Around Town

My deepest apologies to the loyal readers of this website (all 3 of y'all!) for my delay in posting anything recently. I have made some pictures in the past few weeks, but I regret not going out to get pictures of the waterfalls created by Hurricane Hermione, which dumped some rain out over the Ozarks.

But if you're interested, here are a few pictures I've taken recently. All were taken in and around Little Rock.

This is a shot of a full moon high over the dome of the Arkansas State Capitol.


This shot was taken while standing next to the "Sugar Shack." A Little Rock old-timer might remember this place, it was a source of controversy way back in the early 1990s. It revolves around an old home (which looks like a Brady Bunch style bungalow house), which sits on state property behind the capitol. Apparently back in the early 90s, this house was the site of wild parties, all put on by the Arkansas Secretary of State. This was slightly before my time, so I hope I remember the details right....

Now the Secretary of State was an interesting character. Beyond hosting crazy parties at the "Sugar Shack," he also oversaw the daily operations of the state capitol building itself. While he was in office, he let a few few film crews have free reign over the dignified marble hallways of the capitol building. One of those film crews was for 1991 action film Stone Cold, which starred Brian Bosworth. Here's a small segment of a review, from Cool Target (my favorite movie review website, based out of the UK):
Awesome. There is simply no other word that can accurately describe this film. It's just awesome. The plotting may be pedestrian and the outdated haircuts and fashion embarrassing but Stone Cold is a simple, pure action film with intense performances and outstanding action. An often forgotten gem (except by those who have seen and appreciate it's awesomeness) Stone Cold ranks up their as a late 80s/early 90s action classic and a type of film they, unfortunately, just don't make anymore.

One of the climactic segments of the film included a shoot-out, filmed within the capitol building. The shooting was in the old Supreme Court room, and featured a motorcycle gang riding through the marble halls of the capitol. I remember hearing how the state had to spend money to clean up the skid marks from all the motorcycles that ran throughout the building.

But anyways, the above shot was taken by what was known as the "Sugar Shack," all those years ago. The night that shot was taken, the shack was quiet and empty.

Here is a view along Main Street in downtown North Little Rock:


And here is a view of downtown Little Rock, from Riverfront Park in North Little Rock.


And last weekend, I met up with Zack and John for a few shots around downtown. We headed out to the Junction Bridge, which provides some great views of the river and the skyline.


While standing on the bridge taking pictures, two drunk girls walked by. Upon seeing a camera sitting atop a tripod, they asked "are you taking pictures?"

I think it's funny when people see you by a camera and then ask what you're doing. I should have said "no, actually I'm playing Monopoly." But instead I said that yeah, I was taking pictures. So they told me to take their picture. I did, and then they demanded to see the shot. So I showed it to them, and they said they looked good and then laughed and walked off. Looking at the photo - they do look a bit drunk (I don't know if it's from the beers at the nearby bars, or if they were just intoxicated by my stunning good looks. Probably the beer). They didn't tell me their name, or how to send them the photo.

And finally, a shot looking down the Junction Bridge, with downtown Little Rock in the background:

Big Dam Bridge

This is a view of the Big Dam Bridge, taken on Monday night. It was oddly comfortable outside, only 80 degrees or so. And there was a nice breeze coming off the river too. It was probably the first time all summer that I've been outside and not ended up covered in sweat. Of course, there were a ton of bugs out that night, which made taking pictures a bit more difficult. The moon was hanging over the river, casting light on the river and the bridge...

Downtown

It has been way too hot here lately to attempt any venture outdoors. The highs all last week were over 100 degrees. Add to that the soul-melting heat indexes of over 110. But a cold front passed through yesterday, and it brought with it some rain. It was enough to cool things down some. It was still hot and muggy, but for the first time in weeks, it actually felt tolerable outside.

I had the camera with me so I made a quick drive to downtown Little Rock. There were a few buildings that I wanted to get some dusk shots of. The first was the old Tower Building in MacArthur Park. The Tower Building is one of the oldest buildings in Little Rock, built way back in 1840.


The building was part of a federal arsenal, and it would be an important landmark in the Civil War a few decades later. In 1874, World War II general Douglas MacArthur was born here. It is a neat old building, surrounded by acres of parkland.


From there, I hoped to get a few more pictures before all the good color left the sky. I ended up at the Federal Courthouse, which opened up a new addition recently. I was a bit nervous getting pictures here, since I was certain that security would come after me.

Now the new addition to the courthouse is striking, but it isn't easy to get a good picture of. The landscaping features a lot of trees, which cut off the views. And on top of that, there is a strange and ugly piece of sculpture in front of the building (which looks like left over bits of construction equipment). All that works to cut down on the good angles and views of the building.


After that it was time to retreat back into air-conditioning...

Kansas City

Last weekend I made a quick trip up to Kansas City with my brother. Our main reason for going was a soccer game - a friendly match between the Kansas City Wizards and Manchester United. It was just an exhibition match, there wasn't any trophy or championship on the line. But a huge crowd showed up for the match at Arrowhead Stadium - over 55,000 people. It was the largest crowd for a soccer match at Arrowhead, and the largest crowd ever for a soccer game in Kansas City. That will change, hopefully, when the USA gets the chance to host the World Cup (either 2018 or 2022).

Manchester United is considered to be most popular soccer team in the world. They have the highest home attendance average in Europe, and millions of fans across the globe. The Kansas City Wizards are one of the original clubs in Major League Soccer, and won the MLS Cup in 2000 and were runners-up in 2004. They'll be getting their own stadium next year.

I brought my camera to the game, but didn't try to bring in my zoom lens. I checked the stadium rules and saw that "professional" cameras weren't allowed. The definition of professional was that you couldn't have a detachable lens that extended over six inches. So all I could bring was my regular lens, which didn't allow for good shots of the field.

This is the view from our seats:


It turned out to be a pretty good game. Kansas City scored first, but then Manchester United tied it with a penalty kick. A few minutes later, Kansas City would get a second goal. The match would end 2-1. Here's a shot of the game-winning goal:


It was also nice that with over 55,000 people in attendance, there were very few vuvezelas present. Here are the highlights:


After the game we headed to our hotel, which was conveniently located in the Country Club Plaza area. This is a neat area, built in the 1920's as a shopping center. The streets were laid-out in an European style, and the architecture made to resemble that of Seville, Spain. After getting dinner, I got the camera and went to take a few pictures.

Just to the edge of the Plaza area is the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain. It's thought to be most photographed fountain in Kansas City. It is a neat spot, but unfortunately, the lights on the fountains were shut off the night I was there.


And one last shot from Kansas City. This is a view of the tallest building in the tower, which is a half-sized replica of the Giralda Tower in Seville.

Erbie

While I was in the area, I decided to make a quick visit to Erbie. Past the campground along the Buffalo River is another great collection of old buildings - the Parker-Hickman Homestead. Several old barns stand next to the home, which is the oldest surviving building along the Buffalo National River.


The old home was built between 1847 and 1849, by two brothers in the Parker family. They had travelled west from Tennessee and North Carolina, and settled in this valley. They were master builders, their construction on the house was so detailed that even today, it is impossible to stick a knife blade between the cedar logs (if you were so inclined to do so).

The Parkers sold the home in 1857 and moved further west. Other owners added barns, and a lean-to room that served as a country store in the 1920s. In 1912, the Hickman family occupied the home. The last person to occupy the old house was Gradon Hickman, who lived there with his dog until 1978. Then in 1982, the National Park Service bought the house and property. In 1984, the old homestead was stabilized and is now open for anyone to go in and have a look around. In 1987, the property was added onto the National Register of Historic Places.

The old house is empty now, except for a few bumble bees, wasps and butterflies. I walked through the house, and went into the room that was added on as a lean-to. The early morning light was streaming in through the window.


One really interesting detail here are the old newspapers that are plastered on the walls and ceiling. This was a common practice back in the olden days - the newspaper acted as a type of insulation. There are still lots of legible pieces of newspaper, which include comics, ads and stories. This is a close-up shot of an ad for overalls - a bargain at only $1.69 a pair.


I tried to get a few shots of the old barns on the homestead property, but the sun was out in full-force and the light was too harsh. I went to open the gate, in order to head back to the car, but stopped to get a shot of this moth (or butterfly). It was perched a bit lazily on top of the old weathered wood, and didn't mind getting its picture taken.


From there it was getting hot and muggy, so it was time to head on back home...