. What a kick in the pants !!!  These are a cherry tomato-smalll but fabulous in taste. I have about 30 more plants of a variety called Cosmic Tomatoes that are just now starting to bloom.

These come in clusters of about 6 and they are striped with green and black with a touch of red and orange. Small but really tasty. I'm going to trim the stalks tomorrow-never done it but it is to make the plant produce more fruit.....will let you know....

A wild six weeks.....

I have had, being isolated, a really great time working like I never had before on our "studio" yard. What generally took a year or so to get together in terms of planting, removing, cleaning and creating was done over the past few weeks. Today capped it all as I put up the sunscreen for the Koi pond so the fish wouldn't overheat.  DONE !!!

It is a great feeling and pretty exciting to say the least. DONE .....

Many of my commercial accounts took a beating with the isolation and I am in the process of connecting with them however everyone seems to be a bit afraid of the "recession " that we are entering ....no place to hide so ...in my opinion surge forward to look and be strong and capture the market you have and the one looking for a way to proceed. BE A LEADER !! The company that has the open door is the one that is going to be the winner.

In a lighter note it's time for the yearly "Lilly" image...............

Every year they come back and look healthier and bolder. I really like to photograph them-just a great time. I'll be back on tomorrow with a bunch of images of the yard and maybe a story of past challenges...

Thinking of others in the strange times we're in...

Like everyone else we have been spending time concerning updates on the Corona Virus, My wife came up with an amazing stroke of Genius !!!  She spoke with the president of our neighborhood association and suggested that our subdivision be broken up into areas that were basically straight lines, ask a volunteer from each area to be responsible for picking up curbside boxes, bags or crates of food the homeowner wished to donate, and the volunteer  to drive the load to the Tulsa Food bank.

IT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS !

All told we delivered almost 600 pounds of staple foods and canned goods! You never know where your situation will be in these unsettled times. If you can do the same collection and delivery in your area please try to do the same thing. No business or community is like it was 6 months ago....we are all in this together. Try to help someone else.

One of the area collection carts

The back of our car..

The collectors and the food just our group delivered to the Food Bank

Covid time in Tulsa

It looks as though the virus has come to roost in Oklahoma. There are reports in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and random towns throughout the state. There has not been a total shelter in place decree from our Governor who seems to be oblivious to the situation but people seem to be taking the situation in hand. There is not traffic to speak of on the main roads through town and people are staying close to home. I've been doing nothing but yard work the past few days as the weather has been really exceptional. The garden is in and the tomatoes are growing well. I started several varieties from seed and was disappointed to see no results. No patience ! They have finally sprouted and will be late producing which is good.  By the time my first grown plants stop these will be beginning to produce.
A perfect addition to our Fall menus.

Many of my commercial accounts have been closed due to the situation so I will have to get creative in my sales approach. I can see that the main drive will be online sales of pictorials that I have amassed over the years. I'll keep you posted. Stay in your own domain-make do with what you have and take the free time to be creative. You may uncover new talents. Be safe.....

Remembering the song...

It occurred to me that the old standby of the early "60's anti war movement "Where have all the Flowers gone........fits the times today. The virus seems to be all consuming as it travels around the world with confusion everywhere. Some world leaders who at first refused to acknowledge it have finally sobered up to realize that this is a Pandemic that is pretty much uncontrollable unless explicit guidelines are followed. Families will be decimated if rules aren't followed and simple behavior respected. Be glad to be home and if you are lucky enough to have  a yard to tend to now is the time to excel in its care. 

My gardens are planted, watered and the lawn mowed. My wife and I are playing Rummykube almost everyday and she has become the internet Guru of her sunday school class, the net Hero. She has almost all of them on Zoom for chats, discussions, and just checking up on each other.  Something I probably couldn't have done. Remember to call your neighbors and friends, keep in touch, and be safe.

A double edged sword...

The virus is something out of a Steven King novel except that it's true. It has arrived in Tulsa and deaths have been reported and are destined to grow. As many of you know I have been working part time at Home Depot as a greeter-a job I love-but as of Friday I am taking a 30 day leave. I have been working with a recommended respirator and so far have experienced no issues. However there comes a time to stop pressing you luck......I reached that point. Traffic is coming to a halt on the roads however the customer count in the HD store is way up as people suddenly have the time to start and complete work in their yards and homes that until now would have taken many weekends.

I'm also one of those people.

Very frustrating time getting back on...

  n  

It's a long story but it doesn't start with "It was a cold stormy night"...I had just forgotten my name to get into Google. I gad misspelled it on my first entry and quite frankly forgot it. I figured out today how to do so so I'm officially back on. I've been very busy in the meantime. I've had a great commercial job photographing some really fine craft work on a home building structure. This company builds in the old world - way trusses, beams and supports out of vintage wood and secures them in place by using wooded pegs. Amazing craftsmanship.