THE COURTHOUSE TOUR!!! PART II

Welcome back, Blogging Buddies!!

I figured I had better give you the second part of the Courthouse Tour before life threw me something that took me away from posting!

This section of the tour will provide you with the "not-on-the-standard-tour" locations for the most part.  I have a little more to tell you about most of these photos.

Our first stop is the office of one of the judges.  She is a friend of mine and who provided the "secret" tour of the courthouse.  Her office has been "redone" which included pulling up old flooring and doing a full refinish of the original wood floor.  Keep the photo in mind as you will see another one soon with the original wood floor that has been neglected for years.  The lesson here?  Don't ever discount a wood floor without trying to bring it back to life!!

Now let's go up a level to what used to be the "Jurors Apartment."  I was surprised, too!  Turns out that when the courthouse was put into use, many of the jurors (who were all men, by the way) had to ride their horses into town to serve.  Since "commuting" by horse was not an efficient way to run a trial, the architect had apparently planned for that and incorporated a barracks-like environment where the jurors could "live" until the trial was completed.  (Wonder if that made for shorter trials?  Hmmmmmm.)  There were bunk-type beds lined up along the wall to the left.  The door at the back right of the photo led to the one-sink, one-toilet, one-shower, one-tub bathroom that served the jurors.  Look at the floor of this old apartment currently used for storage. and know it could look just like the one in the judge's office.

While I did not take a photo of the shower, I did appreciate the old lavatory and the beautiful clawfoot tub that are, unfortunately, probably going to simply sit and go to ruin.  I would think someone would find a repurpose use for them but doubt that will happen.

Alrighty!!  Now the REAL fun begins.  Are you ready to go to the roof?!?  Let me explain that it requires climbing up some very narrow and winding stairs... (notice the beautiful ironwork and woodwork in addition to the marble stairs!)

... until you finally reach the "hole" through which one must contort and maneuver in order to gain roof access!!!  (The judge said she "love(d) the mouse picture" which made no sense to me until I viewed the photos she sent me.)

Yes... that's the spousal-unit behind me... laughing as I try to figure out how to squeeze through this half-size door!

I gotta' tell you... this is a view of the town you won't find anywhere else!  We wandered around for a while, taking photos and just enjoying the views.  I'm keeping my rooftop photos to a minimum for you but thought you'd enjoy a couple of them.


Clock View



The Bell was in the dome previously but placed outside at some point and sits on the roof



Rooftop view of the Gothic "Hanging Jail" next door



My fellow roof-crashers!!  Susan, Judge Martha, and the Spousal-Unit

I cannot begin to tell you how happy I was to have been able to take this unusual tour... and to be able to get BACK into the "mouse hole" to return to terra firma!!


 

There were a lot of other places we were able to visit including an area that USED to be a balcony overlooking the large courtroom area.  It has been closed off and some scabbed-together HVAC equipment has been placed there.  Had there been a better vision of this historical property, perhaps things would have been different.  As it is, the parish clearly does not have the vision and this building may eventually become nothing more than storage.  There are conversations about whether to attempt a renovation or to simply find/build another building (I'm sure a cheap metal version of nothing) to use as the courthouse.  Of course, a poor parish begets bargain-basement planning.  It's unfortunate.

So... that is the end of the Beauregard Parish Courthouse tour.  I hope you enjoyed it.  A big THANK YOU to Judge Martha who made it possible!!!

Until next post...

THE COURTHOUSE TOUR!!! PART I

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Pals!!  Welcome back!

No... it's not what you think.  It was not a "forced" tour.  It was a tour unlike any most folks get to take, however, and I thought you might be interested.

First of all, the Beauregard Parish Courthouse was completed in 1914.  The "Hanging Jail" was completed that same year and was designed by the same architect although the structures are VERY different.  (Please take a few moments to click on the links and read about them!)

At any rate, I had worked at the Clerk of Court's office in the courthouse for two weeks during my high school years.  I was microfiching documents.  If you're too young to know that word, look it up!!!  I have a funny story about that short-term job and I'll be glad to tell you about it if you ask me.

I am going to provide you with a series of photos which are about half of the total you'll see.  We'll start with the basics... an exterior shot followed by some photos taken during our tour of the main floor of the 3-story building.  Believe me, this is just the beginning of a tour I won't soon forget... but you'll have to wait for the exciting second half until my next post.  I promise it will follow immediately.



  



Beautiful marble 8-point star on the main floor



The small courtroom where "minor" trials are held... whatever those are!

 



The bar and Judge's Bench as viewed from the "peanut gallery."





The Jury Box in the large courtroom.  Those chairs don't look too comfy!!





The Jury Deliberation Room - Note both ends of the table are rounded.

Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian?  Do you know which?



If you're old enough to remember Fallout Shelters, you'll also remember "Duck and Cover."



So... is this where the criminals work?  Or is this where they keep the criminals?  Hmmmmm.

I'll end this post for now.  There are about ten more photos I want to share with you.  They are even more interesting than these just due to where they were taken and what they show.

Until Part II...

GRAND OPENING... BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!!

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Pals!

Without going into excruciating detail about my lower back issues and the challenges I have had over the years associated with them, I want to do two things:
1)  Update you on those issues, and
2)  Give some credit where it is due!

The year 2010 was a difficult one.  After relocating here in 2009 and having so many changes with which to deal, I found myself considerably heavier than I had ever been and in probably the worst shape of my life.  Ugh!  Not good. Of course, when we don't keep our bodies healthy, we often suffer the consequences of that.  In 2010, I spent a good part of the year flat on my back on an ice pack and eating over-the-counter NSAIDs (Aleve was my NSAID of choice) like they were candy.  X-Rays, MRIs, neurosurgeon visits, and an awful lot of frustration later, I finally encountered a doctor (orthopedic surgeon, I believe?) who gave me a big pile of you-know-what and told me to get busy working out hard to get myself back in shape!  Well... I was horribly offended and mad... which is pretty much what I apparently needed to get me motivated to "prove" what I could do.

Fast forward to January 2011.  That is when I began to walk in the morning again, something I had done while in Texas but something that had gone by the wayside when I arrived here.  I couldn't get very far that first month.  I was worn out every morning and wondered if I had lost my mind!  The second month was a little better and I was traveling a little farther.  The most motivating thing was the lower number i was seeing on the scale!  Portion control was added to the mix once the number started to drop.  Hmmmmm.  This might actually work!  By April 2011, I was feeling pretty darned good about the situation... and had not had a back episode since October 2010!

So, in June 2011 I inadvertently came across a young lady who was setting up to open up a Personal Training studio here.  I had a conversation with her and felt as though she might be able to work with me to help me gain even more ground.  I spoke to my good friend, Susan S., to determine if she would like to be "abused" twice a week with me and we signed ourselves up for our first 24-week session with DeAnna.  Quite honestly, I don't think DeAnna was quite ready to begin training sessions at that time... but she was smart enough to not turn down business and we began working with her that month.

Since then, I have made tremendous progress in strength, flexibility, and balance.  Oh yeah... I've dropped some more of those pounds and quite a few inches and Susan and I have continued to sign up again each time a session ends.

I'm telling you all of this for two reasons:
1)  If you live in this town and are considering doing some working out, I highly recommend DeAnna, Sculpture Training Studio, as a good place to start (http://sculpturetraining.com/Home.html), and
2)  Wherever you are, believe me that you can do a whole lot for your physical health with just a little walking and a little self-restraint!!  It's worth it!!

Oh... the point of this post! DeAnna just had her Grand Opening on October 1st, 2012, about 15 months after we started working out with her. Guess better late than never? :) Here are a few photos from that opening.

Sign in and Sign up for Door prizes!!



I like to call this "The Wall of Pain" although I don't think DeAnna uses that term.




The orange and black are not for Halloween... they are the colors of the studio.  Two beautiful tables of goodies were waiting for Grand Opening attendees.




Plenty of fresh fruit available at this end of the table... brownies and cupcakes at the other end!

 I will tell you that DeAnna had printed up and set on the table next to the brownies and the cupcakes exactly how many Jumping Jacks and some other exercise one would have to do after eating just ONE of either!!!  Don't think we tried either of them.  I'm sure they were good... but so were the grapes and strawberries!

It isn't the New Year and I am not one for resolutions... but if you aren't feeling great every day and are wishing you could do more... you can.  Get up and get moving.  If I can do this, you can, too!!!

Until next post...

RUDE AND LAZY!! GREAT COMBO!!!

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies.

Yep.  The title tells you.  It's another rant.  If you're not in the mood, please just move on right now.

So... there are a couple of things I try to be aware of and try to do just as a courtesy to the general public.  I am finding there are very few folks who do the same here.

When I am shopping in the local Sam Walton Big Box store, I am aware that many of the aisles are quite narrow.  At the very BEST, two carts can pass each other with millimeters to spare.  There are times when I need to stop and scan the shelves for items that I typically do not buy.  This is generally when I am shopping for my aunt's items.  When I must stop, I pay close attention to what else is happening in the aisle in which I am shopping.  I NEVER stop my cart directly opposite someone else's stopped cart.  Even as I scan shelves, I pay attention to my cart and am quick to move it should someone come along and stop near it, blocking potential traffic.  When I occasionally run into someone I know while shopping, I drag my cart as far as possible to one side in line with my acquaintance's.  This way, we have left room for others to pass while we visit briefly.

Do you think my shopping process is the norm here?  If so, you would be sadly mistaken.  I have encountered carts, parked side-by-side, with the "drivers" scanning the products on the shelves without a care that they have completely log jammed the entire aisle.  I have been drawn to a complete halt as folks stand next to each other with their respective carts forward of them engaged in extended conversations about family, friends, football... nothing urgent.  I will note that in both of these scenarios, I have stood in line-of-sight of the offending cart-pushers who most frequently simply continue with whatever they are doing without even a slight movement toward adjusting their carts to allow my egress.  In fairness, there have been a few times (maybe 10%) where the cart-operator has actually moved the cart and mumbled what might have been an apology for blocking my way. I won't even discuss the shoppers who shop together, moving side-by-side down each aisle while chatting, oblivious to the havoc they are creating for other shoppers.


Once I have managed to purchase, pay, and make my way to the parking lot, I unload my bags into my vehicle, then push the cart to the nearest "cart corral" where it can hang out with its empty buddies until the "cart-herder" arrives to take them all back up to the store.

Again, are you thinking others do this?  If so, you are once again thinking of the minority.  More often than not, I find empty carts blocking parking spaces when I arrive and I watch fully able-bodied, younger-than-I-am individuals leave their emptied carts to "free range" in the parking lot, rolling at will into vehicles or rolling into a parking space in such a manner that one cannot park a vehicle there (although perhaps a Smart car could make it?).  Yeppir.  The really killer thing here is that frequently these "free range" carts are blocking parking within 2 to 3 spaces of the "cart corral!"  HOW LAZY DO YOU HAVE TO BE to not walk five steps with your cart to put it in its proper place?!?!?  Unbelievable!!

Alright.  I'm done.  I only ask that you please be aware of what is happening around you wherever you are and whatever you are doing.  It's the right thing to do.

Until next post...