Southern Living Demolition Derby

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Thursday, October 08, 2009
This is Southern Living. This is southern living.

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The new, improved Southern Living Magazine.

Timeless southern living at the 2009 Henry County Fair Demolition Derby. Micheal with 1st place trophy.

Miranda Lanzillotti Time Inc. Lifestyle PR Group sent me the October issue of the new, improved Southern Living Magazine hoping I would blog about it. Thanks Miranda.

Stockbrige Emission Center made me an honorary member of the Demolition Derby Pit Crew. Thanks Bill, Jason, Lamar, Micheal, and Rick. What a great week!

So here is my man-blog review of 2 kinds of southern living.

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Remember the Stockbridge Emission Center Pusher Car? No?  Here you go:

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My Stockbridge Emission Center buds converted their pusher car for demolition. It's for a good cause: helping promote the Kiwanis Club sponsored Henry County Georgia Fair and the opportunity to win $500. Nice intimidating tu-tone  paint job:

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Southern Living Magazine - the gift
I've been scanning Southern Living since the very first issue in 1966. My dad was a gentleman farmer and got Progressive Farmer. I think my mom suggested we switch to Southern Living (same publisher). So I've been scanning Southern Living for 43 years. Right now my kids' Grandma gets it so I scan it on family visits. Grandma always invites to take it home.

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The great thing about the magazine: If you read it long enough, you find a home, an event, a restaurant, a shop, a personality, right in your own neighborhood. I don't know if they've covered the Henry County Fair yet,  but they just might.

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Before the Derby, the crowd got aquatinted with the cars and drivers.

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Southern Living Magazine - the scan
I've developed my scanning routine. Feeling a little sleepy-eyed from Grandpa's huge dinner - often including dumplings and chocolate pie - I head for the sofa and grab the latest issue. I do a straight front to back page scan mostly looking for colors, places, and food that catch my eye, and places I'm familiar with.

Then I go back and read the articles that interest me. Usually there are an handful of pictures that I show to the wife, kids, and anyone else in the room. They humor me and say, "That's nice Terry."

Southern Living Magazine - the dog-ear
On my second time through, I dog-ear the pages I want to follow up in person or on the Internet.

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The drivers meeting was serious. I mean they are going to crash cars on purpose, man. But these guys were about to have one of the best times of their lives.

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The crowd started moving up from the midway, the rides, the corndogs, the livestock auction. There were far more than I can show in the picture. They were ready for a good time.

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The big machine made a pen from New Jersey Barriers. The derby cars drove in and the machine sealed the pen behind them. You can see the Stockbridge Pusher blur its way in.

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Southern Living Magazine followup
Last month there was a landscape article about a tiny yard in Midtown Atlanta. I dog-eared the page. When I got home I Googled the homeonwer, the landscape architect, and tried to find the house in Bing.com. I found the owner and architect but couldn't find the house. So the next day I did a drive-by and there it was. I'd driven by it 100's of times. Southern Living helped me to look more closely.

Just like the magazine? Yes and no. The yard wasn't freshly manicured but still looked great and tiny. The house looked better in person. Seeing the house in context with it's neighbors and from different angles is something you just can't get in pictures.

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The cars were sealed up in the pen, noses to the wall.

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Then we had 9 minutes of real southern living ecstacy: roaring engines, belching smoke, red mud flinging, powing, banging, and crunching, the crowd sreaming and squealing with delight...

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Until the only car still moving was the Stockbridge Emission Center Pusher Car! But it was a little muddy.

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Southern Living Magazine is now thicker with more stuff
I'll need a bit more scan time at Grandmas to get through it. Here is what caught my eye this time:

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So Jason took the trophy

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The whole team celebrated...

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And while some competitors didn't fare so well

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The winning Pusher Car rode home in honor.

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