Skywatch Friday Thoughts

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 After the Storm Passes

It seems I've been to busy to have a Friday thought lately.  Hopefully that will change soon.  Spring is here and there is much to do around the house.  I've got a landscape project left over from last summer that I need to complete.  I need to reorganize the stuff in the workshop.  I need a vacation.  I guess the vacation will have to wait.

Last week we did go to Tulsa to see one of our favorite Southern Gospel quartets, Signature Sound.  Earlier this week I found out that there will be a two night concert here later this month.  I got tickets for the Friday night concert, which brings me to the inspirational song or songs this week.  A couple of the groups that will be here are Brian Free and Assurance as well as Karen Peck and New River.  We saw both groups at the National Quartet Convention last September.  Here is a sample of their work for your enjoyment.  Have a great week-end.

Ruby Tuesday

The Real Thing

Friday Thoughts

This past week my wife and I were watching the Academy of Country Music Awards.  Carrie Underwood sang her newest release "Temporary Home".  We should all be reminded that this world is only our temporary home.  God created us, breathed life into us and placed us here with a plan for our lives.  We have the free will to seek His face and obey his will for our lives, or go our own way.  The choice is ours.  For those of us who call the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, this temporary home is only the beginning of the abundant life.  That life begins when we acknowledge our sinful behavior and our need for salvation.  We realize that Jesus Christ is indeed the only Son of the Living God and we ask for forgiveness and invite Christ into our lives and our hearts. For Christ said, "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."  John 14:6 At that moment we are changed.  Changed into new creatures.
We are all going to spend eternity somewhere.  We will either spend eternity separated from God, without hope, without salvation, and without anything other than eternal torment.  Or, we will spend eternity in the presence of the Living God, singing His praises, rejoicing in His salvation.  We will spend it in a place that He has prepared just for us.  Christ said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."  John 14:1-3
So, with that said, I give you Carrie Underwood, "Temporary Home."  Enjoy

If You're In The Area

Ernie Haase and Signature Sound will be at First Baptist Church in Tulsa, OK this Friday night.  My wife and I will be there for sure.  It will be a wonderful evening of worship and music. The concert starts at 7:30 sharp. Be there.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Play Ball!

Ruby Tuesday Lure Tour - Final Chapter

The final chapter of the Ruby Tuesday Lure tour begins with a Heddon Sonic Minnow. This little lure is about 1-1/2" long with hooks that look too big for the body. It is a plastic lure, probably made in the late fifties. My guess is that this lure was a killer white bass lure in it's day.

The next two lures (I actually have three) are Bomber Water Dogs.  The top one is wooden and the bottom one is plastic.  The wooden one is probably an early to mid 1940's vintage, while the plastic is obviously a later model.  These lures would be relatively deep diving crank baits.  A day of chunkin' and windin' these babies would wear you out.

Finally, we have the top water classic known as the Jitterbug.  It wobbles erratically when retrieved because of that huge lip on the front.  Throw this lure early in the morning or late in the evening in a quiet cove and hang on!

That does it for now, for the vintage lures that I found while cleaning out Dad's tackle boxes.  I do have a few more that I might share later.  Maybe one of these days I'll compare these vintage lures with some of the wild offerings that are available today.  The colors, shapes, and detail in today's lures are amazing.  This will probably be my only post for the week.  I've got a lot of things to do the next few days.  Have a happy Ruby Tuesday. 

Friday Thoughts and Sky Photos

Storm Clouds Are Coming.

We're headed out to a soccer tournament Friday afternoon, so all I have time for is a photo and a song.  No thoughts.  You probably like it short and sweet anyway.  The song is from the premier group in gospel music today, the Gaither Vocal Band.  The song, It Is Finished.  Enjoy.  See you Tuesday for the final installment of the Ruby Tuesday Lure Tour.  There may also be a very special post later next week.

Ruby Tuesday

The Ruby Tuesday "Lure Tour" continues this week with some additional vintage fishing lures that I discovered while cleaning out the garage at dad's house a few weeks ago.

The first lure has two faces.  I have no idea why.  Those three loops are where you tie the line.  The lure will run at different depths, depending on which loop you tie the line to.  This is a vintage translucent plastic crank bait.  I have not been able to identify it or when it was made.

This is another plastic crank bait.  I would guess this lure was made in the late fifties to early sixties.  I have not been able to find out much more about it yet.

This is another Heddon lure, I believe.  It is a jointed version of a "River Runt".  This is a wooden crank bait, probably manufactured in the 1930's.  I really like the colors on this one.

There is no red on this lure for a Ruby Tuesday, but who cares?  This is a Paw Paw Wotta Frog.  It was manufactured between 1941 and 1943.  The lure is about 4" long.  Originally there were feathers around the hooks.  The wrapping is still visible, but the feathers are long since gone.  Still, this lure is worth $35-$50 in the collector market.  I think it is just too cool to sell.  Stay tuned next week for the final installment of the Ruby Tuesday Lure Tour.

He's Alive!

The reason for hope, for life everlasting, and why we celebrate Easter...He's Alive!

It's Official, I Am A Museum Piece

This post card was mailed out a couple of weeks ago, announcing the upcoming photo exhibit at a local museum.  The theme of the exhibit was landscape,the landscape of Arkansas in general and Northwest Arkansas in particular.  My wife encouraged me to enter three photos in the competition.  There were 300 entries from 100 local citizens.  One of my photos was selected to be one of the 40 entries that would be exhibited at the museum.  All of the entries were to be posted on a web site.  To say that I was surprised that my photo was selected is an understatement.  The fact that it was used as a part of the marketing effort for the exhibit was unbelievable.  Here is the front of the card with my photo in the lower left corner.

 Below is an enlargement of the photo. If you want to browse through 300 beautiful photos, then click here.  After viewing some of the entries, you too will wonder how mine ever got selected.  Last night was the opening of the exhibit.  My wife and I attended.  It was a very nice evening.  One of my friends also had a photo on exhibit, so we spent some time talking about our hobby. 

I entered two other photos that were not selected to be in the museum exhibit.  They are shown below.  The view of the mountains was taken on the same day as the photo above.  It was about forty miles from the above photo on Arkansas Highway 71 at Mountainburg, AR.  The place is called Artist's Point.  The last photo was captured at one of my favorite places.  Lake Avalon is one of seven private lakes in Bella Vista, AR., and I spend a lot of time there during the summer and fall.  Evenings are the best, and provides some wonderful opportunities for stunning sunsets.

After the exhibit opening, my wife and I walked down to the church to celebrate Good Friday with the Lord's Supper.  It made a perfect ending to a perfect day.  So if you're in Bentonville, AR. sometime before May 30, stop by Crystal Bridges at the Massey and enjoy the exhibit.  There are some stunning photos there and mine is NOT one of them.  Really.

Friday Thoughts & Sky Photos

Lookin' Out My Back Door

Some of you may have noticed that the blog has taken on a new look this week. E-Blogger has some new templates and new options that I have been experimenting with. I haven't settled on a final look just yet, but I think I like what I have so far. Your comments and critique are welcome. The new header photo comes from the Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion. I took the photo last October and was inspired by Tulsa Gal's header to use this terracotta detail for my blog.

Well it is Friday, so that means an inspirational song is on the program. This week I am going to share a song from Karen Peck and New River. They're a little bit country, a little bit bluegrass and a whole lot of gospel. This video is from the 2008 National Quartet Convention. My wife and I attended the 2009 convention and had the time of our lives. I don't think we're going to be able to go this year, but we do have plans to go in 2011 when the venue moves from Louisville, KY to Indianapolis, IN. There is an innate desire in man to believe in a life after death. God put that desire within us. For those of us who have confessed our sins, acknowledged that Christ is the Son of the Living God, and invited Him into our heart, we will experience everlasting life in a place prepared just for us. Often I find myself wondering what it will be like. I want to know how it feels. The chorus says;
I want to know how it feels
To make my way down the streets of gold
I want to know how it feels
To have a talk with the saints of old
I want to know what it's like
To rest my feet by the River of Life
I've heard of heaven and I know that it's real
I want to know how it feels