family « Kenny Smith | A remarkable thing happens …

family

Alabama / Auburn / family / football / Monday / photo — Comments Off
30
Nov 15

The Iron Bowl

So one of these guys is my second cousin. The guy on the left is his high school buddy. They play football together. The friend has been to big time football college football games before, SEC games even. This is my cousin’s first big game. And an Iron Bowl is not a bad way to start, young man.

They bought tickets from a friend of ours and their moms said they could come and the spent the weekend and had a grand time. Also, they saw Bo Jackson. Hey, Bo, how many Heisman trophy winners did we see this weekend?

Close. We actually saw three, and that’s a pretty good afternoon.

In the stadium, down at ground level. Pretty decent seats and the guys got on the big screen for a super long time. Their moms liked all the pictures I took of them.

I made a Boomerrang and turned that into a gif. This is no more or less psychedelic in any of those formats.

Alabama won, of course, but Auburn kept it close. They had a good time. I’m glad we were able to show it to them.

And just like that, that’s my last Iron Bowl, my last Auburn game. A pretty decent run, lasting 21 years, but it’s over.

family / Friday / movies / photo — Comments Off
27
Nov 15

Back on the road again

We went to see the new James Bond movie late last night. Here’s my proof:

We went because some of the kids in the family just had to go see the movie. And if they didn’t they might die. As in, tomorrow. Or perhaps today. It is hard to say with Sudden Onset Bond Deprivation. So we went to the film. The kids were out before the first action sequence was over. Now, to be fair, we were at basically a midnight showing. On the other hand, these are teenagers. And we old folks managed to tough it out.

I probably couldn’t recount a lot of the plot points to you. I was awake, it just seemed an eminently forgettable film.

We got Chinese food for reasons that were almost immediately regrettable, post-Thanksgiving feast. Our fortunes:

Because philosophy cookies never sell at the same pace as fortune cookies.

We left town to this sign. And this is how you know the meme has reached pretty much all four corners of the globe. If it makes it up there … where, N.W.A was probably very late in arriving … it has made it everywhere.

And so we were back on the road today. We were doing the four hour drive at a slower rate because two teenaged boys were in the car behind us. They’re coming to spend the weekend and going to the Iron Bowl. Did I mention the cat went on our Thanksgiving tour with us?

I wonder if she’d eat turkey.

family / food / memories / photo / Thursday — Comments Off
26
Nov 15

Happy Thanksgiving

I am torn about Thanksgiving. The holidays are usually pretty challenging to start with. So many people to see. So many places you have to get to. I have it in my mind that I need to treat everyone equally in terms of time. And the logistics are such that you simply just can’t see everyone you need to, full stop. And never far off in your mind are those you can’t see anymore. I am torn about Thanksgiving.

We had lunch at a north Alabama state park with one side of my family. The food is good. The company is pleasant and there are enough other people around doing the same thing that it keeps the room lively. Plus you can get seconds and no one notices. Also, you don’t have to do the dishes. We’ve done this the last few years now. I understand why we do it. I can’t raise an objection to it. It is not my favorite thing.

But there are nice views at Joe Wheeler State Park.

Anytime you can be near the water something fun could happen. Even when the water level is down and you can walk out into what should be the shallow parts. There could be boats or fish or people could push you in. But not this time of year.

There are piers to nowhere when the water is low. This makes sense, but it makes more sense during boating season.

And, of course, there are the rays of the sun dancing in the movement of the water. That’s always a captivating experience.

About three hours later, because that’s what you want to do after a big Thanksgiving lunch is have a ridiculously early Thanksgiving dinner, there was another meal with more of my family.

I have been promoted to the chief ham slicer there. This is a big responsibility and I must now mentally prepare myself for it every year now. Mostly I think no one else wants to do it and they figure I will take it seriously. I do take it seriously. Even if this meal comes too soon after the last. Even if you can’t see everyone, or even all of the people you’d hope too, even when your thoughts are full of those people you can’t see. Even when you have nice views, and a tasty ham, this is Thanksgiving. I am torn about Thanksgiving.

family / overwriting / photo / Wednesday — Comments Off
25
Nov 15

That looks different, and it looks the same

Ya know, you can wake up in one place and then you set out for another place. And then it is time to go to sleep again so you wake up in the second place and you look outside and the sky is a different blue. Or that could be your imagination. The air feels different, and that’s probably not your imagination. And the earth beneath your feet feels different. You know that’s not your imagination.

And the sky, when it is blue, is always this shade of blue here. And the air always feels just like this, without fail, this time of year. And the soil that you played in here is darker than what you’ve ever worked in everywhere else, rich and thick and full of mole holes and the clover is thick and rich and cool to the touch.

That’s when you realize you’re not in the first place, but the second place, which might always feel like a second place, but is of course really the real first place. And it might be the holidays and just a short visit, but you know you’re home.

family / Friday / photo / triathlon / video — Comments Off
25
Sep 15

The cool report

Sometimes I think I should go back to themed Fridays. If I did, today’s theme would be ‘Man, this stuff is cool.‘

Problem: I can’t repeat awesomeness like this every week.

We went to the Southeastern Raptor Center for their bird show this evening. I only shot video of one little guy, because they flew him right by me:

He posed for pictures later:

Here’s another cool thing. If I had any talent at triathlons at all, I would do this:

And perhaps the coolest thing today is Sir Patrick Stewart. (I have this sneaking suspicion he is the coolest thing going a lot of days.) If you have seven minutes, you should watch this video. It is powerful, true-to-life stuff:

Also, the in-laws are in town this weekend. Extra cool!