Historic Neon Signs in Columbia, Mo.

International Order of Odd Fellows Sign, Columbia, Mo.

With all the spring strolling weather in Columbia this week, I’ve covered many miles downtown on foot. On Monday, while shooting some pictures for a free-lance photography assignment, I found myself drawn to old neon signs in the downtown area. Here are several pictures and the information I discovered when I popped my head in the businesses with a few questions. 

The International Order of the Odd Fellows Sign (southwest corner of 10th and Walnut) features the letters IOOF. Since the building is home to a local insurance company and the acronym was unknown to me, I had often wondered about this sign. The friendly staff at the insurance company told me that it was the Odd Fellows sign and the organization owns the building. The sign, made of porcelain, is currently being restored by the original company who built it. Upon completion, the sign will be lit for the first time in 40 years.

D&M Sound Sign, Columbia, Mo.

D&M Sound, a fixture in the high fidelity business in downtown Columbia for 40 years, sign has an interesting history. D&M’s owner Anne Kelly Moore’s father owned Kelly Press. When she moved her business from Broadway to its current location at the corner of 8th and Locust twenty years ago after a devastating downtown fire, she used a 1950s Kelly Press sign to craft a new D&M sign. According to Anne: “It was very carefully restored then and painted with our logo. When we took it down for maintenance again a few years ago (about 2006) and Jim McCarter from Creative Neon did even more restoration and added the neon.” Anne notes that since the sign does not conform with the present ordinance, though it is grandfathered by the city, she is careful when taking the sign down for maintenance.

The Tiger Hotel Sign, Columbia, Mo.

The Tiger Hotel’s neon, gracing the Columbia skyline, can be seen for miles and often is used as a reference point to out-of-town visitors and locals alike. After 42 years of darkness, the sign was restored and relit in 2004. 

I’ve been building a photograph collection of iconic Columbia, Mo. signs and soon realized that what may appear ordinary today could be iconic ten or fifty years from now. The signs tell a story of time and place (and often fond memories) and once they are gone, the image likely disappears from the mind. Accordingly, I also snapped a couple of shots that day of two longtime downtown fixtures whose signs will soon disappear from the scene: The Regency Hotel and Cool Stuff. 

February Survival Kit

I dread February, the longest shortest month of the year. Armed with a survival kit this year, the month isn’t just tolerable but often rather lovely. My reward: a February 29th this year!

Smacking the Little Yellow Ball

Lots of Sunshine
Photo Credit: Whit Chandler

Reads Worth Reading

Mizzou's Spectacular Basketball Season

The Complexity and Simplicity of Bluegrass Music

Writing in the Sunroom

The Love Of and From Family and Friends
(& Dogs and Cat)

Blizzard in Columbia, Mo., Feb. 1, 2011

Ann "Annie" Rogers Heading Down Providence Road, 2-1-2011

The University of Missouri, Stephens College, Columbia College, and the City of Columbia shut down in the wee hours of February 1 in anticipation of a record-breaking blizzard to hit Boone County. Say what? The University closes the entire campus due to weather only several times a century. It just doesn’t happen.

When I woke up on February 1 it was blustery and very cold but little snow. I wondered to myself if it would be another prediction that failed to pan out; regardless, the thrill of an adult snow day ignited the Peter Pan in me. By 11 a.m. the snow was falling at a rate of about 2 inches an hour and the winds picked up--blustery turned to plain wicked. 

Noon, February 1, 2011.

I realized then it was Now or Never for me to commune with this storm. The window of opportunity dwindled by the minute.

Providence Road was an open playground.

The night before, I carefully waxed my two sets of cross country skis. Ready for action, I bundled, tested each set of skis on my driveway, and set off for Providence Road in downtown Columbia. Mind you, this is one of the busiest streets in town, often with logjam traffic. With the road almost entirely to myself I embraced the snow, the wind, the forces of nature, and my penchant for adventure. Locals will understand my route: I skied from the intersection of Providence and Burnam down to Taco Bell and then turned around to climb back home on skis. 

No heart attack. I’m very fit but this was the most demanding workout in the past decade--maybe ever. Back home, when I took off my Gortex shell everything underneath was soaked. After ringing out my clothes and hair, I joined the rest of Columbia with a cup of hot chocolate and stared out my picture windows in awe.

The Blizzard of 2011 proved to be the real deal, dumping almost 20 inches of snow while bringing wind gusts over 40 mph. The fact that Interstate 70 closed from St. Louis to Kansas City for almost 24 hours meant little when getting out of a driveway or neighborhood was almost impossible for a few days.

Note: February 1, 2012, brings sunshine and a high temperature of almost 60 degrees.

Hartley Rogers, February 3, 2012, Clearing My Driveway
Hartley drove his Kubota to help dig out Columbia. This
was his day on the "playground."

The Plant Doctor's Hospital

View from the Plant Hospital

I covet two nicknames that my Mother has given me: The Plant Doctor and Superwoman. The Plant Doctor refers to my knack for bringing seemingly dead plants back to life and bloom in my sunroom while the Superwoman name is a hat tip to my physical strength.

Mom likes things to look just right so any plant that struggles makes its way over to my house. Some go straight to the compost pile but a number of plants in my sunroom serve as testaments and metaphors to strength, nurturing, and eternal life. Here are a few of my favorite plant stories:

My Christmas Cactus is one of my pride and joys. I believe it is 20 years old this year. With each replanting (4 times), I have increased the size of the pot, and the plant triples in size and strength. The one thing I learned (notice where part of the “tree trunk” has rotted away) is to not overwater this spectacular plant.

When my grandmother died in 1990, my Mom found a philodendron several months later that had not been watered since before her death. She watered it several times and the plant snapped back to life. This summer Mom decided to clone it as a gift to her Plant Doctor. When she was in the hospital for two extended stays in both May and September she reminded me several times to make sure the plant cuttings in her laundry room had water in the jar. I thought it was an odd request. When she gave me the potted clone (see picture above) late last Fall and told me how it survived and thrived through the years, I couldn’t help but think “yet another example of eternal life.” 

My best friend from college Denise Harrod gave me a small cutting of this rabbit foot fern. In addition to the two hanging in my sunroom that grew from her 6-inch cutting, I have made several additional plants as gifts. I believe Denise received her cutting from her mother who started hers from a friend’s plant. Clearly, the rabbit foot fern is a unique (and lucky) gift that keeps on giving.

Recently Repotted (above)
Soon to Re-Bloom (below)

Orchids. They have a reputation for being difficult. Since I’ve never had a problem having my orchids re-bloom, my mother sends hers to the Plant Hospital during the dormant phase, declaring them hopeless. Several orchids from my Mom later, I firmly believe that patience is the key to orchids. They really do not require much care. I’ve only repotted one over the last eight years and have enjoyed dozens of orchid blooms throughout the seasons and years.

Over five years ago, my Mom sent an almost dead jade plant to the Hospital. It was soaked to the root. I put the plant, roots exposed, on my deck table to bask in summer heat for at least a week and then repotted. Several repots later, I have a jade “tree” and another jade plant that survived being dropped on the sidewalk when I moved it from my work office.

These are just a few stories that my plants can tell. When I look around my sunroom I realize that almost every plant has a history of importance in my life. Many of the planters do also. I see celebrations, gifts, funerals, weddings, and life milestones. These thriving plants are another face of family and friends and experiences fully worthy of my loving attention.

A few simple tips from The Plant Doctor: don’t overwater, be patient, and enjoy the stories and memories that healthy plants can offer.

Jim's Plant

A Clone of a Clone from Miss Margaret Neate

Gene Moore: Your plant is in good hands!

Tikal and the "Mayan Prophecy"

View From the Top of Pyramid 4

Late December and early January of 2009-2010 found me traveling solo in Central America, exploring the countries of Belize and Guatemala. What I anticipated to be a beach, snorkeling, and reading vacation turned into an exploration of the inlands of these two countries rich in Maya history and archaeology.

On New Year’s Day 2010, I explored Tikal, the most significant Maya archaeological site in the world. The evening before, I queried the expatriate owner of the small but lovely motel where I boarded, about Tikal, living in Guatemala, and the "Mayan Prophecy." He promised that if I listened, asked questions, and opened my heart that the message behind the prophecy would be revealed at Tikal. With the knowledge gleaned, he told me I would have the spirit to interpret the prophecy in a way that made sense to my heart and intellect. When I asked him what he thought, he smiled wryly and said: “Business has always been slow but steady here. I expected better when I bought this property.” I then asked what he anticipated December 2012 would bring. With that question, his guarded smile turned to a wide grin, “I’ve got a full house with deposits and a long waiting list. Let’s just say I’m planning on a happy new year 2013!”

The heat of Guatemala and the exposure to sun in Tikal National Park required one to start their explorations at the crack of dawn. I set off with my new friend I met in Belize, JoAnne Jackson from Toronto, who was not only a wonderful travel partner but also comfortable with the Spanish language. 

The Climb to Pyramid 4

Several experiences stand out on the way to the Grand Plaza, the center of activity in Tikal. When walking in the jungle, the sounds of howler monkeys filled the air. JoAnne stopped and then pointed up. The tree was filled with dozens, maybe hundreds of monkeys howling, swinging, and perching. My jaw dropped; I've never seen anything like it! The cut trail through the forest would unexpectedly open up to reveal a massive temple, palace, pyramid, residence, or other limestone structure and then the jungle would reabsorb us once again. On the path, one of the spectacular early structures was Pyramid 4. Visitors are allowed, at their own risk, to climb many of the temples and pyramids. JoAnne was unable to climb but I had the monkey spirit in me. The reward of climbing Pyramid 4 was a view of temples seemingly growing from the forest canopy as the sun burned the early morning fog from the sky (see picture above). I glowed; divinity at its finest. 

My hotel-owner friend said to pay special attention to the Grand Plaza, which was the center of Maya life when Tikal was at its peak both in population and influence (c. AD 700). He recommended I find a guide to explain about how the temples align with the Maya calendar. This is what I learned: 

The seven temples of the Grand Plaza align precisely with the solstices making a large format sun dial. Maya life revolved around time and they had various calendars and cycles for different life events. The largest Maya calendar operates on a 25,000 year cycle and ends when the light reaches the end of the cycle, which falls in December 2012. Despite the popularity of apocalyptic claims and prophecies, the Mayas never predicted the end of the world but rather the end of the calendar cycle that will bring a global transformation of consciousness and evolution. 

The Grand Plaza, View One

Grand Plaza View 2

Now, sitting at the beginning of 2012, I can think of nothing more hopeful than a global transformation of consciousness and evolution. Whether this is brought by the Maya calendar or the grace of God the game could change this December. What if the world becomes a more compassionate, peaceful place because of the Maya's forecast of transformation? It's up to me and you and everyone else to make it happen. The "Mayan Prophecy" is a fun and timely way to share this hope. 

Another Angle on the Temple of Great Jaguar, Grand Plaza

Note: Art historians, epigraphers, and most archaeologists continue to prefer the use of Maya, both as noun and adjective, over Mayan. Therefore, against my natural instinct, the term Maya is used except with the distinctly modern term “Mayan Prophecy.” 

Hope, Feathers, and Useful Poetry

I possess hope, feathers, and useful poetry.

This week called for a couple of birthday gifts.

I gave hope, feathers, and useful poetry.

Hope     

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

(Emily Dickinson, circa 1861)

A River of Stones

"The Turning Point"
Acrylic on Canvas,  30" x 40"
by John P. Lackey
Provenance: Personal Collection of A. Rogers
For more information: http://home.insightbb.com/~j4lackey/

My friend Madeline Sharples (Leaving the Hall Light On, Lucky Press, 2011) invited me to participate in a River of Stones, January 2012. 

Today, I would like to invite you. It’s a bit belated but just as sincere as if I sent you a card in the mail last week. Please consider participating in this New Year’s challenge that offers immediate satisfaction and no competition. It can be personal, or if the inkling strikes, the Stone may be shared on the River of Stones website.

The exercise is simple: notice something every day and write it down. That’s all. Next, if inclined, make this “something” into a Small Stone, which is a short piece of writing (usually a couple of sentences) of prose or poetry that captures a simple mystical moment each day. I’ve found the experience of finding that Small Stone more rewarding than the actual writing. It encourages me to pay attention; this morning I marveled in the way the brown liquid stream filled my coffee cup and the sounds from my dogs circling my writing desk in anticipation of breakfast. Neither will be my Stone for the day but the engagement and awareness of my world around me is increasing each day. What a positive reward on a very small investment of time!

As of today, my Small Stones sit on scraps of paper scattered around my home. I haven’t posted any to the blog nor have I added them to my journal. The latter will be my first step this morning. Regardless of what I “do” with my Stones, the oft-talked about experience of “being present” can be practiced through this exercise by children, teenagers, and adults alike. 

For me, it is a wonderful reminder that God is in the details.

For more information on a River of Stones, join the Facebook page for daily reminders: https://www.facebook.com/riverofstones or go directly to their website: http://www.writingourwayhome.com/p/river-jan-12.html