Take me out to the Ball Game....

click on photos to enlarge...

It's almost summer and one of the things I like best about the season is Baseball! How pleased was I when Gracie told us in early spring that she'd like to play T-ball? Pretty pleased and we ran right out to sign her up for the YMCA league

As we all know, players are made in practice. Thanks to the glove and ball that Aunty Hee-hee gave her as a graduation present we were all set. A couple of days of practicing catch and fielding grounders only got us more excited for the first game. My enjoyment was only limited by the number of times I had to tromp through the hilly woods to find Gracie's errant tosses.

Gracie was selected to be on the "purple" team and when we finally got to the field for our first game she got her team jersey and cap. Each of the kids took a little batting practice and then the coach had them in the field taking ground balls. Gracie shows great form in her "ready" stance and giggled every time I told her to shake her booty to keep loose.

We played a bit of shortstop the first inning in the field. No dandelions were picked as the field was freshly mowed and the butterflies haven't made their appearance just yet. The "light blue" team got a chance to hit around and the "purple" team did their best to field and toss to first. We didn't make it half way through the top of the first before we had the first cryer. Thankfully Gracie made it through with only a minor pouty spat...not enough balls were coming her way!

The second inning in the field we moved over and played on the right side of the field. Gracie wanted a ball and she was attacking each hit with enthusiasm. She found herself in the middle of a couple of scrums and eventually got to toss a ball towards first base. For our last inning in the field, we asked coach if we could play first. She was a natural and gave everyone a good glove to throw towards. Her new friend Kayla took her place at second and they made a good combo in the field!

Defense is fun, but Offense rocks! Coach lined the players up for their first swipes and everyone was jostling to be the next big bopper. Gracie brought her own helmet, another great gift from Hee-hee.

The only activity that we didn't get to practice before the first game was hitting. We didn't have a chance to scrounge up a tee and a hitting net so we went in a little cold.

No worries! Grace has a solid swing and made good contact each of her swings.

The hit Gracie had in the second inning was her finest. It was a gapper that made it into the outfield and surprised the "light blue" team who scrambled to catch up with it and get it into the infield. Gracie might have been as shocked as any of them, it took a while for coach to get her to drop the bat and run to first!

I had a pretty good view of the game as I was helping coach out at first base . Here you can see me pointing to the base so Gracie new where to run. It was pretty fun and all the kids were so happy to run the bases! I had a great time and can't wait for the next game. On the way home we saw a Lamborghini and we oohed and ahhed. Gracie asked me which was better, her play or the car? It was a no brainer, she's a natural!

Getting Low

Monday morning I was looking through the AJC and a blurb on the front page caught my attention. It read "Stars in ATL shooting movie" and it mentioned that you shouldn't be surprised if you see Sissy Spacek, Robert Duvall, or Bill Murray on the streets of the city. I began reading the main article and it suggested that there was a requirement for a large number of extras for a scene they were shooting. The paper listed a website and suggested those interested could just show up on Wednesday for the shooting.

After reading the site it struck me that this was just the type of corny adventure my Mom would have loved and it sealed the deal. The wardrobe descriptions suggested that with the dark suit and coat I already had I would be able to pull it off but would need a Fedora and a basic black tie. I gave myself a budget (I'm unemployed you know) and went shopping. I couldn't find a cheap black tie that fit the budget but I figured something from the closet would work and the Fedora was the key.

The site suggested that you arrive at 5AM and the location shoot was in a small town to the southwest of us called Dallas, Ga. I got up at 4AM and dressed up in my outfit. When I looked at myself in the mirror I could have sworn I saw Bogart staring me back in the eye.

I arrived on time to the "extra's staging area" which was an abandoned drag strip about 1/2 mile from the set. The first thing that I noticed was there were a lot of cars already there. I then noticed that there were a LOT of people there. Somewhere in the back of my mind I had figured that 5AM and freezing cold weather would have kept these people from coming but no such luck. When I realized that the short line I was standing in was for those who had been "pre-fitted" and I would need to go to the end of a line that had about 800 people in it my movie "sense" should have kicked in and the term "foreshadowing" should have immediately come to my mind.

It took approximately 1 1/2 hours to get through the line which was really only to sign a waiver limiting the studios liability should anything horrible happen like getting run over by a wandering mule. Through attrition and a time cutoff, the approximately 1500 or so other extras in line were widdled down to about 6-800 and I made it in under the cutoff. At about 9AM I made it to Hair and Makeup. Turns out no clippers were used in the 30's and most of the mens hair needed to be adjusted because of the straight edges. After standing around for another 40 minutes or so I ran into my nemesis...Wardrobe Man! Think old man in gray ponytail with beret, ascot, and yellow rectangular glasses. His first look at me, he stumbled back, held his hands over his eyes and shouted "Christ, could you have worn a brighter tie with more contrast!" and quickly began surveying other extras. Somehow I talked him into a tie from the wardrobe department and he gave me my "Green Ticket" which said I had passed inspection.
The group of us that had been through Wardrobe check were loaded onto a bus and sent out to the set. The set was on Picketts Mill State Park, the site of a civil war battle. I thought we all looked pretty good and the site of the old cars helped to put me back into the 1930's.As we arrived a production assistant was lining several people up for a shot, and since nobody said I couldn't I got in line. Welcome to Hollywood! My first shot was entering the scene and heading to camera right as several of the principal actors were starting up an old cranked engine compressor of some sort. After the scene I realized that Wardrobe Man was only the sidekick of my true nemesis "Wardrobe Lady"! Think 4ft tall, 3ft wide, 15 cats, a permanent scowl and dressed in her own wardrobe. When she looked at me she shouted "What in the hell do you have in your pockets, I'm going to lose my job!" After emptying my pockets of all non essentials and hiding my phone and walllet in my back pocket my next inspection came with "Love the tie, its my favorite...lose the hat!" Never could figure out what was wrong with my hat but I didn't give her another chance of running into me after that. Throughout the day I ran into all of the principle actors including Bill Murray, Robert Duvall, Gerald McRaney and Sissy Spacek. Everyone was very likable and approachable excpet for Sissy Spacek who nobody seemed to see or approach. Bill Murray was exactly like you'd think...loud and fun, keeping things light and very approachable. He charged a lady and gave her a big bear-hug and said "There, now you have something to tell everyone!"

Get Low is the story of a recluse who stages his own funeral before he dies and it becomes a huge event with 1000's attending. It is based on a true story and we were filming the funeral scene. The scene starts with Bill Murray taking the stage and introducing himself to the crowd as well as the idea that this was going to be a "live funeral". Bill plays Mr. Quinn, the owner of the funeral home and employer of Felix"Bush' Brazeale played by Robert Duvall. Bill's speach is interrupted when Bush enters the scene leading a couple of bad guys with a shotgun. At this point, a boy takes a shot at Bush but misses. After a band takes to the stage to calm everyone's nerves Bush still wants to tell his story and Robert Duvall takes the stage.

Duvall tells the story of meeting a married woman and falling in love. On the night she was supposed to meet up with him to run off and start a new life she failed to show. He went to her house and encountered her husband, who was bloodied and holding a hammer. After a struggle a fire started because of a kerosene lanter that had been thrown and Bush found himself and his lover on fire. Bush says that he somehow he "flew" out of the house and never knew but was sure that he left his lover and her husband to die in the fire.

During this scene, Sissy Spacek walks through those gathered and up towards the stage but leaves before the full story is told.

That scene was shot throughout the day and at mid-day the cameras were reversed and shot several more times. My job was "background" and sometimes "deep background" and every once and awhile "I don't give a shit where you are but stay in the background." I believe I enjoyed the behind the scenes happenings much more than the thrill of being on camera, but it will be interesting to see if I can pick myself out when the film hits theatres.

Following are several links related to the movie:

Awesome flickr set

Some Professional photos that are great!

Bill Murray Joins Get Low

Variety Story on Bill Murray and Lucas Black

AJC Story on filming

My Nemesis

MTVs Take on Movie

Birthday Ravioli

For Hannah's sixth birthday we served homemade ravioli. I worked up 3 varieties of ravioli including beef, cheese, and a special chicken marsala. Hannah loved the chicken marsala so much that for her seventh birthday she requested ravioli again, but only her new favorite this time.

The girls have been "helping" me make the pasta for a couple of years now, mainly helping to fill the ravioli and ensure that flour is covering every inch of the counter and floor.

Recently Hannah has taken part in the process of making the dough. This method is called the well method and she has been giving me a hand during the messiest parts. She really likes it when the dough is mushy and she can get in and work it. Those little arms don't have a lot of muscle however, and I usually take over when the serious kneading is required.

This weekend we started the pasta for her eighth birthday party and I told Hannah that she was pretty much on her own. I helped her get the items out that she needed and quizzed her to make sure she knew the number of cups of flour, eggs, etc. She really did quite well, only turning it over to me for the final bit of kneading.

She also assisted in making the filling. I had suggested that someone who is 8 could do some knife work as well, so she assisted in cutting the parsley. She enjoyed the part where we used the food processor to grind the filling into a uniform consistency but felt bad that Maggie ran to the other room seeking cover when the machine kicked in.

Overall she did a great job of helping and I know she'll enjoy telling everyone that she made the pasta. While my mantra throughout the day was "less play, more work", I know we both had a lot of fun!

Locks of Love

Hannah has been thinking for some time that she would like to donate her hair to locks of love. She first heard of it when one of her school friends did it and I believe that she then used this as a reason to not get her hair cut for the next couple of years.

Her bluff was recently called when Briana, a close family friend and sometimes babysitter decided to have a locks of love day while she interned at a local sytlist. Each senior at Woodstock HS selects a project that has something to do with their future employment and Briana would like to become a stylist. She asked Hannah if she would be willing to donate her hair, along with herself, her mother, her sister and several of her friends.

After a few gentle reminders the day arrived and we all headed out to the stylist to make the donation. He-hee and the Rea's all showed up to lend Hannah some much needed moral support. After a little "gentle prodding" from Dad, she sat down for the cut. 10 inches of hair is the minimum donation and the cut brought her hair to just below her shoulders.

We were all very proud of Hannah for supporting such a nobel cause as well as keeping her promise to Briana!

The stylist commented that she could tell Hannah's hair had been curly when she was young. I thought her hair looked awesome after it was trimmed up and evened out and told her so many times in the next week that I soon got "that face" each time I made a reference to it.

Hunting in Eufaula, AL

As a child I was raised in South Dakota, a state that takes it's hunting very seriously. Best known for it's Pheasant season, kids are raised from an early age with an appreciation for firearms, hunting & fishing, and nature in general. Fishing seemed to be my Dad's favorite pasttime and we traveled to many of the lakes in the state as well as Minnesota but we never hunted together.

A couple of times I was taken out to Rueben Glanzer's (a family friend) farm by my uncles Jim and Bob to shoot and hunt. I recall practicing shooting with a 410 as well as a .22 and trailing my uncles while walking a corn field hunting pheasants. This adventure was most memorable for my uncle Bob teaching me how to whistle with my fingers rather than getting to shoot at birds.

Once I became of age to actually hunt and shoot larger guns we moved away from South Dakota and the natural progression of a hunter stalled out.

Recently I've had an urge to pick the sport back up. While the longer version of why might cause me to be tagged as a "loony" and sent off to a local psych ward for "evaluation" the shorter version is a desire to be better prepared and more self sufficient in the event of some type of emergency. The fact that my Brother-in-law George is an avid hunter and has asked me out several times made the urge that much stronger.

I had decided to buy a firearm of each type (rifle, shotgun, and handgun) and the order was generally going to be based on usage. Because George has access to land in Alabama he almost exclusivly hunts white tailed deer. This decision led me to the purchase of a deer rifle. Specifically I purchased a .270 caliber Savage Arms Centerfire.

George and I took the rifle down to Eufaula, AL right before Thanksgiving and we sighted in the rifle. This gave me a few practice shots with it and got me prepared for the "hunt." I also had a chance to shoot a .30-06 lever action that George brought down, which was very fun to shoot.

Notice the spread after firing the Savage. See how everything seems to be to the right of center? It turns out that I am considered "cross dominant" which means that while I am right handed, my left eye is the dominant eye! Shooting with the left eye closed tends to cause things to end up to the right of "true". I tested for this after the trip and decided from that point that I would shoot left handed to ensure that my left eye was on the scope and especially for when I go bird hunting with a shot gun.

On that particular trip, we saw a lot of sign, but very few deer. I did have a chance to shoot at a deer on the last day that we were there. We were hunting some private property that George's cousin Adam helped manage. We sat in a deer stand overlooking a greenfield through the morning hours and didn't have any luck. As we were driving through the property we saw a couple of deer hanging out on a greenfield that was located under some large powerlines. We had to struggle through some brush to get under 300 yards and because the deer were alerted I had to take a shot at about 275 yards using Adam's beanfield. I missed, only grazing the doe as there was a little bit of hair and no blood.

George and I decided to take Grant down prior to Christmas. This time the goal was for me to hunt using a deer stand up in a tree. The morning of the first day we went out and saw no deer, however there were scrapes, scratches, and tracks a plenty. In fact, we saw a doe hoof print over our boot mark, suggesting that they had circled behind us while we were hunting.

After we got back I received a lesson in deer stand ascending and descending and we took the opportunity to place the deer stand prior to our evening hunt. Again we saw plenty of sign, but no deer either on the placement or the hunt later that day. The temperature was in the 80's and we were hoping that a cold front that was coming would move in that evening and get the deer up and walking about.

When we woke for the morning hunt, we determined that the cold front had indeed come in and our hopes were high. The biggest issue was that it had brough rain with it. I trudged out to the deer stand and got situated while it was pitch black. The sun began to rise and my hopes of seeing a deer "right there for the taking" disappeared. Instead it started to rain and I decided that it might have been real nice to have a poncho.

After one or two rain spells and quite possibly a nap, I looked out saw a deer! There should not have been one there as it was directly in the center of my firing range and I had thought that I would see/hear the deer long before it reached that particular point! The wind and rain and obviously done a good job masking his approach. I looked at saw that he was a small buck with 4 points, which is the legal limit for most of Alabama. Figuring that I wasn't going to see anything better in the next hour and the fact that I had a "first timers" trigger finger I decided to take the shot. He was only perhaps 50-60 yards from me and had squared to me nicely. I shot (left handed now) and saw him jump and run.

I was scared that he was only wounded and watched him run perhaps another 30 to 40 yards before he fell. I clambered down from the stand, remembering to release the safety harness and verified that the deer was dead, a perfect shot right through the vitals. George and I had discussed coming out at 9AM or if we heard a shot. I figured I'd hike back to where I was dropped off and wait for them. It turns out that they had left their stand when the rain had started and hadn't heard the shot! When I motioned to George to get out of the car he yelled "Get One?" I said "Sure did!".

Dragging the deer out was not a bit fun. The last time we were hunting we had the 4-wheeler and didn't get anything. Of course this time we needed it and didn't have it! We took him back to the house and I experienced my first lesson in processing a deer.

I want to thank George a bunch for taking me on the hunt and giving me some of the lessons necessary to ensure that I'll make this a lifetime sport!

Shooting Star

While the movie A Christmas Story is famous for many things including a lamp shaped like a leg, a scene where a kid gets his tung stuck to a metal pole, and the classic bully it might be most famous for the classic line "You'll shoot your eye out!". This line was given in response to Ralphie every time he asked for his beloved Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas.

Fast forward to today and we find young Grant Rea on his first adventure into firearms. On our hunting trip to Eufaula, Alabama George brought along a Daisy BB Gun for Grant to Practice with.



Our first issue was getting that little sucker loaded. Getting BB's out of their container and into the gun shouldn't be that hard, but it was pretty much like hearding cats. Eventually we felt we had enough ammo loaded and we were off to target practice. I quickly knocked down a couple of my favorite 12 oz beverages and set up our own version of the county fair's shooting gallery.

Grant was given his first instruction on the four basic shooting positions after first firing off about 20 rounds from what I'd like to call the "classic western movie" pose...gun on hip with not a snowballs chance of hitting anything. A great exchange took place when I told Grant to close his left eye and sight down the barrell with just his right eye. Grant reached around with his trigger hand and covered his eye up and then asked "How do I pull the trigger?".

Eventually, we got it all sorted out and we started to come within about 10 feet of the cans. Uncle Clark had to check that the gun was working a couple of times but soon, Grant had his first bulls eye.

Startled from my nap, we both jumped up and I retrieved the camera. Yes indeed, the BB had creased the beer can dead on. Soon we were listening to the classic ping of BB's hitting aluminum on a much more regular basis as Grant decided that it was much easier to hit when you shot "point blank".

Here we see Grant talking to his Mom on the cell phone. This is important because it combines two of Grant's favorite activies: the old stand by of chatting on the tele and the new one of riflery.

The following day, Grant graduated with honors when he got to shoot .22 rifle that was also brought down with us. I'd say that the trip from Grant's point of view was certainly a success. It was from mine as well, because no one shot their eye out!

Back to Bethlehem

At dinner the other night, Dina suggested that we attend the "Back to Bethlehem" festival that is put on by Hopewell Baptist church. Immediate responses were registered as "no thanks", "not for me", and "do we have to?". Dina used the powers provided to her through the executive branch of the mom's constitution and suggested in no uncertain terms "that we never do anything fun and it's free" so we are going.

Bundled up with scarves, gloves, and heavy coats we ventured out on what must have been the coldest night of the year to attend a festival whose tag line is "Come back to the meaning of Christmas, Come back to the night Christ was born." The main concern of the children on the way was whether or not a camel was going to spit on them. Seems that this is a hot topic in public education these days and they were very concerned.

Arriving at our destination, opinions began to change slightly as to how the evening might play out. Streets had been blocked off and signs guiding cars into various parking lots suggested that this wasn't just an everyday event. Passing the church we could see hundreds of torches providing light for Bethlehem. Comments ranged from "interesting", "cool", "we'll see", and "see I told you guys it would be great!"

On arrival the children were provided a gold coin to be used in the market. A group was formed up and led into a setting where an inhabitant of Bethlehem spoke to us and informed us that we must be very tired after traveling so far to their town to log our name into the census being taken by the Roman soldiers. She informed us in fact that there was not even room at the inn for us! Leaving the scene we were taken to the gates of Bethlehem where the Roman soldiers lined us up for the census and informed us that we were to behave.


Upon entering Bethlehem we were immediately inside the market where vendors were selling bread, fish, fruit and other essentials of the era. Comments ranged from "ooh, look at the chicken", "neat", "hmm", and "told you!". Vendors and carts filled the area and Roman soldiers milled about keeping order, generally trying to keep several people from informing others about Jehova and the "one God".

We made our way through the market and toured a local citizens home. As we were told earlier, we were unable to go into the inn as there wasn't even room for one more person. However, we were able to see the stables where llama's, goats, horses, and camels were in residence. We made it through without getting spat upon which was unheard of according to the children.


After feeding some goats, we listened to another man telling us about Jesus. He suggested that he knew Jesus and that he had seen him perform miracles. Unfortunately Jesus had been arrested by the Romans and had been scheduled to be put to death. We were led to a scene of Jesus dieing on the cross, only to be reborn!



The evening ended with cookies, hot chocolate and coffee provided by the church. Comments ranged from "that was great", "when can we come back", "better than I thought it would be" to "Hrumph, and you all thought it would be goofy."