My general rule for many years has been to spend time with my family exclusively on Saturday… no public appearances on behalf of ABC 33/40 or just about anything else. I don’t want my children growing up not knowing me, and having that day is very important to me. Most folks that ask me to do something for them understand; I speak every single day somewhere during the week, and Sundays are busy with children’s ministry work at my church.
For a long time I have had two exceptions to my “Saturday ruleâ€â€¦ on the first Saturday in October I drive down to Demopolis to emcee the annual Miss Christmas On The River pageant… and in February I emcee the Hoover High School senior Beauty Walk. I started the Hoover job as a “dad thing†when our oldest son was a student there, and have just carried on through the years. Funny thing, I wind up seeing many of the girls I taught in church back when they were in elementary school. They really grow up too fast, you know.
I especially like the drive to Demopolis, which I made this past weekend. I always take the roads less traveled; this year I went down through Brent (and a stop at the Twix and Tween Barbeque) and Greensboro. On this route I drove right past the old National Weather Service radar site along Alabama Highway 25 just west of Brent; that place always brings back some amazing memories. This facility was destroyed by an F4 tornado on May 27, 1973, one that went on to kill five people in downtown Brent a few minutes later.
I got to Demopolis a little early this year, it gave me some time to site on the banks of the Tombigbee River, watch a great sunset, and think about where I have been, where I am, and where I am going. I think everyone needs a little time to spend quietly with God, and that was a wonderful opportunity in a great setting. The pagaent was well organized and the Demopolis Civic Center was jam packed as usual; congratulations to the winner, Suzanna Neihoff!
Below are a few shots from the trip, including the old WSR-57 radar site in Bibb County, our SKYCAM atop the Demopolis Civic Center, and views from the historic white bluffs of the Tombigbee River…
