Lt. General John C. Pemberton

It's always nice to drive through our Vicksburg National Military Park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I decided to stop at this particular monument yesterday because I have walked to it, on the north loop, so many times and turned around after 15 minutes in and walked out. At this monument there is a road that goes around behind it with markers. I have never stopped to really take the time to see who it was. To my surprise it was Lt. General John C. Pemberton! He was a Confederate general during the American Civil War and assigned to defend the fortress of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the Mississippi River. Lt. General Pemberton was noted for his defeat and surrender in the critical Siege of Vicksburg to Maj. General Ulysses S. Grant, on July 4, 1863. As a tribute to Pemberton, we have a boulevard (with bust monuments displayed) and a shopping mall named after him.

Proofreading Is A Dying Art

These were sent to me by my friend Steve and you would not believe what is printed in the paper.

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
No crap, really? Ya think?

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Now that's taking things a bit far!

Miners Refuse to Work after Death
No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so's!

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
See if that works any better than a fair trial!

War Dims Hope for Peace
I can see where it might have that effect!

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
Ya think?!

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Who would have thought!

Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
They may be on to something!

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
He probably IS the battery charge!

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
Weren't they fat enough?!

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
That's what he gets for eating those beans!

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
Chainsaw Massacre all over again!

A Test To Keep You Busy!

This test will determine if you're getting enough sleep or if your mind has really lost it! The test consists of three parts: You'll be shown 12 photos in the first part. You'll be shown another 12 photos in the second part. You'll be shown 48 photos in the third part and asked if you saw them in the first part, the second part - or never saw them at all. When you have finished the third part, your results will be given to you.

Click here to begin.

Cork Trick

64 Years Later....

We all know that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed in August 1945 after explosion of atomic bombs. However we know little about the progress made by the people of that land during the past 62 years.

Here are some photos of the colourful city now...
Click on pictures to get a better view.

Hard to believe isn't it?

School Pride

Home of the Gators!

I thought this was so neat that the Vicksburg High School planted the words "PRIDE" on the school lawn. We only live about two blocks from the high school and while walking our dog the other day, around the outside of the stadium, I stopped and took this picture. It really speaks volumes of all the students who attend this school and shows how much PRIDE they have in their Alma Mater.

Iowa State Memorial

I'm dedicating this post to my very good friend, CDGardens at Timber Life, who lives in Iowa. The Iowa State Memorial is approximately a mile and half from the Alabama Monument and almost at the end of the south loop. This is really a beautiful monument. My grandmother, mother, aunts and uncles used to live in a house behind this monument years ago and was told many stories by my mother. I guess this is why it's one of my favorites. The monument was dedicated on November 15, 1906 and construction completed in 1912 at a cost of $100,000.

Alabama State Memorial

The Alabama Monument

The back of the monument.

After I left the Texas monument I was not far from the Alabama State Memorial. It depicts seven heroic men from Alabama being inspired by a woman representing the state itself. You have to walk all the way around the monument to get the whole effect. It was dedicated in 1951.

Texas State Memorial

Col. Thoms N. Waul's statue looking out towards the Iowa monument.

This past Friday I grabbed my camera and went to the Vicksburg National Military Park to take some pictures of some monuments. Did you know that our park is one of the most heavily monumented parks in the world with over 1330 monuments, markers, tablets, and plaques? A Civil War veteran called the beauty and artistry of its monumentation, "the art park of the world." On my little excursion, I decided to take the south loop and try my hand at some photography. I like to get up close and personal on the faces of the statues and also get a different angle on them. I have walked or drove by this monument so many times through the years but never took the time to really stop and capture it. Here are a few photos I took and the statue of Col. Thomas N. Waul called, as read on the plaque, Waul's Texas Legion.

A Surprise Visit

I had a nice surprise visit after I got home this morning from the Farmer's Market from two of my grandchildren, Lucy and Ethan. They were out riding around on their bikes and enjoying a beautiful, pleasant day. They have just moved into a house one block over from where we live. Looks like I will be having many more surprise visits to come. They stayed about an hour and had to leave so they could go swimming at their Grandpa's apartment complex. Charmings, Just Charming!

Heading to Afghanistan

(Courtesy of The Vicksburg Post)

The Army Reserves 412th Engineer Command departed yesterday with approximately 63 soldiers to support the commands first deployment to Afghanistan. The 412th Engineer Command is based in Vicksburg and will be headed to Camp Shelby and from there to Afghanistan. The Vicksburg Fire Department formed an arch with the ladders of two fire trucks and unfurled an American Flag as the buses transporting the soldiers passed through with a police escort along Indiana Avenue. Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and the 412th Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. William Buckler Jr. were speakers during the 8:00 a.m. departure ceremony. Lt. Mark Leighton says the soldiers will oversee most engineering operations such as construction and digging wells. We want to wish all our soldiers a safe trip there and pray that they will all come home unharmed as well. God Bless Our Soldiers and God Bless America! (Click here for slideshow and video of event)

Going On A Bear Hunt

My friend Dave, who lives in Indiana, will be going on a bear hunt for a week to Presque Isle, Maine. He sent me some pictures of one of the bears hitting one of the three baits where he will hunt starting on August 30th. I wish him good luck and look forward to posting a picture of him with his bear harvest!

D. Robert (Dave) Quick

Member: Christian Outdoor Fellowship of America

Member: Pilots 4 Christ
MY WEBSITE:

HANDLOADING FOR HUNTING

MY DISCUSSION FORUM:

HFH DISCUSSION FORUMS

Don't tell GOD how big your storm is.

Tell the storm how Big your GOD is!

Incredible Clouds over Mt. Rainier

I had these pictures sent to me by a cousin in Louisiana and she said that these clouds are called, "lenticular clouds", which are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at high altitudes. They're caused when the air flow is just right so when it flows over Mt. Rainier, the air gets pushed upward where it cools and condenses into clouds. Depending on how smooth the flow is, you can get some amazing clouds formations as shown here. It's usually a sign of rain within 24 hours because typically the moist flow that precedes a storm around Tacoma/Seattle area are the perfect set up for these clouds. I have been to Seattle and flown over Mt. Rainier and it was an awesome site to behold! I had attended an international convention there in July 1995 and you could not see the mountain for several days. I was told that when you finally did see it, the natives would always say, "The Mountain's Out"!

Gig Harbor, Washington

Pretty amazing...don't you think?

My Buck Story dot Com

Recently, I came across a hunting site not long ago that caught my interest and decided to become a member of MyBuckStory.com. This site is designed to share your passion for hunting and fishing with thousands of outdoor enthusiasts alike. You can post your stories, network with other members, stay up-to-date with the latest hunting news, or just browse through all the hunting and fishing content uploaded daily! They have also expressed an interest in our Outdoor Bloggers Summit and hopefully soon will be joining. Go over and check out their site and register to begin sharing your adventures in the

great wild outdoors, tell your own story and enjoy the camaraderie with them. Charming, Just Charming!

3 Guitars and a...What???

My friend, Dennis, from Port Gibson, sent this to me. "Sweet Georgia Brown" like you have never heard it before. Rex, over at Deer Camp Blog, may get a kick out of this one! ;)

A Rainbow & A Sunset

A rainbow over McDonald's

City of Cleveland tugboat pushing a load of empty barges down the MS River.

A man standing on a staircase in front of the City of Cleveland tugboat as they head down the MS River.

The setting sun.

Ominous rain cloud forms as the sun sets.

Yesterday, I went by McDonald's after visiting Bob and saw this beautiful rainbow in the sky south of town. I had taken my camera with me and was going to the MS River overlook anyway to take a few pictures. When I got to the overlook I saw a barge go by and just did have time to take a few pictures. You could see in the distance this ominous cloud with rain. Of course, we did not get any of it! We do have tropical storm Claudette coming inland in our direction and should get some much needed rain for the next few days.

Emma's Vacation & 2nd Birthday

Emma riding on her new tricycle she got for her birthday!

Emma's Birthday cake!

Waiting for her playmates to arrive.

Emma with her Mom, Suzi, on an island off of NC.

Relaxing on her vacation.

Emma having a blast on her first visit to a beach!

Here are some pictures that my daughter and son-in-law took of Emma while on vacation on a beach off of North Carolina in July after they had left Vicksburg for a visit. When she got home it was her 2nd birthday and she received so many nice gifts. Hopefully, next year I can go to her 3rd birthday in Virginia. I love you Emma...Gran Gran