HAYRIDES, HORSES, AND HALLOWEEN

It's funny how things in your life seem to connect if you live

long enough.  I was on the internet looking for things to do

in October.  The usual popped up.  Pumpkin Festivals, Haunted

Houses, and Hayrides.  Hayrides, hmm.  What fun that would be.

Right?  Wrong!  

In 1969, our club, Tri Hi Y was at a friends house working

on our float for the Forest Park High School Homecoming

Parade.  I was 10 minutes late for curfew.  That cost me our

Church's Hayride that Sunday.  To make matters worse, we

passed the hayride on our way home from Shoney's.

  

It wasn't until Hawaii that I finally got to do it.  It was a

Halloween Haunted Hayride.  The funniest " scary" scene

was a Spam factory where they ground up body parts to 

make Hawaii's most popular canned food.  It made us all

hungry.  Then it all went terribly wrong.

The event was held at a decommissioned military base, next 

to a horse farm.  You have to pass the corrals to get inside.

There was food, games, and you got to ride ponies and horses.

When we left, we passed the same corrals, but this time, one of

the horses was at the fence.  He leaned over like the others at 

the rides, so I petted him.  

He walked along with us, he'd stop, I'd pet him, walk, pet,

you get the picture.  Well, we were ready to cross the street,

he leaned over, I said good-bye, pet him, and started to turn 

around when he bit me just above my left breast.  He lifted me 

off the ground, then dropped me flat on my back.  I was in

total shock for a minute.  I couldn't believe what just happened.

Others on their way home, some with children, had been doing

the same thing with him.  They ran over to see if I was alright

and said that I should report it to the event.  We went back but 

couldn't find security or anyone to help.  We waited, then left

and went straight to the emergency room at the hospital.

The next day we went back to talk to the people in charge before

it opened.  We told them what had happened and suggested that

they keep the horses at the back corrals because others could get

hurt, maybe even children.  Needless to say, they were not in the

least bit concerned or sorry.  They blamed me for getting to close

despite the fact that all evening the public had been interacting 

with the other horses.  Here's the kicker.  They said the horses'

name was "Bubba" and that he was a biter.  Well,  duh!  Why was

he allowed out where visitors would come in contact with him?

The bruising, complete with teeth marks lasted for several 

months.  The pain was incredible and lasted about a year.

I have scar tissue under the skin the size of the palm of my 

hand.  At that time, The Director of  Hawaii 's Humane 

Society, said that was the worse reported horse bite.

A claim to fame with pain.

The lesson here is that not all horses are like "Flicka" on T.V.

As a child I entered a raffle for a pony, but didn't win. I've

always loved horses and have ridden them several times.  

After that incident , I was a little afraid of them for awhile.

In Colorado,  I kept my distance.  I started photographing

them, from afar, at first.  It was like therapy.  I'm still nervous 

around them, but, through my lens, I can feel close.  

I'll never know why Bubba did it.  I'm not sure if it

even matters anymore.  The doctors said that I was lucky

that I wore a fleece jacket that night.  It could have been worse 

if he had gotten the skin.  Still, "I've got him under my skin".

Moral. I wish Daddy had grounded me from hayrides

for life.

2013

ZOO ATLANTA

Three years ago I went to Zoo Atlanta on my 57th birthday.  My how things

had changed.  The animals seemed happier and the habitats were awesome.

I've been to the Honolulu, London, and San Diego Zoo's, all embracing "natural".

Growing up, I remember cages with bars or glass.  My family went there on

Sundays after church.  My favorite exhibits were the lions, monkeys, and bears.

We were always excited to see Willie B, a Silver Back Gorilla.  Back then, seeing

him behind a glass wall with a T.V. and a tire swing seemed pretty cool,  27 years

alone.  Not cool.  I heard that in 1988 he was moved outside with others, and

raised a family.  He was the oldest gorilla to have fathered offspring in the US.

I'm glad he got to experience life in the new zoo.  

After the zoo we would have snow cones from vendors outside the gate.

I would have grape, Jay orange, Daddy cherry, and Mama, plain ice.

Pink Flamingos are my favorite birds.

On my 10th birthday, Jay and I were at my grandparents.  We were playing

outside when Mama and Daddy drove up.  They had us close our eyes and

placed our gift (Jay and I are a week apart in B'days) on a table.  When we

opened our eyes, they had us remove the sheet covering our gift. I screamed

when I saw a 3 month old monkey in a large cage with a swing.  Without

hesitation, I named him Jasper.  He came to me as soon as they opened the 

cage.  He was mine, just ask me.  Don't shoot me, but I did buy doll clothes

for him.  Mama made him scrambled eggs every morning and gave him a 

bath once a week.  He hated men, and bit my grandfather once, when he

tried to catch him when Jasper got out.  When we were together, he would 

always sit on my shoulder.  Little did I know what was to come.  

We were having breakfast at the end of our trip to Gatlinburg, TN

when Mama noticed me scratching my head.  She asked me to stop,

but I kept scratching.  It wasn't until the blood on my fingers made her 

look at my head.  I scratched myself raw but that wasn't the worst of it.

She saw lice.  I might as well have had leprosy.  Remember, it was 

the 60's, just before the "love ins' and just past the "up tights". 

We were headed back to Atlanta, breakfast still hot on a table back

in Gatlinburg.  She had Dr. Dunbar meet us at his office.  He confirmed 

it and recommended some nasty shampoo and a comb.  This still isn't

the worst of it.  This was Sunday, Monday my hair was cut off, and

Tuesday Jasper was gone.  Still not the worst of it.  

Daddy was at work and I have no idea where I was.  It was left to Mama 

and Jay to take Jasper to ... you guessed it...the zoo.   

That Sunday we went to visit him.  He was in one of those glass cages.

We saw him sitting on an iron shelf at the back of the cage, while the

Cebus monkeys played.  We all yelled his name, hoping he could hear

us through the glass.  He looked up, saw us,  jumped down and

ran to the glass.  He had both hands on the glass, licking it and crying.

Everyone noticed us crying and people started to gather around.  

That day was the worst day of my childhood.  

The following Sunday, the same thing happened.  By the 3rd Sunday,

he was no longer mine.  He became a Cebus monkey. The 4th

Sunday, the cage was empty.  I was so upset, I went around asking

about the Cebuses.  The attendant said that they had been transferred

to California.  That was 50 years ago.

I know now it was the right thing to do.  At 10, not so much.

I loved a monkey named Jasper, a cat named Kenike, and a 

dog named Shelly.  I've been very blessed to have shared my

life with them and think about them all the time.  Each was a loss 

in a different way. That day three years ago was a good day at 

the zoo.  There was nothing there to remind me of Jasper.  

Maybe the "New Zoo" isn't freedom, but compared to the

zoos of the 60's, freer is better.  

Empty are the eyes of animals in cages.

2013

P.S.  Mama swore me to secrecy.  So, it's up to you to keep

the secret.  After all, you're the only one I told.

And...to this day, Jay throws away any combs of his if anyone

touches or uses it...

One last thing.  Jasper got away one day and was spotted by 2
children several miles away.  The boy pointed to the tree outside
and said to his five year old sister, "Theres a monkey in our tree".
That little girl is now Jay's wife,  Kay.

FEEDING MY FACE

Funny how listing things makes you start thinking of listing

things.  While doing the bucket list, more lists started to emerge.

Favorite this, best that, wish I did, wish I didn't.  I don't  have

many vices, some bad habits, just one obsession.  FOOD.

My family didn't think twice about hopping in the car and 

driving a couple of hours in any direction to eat.  Buchner's 

in Barnesville for family style Southern cooking.  The

Lighthouse in Griffin for catfish.  My brother and I still do

that.  That's the one thing we have in common, our inherited

need to feed.  We both go to our own places no matter where

or when.  Another thing we have in common is that we don't

mind going alone.  No witnesses.  It didn't matter where I've 

lived, if I found something good to eat, you can bet I'd be there.

There was nothing to eat in Colorado.  I had to drive 2 hours

to the Apple Tree Restaurant in Taos, New Mexico to have

a Grilled Salmon Salad.  

Plate Lunches, Hawaii

To live in Hawaii you have love food.  Hawaii is multi-

cultural and the food is the same way.  Any restaurant, party,

or event will have food to satisfy  such a diverse group of

 people.  I could do a list of the most amazing things I've 

eaten there.   For now, here's the best about living there.

Plate Lunches. It's not only for lunch.  It's a variety of food

served on paper plates, either to be eaten there or to go.

My favorite place to get Plate Lunches was at the beach,

any beach, anytime.  Lunch wagons would have just about

anything you'd want, just a beach towel away.

The basic plate lunch would have 2 scoops of rice, macaroni salad,

with your choice of entree'.  Pictured below is Kalua Pig and 

Cabbage.  In the cups, Lomi Salmon, Poi, and Haupia.

Doesn't it make you want to hop on a plane?

Well you don't have to.  Waikikie Hawaiian BBQ on 

Briarcliff just off of Lavista Road is closer.  I drove four hours

to Denver to get Hawaiian Plate Lunches at the L&L Drive-In,

 a well known restaurant chain in Hawaii. 

A Blast from the Past is Pizza Villa in Lagrange.  It was 

featured in my college post.

Shaved Ice, Hawaii

  It's called Shaved Ice there, snow cones here.

Same thing but the ice is finer and syrup is not all you get.

There's different choices of what you can put in it.  My favorite 

is ice cream on the bottom, then shaved ice, and anywhere 

from one flavor to a rainbow.  Another favorite is a Japanese

concoction with a sweet syrupy taste called Azuki Beans.  

People line up at these groceries, lunch wagons, etc., any day

of the week.  Tour buses stop at some of the more famous places,

mainly in Haleiwa, on the North Shore of Oahu, as they tour

the island.

Just one of the locals and a tourist.

The Pink House in Savannah, Georgia

It's a converted mansion in one of the beautiful squares there. 

It's fine dining at it's best.  Old world charm, romantic candle

light, with original wooden floors that echo every footstep

throughout the rooms.  Black Turtle Bean Soup, Stuffed Trout

en Papillote, and the famous Pink House Trifle.  I'm getting in

my car now.

The Dillard House

The Dillard House in Dillard, Georgia.  A two and a half hour

drive, but worth it.  Family style dining with a breath-taking view.

The restaurant is like a lodge with huge glass paned windows.

There's a hotel, cabins, riding stables, a petting zoo.  The surrounding

towns have great shopping.   Their Christmas tree and decorations

during the holidays make it even more special.  Even better is that

 you get to take what you don't finish with you.  So pretend you're

 really hungry, order up, back your chair up, rub your tummy, and

 say, "I'm full, can I get this to go."  It works every time.

I'm about to back my chair up.

The Big Texan, Amarillo, Texas.

Theres more bull here than you can see.  Sorry Santa.

It's a huge steak place famous for customers trying to wolf 

down a 72oz. steak and the fixin's in a hour.  The property

has hotel rooms with fronts that look like an old western 

town. I've been there several times and the T-Bone does not

disappoint.  If you're interested, theres rattlesnake on the menu.

What's the point, it tastes like chicken, why not get chicken.

Another blast from the past.

Shoney's Big Boy

Just a shout out from my time there during high school.

The Trifecta of Southern delights.

Any time, anywhere.  24 Hours worth of heaven.

Politically correct or not, it's about the Dwarf House

in Hapeville, Georgia.  They used to have the best Chocolate 

Pie until the lady who made them retired in 1991.   

The Varsity, downtown Atlanta.

The one place my brother and I continue to frequent.

If I'm downtown this is going down...

There's a show on Bravo called Inside the Actor's Studio.

The host, James Lipton, asks his guests questions from a questionnaire 

by some French dude.  The last question is "What would you want 

God to say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?"

My answer would be, "You're just in time for dinner."

2013