The old "Tropical Breeze Aquarium and Pets" in Owensboro Kentucky

 Man, when I was a kid, I had several aquariums full of fish.  Seriously, it was crazy.  I had a 55 gallon, a couple of 30 gallon tanks (one was salt water) and several 10 gallon tanks.  I might talk more about this some time...  but I really enjoyed them.

Sometimes on weekends, my dad and I would go out and visit just about every pet store around in Owensboro.  Danny's was probably my favorite.  I was there all the time.  A knowledgeable family ran the place and I always loved talking to them.  Their prices were good too.

Annette's was always a winner too.  She was a very nice lady and always had interesting fish and aquarium critters.  

Other shops would come and go.  I remember E & L Pets by the old Lincoln Mall, then they would move later on.  They still have a Madisonville location.  There was a pet shop in the Rockport area I remember visiting a time or two.

Tropical Breeze was over by Gabe's Tower.  At some point, I got this coupon for 10 percent off of everything.  I don't remember how I got it, but it was reusable.  I carried it in my wallet for some time.

I found this one while flipping through a very old scrap book recently.

The Chattanoogan Hotel, Chattanooga Tennessee 2023

We had a very nice stay at the Chattanoogan Hotel in Chattanooga Tennessee!

Concert Memories: Foreigner- Owensboro, KY 07/23/1993

 Foreigner in Owensboro....  This was one of the earlier concerts I remember going to at the Big E.

I think I went to almost all of the shows that I went to there with my pal Vernon.  The shows were kind of general admission, and my friend Vernon had a pal that worked at the Executive Inn.  He would always say hi to the guy, and we were almost always set close to the front.  We were set at a front table for this show, but Lou Gramm got mad at the security telling people to set down (and not dance around or stand), so he told the audience to feel free to get up, stand, move around...  and the fans sure did.

I remember Foreigner sounding great and the audio being perfect.  I was surprised at how small of a guy Lou Gramm was.

My Grandma lived walking distance from the legendary hotel that sadly no longer exists...  and it was nice parking at her place and walking to see a show.

Was anyone else at this show?  I wasn't taking pictures back in the 90s the way I do now, so I don't have any pictures, but I still have the ticket, and the memories!

Mississippi State University 2023

We stopped by Mississippi State University on our recent road trip!  

"Horror Guide to Florida" by David Goudsward and Scott T. Goudsward

"Horror Guide to Florida" was ANOTHER great bargain I found underpriced at Half Price Books!

David and Scott T. Goudsard have put together a strange and great reference for horror fans visiting Florida.  They haven't over saturated the book with a ton of mainstream horror movies either.  There are lots of literary and real life places mentioned.

Interestingly, they cover fictitious Florida towns from film and literature too!

This is just a good reference book for road trippers to keep on their shelf.  Being me, I read it straight through taking notes.  On my next Florida road trip, I will now be looking for filming locations seen in the Creature from the Black Lagoon Films....  I can take an air boat tour associated with a couple of horror films, and I can look for locations used in Edward Scissorhands!

I also learned about a cult now associated with a state park!

I learned some interesting Florida related facts concerning Maurice Gibb (and a score he did for a movie) and Stephen King.  Also, as the authors discuss literature, I have added some interesting books to my reading list!

This is just a very uniquely done book....  I admire it's originality.  It gets my highest possible recommendation

Confederate Cemetery and other Civil War Buildings on the Ole Miss Campus

Ole Miss has a lot of ties to the Civil War...  including a Confederate Cemetery.

Movie: "Mysterious Circumstance: The Death of Meriwether Lewis"

 After our adventure driving through Mississippi, I picked up the DVD copy of "Mysterious Circumstances:  The Death of Meriwether Lewis".  I saw a huge banner for the movie in Baldwyn Mississippi- I believe some of the movie was produced there.  AND, we visited the actual death and burial site of the legendary explorer.

Plus, as a fan of the "Dukes of Hazzard" I saw that John Schneider was in the film!

I should mention I saw some not so favorable reviews of the movie....  but, who cares?

The film is a bit unconventional.  It kind of tells the same story in several different ways, speculating how the death of Lewis went down.  It is still a big mystery to this day.  I liked the way that the film handled covering a lot of ground, and I ended up really enjoying this one.

Brice's Crossroads Visitor and Interpretive Center Mississippi 2023

We enjoyed our visit to Brice's Crossroads Visitor and Interpretive Center!

"Ghosts of Madison Indiana" by Virginia Dyer Jorgensen

Madison Indiana is simply one of my favorite little communities.  I would say that if you have ever been there, it is probably one of your favorites too.

So, I was glad to find a copy of "Ghosts of Madison, Indiana" by Virginia Dyer Jorgensen.  Its another book that has been out there for some time (it came out in 2012) that I personally JUST discovered.

This book is one of my favorite type of "ghost" books.  There are a lot of short chapters, packing in a lot of locations.  The author even discloses her own home's haunted past!

The book is packed with weird and strange stories, including a suicided at a funeral parlor, the unsolved murder of a sheriff, and tales of grave robbing (and forgotten burial sites!).

There are some interesting Civil War connections, something that always gets my attention.

Jorgensen gives names and info on pretty much all of the places she mentions, AND address are given too!  You could do your own ghost walk through town with this one.

You KNOW I will be taking this one with me next time I am in Madison!
 

"The Battle of Brice's Crossroads" by Stewart L. Bennett

I picked up a signed copy of Stewart L. Bennett's "The Battle of Brice's Crossroads at visitor center in Baldwyn.

Bennett makes the battle easy to understand, and the book has a very nice flow.

Roughly, Sherman was hoping that the CSA's Nathan Bedford Forrest could be kept occupied and away from his forces and plans....

The Federals had General Sturgis available for the job, who had mixed reviews as far as success goes.  He would keep Forrest occupied, but he would ultimately suffer an embarrassing defeat at this battle.  Like many union leaders, he would greatly overestimate his opponents numbers.  

Forrest, of course, was great at fooling his opponents into thinking his forces were much bigger.  Art the end of the day, his roughly 3500 man force chased and soundly defeated a US force of around 8000.  Sturgis would report that Forrest must have had 15-20,000.

The heat and mud worked against the soldiers, specifically the federals - but the crafty Confederate Forrest was the star of the fight.

Bennett gives all of the important details of the battle and I am really glad I picked this volume up about the Battle of Brice's Crossroads.

 

Baldwyn Mississippi 2023

Baldwyn Mississippi was a great little town we were lucky enough to find on our recent trip through the great state.

Okolona Mississippi Confederate Cemetery July 2023

Check out the Okolona Confederate Cemetery!

"Hold on with a Bulldog Grip: A Short Study of Ulysses S. Grant"

I purchased a nice, signed copy of "Hold on with a Bulldog Grip: A Short Study of Ulysses S. Grant" while visiting the Grant Presidential Library on the campus of Mississippi State University.  Several authors collaborated on this fun book.

This is a nice book to have to go along with my visit, and its a really pleasant, brief intro to the famous General/President.  If you have studied up on Grant, you will likely know most of the material, but there were some nuggets I wasn't familiar with myself (there is an interesting relationship between the Grant family and John Brown).

AND, the book ends with a wonderful story explaining how the Grant Library became established...  well, in the South (and in the state of General Grant's signature victory during the Civil War).  If you have studied Grant, you know that there were some tight friendships and bonds he had with members of the CSA before and after the war.  Well, Confederate Stephen D. Lee, the 1st president of Mississippi State University, will forever be linked to Grant.  The last few pages of the book explaining this sweet connection make the book a must.

 

US Grant Presidential Library Mississippi State University 2023

We were able to visit the US Grant Presidential Library in Starkville, Mississippi!

"William Faulkner" by M. Thomas Inge

I wanted to mention a nice little short biography I picked up at Square Books while in Oxford Mississippi.  "William Faulkner" by M. Thomas Inge give a very nice, short intro to the author.

It is a quick read coming it at around 100 pages, and there are plenty of photos.

I honestly did not know a lot about Faulkner before this trip, and I am glad I picked this volume up to go along with the visit to Oxford, and to Faulkner's home, Rowan Oak.

The author tells a good bit about the Mississippian's personal life, his work, relationships, etc.  He also gives info about his releases, and the critic's reactions to Faulkner's works at the time of release.

Inge does mention that he briefly met Faulkner at one time....  I would have liked to have heard more about this, but he said that Mr. Faulkner patiently answered a few questions for him...  which is probably as complete of a story as he could provide.

 

The Inn at Ole Miss University of Mississippi 2023

We had a great stay at the Inn at Ole Miss!

Shuttle Ride in Oxford Mississippi July 2023

We had an interesting shuttle ride from our hotel to town in Oxford Mississippi!

Rowan Oak William Faulkner's Home Oxford MS 2023

We were able to visit William Faulkner's house, Rowan Oak, in Oxford Mississippi!

"12 O'Clock High! The Captain Thomas Mantell Jr. UFO Chase" by Dewey Edwards

I have mentioned Dewey Edwards and his books before (here) and I was able to meet him last October at the Bell Witch Festival in Adams Tennessee.  I also brought up his OTHER book on UFOs and the famous Mantell Incident here.  Well, I picked up his most recent offering, "12 O'Clock High!  The Captain Thomas Mantell Jr. UFO Chase" and I definitely wanted to cover that one too after reading it.

Dewey is putting out a ton of material covering strange events (cryptids, ghosts, UFOs) in the western Kentucky and north western Tennessee area, and his works have a very complete feel to me.  When he puts a book out, he is including the basic story of the event, newspaper articles, and other documents.  

His slightly earlier book on UFOs, "Eye in the Sky" is over 250 pages covering major UFO events with the first 120 pages or so devoted to the Mantell UFO Incident.  With his newer book, "12 O"Clock High" the 400 plus page volume is exclusively devoted to Thomas Mantell and this strange event that went down in Franklin Kentucky.

Obviously, there is some ground covered in both books, but I am glad I have each book on my bookshelf.  "Eye in the Sky" would be a great intro to UFO cases for someone just getting interested in the topic.  The classics (Travis Walton, the Hills, Kelly Kentucky) are covered, and Dewey covers some new ground too with some more obscure cases.

"12 O'Clock High" is an OCD deep dive covering Mantell.  Edwards work involves witnesses (including an anonymous one) and family members.  Photos from the UFO chase and crash are included.  I personally appreciated the inclusion of information on burial sites of some of the people involved (Louisville's Cave Hill Cemetery is mentioned!).

The book included sworn accounts from witnesses and others who reported seeing something in the sky that day.  Early newspaper articles are included (with some interesting observations early on).

In an effort to include a  wide variety of articles and views on the event, Dewey even includes an article that he describes as "way out there" (the article makes a strange argument that Mantell survived the crash).

This is just a fun (and complete) book covering Mantell....  Also, author Dewey Edwards is easy to find on the facebook.  Look him up and order a signed copy directly from him!

 

Ole Miss/University of Mississippi Campus 2023

We had a great few days hanging out on the campus of Ole Miss!

"Great Smokies Myths and Legends" by Michael R. Bradley

I got a great book as a gift recently, "Great Smokies Myths and Legends" by Michael R. Bradley.  This was a great gift.

The book is separated into 14 chapters, and each one gives some info about the area/national park, and how it became so legendary.

First off, this book is well written.  It has a very nice flow to it and you can read it effortlessly.  I planned to read a chapter a night, but it was just too good, and I ended up knocking it out in a few settings.

Still, it is jam packed with information, and it helped me to develop a brand new appreciation for one of my favorite areas.  

I was excited to pick this one up, as the author links the GSMs to Abe Lincoln (its an odd link, but it is there), Sam Houston, and I wanted to read up on the Road to Nowhere.

Bradley covers so much ground...  even concerning the areas of the Smokies I thought I knew about, he brought some new stuff to my attention.  He introduced me to some new things to think about and see next time I am in Cherokee.  The author also did a great job of covering some of the legendary locals that helped introduce the rest of the world to the GSMs.  

I didnt plan on taking notes while reading this one...  I planned to enjoy it as a fun, simple read, but I found myself having to scribble down some bits of info.

This is simply a great book about a great area, and anyone just getting into learning about this neck of the woods should enjoy it.  Someone who has been there many times and knows a lot about it will learn more.  This one gets my highest possible recommendation.

Tupelo National Battlefield in Mississippi 2023

Here is a brief look at the Tupelo National Battlefield in Tupelo Mississippi!

Loveless Cafe Nashville Tennessee 2023

Here is a quick look at the Loveless Cafe...  We stopped here right before getting on to the Natchez Trace!

Natchez Trace Parkway in Tennessee 2023

And here is a little look at the Natchez Trace Parkway....  We covered a chunk of it in Tennessee!