Hey, gang- sorry it’s been so long since a post. Have had some problems with a couple of my sites but things are back up and running again. Figured I’d do a quick post to get back in the swing of things.
This weekend my wife Nicki and I were out running errands and after stopping for lunch in Southaven we decided to head down to the Hernando DeSoto River Park in the Lske Cormorant, MS area- not too far from Tunica. We had loaded Nicki’s Nikon DSLR and Sony mirrorless cameras in the car earlier and since there was a slight chance for clouds/color we decided to do a quick detour on our way home to take some shots along the Mississippi River.
Even with the time change we had some time to make the quick trip yo catch the sunset. It’s been a while since we’ve been down by the river, and it was definitely down from the last time we were there.
Last time we were there (above) the water was so high you couldn’t even see the boat ramp. Nicki said the river level this time was down about 6ft from normal, and there were certain areas in the park that are normally wet that were just just weeds and reeds!
We got some good amount of clouds and color, but of course the last two days have had even more than when we went.
We missed getting pics of a barge heading down the river, but not going to complain. It was just nice to get back down to the park. Weather was great, it wasn’t crowded, and we both had fun exploring and shooting.
It’s a nice place just to chill and enjoy the view. There are picnic tables, boat ramp, overlook, plenty of space for dogs and kids to play, and a great view of the Arkansas side of the river.
The park is open from sunrise to sunset (whenever the river doesn’t cause it to be closed). It’s not that far of a drive down Hwy. 61 from Memphis or down 1-69 or Commerce Street from Hernando- and even closer from Tunica!
We also love to check out Martyr Park in Memphis, and Hernando Point in Arkabutla, MS.
I’ll try and post more pics from each location. Hadn’t realized we’d made several trips I not only didn’t post, but think there are a couple SD cards I haven’t even looked at or even downloaded to my computer yet!
My next HGWT blog post(s) will be about our recent trip to NYC to celebrate Nicki finishing grad school. It was our first actual vacation since 2019 when we went just before the pandemic hit!
Lin
On Saturday, June 11th, 2022 my wife Nicki and I took a day trip up to Metropolis, IL for the 44th Annual Superman Celebration.
We’ve been attending for many years, and the weather was just too nice to not get out of the house. The higher gas prices had us think twice about going, but thankfully Nicki has a new hybrid that gets between 50-60mpg.
I don’t think the same can be said for Optimus Prime– but it was pretty awesome seeing this Transformer in person on Superman Square.
We weren’t the only Memphians in town. Nicki and I ran into fellow MSCA’ers the Easterling Family.
They’ve been attending the Superman Celebration for years, too! (Check out Lonnie’s cartoons at www.spudtoons.com.)
Also saw Memphians Christina and Jim Hall in Artists Alley. Mama Wanda was keeping watch over the room as usual. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see Papa Cliff.
Artists Alley/Writers Way was located in the bank building on 8th street again, but the entrance had been moved around to the back of the building. It was like entering a speakeasy! Thankfully the A/C was working this year. The last couple it was actually cooler outside than inside.
We talked to several folks while we were there, including artists Matthew Clark and Rick Burchett, and writer Sean Dulaney. We saw cartoonist Guy Gilchrist‘s table, but he had stepped away from it while we were there. We did see actor George Newbern (voice of JLU Superman) there behind his table.
He and actors Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum were there as celebrity guests. We got to see them all pose together with official Superman of Metropolis Josh Boultinghouse out in front of the giant Superman statue. It’s the most frequented photo-op spot in town.
Just up from the statue we had a bit of a Supergirl Radio podcast reunion when we ran into co-host Rebecca Johnson and fellow listener Dr. Nicole Green and her family. We got to meet them last year in AA/WW for the first time.
Lots of great costumes were spotted around town while we were there.
Including many Superpets that were in attendance as well, like Stephanie Perrin’s doggy Scooby!
Our boy Lex was adopted at the 2015 Metropolis Superman Celebration. He and two siblings had been abandoned at the carnival there. All found furever homes, and Lex has been part of our family for 7yrs now..! He currently lives with adopted siblings Lena and Jarael.
The animal shelter in Metropolis is the Project Hope Humane Society, and is located off Hwy45 next to the Metropolis welcome sign. We saw a few strays hanging out near the front of the building. Looks like they have some shelters built for them. We missed the fund raising tent they had up during the celebration, but now that we know where they are we can drop off some donations the next time we are in town.
While in town we stopped by Fat Edd’s Roadhouse for lunch and had a couple bacon cheeseburgers, fries, and some ice cold Kryptonite.
It’s become a Metropolis tradition. Oh, and trust me- Kryptonite and a yellow sun can affect Earthlings, too! You might want to order a glass of water to go with it to help stay hydrated.
Unfortunately due to some problems with the venue there was no Save The Massac Theatre auction this year during the Celebration. Hopefully they can do one next year and/or do a virtual one online. I’ve got a few items to donate to it.
Dates for next year’s Superman Celebration are June 9-11, 2023. Unfortunately it’s the same weekend as the return of Con Kasterborous (ConK) in Huntsville, AL. It had been cancelled the last few because of the pandemic, but will be back for one last time.
You can see and/or hear more of our adventures in Metropolis on the latest Supergirl Radio podcast. It’s available on YouTube, on their website, or most anywhere you like to download and listen to podcasts.
You can watch the 2022 Superman Celebration episode on YouTube at:
And watch and/or listen on their website at:
Last year’s 2021 Superman Celebration episode:
http://supergirlradio.com/episodes/supergirl-radio-season-6-superman-celebration-2021/
http://supergirlradio.com/episodes/supergirl-radio-season-6-superman-celebration-2021/
Supergirl Radio RAINN Fundraiser Marathon Episode (Nicki and I do a Superpets segment):
Also, we were sad to hear of the passing of artist Tim Sale. He was known for his work on the “Heroes” TV show and many comics collaborations with longtime friend Jeph Leob, including “Batman: The Long Halloween” and “Superman for All Seasons” (my favorite Superman story). Got to meet him once at the Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle when he was one of our table neighbors. Hard to believe we’ve lost George Pérez, Neal Adams, and Tim Sale so close together this year…
Lin
Hey, gang-
We had our first snow of the year on January 2nd…along with our first ice! Yeah, it was monkey-hat cold that day. That morning I got a message from my day job saying because of the weather the shop was going to be closed for the day. Since we were both off for the day Nicki and I decided to get outside and play with the cameras a bit.
I used her Nikon D5100 digital SLR and she used her new Sony a7iii mirror-less camera. I also used my iPhone (which is what these shots were taken with). Our new rosebush, Audrey II (we have another we call “Audrey“) is in the front yard and had froze from the overnight freezing rain. While we were outside it was getting some sleet and snow on it, too.
It was a bit tricky to get a shot of this frozen bloom- the wind was kickin’, and the really low temp made it hard to use my hands. So, between the flower racking back and forth and my hands shaking I’m shocked I got any pics that worked at all!
Our little sunflower took a lot of abuse from the cold. It was in the 60s-70s on New Years Day so I wasn’t expecting the snow and ice to be so intense the following day..!
Our little cat sculpture was holding out better than Lex. We let the boy come outside for a bit with us and he almost immediately decided to head back indoors. He’s never been a fan of the snow or cold.
Nicki and I decided to head up the road to the cemetery on our corner.
There’s a flat marker section of the cemetery that’s towards the front, and an older upright gated section in the back corner.
There’s also another section that’s a bit hidden closer to Conger Park. They’ve been leveling off the front “flat” section this last year, and I’m not sure if they’ll be doing any work to this other section behind it. I took some close-up pics of the orange tractor with Nicki’s Nikon and bounced back and forth between it and the iPhone.
The cemetery is one of our favorite spots in town to take pics- no matter what season or weather, but it’s always very picturesque with the snow.
Last winter we had a serious amount of snow and ice for our area, and it hung around for a little over a week. We had several chances to get outdoors to shoot in the snow and the cemetery and Conger Park are both within walking distance of our house. (In fact, we actually got married in the park.)
With the way the roads were in our neighborhood that week, about all we could do is get out on foot- and one morning I had to hoof it down to the corner snow for some coffee, creamer, and breakfast. Thankfully we didn’t have to call for a search party to come rescue us on any of our excursions into the frozen tundra of north Mississippi!
This time around the roads weren’t too bad and we were able to take Nicki’s new car. I’ve recently become a fan of heated seats! I tried wearing gloves while shooting, but mine weren’t very conducive for it- especially the iPhone…even thought that’s exactly what they’re made for.
After the cemetery Nicki wanted to go ahead and fill up her gas tank while we were out. After filling up at Kroger, we took a few shots of the R/R tracks that cross Commerce Street– the main road through or town. On the way home we noticed the old Dodge truck that sits in the local hardware store parking lot and decided to stop and take some pics of it, too.
I love this truck, and am a fan of the era of vehicle design it comes from.
I am not a fan of whenever we get snow here we almost always get a layer of freezing rain/ice first.
There was another green truck similar to this one around the corner from us but haven’t seen it in a while. Not sure if this is the same one, just painted red or a completely different one.
The wind was really blowing hard in that empty parking lot while we were shooting photos of the truck. We got back in the car and drove across the street to the old water-tower near the center of town. It’s next door to our vet’s office. I got out to take a few pics with the Nikon and iPhone, but it was really getting super cold so I got back in the car and shot the tree pic through the passenger side window with my phone.
When we got back to our street we decided to head down to the end of the road where the horse farm is. We saw a few horses outside their barn eating hay. I took a few with the big camera and these with my phone. By this time Nicki and I had both had enough of the cold. Once we got back to the house some hot chocolate was in order!
Hope you are all safe and warm!
Lin
Hey, gang-
Nicki and I have been trying to find new places to explore and take pics of near us- either in Hernando (see Flashback Friday: Being Local Tourists pt1 – Hernando Skates) or Memphis (see Flashback Friday: Being Local Tourists pt2 – Downtown Discoveries). We’ve found a few spots for photography, but haven’t had a chance for decent sunset ones around our house/neighborhood.
Last week Nicki and I went to go get our COVID booster shots in Southaven. When we got back to Hernando we stopped to get some coffee at Coffee Central. As we left we saw saw some color in the sunset and went exploring around Hernando to see if we could find some spots that might work for sunset pics.
Unfortunately since we were on our way back from getting our shots and didn’t have either big camera with us- just an iPhone each. Oh, and there wasn’t many places to pull over as we drove. Apparently our area doesn’t believe in shoulders along the roadside.
I snapped a few pics out the side window and windshield as Nicki piloted her new Hyundai hybrid. Did see a few deer here and there in fields. We were trying to keep an eye out for them- didn’t need a new hood ornament for Nicki’s new car.
Nicki remembered that Hernando Point wasn’t too far away. She punched in the coordinates into her onboard computer and got directions to it. Turns out it’s only a few miles away from us, and we were there in just a couple minutes. I saw a few other spots that we might be able to stop (or at least slow down more) for future trips.
I was shocked at how long the color lasted in the sky. Normally if I see any sunsets from our backyard or when we’re out the color tends to fade rather quickly. Fortunately for us we had good color the whole way there.
When we got to Hernando Point I got out of the car and walked towards Arkabutla Lake for some shots off the boat ramp.
The temp was low, as was the water level in the lake. We saw a person down by the shore who looked to be fishing. We stayed on the boat ramp so we didn’t encroach on their space.
The color was still vibrant and I motioned for Nicki to come down and check it out. We definitely had found a great spot for future sunset pics!
I rolled down my window and took this shot just before we left. There was no real color looking back this way, but I dug the tree, and was shocked the shot turned out exposed correctly and in focus! I’ve got a canvas print of this ordered- hoping it looks as good as I hope.
So, a few days later I noticed some great color on my way back home from dropping off some art in Memphis. I called Nicki up to give her a heads up. Since she had just logged off from work I stopped by the house to pick her up for another shot at some sunsets. We grabbed the camera bags and switched cars before heading out for a second quick trip down to Hernando Point.
While heading to Hernando Point we saw one deer cross the road ahead of us, and another standing not too far away from the side of the road. We needed to get down there in a hurry, but still had to be vigilant!
Again the color stuck around for quite awhile and was seriously intense!
Once we got there I snapped a couple pics at the top of the hill. Since nobody else was around I walked along the shoreline while Nicki shot with her new mirror-less Sony a7iii from the boat ramp. I saw a few deer tracks, driftwood, and sadly a lot of trash that had washed up.
Had seen a crane fly off as we pulled up, and did see/hear a few ducks as I took pics along the shore.
I had to be careful not to step on anything, or get stuck in the wet sand and lose my shoes! It was definitely “quicksandish”, and felt kind of weird to be the only two folks around.
These photos were all shot with my iPhone (I took some with Nicki’s Nikon D5100 digital SLR– Nicki is going to adjust them in Lightroom for me). Still kicking myself for us not taking a tripod! Definitely gonna have to keep the monopod and flexible iPhone tripod in the car. May look at buying a tripod to keep in the car that’ll fit under the seat or in the back hatch.
Also need to remember to keep the batteries charged and to double check that a memory card is in the camera. We had taken a few pics after a snow storm on Sunday (post to come) and lost a few minutes having Nicki find a card because I didn’t check before getting out of the car. Lessons learned…
There was a really bright streetlight that came on behind us on the boat ramp, so that’s my shadow in many of the shots. Since I didn’t have a tripod I tried steadying the iPhone and camera on a log, which worked okay but wasn’t a perfect stand-in for a good tripod. Hey, sometimes you just have to make the best of the situation.
And of course I had the camera shut down just as the moon and Venus started to shine through the clouds. Luckily I did have my iPhone with me to at least get these pics.
Before we left I took a panoramic photo from the bottom of the boat ramp. Heard more ducks off in the distance as I turned from left to right taking the shot. As the sun went down, so did the temperature! The wind kicked up more which made trying to take pics even more difficult, so it was time to head home for some hot chocolate.
I look forward to heading back for a chance to take more pics here- hopefully we can get down and set up a bit earlier, and be better prepared. Also looking forward to exploring the area for more places to shoot from.
I’ll try and do a post later of my favorite edited shots once Nicki’s had time to play with them in Lightroom. Still have some zoo pics I haven’t posted, too.
Lin
Hey, Ghostheads-
I hope you all had a happy Ghostbusters: Afterlife Day and weekend (Nov. 19-21) and got to see “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” on the big screen.
After seeing the movie on Friday and a full day of bustin’ Saturday afternoon fellow Memphis Ghostbuster Kevin L. Williams and I headed to downtown Memphis so we could catch Ray Parker, Jr. performing live at The Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education – next door to the haunted Orpheum Theatre on Main Street and Beale.
Yep, there’s a ghost inside the Orpheum..!
The show, Garry Goin Presents: A Tribute to Ray Parker Jr., was hosted by musician (and Memphis Grizzlies House Band musical director) Garry Goin. Garry has backed Sly Stone and been known to be out on the road with folks like Memphis’ own Kirk Whalum, or in the studio with Millington son Justin Timberlake.
Ray was backed by the all-star Ray Parker JR Tribute Band, and had special guests such as the legendary Kirk Whalum.
When Kev and I got downtown and first turned off Beale Street onto Main we immediately spotted the DeSoto County Ghostbusters’ Ecto-17 sitting out front of the venue.
Their version of the Ecto-1 is a 2006 Cadillac hearse that the group has had for a few years now, and have put a lot of work and money into.
It (and the DeSoto County Spider-Man) can be seen driving all over DeSoto county and attending events in Southaven, Horn Lake, Hernando, Olive Branch, and more locations- especially in October-December.
I used to be jealous of having an Ecto-1, but after hearing about the actual maintenance upkeep costs of having one (Ray Stantz wasn’t kidding!), I’ll pass and just enjoy seeing Ectos out in the wild.🚨👻
We posed for pics with the DeSoto franchise before and after the show, including some of the Orpheum ushers, and we even met one of Ray’s sound guys- Chris.
We had a some time before the show so we decided to do some walking in Memphis and look for something to eat on Beale.
Most places had a long outside and at least an hour wait for a table. We didn’t have that long since the show was starting at 7:30pm, but noticed the line wasn’t too bad at “King” Jerry Lawler’s Hall of Fame Bar and Grille (159 Beale Street). While waiting we got to watch the Beale Street Flippers perform. They were featured in the movie “The Firm“, which was shot in/around Memphis (including Blues City Cafe at the end of the street- 138 Beale St.).
Like all the other places on Beale that night the place was packed and jamming. Once inside we had our order taken fairly quickly and enjoyed some iced tea while listening to the house band. We were keeping an eye on the clock and had to chow down once I food arrived.
Burgers were great, but I don’t recommend cramming one down in 10min or less! We paid our tab and headed back up Beale to the Halloran Centre. When we got there we ran into the Desoto County Ghostbusters in the lobby who were waiting in line to be seated.
Once inside the theater we made our way towards the stage and found out we had front row seats!
Any closer and we would’ve been on stage! We had an usher come by a few minutes later and tell us we were in the wrong seats. I thought, “I knew this was too good to be true…”
The seat numbers were on the chair arms and apparently we were off by one when we sat ourselves. We moved sown one which made us even closer to being front row center..! First time at a concert I haven’t had to strain my neck or stand on my tip-toes to see the show. Kev did good!
Garry came out and introduced Ray- “Heeeeres, Ray!”
Ray followed behind and had a drink in one hand and his camera in the other. He took a few pics of the crowd. This is a pic of me taking a pic of Ray taking a pic of me taking a pic of him..! 
Ray and Garry sat down on the right side of the stage and discussed Ray’s early childhood and his musical career, which honestly coincided with each other. He started recording and touring very young!
I really enjoyed the format of the show. Garry interviewed Ray, but it was more of a conversation mixed with a music history lesson. Occasionally the band would play one of the songs Ray wrote or performed on like “Jack and Jill”, “A Woman Needs Love”, “The Other Woman”, “You Can’t Change That”, “Want Ads”, and “Mr. Telephone Man” – before or after them Ray would share some background info on the music and what was going on in his life at that time.
He’d even get up and play along with many which was a real treat. You could really see how much Ray loves music and playing the guitar. Which reminds me, I need to pick mine up and actually learn how to play- they’re dying of loneliness and neglect.
A couple times they took questions from the audience. During one of the Q&A times, Garry said audience member David Porter had a question. Wait, THAT David Porter..?!! Yep, legendary Memphian and musician/songwriter/producer David “Soul Man” Porter. Wish Kev and I could have gotten to meet him, but was cool to just be in the same room as him. (That’s a pic of Ray talking to David- who he called “a mentor“- David had been one for Garry and many musicians over the years.)
When the next special guest, Kirk Whalum (and his saxophone) hit the stage he walked up behind Ray and gave him a big hug.
As Kirk played with the band, Ray and Garry got out their camera-phones, which is funny since the whole show was being recorded by the crew from several angles. This just shows how big of fans of Kirk they are.
It was great to see these guys perform together- a first time for me to see either perform. The Whalum family are a huge part of the Memphis music scene, especially gospel, R&B, and jazz.
Kirk has a Masters of Art in Religion, is a Grammy Award winner, has been honored with a Brass Note on the Memphis Walk of Fame and a Star on the Nashville Walk of Fame, toured with Whitney Houston for more than seven years, and soloed in her single “I Will Always Love You”. He’s 63 and shows no sign of slowing!
It was amazing to watch Ray and Kirk play- Detroit meets Memphis! I got chills, man!
Garry got into the act, too.
It was not only awesome to watch Ray and these amazing musicians perform in person, but to learn more about Ray’s songwriting career, what songs he’d produced, and which he played guitar on.
The man has gotten around, between touring with folks like Stevie Wonder and all his session and producer work, to his Raydio band and solo days, and of course his most famous hit- the theme song for “Ghostbusters“!
And yes, he did play that song…and bustin’ made us all feel good! (If you want to learn how to play it, click here and Ray will teach you!)
It was the finale and a definite crowd favorite- especially for the Ghostheads in the crowd! We were all up on our feet.
Garry even came on stage and joined in. The guy’s got some moves. Hey, maybe he picked up some from the Grizz Girls at the basketball games..?
I think Ray would have kept on playing and talking, but they did have to call it a night. Garry announced they’d meet us out in the lobby, and then said, “C’mon, Ray- we gotta go..!”
There were several fans who stuck around to meet Ray and Garry.
One fan had a Raydio band logo tattoo!
Ray was excited to see it and had to get a pic.
I had to as well!
Kevin got his “Ghostbusters” soundtrack CD cover signed by Ray, and I got a Memphis Ghostbusters patch signed. I gave Ray a patch and some MemGB swag. (You can pick up some free swag for yourself at local comic shops around Memphis.)
Ray’s a lot taller than I thought- or I’m a lot shorter than I thought..!
Was pleased to get to meet Garry, and thanked him for putting on such a great show. Hope they release the footage that was shot. I’d definitely buy a copy. Would love to watch the show again, and again. (You can check out some of the shaky footage I shot on my iPhone on the Memphis Ghostbusters’ Facebook page.)
We posed for a few more pics with the DeSoto GB members before calling it a night and headed outside.
We also took a few pics outdoors, watched the Ecto-17 drive off, and then made our way back to Kevin’s van.
Had to listen to the “Ghostbusters” soundtrack on the way home. I never get tired of that theme song. Kev told Ray it’d been his theme song since ’84. Ray replied, “Mine, too!”
Here are a few more memories…
Me and Kevin front row! (Photo by Frank Chin)
Me and Kevin with Ray Parker, Jr.! (Photo by Frank Chin)
Me and Kevin with Garry Goin and the DeSoto County Ghostbusters. (Photo by Frank Chin)
Me and Kevin with Garry Goin and the DeSoto County Ghostbusters. (Photo by Frank Chin)
Oh, and if you’d like to join or follow our local Ghostbusters franchise, just follow the link below…
Memphis Ghostbusters
www.memphisghostbusters.com
“Who y’all gonna call..?”
Memphis Ghostbusters on Instagram: @901ghostbusters
Memphis Ghostbusters on Facebook: MemphisGhostbusters
Memphis Ghostbusters on Twitter: @901Ghostbusters
Other links:
Beale Street – www.bealestreet.com
South Main – www.gosouthmain.com
Downtown Memphis – www.downtownmemphis.com
Memphis Tourism – www.memphistravel.com
Choose 901 – www.choose901.com
“Bustin’ Makes Me Feel Good!” – Pt1: Memphis Ghostbusters
“Bustin’ Makes Me Feel Good!” – Pt2: DeSoto County Ghostbusters
Southern Living – The Orpheum Theatre in Memphis Has a Resident Ghost
The Bitter Southerner – ‘David Porter Takes Us To School’
The Tri-State Defender – ‘Garry Goin Presents’ set to debut with ‘A Tribute to Ray Parker Jr.’
G3 (R&B showband under the direction of Garry Goin)
Follow Garry on Twitter: @GarryGoin
Follow Ray on Twitter: @rayparkerjr
Follow the DeSoto County Ghostbusters:
@ desoto_county_ghostbusters (Instagram)
@ midsouth_maniac (On instagram)
@ desoto county ghostbusters (facebook)
Ecto-17 GoFundMe campaign
Me and Kev online:
www.linworkman.com
www.kevinlwilliams.com
