Sumoflam's Ramblings

Having fun in and around Ft. Worth

2010-10-24T23:20:00Z

Another Week in DFW

Having fun in and around Dallas/ft. Worth

(Bulls, Trains and Flowers)

Apr. 11-14, 2010

by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz

April 11, 2010:After a restful evening and late-morning due to the long trip from Lexington, I spent time with my sister Sherry and her husband Brian and my sweet little niece Savannah. We took a trip down to the Fort Worth Stockyards, had a great lunch, rode a train and had a generally great time!! The Fort Worth Stockyards are cowboy central. As their official website states, "The Fort Worth Stockyards is the history book of the livestock industry in Texas. Each chapter is represented by the original bricks and mortar, the wood corrals, the men, and the music that are all still a part of the the Stockyards today." It is a National Historic District due to the old buildings and the representation of a life long gone and only shown in old westerns.

We left Keller in the early afternoon and headed down to the stockyards to enjoy lunch and then take a leisurely train ride. I had been there once before, but only on a drive thru. This time we were able to take our time. What a blast. Following is a pictorial journal ofthis part of the trip....

Forth Worth Stockyards greets you

SCENES FROM THE FORT WORTH STOCKYARDS

Of course, the whole idea of the stockyards is stock...cattle....and what is cattle without a little BULL...Longhorn style....

Which one is the real bull? (Actually, the "bull" on the right is my brother in law Brian!!)

All of this dealing with bull made us hungry for some so we headed to Riscky's Steakhouse in the Stockyards for some wonderful steaks...

Started in 1927 by Polish immigrant Joe Riscky, who originally came to Texas towork in the Armour packing plant in 1911,

Riscky's is one of "Cowtown's" Steak and BBQ of choice. We loved it too!!

Couldn't resist the "Cowboy Cactus" silhouetted in the window at Riscky's....and sister Sherry had so much steak she grew horns!!!

After eating we noticed that time was flying by....indeed, even a pig was flying by....so we needed to head to the train for our little jaunt into Fort Worth....

After a bit of grub (that's what they call food in these parts),we headed for a fun little train ride through Fort Worth. Nothing fancy,but more for the atmosphere. In the stockyards there is the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, a nice little rail ride that takes one along the historic Cotton Belt Route and over the Trinity River in Fort Worth. The train we rode was a 1953 GP-7 Diesel Locomotive train that pulls 1920s and 1930s era Victorian style cars.

Here I am up on the front of the old 1953 GP-7 Locomotive that would pull us along on our trip.

I also liked the side view with the old fashioned lamps reflecting off of the windows

This is a view into the last cabin in the train. Lots of old decorative seats.

The train is not air-conditioned, but has open air windows, which was nice on this April day.

As we prepared to go, the engineers chatted out front. I leaned out of the

coach to get the photo on the right...

A couple of scenes from the train: Downtown Ft. Worth on the left and colorful pallet stacks on the right

Not everything was "scenic" on the ride. The train went by heavily traveled

roads and we even saw a man that was living under the bridge. There were

some industrial areas as well. But the ride was pleasant nonetheless.

Downtown Ft. Worth with the Trinity River heading through it.

Riverine Egrets relax on the banks of the river.

We got a warm hello from some kids who apparently live along the route.

As with any tourist activity, there is always the profit seekers. There

were photographers hawking their wares.

I got photos of both of them and DID NOT charge them a thing for my photos to be posted here!!

I am "Enjoying the Ride" as is what looks to be a Texas cowboy. Brianschmoozes with the Conductor.

Trip was finally done and off the train I went.....And, uhh, tell ever wun Gomer sez hey!!

Sherry and Brian took us back home on a side trip to see some other interesting sites in Ft. Worth.

A building and a statue with no names. I have looked for information on

these and couldn't find any.But, they are in Ft. Worth. If anyone knows,

let me know so I can add information.

From downtown, Sherry and Brian took me to see their trailer...yes, they have gone "Flamingohead" on me and have a nice trailer. Many times during the year they enjoy the ride Living in Aluminum. Here is their place...but, it ain't home because we all know it ain't home until you take the wheels off!!

Sherry, Brian and Savannah show off their Ultra Lite. Ahh, living in aluminum. Hope they give me a call from Freedom sometime!!

Found in the same trailer storage area as Sherry and Brian's trailer....theowner of this MUST be a fan of Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours!!!

Speaking of Antsy McClain, the trailer next to Sherry's was purchased at

McClain's RVs!! I even found the place in McKinney!!

Never thought Antsy would go this far!!

As the sun set on this nice April day in Fort Worth, I am reminded again of mysweet sister, her great husband Brian and darling little Savannah.

April 12, 2010: A trip to Weatherford and Mineral Wells was on the agenda. I have covered this trip in the past, so not too much here to add other than the spectacularly colorful trip.

Can't miss a Cool place on the way...I went by here before, but wanted

to point out that they are "Shut" despite being "Now Open"

This is in Cool, Texas.

Perhaps the nicest part of the trip to Weatherford/Mineral Wells, were the wildflowers along the road -- mainly the famed Texas Bluebonnet and the Indian Paintbrush. This was a great day to be on the road!!

Indian Paintbrush -- beautiful flowers

Loved the delicate strands of spider web on this small yellow wildflower

I loved the intense blues and reds along the road. I tried to capture theflavor.

Texas Bluebonnet

Some roadside guidance provided by......

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See more of Sumoflam's Trip Journals

sumoflam@sumoflam.biz

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

A SUPER Trip to Metropolis (In Search of Dogwoods and Friendship)

2010-08-10T09:56:01Z

Lexington to DFW - Again

A SUPER Trip to Metropolis

(In Search of Dogwoods and Friendship)

Apr. 10, 2010

by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz

April 10, 2010: On the road again, "Road Trip!", striking out for adventure....yet another trip to Texas for iHigh.com and yet another opportunity to seek out more of America's wonders along the way. Per my usual methods, I took the long way to Texas, this time visiting one of the "must see" places on my bucket list of "must see places." I would head toward Metropolis, IL in search of Superman and who knows what I would find along the way? Following is the map of this rather long journey through the heartland of America:

This trip would take me to Central City, KY; Paducah, KY; Metropolis, IL; Charleston, MO; Friendship, AR and other places

As always, since it is a long drive from Lexington, KY to Keller, TX, I left early in the morning, got my cold drinks and munchies and gas and was on the road west headed toward Paducah, in the far southwest region of Kentucky. As the sun rose along the Western Kentucky Parkway southwest of Elizabethtown, the fog set in and there was beauty all around me. the redbud and dogwoods were in bloom, the horses were out grazing and the sun was peeking through the fog-tipped tree line. Then, unexpectedly, I saw a sign for Central City, KY. I had NOT done my homework!! It turns out that Central City was the home of the Everly Brothers - Phil and Don. This was a MUST stop for me so it was off the highway and on to the Less Beaten Paths in Central City.

Early morning Kentucky scene along Western Kentucky Parkway

Central City is the birthplace of the famous singing duo "The Everly Brothers". Underneath the monument above was

the following: "Fom Brownie, to Iowa, to Knoxville, to Nashville, to Hollywood, to England and around the world....

Don and Phil have taken the music of Kentucky, as taught by their parents. And now they are bringing it back home

to Central City. August 25, 1988." Phil was born in 1937 and Don in 1939...both in Brownie, Kentucky.

Also home to Star Records Studio and Bry's Cafe on Broad (which was not open the day I came through)

From Central City, I was back on the road towards Paducah. I have been through Paducah a number of times, but have never spent any time there. I wanted to see the murals painted on the Flood Wall along the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio rivers and whatever else I might run across in this lovely river town. Upon arrival in Paducah, I headed straight for downtown (or lowertown) as they call it there. There is a quaint beauty about the town.

Bridge over Lake Barkley on I-24 east of Paducah

Paducah was originally settled around 1815 and was known as Pekin. There were Native Americans, most likely Chicksaw, living there and they traded peacefully with white settlers and traders that came down the river. Their chief was named Paduke. This arrangement stayed peaceful, but in 1827, William Clark, the famed leader of the the Lewis and Clark expedition, and then superintendent for Native American affairs along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, brought a legal deed for the land the town sat on. He asked both Chief Paduke and the settlers to leave, which they did. Paduke and his clan moved to Mississippi. Clark named the town Paducah in his honor. In 1830 it was incorporated and then chartered as a city in 1856. It was a dry dock for barges and also became a major rail hub. Today it is home to the National Quilt Museum

Paducah is dotted with many old buildings. I was especially delighted with the colorful storefronts

A resident of Paducah....as colorful as the town itself

Part of a set of sculptures depicting the Native American history of the Paducah area

In 1996, the Paducah floodwall mural program (Officially called "Paducah Wall to Wall") was begun by Louisiana Mural artist Robert Dafford and a team of other artists (including Herb Roe, Benny Graeff, Doug Safford and Mike Doherty). They completed this project in 2007. (I came across Dafford's large project in Point Pleasant/Portsmouth back in April 2008. You can see my writeup here.) There are more than 50 murals lining the walls and covering the history of Paducah in chronological fashion. Dafford has done similar projects in Portsmouth, OH, Louisiana, Covington, KY and other places. Currently Portsmouth, Ohio born mural artist Herb Roe, formerly one of Dafford's team of artists, keeps the touch up work take care of. Apparently Roe is the only member of Dafford's team who can be associated with having participated in the application of all 50 of the panels.

One segment of the long line of murals stretching along the river. Time did not allow

for me to traverse the entire length. But following are a few of those I did see.

L - An early street scene of downtown Paducah. Love the Piggly Wiggly sign and "Cooled" on the theater.

R - A scene from the great flood of 1937 which inundated Paducah.

L - The old market R - Hauling goods from port in the 1800s.

L - Some of the beautiful old churches in town R - Early settlers along the river.

William Clark platting out the town

Time to proceed further...and on to Metropolis. Metropolis is basically a hop skip and jump away from Paducah...only about 13 miles. However, as noted above, Paducah is at a major confluence of rivers and so bridges must be traversed along the way. Here is one crossing the Mississippi:

One of many similar narrow bridges over the Mississippi River. These structures never cease to amaze me. This one crosses

into Illinois from Kentucky and is between Paducah and Metropolis.

Then there is the big booming town of Metropolis. Actually, not anything like the Metropolis of the Superman series (which is more like New York City), the town of Metropolis, IL does lay claim to Superman. As you enter Metropolis from the east, this is what you first come across:

Metropolis, IL Welcome Billboard

This is NOT Superman, but is in front of a supermarket before getting into town.

Superman is apparently NOT the only BIG statue in town!!

After taking a shot of the giant grocery man, I continued into town to find Superman. The town is quite proud of their man!!

Metropolis City Hall

Superman is everywhere...especially the one big guy in the middle photo!!

L - One of many signs on a "Superman Shop" in town; R - Tourists looking at large mural (I thought this was a unique shot)

Of course, like many small towns in the United States, this town does honor some REAL heroes with a nice mural in town:

Honoring All Our Defenders of Freedom - a mural in Metropolis, IL

After the little site trip to Metropolis, it was back on the road south for me as I planned to get all the way to Keller, TX on this drive. I headed back to Interstate 24, went south back across the Mississippi and into Kentucky to begin heading further west. I continued into Barlow, KY and then on to Wickliffe and into Cairo, IL and then over another river into Missouri, staying on US 60 along the way. By the time I was in Missouri I had crossed over a literal maze of bridges and over the Ohio River, the Tennessee River, the Mississippi River and the Missouri River, all some of the greatest waterways in the US.

Another bridge crossing over the Mississippi River - - Along the Great River Road

A coal-bearing barge on the Mississippi; a mural welcoming me to Barlow, KY

Yet another bridge over the river

It was time for a gas stop, so I made my way into a gas station in Charleston, Missouri. Charleston is a small town of about 5000 people, but during this time of year is a strikingly colorful time. I was one week early for their Dogwood-Azalea Festival. And for sure, the dogwoods and azaleas were in bloom around the town. The town even has a 6 mile Dogwood-Azalea Trail laid out and awards someone the best dogwood of the year. Here are some photos of the dogwoods, azaleas and other flowering trees in the small town.

Dogwood Trees in full bloom in Charleston, MO

The colors were striking!!

Every street was lined with dogwoods...the tree on the right was this year's award winning tree apparently

Driving around town was fun but I was given another surprise...being the webmaster and good friend of singer/songwriter/artist Antsy McClain, I was surprised to run into his "relatives" here in Charleston.....

McClain's Food Center...I wonder if "Everything's a Dollar"?

And the McClain's are probably happy in their "Lot 1409" (which was a house, not a trailer!!)

So much for fun and flowers...back on the road again. Heading south on I-55 I couldn't resist this sign....I wonder if meant anything....

Is that sign pointing at me???? Who would name a town Braggadocio anyway?

Time for another break for some food and a stretching break somewhere off of I-55 in NE Arkansas. I stop at this place along the highway and what do I find?

Needless to say, I didn't eat there...but I wondered, "Do they serve curry burritos?"

I continued south on Interstate 55 until I got to exit 41, where I intended to head west to another unusually named place....Marked Tree, Arkansas. I got onto Arkansas State Highway 14 and headed due west into Lepanto and then got onto State Highway 140, which took me south into Marked Tree. The town claims to be the only town in the world named Marked Tree. But, more unusual is that the town lies between two rivers which flow in opposite directions. According to the story (from the Marked Tree, Arkansas website):

The settlers chose "Marked Tree" because of the "old marked tree" on the bank of the Saint Francis River near the railroad camp. Now we come to the most interesting part of all - how did the "marked tree" come to be in the first place? The aboriginal people in the region of the Saint Francis and Little Rivers were Indians. In the early 1800's the Osage and Cherokees roamed these woods largely by using the rivers as their highways. There was a superabundance of game and all the rivers abounded with fish. Pioneer Arkansas was widely known as a sportsman's country also suited to farming. The Indians traveling northward up the Saint Francis River marked a tree at the first point at which Little River is only ¼ mile distant across the land between the rivers. By dragging their dugout canoes across this short portage to Little River they could continue their trip northward and eliminate eight miles of up-river paddling.

There is another legend from the 1830's about the mark on this huge oak tree. The John A. Murrell outlaw gang had hideouts in the White River swamps below Helena. They gambled, robbed, waylaid travelers, stole horses and even slaves, and resold what they could in east Arkansas and west Tennessee. They found the short portage at the "old marked tree" and marked it with a big "M." They used this site as a place to rendezvous.

Whichever legend handed down to people still living here you believe (they both may be true), the "marked tree" was undermined and fell into the river during the overflow of 1890. This large oak was a few hundred feet from the original bridge across the Saint Francis River. During the digging into the bank to build a new bridge in 1971, a large well preserved oak tree trunk was unearthed. This tree trunk is believed to have been the original marked tree and has been put on display with a historical marker in the center of Marked Tree.

There is really not much excitement in the town of Marked Tree, but I did find some things of interest that my camera eye was attracted to.

Keeping with tradition, strange named town signs get an honorary photo...and where do they keep the

fire trucks in this fire department? This trailer is on wheels. Funniest Fire Dept. I have seen to date.

I always like running into old trucks and cars parked in front of barns

and of course, you should expect "Hog Wild" BBQ in Arkansas

Not all wall murals I find are fancy...but this one does show the history of Marked Tree

I never did find any Marked Trees, so it was back on the road again to Texas. I took US Highways 67 and 64 south into Little Rock and hopped on I-30 as it was now getting late in the day and the light was dwindling. As I drove south I came across a road sign that I apparently had missed on past ventures down I-30. I finally found Friendship!! Seems like I have been looking for Friendship for years and here it was:

Friendship was off to the right...no, wait a minute...off to the left...

I guess you can find Friendship in any direction!!!

Looks like I finally found Friendship!!

They even need police and a court in Friendship....how friendly is that?

By the time I left Friendship, the sun was beginning to set and I needed to get onto the final leg of the day's trip to my sister Sherry's house in Keller. So, back on the road...arrived in Keller at about midnight CST.

Watch soon for more ramblings from the back roads on this trip...still more fun to come!!

Some roadside guidance provided by......

See more of Sumoflam's Trip Journals

sumoflam@sumoflam.biz

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

An Uncertain Trip in Search of Waldo

2010-05-12T00:43:00Z

Lexington to DFW - Part 3

(An Uncertain Trip in Search of Waldo)

Feb. 27, 2010

by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz

Feb 27, 2010: Time to return home to Lexington. It was a long busy week in Dallas. But the trip home would promise to be an interesting and fun day. I left Keller fairly early so I could hit the sunrise as I drove east. I almost made it to Tyler by sunrise. I pulled off the road and made an effort to get some nice shots before traveling further.

The early morning fog added to the intensity of this sunrise.

This is a map of my trip back home via Uncertain, TX, Vivian and Rodessa, LA and Waldo, AR

After the sunrise I was back on the road to Uncertain. I was bound and determined to find Uncertain. Indeed, I was certain I would get to Uncertain. Heading east on I-20 I had to take Exit 604 and head north on FM 450 towards Hallsville, TX. Once in Hallsville, I turned right on US 80 and continued east through Marshall, TX to US 59. I went north for a mile or so to TX 43 and continued NE. I stayed on course until I got to FM 2198. I then turned right and a few miles up the road there it was...my first sight:

Indeed, there is such a place as Uncertain and it certainly is in Texas

Uncertain is a village with an unusual name and it is located in an unusual place along the shores of Caddo Lake not too far from the Louisiana border. The town has taken advantage of the name and even has their own website. They call it "The City of Uncertain" (incorporated in 1961) but it is much more a small village, and many of the businesses appeared to me to be seasonal. There are apparently a number of purported reasons for the name but it appears that the most popular theory is the one that says -- "once you get to Caddo you're uncertain as to exactly where you are -- and uncertain as to exactly when you'll want to leave. One thing is for sure, you don't go to Uncertain by Chance! It's one way in and one way out" and I am certain of that since I drove the only roads. I arrived in February so it was still chilly. But, there was a lot of "fun" there. Here are a few of the signs I found around town:

Many "Uncertain" things, but at the non-denominational Church of Uncertain they have a motto:

"Where We Are Certain About Christ"

There is even an Uncertain Tourist Department (if you can call it that):

Uncertain, TX Tourism Department

Despite the draw of the name, the REAL draw to Uncertain is the scenery. Uncertain is on the shores of eerie, yet picturesque Lake Caddo, which stretches across the Texas-Louisiana border. The lake is filled with bald cypress trees that are draped and decorated with Spanish Moss. When I first looked at it I wondered if I might see the "Swamp Thing" and sure enough, there is even a sign for that!!

There is a Swamp Thing sign as well as a Bigfoot Retreat. Fortunately, I saw neither!!

Many claim that Caddo has been dubbed the "best photo spot in Texas." Though some may question it, I certainly thought it to be one of the more interesting spots I have ever visited across these great United States. I took over 100 photos of the lake/swamp/bayou and even went beyond my normal routine and fiddled with some color settings in some of them to really make it interesting. Here are a number of photos of Lake Caddo, which covers over 32,000 acres of channels, bayous and sloughs. I can imagine it would get pretty spooky late at night in mid-summer with the alligators swimming around and Swamp Things and Sasquatch waiting for you around each bend....

Watch out for the gators!!!

Even along some of the narrow roadways one can find some interesting shots:

Fishing is apparently a big thing here...bass and crappy apparently. On this cool early morning I caught a glimpse of a few folk heading out into the spooky calm waters of Lake Caddo, all wrapped and warm:

And here are a couple more scenes in case you haven't gotten enough. These are from the Louisiana side:

One final scene of Lake Caddo, near Pelican Bay Resort in Louisiana

In the area there were also a few "Uncertain" treasures -- unique photo-ops:

"The Shipwreck" is one of the "Hodge Podge Cottages", which are a variety of little cabins, trailers and yes, the Shipwreck. Pelican statues also frequent the area as do the actual birds. Unfortunately, on this cool February morning, I was not able to see any of the real birds.

OK...the world's largest fake Tomato Soup can? Its uncertain....

RoadsideAmerica.com are you watching?

All good things must end and for me, with still a long drive back to Kentucky, I left the realm of Uncertain-ty and headed east, driving around the northern part of Caddo Lake and then north up the backroads of of the northwest corner of Louisiana. From Uncertain I headed north on Texas 43 and then east on Texas 49 into Louisiana and over the northern leg of the lake. This took me to LA 1 towards the small town of Vivian. As with other towns on the trip, this one has a little significance to my job as I have dealt with North Caddo High School a few times over the phone in my work with iHigh.com. And, of course, I drove right by the school on my way north. The town was originally settled as a railroad stop and currently has a population of a little over 4000. It is typical of many small towns where poverty has hit. But, it is a clean town and has some originality.

Colorful wall murals found in Vivian, LA

Continuing north I drove along Black Bayou Lake and then passed through the small town of Rodessa. And yes, I had a purpose. What is it that draws someone to a small little town in NW Louisiana? Two strange frog statues atop pillars with Alabama and Georgia on them and a name...Frog Level. Though the frogs are not really fancy artwork, apparently, the Smithsonian has these catalogued. As the sign below notes, in the 1800s a town meeting was called by store owner Noah Tyson to name the town. Apparently, a man from Alabama, noting the frogs hollering in a nearby pond, jumped up and said "Let's name it Frog Level." And so it was. Later the town's name was changed to Rodessa. The frogs were made by a guy named Buster Dunn and the monument, dedicated in 1976, was fabricated by the Fix-It-Well Company. I do wonder what the Georgia pillar is for. There really is no mention...

"Frog Level" Monument in Rodessa, LA...true Americana and recognized by the Smithsonian

After seeing (and actually hearing) the frogs at Frog Level, it was back on the road. My next goal was to search for the whereabouts of Waldo. Many have spent hours doing "Where's Waldo" puzzles, in search of the elusive beany topped thing guy with a red/white striped shirt. I even admit to have joined in the fascination many years ago. So, as I drove along the road home to Kentucky, I learned that Waldo might be in Arkansas. I went in search of AND finally found Waldo!!

I found Waldo...he's in Arkansas!!

(Well, actually Waldo is also in Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Alabama, Wisconsin and Ohio)

From Waldo I really needed to push to get home at a decent very late hour, so from there it was back on freeways to Kentucky. But, despite the visit to Uncertain, it was most certainly an eventful 17 hours.

An ice cream shop along the road...

somewhere in Arkansas

Yes, I finally did see a pelican too...in Arkansas.

If you missed Part 1, "Seeking out the Bugtussles of America", click the link

Part 2, "A Week in the Dallas Area" is here.

Some roadside guidance provided by......

See more of Sumoflam's Trip Journals

sumoflam@sumoflam.biz

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

A Week in the DFW Metroplex

2010-05-02T02:09:00Z

Lexington to DFW - Part 2

(A Week in the DFW Metroplex)

Feb. 22-26, 2010

Big City Life and Country Surprises

by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz

Feb 22, 2010: A nice Sunday to relax. Got to spend some time with my sister Sherry, her husband Brian and my cute niece Savannah. I would spend all of my evenings this week at their nice home in Keller, just north of Forth Worth. After sleeping in we headed out for lunch to Joe's Crab Shack. Always a fun place to eat, especially when feeling crabby. It turns out that little four-year old Savannah LOVES eating crab and could not wait to "get crackin'"!

My Niece Savannah Blessing LOVES Joe's Crab Shack

Sister Sherry and her husband Brian Blessing enjoying time together with us. Typical non-food crab shack fare abounds

Savannah tempts the bigger fish.....

After a nice lunch of crab and other goodies, we headed for a ride down to the brand new Cowboys Stadium. This place is the hugest football arena I have ever seen!! The stadium resides in Arlington, TX, between Dallas and Ft. Worth and is across the street from the Texas Rangers Baseball Stadium and a stone's throw away from Six Flags over Texas. The stadium opened in May 2009 with a capacity of 80,000 (though there is a record attendance in the facility of over 105,000 when the Cowboys played the NY Giants in Sept. 2009 and that was then broken exactly one week before I got in Texas when the NBA All-Star Game was played to a crowd of over 108,000!!!). It is the third largest stadium in the U.S. in terms of seating capacity, but it is also covered, with a retractable roof, making it the largest domed stadium in the world. It also has the world's largest column-free interior and boasts the world's largest high-definition video screen - 160 feet wide by 72 feet tall!!

Standing waaaay in front of Cowboys Stadium; the famous Cowboys star dons flags near the stadium; a side view of the stadium

In the 1960s I lived in the Dallas area and grew up as a fan of Tom Landry, their famed coach. A nice bronze honors him at the stadium.

The amazing hi-def video screen spans from the 20 yd line to the other 20 yd line.

Feb 23, 2010: It is Monday and I start my grueling week visiting high schools in and around Dallas. I learned very quickly that one cannot depend on a map to get around Dallas. You MUST have a GPS if you plan on getting anywhere in a timely fashion. Freeways snake around the city and weave and and around each other. I was staying in Keller and had to drive to downtown Dallas, about a 35 mile drive, but, in the morning, it is about an hour and a half drive, if there are no problems on the freeway. Looking at a map looks simple, but once you get on the freeway system, getting lost is easier than you think. Get a GPS!!

Red brake lights and long delays are indicative of Dallas traffic. Towering freeway platforms are everywhere...a maze of cement and steel.

During the weeklong visit to schools, I also got to see a good chunk of downtown Dallas. Unlike the back roads I enjoy so much, the big cities are a different kind of wilderness...tall buildings, amazing architectural structures and unique skylines. I have been blessed to have visited practically every major metropolitan area in the United States and have gotten to know each unique city skyline as if it were a person's face. Dallas has one of the more unique ones. Though I didn't have time to really get out and get some good shots, I was able to capture a few images of the buildings downtown.

Of course, with big buildings comes interesting art work, whether large or small. Here are a couple of things I found while driving around...always with my camera at my side:

As noted above, I was visiting shortly after the NBA All-Star Game. On the left was a GIANT poster (shoes larger than stop lights)...

on the right, a small mural on the side of a building

This one blew me away...a giant mural on the side of a parking lot. Entitled "The Storm", this giant mural was painted by Dallas artists Chris Arnold and Jeff Garrison of Eyecon, Inc. in May 1997.

It is 120 feet tall and 150 feet wide and literally impossible to photograph without wires and signs. (Actually, an uninhibited version can be seen here). Eyecon has painted several fantastic murals

in the Dallas area, all of which can be seen on their Eyecon website. I need three days of freedom in downtown Dallas just to go visit these amazing works of art!!

Obviously, another thing one sees in downtown settings are the old relief works of art. I really loved this one.

During the week in Dallas, I met friends, new and old, with whom I enjoyed some fine meals. On Monday I had dinner with members of the North Dallas High School Boosters. We ate at one of Dallas' oldest Mexican restaurants, the El Fenix. Food was great and the company fantastic!! Then, to finish off my week I was lucky to meet an old friend who happened to be in Ft. Worth for the weekend, visiting from Seattle. My favorite female artist, country rocker Patti Hall, was in town. We met for a nice dinner at the Blue Mesa Grill, an upscale Tex-Mex establishment that makes your guacamole fresh for you at your table. It was so nice to see Patti. She is not only an amazing musician, but is a fabulously generous person. She has been tirelessly promoting her "On Horses' Wings" CD, a compilation of various artists (including Antsy McClain) that is benefiting an organization called the "Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center", which provides therapeutic horseback riding to children and adults with disabilities who live in the Puget Sound area. It is an amazing and heart-touching CD that benefits an equally amazing organization. I first met Patti when on tour with Antsy McClain in southwest Washington (see my trip journal about that here).

Hanging with new friends Gil Sandoval and John Chavez, from N. Dallas Boosters...we enjoyed great eats at El Fenix

A couple of shots of Patti Hall and me at Blue Mesa Grill -- just a lucky catch thanks to Facebook updates

Not all of my time this week was spent in Dallas. I also visited schools in Irving, Keller, Ft. Worth and even as far away as Mineral Wells. One of the schools I visited near Keller was Birdville High School. I was surprised both by the huge athletic facility and the wonderful marquis.

Birdville's facility is actually one of the semi-large ones...there are much larger. And I loved the marquis!!

A reminder of old Americana...the Kool Breeze Motel near Irving

Perhaps the most delightful day of the week for me was the drive to Mineral Wells, TX via Weatherford. This was truly mixing business with pleasure as I made my way down some less beaten paths. There were some cool old buildings, some cool yard art, some cool sculptures and even a cool town name Cool. There is a lot of history on road like this and I got to breath it in and enjoy it.

Just outside of Weatherford is a garden shop with some great bronze works. I really liked the Longhorn in the upper middle

On the left is the Parker County Courthouse in Weatherford, built in 1886. It is a classic Texas style courthouse. There was a hill near town that probably would have made for a great shot, but I had no time to get up there. As I neared the building to the front left of the courthouse, I caught this man sitting there enjoying the day. The old white-washed wall made a nice canvas.

May not have been the "Kool Breeze", but there is actually a town in Texas named Cool. Got a chuckle from the Cool Cafe as well.

I checked the window and the sign said "SHUT". HA!! By the way, I have visited another town in the past named Coolville, which is in

Ohio. You can read about that town here. There are cool town names everywhere!!

The last cool place on this week's trip in the Dallas area was Mineral Wells. It is not a very large town, but does have some claim to fame. The town's name comes from the mineral springs close by, which were frequented by guests in the early 1900s and the famous Baker Hotel, which accommodated those guests. The Baker Hotel was built in 1925 by local shareholders. It was a 14 story hotel with 450 guest rooms, two ballrooms, an in-house beauty shop, and other novelties such as a bowling alley, a gymnasium, and an outdoor swimming pool. Completed in 1929 dollars at a cost of $1.2 million, the mammoth building instantly dominated the city skyline and was the first skyscraper built outside a major metropolitan area. The old building still towers over the town, but is empty and ghostly now, as the photos below show:

The Old Baker Hotel: Several notable celebrities this a temporary home during their visits to the city's health spas;

the star studded guest list included the likes of Glenn Miller, Lawrence Welk, Clark Gable,

and future U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. It is even rumored by local historians that

legendary outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow may have spent a night or two at the Baker.

Some scenes from downtown Mineral Wells. The water is also famous for "Crazy Water"

and so the town wants to keep itself crazy I suppose.

I loved the old antique and junque store in town.

If you missed part 1, "Seeking out the Bugtussles of America", click the link

Watch for part 3 soon...An Uncertain trip in search of Waldo

Some roadside guidance provided by......

See more of Sumoflam's Trip Journals

sumoflam@sumoflam.biz

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

Seeking out the Bugtussles of America: A Road Trip from Lexington, KY to Texas

2010-03-26T02:26:00Z

Lexington to DFW - Part 1

(thru Bugtussle, KY and Bugtussle, TX)

Feb. 21, 2010

Seeking out the Bugtussles of America!!

by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz

Feb 21, 2010: Yet another opportunity for a ROAD TRIP courtesy of iHigh.com!! We needed to get some schools active in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and so I asked to take a trip to Dallas. Due to costs, I offered to use the weekend to drive and would stay at my Sister Sherry's house in Keller, TX while there for the week. This is Part 1 of my Texas trip - my search for Bugtussle USA.

Lexington, KY thru Flippin, KY, Bugtussle, KY, Bucksnort, TN, Only, TN thru Bugtussle, TX into Keller, TX - all in one day

I left the house at 4:30 AM to head south on what would be one long day of driving and seeing some interesting places along the less beaten paths of America. My main goal for this beautiful Saturday morning was to get to Bugtussle, KY and eventually all the way to Bugtussle, TX and perhaps be the first person ever to document such a trip!! And I did it. Here is the story....

I drove west along the Bluegrass parkway to I-65 near Elizabethtown and then headed south until I got to Kentucky 9008 (Cumberland Parkway), north of Bowling Green. I headed down the highway just into Glasgow and then left the freeway to go along less beaten paths. from Glasgow I took KY 249 due south through beautiful farmland and was greeted by a fabulous sunrise just north of Lamb, KY.

The sun rises above pastoral lands near Lamb, KY

As the sun rose, I was also greeted by a call from my sweetheart Julianne, who wanted to make sure I was doing OK since I had awaken so early in the morning. I was fine but lamented to her that I still had not seen "Herry", my term for blue herons. I figured along those roads with all the ponds, that I would see one. Ironically, shortly after hanging up, I came down a hill and in a small pond on my left was Herry. I stopped to snap some shots of him, but he flew off...so this is all I was able to get. I also saw some deer just across the road. There were 5 head of them.

"Herry" the Blue Heron - my favorite bird - greets me early in the morning

Deer scamper in the fields along the road just north of Flippin, KY

As the sun rose, I came into the small village of Flippin, KY. This is an unusual name, but it is actually not the first Flippin I had come across. Through my work at iHigh.com, I had done some support work with a school in North Central Arkansas, Flippin High School and had found the name to be unusual. I asked the school people about it and they said there are lots of people in the area named Flippin. According to one history of Flippin, AR, Thomas J. Flippin and his family left Kentucky for the Ozarks in 1820 and settled in what is now the Marion County area of Arkansas. Perhaps the Arkansas Flippins were the original settlers in Flippin, KY. I am not really sure though, But it makes an interesting town name in this day and age when the word flippin' is used as a sort of expletive.

Well, with that in mind, I was soon driving through Flippin, KY, with a population of a few dozen people or so. My first sight of the village was of this great cabin and wood pile:

Then there was the Flippin "Post Office"?? and the Flippin Volunteer Fire Dept....

....but nothing topped the Flippin Church of Christ

From Flippin, I continued south on KY 100 towards the small town of Gamaliel, KY. This name reminded me of a name out of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings", but actually, the town name is derived from the Bible. Gamaliel was supposedly the teacher of Paul the Apostle. (See Acts 5:34). Once in Gamaliel, I turned right on Main St. headed west on KY 87, a windy little road that eventually brought me to Bugtussle, KY...or what is left of it anyway. At one time Bugtussle appears to have had a small store. The store practically backs right up to the Tennessee State line.

So, why the interest in Bugtussle you ask? This name for me goes way back into the late 1960s. When I was around 11 or 12, I was a big fan of the television show, the Beverly Hillbillies, a show about a hillbilly family that moved to Beverly Hills after becoming millionaires due to an oil strike on their homestead. Jed Clampett (played by Buddy Ebsen), the patriarch, was from a fictitious town called Bug Tussle. In 1967 there was even an episode titled "The Mayor of Bug Tussle", wherein Mayor Amos Wentworth Hogg traveled from Bug Tussle to Beverly Hills to visit his friends the Clampetts. Actor James Westerfield played Mayor Hogg. During the late '60s and early '70s, a couple of other "sister shows" seemed to add to the fray. There was "Petticoat Junction", which was set in the fictitious town of "Hooterville" (which is later where the show "Green Acres" was set -- kind of a reverse of the Hillbillies in that rich big city folk moved to the country.) If I recall, Bug Tussle had even been mentioned in an episode of Petticoat Junction. All that being said, since those days I have always remembered Bug Tussle and Hooterville. Then, last summer, as I was perusing the map for odd-named towns in Kentucky, I came across Bugtussle. I just HAD to find my way there....and I did.

Shows from the '60s...Jed Clampett (center), supposedly was from Bug Tussle

Map and satellite views of Bugtussle, KY. The circled are on the map at right is the Bugtussle store shown below

The road sign says it all, but there was, at one time, a Bugtussle General Store at 6061 Bugtussle Rd.

It was so exciting to me to finally make it to Bugtussle. But the more interesting part of this story is that, in my research on Bugtussle, I found out that there are actually four of them in the US. One in Kentucky, one in Alabama, one in Oklahoma AND....one in Texas!! So, I set my sights on knocking out TWO Bugtussles in one day...and that was the goal for this day (I know I said this above, but now you know the rest of the story...)

So, what about that name Bugtussle? Apparently, Bugtussle was named by local comedians due to its doodlebug population. In an article in Time magazine (online edition), they write that "nobody knows how the town of Bug Tussle, Alabama got its name. Its 300 citizens, mostly cotton farmers, rather think it refers to their annual battle with boll weevils." I even found a Bug Tussle Records!!

Well, enough about Bugtussle for now...on with the trip. Just 30 seconds south of the Bugtussle General store is the "Welcome to Tennessee" sign and the highway turned to TN 261. Still out in the boonies, I headed south through Enon, near Pumkintown and then past Frog Pond, where there is a BBQ stand. Makes me wonder what is barbecued here....ironically, I passed a Flippin Rd. just before I got to the intersection of where Frog Pond Cemetery Rd. meets TN State Highway 261.

Along the way I saw another Herry and was stopped in my tracks by this interesting shadow of a tree on a barn....oh how I love the backroads!!

I soon was made my way into Lafayette, TN, another quaint little town along the road to Nashville. Driving into town I saw an old sign painted on the side of a building. I always like these:

I was hungry but didn't stop...was in a hurry

Not too far from Lafayette, on TN 52 towards Westmoreland, was Peggy's Market which offered Home Cookin', Hardware and Feed. I stopped for a gas stop and snapped the pizza man below.

This Pizza Man was out front

I finally made my way into Nashville...but was just driving through. I would hit Interstate 40 out of Nashville heading towards Memphis.

The Nashville Skyline heading south on I-65

Along I-40 west out of Nashville one can find some interesting towns right off of the freeway. I figured I would take a quick exit for a look-see....first stop-Bucksnort, TN, easily accessed at Exit 152, about 40 miles west of Nashville. There is not much there, but I did come across "Yesterdaze Pinball", a sort of Pinball Machine Museum. There is also a song named after the town: "Bucksnort, Tennessee" by a group called Trailer Trash Tremblers, from the Netherlands. Yes, a southern trash country rock party group from the Netherlands with other songs such as Getaway Car, Beer & Burgers and Gringo. I think I will stick with the Trailer Park Troubadours.

Wo knows for sure how Bucksnort got it name, but legend has it that there was a trader named Buck who lived in the area, and locals would say they were going to “Buck’s to get a snort.” We may never know...

Welcome to the booming town of Bucksnort, TN, home to Yesterdaze Pinball

Well, it was back on the freeway to head west, but off again at the next exit, 148, and then south on County Hwy 920. I didn't have to go too far for my destination....Only, Tennessee. Yes...a town named Only. Once again, it is barely a dot on a map, but there is a road AND even a church...

Only is that a way....on Only Rd....

This was the funniest...I first saw the sign on the right and then got into town and saw the real "Only Baptist Church"

After 5 minutes I was back on I-40 heading west to the next exit, number 143, wherein is Buffalo, Tennessee. Apparently this is where country singer Loretta Lynn moved after becoming famous. She was originally from Butcher Holler, KY. Up the road about 7 miles is the Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch, her mansion, etc.

The buffalo statue is in front of Loretta Lynn's Kitchen in Buffalo...and yet another church...do they worship Buffalo?

After these three stops, I got back on the road and continued west. Got into Memphis and then crossed over the Mississippi River into Arkansas and then continued west into Texarkana. I had been there before and even had visited the two state post office. This time I just stayed on the road and got to the rest area just into Texas. This water tower is in two states...

Crossing the Mississippi River into Arkansas; A water tower in two states - Arkansas to the left, Texas to the right

By now I had been on the road traveling for over 13 hours and the sun was starting to go down. As I approached Hooks, TX, the sun was setting and it was beautiful. I pulled off the freeway to get some shots. I am thrilled with what I got!!

Sunset just outside of Hooks, TX...a beautiful balance from the sunrise earlier that day

Once photos were taken, I then continued on I-30 west out of Hooks until I got to Exit 199, just west of New Boston. From there I hopped on US 82 and headed west through Malta, Clarksville, Detroit, New Chicago, Reno and into Paris, a virtual world tour!! After a stop for gas in Paris, I continued west to Honey Grove, TX. It was really dark out, but I was getting close to my destination...oh so very close to my goal.

After driving through Honey Grove, I headed south on County Rd. 34, only a few miles north of what should be Bug Tussle, TX. When I got to the intersection of County Rd. 34 and FM 1550 (Farm to Market Rd.) I looked for some evidence of Bug Tussle. I knew from other photos I had seen that there was a house on the corner with a sign that said Bug Tussle, TX -->. I found the house in the pitch dark, looked up where the sign should be, but, alas, it was no longer there....so no evidence. I was dumbfounded!! All this way and all I could do was photograph the two road signs.

The road signs at the intersection where Bug Tussle should be (see maps below)

Here are the maps with the intersection....

So, dejected at not having found my second Bugtussle, I continued south towards Ladonia...then, about 200 yards from the intersection, on my right, there it was...a little farm road heading to a farm house. And, at the entrance, a road sign, with the name Bugtussle!! Dejection had turned to overwhelming delight. I had driven from Bugtussle, KY to Bugtussle, TX in one day!! And I had proof!!

Bugtussle and Milton, 200 yds south of County 34 and FM 1550

Dead tired, I still had a couple of hours to go to get to Keller, north of Ft. Worth. I drove through the ghostly town of Ladonia (see photos below) and then through Commerce and on to I-30 again. I followed I-30 into Dallas and then eventually made my way to Keller, arriving at about 10:30 PM, Central Time...about a 19 hour drive from Lexington.

Ladonia, TX: Seemed like a ghost town in the dark

Stay tuned for Part 2: A Week in Texas and Part 3: An Uncertain (TX) trip home in search of Waldo.

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

Why I Love My Job

2010-03-15T02:19:00Z

Why I Love My Job

Why I Love My Job

Working at iHigh.com

This week (March 15) I hit the six month mark as an employee of iHigh.com, Inc. This has been a momentous six months for me as I have found enjoyment and fulfillment in a job more than I have enjoyed since my days as a tour guide in Flagstaff, AZ from 1981-1984. This fulfillment doesn't come from the money I make. I have discovered that I am happy as can be with my job because every day brings me a new example of fulfillment and meaning. These two things are so much more valuable than any financial compensation.

On the job in Kansas City

(photo courtesy of J. Morrison Photography)

I have written in earlier blogs about the difficulties I experienced for most of 2009. So, imagine my excitement when the opportunity to interview for a position at iHigh.com came along. What a thrill when I was offered a position. My initial responsibility was to make phone calls to set appointments at schools. But, as time progressed and new opportunities for me to utilize my many skills arose, I took advantage of them. Soon I as writing tutorials and then training schools. Before long I was doing tech support and am currently in that role…both tech support and training.

As I look back over the years at my various jobs, I can see that, in a sense, I was prepared for this job. I have done web design and support, video production and editing, customer support, tech support (at the call center ironically), project management. For five years I managed a high school football team website and ran the score clock and had two boys play high school football and two girls in basketball. The boys were also in wrestling…so I also understand the high school experience. I honestly believe that this job is a perfect fit for me and I for it. And I love it.

Obviously, it is fun working in a job where I can watch and talk sports all day, yet also do the “techie” things. But what I really love is the opportunity to talk to coaches, administrators and teachers across the country. I get to assist them in getting their sites up and running. I get to hear their excitement when things are going well on their sites. I get to see the results of my labors and those of other me individuals in the office. It is also rewarding to see all of the data that indicates how quickly the company is growing. I LOVE THIS JOB!!

HAVING FUN ON THE JOB

One of the joys of this job is being able to watch high school sports and get paid for it. Over the last week I have watched a number of girls’ high school basketball games as I monitored the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) Girls’ State Championships. There were a total of 15 games played, culminating in the championship game last night which Mercy Academy from Louisville defeated Scott County from Georgetown. There was so much excitement in the air that I could even feel it while watching over a laptop monitor. During the last six months I have also watched hockey, baseball, softball, lacrosse, swimming, wrestling and other high school sports. The widget below tells the story.

KHSAA Widget

STATISTICS AND DATA

When I was in 5^th grade at Spring Valley Elementary School in Richardson, TX (back in 1966) I began my illustrious career in statistics. Back then I would walk from my house on Flagstone Way to Coit Rd., and then walk up Coit Rd. to Spring Valley Rd. to the 7-11 mart every day. I would pick up my Black Cow sucker (a chocolate covered caramel sucker that was to die for) and would get a paper bag, go out to the soda machine and empty out all the pop bottle caps into the bag and take them home. In those days there were no canned sodas. Everything was in glass bottles and they had those metal caps that had to be opened with a bottle opener. Then, each day I would separate them, line them up and count them. I logged the statistics. Coke and Pepsi always battled it out and Dr. Pepper was not far behind. There was also 7-UP, Nesbitt's, some kind of root beer and other assorted drinks. For some reason I thought they were like money to me.

As I grew older I had other obsessions: sitting in my room with my AM Radio in Denver in 1968 scrolling through each station and documenting call letters and locations. On good days I could get radio from Washington, California, Nebraska and even Chicago; as a junior in high school I had a job as a dishwasher and counted the forks vs. the spoons vs. the knives. The spoons almost always won; then there are many times I would stand by the road counting the trucks vs the cars or the Chevys vs the Fords, etc. Even in my married years I kept a running tally of Scrabble scores between my wife and I. I even had averages, highest word scores, highest game scores, etc.—I still have that book!!; and to this day I still pick up shampoo bottles, toothpaste containers, cereal boxes, etc., and have competitions between the number of vowels and numbers of consonants. I know, pretty obsessive behavior….

Counting radio stations, silverware, cars

But that brings me to the second joy of this job…the data. Instead of pop bottle caps, I am always monitoring page views and unique visits. It is fun for me to watch the visits add up and see which schools are getting more visits and uniques. I then try to understand why they are getting them so I can assist other schools in doing the same. I probably check out the unique hits chart once an hour…way more than I should. I have been doing that for my own sites for a couple of years. Now I do it daily and really do like to see the growth of the company and the interest in the content around the country from school to school.

Schools advertise their sites: Center HS in Kansas City, MO; Birdville HS in Ft. Worth, TX

HUMAN INTEREST STORIES

I must admit though, the real love of the job is coming through many of the experiences I have enjoyed in the last six months. The rewards come in the people I meet and the stories that site administrators share with me…stories that let me realize how much the iHigh.com experience is benefiting a diversity of people…not just the schools and the students, but also parents, family members, friends and others. I have seen two kinds of effects. First would be the great stories of family members who are able to watch their children/grandchildren, etc., from far away. The second would be the effect on students who are gaining great opportunities by participating in broadcasts as videographers or play by play announcers.

Hanging with members of North Dallas High School Booster Club in Dallas

(L-R: Gil Sandoval, David Kravetz, John Chavez)

Following are just a few of these fascinating stories:

Cary Academy, in Cary, NC: This was probably the first story I had heard from an administrator. Cary Academy is a small private school in Cary, NC and their volleyball team had qualified for the playoffs. They had signed up for iHigh in order to be able to do a live streaming broadcast of their volleyball games. The day after their first game was broadcast, one of the administrators called me with great enthusiasm to let me know how parents of one of his players were on a business trip and China and were able to see the game. This was great stuff! He also said that he had heard from family members of other players that relatives in Florida, New York and California were able to watch. It was a thrill.

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Center High School, Kansas City, MO: In January I had an opportunity to travel to St. Louis and Kansas City for some iHigh work. This became my first opportunity to experience firsthand some of the human interest stories that are creating a legacy for iHigh. My first experience at Center was when Brad Sweeten, the Athletic Director, introduced me to the four young men who would assist with the video broadcasts. We were to broadcast a wrestling tournament all day (click on link for video): six cameras on six mats with resets every two hours. My first thought was that these guys looked rough, kind of like gang members. All were football players. But, as I spoke with them I could see they were bright and willing to work. And this they did…for over 9 hours they sat by the video cameras, they switched sessions on time and did an excellent job. Since that time a couple of them have continued to work for Brad as cameramen on their schools’ basketball games and other activities. They are also learning to edit video.

The Center video staff

(photo courtesy of J. Morrison Photography)

Then, during the event, as I sat at “iHigh Central” on the stage I was approached by a wrestler who asked, “can my father who is in the service in Afghanistan watch me wrestle?” I said yes and told him how. I thought to myself…”This is what it is all about.” But the one that really got me was the young man who came to me shortly before the championship match. He had his cell phone in hand and came to me and said, “My grandfather is on the phone. He is in Ohio and has never seen me wrestle. I will be in the championship match and he would like to see me wrestle. Can you tell him how to watch?.” I then walked his grandfather through it. His grandfather then watched his grandson in the tournament and then watched him get a medal. This was heartwarming and was more so when the young man came to me with such gratitude afterward. Indeed, that event alone made the long drive to Kansas City well worth it.

iHigh Central

(photo courtesy of J. Morrison Photography)

I later learned from Brad Sweeten that one of his JV basketball boys has a father who is in Qatar in the service and was able to watch his son play basketball….not varsity, but JV basketball. He was thrilled to death to be able to see a son who he dearly missed.

And here is a fun video from Center...a human center.ihigh.com

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High Energy Photos, Hi Hat KY - Down in SE Kentucky there is a group associated with iHigh called High Energy Photos. They photograph and video many of the contests in and around Pikeville. A few weeks ago they provided coverage for a Pikeville High School Basketball game so that a father stationed in Afghanistan could watch his son play for the first time this season. His son is in his senior year. The family was allowed to say a few words to the father during half-time and between games. His brother was extremely appreciative and the mother wanted to also express her thanks, she said it was the nicest thing anyone has ever let her do. They were allowed to send some LIVE greetings at half time. It was touching. You can see the video here. (advance to 45:00 into the video to see the family and here the dedication)

On another occasion, during a girls’ home game this year, the visiting coach from Wolfe County had to leave upon arrival to the gym because his wife had gone into labor and had been taken to Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington, which is three hours away. The students sent out messages during the broadcast wishing the best to the coach, his wife, and new addition to the family from his staff and fans at the game. Before the end of the evening, his assistant got the address for the broadcast so that they could tell the coach where he could watch the coverage of the game and the archived broadcast.

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Wheeler High School, Wheeler, IN: Wheeler has an exchange student from Serbia who plays on their varsity basketball team. Each week his parents are able to watch him play…using iHigh from Serbia. He has a teammate that is also from Serbia. Apparently, the region around Wheeler, Indiana draws many Serbians.

The stories go on and on. And my personal relationships with the ADs, teachers, coaches and booster members provide me the opportunity to hear new stories like these on a weekly basis. Knowing that all of my efforts are helping others to benefit makes it all worthwhile.

I LOVE MY JOB!

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

A Weekend in St. Louis/Kansas City in January 2010 - via Santa Claus, IN

2010-03-07T04:06:00Z

A weekend in St. Louis/Kansas City - Jan. 14-17, 2010

Visiting Santa Claus, IN; St. Louis and Kansas City

by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz

January 14, 2010: ROAD TRIP!! After quite a hiatus on road trips, I finally took one. Now that I am working for iHigh.com I do have occasion to take a trip or two for support. In this instance I was to travel to Kirkwood High School in St. Louis to Live Stream a basketball tournament on January 15, and then travel to Kansas City to Live Stream a large wrestling tournament at Center High School. Naturally, along the way both there and back I made some side trips, as is always my custom, but in this case I did not veer too far off the beaten path.

Lexington, KY to Santa Claus, IN then St. Louis then Kansas City and back via Liberty, Independence and Lexington, MO

My first stop along the way was in Santa Claus, Indiana. Yes, there really is a Santa Claus, Indiana and I believe it is the only town named Santa Claus anywhere. According to theWikipedia article about Santa Claus, the town was established in 1854. In 1856, when the town (then known as Santa Fe, pronounced "fee") was working to establish a Post Office, the US Postal Service refused their first application as there was already another Santa Fe, Indiana. Several town meetings were held, during which the name Santa Claus was selected. Currently the town claims to have the world’s only post office to bear the name of Santa Claus.

Santa Claus is a small town, but does have an amusement park a unique shopping center and Santa Claus statues everywhere.

A few scenes from Santa Claus, IN

Santa Claus Town Hall and the unique benches in front of town hall

Unique shops abound....an old Santa statue on a hill (highest point in town)...the roller coaster atHoliday World

There is even a large Frosty the Snowman statue in town

After filling my eyes with Santa Claus and filling the car's tank with fuel, I was back on I-64 heading west to St. Louis. The drive was fairly uneventful. I had to be at Kirkwood High School in time for an evening basketball game which was part of theDenver Miller Tournament, in honor of the former Kirkwood basketball coach. the funny part of the story is that one of my college roommates from BYU back in 1978 had graduated from here and also had been a kicker. I searched the high school for any sign of Ray Heyman's name and actually found it on a plaque of football lettermen from 1973. Ray is now an attorney in Arizona and doing very well.

After the game, I headed off to the hotel for the night.

January 15, 2010: I was up early the next morning to head to St. Louis to meet one of my friends who had moved from Lexington. We headed out to a diner in St. Louis known asGoody Goody Diner. As with all other adventures I take, I look for interesting locations to chow down and this one was a doozy!! Located on Natural Bridge Rd., it appears to be in the industrial part of town. The Diner has been around since 1948 and has gone through numerous hands. It is purportedly in the same location as the original A & W Root Beer stand in St. Louis, which was opened in 1931. The A & W had car hops and the tradition continued with Goody Goody diner until the early 1970s. Currently the diner is owned by Richard and Laura Connelly. Richard's father purchased the diner in 1954 and it has been in the family ever since.

Richard Connelly, owner of Goody Goody

The diner has typical diner fare, but they also have their own specialties. They are famous for their "Wilbur" omelet, which is filled with hash brown
potatoes, green pepper, onion and tomato. Then it is covered with chili and Cheddar cheese. It also comes with sides...I ordered the grits and an English muffin. The omelet was FABULOUS and really not too costly either. My friend Steve tried the fried chicken and waffles. That looked pretty good as well.

A "Wilbur" breakfast as well as fried chicken and waffles

The "Wilbur" is sure to bring a smile. Enjoy it one of the original diner seats.

Not sure where it got the name, but the atmosphere and food were both deserving of the name Goody Goody!!

In my continuing quest for murals and wall art, I saw these two pieces on the same wall on a building next door to Goody Goody's

After a good meal and some time with Steve, I was back on my way Kirkwood for another game. Along the way I visited the quaint town of Kirkwood and drove the Laumeier Sculpture Park which had some large art. It was a pleasant diversion. The Laumeier Park was established in 1972 and over the years has grown to over 105 acres. It was one of just a few open air art museums in the world. I took numerous photos of the art work. Following are just a few samples. There is a map of the entire outdoor park/museumhere.

L-R: Ernest Trova - Profile Canto VI, 1974;Armand P. Arman - La Libellule, 1996;Mark di Suvero - Tumbleweed, 1978-95

L-R: Anthony Caro - Java, 1976; Mark di Suvero - Destino, 2003; Bro. Mel Meyer - Chairs, 1996 (located downtown Kirkwood)

After the little drive I then went and videoed the basketball games and then drove most of the evening to Kansas City, arriving there shortly after midnight.

January 16, 2010: It was another early day for me...to bed at 1 AM and up at 6 AM. This entire day would be spent atCenter High School in Kansas City to coordinate and manage live streaming a 16 team wrestling tournament on 6 mats. We would be trying something not done before by iHigh...basically run6 Live Streams from one location simultaneously for nearly 9 hours. After we got all set up and cleared up a few glitches, we were rolling. Center HS had provided some football players to assist in manning the cameras. Athletic Director Brad Sweeten worked with me most of the day in the coordination and monitoring. It was a great success. We had some great stories, like the father in Afghanistan who got to watch or the grandfather in Ohio who saw his grandson wrestle (and win the championship in his weight class) for the first time ever. This is why I love my job!! Click on the widget below for more from Center HS.

After the tournament was over, Coach Sweeten and I headed to a local restaurant to enjoy what Kansas City is famous for...Barbecue. It was great and so was the company. Finally, by 11 PM I was back in bed at the hotel. The next day would be an early departure to head back home via a few more places.

January 17, 2010: I would head back home to Lexington today, but once again would hit a few back roads and catch a few more bits of America as I like to see it. My first stop was heading north into Kansas City for a drive by the art museums there. Like St. Louis, there is some interesting out door artwork...more specifically giant shuttlecocks (or badminton birdies). In July 1994, Shuttlecocks, the first outdoor sculpture commissioned for the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, was installed in theKansas City Sculpture Park, which is part of theNelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The shuttlecocks were created by internationally known Dutch artistsClaes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen and were a gift to the Museum. Altogether there are four shuttlecocks, each 17 ft. 11 in. high x 15 ft. 1 in. crown diameter and 4 ft. nose diameter, located in different positions on the grounds of the museum. Oldenburg and van Bruggen have done all sorts of large and whimsical works around the world. I sure hope to see more in the future!!

"Shuttlecocks" by Claes Oldenburg & Cossje van Bruggen at Kansas City Sculpture Park

There were a number of other interesting works of art surrounding the old and new sections of the art museum. I did not venture in as it was still fairly early on a Sunday morning, but I did see a couple more interesting pieces. The first of the pieces to catch anyone's eye is the gigantic "Spider" sculpture by French artistLouis Bourgeois. This eerie bronze sculpture was built in 1996 and sits at the entrance of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City. It stands over 11 feet tall and really is spooky.

Two views of "Spider" by Louis Bourgeois at the Kemper Museum in Kansas City

Another interesting sculpture at Kemper

(name and artist unknown)

After seeing just a few of the works of art at the sculpture parks in St. Louis and Kansas City, I am determined to get to others in the U.S. on my travels in the future. I hope to see theFranconica Sculpture Park in Franconica, MN and thePorter Sculpture Park near Montrose, SD, among others.

After the interesting venture into art, I headed north to Independence, MO, site of some Mormon Church History. Along the way I came across the somewhat famous and uniqueLeila's Hair Museum. I have seen this place noted in Roadside America and also on Ripley's Believe It or Not. Well, I found the place, but it is closed on Sundays. The only sign is the one below...it was in a plastic folder taped on the door.

Leila's Hair Museum in Independence, MO

Also on my drive thru Independence I came across this all painting. Independence is the home of President Harry Truman and this wall painting depicts the famous Chicago Tribune article that mistakenly proclaimed that Dewey had defeated Truman. The mural sits on the side of the Welch, Martin and Albano law office in downtown Independence.

From Independence I then drove to Liberty, MO. My main objective there was to see theLiberty Jail Historic Site, where Mormon prophet Joseph Smith was held. Unfortunately, I pulled into Liberty at 8:30 AM and the Visitor's Center didn't open until 9, so I didn't get the chance to go in. But, it was nice to finally get there. Joseph Smith spent almost 5 months in this jail while awaiting trial and received three revelations (Sections 121, 122 and 123) which are included in the Church's Doctrine and Covenants. One of the scriptures has always been inspirational to me: in D&C 121:7-8 ". . . if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." Joseph Smith suffered some tortuous times in his life and this was definitely one of them.

Not too far from the Liberty Jail are some interesting murals on the Clay County Offices. On one corner is a painting that appears to depict Lewis and Clark. Then there are some unique ceramic murals that adorn the walls of the office building. Each ceramic mural, originally installed in 1984, depicts figures and events from Clay County's past.

Lewis & Clark Mural painted by Liberty artist David McClain

Located on the side of the Clay County Detention Center

These are some of the ten ceramic murals on the wall of the Clay County Public Safety Building in Liberty, MO. They depict the history of the county.

On the left is "Scales and Rails" which depicts the Watkins Mill of 1860, Cook Paint & Varnish in 1913,

Ralston Purina in the 1940s, Claycomo Ford Assembly Plant in 1951, and the A.S.B. Bridge built in 1912.

On the right is the Clay Country War Memorial which shows the white doves of Anguish (on the left) and Serenity (on the right).

Flanked by the white doves, soldiers from Missouri in all the great wars remind us of the price freedom requires -- death.

As the North gestures to the South, the sallow image of Col. Alexander Doniphan and his entourage march into history.

These are closeups of some portions of the ceramic murals that depict many of the former residents of Clay County

After the visit to Liberty, my next stop was in Lexington, Missouri, famed for the Civil War Battle of Lexington. I drove by the visitor's center but did not have time to go in. That'll have to be on another trip.

Battle of Lexington Visitor's Center and Plaque commemorating the battle

Click here for a brief of history of this battle

The town of Lexington had a few other notable things, including a small replica of the Statue of Liberty.

An eagle was the centerpiece of a war heroes monument while lady Liberty stood watch in downtown Lexington

A mural found in Lexington, MO depicting the some of the history of this river town

Perhaps the most delightful thing about driving the less beaten paths of America are the rustic and natural sites along the way. As we speed by on the freeways we miss so much. Here are just a few of the things I saw along the way home from Lexington, MO to Lexington, KY.

Some of the natural scenes along the way. Most of Missouri was quite foggy this January day, so the scenery had a different feel.

The large tree in the middle has to be one of my all-time favorite shots. It was a lucky sight with the old truck below it.

The tree clinging to life on an eroded hill was also an eye catching site.

Along the way on back roads we see the history of this country. FromMaid-Rite Sandwiches to old forgotten houses.

Maid-Rite sandwiches are "Loose Meat" sandwiches. I would have tried one, but this shop was closed for the day.

And finally, along the road I came across a flock of Flamingoes. As a trueTrailer Park Troubadour Flamingohead, I could not pass up the opportunity to capture a few shots of this silly pink birds at what appeared to be a Biker Joint.

This is a biker bar and grill located in Fayette, MO. They claim to have good food (unlike aStoneville Saloon in Alzada, Montana)

Some roadside guidance provided by......

See more of Sumoflam's Trip Journals

sumoflam@sumoflam.biz

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

Roller Coaster Rides and Bending Trees: A Retrospective Look at 2009

2010-01-02T04:05:00Z

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HAPPY NEW DECADE!!

I have written a very long essay about the difficult year of 2009 and how I was able to cope and get through. Due to the length of the article and also due to the large number of photos, I am linking to the essay from here. It is posted on my regular website. Here is the link: http://www.sumoflam.biz/2009Retrospective.htm

I do expect to write much more in my blog in 2010. This is one of my escapes and is very refreshing for me. Photos and blogs for 2010!

Have a great year and catch you in a few days.

David "Sumoflam" Kravetz

Lexington, KY

January 1, 2010

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

Who Should We Be Celebrating on Veterans Day?

2009-11-11T12:17:00Z

Today is Veteran's Day, the day that we supposedly celebrate those individuals who fought for our country and our freedoms. As i perused through a number of Facebook entries this morning I saw the numerous comments thanking our veterans. I too thank our veterans, but, perhaps in a different way and perhaps to different veterans.

You see, I was in high school during the Vietnam War. I grew up around protests and anti-war sentiment. Later on, while in college, I turned away from a possible Law Degree to pursue a degree in Geography and History, and then later a Master's and even some PhD work in Political Science. I was fascinated by Political Geography (the use of geography for political gain) and delved deeply into understanding the mindsets and strategies of so-called "terrorists" and "insurgents". I wrote papers on the Vietnam War, I learned about coups in Africa. I understood the dealings of Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Che Guevarra and others. And no, I did not sympathize. I detest violent means of getting something accomplished.

Here I am now, in 2009, while many of our country's young men and women are fighting battles in far off places like Afghanistan and Iraq, and seeing a President receive a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to increase troops in what I personally perceive to be another Vietnam. The French fought and gained little ground in Vietnam and neither did we. In similitude, the Russians fought and gained little ground in Afghanistan, and an increase in forces there may not do us any good either.

What many are thankful for is how our young American soldiers are fighting for the freedoms and rights of others....they are NOT really protecting our country. This effort is not unnoticed by me. I am grateful for their sacrifices in trying to make this world a safer place...I know that many have died on foreign soil.

But, who REALLY protects our country? Who are the veterans that really don't get celebrated for their sacrifices and risks as they should? Here are a few:

1. Our Firefighters - They protect us daily from fires. They risk their lives to save us. They drive speedily down a road to save a life only to be thwarted by careless selfish drivers who disregard them.

2. Our Police Forces (Police, Sheriffs, Highway Patrol, etc) - They protect us from ourselves. Like the firefighters, they are out every day protecting us from the menaces of society. They pull us over for speeding. They crack down on drug dealers. They control traffic. They intercede in domestic abuse. They fight for our daily freedoms. They work to keep peace in our country and keep us safe.

3. The National Guard - These are our people, the ones we work with every day, who sacrifice a couple of weekends a month to train so that they can protect us in our own states and regions. They assist with the big picture things - - disasters, floods, bombed buildings. They save lives, they rebuild and they sometimes lose their lives trying.

4. Nurses and medical staffs - These individuals as well protect us. They work in hostile environments to protect us and save us from disease, many at risk of catching and possibly dieing from these diseases. They fix us we get broken and are bleeding, or can't walk, or can't breath. They care for us in so many ways.

5. Our Border Patrol - Here is a group that really does go unnoticed. They work around the clock to keep out the intruders-the drug dealers, the illegal immigrants, those who might fly planes into buildings. Yes, on 9/11 some got through. But countless others do not. These folks really do fight for our freedom and protection.

6. Paramedics - Like the firefighters, these individuals risk their lives to save ours. They are not paid very well, but they are dedicated to make sure that those of us in emergency situations as a result of heart attack, influenza, accidental injury or otherwise, get the up front assistance we need and make it to the hospital alive.

7. Prison Guards - Another uncelebrated and under paid protector of our freedoms. These individuals work in a hostile environment every day, risking their lives to make sure the murderersm thieves, rapists and other unruly members of our society are kept separated. They risk being taken hostage, or riots within the prison walls. They try to help those who have slipped but are trying to get back into society as productive citizens. They help us have more freedom.

8. Teachers - Another class of poorly paid and seriously abused citizens of our country who dedicate themselves to guiding our youth to become decent and productive citizens. This is a tough job as many parents now use the schools as a "baby sitting service" and they don't really support the efforts of these tireless folk we call teachers. Where the Border Patrol is the fence, the teachers are the tenders of the gardens within those fences.

I admire the daily strugglings of our youthful soldiers overseas. Many do make the ultimate sacrifice. Many serve because they have nowhere else to go. Many serve out of devotion to country and family. Though, in my opinion, they are fighting for the freedoms of others and not really for our country's well-being, they still represent our country.

But I think we could do better by taking the massive amounts of money that we currently put towards fighting other country's battles and pumping it into our country. Use it to pay the teachers, the prison guards, the paramedics, the border patrol, the national guard, the nurses. Use it to get jobs back. Use it to fight for our true freedom in this country. Many of us have lost the ability to control our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness as a result of mislead politicians sending our youth overseas to fight unwinnable battles that really have no bearing on the continuity of our own land and political system.

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

10 Interesting Eateries on the Back Roads of North America

2009-09-08T03:30:00Z

10 Interesting Eateries on the Back Roads of North America

Can you say "Yummiferous"?

As I have travelled across the wide expanses of Canada and the U.S., I have come across a few interesting places to eat. Not all are the best establishments in terms of taste, but the atmosphere and unique nature of the places is the drawing card. Following are a few of these places, and I have included photos where available. In my 1000s of photos, I have not been able to locate some of the older non-digital ones of some of the places. I will also provide web-links when available. Enjoy the ride and enjoy the food. By the way, these are not numbered in any particular order. They are in the order I got to them in this document.

1. Camp 31 BBQ - Paris, Ontario

Perhaps the best BBQ I have ever eaten, and in Canada eh? Actually, Camp 31 got its start in Alabama. In 1908 it was originally founded as a "Sawmill Store" in Brewton, Alabama. It hung around for quite a few years. Then, in 1985, Larry Murphy opened it up as a BBQ establishment. Larry is considered Alabama's finest ribman and he carried on this tradition by partnering with Bernie Gerl in Ontario to open the eatery in Paris. Their BBQ is fantastic, but on Saturdays their smoked prime rib is Amazing. This is a must stop place if you visit Southern Ontario.

Camp 31 has a rustic feel and a savory taste

Larry Murphy and his award winning Camp 31

2.Stoneville Saloon - Alzada, Montana

First of all, you have to find Alzada, Montana. Use Google Maps...that is the best advice I can give you. This is really as advertised "Located in the Middle of Nowhere." You must drive State Highway 212 to the southwestern corner of the state. It is sometimes known as a State Hysterical Landmark. Known for its cheap drinks and lousy food, when we visited back in 2005 we found Alzada to be just a small town of a couple hundred people. You blink and you miss it. It is almost like a frontier town on the outskirts of the wilderness. The owners are typical bikers and this place is a draw for bikers every year who come to Sturgis, SD. While here we had their killer chili and some burgers. The food was NOT as advertised...indeed, it was pretty good.

Stoneville Saloon is located on Highway US 212, 163 miles east of The Little Bighorn Battlefield. 40 Miles north of Devil's Tower National Monument on the edge of the Northern Black Hills. 36 miles west of Belle Fourche, SD. The center of the nation. 80 miles south of Medicine Rocks Park.

3.Traveler's Club International Restaurant and Tuba Museum - Okemos, MI

This is another unique place in a small town. Okemos is located 3 miles north of Interstate 96 at Exit 110 in Michigan. They have different international delight every day including Latin, Asian and Middle Eastern dishes. They are famous for their home brewed beer (which I don't drink) and their buffalo burgers, which I DO eat. But more unique is the collection of tubas and sousaphones that surround the place. They even have a working Sousaphountain in the garden to the side of the restaurant. So, if you are in Michigan, don't blow it, stop by the Traveler's Club.

Their famous homemade Buffalo burger was delectable. Seating is plentiful and the place is fun

Best things are all the Tubas

The famous and unique "Sousaphountain"

4.Space Aliens Bar & Grill - Waite Park, Minnesota and Fargo, North Dakota

Indeed, the Space Aliens have taken over in the north country with great barbecue and an out of this world atmosphere. On a trip to Montana in 2005 we came across the shop in Waite Park, just outside of St. Cloud, Minnesota. We were lucky to get there near closing time on a Wednesday, which happened to be all you can eat night. My two hefty sons were hungry and wiped the place out. The next day, as we drove through Fargo, North Dakota, we came across another one, but did not have time to stop...it was breakfast time anyway. Since our visit, they have opened more shops -- there are seven of them throughout Minnesota and North Dakota.

Here I am in front of the Waite Park shop in 2005

These are shots of the Fargo, North Dakota shop

5.Ole's Big Game Steak House - Paxton, Nebraska

If you don't like big animals looking over your shoulder while you eat, than this is NOT the place for you. You walk in the door and are greeted by a life size real stuffed Polar Bear. then, as you are taken to your seat you see lions and tigers and bears, oh my. You also see a giraffe from the base of the neck up, a full elephant head with ears extended, moose, deer, elk, cougars, snakes and everything else. The food is expensive, but well worth the effort. Paxton, Nebraska is just a small town located off of Interstate 80 in Nebraska, at exit 145. Ole's is in their small downtown area.

My son Solomon schmoozes with a polar bear while I snuggle with a moose

Yes, that is really a giraffe blocking the TV and an elephant staring at you

6.Ric's Grill - Lethbridge, Alberta

Want a sky high experience? My son and I enjoyed one back in 2007 at Ric's Grill in Lethbridge. It is located 150 feet high in an old refurnished watertower. It was late so we didn't get many good photos, but visit the website and learn more. Expensive food, but very very well done. It is well worth the visit.

Two shots of Ric's from below. Notice all of the windows in the water tower.

7.Lynn's Paradise Cafe - Louisville, KY

Lynn's is on of those really unique places to eat. I have been there three times, but for the life of me cannot find my photos. The above photo is borrowed from their website. From the giant coffee pot and cup in the front to the jungle-like interior, the place is lots of fun. Their servings are humongous. Nobody has the same kind of chairs, silverware or dishes. My family all loves this place.

8.Lambert's Cafe (The Home of Throwed Rolls) - Ozark, Missouri

Yes, they really do throw their rolls at Lamberts. On a trip to Texas in 2007 we stopped at the Lambert's in Ozark, Missouri (they have two other places, one more in Missouri and one in Alabama). I really wanted to see if they "throwed" their rolls. The food was great. Served family style, servers bring around big pots of black-eyed peas, fried okra, fried potatoes and macaroni with tomatoes...all you can eat. And another server walks into the middle of the room and yells "who needs rolls?" People raise their hands and the server literally throws hot rolls across the room. You have to catch them or eat dirty rolls..... Lots of fun!! So, if you are anywhere near Branson, you gotta visit this place.

They really do throw the rolls at Lamberts

And they also bring you plenty of other fixin's

9.The Sparta House Tearoom - Sparta, Ontario

Located in the very small village of Sparta, just south of St. Thomas, Ontario, the Sparta House offers a unique opportunity to eat in a 300 year old building, enjoy old English country fare such as shepherd's pie and other goodies. The owners, Ken & Norma Roberts, are from Liverpool, England. Ken is an avid Beatles fan and has a room dedicated to them with many rare posters and books, some even autographed by John, Paul, George and Ringo. Norma collects teapots and has hundreds on display. Great food, a comfortable atmosphere in a cozy little village. Find your way to Sparta. You'll be glad you did.

Sparta House where Norma serves up old English country fare...yummiferous

10.Geno's Cheese Steaks and Pat's King of Steaks - Philadephia, PA

Located across the street from each other, these are the two places that made Philly Cheesesteaks famous. I visited both in one night with a friend of mine while in Philadelphia to see him play football in an Arena Football League game. After the game, we made our way to Geno's, where customers are not served unless they speak English. You also had to know what you want or they give you a bad time. Pat's was a bit more friendly. As for which was better, well...it was a tie and I would go back to either one...actually, both.

Geno's was packed the night we went. I enjoyed mine with provolone and the works.

Pat's was also packed and you can see the cook busily grilling away.

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

Here we are 30 years later

2009-07-15T15:47:00Z

David & Julianne

30 years of wedded bliss

July 15, 1979 - July 15, 2009

July 15, 1979 - Jacob's Lake, AZ near North Rim, Grand Canyon

Sometime in November 1978 - David, then 22, was on his way to work at J.C. Penney in Orem Mall in Orem, Utah. His 1963 green VW bug would not start. He had to take the bus. Not knowing the schedule, he hurried to the bus stop. Too late, he missed it. At the same time, a young lady named Julianne, then 19, also missed the same bus. David and Julianne met at this bus stop and found out we both worked at the same place -- she in the cafeteria and he in the shoe department. She let me know that her roommate was coming to pick her up and offered me a ride. This was the first day of our relationship - we missed the bus to work, but, at that time, unbeknownst to us, we caught the bus that would take us to wedded bliss.

From that time through nearly Christmas, I would take a pilgrimage from the shoe department to the J.C. Penney cafeteria to order cherry cheesecake and to watch this new girl I had met. At the bus stop I knew I had met someone special and found it interesting that she worked where I did. But, I was shy and afraid of rejection, so I played it cool. We both knew each other's first names...mine David, hers Juli. Our conversations were light and not in too much detail. We were at the flirting stage. I had even taken her home from work a couple of times, but that was about it.

Then, she was gone...I had lost my chance due to my own insecurities....or so I thought.

Journal entry, January 14, 1979 - "...this last week has been a most exciting time of my life. I have been very tired because a beautiful young lady has entered my life. I knew Juli at work, but I never did too much because I was scared. -- Oh, yes, her name is Juli Bateman. She is 19 and is from Mesa, AZ. She's just my height and is a really pretty girl. The Lord couldn't have blessed me any better. Everyone even says that we look alike." She had been away and I thought I had lost her for good. Then, on Thursday, January 4, I was walking through the Wilkinson Student Center at BYU she saw me, said "Hey" and went out of her way to come over and say hello. "Right away I thought 'How neat. She likes me and went out of her way to say hello.' I was impressed. She then told me that she had quit Penney's. So, I felt inside of me that I must her phone number. I asked her and she gave it to me right away." I called her numerous times to invite her out, but she was never home. When i finally did get hold of her, she didn't know. I was stupid, I had never told her my full name. I reminded her of the JC Penney's thing and sure enough, I had a date!!

Continued from January 14 - "The thing about Juli is -- she is everything I want for a wife. She is pretty, she is loving, she is affectionate, she is spiritual. When I'm with her I'm proud to be with her...."

Journal entry, January 16, 1979 - "Yesterday, January 15, 1979 will be a day long remembered for me. Last night at about 7:00 PM I asked Juli to marry me. She said yeas. How wonderful it feels. This is how it went...I picked her up at 6:30 and we went up to Canyon Glen which is up in Provo Canyon. It was snowing lightly but it was also very peaceful...." "We talked of love and different kinds of it. After we finished, we got out of the car and went for a walk. The snow was about a foot deep and the stream could be heard loud and clear. We walked until we got to the edge of the stream. I then had Juli sit down on the bench. As she did, I got on my knees and told her of what love was...and that love had brought us together and that it was with love that I asked her to be my wife for time and all eternity, I was shaking so much inside that it was hard to even talk.

This was the beginning of our wondrous and joyful experience of 30 years.

Our first "recorded" kiss - in front of the Provo, Utah LDS Temple

ca. March 1979

July 15, 1979 - Julianne were married in Mesa, Arizona and returned to Provo, Utah via Jacob's Lake, AZ near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We then settled into our little apartment in Provo. I started a new job making sandwiches at a shop near BYU campus. We both continued in school.

Our wedding photo - July 1979

Departing for Utah from Mesa. Yes, we were tired and it was hot and we had the little VW

From that time forth, Julianne and I have traveled to diverse places, moved, gone to school in a few places, raised children...it has been a glorious life.

Soon after moving to Provo, there were some changes in the restaurant and by mid-October we made our way to Flagstaff, Arizona. Nearly penniless, I finally found some employment. We were living in the Alpine Motel, a dive of a place, but cheap. We had no place to go, but we made it through. I started a job as a busboy at the Little America Restaurant making $3.25/hr. A few weeks later i was working 48 hours a week at a TG&Y Variety store for $3.75 and hour. We also had insurance...and thank goodness. our first child was on her way. Throughout our days in Flagstaff we were blessed with friends, jobs and three lovely daughters.

Our 30 years of marriage are completely intertwined with with the lives of our children. From the time Amaree was born in early 1980 to this day, we have taken our children all over the United States and even lived in Japan as a family. Our youngest, Solomon was born in Oita, Japan. It has been a blessed life. Following are some of the photos of our lives through these 30 years...

Feb. 1980, Flagstaff, AZ with Amaree; late 1981, Mesa, AZ with Amaree & Marissa;

Early 1982, Sedona, AZ with Marissa &Amaree

late 1987, Kumamoto, Japan with 4 children (Seth on my back); March 1989, Oita, Japan with Seth & newborn Solomon

A couple of family photos while living in Oita, Japan ca. 1990 and 1991

L-Family with Oita Governor Hiramatsu & his wife, Jan. 1, 1991; Monument Valley, UT on our way to Kentucky in 1992

L-Green Gates Farm, Lexington, KY 1993; Family trip to Indiana ca 1996

Our family May 2009

(photograph courtesy of Kasey Mikelle Photography)

Our extended family May 2009

(photograph courtesy of Kasey Mikelle Photography)

But it has not just been family. Julianne and I have been together for 30 years and are STILL on our honeymoon and more madly in love with each other than ever!! Here are a few pictures of our adventures together over the years:

On a park bench in Seattle and a restaurant in Seattle

On a cruise ship in Seattle and at Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada

On the cruise to Alaska before dinner; Glacier Bay, Alaska

Hamming it up in Lexington, KY; Green Gates Farm in Lexington, KY

At a waterfall near Great Falls, MT with grandson Kade; at a waterfall near Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska

Enjoying time at a cabin in the mountains of Arizona; visiting Tulum Ruins in Yucatan, Mexico

At Seth's high school graduation, Lexington, KY

Yes, I Married Up and my license plate tells the story (as do the shirts)

I am honored and blessed to have had my wonderful Julianne at my side for 30 years. She is the joy of my life and this page is dedicated to her for her love for me, for our children, for our grandchildren. We have struggled together, had joy together, traveled together and look forward to an eternity together. Julianne is truly the love of my life.

Julianne and David, May 2009

(photograph courtesy of Kasey Mikelle Photography)

David & Julianne

30 years of wedded bliss

July 15, 1979 - July 15, 2009

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

Reflections: A Topsy-Turvy Four Years

2009-06-19T14:43:00Z

Reflections: A Topsy-Turvy Four Years

Four years ago yesterday I was with my family driving from Great Falls, MT to Cardston, Alberta for the wedding of my daughter Amaree. I had just arrived in Great Falls the day before after driving cross country with my daughter Marissa (who would be married one week later in Louisville, KY) and my two sons Seth and Solomon. Just a few weeks earlier we had been in Gatlinburg, TN for the wedding of my daughter Chelsea.

The last couple of nights I have tossed and turned in bed reflecting upon this wild time in the lives of my wife and myself. Earlier in the year (late-January 2005) I had made a trip to Cebu in the Philippines for my then-employer Lexmark International. It was my first big international trip in over 10 years. I would spend a month there training what would later become my replacements. Little did I know that month in the Philippines would be the beginning of a wild ride in life.

Time in the Philippines

The ride actually started a day before I left for the Philippines. Amaree, my oldest daughter, let me know she was engaged. Exciting news for a dad. We assumed it was coming. Then, while I was in Cebu, I was notified by my second daughter Marissa that she was engaged. A couple of weeks later, as I arrived in the airport in Lexington, back from a 30 hour flight back from Cebu, Chelsea informed me that she too was getting married. The roller coaster ride had begun.

The next couple of months was a frantic push to get THREE weddings planned, travel arranged, etc. In March, our son Seth had his Eagle Scout project and we also had to plan his Court of Honor.

Three weddings in 6 weeks in 2005: Marissa & Adam; Chelsea & Shawn; Amaree & Aaron

There were many other things that occurred that year. On the way to Gatlinburg for Chelsea’s wedding, the transmission went on our van in Williamsburg, KY. We had also forgotten the wedding cake. Wedding went well though and all worked out. Then, it was time to prepare for the long trip to Montana, which would include sightseeing of course (see .">www.sumoflam.biz/MontanaTrip/Montanajournal.htm). On the way back we had to bring Chelsea’s car home so we had two cars and an anxious daughter who would soon be married. On the last day of our trip we TOTALLY ran out of money. Just enough to get gas and get us home. We didn’t even eat.

Two days later we had a wedding in Louisville in the morning and then a TRIPLE reception in the park near our house that afternoon. Thank goodness for friends.

Enjoying my daughters at their joint reception in Lexington in 2005

But, as I noted earlier, this was just the beginning of the ride. Since that auspicious summer of 2005, life for my wife and I has been nothing short of a wild roller coaster ride and it is continuing to this day. Following is a smattering of what kind of things have happened:

Five grandchildren have been born (an a sixth is on the way)

Grampz and grandkidz, May 2009

L-R: Kade Matthews; Landen Noe; Charlie Matthews; Autumn Crabtree; Joselyn Noe

My job at Lexmark was off-shored to the Philippines and was let go
I spent a year working in Canada at the Toyota plant (and that too fizzled out)
Julianne also left Lexmark and has since taken on a challenging new job at iHigh.com

Pondering the future

I have travelled extensively (nearly 20,000 miles) around the United States and Canada due to jobs, work with Trailer Park Troubadours and other adventures

Julianne and I took a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico

Enjoying Tulum ruins in Mexico with my sweetheart

Our van was totaled in an accident during a wild snow storm in northern Ohio

Smashed up big time. I was actually very blessed to come out of it alive.

Five or six close friends have passed away

Good friend Russ "Santa" Southworth was one of many to pass away

I have been able to see and assist my close friend Antsy McClain in his getting some semblance of national exposure

Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours

Seth served a two year church mission

Seth in Provo, Utah as he entered the Missionary training Center

I had a knee operation
We have seen leaps in technology that amaze (think iPhones and terabyte external hard drives and high definition televisions)
We have enjoyed Canadian Maple Syrup, Poke Sallet, peameal, poutine and other new things for the first time.

Julianne getting ready to eat Poke Sallet in Harlan, KY

Both Julianne and I lost a lot of weight (I lost nearly 100 pounds and have gained most of it back….)
I turned 50
Two MAJOR Ice Storms in Lexington

Many of the icons that I grew up with have passed on (such as Johnny Cash, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and others)
Julianne got a “dream job” driving as a Google Street Map driver for a couple of months. Not the best paying job, but certainly lots of fun!!
We have gotten two new vehicles (including my oft sought 4WD)

Julianne and me with our new Explorer and MARDUP (Married Up license plate)

Both of my sons attained Eagle scout status

Seth (L) and Solomon (R) after attaining their Eagle Scout

We got our first African-American President
Julianne and I have taken up photography full force

I have made many fabulous new friends all over the country and in Canada

L-R: Oliver Zuder, Mgr. Camp 31 BQ in Paris, ON; Singer-songwriter Micheal Kelsey from Indiana; Photographer Marc Manning, Lexington; Guitarist Bobby Cochran, Nashville

L-R: Guitar maker "Crafty" Jack, Alberta; Mary & Robert Jakeman, owners of Jakeman Maple Syrup, Ontario; Country singer Patti Hall, Washington; Cathy Bingham, Woodstock, ON

Julianne and I have become, by all practicalities, empty nesters and now have the freedom to take short trips together and enjoy each others’ company like never before
I had a cover story for a weekly entertainment newspaper in Lexington
For the first time in my life I had to stand in the unemployment lines and am now working in a job as a call center agent for Apple iPhones…a low paying job and not very rewarding
I have seen numerous friends also lose their jobs and struggle to find employment
The list can go on forever…..

And the ride continues. In about 3 weeks from today Julianne and I will celebrate our 30^th anniversary. I marvel at that. How has she put up with me all these years. I certainly did marry up!! We will have another grandchild sometime early next year. We must live in these difficult economic times and I am determined to find ways to be on my own by the end of this year. Sacrifice, challenges and leaps of faith will abound.

A handsome couple about to celebrate 30 years of wedded bliss

Yes, throughout the night I pondered and marveled at all of this change in my life. And, despite the drudgery of a low-paying job with a miserable schedule (currently 11:30 AM to 8:30 PM Mon-Wed, Fri, Sat), I still consider my life truly blessed beyond measure. Who out there has been able to see the things I have been blessed to see over the last 4 years…3 weddings in 6 weeks, thousands of miles of back road travels all over the country and in Canada, lovely and wonderful grandchildren, excursions both near and far with my sweetheart of 30 years. The jobs will come and go, the money may be a necessity, but nothing will take away the fantastic memories and joys. As I look back on lost jobs and missed opportunities, I also see the doors that opened as a result…providing me a richness in life that money cannot buy.

Topsy turvy is good and I am enjoying the ride!!

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

The 3/50 Project

2009-06-16T14:16:00Z

If you have not heard of the 3/50 Project (see http://www.the350project.net), you need to get on board today. Our economy is hurting and many of us are suffering from it. I know I am. I have been off-shored twice. Big business is putting hard working Americans out of business and out of work.

As those of you who follow my trip journals know, everywhere I go I try to support the Mom and Pop shops, the local museums, the local restaurants and shops. These folks are great and they are the REAL America.....(and Canada...)

Just one point of advice.....read the flyer below then go for it.....

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

Funnel Cake Adventures

2009-06-16T00:40:00Z

Funnel Cake Adventures

**Originally written for www.aceweekly.com**

It all started with a tweet from @AceWeekly. (Translation: It all started with a Twitter message from the editor of Ace Weekly. See legend below for other Twitter-speak used in this article). Then came more tweets about #Funnelcakes and #Funnelcakedisappointments, etc. Apparently, at the first festival of the season in Lexington, there were no Funnel Cakes and Ace Weekly was not happy. Many other LexTweepers tweeted in about possible #Funnelcake.

That was about two weeks ago. In the course of all of the Funnel Cake tweeting, I started tweeting in and looking for Funnel Cakes to appease Ace Weekly’s palette along with the others.

The MayFest in Lexington came and went, but alas, no Funnel Cakes. The next weekend was Gardenside’s Fair. Turned out there were Funnel Cakes there, but Ace Weekly couldn’t make it. Plans were laid to hit the annual St. Elizabeth Ann-Seton Country Fair at the big church a block from my house. That’s when I thought “Hmm, another opportunity to do a photo essay on something everyone else overlooks.” So, I tweeted in that I would be there with camera in hand to get Ace weekly’s first Funnel Cake bite of the season and would write about it and about Funnel Cakes in general.

As everyone that attends a fair or a carnival knows, there is always food sold in those little stands---and that is half the fun of going (the other half being the rides). The gyros, the sausages, the blooming onions, the corn dogs, the cotton candy and yes, the Funnel Cakes, among a growing list of absolutely unhealthy but joyfully yummy goodies.

Some examples of Funnel Cake Stands. But funnel cakes and pork rinds?

Other kinds of food stands at a fair

Most people get their Funnel Cakes without thinking a bit about where they came from and why they are so-called “fair fare.” But, I set out to get the inside scoop on things.

According to my research, the actual Funnel Cake that we know and love was created by the Pennsylvania Dutch in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. Called Drecter Kuche (yes, that is German because the Pennsylvania Dutch are actually the “Pennsylvania Deutsch”). The vintage recipe from the “Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking” cookbook is as follows:

Ingredients

3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
3 to 4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Instructions

Beat eggs and add sugar and milk. Sift half the flour, salt and baking powder together and add to milk and egg mixture. Beat the batter smooth and add only as much more flour as needed. Batter should be thin enough to run thru a funnel. Drop from funnel into deep, hot fat (375f). Spirals and endless intricate shapes can be made by swirling and criss-crossing while controlling the funnel spout with a finger. Serve hot with molasses, tart jelly, jam or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Start out by adding the dough to the oil in a round former. Move from former. Let cook.

When nice and golden brown, put on a plate

Add sugar and other toppings, such as cinnamon or chocolate syrup

During the late-1800s and into the early 20^th century, the Pennsylvania Dutch folk would have these for special harvest celebrations. They were a treat and not a normal part of everyday fare. But, as tourism increased, the Drecter Kuche were served in cafes and restaurants in the area and many tourists, mainly in the Midwest, carried this concept back with them.

But the history of “fried dough” foods actually goes way back into European history. In Finland they enjoy tippaleipä which looks very similar to Funnel Cakes. The history of tippaleipä goes back to the 1700s. German recipes for Drecter Kuche go back to 1879.

Tippaleipä from Finland

But these treats are typically unleavened (don’t use yeast). But attendance at fairs and carnivals can also bring out the leavened fried breads such as “elephant ears” in the US and “beaver tails” in Canada. Other similar snacks would include “Fry Bread” as found on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona, zeppole in Italian areas and sopapillas as found in New Mexico and Texas. At fairs in Arizona you can get Navajo Tacos, fried bread covered with refried bean and taco fixings, etc.

Sumoflam with a friend in Dayton, Washington getting ready to enjoy a HUGE Elephant Ear

Back to the present and the subject at hand. May 30^th came along and it was time to meet Ace Weekly and others at St. Elizabeth Ann-Seton. I had already done some early scouting and photos of the Funnel Cake stand on the premises.

The Funnel Cake Stand at St. Elizabeth Ann-Seton Fair

I met Susan Chafin and her husband. They are from New Port Richey, Florida and have run “fair fare” stands for over 30 years. Ironically, in all of these years they had never once been interviewed or asked about their Funnel Cake business. This was a first!!

L-Susan Chafin, stand owner R-Susan and some of her team

In the past they had operated pizza stands, taco stands, BBQ stands and others. They have been doing Funnel Cakes since the 1970s and currently operate three stands out of their Florida base and enjoy the travel and the fun. Their children operate the other two. The Chafins travel with the fairs from May to October and pull their stand with them. They stay in a travel trailer during their travels.

I asked Susan how many Funnel Cakes they sell a year and she had no idea. I asked her if the number could be in the tens of thousands and she doubted that. But, she did agree that they sell thousands of them a year.

Getting an order ready; patrons lined up for the goods; ready to go and eat; chowing down

Accompanying Susan and her husband were three other individuals. Two were from Florida and one was from Somerset, KY. They put in the hours, getting in at about 10:30 AM for a 12:00 noon start. Since they make the Funnel Cakes as they are ordered, they do need to premix their dough and have plenty on hand. By evening time they are pumping out hot Funnel Cakes by the dozens, working in a human conveyance system. Susan’s husband drops the dough through the funnel and into the oil and cooks them. Susan grabs the finished product and stacks it near the sales windows where the others put on the toppings…mainly powdered sugar, but also honey an even chocolate sauce. They also serve fountain drinks to wash it down with.

Susan Chafin stacks funnel cakes for the crowd; a happy patron with a chocolate sauce covered funnel cake

As soon as the four days at the St. Elizabeth Ann-Seton fair were done, the Chafins would take a couple of days off and then were off to Murray, KY for their next fair.

Our fearless Ace Weekly editor with her first funnel cake of the season. #funnelcakesatisfaction

Ace Weekly contributor Keegan Frank getting ready for his funnel cake

The editor of Ace Weekly showed up with a couple of other Ace weekly readers/contributors for the official “first bite of the season” ceremony. Needless to say, all were happy to have fresh, warm, sugary Funnel Cakes….even me.

David "Sumoflam" Kravetz gets ready for his first funnel cake of the season

A TWITTER PRIMER

Tweet - a message sent through twitter

Tweeps - Twitter people...people who send tweets

#word - Hashmark word. Hashmarks are used to create groupings that are easily searched in Twitter. So, #Funnel Cake could be searched and all of the recent tweets can be seen.

@name - the @ mark is used to precede the user name in twitter. So @AceWeekly would be Ace Weekly's user name. My user name is @sumoflam.

Follow - Adding a user is termed following in Twitter. So, if one were to add me as a friend in Twitter, they would follow @sumoflam.

For those wanting to know more, check out the Twitter Fan Wiki on the internet at http://twitter.pbworks.com/

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

Fun with Twitter

2009-06-09T23:53:53Z

Back in November I learned about Twitter for the first time. As I wrote in my blog about Black Friday, the Lexington Herald-Leader (@heraldleader) was looking for people to twitter from various sites to keep shoppers up to date. It was a fine idea, but had very few people following it. I was aware of Twitter, but considered it a passing fancy. Nonetheless, between SMS text messages among family members who were strategically shopping in different areas and the twittering, we were able to have a successful shopping experience.

As with any new application, there was a learning curve. Soon I found myself being "followed" by plenty of individuals from all over. I did not know most of these folks. In most cases and not knowing any better, I followed most of them. Soon I found my Blackberry besieged with tweets. There was spam, tech tweets, sales pitches, recipes, stories. There were even tweeps sending tweets about their hourly activities such as having dinner, on my way to work, just got to work, on the way home. It was overkill!! There were even those who would say "Good morning followers," as if they were royalty, and would proceed with 20-30 tweets per hour!! (For more information on Twitter terminology, please see the Twitter Wiki page)

Exasperated, I dropped a number of the tweeps from posting to my blackberry. I focused on those that seemed important--Rick Sanchez from CNN (@ricksanchezcnn and @CNN), the Herald-Leader (@heraldleader), WUKY (@WUKY), ESPN (@ESPN), WKYT (@WKYT), a couple of friends (see my Twitter page (@sumoflam) for complete list).

But many kept adding me. It was like some were in a "follow-fest competition." Who could possibly read all these tweets. As a matter of fact, on three separate occasions I sent out "survey tweets" to see if my tweets were actually read by my 250+ followers. I asked for a response...and never got more than two.

In any case, I saw Ace Weekly (@AceWeekly) and followed them. Soon thereafter, other followers of Ace Weekly were following me. I would add them. I was finding it fun and refreshing to read the inside scoops on local politics and other issues. (photo below is of Ace Weekly editor "Ace" twittering from the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton fair on May 30)

As I followed someone who was ecologically focused (@tomkimmerer), I noticed I would be followed by other "green" enthusiasts and even vegans. It became an interesting phenomenon. I was soon being followed by members of my church from around the world, sports fans, travel enthusiasts. I am even following one certain president (@BarackObama)

In the midst of all these tweets, I started seeing hashmarks (#) show up. Funny, it took me nearly four months to figure out what they were used for. I would see them all the time, but was using the wrong twitter software for my blackberry to really catch on. After discovering and installing ÜberTwitter, I discovered the power of hashmarks. It was a simple #funnelcake that got me going. I soon found that adding # to words in tweets added a slew of other followers interested in the same themes.

Another thing I noticed--the tweeps mentioned above that would tweet constantly had slowed down and were sending out more informative tweets. The "royalty tweets" as I called them, began to disappear. In recent weeks I have truly learned the real strengths of twittering: following the news, getting interesting info on tech things, sharing information among an associated group of individuals and the daily uplifting thoughts that many post.

Through Twitter I have made some "virtual friends" (such as @MariAdkins,@ihenpecked and @FlauntInc) and have even met some in person. I have gotten some valuable advice. I have also been able to provide and receive minute by minute updates on things.

Another fun thing is being able to send photos directly through Twitter. With the advent of millions of camera phones that are also internet capable (think iPhones and Blackberry), Twitter allows real time updating with photos. For example, on Memorial Day we made what I called "Chicken on the Can" with Ale8One Ginger Ale (@Ale_8_One), a local soda delight made in Winchester, KY. I uploaded a few pictures of the process to Twitter by using TwitPic, a photo upload site for Twitter (see below).

Naturally, as with all other communication methods, the seedy spammers are appearing in droves. The shameless self-promoters trying to get you to buy their "how to become a millionaire through twitter" books; the video cam folks; the "get something for nothing" promoters. Yes, as with email and Facebook, we must be vigilant in our tweet sifting.

Twitter is a fine tool if used correctly, and I thank those that have set a good example of how to use it effectively and for the purpose it was created. It will be interesting to follow the continued of evolution of tweeting in the 21st century.

Tweet on!!

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

Things I Learned While Working as a Boost Call Center Agent

2009-05-16T06:29:00Z

Today it finally happened. My last day as a Boost Call Center agent. What a relief. Beginning Monday I start a new chapter in life as an Apple Tech Support agent. Wow..life changes.

The last three months have been hell. It has been bad enough being a call center agent and working in a position that I am way overqualified for. It has been even worse having to work as a Boost Call Center agent and dealing with some of the individuals on the other side of the line.

First off, don't get me wrong. I am grateful to have a job, despite the hemmorhaging denegration that I have had to put up with. Secondly, this is not a slight at Boost Mobile, which, as a subsidiary of Sprint/Nextel, should be considered a reputable company. the whole reason for this commentary is to tell it like it is.

As we trudge on through this existence we experience many wonderful things. We experience joyful things. We experience beautiful things. We experience painful things. We experience devastating things.

In the last few months I experienced Boost Mobile from the inside...a whole new world....and it has not been an experience to be cherished.

Some facts: Boost Mobile is a Pre-pay phone service that operates almost all over the U.S. Having focused originally on the Urban Hip-Hop group for their customer base, they found a group ready to jump on the bandwagon. Why? No credit checks, no contracts, no requirements for real names or addresses (in fact, when we set up accounts we always used the Boost address in California as a default address). So, identity could be hidden very easily. It has only been recently that Boost has appeared to focus on the mainstream population and their timing could not be better: A bad economy + an offer of a $50/month unlimited plan (including everything - talk, text, web, walkie talkie, long distance, roaming) was the right recipe for a BOOM. While at Boost i heard more than once that the amount of orders for their service exceeded executive expectations by over 400%!

So, here are a few of things I have learned (or actually became cultivated and bred into me) as a Boost Call Center agent:

Chris Rock was right! -- What do I mean by this? in 1997 Chris Rock recorded a very controversial comedy routine on his Roll With The New album entitled "Niggas vs. Black People." (This will be the only time I use the "N" word in this blog and I am only using it as it is the title of the the track. Personally, I am very offended by this extremely derogatory term) In this track Rock points out that the first group of individuals glorify ignorance and sloth, and brag about fulfilling any minor responsibility that normal people would just do. My experience with probably close to 25% of the Boost customer base on the phone was that many of these individuals would BRAZENLY attempt to leech off of the system, calling in to ask for credit on their account. Many of them were habitual. You could see in their call records that they would call six, seven times a day asking for credit and were denied and denied over and over as credit abusers, but somehow still got the credit. It is not at all unusual to see these folks with 6 or 7 weeks of going without adding funds to their account but continuing service by eventually finding the lazy or gullible Boost agent who would give them enough credit to last a couple of days more. This has astounded me. Even more astounding would be those (and many here as well) who we would go ahead and grant a credit of 50 cents here and a dollar there and they would swear at us and then exclaim "is that all you gonna gimme?"
I am very naive! -- Based on the comments above, I have had a very skewed view of a world I don't know very well. Sure, I have known there was "an element" of indivduals out there that I should be scared of. I have driven, by accident, through parts of Detroit that scared me to death and there are parts of Lexington that could be considered similarly dangerous for a white person. But this certain element exists in all of the colors...the gang type of mentality...whether white, black, Hispanic, Asian or otherwise. But my naivite (perhaps even ignorance) was shattered while taking many of the calls at Boost. But, I had a virtual opportunity to step into their households. These calls would come in and the first thing I would hear would be raging expletives of all types being spewed out of mouths of parties. Sometimes they were so into the fighting and bickering, that they would not hear me saying "Thank you for calling Boost Mobile. This is David. How can I assist you?." I have heard mothers and fathers lashing out at each other. It seems like many of them scream all comments at each other. Loud was the quiet in these homes.
Boost lives up to its name! -- I just learned three weeks ago that the urban slang term for steal (and/or shoplift) is "boost," such as "I boosted this watch from the store." I don't know how many times I would open up accounts and there would be voice on the other end saying they forgot the password to their phone account and I could I send it to them. I would ask their name as I opened the account and they would say something like Reggie or Marquis or LaShonda or something, but I would see Jose Lopez as the name on the account. (Got much of the same in other ethnic groups as well in the big cities like New York, Chicago, Detroit, Miami and Los Angeles to be fair). Suffice it to say that these phones pass hands frequently, and many times not by choice of one of the parties involved.

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

Another Day in Paradise?

2009-05-04T15:38:45Z

As always, I fall behind in my blog updates. Been working too many hours recently as a Boost Mobile Customer Care Agent.

This has been an experience, doing Boost work. The majority of customers seem to be "urban" folks. I have learned a great deal about this quadrant of society and not much has been good. Many of the calls I have taken are VERY expletive laced and many people think that Boost owes them a few "credit minutes."

In the mean time, we recently learned that ACS will lost the Boost Call Center at the end of May as it will be "off-shored." Many of the agents fear they will lose their jobs while, at the same time, ACS is hiring a number of positions for the newly established Apple call center. This has incensed many of the Boost agents since the Boost General Manager refuses to allow any transfers until May 31, but Apple's last training class is May 18.

Fortunately for me, I fought this fiercely and was blessed to get one of the Apple positions for May 18 and the Boost GM signed off on mine. It will mean a $1/hr pay cut, but will mean continued employment, and, more importantly, health insurance. My COBRA from Lexmark expires on May 31, but on June 1 I kick into ACS benefits...and the health insurance savings will amount to about $500/month.

Thus far, many others have not been as lucky. A few have taken the Apple tests and passed everything, but they are being stonewalled by the system. They are not bring allowed interviews without the Boost GM's signature and she refuses to sign. At the same time, others are leaving and the Call Center is scrambling to fill seats to meet commitments to Boost.

Should be an interesting 2 weeks.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

The Storms of Life Blow On: Life as a Boost Mobile Call Center Agent

2009-04-06T01:36:00Z

A few weeks ago I wrote about the storms of life and basically told of the hairy adventures of finding work. Here it is about a month later now and here are some updates:

I finally began training for a position at ACS to do back-office work in a Sprint Call Center that they operate. The training was not the best experience as there was a real lack of professionalism. We had numerous interruptions by other trainers and, in some cases, even ad vulgar jokes told to the class when we really should have been learning the job. I was in class of predominantly 19-24 year olds. There were a couple of folks in their 30s and the instructor was in her 30s. We got to hear much of her life story and had her favorite phrase "Love ya, Love your show" engrained into our minds. But, ultimately, we finally did get out of the classroom and were able to work on real calls. We had a lottery in the class for the departments we would go into, and I got real lucky as I would be going into an area where documentation was the work of the day.

In the midst of all this, there was a big hulabalooo as the call center had picked up a new contract doing Customer Care for Boost Mobile, a pay as you go spin off of Sprint/Nextel. So there was a bidding war on jobs and many of the sprint folks were being herded into training for Boost.

On the last day of our Sprint Back Office training, the Asst. General Manager of the call center came in and told us that we too would be moving to Boost and would have another week of training, this time with a different trainer.

I did want to mention the training corps...a real band of gypsies...our first trainer was a former collections specialist and was really into letting us know her life story. Then, the others included a self proclaimed Wickan who also is into dressing and performing as a drag queen (indeed, he told this when he introduced himself to the class), an American gal that has turned Islam and wears the head-covering and all (but is also loud, obnoxious and tells vulgar jokes in class--at least to ours), another gal who I didn't get to know very well but was also loud (twice she came to our classroom, opened the door and screamed...just to scare us). Finally, there was the older lady, who had been short and had hip problems so was on crutches. Quite a lively bunch.

Anyway, back to the classes. We were moved to Boost training the next Monday and our trainer had also changed. We now had the sweet little lady on crutches. She called herself an old lady, but actually I am a tad older than she is. SHe also had a much more focused and professional demeanor than our other trainer and did not put up with the child-play antics of some of the students in the class. On top of that, we had a week to get through a basically three-week training course and shse did the job. By the end of the first week of March we were taking live Boost Mobile calls.

BOOST MOBILE: WHAT IS IT?

Boost Mobile is a pre-pay phone service, much like Cricket. They have recently made a major putsch into the national market with some really catchy yet downright ridiculous commercials. here are a couple of them:

Boost Mobile: Girl with long arm pit hair

Boost Mobile: Pigs Eating Ham

Boost Mobile: Man Eating a Breakfast Burrito off of a Cadaver

All of these commercials, featuring the "Un-wronged" Theme, are there to focus on the new $50 Unlimited Plan which offers customers unlimited everything without hidden fees or contracts; Unlimited Walkie talkie, Cell Service, Long Distance, Texting, Web Access, Roaming, etc. Actually quite a good deal. Pay the fifty bucks and you got all this stuff for 30 days.

Prior to this they did have more of an "Urban Theme" in their commercials

Boost Mobile: 10 Kinds of Nasty

Boost Mobile/Boost Loopt: I Know Where You At

Boost Mobile: Where You At?

Boost Mobile Hip Hop Commercial

With commericals like these one can imagine that a great deal of the customer base would be urban. And indeed it is....

LIFE AS A CALL CENTER AGENT

As we entered the Boost world, we were told immediately that there would be unlimited overtime for Boost agents as there was such a greeat need. ACS was excited about the new venture and hoped to pick up a long term contract with Boost as a Customer Care Call Center. Once on the floor and able to do it, I too tackled the unlimited overtime as the income was definitely needed. The last three weeks I have worked between 60 and 62 hours per week. Every morning in at 9 AM and working until 11 PM with just a couple of breaks and an hour lunch in the evening.

Main gist of the job? A call comes in and I say "Thank you for calling Boost Mobile. This is David. How can I help you?" From there who knows where the road might lead you. There are all types of folks using Boost, but most definitely some real urban centers...the African-American neighborhoods of New York and Chicago are biggies. The Cuban/Hispanic population in Miami. Jamaicans in New York. Truck drivers from the south. All kinds of accents and attitudes. Many of the folks are decent, but there really is an "urban" angle to many of the subscribers.

I work with a headset/mic combination with a Voice-Over-IP system. My headset does have volume control, but between the ariance of cellular ervice and the variance of VOIP network stability, sometimes the calls come in blaring lourd with hip-hop music and gang talk on the other end while I try to get my "Thank You for Calling Boost Mobile". I would say that nearly 25% of the calls are expletive laced and many are without courtesy. There is also an element out there that tries to squeeze every little "courtesy credit' out of us with every excuse in the book. It is amazing how much griping some folks do over $1.00 and losing phone service over it.

Obviously, 12 hours a day of this kind of barraging is not fun for the soul. Don't get me wrong, there are indeed a number of decent folks out there. But, after taking nearly 1800 calls the last three weeks, I can also tell who the crooks are. At least once an hour I ge a call from a customer that has "lost their phone" or their phone "was stolen". Then, we get the folks who call in to change their numbers every other week. I have heard boyfriend/girlfriend fights over the phone and divorces, etc. One lady called in and said her husband's phone needed to be suspended. It was smashed in the street. She also asked to have her number and passcode changed. She had obviously been the one to smash his phone. She was angry...

Despite my travels all over the country,I have never had the opportunity to get such a diverse cultural experience. In just a short three weeks I have learned a great deal about inner-city life just by listening to the background conversations. I have learned of the guys running corner stores that sell Boost Cards (for adding funds to the phone) and then once the customer buys the cards and gets home, they find out that the cards are no good. There are indeed a number of unscrupulous dealers out there.

Many folks are always changing SIM cards and not calling us. They complain of bad service, but are actually the result because our system doensn't recognize their SIM cards.

In any case, I can see that Boost Mobile is making a concerted effort to expand out away from the urban hip-hop environment into main stream America. More and more I am hearing housewives and businessmen calling in. Many older retired folks are getting in on the deals. Ultimately, I think it is a good thing, but, once again, this has been an interesting experience indeed.

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

I must be honest. I do not enjoy this job nor the hours. But, as is my philosophy, I am working my best to do my best at the job I have. I am excelling and doing well. But, I really wonder if it is worth all the effort. Last Friday we were all called into a meeting and were informed that Bosst Mobile would end their contract with ACS at the end of May. Boost will be opening a 600 seat call center off-shore somewhere (never were told, but I assume it is in either the Philippines or India - will they ever have fun understanding ghetto-ized English or deep south drawls!!!)

So, once again I am looking at an uncertain future. I must keepe up the pace so as to be at the top of the pack in the call center. Job retention will be performance based, not seniority based. It is a scary thought that on May 31 I could be out of work (and also out of insurance - my COBRA expires on May 31 as well). I had looked forward to a $500/moth raise just due to the reduction of insurance costs as I would be eligible for ACS benefits on June 1.

Only time will tell.......

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

Weathering the Storms of Life

2009-03-01T21:49:00Z

Weathering the storms of life

by David "Sumoflam" Kravetz

The last couple of months have made life interesting, challenging, frustrating and fun….all in one giant ball.

It all started near the beginning of December when the Japanese work I was doing for Consulting Solutions in Georgetown fizzled out. I basically found myself unemployed for the second time in a little under a year. So, I was back to looking for work and delivering pizzas for Papa John’s…déjà vu from December 2007. I wrote somewhat about this in my last blog entry. As it turned out, I had very little work from the beginning of December until I began at ACS a couple of weeks ago.

Mid-December rolled in and Julianne and I were soon enjoying a brand new grandchild. Landen Joseph Noe was born on December 16 in Lexington. Grandchild number 5. I would have never imagined that I would be a grandfather by age 52 let alone have 5 by that time. These grandchildren are such a joy and a blessing to our lives. Today I got to participate in Landen’s blessing in church.

Landen and his sister Joselyn with me on March 1. Little red-headed Landen just before his blessing in church.

Soon after, it was Christmas. I already wrote a blog entry about our adventures of shopping at the end of November, but Christmas was kind of quiet around the household. Our kids spent a good deal of time at their in-laws and only came over for breakfast and opening of presents. It was fun to share, as always.

New Year’s Eve was kind of boring as well. I had to work for Papa John’s and so Julianne was home alone. But the storms of change were brewing as the new yearunfolded.

By mid-January I was in the preparatory stages of beginning my new $10/hour job at ACS. In fact, in today’s Lexington Herald-Leader I saw an article which really hit home for me, especially after I too left a fairly high paying position at the end of November 2007, was on again/off again with work, went to Canada for 8 months and by mid-December, I was out of work again.

Here is the article, which is copyrighted, but I am including the credits and the link below.

Going from $70,000 salary to $12 hourly wage

By Michael Luo

New York Times News Service

March 1, 2009

TEMPE, Ariz. — Mark Cooper started his work day on a recent morning cleaning the door handles of an office building with a rag, vigorously shaking out a rug at a back entrance and pushing a dust mop down a long hallway. Nine months ago he lost his job as the security manager for the western United States for a Fortune 500 company, overseeing a budget of $1.2 million and earning about $70,000 a year. Now he is grateful for the $12 an hour he makes in what is known in unemployment circles as a "survival job" at a friend's janitorial-services company. But that does not make the work any easier.

"You're fighting despair, discouragement, depression every day," Cooper said. Working five days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Cooper is not counted by traditional measures as among the recession's casualties at this point. But his tumble down the economic ladder is among the more disquieting and often hidden aspects of the downturn.

It is not clear how many professionals like Cooper have taken on these types of lower-paying jobs, which are themselves in short supply. Many are doing their best to hold out as long as possible on unemployment benefits and savings while still looking for work in their fields. However, about 1.7 million people were working part-time in January because they could not find full-time work, a 40 percent jump from December 2007, when the recession began, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And experts agree that as the economic downturn continues and as more people begin to exhaust their jobless benefits and other options, the situation Cooper is in will inevitably become more common.

Interviews with more than two dozen laid-off professionals across the country, including architects, former sales managers and executives who have taken on lower-paying, stopgap jobs to help make ends meet, found that they were working for places like UPS, a Verizon Wireless call center and a liquor store. For many of the workers, the psychological adjustment was just as difficult as the financial one, with their sense of identity and self-worth upended.

"It has been like peeling back the layers of a bad onion," said Ame Arlt, 53, who recently accepted a position as a customer-service representative at an online insurance-leads referral service in Franklin, Tenn., after 20 years of working in executive jobs. "With every layer you peel back, you discover something else about yourself. You have to make an adjustment."

Some people had exhausted their jobless benefits, or were ineligible; others said it was impossible for them to live on their unemployment checks alone, or said it was a matter of pride, or sanity, that drove them to find a job, any job. In just one illustration of the demand for low-wage work, a spokesman for UPS said the company saw the number of applicants this last holiday season for jobs sorting and delivering packages almost triple to 1.4 million from the 500,000 it normally receives. When Arlt applied for the job, she sent in a stripped-down résumé that hid her 20-year career at national media companies, during which she ascended to vice president of brand development at the On Command Video Corp. and was making $165,000 a year. She decided in 2001 to start her own business, opening an equestrian store and then founding a magazine devoted to the sport. But with the economy slowing, she was forced to shutter both businesses by June of last year. After applying for more than 100 jobs, mostly director-level and above in marketing and branding, and getting just two interviews, Arlt said she realized last fall that she had to do something to "close the monthly financial hemorrhage." Her new job at HometownQuotes pays $10 to $15 an hour and has mostly entailed data entry. But even though she has parted ways with some friends because she is no longer in their social stratum, Arlt said she was glad she was no longer sitting at home, "thinking, 'Who have I not heard from today?'"

Her new paycheck covers her mortgage but not her other living expenses. Recently, she cashed out what was left of her retirement portfolio, about $17,000. "It has been the hardest thing in my life," she said. "It has been harder than my divorce from my husband. It has really been even worse than the death of my mother."

So, here I am, like the folks I the article above, in a very low-paying job, no unemployment benefits, high COBRA insurance payments and a pretty much depleted IRA. Really frustrating and at times even depressing.

Then, as I get started at ACS, Julianne is told that her contract was ending at Lexmark after five years. It seemed like the beginning of a perfect storm…mass destruction of our life as we knew it.

After hearing this news, more devastation arrived. The recent couple of days had been bitter cold. We had some snow and ice and Solomon had gone down to the garage to get the snow shovel. But, he had neglected to close the garage door and we were not aware it had been open. So, much to my shock…my second shock for the day…I had looked out the back window form the kitchen to see a flood pouring out of the garage. I went down and sure enough, our pipe had burst and was flooding water into the garage, the drywall was falling from the ceiling. All I could think of was “what is next?” No decent job for me, no job for Julianne and a flooded garage.

Fortunately, the damage was kept to the garage. We got the pipe fixed and insurance covered a good part of it. So, there were some blessings despite the challenges.

As we tried to weather the Lexmark storm, another storm had hit Lexington. A majorly destructive ice storm hit the entire state of Kentucky, wreaking havoc to over a million people and leaving more than half a million without electricity. Hundreds of thousands of trees were destroyed by the heavy weight of the ice on the trees. At the same time, the crystalline nature of the ice left a spooky beauty everywhere. I was awestruck at how something so beautiful could also be so destructive. I took hundreds of photos, which are all posted at the following links:

http://public.fotki.com/Sumoflam/lexington-ice-storm/

http://public.fotki.com/Sumoflam/lexington-ice-storm-ptii/

http://public.fotki.com/Sumoflam/lexington-ice-storm-1/

Here are just a couple of sample shots of photos I took during the storm:

Our family was not immune from the wiles of the storm. Chelsea’s power was out for almost 4 days and she ended up staying with us for a couple of days. Many of my friends also were debilitated by the ice. Some had major damage.

So, we are cleaning up from the storm, weathering the new Juli job storm and I was getting ready to start my new job at ACS as a call center agent. This proved to force some major challenges upon me. First of all, I had been told I was being interviewed as a tech support person for the iPhones. This was exciting to me, despite the immense cut in pay to what I have been used to receiving. A week after filling out all of the paperwork I was called and told that this was being dropped and that I might have to seek other options…perhaps working the Sprint call center. Then, on Tuesday morning I was called again…back on. Woohoo… Then, later that afternoon, back off. What a roller coaster ride. Bottom line…I took the Sprint position as I could not afford to wait another three weeks to start something else. Then, last Friday, Feb. 27, my entire group was called into the training lab and told that we were being transitioned to yet another area…the Boost team (Boost is a subsidiary of Sprint and is a pay-per-use cell phone program). I guess that is why ACS employees say that ACS means “Always Changing Something”.

Though at first I struggled with the Boost change, I was delighted to learn that they are so busy that currently there is unlimited overtime work so there is the opportunity to make as much as $15 to $16/hour if I am willing to work all of the extra hours. So, If I don’t get some side work doing web design or Japanese translations, at least I will have another money making option.

With the loss of Julianne’s position, we had become very concerned about how we would make it. But, when one door closes, another opens. On February 10 she was called by Adecco about a new position she will be doing. It will only be a temporary position but will be a lot of fun for her. She is going to be a Google StreetView Driver at least for the next couple of months. Last week she flew out to Mountain View, CA, the home of Google, where she spent a day of training. Then, on Tuesday, she and about 15 others left on their return trips home with the cars they will use. As I write this she is on the last hour or two of her long trip which took her from Mountain View, thru Los Angeles, to Barstow, CA for night one. Day two she went from Barstow to Phoenix (and Mesa for a brief hello stop to her family) and then Tucson thru southern New Mexico to El Paso. On Thursday she drove from El Paso to Ft. Worth and then had car problems so she ended up spending two nights in Ft. Worth, but was able to visit with my sister Sherry. Yesterday she drove from Ft. Worth thru Little Rock, Arkansas and to Memphis and on to Jackson, TN. It was a grueling day as she spent most of the time from Arkansas to Jackson driving through snow and ice and low visibility, with many stops and crawling 10 mph traffic. She finally did make it though.

So, in closing, here we are, both experiencing some major changes in our lives. We are learning to cutback: reduced phone and cell phone services, reduced satellite TV packages, elimination of newspapers, gym memberships, ancestry.com memberships, tighter budgets, MUCH less eating out. As those interviewed in the article above, we too are having to peel each layer of our emotional and financial onions and discovering new things about ourselves.

Bottom line: We will be positive and push through this. We have so much to be grateful for and so many wonderful blessings in our lives. We have led rich and fulfilling lives thus far and have so much more to look forward to, even if it means major adjustments in our lifestyles. We will weather the storms of life and still manage to ENJOY THE RIDE!

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.

Been an interesting few weeks

2009-02-21T03:03:00Z

This is just a shirt entry, but over the next week or so I hope to enter a number of entries with lots and lots of updates. Now that things are settling down I have tons to write about: The recent ice storms in Lexington (with lots of pictures), the new job and some gory details about that, Julianne's new temporary job as a Google Maps Camera Car Driver, grandkids, catch up on seom Canada trip journals, etc.

I will also mention some new good stuff by Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours. You can check out the new album called Limited Edition Prince and also celebrate the success of the recent New Good Old Days CD, which at this moment is in the Top 25 on the Americana Music Charts. All this and more coming soon to a blogsite near you!!

All photos and commentary expressed are copyright of Sumoflam Productions and David Kravetz.