jamiedaviswrites

I Had a Great Time!

Cave Hill Cemetery - Louisville, KY — ***Cave Hill Cemetery – Louisville, KY***

I was looking through the photos I took when visiting Waverly Hills last year. This is a gravestone in the historic Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky. Cave Hill is 160 years old, and might remind southerners of Atlanta’s Oakland or even Savannah’s Bonaventure.

The stone speaks volumes. This is the kind of life I aspire to. This is the legacy that I want to leave behind.

Now, Mr. Adams is not too far from where the great Colonel lies. And yes, I am talking about that delicious chicken (along with the concept of food in a bucket, which is just as equally brilliant, if you ask me).

Further research into the life of Mr. Adams turned up the fact that he was actually the grandson of Colonel Sanders!

I have no idea what the chicken legacy pays to grandchildren, but I do know that Mr. Adams gave money to charity, and that there is a ski run out in Aspen that is named after him (“Village Bound”). It is easy to scoff and remark “Well, I’m sure he did have a great time with all that chicken money and all. But I don’t have any chicken money, how am I supposed to have a great time?”

By pursuing activities that bring you joy. This gives you hope, and will keep you fighting for a better life. Hope, along with a bag of rice and a can of beans will keep you rowing through life’s rough waters. Maybe not everyone winds up at the end with chicken money. But the point is to have fun trying and enjoy the journey along the way. You can’t take it with you, after all. All we have is now. What are you doing with it?

September 8, 2013 1

Haunted Asylums, Prisons, and Sanatoriums – Book Trailer

We are very pleased to present our new book trailer! A big THANK YOU to Melanie Constantino with LTS out of Loganville, GA for creating this! Visit them at http://www.LTSATLANTA.com

August 31, 2013 1

Flight

Sometimes, it can be extremely difficult to find a sense of peace and purpose in our lives. A good way to know if you are on the right path is to pay attention to what you find wonder in. I do not fly airplanes. I ride in them. And I do it with a constant sense of joy and wonder. Gypsy traveler on my way to somewhere else. I use the time to reflect, create, plan, study, and read.

Somewhere in between worlds, fully believing that God sent me a heart-shaped cloud. Coincidence? I don’t believe it.

August 31, 2013 0

This is a glass sculpture exhibit by Dale Chihuly, one of the most influential artists working in glass today. His sea forms and life-size purple reeds at the beginning of the exhibit give you the illusion that you are experiencing a taste of ocean life in Oklahoma.

Dale Chihuly - Oklahoma City Museum of Art — ***Dale Chihuly – Oklahoma City Museum of Art***

Take a few steps further into the exhibition hall, and you happen upon a series of vibrant vases, made even more so by the carefully placed lights looming down from the ceiling. The darkness adds to the intensity of the exhibit. Turn another corner, and you are staring at a series of glass pastel ribbons that will remind you of that old fashioned Christmas candy that you ate straight from tin boxes. You will want to touch it!

Glass as fine art? Well, yeah. Art is what gives you pleasure as you gaze upon it. A lot of people are put off by the idea of visiting galleries and museums because they think they are intimidating or even too highbrow for their tastes. This exhibit is fun and accessible to all, including children. It is sure to entice those who are new to the art scene, as well as attract veteran visitors. My philosophy on appreciating art could be summed up by posing the following question: “Does it make you feel good? Then see more of it!”

You will enter a hallway to pass into the second half of the exhibit, and the ceiling of the hallway is lined with beautiful colored bowls. Um, can I get this for my house?!

Both children and adults (and quite possibly, yours truly) were seen spontaneously dropping to the floor so they could lie on their backs and gaze up at the ceiling. This is some of the best eye candy I have seen in a long time. The tickets should have come with a giant lollipop, and I mean that in the best possible way. This is art as an amusement park, and everyone was lapping it up.

Towards the end of the exhibit, the sense of whimsical magic continues. You are staring with your mouth gaping open at a boat that contains countless glass sculptures. It feels so sugary sweet, and Willy Wonka-ish, that you almost feel as though you are suffering from a sugar overdose. Yet your soul craves more sugar, evidence that you are becoming an addict. As you prepare to leave, part of you wonders what it would be like to just climb in the boat.

A surprising stop in Oklahoma City.

As always, our travels are indexed within our “Play” Journal from Stealth Journals. The sample entry page is pictured below:

Route 66 – Edmond, OK to Stroud, OK

Route 66 - Rock Cafe — Route 66 – Rock Cafe

Route 66 - Rock Cafe; Stroud, Oklahoma — Route 66 – Rock Cafe; Stroud, Oklahoma

Skyliner Motel, Route 66: Stroud, Oklahoma — Route 66 – Skyliner Motel, Stroud, Oklahoma

Route 66 - Red Barn, Oklahoma — Route 66 – Red Barn, Oklahoma

I set off on Route 66 full of hope and promise, much like the original travelers must have felt. In my case, though, the first thing I saw was POPS in Arcadia. A very modern, sleek gas station with color-coded beverage sections that will set your heart all aflutter if you are one of those crazy organized types (ahem). A few more miles down the road, and we were snapping photos of the 1898 Round Barn. I set off with a picture in my head of discovering some American nostalgia. Perhaps I would see some quirky, romantic, and even kitschy roadside attractions. Alas, the fun stopped in Arcadia.

When we arrived in Stroud at the Skyliner Motel I almost insisted that we abandon ship. “It’s not too late. We can just go back to Oklahoma City and find a nice safe Marriott.” But we were in it. We signed the registry with “Bob,” and got a priceless/hilarious demonstration of how to use the remote control. Walking through downtown Stroud, I’ve never encountered such a weirdly abandoned ghost of an apocalyptic town. Abandoned junk in the storefronts, as though everyone just abandoned the shops one day. Packed up and didn’t look back.

I set out wanting to see America. I looked around me at the devastation and depression that was Stroud and I no longer wanted to see it. I wanted to see an art museum and go shopping. Get a pedicure and relax by the pool. I wanted to see the “real America.” But the “real America” is dead or dying and the people who are stuck here now are the walking dead.

We went next door to the gas station, and when we asked the cashier how she was doing she replied “Alright, I guess,” and let out a heavy sigh.

As always, our travels are marked in our “Play” Journal from Stealth Journals. The entry page can be seen here below:

August 26, 2013 1

Buffalo Central Terminal

Undoubtedly, one of the most awe-inspiring buildings I’ve had the pleasure of entering in a long time. The Terminal is one of the most impressive examples of Art Deco architecture still in existence today. Restoration is a long hard road, but the folks at the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation are dedicated to seeing the old grandeur return to the Terminal.

Buffalo Central Terminal - Tower — Buffalo Central Terminal – Tower

Art Deco Clock Inside the Buffalo Central Terminal

Going Upstairs - Buffalo Central Terminal — Going Upstairs – Buffalo Central Terminal

Closer shot of the Art Deco Clock Inside the Buffalo Central Terminal

Exterior - Buffalo Central Terminal — Exterior – Buffalo Central Terminal

I found an old train.

Stumbling across something like this when you are just out in the world going about your business is a special sort of gift. You are compelled to stop and explore! Where has the train been and what has it seen? Who were the passengers who lined up smiling to board? The cars are happy ruins now. Full of the impressions of hopeful travelers, who set off on some unknown adventure to see something new. Probably dressed in their Sunday best, carrying newspapers and making pleasant conversation with their neighbors. Safe and secure in their plush seats, ambling across America. Making their way.