102 Thousand views so far.....

 Just a little update on my number counts as far as viewing my bog go....102.000 so far and the number still  keeps climbing with your help.

So hot ......

 Oklahoma weather is remarkably HOT !! Stalone 

Summer not over yet..

 What I thought would be the last mow of the front yard today is by far not the last 

 Going to Carthage tonight..

I'm starting to shoot imagery for my addition to the new Carthage video I'm producing. Next trip will be for the fall leaves and Mapleleaf...Looking forward to both trips!!!!

Elon Musk is an idiot!!

 He now says Hitler didn’t murder Jews…..total idiot like people that think he’s playing with a full deck.

Snow................

 Snow out the gazooo and I love it. We are feeding the critters and amazingly enough we have around 5 bluebirds a couple of robins a jaybird and about 4 squirrels. We are the restaurant of choice it think.We have around 3.5 inches of snow so w are staying off the roads....too many rookies out their to risk it. The weatherman says though we will be at 70 degrees by the weekend......I doesn't make a lot of sense but it is what it is. No real news but just letting you know I'm still alive...........

34 Years ago............Baghdad.....

It was the day after Thanksgiving and I  received a call from a friend of mine, later business partner, Byron Morgan and he asked me a simple question.."Where is the last place you'd want to be right now ?" The hostages had been taken in Iraq 30 days earlier so I naturally said, "Iraq". He then asked me if I wanted to go....to Iraq. I asked "What for " ?  He told me that a group from Japan and the U.S were going to try to recover the Hostages and they needed a photographer to document the journey. I asked him an obviously question, Who's paying for it ? He relied, "The Japanese". I asked  " When do we leave ", he replied," Tomorrow, from los Angles." I honestly had the devil on my left shoulder saying, "DON"T GO !!" and an Angel on my right saying GO..GO,,,.I answered "Book it.....

I called American Airline and booked a flight from Tulsa to L.A. that night and he met me at the airport and we went to his apartment. His son John was going also. In my haste I had forgotten  that Mom had invited me for dinner that evening so the next morning before we left for Tokyo I called her and told her that I was on the West coast doing commercial photography for one of my accounts. It had come up unexpectantly and apologized. I also called my sister and filled her in on what was going on and that if I wasn't back in a week the body was in Baghdad. Our cover was the we were the American Olympic Basketball team playing in the International Sports and Music Festival for Peace. Huessin put on the event to rid himself to the Hostages as they were a liability for him as the world as going after him because of the hostage crisis. Many countries were playing in many sporting events to get heir hostages. Diplomatically we wouldn't ask for the Americans so we asked for the Japanese and likewise for the Japanese, they asked of the Americans. We played Basketball, and volleyball losing to the cheating Iraqis.

The next evening we had the Music Festival and our closing song was Amazing Grace which brought the house down. We then retired to the Japanese Embassy, ate and enjoyed the rest of the evening mixing with the Japanese athletes. Some Americans that were not taken hostage joined us in our room and were voicing their concern about their future and we didn't know what to say but we were trying to do as much as we could. But we had no word on the Japanese hostages. The next morning still no hostages, and after boarding the plane, engines started, all of the Japanese hostages and the uncultured Americans boarded the plane and we took off. Senator Inoki was not with us...he was the man from Japan that put the deal together and he stayed behind.

Arriving in Tokyo  we met a man selling sake from a cart in front of our hotel and it resulted in him probably having the best sales in one evening because of us. Still no Inoki or American Hostages. 

We met with the Japanese Parliament the next morning and they gave us all a  Sammari Helmet and a proclamation thanking us for our bravery and commitment. Still no Americans...I sort of had the feeling we failed half of our mission. Just before arriving in Los Angeles the pilot alerted us that Inoki was in the air with the rest of the AMERICANS all of them ! The first war started thirty days later.......what was I thinking...

It's been a while....

I guess I've been lazy, for the lack of a better word, but I have been really tied up with spring planting and keeping rhe garden watered in an extremely dry Summer. It has been way took hot to venture out to photograph so the camera has been napping in my camera case. The tomatoes have been doing well and the Sego Palm that I thought I had lost due to the winter sprung back to life which is really good news as I have had it for over 40 years. I'll protect it better this coming winter. I hate to lose old connections.

I was in Carthage several months ago for a very good friends funeral that I grew up with, and went by my old build  at 340 Lyon and got in a cross between heart broken and mad as hell. The man that bought the building after the woman who bought it from me and lost it to the bank, has allowed the building to fall from being a really great office and studio into a pigeon roost with windowpanes gone and wooden window structures close to rotting away. The building has stood since 1883 and to have it neglected like it has been should be a crime. The value on Zillow has gone from over $ 120,000. to less that $ 60,000. It's not really the money lost in value as much as it is in my mind the loss of History. The building was originally the home of the Carthage press and was built in 1883.

In the basement there is writing on the walls telling the boys that picked up papers to sell on their routes not to spit, cheat, and take other boys papers. After I left Carthage in 2005 some boys, and I know who they are, broke into the basement and spray painted obscenities on the walls. No brainers !! I know who did it but they have no money and would be tried as juveniles at the time and really wasn't worth the time to pursue. The deed will come back to haunt them as Karma does appear.

The potential for the building is so spectacular that someone with a creative mind and some cash could turn  it into a showplace condo and live comfortably. Karen and I were planning to do so until she landed her dream job here in Tulsa and we moved down here. 

When I bought the building in in 1975, 2 years after launching my business, I painted it black, the windows white, after sealing the windows, added the Morgan Logo in stained glass above the doors, refinished the doors and floors taking them beck to their natural hardwood, built a wall between the office and studio area, rented the upstairs to my Dad for his business after remodeling it to his needs and and owned it for 30 years. To make it habitable again would take a lot of work, and appreciation for Carthage history. If I ever came back to Carthage I would probably try to buy it........but it would have to be at a fair price...I don't think it will ever happen. 

Carthage could be a goldmine of opportunity and flourish but it will take a huge investment of vision, work, and pride, to make the vision come true. The Carthage Hardware owners have done a great job of restoration on their building and business and my hat goes off to them. I'm sure there are some others in town and they deserve an applause also. Enough ranting for now enjoyed Carthage and have many friends there ,but I've become an Okie and am here presently........who knows what the future holds...

 

Starting to act like Fall..........

 The weather is changing and it looks like another Fall is starting. The tomatoes get pulled today and the gardens fertilized to settle through the winter months. I've decided to limit my garden to tomatoes this year and only the cherry variety. The larger ones seem to be less productive and I always seem to want more.

Spent the weekend in Eureka Springs Arkansas and it was a complete washout. Rain didn't stop till we got back to Tulsa. Next Year !!! We were looking forward to the Monster walk down Main Street but it was too wet for us. We played rummy cube most of the weekend. The one night we ate out the restaurant was full of Zombies so it was kind of fun. Some really good makeup on the people in the eatery. The food was great !!!

My bonsai maples from Carthage are starting to change color and that is always a pleasant reminder of where I grew up. I guess that's about all for now...still tired from the weekend..going back to bed and will pull tomatoes this afternoon. I feel extremely lucky to be alive at 73 and still enjoying life..it's had some challenges but overall its been a hoot ! I'll try to get more out later....thanks for reading my ramblings.

New post coming soon -!!!

Cattail….happening!

 Looking at one of my pots on the deck I noticed a Cattail forming several days ago.Since then I’ve noticed sheathing around it that is starting to dissipate. I had never noticed this before. I need to start looking more closely I guess.

Disney idea….

 Looking on the patio I had a Disney moment..,, 

The talking soles…..

Planting done and the first tomtaoes picked...

 I guess I got started early this year as I have harvested my first tomatoes last week. I have never had any before June or July. Nothing like Home Grown Tomatoes. Went out this morning and staked them up as they are really growing.I must have gotten about 12 off yesterday and there are at least that many more coming on. Gonna be a great year !!! Not the tomatoes that conquered the world but still delicious.

We were in Texas several years ago and bought aTexas Star Hibiscus and it has thrived. The blossoms are amazing and fragrant.

As long as I am writing I must say something about our Lilly. I love it.

Pretty neat !!!

Starts at last !!!

 Spring fever took over and I guess I planted my seeds too soon. Feeling like a chicken waiting for eggs to hatch I waited and waited for something to see coming out of the dirt....yesterday it happened. The first sign of life. A couple of brave peppers sprouted and I guess the rest will follow. Time will tell. I have decided to not start my tomatoes from seed as I have in the past as I waited too long to plant them indoors so I'll be out in the next few days buying plants to put in the garden. Probably Romas and Cherry tomatoes will be my selections. I like the cherry  size for my salads and th Romas for burgers, spaghetti, and eating with salt and pepper.

The peppers will get smoked in my Traeger smoker and added to various recipes I cook. Really great additions to the meal. Last year I waterproofed and stained the east two decks and today I will prepare the west deck for the same  treatment. The wood looks better and will last longer due to the lack of water damage. Probably break out the lawnmower and start mowing for the first time this year. Probably trim back the hedge also......

The start of the Summer season. More new images coming soon-be on the lookout !!!!

Started the seeds

 I've planted my pepper seeds and birdhouse gourds for the spring and will set the tomatoes later next week. I'm looking forward to a summer of gardening and raising  butterflies again. We are also looking forward to some travel and photographing again. aMy back is better though not totally good. I'll make it though maybe with additional activity it will improve. I'm going to build as raised bed on legs for onions cilantro and cumin. That way I won't have to bend down to harve3st them and  the rabbits won't have access.

I'm really tired of doing nothing but working my three days a week and am ready to get into the dirt.

I'll keep you posted and look forward to new images next week.

Garden plans...

 Cold wet and slight rain...figuring out garden plans. Over the last several years I have planted different varieties of tomatoes in my garden with pretty good success. This year however I'm changing my direction. On our three decks I have always planed elephant ears in the pots and tomatoes in the garden. This year I'm planting the tomatoes in the pots and the ears in the garden. This will allow the tomatoes to get more sun and be easier for me to watch and harvest. The elephant ears will go in the garden to keep the bulbs alive for next season in case I don't like this years trial. Always have a backup plan. This should work well as tomatoes really don't have a very large root base4 so they should be fine in the pots. Aldo gong to drop some fertilizer in the pots tomorrow so it will settle ofe3r the next few months and be ready for spring.  

Really lousy day out-cold drizzling and just not pleasant. Should I expect moree in January ???? DUH !

I'm scanning some shots Fromm my stay in Nicaragua and will try to post them tomorrow. Check them out....

Time for decisions..

The first three months of the business area always spotty as companies are slow to get moving in this economy over they last year or two, So today is probably the only day I'll have for a while to get the beds ready for planting this spring. I'm going to HD and get three or four bags of manure to fortify the beds and pots with. It always seems to lend to a better crop of tomatoes. This year I"m not bedding them but growing them I free standing pots. For another reason is to give them more light and open bed space for other crops that are as yet to be selected. This should be an interesting experiment as tomatoes don't have extensive root systems so the pots should be fine. And they should be easier to tale care of..

I'll keep you posted 

Mike

Log time gone again.................Merry Christmas !!!

 As many of you may know I was 16 years old three years ago and I unloaded and placed around two tons of river rock in the backyard which almost overnight has turned me into a 72 year old back pain patient. I've had two operations to calm the pain and it looks like one more is in my future. I'll keep you posted.

I only mention this as it has affected my workload and ability to produce imagery for clients. Hopefully it will get better ! I'll know more after the first of the year.

 I really want to get it over with and be back to working photographically. As I mentioned in my lsa post I did a series of shots for an ice cream company. It was fun. The company is owned and run by two brothers from Nigeria that came to America to seek the dream of success-and it's working! Really nice guys in love with the opportunity America has given them.

The people I've met on the job from all over the world, whether in their country or here in the states.

has added an unexpected value to my life. In the Christmas season I think of all the people I've known or met that make me wonder where they are. I know several have passed on but still wonder about the rest. Several of my friends wonder why I keep friends so long....and I have no ex[lanation...I just do.

I hope all of my readers have a great holiday and touch base with old friends and family.life is too short and friends make it all worthwhile. Merry Christmas.....

Colder with some plants pulled...and a new assignment shooting food

 Yesterday was somewhat productive with plants being pulled from their pots and put in the trash. I'll put some fertilizer in the pots for a winter settling so they will be ready for the spring planting season. I've booked another food shot and will get the notification on which day I'll be shooting. I love these shoots as each one is different and last 2 to 4 hours. The pay is very good and I'm finding new place3s to eat....Such a deal....! Pictures soon to follow...

Chilly Fall day

 Rain the rest of the weekend and boy do we need it. I'll probably pull up all of the bulbs on the deck today and store them for the winter. I've never left them out over winter as I'm afraid that they will die and it has saved me a bunch of money by harvesting them into the dog litter for their hibernation. 

I've been fairly busy the last several weeks and the holiday lull is about to start. There has historically been a break in the commercial side of things until January so it is not unexpected. I will be promoting a plan I have in mind for one account that I hope comes to fruition. It will take a year to produce and I produced the virtually same product for them in the 80's it just needs an update. The last production won awards so hopefully I can produce it again. I'll keep you posted. I better split as I have a bunch of plants to pull up. Take care. Have a great Thanksgiving !!!!