On a sunny Saturday afternoon, just South of College Station, several World War II reenactors gathered for the 2012 open house of the Museum of the American GI. Brian accompanied me to the event where we had the opportunity to examine the technology and vehicles of that era. We also spent time visiting with several WW-II history-buffs who are passionate about preserving and sharing this period of American history. The high-point of the day was an impressive reenactment of the American push to the Rhine River near the close of the war.
Glenn, Brian, and I spent a perfect day exploring the birthplace of Texas. On this particular weekend a two-day festival was being held to celebrate the 176th anniversary of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The 293 acre park was populated with re-enactors in period clothing along with craftsmen and musicians. In addition to interacting with the Texas-history-enthusiasts, we also did a little geocaching.
To help meet the growing demand for the digital photography course, I increased enrollment by moving ARTS-310 into a larger classroom. The only thing keeping me from increasing it further is time. While I love teaching I do not always enjoy grading student work. It can become a very time-consuming process, especially when you want to provide feedback that you hope will guide the student to improve his/her abilities. Like I’ve said before, the more I teach the more I learn. Working with the students continues to challenge and inspire me to be a better photographer. Here are few photo assignments students have submitted so far this semester.
This entry will cover a few events I took part in over the past few weeks. The fun began at Chris and Brian’s place where Ruben and I joined several friends for a relaxing Super Bowl party. Like past Super Bowls, this game was just another excuse to get together, eat each other’s cooking and watch funny commercials. The second event was an evening spent in John and Paul’s backyard. Glenn and I joined other friends there for laughs and drinks around a warm fire.
In the middle of the month, Ruben and I drove down to Houston to celebrate Travis and Elsa’s engagement. Earlier that day Travis asked Elsa to marry him and she said yes. That evening we accompanied Liz, Vann, Travis and Elsa for a night out on the town. After drinks and dinner, our party moved a gay country and western bar called the BRB. The six of us had a few more drinks, a lot of laughs and a little dancing. It was a fun night spent celebrating a very happy occasion. I’m so happy for Elsa and Travis.
The weather for the month of January has been surprisingly mild…and sometimes rather warm. On the first day of classes, students were wearing shorts. As the good weather extended into the weekends, I decided to go out and do a little geocaching. Ruben and others like Glenn don’t share my enthusiasm for the hobby. When neither Ruben nor Glenn was willing to go, I found myself introducing the art of geocaching to Brian. If anyone wants to go geocaching with me, just let me know! By the end of the month I reached a milestone by finding my 300th cache.
In the middle of the month, Liz and Vann drove up from Houston to spend the day with us and drop-off Liz’s dog, Kyro. For the next few week, Ruben and I agreed to keep this little guy for Liz while she’ll be away on an extended business trip. Before returning to Houston, the four of us enjoyed an evening of bowling. Since none of us are very skilled bowlers, our games were evenly matched. Later that evening, I showed Liz and Vann how to make miniature trees. It’s easy, quick, and fun. I’ve made it a tradition to ask guest to do this. Eventually, these little trees will become part of my model train layout. I know….geek moment!
I’ve been a fan of Dr Pepper my entire life. In fact, part of my office looks like a Dr Pepper shrine. Over the years, friends and family have given me items with the Dr Pepper logo on it. As a kid, I lived just a few miles from the original Dr Pepper Bottling Company (now the Dr Pepper Museum) in Waco. When I was working on my bachelor’s at Tarleton State, I found myself just a few miles from Dublin (Texas) – home to the oldest Dr Pepper bottler. The Dublin company was famous for using the original pure cane formula while other bottlers switched to corn syrup as the primary sweetener for Dr Pepper. A DP from Dublin had a unique flavor and fans of this original version all over the country figured out ways to get the drink well beyond the “legal limit.” Yes, the little bottling-plant-that-could was limited to a very small market in Texas (44-mile radius) though an agreement with the parent-company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Last June, the parent company sued the little bottling company for “diluting the brand and selling beyond its approved territory. This month, the Dublin Dr Pepper Bottling Company (which had been selling the drink since 1891) agreed to stop making Dr Pepper, and sell its distribution rights back to Dr Pepper Snapple Group. *sigh* All good things must come to an end.
