The National Peanut Festival

Thanks to scientist George Washington Carver and the boll weevil, peanuts supplanted cotton as Alabama's biggest cash crop. Dothan, Alabama, a mere seven miles south of my hometown, Headland, benefited greatly, becoming the Peanut Capital of the World! Within a 150 miles radius of Dothan, for decades, peanuts were king. If you ate peanuts in M&Ms and Mars bars, chances are the peanuts were grown in the Dothan region. If you made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or ate packs of peanuts are on a flight to Europe, there's a great chance Dothan contributed. The 65th National Peanut Festival just ended. Some of the big events were the beauty pageant, the greasy pig contest, the fair and the parade. I don't know the future of peanuts and I don't know that Dothan truly "rules the roost" anymore in the peanut category, but the peanut will forever remain part of Dothan. The golden peanut at the Dothan Visitor Information Center confirms this.

Michael Bolton in Bangkok

One year I took Kade to a Michael Bolton concert in Bangkok, Thailand. These are videos and photos we took that night. Actually, Kade took the close-up ones. She even got to shake Michael's hand! I simply gave him a high-five! Seriously! The concert was fabulous!

The Baxters

When Kade and I visit my hometown we usually try to see William and Zona Baxter. They live on Main Street, maybe just a mile from my Mom's home. Zona taught me French in high school. I think my cousin Jeff and I made her very eager for retirement, but we sure did enjoy her class. Zona taught many of my family members and scores of locals in Headland's public school system over the years. Even my dad was one of her students! Zona would say that Dad and I definitely have similar characteristics: humor and playfulness come before serious study! I don't know if I became bi-lingual or not, but I sure tried speaking French on our class trip to Europe. Zona was one of the principal organizers of that trip! What fun we had! Here's a link to some photos from that trip.

It's getting close to a visit to the Wiregrass. Kade and I hope we can at least stop by the Baxters for a quick 'hello' and one of Zona's yummy orange muffins. The coffee is pretty good too!

Digging Deep

"If a man, holding a belief which he was taught in childhood or persuaded of afterwards, keeps down and pushes away any doubts which arise about it in his mind, purposely avoids the reading of books and the company of men that call into question or discuss it, and regards as impious those questions which cannot easily be asked without disturbing it -- the life of that man is one long sin against mankind." W K Clifford

George Orwell

“From an early age…I knew when I grew up I should be a writer. Between the ages of about seventeen and twenty-four I tried to abandon this idea, but I did so with the consciousness that I was outraging my true nature and that sooner or later I should have to settle down and write books.” George Orwell

THIS IS IT

Kade and I saw the first showing of THIS IS IT in Asheville. It was 12:01 AM Wednesday morning! The documentary, directed by the magnificent Kenny Ortega, was put together from the 100 or more hours of rehearsal footage for the THIS IS IT concert series that was to take London by storm.

I think the legendary Elizabeth Taylor summed up the concert film best when she posted this on Twitter:

"It is the single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen. It cements forever Michael's genius in every aspect of creativity. To say the man is a genius is an understatement. He cradles each note, coaxes the music to depths beyond reality. I wept from pure joy at his God given gift. There will never, ever be the likes of him again."

Why I Don't Read

I have to admit I am mentally challenged when it comes to reading great works of literature. I scanned some good works in high school and managed to get through (somehow!) some serious reading in college, but it wasn't until my early thirties that I took a real stab at conquering some well-known works like 1984, The Great Gatsby and The Death of Ivan Ilyich. What enabled me to truly enjoy reading these and more books was the fact I opted to do without one form of technology for almost two years: TV. I was living in Thailand and decided that rather than getting cable TV I would concentrate on reading. It worked, and I'm all the better for it!

Unfortunately, though, as years passed, TV crept back into the picture (pun intended) and took center stage. Another huge Achilles heel is the Internet, 24/7. Sadly both TV and the Internet are not just affecting my ability to read novels: I don't read nearly as much as I'd like, period. I read articles and e-mails, yes, but not reading that requires any ample amount of concentration, much less imagination. Ironically, it was the online articles below that caused me to delve into my problem a bit more. I hope you find these articles enjoyable too. And, I hope you can make a pledge to read at least one classic in 2010. Mine is going to be The Brothers Karamazov. One reason I have chosen this Dostoevsky work is because Kade and I visited his apartment museum in St. Petersburg in 2007. Seeing the desk where he labored over his masterpieces was awe-inspiring and humbling.

Here are the articles: Reading Novels is Good for You and Is Google Making Us Stupid?

Frederick Douglass

He is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins.

Red Carpet Treatment

The eldest of the Espy kids, Leslie, paid a nice visit to Asheville this past week. She brought her children, Sarah Beth and Zach. Leslie's husband, Jeff Cook, did all of the driving, and Sarah Beth's boyfriend Graeson made sure she stayed warm. The family stayed at Mark and Ralph's lovely mountain home. The Biltmore Estate and downtown shopping and eating were big hits. Dollywood had to be scratched due to inclement weather.

My Mountain Home

I must credit three people with igniting my interest in my adopted hometown: Mick, a colleague in Bangkok. He's from upstate New York, and when I was thinking about places in the USA where I could return to live, he mentioned that a friend of his heard that Asheville, NC was a cool place. Then cousin Will Woods, who has traveled a lot around the US, shared some good insight he had. Later, family friend (and distant cousin) Rimson Solomon, who lives in Highlands, NC, said Asheville might really be a great fit for Kade and me. The rest is history!

The video, Spirit of Asheville, is a jewel. Keep your eyes peeled. Who knows who you might spot parading around Asheville...... Oh, Donita Allen, thanks for bringing my attention to this video. I owe you a coffee at Izzy's!

The Plains

My dad is in photo one, wearing the orange shirt (I know lots of people are!) and pointing. My nephew Michael is in the blue shirt, and is facing the camera. This is from an Auburn football game earlier this year. War Eagle!

Liz and William

I just recently posted a photo of Elizabeth with the stars of Morning Joe. (scroll down to locate it) I thought she couldn't do better! Boy was I wrong! See who she met last night!

In the video, if you look closely, you can spot the creator of this blog standing in the bottom left-hand corner. I am wearing a green shirt. But, you're more likely to spot my head! Also, if you desire to revisit my own personal "meeting" with the former president, click here.

Oscar

A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies fot it. - Oscar Wilde

Baby Josephine

I received some much needed help from my cousin Beverly Espy Dayries. Here are some notes she had on Josephine. I made some minor changes/additions to Beverly's notes, but the bulk is what she shared verbatim via e-mail. Thanks Beverly!

According to The Espy-Espey Genealogy Book Volume 1, Josephine was born 21 Aug 1910 and died 14 Feb 1911 during the whooping cough epidemic. So she would have been between 5 and 6 months old.

She was the fourth child. Her siblings were John Jr., Major and Frances. (You can read more about them in the following post and under ESPYS in the archives)

These dates and the statement that she died from whooping cough during an epidemic were also stated in the McLeod Family tree seen on ancestry.com. The owner of the McLeod Family tree is Lawanna. Lawanna is the person you wrote who lives in Crestview and had visited Watty in Headland. Watty also said Josephine died from whooping cough.

She died in 1911. Source - ancestry.com - publications - when searching John Espy.

I am almost positive that Josephine is buried at the Headland Baptist Church cemetery.

The note re her death was in The Dothan Eagle Feb. 15, 1911.

Years ago your grandmother Edith had some pictures that must have been taken from the Espy House when it was being cleared out. I don't recall who was there, but I remember she had several colored pictures in a size about 8 x 10. They were of the open empty casket where Josephine would be placed and also of the closed casket. She asked if anyone wanted the pictures. Everyone there felt sad at seeing them, and no one wanted to keep them. It was likely Edith's intention to dispose of them since no one wanted to keep them. Granny loved pictures. At one time we had a couple of similar sized and colored pictures of my grandfather John Espy's casket - covered in flowers. They were stuck in a large book. The last time I saw the book was in 1962, when Mother and I were moving from West Benson St. in Decatur to Azalea Circle. Bud and I were not yet engaged, but he helped move stuff from one house to the other that we were able to. If the book survived a flooded basement at Azalea shortly after Bud and I married in Aug. 1962, it could possibly be in our attic. If it survived the flooded basement, we would still have it - either in the attic at Azalea or somewhere at our house.

Old Espy House

Facts about the “Old Espy House” as provided by Marilyn Espy McClendon

The house was built around the turn of the century, and originally had upstairs and downstairs porch surrounding it. This was removed later, possibly when the road was widened. Behind the house stood a large barn and a carriage house and stable for horses.

The house was built for John Jolly Espy and his wife, Emma Carroll Espy; four children were born to them: Sarah Frances Espy, John Jolly Espy, Jr., Major Watt Espy, and Josephine Espy. Josephine died as a child. John J. Espy, Sr. was killed in an automobile accident on Thanksgiving Day in 1933 I believe.

Emma Espy rented out rooms in the house as her children began to leave the nest; some of the residents were Sidney and Blannie Hodges (parents of Martha Parks; may need to verify this fact Watty supplied with Martha), M. C. Watkins, his wife and daughter Mildred.

Sarah Frances Espy Sidney and her husband, Charles W. Sidney, moved back to Headland in the mid-forties; they had lived in New Jersey and returned home when he became ill with cancer of the bladder. They had no children but had a beloved cocker spaniel, Patsy, who came with them; upon Patsy’s death she was buried in the garden on the east side under the trellis. The gardens were a particular love of Sarah Frances. She was active in First Baptist Church , the Headland Study Club and the Headland Garden Club. When they returned the downstairs and upstairs were remodeled; originally the staircase was immediately inside the front door to the left and landed in the current large bedroom upstairs. The current back porch was added.

When Sid Sidney died, Sarah Frances continued to live in the house upstairs while her mother lived in the downstairs, west side. Emma became an invalid and spent many hours on the porch watching people come and go. Sarah Frances remodeled the quarters her mother lived in after her death in 1962 and moved downstairs. She married Rev. Roby J. Lee, father of Peggy Lee Marley, and they lived there together until her death; he continued to live in the house until moving in with his daughter and her husband upon their retirement. Peggy and husband, Needham , also lived in this house while their home was being constructed out on the farm.

Lisa and Rick Burris are the third owners of the house since heirs sold the homeplace; thankfully, they have restored the house in many ways. Many memories were born here in the hearts of the heirs (Major Watt Espy, Jr., Mark C. Espy, Sr., Marilyn Espy McClendon, Mila Espy Woods, children of Major W. Espy, Sr.; and Beverly Espy Dayries, daughter of John W. Espy, Jr.)

The End

To read more about the Espy home and see photos and learn more of the Espy relatives mentioned in this post, click here.

Also, here's a short video I made of the "Old Espy House" earlier this year. Just be aware I made a mistake: I meant to say my great-grandfather.

Mazda MX-6

I was so happy to get this car for my high school graduation. It had an Auburn license plate. Later, I added a Japanese flag as my front tag. Interestingly enough (and perhaps ironically), when I was shopping for a tag for the front of my car, I saw a cool tag with a red disc on it, and I liked it. It was only my senior year of college that I realized it was the Flag of Japan. I had no clue! Here's another post that featured this car.

The Clearing

This movie is one I can easily watch a few times. It stars three well-known actors: Willem Dafoe, Robert Redford and Helen Mirren. The story line is gripping and the ending is unpredictable and very moving.

Major and Nephews

Dale Ezzell, Major Espy, Bill Vann - Fall 1964, Headland, Alabama

Not certain, but think that pix of Daddy, Dale and Bill was taken outside the old fishpond cabin, likely Thanksgiving afternoon. The Peanut Bowl was on Thanksgiving night in Dothan and we really dressed up to go; we'd have Thanksgiving, then change into our ball clothes and head off to games, whether we were playing or not; things/times have surely changed. We'd wear Sunday clothes, coats, "high heel shoes" et al. I couldn't get in a stadium now in heels, in fact seldom wear them to church.

Aunt Marilyn

That’s a good explanation. After studying it more, I’m certain it’s Lake Espy. I think I recognize the precise location the photo was obtained. If so, this must have been the fall of 1964. In the fall of 1965, we (the HHS Rams) played in the Peanut Bowl and I am not sure I would have been available for the photo at this time. Good research!!!

Bill Vann

Halftime Shows

Man "kind"

Man is the cruelest animal. When gazing at tragedies, bull-fights and crucifixions he hath hitherto felt happier than at any other time on earth. And, when he invented hell…..lo, hell was his heaven on earth. He could put up with suffering now, by contemplating the eternal punishment of his oppressors in the other world.

-Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15, 1844 – August 25, 1900)