Cool Tees

At the start of spring I went on a t-shirt buying spree. I wanted to buy tees that simply had an image or caricature of someone who shook up the world in their own way. And I was going to wear them around to see if they evoked some response. The only tee I have that's not pictured (due to being in the wash) is this one. I wore it on a trip to Headland. I also wore the Marley soccer and Farrah Fawcett tees down in the Wiregrass.

 See if you can match the figure with a quote that's attributed to them.

"Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates."

"I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing."

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!"

 "Ain't no Vietcong ever called me nigger."

"There is only one time when it is essential to awaken. That time is now."

"Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

"Never interrupt someone doing something you said couldn't be done."

"God gave women intuition and femininity. Used properly, the combination easily jumbles the brain of any man I've ever met."

"When we come to a clearer and more sober estimate of our own limitations and responsibilities, that makes it possible more genuinely to love our neighbor."

"Do to others as you would have them do to you."

"I don't know if I practiced more than anybody, but I sure practiced enough. I still wonder if somebody - somewhere - was practicing more than me."

 

Happy Father's Day

Dad and my step-mom, Regina.

When down in Headland, Dad sometimes asks me to help him feed the horses. This time Kade tagged along and brought the camcorder. To see footage on the farm, click here. After taking a break from feeding duties, Dad shared some stories. The photos above came from Regina's web journal page, so I must give credit to her. Thanks!

Staycation Galore!

Our Friday started with a stop by the Asheville Visitor Center, a gem in and of itself.  We swung by to get one of their handy maps and to confirm directions to Tryon, NC.  We were going to the Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival, and were also going to stop off at some waterfalls. Looking at the map, we made a huge discovery:  the Carl Sandburg Home.  It happens to be right in the vicinity of where we were going.  And, we'd been in Asheville six years, often driving by Flat Rock, NC (the site of the Sandburg home) on our way to Headland, but never stopping.  It was time to put an end to that!  One of the most historical homes in North Carolina just had to be seen.  Our plan evolved into this:  Carl Sandburg estate (Flat Rock), Tryon (lunch), Pearson's Falls plus a minimum of one more falls, and the BBQ festival (Tryon, NC).

If you desire to see the home interior and don't plan to ever visit the property, I did get permission to video as much of the interior as I wanted. I have the video on private. If you want to see it, send me an e-mail at majorespy@yahoo and I will invite you to view it through YouTube's privacy features.

For the extended goat video, click here.  The longer version is quite humorous, and includes more footage of Kade strolling the grounds.

My aunt, Marilyn Espy, with her pet goat in Headland, Alabama - circa 1950s.

I have Aunt Marilyn on video talking about her goat.  I'll add it here one day.

Pearson's Falls

Before I had even heard of the BBQ festival in Tryon, I had seen incredible online images of Pearson's Falls.  This waterfall quickly became an obsession of mine.  The falls turned out to be just outside a little town named Saluda. Saluda and Tryon are very close to one another.  Our plan was to have a light lunch in Saluda, and then spend a relaxing time hiking up to the falls. The plan was executed quite well!

Majestic

Next, we drove over to Columbus, NC, hoping to locate Shunkawauken Falls. On the steep, winding drive up White Oak Mountain, I encountered some wildlife. I spotted a huge deer hiding amid some trees. As we drove past, it simply ran across the road. My heart was racing at that point. Eyes on full alert, we then drove on up the mountain and reached a breathtaking overlook. I was parking the car when I heard Kade exclaim, "Look at that bird!" It was a soaring hawk or eagle. This is when we started filming. MAJESTIC is the word that comes to the mind. The soaring bird of prey was majestic, and the mountain vista that was spread out before us was majestic. The deer, the bird, the mountains....that would have been more than good enough. We could have simply gone home at the point. Yet, just down the road was an incredible 150 ft. waterfall that we could simply view from our car. It too was majestic.

Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival

Our final stop of the day was in Tryon, NC at the 2012 Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival. In fact, it was the primary reason we ventured to this area 45 minutes SE of Asheville. By the time we got home, we had been gone virtually all day - 10 hours!

Major's Horses

Major making sure his son Watty didn't fall off.

I doubt this is a show horse!

Watty and baby Marilyn

Mark, Marilyn and Mila

These images are of slides from the Sam Vann, Jr. family collection.  Obviously, a bit before smartphones!

 Dad with Sensation's War Eagle

 

 A trainer atop Sensation's War Eagle.  

 Sensation's War Eagle was a five-gaited stallion.  Dad talks about Sensations in the video below.  In the second video, you can see Granddad Major, Dad, his sisters and others with horses.  circa 1950. 

Talking with Dad about horses, sports and more

Espy Family Movie clips of Dad with his horses and show steer

The One and Only

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 family 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 bilingual or not, but I sure tried speaking French on our class trip to Europe.  Zona was one of the organizers of that trip!  What fun we had!  Here's a link to some photos from that trip.  And that trip likely was what motivated me to continue taking journeys.  One plus in visiting Zona is that she usually serves up something yummy, like coffee and an orange muffin.

Some photos above are from Headland's Facebook page.

Dec. '73

1983

1984

1984

1984

1986

1986

1988

1988

May 2012 (surprise at Northside Kmart in Dothan, AL)

The Wiregrass Farmer

January 8, 1953

Headland, Alabama

I decided to do a video montage using clips from our recent activities in Southeast Alabama, where we went to visit my dad and the rest of the family. While in the Wiregrass, we had a few surprises in addition to the "planned events." I included them in the video. Enjoy!

Espy Fertilizer Company

The Wiregrass Farmer

January 29, 1925

The Wiregrass Farmer

March 29, 1928

(clipped article below)

J.J. Espy, Sr.

The Wiregrass Farmer

March 29, 1928

The Wiregrass Farmer

November 21, 1935

(almost a year to the date after J.J. Espy, Sr. died in auto accident)

Th Wiregrass Farmer

February 20, 1936

1936

Dec. 1937

Feb. 1941

2013

l to r:  Clarence Cunningham, Oyette Adams, Lorell Cherry, A.S. Hodges, Ennis Royals, and Major W. Espy, Sr.


Wiregrass Farmer
January 31, 1952

The Abbeville Herald

January 31, 1952

The Wiregrass Farmer

February 7, 1952

"Our new modern plant"

Dec. 3, 1953

 1955

Feb. 1958

1967

Fran Vann with son, Sam Vann III.  See the ad on the side of building.

1971

1971

Uncle Watty (on right) with the ACLU's Henry Schwarzschild.  Circa 80s

2008

At the 2:40 mark, Dad talks about one of the old EFC bags.

This is a video I made on my most recent trip to Headland.  My cousin Natalie joined Kade and me on this romp around the old fertilizer plant and grounds.  Warning:  The commentary is borderline silly!  One of the most interesting shots I was able to get is of the Methodist church cemetery, taken from inside the plant.