Art, The Imaginary Family Project 2011

The 2011 Imaginary Family Project – Week 37

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#36 of 52 : EVELYN ESTES
The 2011 Imaginary Family Project

External Photo Clues:
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Imagine:
     Now this photo takes me back!  That is my mother, Evelyn Estes, or as most everyone called her, Evie.  That little jacket is for me, a gift from my Auntie Gerdie from France, I believe.  As per usual, Gerdie, only called Gertrude when she got in trouble, made quite the entrance; this time in a brand new car that blinded you as it glinted fender to fender.  My mom always got so excited when her big sister would show up.  Her visits were always unexpected, but revitalized my mom at just the right time, when you could see her spirit start to drag.

Growing up, the two of them were inseparable.  They were the only girls in a family of seven with five older brothers to keep them in line.  They were only a year apart so as they got older they always had the same friends, went on double dates, in fact, most people thought they were twins.   Don’t be fooled, they really needed those older brothers to keep them in check when their wild streaks would flare up.

One of my mom’s favorite memories was when she and my auntie snuck out with a couple of their girlfriends one cool summer night when they were about 15 and 16.  Continue reading The 2011 Imaginary Family Project – Week 37 →

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Travel

People to People in China: “Scorpion”

“Read the menu.  Hey, everybody, read the menu!” Jenny, the youngest delegate, said to the others seated at the famous Peking Duck dinner table.  “We’re going to have some scorpion tonight!”

I looked around the table.  Dishes of food were already being placed on the lazy-Susan and one of them looked strange.  It was a gelatinous slice of something amber with a sliver of roasted duck levitating in the center.  I quickly searched the jelly for any sign of bug pieces. And although I believed my findings were bug free, I avoided that dish all the same.

In cartoons or animated films, one technique of driving home an idea or image is to flash the “negative” onto the TV screen for a second or two.

Example: Daffy Duck gets struck by lightening? A black skeleton against a white background appears coupled with electric-current sound effects.  Seconds later, Daffy appears again – intact, but usually smoke is rising from his body and there are a few hash-mark smudges on his bill, simulating the results of his traumatic experience.  This effect also happens with “light bulb” moments or sometimes with another image those creating the show want to convey being “burned into the character’s brain.”

Why do I bring up this little video trick?  Because that process is the closest thing I can come to when explaining what happens in my own brain when someone so much as mentions the word “scorpion.”  If I were Daffy Duck and had just heard that word, the show directors would immediately zoom into a close-up shot of my bloodshot, terrified eyes, cue the famous “Psycho” movie music and show about two seconds of a black scorpion on a white background, flashing larger each time the violins shreaked their high pitched squeals. Continue reading People to People in China: “Scorpion” →

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Oklahoma Horizon TV

On the Horizon: What happens next?

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Hot, dry. Hot, dry. Hot, dry. It’s the same day after day and has been all Summer. Now they’re saying the La Nina that we thought was gone is coming back. Which means warmer than normal temperatures and dry weather will continue. Now normally headed into Winter, I’d be really happy with that but not this year. We are desperate for rain in much of the state so a wet Winter would have been a blessing. Now that blessing will take a miracle. And what climatologist are saying it will take to break the drought is something like a really bad hurricane.

You know, it’s really a shame when you have to pray for one natural disaster to help break another natural disaster but that’s what I’m doing. And the sooner the better because the results of this drought are adding up. See how in this week’s video blog.

Alisa Hines

 

On the Horizon: What Happens Next? from Alisa Hines on Vimeo.

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RDC News & Updates

Silent Sunday: RDC Remembers

Dear Red Dirt Chronicles friends:

For the sixth time in the last week, I’ve gone through a security line in the airport and have been reminded of the changes we’ve encountered since the tragic “9-11” event ten years ago.  These small inconveniences, however, are nothing compared to the tremendous burden our government agencies, leaders and employees are shouldered with each and every day as they consider how to better keep our citizens and our visitors safe.

Today is a difficult day.  For me, I wrestle with strong feelings of sadness, anger, gratefulness, wistfulness and humility.  We still have troops overseas in Afghanistan, the first of whom were deployed only weeks after our Twin Towers in NYC pummeled to the ground. One of those troops is a friend of mine – William Joshua Howard, a former music minister in my church, father of four girls and husband to his wife, LaNisa.  Another is a friend in Sunday School.  Another WAS a friend in Sunday School but luckily he returned home for the last time a couple of years ago.

The thoughts of our troops in harms way as a result of the events taking place after 9-11 isn’t all I’m thinking of.  There are literally thousands of lives touched by loss in either the planes that went down or those lost in the Twin Towers.  I’ve listened to some of the documentary books about this event on tape as I drove to work over the last seven years.  I’ve listened to some of the recordings of the surviving family members.  I’ve read stories about the rescue personnel struggling with lung diseases and other issues due to harm incurred during the rescue efforts.  I’ve seen the replay of President Bush reading to the children in school…slow-motion played over and over the change in his face when he heard the news of the first hit.

I guess I just wanted you to know that I feel comfortable speaking for all our contributors when I say, the Red Dirt Chronicles remembers.  And we’re honoring all the lives changed by 9-11 today by writing words to them on our usually “Silent Sunday” post.

Sincerely,

[kelly] and the RDC Team of Contributors

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Barbershop Theology

Barbershop Theology – Pass the Salt

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Pass the Salt

Salt. What an amazing additive. Salt. Never set the table without it. Most of us handle a salt shaker each and every day. For me, it always made food taste better. In the right amounts salt will accentuate the natural flavor of an otherwise bland food.

The Salt of the Earth

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.” What a brilliant description of His children— they bring the flavor of God’s Kingdom into the earth.

A playful paraphrase would be, “My children are in the world to accentuate the real purposes of creation.”  What if society declared, It’s so great that we have so many Christians living in our city, they are such great fun, lively, gracious people; they just make everything a little better!  Continue reading Barbershop Theology – Pass the Salt →

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Showcasing Red Dirt culture ~ authored and managed by contributors with connections to the great state of Oklahoma.