On Just About Everything
This is a needed “lighten up” day so I thought I would give you some more facade pics of my recent uRV trip to New Harmony Indiana. When so many small towns are piling on the dust bins of history it is nice to see that some are almost flourishing. (as usual click on any image below to see a larger slideshow version) Continue reading New Harmony
It seems that the GOP is on the wrong side of yet another issue important to U.S. voters. 85% of us want congress to act to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists. So what does the GOP do? As usual they prevent it from happening. I have heard their argument that the proposed bill might prevent someone who is not a terrorist from purchasing as many guns and ammunition as he wants. The GOP seem to be willing to sacrifice thousands of us to prevent that from happening! Sooner or later the ones still clinging to the ultra … Continue reading On The Wrong Side Of Yet Another Issue…
This picture was taken last year on our trip to Santa Fe. It is one of my favorites from that vacation. I still have Santa Fe on my mind. It is so different from my usual stomping grounds. Continue reading Remembering Santa Fe…
Will Rogers is perhaps my primary hero in life. He is the reason I started up blogging ten years ago and still today I try to follow his philosophy when blogging here at RJsCorner. < blockquote> From Will’s Facebook page Like Will I can tell from a mile away those folks who only watch Fox News for all their info about the political world. Their obsession with fear of almost everything shows through in much of what they do. Like Will I try to think for myself but I don’t make up facts to align with my worldview. Common sense can explain … Continue reading Never Just One Source…
I know that it may not be politically correct to say that ISIS is driven by Islam but the truth is the truth.. ISIS and all their offshoots take a part of the Koran and use it as an excuse for their extremism the same way that the KKK does with the Christian Bible. Spiritual beliefs are a big part of human nature. Almost everyone has a basic need to know who created them and what is the “right” way to live on this earth. I chose the teachings of Jesus Christ as my spiritual foundation. I take the red … Continue reading ‘Of course’ ISIS is driven by Islam…
After my flaming post yesterday its time to throw some water on RJ’sCorner. Here is a nice peaceful scene taken at the Jersey Shore in 1999. Ahhh, that feels better… Continue reading Quick, Throw Some Water On It….
It’s time for a lighter post here so what could be better than an “On The Road Again” report. Last week I spent two days in northeastern Indiana particularly around the Ft. Wayne region. This was my first visit to the Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg Museum in the city of Auburn Indiana which is just north of Ft Wayne. The amount and quality of cars there is simply amazing!! For this post I am concentrating on my favorite car there which is a 1931 Cord. Since orange is my favorite color I guess I should not be surprised by my selection. I also … Continue reading Oh, Its a Duzzie…
In the old days, during my college years that is, State Road 52 was the main route between Indianapolis and Lafayette Indiana. I know I traveled it several times going back and forth to Purdue. Since gas mileage was so poor back then it had many gas stations and such along the route. I recently took a trip that included that section of highway and came across this past gas station/diner combination that has probably been abandoned for years now. (click on any picture to see a larger slideshow) I’m sure it was open during my college years but I … Continue reading Diner/Gas Station from the Past…
I love this quote, it has so much truth in our lives. After our rebellious teenage years we start thinking about our place in life. What will we become, what do others think about us. We want to make our mark on the world in our own unique ways but still very much want to belong. Then when we turn forty and our mid-life crisis, to whatever degree, hits us we don’t really care as much of what others think of us. We become more attuned to getting what we want out of life than how we are perceived by … Continue reading Thinking Of Us…
There is nothing childish about make believe, it should stay with us our entire lives. It makes us more aware of the diversity around us and in our history. I found these two at the Vincennes Rendezvous walking the grounds. I’m sure they both had this event on their calendar with a big star next to it. Playing the part of some of their heroes…. Continue reading Playing a Part…
I had the pleasure of attending the Vincennes Indiana Rendezvous over the past weekend. I just love re-enactments with all the muskets blazing and this is an especially good one. All the vendors, food and otherwise, were selling things that were common for the period (early 1800s). Continue reading Rendezvous – Vincennes
The above scene it all too common on main street in rural America. Buildings which once housed thriving small businesses are now abandoned to the ravages of time. I wonder what it would take to re-purpose these sites to bring them back into use. It takes a creative person to figure that out but it is being done in some small towns… Continue reading Re-Purpose…??
The primary problem with 21st century power possibilities is how to store the energy during off-cycle periods. Batteries have come a long way since the lead-acid one found in most cars but still need a leap forward to fully accomplish renewable energy needs. This just might be that leap. So far the new battery component has made it through three months of continuous charging and discharging without losing its ability to hold a charge, says Mya Le Thai, the doctoral candidate behind the innovation — that’s 200,000 cycles. (By comparison, iPhone batteries fade to about 80 percent of their original … Continue reading New Super Battery? — Fast Track It…
Mail Pouch signs are part of Americana. They might be faded now but still show up on many rural buildings. This one was recently found in the small town of Lyons in southern Indiana. But chewing tobacco is really a dirty messy habit.. :) Continue reading Part of Americana…
I made my first camping trip for the year last week. I went to New Harmony Indiana and camped in Harmonie State Park. Only about 10% of the campground was filled. A camping I will go, a camping I will go. Hi, Ho, the Merryo…. Continue reading The Camping Season is Here…
The GOP solution to almost everything that is wrong with America is to privatize it. They simply don’t think that government has much of a place in today’s American society. Democrats on the other hand believe that in many cases government is the most effective solution. One of those disputed areas is healthcare. Which one is right? Maybe the answer lies in trying both out and see which gives the best results? For more than two years, the Veterans Affairs department has struggled to deal with a long-buried crisis in its service to veterans, a systemic and widespread fraud that … Continue reading Privatize It….
After traveling through all fifty States I can’t help it, I have my most favorite States and my least favorite States. Texas is in the latter category. In my mind Texas, at least the most vocal of Texans, are the epitome of bravado, arrogance, and most sadly vengeance. A textbook proposed to help teach the cultural history of Mexican-Americans in Texas public schools is under scrutiny by scholars, some of whom decry the effort as racist and not a reflection of serious academic study. The textbook, titled Mexican American Heritage, describes Mexican-Americans as people who “adopted a revolutionary narrative that … Continue reading Oh Texas, There You Go Again…
At one time these buildings were the standard for gas stations. Some of have been re-purposed but many, like the one here recently photographed in Vincennes Indiana will soon disappear.. Continue reading Old Time Gas Stations…
One of my recently discovered passions is to document the facades of small town America before they crumble into the dust of history. This one was found on the main street of New Harmony Indiana on a trip there this week. I have always been fascinated about facades but this discovery will cause me to start collecting them from my archives and adding more on my frequent road trips around the Midwest. Continue reading Facades
Rust Belt is a appropriate term used to describe the once thriving mill towns of the Midwest. As Wikipedia says: The Rust Belt is a term for the region straddling the upper Northeastern United States, the Great Lakes, and the Midwest States, referring to economic decline, population loss, and urban decay due to the shrinking of its once powerful industrial sector… Pittsburgh is perhaps the epitome of that term. During my youth and beyond they were simply know as the “Steel Town”. They like many others in the area are gradually becoming a more diverse economy but Pittsburgh in particular … Continue reading Rust Belt
I discovered something very basic about me recently. I am obsessed with reflection, doors, windows and other such things. I now have a photo portfolio that exceeds 18,000 pictures and many of them are of this genre. As above, I love to take my photo editing tools and create something that wasn’t quite there. The picture above was taken in Ottawa Canada about 5 years ago. Continue reading Reflections, Doors, Windows & More
The Folks over at RoadTrip Nation always get me to thinking. They are primarily focused on helping young people discover their passions in life and then encouraging them to pursue an education to make that passion a paying job. I wished they had been around when I was searching for my passion. It was almost 20 years into my career before I discovered “what I was interested in”. One of the items on list in the quote below is how I discovered my passion.. The problem is that people tend to think that the answer to, “What are you interested … Continue reading 4 Easy Ways to Find your passion..
I love to visit historic sites that have reenactors that is people who play roles of the historic event or site. Fort William in Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada is one of my top ten in that category. Yes Canada is very much in my search for America…. Continue reading I Love Reenactors
I have been away from RJsCorner for almost a week now. During that time I have been studying and bringing up a Twitter presence (@rj_walters). All of my posts here at RJsCorner and 2TouchTheSky will be tweeted there. Of course … Continue reading Reflections…
You don’t know America if you have never eaten at a small town cafe. This one in Ennis Montana like so many others is proud of its heritage. We had breakfast there, a big place of sausage gravy and biscuits so didn’t have a change to try their strawberry pie… The biscuits were kind of hard but the gravy was very good. Continue reading Small Town Life
Nothing could be more American that the Corn Palace in Mitchell South Dakota. My first time there was on a family vacation in the 1950s. I have been there three other times and except for the date on the front of the building it has not changed one iota over the years. Continue reading The Corn Palace…
I certainly enjoyed my recent trip to Disney World, especially the Star Wars elements. Today May 4 being Star Wars day I thought it appropriate to give you a picture of a major exhibit there. May the fourth be with you…. :) :) Continue reading Star Wars..
I will readily admit that I am a Star Wars addict. I have DVDs of all the movies and have watched them several times. I just got the latest movie “The Force Awakens” a few weeks ago just after returning from my bucket list trip to Disney World. I watched it last week and was not disappointed. It is nice to see that a new generation of actors is now replacing the original crew. I hope the movies continue to come. I just got the picture below from the Discovery Channel wanting me to buy some Star Wars stuff. I … Continue reading Star Wars…
Rose Breasted Grosebeaks have taken over the feeder today. They travel through to I don’t know where about this time of year. I always enjoy seeing them for a few weeks. Continue reading The Invasion of….
One of my favorite type day trips are to rendezvous around the Midwest. This one was in Bridgeton Indiana about a week ago. Some day I just may join them in reliving days of our country’s past Continue reading Rendezvous…
One of the things that impressed me the most about my recent trip to Disney World were the flower beds. They were huge and beautiful. These were found below the Monorail system in Epcot. Continue reading Disney World — Flowers
I am going into my seventeenth year living in my small town in southwestern Indiana. It is a town of about 2,000 people and a county of 20,000. It is in the bottom 20% of the State in that regard. I certainly enjoy small town life. I have been here long enough that most people at least know that I am the old”deaf” guy. We aren’t quite “Mayberry” as portrayed to the right but we are probably about as white and as few in number. :) Our small daily newspaper, yeah we still have one, doesn’t have much of a … Continue reading My Small Town And Crime…
I think the Milwaukee Museum above is the most creative building I have ever been in. It looks out on Lake Michigan. Architecture was one of my early fascinations in life…. Continue reading In Search of Architectural Beauty
Rules are generally meant to keep us all acting in a certain way. That in and of itself is stifling to many of us. I have to admit that I am generally a rule averse person. I just don’t like someone telling me “DO THIS”, “DON’T DO THAT”. Constantly trying to look at life from a different angle means that I am often breaking rules, at least the stupid ones. There are too many rules that are in place simply to preserve the status quo. These rules are often called “tradition”. They are just the way we have done things … Continue reading Let’s Face It… Rules Are Stifling… But…
I never get tired of taking photos looking off our front porch. Especially with the crab apple tree in full bloom and the horses grazing across the street. Thank you Lord for giving me another Spring season to enjoy this view…. Continue reading In Search Of Beauty.
I have always liked to grow things and have had a veggie garden most of my life. This one from 1993 was perhaps my best. My garden this year is six tomato plants, a couple of zucchini plants, and the usual asparagus patch. Its meager but at least better than last year’s potted tomatoes on the deck… Continue reading I’m Dreaming Of.. Gardening…
On our way to Disney World this month we stopped by the Nashville store of the guys from the TV show “American Pickers”. It was in interesting place but much smaller than I imagined. I didn’t notice until I got home and saw the last picture on a larger sceen that all six people sitting on the benches had their cell phone in their hand. Even these surroundings couldn’t entice them to put them down for long. :) Continue reading American Pickers…
The nightly fireworks on the lake in Epcot at Disney World are the best I have ever seen. As usual when they do something they do it right. It is hard to capture it all in pictures but you kind of get the idea from this one. Continue reading Fireworks…
I think I heard somewhere that the U.S. has more than a thousand military bases throughout the world and I suspect many of them are located in the Middle East. We as a country seem to be so fixated on telling others how to live that we spend huge amounts of money and our citizens’ lives trying to do just that. Here are some words about that: Every year the United States seems to be torn between further retreat from the Middle East and deeper military involvement in it. Over the past four decades, America has bombed pharmaceutical plants in … Continue reading How America has waged an eternal war in the Middle East
The biggest part of racism is what you learn in the home especially when there is nothing to counterbalance it. I heard these words on a recent PBS Newshour and they immediately went to my notepad for future thought. When we are young children we know very little about the world outside our immediate home. We think of our parents as almost godly. They can do no wrong. By the time we are teenagers many turn 180 degrees in that belief but often the damage is already done. I admit that I grew up, like most of us, in a … Continue reading The Biggest Part of Racism…
The finger lakes region of New York State was one of those unexpected pleasures in life. I happened across it in the late 90s while exploring that region of the country. It is almost surreal in its beauty. It was wine country long before the California vineyards ever existed. Continue reading Finger Lakes…
I don’t have time for people who want things that I don’t want. I recently heard the words above during a TV show and they stuck to me. I admit that I am a very focused person. Once I get something in my mind I pay almost total attention to it. That makes me appear to sometimes be insensitive to others around me. It gets me in trouble sometimes, no, actually many times. After thirty years of marriage my wife has come to understand this in me and usually gives me room when I am in such a focused mode. … Continue reading I Don’t Have Time…
One of my many hobbies is to take a picture and then try to find a hidden story within the frame. The picture from which this was taken is of a small southern Indiana town street. Looking at this pic it might have just as well been captured decades ago. Continue reading Tells Its Own Story…
A big part of RJsCorner is trying to give some young people who might accidentally come across my blog some advice on life. I know that I did not face many of your current problems. I wasn’t afraid of being replaced by a robot during my work years but I downsized due to my job going off-shore. ISIS wasn’t around but I did see thousands of my brothers killed in Vietnam. The norm for my generation was a job with the same company for thirty years and then a pension for life after 65. I know that is now totally … Continue reading Talking to Old People…
Symmetry has always been the epitome of beauty to me. This picture was taken in the attic of the central dwelling building at Pleasant Hill Shaker Village in Kentucky twenty years ago and remains one of my personal favorites. Shakers were very much about symmetry throughout their communities. Continue reading Shaker Symmetry..
