From My Own Camera: The flood

Last May, a weather front that stretched from Texas to Ohio blitzed the heartland with far more rain than initially expected.  Though Memphis received much of the media attention despite relatively minimal damage, lesser known towns like Dyersburg in northwest Tennessee ended up completely awash.

The Mississippi River crested at 47.97 feet here in Memphis, barely missing the all-time record set back in 1937.  Below are some of the pictures I took once the water receded enough for authorities to reopen Riverside Drive.

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From My Own Camera: One early morning

I arrived home from work around 6:30 a.m. last November 13 (a Saturday).  An early morning similar to the other 1,000+ I've experienced since I began working nights in mid-2005, it wasn't until I glanced through the kitchen window of where I was living at the time that I noticed the sky's overcast shade of blue had become engulfed by an aloft wave of rose-colored clouds.

The grass, mostly withered at this point of autumn, became illuminated from the distinctive luster of the clouds, causing the lawn to resemble a radiant field of wheat.  Like something from a Tim Burton movie, a vibrant rainbow likewise emerged, only to fade almost as soon as it appeared.  My surroundings went back to normal just moments later.

The pictures I took from that brief moment, less than 10 minutes altogether as I recall, barely do justice to what I observed.  But they're worth sharing nonetheless.

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From My Own Camera: Wandering, pt. 5

Concluding a mini-series of posts (1, 2, 3, 4) from the past several months, here are two more shots from my recurring journeys throughout Shelby County and beyond:

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A scenic shot of Mudville Rd. in Rosemark, Tennessee

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A small body of water (with railroad tracks in the background) in Atoka, Tennessee

From My Own Camera: Wandering, pt. 4

Continuing a mini-series of posts (1, 2, 3), here are two more shots taken along the edge of Shelby County, Tennessee:

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From My Own Camera: Wandering, pt. 3

Continuing a mini-series of posts (1, 2) from the past couple of months, here are two more shots of a cotton field along Mudville Rd. in Rosemark, Tennessee:

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From My Own Camera: Wandering, pt. 2

Continuing a post from about a month ago...

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A ravine alongside Mudville Rd. somewhere between Arlington and Rosemark, TN.

From My Own Camera: Wandering, pt. 1

Sometimes, without a destination in mind, I simply feel the need to jump in my mid-size SUV and drive around.  I've been wandering (my term for this kind of aimless driving) for upwards of 10 years, and its therapeutic quality has never failed me.

One of the scenic routes I favor is a nearly 50-mile journey (round-trip) that ultimately takes me beyond Shelby County, which has afforded a number of charming pictures that I'll be sharing in future posts.  This particular shot is approximately halfway between where I live and the point at which I turn around to return home:

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A cotton field along Mudville Rd. in Rosemark, Tennessee

From My Own Camera: When a little says a lot

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On the edge of Shelby County, near U.S. 64 and just off Collierville-Arlington Rd., is an unincorporated area located east of Memphis, tucked away nicely from the vestiges of civilization, that's pleasant to drive through whenever I can.  And this little establishment catches my attention every time.

From My Own Camera: Shelby County sunsets

Again, I'm not a professional.  But I try.  And please note, the bottom half of each shot was originally sharper than it now appears.  Overall, however, I think they turned out relatively well.
 

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From My Own Camera: Self-explanatory (or so you'd think)

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The consolidation debate centering upon Memphis and the surrounding areas throughout Shelby County has been raging for years.  Typically racial in context, perhaps the most overlooked crux of the matter is that Memphis has nothing to offer the smaller, more efficient towns that simply do not need Memphis nearly as much as the Bluff City needs them (or at least, their tax dollars).

This picture, in some bit of irony, was taken recently in a quaint little town called Rosemark, which, I just discovered, is located on the edge of Shelby County.  For years I believed this stretch of Mudville Rd. was situated in Tipton County, which is why the sign, at first, seemed out of place.

From My Own Camera: The backroads

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What appears, at first glance, to be a lonely wall standing in a vacant lot is actually the east side of the former Mudville Country Market.  Located on the edge of Shelby County, just past Mudville Rd. at the corner of Redwood and Brunswick, this dilapidated remnant of a bygone era has been boarded up and covered with graffiti for years.  Yet something about this abandoned establishment grabs my attention in a very pleasant way every time I see it.

From My Own Camera: As the day descends

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Located in the southern Ozarks about 50 miles from Little Rock, this is a shot I took some years back aboard a friend's Cobalt (or something similar) on Greer's Ferry Lake in Cleburne County -- named for Irish-born Confederate Maj. General Patrick R. Cleburne -- just off the shore of the Tannenbaum subdivision in Drasco, Arkansas.

From My Own Camera: Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean

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About 100 miles east of Florida, this picture was taken -- albeit, somewhat crookedly -- on a beach in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, some 12 years ago.

From My Own Camera: Beale Street

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A classic from the pre-digital camera era taken way past closing time --

Originally named Beale Avenue in 1841, this nearly two-mile stretch of downtown Memphis digressed into a dilapidated state by the 1970s, prompting some to call for the area to be flattened.  By the 1990s, however, city developers revitalized the district, turning this historic area into a tourist attraction and a point of civic pride that features Silky O'Sullivan's, New Daisy Theater, B.B. King's Blues Club, Hard Rock Cafe', Coyote Ugly, Rum Boogie Cafe', and the W.C. Handy ("Father of the Blues") House and Museum.

From My Own Camera: The Pyramid

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Completed in 1991, this 20,000-seat arena sits on the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown Memphis.  It measures 321 feet (about 32 stories), has a 5,000-lb. replica of Ramesses the Great overlooking Front St., and is the sixth largest pyramid-shaped structure in the world.

Having sat virtually dormant since the FedEx Forum opened in 2004, Bass Pro Shops recently signed a 55-year lease that will create a megastore along with other retail, restaurant, and office outlets.  A river museum and a plan to revitalize the nearby Pinch District is also said to be in the works.

From My Own Camera: Along the Mississippi River

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A view from Greenbelt Park, adjacent to Harbor Town, as a river barge approaches the Hernando de Soto Bridge, connecting Memphis to Arkansas.

From My Own Camera: Maplewood Farm

Although I'm hardly a professional, I have taken a few decent shots over the years. Inspired by the Iconic Shot series, I'm adding a new feature to the blog entitled, From My Own Camera.

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Maplewood Farm in Mason, Tennessee