Kim Miller | Midland talent

Kim Miller was a classmate of my sister's at Midland High. Their class is having a reunion this week and I ran across Kim's entry on their website. Kim lives in Wimberely, as does my friend Connie Nelson who is still involved in the music business. I hope to put them together....

Preview more of Kim's music at Kim Miller.Com

Father's Day: Gone but never forgotten..

My Dad.....and Mom with me

Photographic legacy...

I'm daily being reminded of where my photographic interest, and whatever talent I have, came from. My Dad. After my Dad passed away I took possession of his photo archive; thousands of color slides, which he took from the late 1940's until the early 1990's. My goal is to put as many of them as I can into digital format to not only preserve them but also to give copies to my brother and sister.

I have about 20 slide carousals full, as well as a photo file box with many 100's of loose slides. I was helped along by my Mom, who some years ago made a good effort at organizing the carousals into topics roughly by the years in which they were taken and/or by subject. So I have many from the 40's and 50's of Mom and Dad's families, me and my siblings as small kids, trips taken over the decades [including to the original Disneyland not long after it opened], scout photos and memorable events. I have to admit that reviewing all these photos is a very poignant experience. Seeing family members [including dogs] long gone, remembering trips taken and reliving good times is a joyful yet very melancholy experience.

I really need to acquire a good slide scanner, but as I was reviewing the slide carousals shown on our original family slide screen, the thought occured to me that I might be able to photograph the slides with my digital camera. The old fashion slide screen provides excellent luminosity and the results have been mostly good.

The photo above is one. The shot taken by my Dad is of his mother, out rowing at our house in Michigan. She's probably close to 80 years old when the photo was taken in the late 70's. She was quite a woman. My Dad was in our vintage Old Town canoe, a beautiful creation of wood and canvas.

How hot is it.....?

How hot is it.....? Well in West Texas terms it's not that bad. It's been close to 100° every day for several days, but that's not too bad comparatively. In 1994 I lived through the hottest day on record here, 119°, that's hot. It's just that our daily weather is turning into those kinda' days that are like living on Mars. No clouds most of the day, so the sun is "on" with no breaks. We have had some thunderstorms build up in the afternoons, late in the afternoon, but these are just an irritant. As anyone who has lived in Midland knows, there is a phenomenon peculiar in these parts, that a storm, no matter how big will suddenly veer, or split, or just stop before it gets into the City of Midland. Weathermen friends confirm this. So......lot's of storms and rain around, none on our yards.

It's the kinda' hot now that starts to bug man and dog. I know when this starts because of D. Daphne Dog. Usually when I say the magic words, "out back" or "ride", she's on her feet like her legs were spring loaded. Now, with D. Daphne laying under the air conditioning vent the king of words, "ride", illicits that kind of look that says, "if you make me I'll go, otherwise I'm fine right here". That's kinda' the way I feel too.

Le Mans..

Jim Hall | Del Sloan
The 24 hours of Le Mans being run today is the premier sports car event in the world...in my opinion. Cars of all makes, models and capabilities running a grueling and long track for 24 hours. I'll be watching during the day....and night with special interest this year. My old friend and business partner Del Sloan is there.

I had some business with racing legend Jim Hall this week and Del accompanied me to my visit at Chaparral Racing to lend a hand in the oil business talk. But the highlight of the visit was hearing Jim talk about his career at Le Mans, especially the 1963 season when Jim teamed with another racing superstar, Dan Gurney, to drive Le Mans. Hearing some of the inside stories about those "golden days" of sports car racing from one of the legends of the era is magic!

A Good List....

By Regina Brett, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. Yield.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey
is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

June 6th 1944 | D-Day

Thank you for your sacrifice for our freedom....