A Little Name Dropping and Mr. Tornado

Saturday, July 17, 2010 - David W. Ryan

Friday night coming back from Harrisonburg covering the big Triangle, CCI, McCartney court case, I stopped off on Elliot Road to visit Chris Ryan and family. When I got ready to leave, it had started to rain hard, then really hard; but I hurried out to my car anyway.

Of course, I got drenched but worst of all – my feet were wet and can’t stand for my feet to get wet. Anyway, I slowly and clumsily get my car turned around and headed to Highway 124.

I get to the highway ready to drive up and turn left and I honestly can’t see five feet in front of me. I sit there maybe 30 seconds trying to decide if maybe I should return back to Chris’ house or push on. Suddenly, as if the wind wasn’t blowing hard enough, I was hit by this hard gust of wind, quickly followed by another. Debris was raining down and hit my car with thuds and clanks.

I was SCARED!

My little cougar was just rocking and buoying like nothing I had ever felt. Chris said later it was a good thing I was in the car or it would have just flown away. Funny now, but at the time I heard no laughter just the wind as it picked up intensity and was steady.  It looked and felt like a scene from the weather channel where that idiot reporter is standing in the middle of a hurricane with trees bent over to their roots and the wind is blowing about 100 miles an hour.

Well I am that idiot now and I had to do something; right, wrong, or otherwise.

Looking at the pine trees gave me the idea to back up behind the line of the trees which would act like a barrier and at least provide me with a little protection. Well that was a great idea for about two seconds when all the pine cones, tree limbs, and whatever else started bombarding me and my little car.

If I was scared before, what was I now?

The only time I could really see was when one of those horrific lightning strikes would illuminate the sky and on the next one I caught something out of the corner of my right eye. Somebody had just jumped up on my passenger side window!

I slapped the car in drive and punched the gas. I was gone…

Turns out Chris and the family knew it was a tornado going overhead as they watched me from the window until a couple of loud booms and pops sent them scurrying to the hall way with pillows. The back door flew open and when Chris went to close it, he said it looked like something from the movie Twister as debris was flying by him sideways.  And he said the sound a tornado makes is just unmistakable.

We hear on the radio a few minutes later, there was a tornado that went through the area with some trampolines blown over, lots of tree damage with limbs everywhere, windows busted out and such.

Oh yeah, about that person who jumped up on my window. Turns out it was the Ryan Family dog Wynn Dixie. Yes, that is really the dog’s name, and yes when she jumped on my window all I could see was the silhouette of one of those old fishermen dudes with the yellow hat on. Well it’s true!

Name Dropping…

I want to start first with R&L Computers, which is moving into the Odom Shopping Center in the old tax building. Mr. Ross said he was downsizing since few people took advantage of the classes they were teaching.

“So we are going to do what we do best; repair, upgrade, network, and sell custom built systems,” Mr. Ross said, “We will still be providing the same quality service and products that we always have.”

Another move of note is Chuck Edwards Accounting which use to lease an office out on Highway 84 in the same office with Catahoula Insurance. Chuck has bought Dr. Jimmie Jones old dentist office on the corner of Mound and Third Street. I bet I still get nervous going to see Chuck and Mrs. Carroll.

A few days ago I saw Mrs. Mildred Huffman who owns the old Dairy Queen building that Mr. China was going to open a Chinese restaurant in by July1st. She said the plans are still on go just a lot of paper work and clean up and such.

If you haven’t noticed the old Purvis Building located across Highway 84 from the Y Not Stop convenience store is getting a modern looking facelift with lots of front glass windows and doors. Saw Russell Purvis at court Friday and he still has three tenants but more will follow with the new look. Of course I think the ultimate goal may be to sell the building to the Historical Society and they make a museum out of the whole building one day.

Speaking of the Historical Society, Bill Atkins the group’s president, said there is a renewed interest and push in the Native American mounds and it is coming from both sides. The Methodist Church has one of the nine mounds connected to the Great Mound. There is a partial mound by Trinity Presbyterian Church plus the one owned by the Charles Craddock family. The Archeology Conservancy which bought Mound #4 is interested in buying them all and preserving the sites.

While on that subject I was talking with Mike and Winnard Bennett about having a Great Mound fundraising event in front of the fire station. We want to raise enough money to post a nice sign on the Great Mound replica site. Nothing more than swapping ideas when Mike stops me in mid-sentence and says, “How are they going to mow that Mound?”

Hmmmmmmm…all that popped in my mind were those dudes you see with rope tied to the handle of a small push mower when they mow some of those bluffs in Natchez in front of houses and such. They lower the mower down from the top and then pull it back up. Is it too late to put Astroturf on that thing?

Don’t look now, but Gumbeaux’s is gone.  Yes the weekend party place has reverted back to the Chitlin’s name.  Located next to the old Dairy Queen I just cannot understand how this exquisite building can go through so many unsuccessful changes. It has had some great people working there with some great food and drink. For a while they were renting it out for $175 a day.

Sheila Cooper Goeggle Mason (whew, I’m out of breath) told me they were doing great with that concept and had booked some weddings and several wedding receptions.  I kid you not on the weddings.

Just got a message from Sheila and she says they still rent it out. So if you've got a big party, wedding, reception, family reunion or what have you, give Sheila a call at 318-403-0181 to book it.

I'll try to drop a few more names next week...