Brad’s Video of the Day – “Step by Step” by the New Kids on the Block!

Posted on July 8, 2025 by Bradley Crain

It was the summer of 1990, my last summer as a high schooler, as I would be graduating in the spring of 1991. Our family headed out on vacation. We left Toad Suck, Arkansas on a trek that would eventually lead us to Pigeon Forge, TN. My dad loved to take the scenic route anywhere we went, so the five of us (dad, mom, Donnie, Pam and myself) would always take in a lot of beautiful sights along the way. The first night we stayed in the town of Fort Payne, Alabama, the home community of Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry, and Jeff Cook, better known as country music supergroup, Alabama. The second night we stayed in the community of Ela, North Carolina along a beautiful stream. On the third night, we arrived at our final destination in Pigeon Forge, where we’d spend a few extra days before heading back to Toad Suck. It didn’t matter where we stayed, though, because every night my sister Pam would control the remote and make us watch MTV. You see, we didn’t have cable television in Toad Suck, so this was Pam’s only chance to possibly catch a video of the group she was obsessed with, the New Kids on the Block, and their latest single “Step by Step.” It didn’t matter if the current program was Yo MTV Raps, my sister refused to let go of the remote for fear she would miss her hero, the pelvis thrusting Jordan Knight. Sitting on my deck tonight listening to crickets and watching deer, I started thinking about things I enjoy and those memories came back to me. I don’t care if I’m cool or not, but I sure did enjoy opening up YouTube and watching the “Step by Step” video this evening. I even shared it in my text group with my Mom, brother and sister. We’ve all enjoyed it tonight! Now it’s your turn! 😎🎶

Moments #24: A 4th of July Tradition: Blurry Firework Pictures!

Posted on July 4, 2025 by Dazzling Erin

Is there anything better than blurry pictures of fireworks on the 4th of July?

I don’t know but I do know that I always enjoy taking them. For me, they’re as much a part of the 4th as visiting with family and cooking out. In honor of the 4th, here are some of my favorite blurry fireworks pictures:

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Moments #23: The 4th of July In My Town

Posted on July 4, 2025 by Dazzling Erin

During the summer, from May to July, one of our local churches plants flags across the town and hangs ribbons on the street signs. It may not seem like much but it’s something that I look forward to every year. It’s reminder that we’re more than just a location. We’re a community.

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Moments #22: That Ugly Old Swing

Posted on June 10, 2025 by Dazzling Erin

This backyard swing may not have looked like much.

The first night in my current house, I stood in the kitchen and looked out the window at the backyard and I said, “That swing has got to go.” The wood looked old. The chain was rusted. It was an ugly old swing, left behind by the house’s former owners. It was easy to dismiss but, the first time I sat in that swing and I let the wind gently rock me back and forth, I fell in love with it.

It was my place to go if I was feeling down or if I just needed some time to myself. If the world was getting too chaotic or if I came home hating my job or cursing biology, I would sit on that swing and the gentle rocking would take all of my troubles.

That swing went from being an eyesore to being home.

A little over a year ago, our town got hit by a violent storm. Throughout the night, rain pounded on the roof, the wind shook the windows, thunder made the house tremble, and the flashes of lightning were so bright and frequent that I barely noticed that the power can gone out. In the morning, when the rain had finally become a drizzle, my sister and I stepped outside. Our backyard was flooded and littered with debris. Our neighbor’s tree had collapsed, smashing his fence and then crashing into our yard.

Underneath the tree were the crushed remains of the swing.

I was upset, even though I knew it was just something that no one could have controlled. I didn’t blame my neighbor. I certainly didn’t blame the tree. I didn’t even blame the storm. There was no one to blame. I guess we were lucky. If the tree had fallen in a different direction, it would have hit our house. If the cats had been outside, it could have fallen on them. When we cleaned up the backyard, we didn’t find any dead squirrels, birds, or possums under the tree. It could have been so much worse.

The man who lived across the street helped us to move the remains of the swing out of our backyard. We put it on the curb so that the city could pick it up. Because of the storm, the debris left by the storm were not picked up for three weeks. But the swing only lasted a day on the curb before someone — I don’t know who — picked it up. I take some comfort that someone took it, rather than it being tossed in a garbage truck. The swing is serving a purpose somewhere.

One year later, I still miss that ugly old swing. I guess I always will.

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Moments #21: Exploring The Back Yard Of An Abandoned House

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Dazzling Erin

I simply can’t resist the opportunity to explore an abandoned house. Check out this backyard!

A few weeks after I took these pictures, the city sent down a landscaping crew who mowed the grass and tossed out all of the tables and the chairs that had been left in the backyard. It made me sad watching them do it. I don’t know who once lived in that house or why they left their gate open but I’ve always wondered if they ever came back looking for their plastic chairs. Watching it all get tossed in a dumpster felt like the end of an era.

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Moments #20: The Statues Of SMU

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Dazzling Erin

I used to enjoy walking around the campus of SMU on the weekend and taking pictures. Here are a few that I’ve always liked. The first two are of SMU mustangs, which were done by an artist named Miley Frost. Below the mustangs are two pictures of the statue of SMU’s football legend, Doak Walker.

Architecturally, the SMU campus is pretty boring but I’ve always liked these two statues. The Mustangs are wild. Doak is disciplined and determined. They represent something more than just a college.

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Me, our kids, and ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD!

Posted on March 27, 2025 by Bradley Crain

It’s kind of a strange thing to say, but watching Quentin Tarantino films has become a special family affair at my house. I shared in a previous post that my son and I drove about 4 hours to Dallas to attend the “Roadshow” version of THE HATEFUL EIGHT back in 2015.

Taking my love of movies on down the road (Part 1) – THE HATEFUL EIGHT 2015 Roadshow

Well, back in 2019, our family was on a vacation in Perdido Key, FL when ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD was released. Of course we planned to go see it on one of the days while we were there. None of us wanted to have to wait an extra week to see the movie. So, in between days on the beach, visiting the local golf courses and showing off our putt-putt golf skills, we made our way to a theater over in Pensacola to see Quentin’s latest. We loved it!! I didn’t get a picture at the theater, but afterwards I took the kids to a restaurant to have a dinner of fresh seafood by the ocean. I snapped the picture below after we finished up.

That was a wonderful day, and it centered around the love of a family and an excitement and appreciation for Quentin Tarantino. Happy Birthday, Mr. Tarantino!

Moments #18: Downtown Richardson, In The Rain by Erin Nicole

Posted on February 3, 2025 by Dazzling Erin

I took these pictures of downtown Richardson, Texas on a rainy evening many years ago. I stood out in the rain and got soaked but I didn’t care because I had my camera and I was capturing the moment. The downtown might not look like much but there was a comforting familiarity to it that I loved. Sadly, many of these buildings are gone now. The downtown has been rebuilt and modernized but I’ll always think of it as being the way it was.

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Happy 63rd Birthday, Jim Carrey! The ACE VENTURA (1994) montage sequence that made me a fan!

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Bradley Crain

How many of you remember something specific that you did on February 9th, 1994? I do! I was sitting in a movie theater in Conway, Arkansas watching the goofy Jim Carrey comedy ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE. I already knew he was a funny guy based on his various appearances on the sketch comedy show IN LIVING COLOR. I also remember seeing him in that vampire comedy ONCE BITTEN (1985) with Lauren Hutton when I was in junior high. To be honest though, when I was watching ONCE BITTEN in the mid-80’s, I was much more interested in Lauren’s character than I was in Jim’s. On this particular day in February of 1994, I was more interested in being at the theater because I had a major crush on the girl that was there with me. I figured the movie would be pretty silly, but that’s okay because I don’t mind silly comedies when they’re done right. Admittedly, I was also curious to see if Jim Carrey could actually carry a film by himself, and if the film would be as funny as the trailers I had seen.

I had settled in and was enjoying this film, when the montage shared below appeared on-screen, accompanied by Aerosmith’s “Line Up.” At the very end of the montage, when Ace Ventura resorts to chloroform to slow down the Dolphin player on the track, I probably laughed harder in the theater than I ever had up to that point in my life. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as hard since either. The stars had all aligned and for that moment, I thought Jim Carrey was the funniest person on earth. Enjoy!

Moments #17: A Spider Does What It Can

Posted on January 6, 2025 by Dazzling Erin

On a sunny day last November, I stepped outside and spotted something in the upper corner of the garage door.

One spider was working hard to spin a web.

You’ll have to forgive the quality of some of the images. The spider was too busy to stop and pose while I took its picture.

I went on a walk and when I came back an hour later, both the spider and its web were gone. It was a windy day so I imagine the web only lasted a few minutes before it was blown away. I’m glad the wind took care of it for me but I hope the spider knows that I was impressed with its hard work.

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