Back home in Indiana: Open Door

                                                                Alexandria, Indiana.

Back Home in Indiana: Pittsburgh Paints

                                                       Alexandria, Indiana.

Postcard from Kay and Kem

                                                     Topaz, Utah

There were eight to ten thousand people living in barracks of tarpaper and wood.  It was very dusty. No sagebrush like now. 

To help keep busy in camp we would walk to the mountains and gather seashells to make jewelry.  Japanese people for the most part never complained.  Did what they were told to do. 

What happened here is now taught in school.  It's part of American history.
- Kay

In 42' government people came and told me I could leave if I went into the army.  They took away my rights so why should I go into service?

 I refused and was sent to prison in Arizona for two years.  At the end of the war they released me.
- Kem

Postcard from Ken

                        Leamington, Utah

School just finished for the year and baseball games start tonight.  You know, for a town of 250 people this is a real good field. 

The grass here looks like quack grass, but it isn't.  It's what we call sand grass.  You get a few of these sand grass barbs on the ball and you sure will feel them when you go to picking it up. 

Burning helps to get rid of them.

Postcard from Jay

                                                     Green River, Utah

Melons are big aroud here.  Some of these will be for Green River Days.  Kind of a citywide celebration with free watermelon all day, a parade, a talent show, craft booths at the park, a square dance and fiddiers contest.

 This time of the year those bonnets are for two things.  To protect from the cold and to protect from spray. 

If I'd known hard hard this was going to be, I'm not sure I would have started growing melon.  Too old to quit now.

Postcard from Nancy

                                                              Kinsley, Kansas

This is going to be part of a carousel that we are doing for an Applebee's restaurant.  

There is a history of carnivals here  in Kinsley.  From about 1900 to the 1970's at least three carnivals called Kinsley home.  There's even a carnival museum in town.  So it's neat to be making carousels. 

Wood carver Bruice White makes the original horse.  A rubber mold is made and then cast in plastic.  The casting is filled with foam and then buffed and finished.  That's when I start painting them.

Monday Morning Coffee: Take 12 - Another Tool

                                                               It’s like anything else in life, the more tools you
                                                                                  have, the more you can do with them.

                                                                                                         Tom Crean

Last monday, introduced the new Panasonic G3 camera and 14-42mm lens.  As shown, in that post, this combination produced acceptable images and the outfit was a "keeper".

At the time I said that the 14-42mm range was good enough for my work.  This turned out to be not true!  Soooo - let me introduce the newest member of the Panasonic family.

We now have an Olympus 9-18 lens in the G3 kit.  The effective 35mm size would be 18-36mm.  This lens permits a wider field of view than the Panasonic 14-42mm lens.  A brief Richmond "walk about" to check out the new member of the team produced the following images: 

Yet another "keeper" for the Panasonic G3 Kit.

Postcard from Mark

                                                               California, Missouri.

I'm a truck mechanic.  I don't do tractors. 

Was a machine operator for nine years in Los Angeles.  Got laid off, moved to Missouri and the wife's family farm. 

Farmed until her father passed away.  Didn't see eye to eye with mother-in-law and started working here. 

Change is too sceary for some people - me - I like it.  I've lived in fifteen different states.

Postcard from Evangelist Larry

                                                                       Washington, Indiana.

There are many things in life that vex you with fear.  Death and the solemen events leading up to it are some of the main scources of fear. 

You can escape the rude and violent shock of death by turning from your sins and confessing them to Jesus Christ.  Ask Christ to forgive you and cleanse you from all sin.  Pray and believe Him to do it now.  Give your life completely to Him as you pray. 

Once God has forgiven and cleansed you, you will never again have to fear death or what is beyond the grave.  Death will lose its sting, and the grave will not be able to keep you from raising up to be forever with the Lord.

Postcard from Gary and Rick

                                                     Brownstown, Indiana.

Been in the Agra business as a trucker for another elevator in Seymour. Only been on this job for a week -- Gary

Moved back to Brownstown in 1992 and bought the grain elevator.  Sell mostly bird food, dog food and horse feed.  There are a lot of horse people in the area. -- Rick

Postcard from Reuben

                                                                       Fayetteville, Ohio

Been making these sticks for the last fourteen years.  I worked for Celtex from 1946 to 1987, making roofing.  Never done much woodworking until I retired from a job that demanded production.  You need to take your time to do something right.  Do that and it will sell.  When I started doing this, I said I would not hurry, that I would take my time.  That's what I do.  Don't sell a lot of them, but that's O.K.

Monday Morning Coffee: Take 11 - New Tool

Will take a break from the postcards and introduce a new tool in the camera bag.  After much reflection and reading, decided to move into a different format - micro four thirds with a crop factor of 2x.  That means a a 50mm lens for a 35mm camera becomes a 100mm lens on a 4/3 camera.  This is great for telephoto images but not so great for wide angle photographs - you need a 7mm lens to obtain a 14mm wide angle photograph.  Since most - if not all - of the recent images are 28mm and above, should not be too great a problem.  Let me introduce you to the Panasonic MDC G3 camera. 

Leica, Nikon, Canon and Pentax usually come to mind when thinking about cameras.  Sony and Panasonic usually mean electronics - TV's, radios.   Times are changing.  Today's cameras are more like computers.  Today's cameras are not analog.  They are electronic.

The G3 has a weight of less the one pound - including the 14-42mm kit lens.  While the Nikon 300 with 18-200mm lens - my usual combination - weights more than 3 pounds!  Enough said! 

As shown above the G3 fits on a CD case with room left over.  The most important question: Image quality?  Up to the Nikon?  To find an answer, took a walk about photographing familiar Richmond locations.

                                                                  County Court House

                                                      Along Main Street

                                                      Favorite Alley

                                                     Downtown Sidewalk

                        Local Church

Based on these images, the G3 produces clear, sharp and "good" color images.  This camera/lens combination is a winner.  The Panasonic G3 will continue to be in the camera line-up.  My back says GREAT.

Postcard from Gary

                                                             McArthur, Ohio

Only 22 working days before retirement at 53 - can't wait.  There have been three murders in Vinton County in the last year.  All three murders are outsiders.  There hasn't been a local murder crime for 30 years.  One was a wife and husband fight.  Husband drives off on the lawn mower and the wife knocks him off with a truck.  He gets up and she runs over him.

Postcard from Chad

                         Coolville, Ohio

It used to be stock car meant one thing.  But guys streched the rules.  Created what was a modified jig car.  No stock frame but just a tubular chassis and a thin sheet of metal.  In the late seventies they added a wedge nose.  Most use a 75-85 chop block Chevy Malibu engine with a hand made back end.  Brakes, tires and suspension are chosen for the track.  About 30 thousand dollars in each car.

Postcard from Jo Anne

                         Romney, West Virginia.

After graduating from Sheppard College, I came to Romney and taught elementary school for 38 years.  The last few years the children changed so I decided to retire.  The Women's Garden Club project here in the Indian Mounds Cemetery keeps me busy.

Postcard from Stephanie

                      Gore, Virginia.

We been in the new store for about six months and it's sure nice.  I was born in Winchester, but have always lived in Gore.  So nice and friendly here. Wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
.

Monday Morning Coffee: Take 10 - Postcards

Historically, the term "common people" denotes a broad social division referring to regular people who are members of neither the nobility or the presthood.  Since the 20th century the term "common people" has been used in a more general sense to refer to typical members of society in contrast to highly privileged - in either wealth or influence.

In the next two weeks, we will meet -in photographs and words - some "common people".  Indeed they are not ordinary, but rather remarkable individuals.  Each has a background and ongoing story.   Consider these images and words as postcards from America.

We start with Virginia Guevara:



                                                       Fairfax, Virginia.

Virginia started as a waitress at the 29 Diner in 1966 and is now the owner.  Serving food 24 hours a day, breakfasts are old-fashioned with slices of ham, eggs over easy and crusty home fries.  Coffee is just the way it used to be in the old days.  Muddy and Cheap.

Back Home in Indiana: Town Center

                                                      Loogoote, Indiana.