If you’re a Dallas Mavericks or Don Nelson fan, his interview with Bryant Gumble on HBO Sports is a must watch. I knew he’s transformed quite a bit physically, but of all things, I was mesmerized by the sharp V his hairline made.
My middle-aged neighbor who recently became a widower asked me over to help him set up his network printer. To my surprise, the neighbor who is a somewhat-recent widow was also visiting. It was a bit awkward being in the middle of the flirting, I felt like I was put back in my place in high school as the third wheel.
Yesterday, it was announced former Dallas Star Guy Carbonneau will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. I thought it was most interesting he was teammates with his son-in-law, Brenden Morrow. They are about 19 years apart in age. I guess the closest thing to that in professional sports would be Ken Griffy Jr. and Sr, who were about 21 years apart in age and played on the same team. However, I forgot they were next to one another in batting order.
#FCSO is continuing to investigate & follow leads regarding #BabyIndia We're happy to report she is thriving & is in the care of GADFACS. By releasing the body cam footage from the discovery of Baby India we hope to receive credible info & find closure. https://t.co/ICI42mjxSv
WifeGeeding’s East Texas twang always cracks me up. When we first met, she told me she was from the East Texas town of “Lindell”. One day I wrote her an email and mentioned the town and she corrected me by stating, “It’s not ‘Lindell’, it’s “LINDALE’!” I told her anyone would make the same mistake by the way she talks. I thought of that recently when we went to that family reunion in Van, TX. She said it was at “Gary Don’s” house. Hmmm, I wondered if his name was spelled “Don” or “Dawn”, so I asked her how does Gary spell his last name. She replied, “S-M-I-T-H, why do you ask?”
Crush, Texas was a temporary city established in 1896 just so two locomotives could crash into one another at high speed, about 45 mph. This stunt was put together by a man named William Crush and it happened near West, Texas. The crash killed two spectators and seriously injuring at least six others. A photographer lost one eye to a flying bolt but received damages amounting to $10,000 from a lawsuit and a lifetime railroad pass.
We ate at Babe’s Chicken Dinner House for lunch yesterday and a young adult woman brought what I assumed to be her emotional support or companion dog which literally sat at the table. A manager stopped by and the dog quickly removed his paws from atop the table as if he knew better. It appeared the manager was asking for some sort of card or paperwork but the young lady had a little trouble finding it, which I didn’t anticipate. I’d thought she would be used to having to show that sort of stuff and have it at the ready, especially since the dog didn’t have a vest or anything else to easily identify its role. Eventually, she provided the documentation and the animal stayed seated in the chair for the entire meal.
We traveled to the east Texas town of Van for a family reunion of sorts, WifeGeeding was included as a cousin. I got a kick out of these cookies. Van has a strong oil history.
BoyGeeding spent a good amount of time fishing with his grandfather. He caught eight perch and two catfish. I think DaughterGeeding finished the day catching two catfish, she wasn’t as into fishing as her brother.
Some of you are experts at smoking meat, so I was wondering what y’all would think about this setup. I was impressed. The was the back porch of a relative’s house.
One thing I thought most strange about this family reunion was that I didn’t see anyone take any photos, especially considering today’s culture. Further, I was surprised there wasn’t one big group/family photo taken. I wasn’t expecting anything professional, but the scenery was beautiful and there was a 93-year-old in attendance and someone who traveled as far from California. I just thought there’d be a picture to show all the different generations since they don’t gather often. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
We caught a little bit of the Wallenda tightrope walk last night, which reminded me of the time this guy’s safety harness came off and laughed it off. But back to the Wallendas, one of their relatives, Karl, fell to his death at the age of 73, here’s video of it if you are interested.
I think most people would at least chuckle at a horse playing with a rubber chicken which makes a squeaky sound.
this is it. this is peak comedy. nothing will ever be funnier than this https://t.co/qNCwtrDtYm
In yesterday’s LiberallyLean post, the author was intrigued by Senator Marco Rubio’s version of the Lord’s Prayer he referenced in a tweet. That reminded me of my mother’s funeral in which I gave the eulogy. I thought I’d end it with the Lord’s Prayer as we spread her ashes, something unifying and commonly recognized. Things were pretty smooth until we got to the fourth line – some said “forgive us our debts,” some said “trespasses,” and others will said “sins.” It was a little awkward (and a tiny bit amusing) but I left confused as to why there were multiple versions of what I was taught as “THE” example of how to pray. I suppose that’s what started a phase in my life in which I delved into church history and denominational differences trying to figure out how and why there are so many churches (denominations, different sectors of belief) when at one time there was simply “one church” (Yeah, I know, it’s still “one church”, THE body of Christ, but you know what I’m saying.) That’s a long answer. But as for the Lord’s Prayer, I learned those raised in Presbyterian or Reformed traditions are more likely to say “debts ” while those who come from Anglican/Episcopal, Methodist, or Roman Catholic traditions are more likely to say “trespasses.” Those whose churches were influenced by ecumenical liturgical movements of the late twentieth century are probably more likely to say “sins.” Earlier this month, it was announced the Pope approved changes to the wording of the Lord’s Prayer. Instead of saying “lead us not into temptation”, it will say “do not let us fall into temptation” to clarify God does not, in fact, tempt people (I’m just the messenger, not saying I support the change, feel free to yell at the Pope – @Pontifex). I suppose for all of us English speaking folk, we have William Tyndal to thank, who first translated the Bible into English from Hebrew and Greek texts and for the lack of better phrasing, used certain preferences and liberties. All of this also reminds of an elderly man I once heard talking about his time in elementary school. Each morning, along with the Pledge of Allegiance, the whole class prayed together saying the Lord’s Prayer. He said he didn’t look forward to the part in which the Methodists said it one way, the Baptists another, and the Catholics, who made up most of the class, proclaimed it differently. He claimed all of this highlighted the different makeup of the class and small squabbles of which one was the “correct” version. So, I think these different versions have less to do what version of the Bible(NIV, KJV, NRSV, etc) is being used than what Christian tradition a person comes from (Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Anglicanism, Baptists, Pentecostalism, Methodism). Huh, this became one long bullet point and I probably should have broken it up, oh well.
Since I referenced the Pledge of Allegiance, I’ll throw this out there – Personally, I don’t think Christians should be reciting it. This isn’t the liberally-hippie side of me speaking, but more the faith-based side of me being a stickler for things. Christians shall only pledge themselves to Christ and no other. Pledging your allegiance to something or someone is basically an oath to commit your loyalty to that entity. Jesus himself said, “But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all,” (Matthew 5:33-37) and “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). I suppose some of you will say I’m using those verses out of context or taking things to literal or to the extreme, and that’s cool. This topic doesn’t bother me enough to squabble or debate, it’s just a light amount of sanctimony I think everyone goes along with because they feel like it’s the right thing to do. If you are wondering, yes, I myself recite the pledge.
Delving into denominational differences and church history can seem daunting and intimidating, but if you’d like to explore it with some light reading, I suggest Adam Hamilton’s Christianity’s Family Tree: What Other Christians Believe and Why. Perhaps I shouldn’t say it’s light reading because I never read the book, but I did watch the eight-sermon DVD. A nice complement to that would be Richard Foster’s Streams of Living Water: Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith. Even though he doesn’t make the specific analogy, I like the idea of how all these different streams of orthodoxy and denominations flow into the one river of Christiandom. I’m sure many of your expert theologians are raising an eyebrow, and that’s okay, I’m just an armchair theologian if that.
Your church history is far richer than you’d expect.
I was pretty shocked when I saw the news stories that the Baker Hotel in my hometown of Mineral Wells was being renovated. Anyone from Mineral Wells will tell you they have heard the rumors a thousand times, but this time there was a nice formal announcement followed with, “Renovations will begin immediately.” That’s mind-boggling to me.
I wonder what the new owner(s) meant by immediately. Did the actual manual labor begin yesterday afternoon?
The project will cost $65 million. Personally, I think that’s a little low for what needs to be done if they really intend to restore her to her full glory.
This sentence from Texas Monthly scares me and one reason I’m not as optimistic as others.
“Ahead of today’s announcement, Fairchild declined to discuss from where his group had secured the $25 million they still lacked as of earlier this year. But he was more than happy to remind me of the details of their ambitious plan.”
The first year of work is dedicated to removing lead paint and asbestos which sounds like a pain in the arse. That sort of work sounds mundane and it will be hard for the public to see any progress. Heck, I’d just like to see what the outside of the building will look like when/if cleaned. I guess you have to pressure wash that sucker.
I have my doubts even if she is restored that it will be a business success, but I have my hopes. And yes, this post is Mineral Wells heavy. I’ve always said it’s not much, but it’s home. It shaped me, it’s a part of me, and it’s special in its own unique way even if just for me.
The new logo looks nice, it’s regal-modern-classic and clean if that makes sense. And, the website is spiffier than I’d imagine. However, I did spot one image that’s out of place. The photo of the auditorium chairs wasn’t taken inside the Baker but from the old high school built in 1914. Here’s my proof, this is drone footage filmed inside the abandoned high school and I’ve cued it to the specific portion.
Somewhat lost in the news is that the Welcome Mountain sign will also be renovated thanks to a family donation. Yes, I know it’s not an actual mountain, but here’s a little history of the sign, which predates the Hollywood sign.
The sign was given to the city of Mineral Wells in 1922 by George Holmgreen of the San Antonio Iron Works with the understanding that the city would maintain the many electric bulbs in it. At the time of its installation it was the largest noncommercial, electrically lit sign in the country.
This section of the article really caught my attention.
In 1972, a Warrant Officer Club stationed at Fort Wolters stumbled across the weathered sign and moved it from the city’s East Mountain to the Bald Mountain, where it could greet visitors traveling west into town on U.S. 180.
My father was a warrant officer stationed at Fort Wolters. I wonder if he had any involvement. Surely, he would have mentioned it to me at some point if he did.
I regret never hiking up that “mountain”.
I watched parts of the announcement ceremony. Mr. Holiman, my former middle school principal who later became my high school principal who later became mayor, spoke at the event. I wasn’t even sure he was still alive. He helped get this effort moving when he served as mayor and he’s simply beloved by the community. In his speech, he stated when he first moved to Mineral Wells, he could not even enter the Baker Hotel because of segregation. But in three years he wants to stay the night as one of the first guests of the restored hotel when it reopens. Jovially, he said he’d like to stay for free.
For Mineral Wells, that’s an impressive crowd.
Mineral Wells residents are out in numbers for the announcement of the IMMEDIATE restoration of The Baker Hotel! Keep up with me on @TexomasHomepage for full details! pic.twitter.com/tN1ElKlfxC
— Shatanya N. Clarke (@clarke_shatanya) June 20, 2019
