My idea for this OP had it’s genesis in the desire to show off one thing I find funny in the ironic sense, but it then grew into trying to show off some of the places I talk about in my fire tales. From there it grew into a challenge to show off where we live the mundane parts of our lives.
I live in the VunderLair, which is a 1 acre remnant of a once bustling 30+ acre hog farm. The rest of the former acreage is cotton field
Across the cotton to the south is the bed and breakfast, home of Doug, CindyTheFlake, and Lauren the rental daughter. This is the place where I kidnapped the goat for a prank that backfired. You can see some of the ubiquitous cotton in between.
To the east about 3 miles is town, affectionately referred to as Mayberry. Believe it or not, you’re looking at most of it. On the left is the Baptist church, where I displayed a big ol’ Plumber’s Smile to the congregation on a rescue call. The yellow building is the old courthouse, built at the height of the Civil War, and now the library. The two story building on the right is the lawyer’s office, and coming back towards you are 2 county office buildings, and the red brick on the right is the new courthouse.
As we move more into town to The Intersection[sup]tm[/sup], this is the barber shop where my buddy Steve from the Rescue Squad works. Across the street directly is the Post Office, and next to that to the west is the gem that started this exercise in mundanity, the Civil War Memorial. It’s a beautifully carved moment really, and totally serious. On the front is the inscription, which honestly makes me <snerk> each time I look. I was born and raised in a state that won that murderous growing pain in American history, and I now live in a state that lost. I hate to be all PC about it, but 21[sup]st[/sup] Century hindsight makes me think that the monument should honor both sides.
Around the corner to the left is my fire station, or as VWife calls it, my Second Wife. Way outside town to the east is the Rescue Station. I helped pose the equipment for that shot, BTW.
My parting pic isThe Hooterville General Store, located about 6 miles north of Mayberry. The store is as rinky-dink as anything else in the county, but they donate A LOT of drinks and food to the fire and rescue departments during big operations, so they get a big salute from me.
As far as the shots that got away, apparently I forgot the save button for Hooterville Hardware. Also, I couldn’t do anything about the Coast Guard Base that pays my obscene mortgage. Cameras, national security, and all that.
Welcome to my world, in the land of cotton-clad rednecks.
:dubious: Uh, dude, I mailed that on the 5th, and I made a big production of it because I wanted it out and gone before TS Hanna messed things up. Now I have to call the bank to see if the check circulated, and all that BS. :mad:
