(Another boyhood remembrance of growing up at Point of Pines by Michael Kirkpatrick.)

Living in the Campbell household is kind of like living in a musical. People just randomly burst forth in song from time to time. 

It was my granddaughter’s birthday, and we were scheduled to go out for dinner that evening. My daughter suggested wearing something casual for outdoor dining

Alabama is the most biodiverse state east of the Mississippi River. When sufficient research is done and even more unique species are discovered, our state may very well be the tops of all the U.S. in total number of species within its borders.

Some friends and I went out one cool afternoon to see several giant fields of sunflowers in Wisconsin. It was quite the tourist attraction. Families were out taking photos all along the fence line.

It can be easy to rush to judgment, especially when there’s a photo right there in front of you.

But it’s best to wait and hear all the facts. 

The brouhaha at Douglas involving the football program last week was a textbook example. A parent posted a photo on Facebook of a kid’s hands that were all torn up and said he suffered the injuries when the entire team was made by the coach to do “bear crawls” on the hot pavement.

When I first saw the photo, I was incensed just like everyone else. But that little voice in the back of my head said, "I don't know of a coach in America that would do such a thing."

It turned out the little voice was right, as it so often is. 

We got the chance to speak to Sheriff Phil Sims about the episode. The “facts” that weren’t reported in the post were:

• The pavement wasn’t hot. The bear crawls were done at 7:30 in the morning, not in the heat of the day.
• Some of the kids didn’t have PE clothes and the grass was wet. That’s why the crawls were done on the pavement not on the field.
• The coach showed the kids how to do the bear crawls first. He did what he was asking the kids to do.
• Just about all the parents and the kids supported the coach.
• A few kids had scratches on their hands, but they were no big deal. The last time we checked, football was a tough sport played by tough people.
• The injuries in the photos were related to power lifting, not the bear crawls.

This was one of those incidents when part of a story got out and a lot of people got upset. It was easy to see why. The pictures were damning.

The only problem was that they weren’t. What you saw told a story, but not the full story.

The old saying in journalism – and really in life – is that there are 2 sides to every story. It took a little time, but the second side eventually got out in this one and painted a much fuller picture than the Facebook photo did.

The next time you see something on Facebook that just seems too incredulous to be true, remember the Douglas football punishment story of 2019.

The truth will come out. it just might take a few days for that to happen.

(Another in a series of boyhood remembrances by a resident of Point of Pines at Beech Creek.)

In July, our family had the unique experience of attending our granddaughter’s quinceañera, the traditional Spanish 15th birthday party for a young lady. My daughter in law celebrated her quince at the same age 25 years ago and wanted her daughter to have the traditional quince also.

(Another in a series of boyhood remembrances by a resident of Point of Pines at Beech Creek.)

(Educators and authors Whitney and Barbara Snow traveled to Ireland earlier this summer. This is the last installment of Whitney's account of that adventure.)

Years and years and years ago, I wrote in this column the things that I had learned in life. I read the column the other day and thought I should update what I have learned. After all, I have aged some, and what I have learned has gotten quirkier.

(Another in a series of boyhood remembrances by a resident of Point of Pines at Beech Creek.)

(Whitney Snow and her mother Barbara Snow of Snow Point near Union Grove are world travelers. They visited Ireland earlier this summer. This is the next-to-last part of Whitney's account of that trip.)

(Another in a series of boyhood remembrances by Michael Kirkpatrick, a resident of Point of Pines at Beech Creek)

(Educators and authors Whitney and Barbara Snow traveled to Ireland earlier this summer. This is Part 5 of Whitney's account of that adventure.)

I have a new friend who is really a restaurant guru. She knows all the good places to eat. She’s been there and can vouch for them.

August 7, 2019, marks the 75th anniversary of my father, Roy D. Johnson, being captured by the Germans in Martain, France, in World War II. His capture would begin 6 months of a grim existence that really was a struggle for survival.

The 2019-20 school year begins next week and teachers all around Marshall County are busy preparing their classrooms. Diana Turner, first grade teacher at KDS DAR Elementary School, shared with us the challenges and some special memories through the years.

Organizations that rely on volunteers for their manpower could all use a little more help these days. Several of those organizations were out front and center Wednesday as the Lake Guntersville Chamber of Commerce stressed volunteer opportunities in its Networking at Noon program held in the…

I just read a short piece about being in the moment. It says to be fluid and spontaneous. I guess I’ve always been ready for spontaneous. We all have to react easily to the changing face of life, or we go bananas.

Shepherd’s Cove Hospice has lots of volunteer opportunities. Mary Bailey was tending their booth.

On Saturday, June 20, 1953, a hitchhiker interacted with a number of drivers who provided rides from Anniston to Guntersville.

I found a bunch of sites on You Tube that featured the top songs of the 1950’s and 60’s. I sat for most of the evening listening to them all. That was my era of high school and adulthood. Don’t do the math….I’m pretty elderly.,

Arab is the apparent winner of a little "best welcome sign" contest The Advertiser-Gleam held on its Facebook page. 

Recently, Lake Guntersville State Park has partnered with Guntersville Recycling to offer the option of recycling to those who enjoy our recreational facilities.

The peaceful river town of Guntersville, Alabama, (pre-TVA, imagine Guntersville without the lake) was shaken in the summer of 1890 by the killing of well-known doctor Buck May by perhaps the most well-known political figure of Marshall County, James L. Sheffield.

If you aren’t going to use it very often, there’s no reason to pay an arm and a leg for it. I hear that so often from friends, especially when I was looking for a bed for my guest room. I don’t have many guests.

Several homeowners have recently had a concern about disorders on their tomatoes. Tomatoes are subject to a number of diseases and disorders. Tomato plants can develop disorders that distort plants and blemish the fruit.

(Earlier this summer, educators Whitney Snow and her mother Barbara Snow of Snow Point near Union Grove traveled to Ireland. This is Whitney's account of that trip.)

(This is the first in a series of stories of a boyhood spent on Lake Guntersville. Welcome to Legends of the Cove.)

Born at Summit, Alabama, on March 2, 1894, Ernest Montgomery was the son of John and Eunice Horton Montgomery.

‪Here we are at mid year and tomorrow is the 4th of July. Where has this year gone? To me, when it’s fireworks time, Christmas is just around the corner. ‬

Moving the people and materials into place to open the HydroFest boat races is a Herculean effort with a lot of moving parts. Primarily, it takes a mechanized army of golf carts and drivers to get volunteers and their assorted items to their duty stations.

As I drove back and forth from Arab to Grant last week I couldn’t help but notice something – a big event has come to Guntersville.

I have seen powdery mildew on crape myrtles as I travel throughout the county. Powdery mildew is a common disease on crape myrtles and other ornamental plants.

I’ve always been one to suggest ideas on how to make life a little more interesting….especially to seniors like myself. Inevitably, I get the answer of ….

Friday, June 14, was a rare and exceeding gift.

I took a trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada recently. It was on my “bucket list,” and my son decided to make it happen for me. It was great!

The Thornton family of Guntersville is made up of outdoorsmen. The patriarch, the late Robert Thornton, hunted all over the world in his career in the military.

(Whitney Snow and her mother Barbara Snow of Snow Point near Union Grove are world travelers. They visited Ireland earlier this month. This is Part 2 of Whitney's account of that trip.)

I’m a worrier. My daughter says I’m also an over-thinker.