(Click on the descriptions to see the photos. After viewing photo, click on back arrow to return to menu. Also note that many of the small images on the right-hand side of the page are clickable links. Please be patient while this file loads.)

        Disclaimer

        1. Miscellaneous Photos from 1880 to 2005
        2. Miscellaneous Travel Photos from 1992 to 2005
        3. Miscellaneous Local Photos from 1992 to 2005
        4. Photos from 2004 and Early 2005
        5. Photos from Summer 2005
        6. Experimental Editing of Some of the Photos Above
        7. The Decline of the Eastern Section of Birmingham
        8. Photos from Late Summer 2005
        9. Photos from Warren and Carol's Florida Trip, August 2005
        10. Hurricane Katrina Aftermath
        11. Animals and Dancing at the Birmingham Zoo, September 17, 2005
        12. Hurricane Rita Aftermath
        13. Sarah's Dance and Vocal Pictures
        14. Sean Goff's Struggle with Cystic Fibrosis
        Click here to See Volume Two of Family Photos.

        Click here to see Volume Two of the Photo Album. These photos start with September of 2006.


        Photos from 1880 to 2005

        This 1880 picture is Zephaniah Baruch Harvey, one of Carol's Texas ancestors. (Look how big this old cowboy's hands are.)
        This 1885 picture is one of Carol's Tate ancestors from the area around Livingston, Cuba, and York.
        This picture of Thomas Francis O'Rourke was made about 1900.
        This 1914 photo shows D.F. as a baby being held by his father.
        This 1917 photo shows Carol's grandfather in a World War One doughboy's uniform.
        This picture of Michael Vincent O'Rourke -- my grandfather -- was made about 1920.
        Stockman O'Rourke -- D.F.'s brother -- wins the 1929 Duncan Yo-Yo Contest for the City of Mobile.
        A 1931 photo of Michael Francis O'Rourke at age 17.
        This picture of Warren Francis O'Rourke was made about 1941, just weeks before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
        This picture of Mimi and Warren was made in 1942.
        Carol's costume for a recital in 1944.
        Here's another 1944 photo of Carol.
        Behold! The 1946 fleaweight shadow-boxing champion!
        Carol's three-year-old dance class in the Spring of 1947.
        Bonnie and Warren Francis in 1947.
        Carol at her 1947 four-year-old dance recital.
        Warren and Kathleen on Biloxi Beach, 1948.
        This photo of Thelma was made about 1949.
        W.F.O. posing in D.F.'s 1949 Ford.
        Carol posed for this photo about 1950, just after Crestwood Boulevard cut off a big chunk of her backyard.
        Carol and her Daddy Bill in 1951.
        Carol at Easter of 1951.
        Bill Harvey drove this new Buick everywhere in 1951, even down to the waterline on Panama City Beach.
        You can clearly see Carol and Linda Plunkett in the lower right corner of this partially restored photo of a 1951 dance class at Willow Wood Park.
        This photo of Bill Harvey is from a job interview about 1952.
        Grandpa Taylor had his picture made in 1953.
        "The Girls" graduate from Minnie Holman in 1956.


        These are the Harvey aunts and uncles about 1960. Carol's father is the man second from the right.
        Here's a picture of Carol at a 1963 Alpha Phi party at the University.
        Carol and Warren in 1967.
        This was Michael's very first baby picture.
        Michael's first girlfriend arrived on the scene in 1970.
        By 1971 three-year-old Michael was already interested in Elvis.
        Here are Mimi and D.F. ready to go to the 1978 Krewe of Kolumbus Mardis Gras Ball.


        The 1986 Ringling Brothers Clowns posed for this picture at the Birmingham Civic Center.

        This picture was taken in 1998 when Jacob was in Miss Joseph's first grade class at St. Barnabas.
        Sarah O'Rourke in 1998.
        Kathleen and Sarah clowning around in the old neighborhood. (c. 1999)
        Jacob (age 7), Anna Rowland, and Jacob Booth at 1999 St. Barnabas Soccer Camp.
        Jacob (age 7) at 1999 Soccer Camp. Just beyond the mountain in the background is Shades Valley High School.
        Jacob in the goal at the 1999 St. Barnabas Soccer Camp.
        The coaches at the soccer camp were young professional players from Europe.
        Jacob (age 7) and three friends at 1999 St. Barnabas Soccer Camp.


        The pool where the kids learned to swim looks the same in 2005 as it did in 1999.
        Sarah (age 5) and Shelby Vaught on Jeff State patio after swim class.
        Michael is watching Sarah and Shelby as they posed for the previous photo.
        Sarah at 1999 Jeff State Swim Class. Sarah and her then best friend Shelby were acting silly after swim class.
        Jacob's first swimming lesson.



        Black and white version of previous photo.
        Sarah learns to float in the pool.
        Sarah by moonlight. Halloween, 2001.
        Sarah and friends in lunchroom. Early spring, 2005.
        The 2005 Fifth Grade Field Trip for Clay Elementary School LRC Students.
        Sarah and Lauren at NASA in Spring of 2005.
        On the trip home from NASA and Camp Cosby.
        In 2005 campers play sensitivity games. Whatever happened to Capture the Flag?
        In 2005 cThe church Carol attended during the Civil Rights Movement.>
        Jake, Sarah and the Scarecrow.
        Carol, Jake, and Sarah posing with a scarecrow just before Halloween 2005.
        Here's Jacob in the large kitchen at Huffman Merhodist.
        . . .and here is Pops, the grouchy old man, as he looked in September of 2005. This photo was shot at Phillips Photo in Tarrant by the owner. . .who was using my camera to illustrate the point that the photographer is more important than the equipment he uses. The old boy must have been right because this is just about the only recent picture of me that I can stand to look at.


        Return to top of page.


        Miscellaneous Travel Photos from 1992 to 2005

        The Nashville South Central Bell Building is also known as the "Batman Building. You can see this building from many miles away, so you can use it for a landmark when traveling in Nashville.
        The classy front entrance to University School of Nashville as it looked when Thom first went to work there.
        Statue of Athena in replica of Parthenon in Nashville's Liberty Park. The winged figure standing in the palm of Athena's right hand is a life-size human figure. The main statue of Athena is about 60 feet tall.
        Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, Alabama Coming back to Birmingham after visiting Thom in Nashville, we stopped off in Cullman to see the Grotto.
        Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga. This is one of the auditoriums where Sarah performed solos "on the big stage."


        Marina Civic Center Auditorium in Panama City. This is where Sarah performed vocal and dance solos in Applause Nationals.
        Two pelicans went flying past our hotel one morning.
        A doomed sandcastle.
        Standard view of Lover's Leap at Lookout Mountain. Chattanooga lies in the valley below.
        A riverside view of the hotel where we stayed in Gatlinburg.
        During the Civil War, Fort Gaines was one of the two forts guarding the mouth of Mobile Bay.
        Another view of Fort Gaines.


        Return to top of page.


        A View of Dog River Where It Enters Mobile Bay.
        What You Might Catch in Mobile Bay.
        Pelicans on Pilings in Mobile Bay.
        The Battleship Alabama is docked permanently in the Mobile River.
        The intersection of Dauphin and Royal Streets makes Mobile look a little like New Orleans.


        Wintzell's Oyster Bar on Dauphin Street in Mobile.
        Another view of the interior of Wintzell's Oyster Bar on Dauphin Street.
        Front view of Main Branch of the Mobile Public Library.
        This cemetery is located right behind the Main Branch of the Mobile Public Library.
        Bob and Linda Shipp's son owns this restaurant.
        The Dew Drop Inn on Old Shell Road.


        The Avenue of Oaks at Spring Hill College leads up to a genuine ante-bellum mansion.
        Typical view of the famous live oak trees in Old Mobile.
        The Alabama Shakespeare Festival Theater at Montgomery.
        The President's Mansion at the University of Alabama.
        Bryant-Denny Stadium.


        Return to top of page.


        Miscellaneous Local Photos from 1992 to 2005

        Downtown Birmingham.
        Where We Go to See Broadway Shows.
        Looking east down First Avenue towards Woodlawn and Eastwood Mall area.
        Here's the house in Crestwood/Woodlawn where Carol took piano lessons.
        Carol's childhood home on Eighth Terrace.
        The lake at East Lake Park.
        Two nearly grown ducks in East Lake Park.
        A close-up view of Vulcan.
        You're almost home when you see that horizon.
        The Cahaba River is only a mile or so from our house in Clay.
        "There's llamas in them there hills!"


        There's also a flock of Canada geese living on our lake.
        More members of the Cosby Lake Goose Gang.
        View of the building where Pops was teaching in 2005.
        The main building of the Jeff State Campus in Shelby County.
        The lake at the Scrushy Campus of Jefferson State.
        View of the library at Jefferson State Community College.
        Ramsay High School.
        The Storyteller Fountain at Five Points South.
        Another view of the Storyteller.
        Just inside the main gate of Samford University.
        Sometimes it really snows around here.
        A snowstorm in our old neighborhood in Center Point.


        Return to top of page.


        Another snowy spot in Birmingham.


        In Trussville, the motels have nice lobbies. . .
        . . .and very nice dining rooms.
        What Clay and Trussville houses are like.
        In 2004 Michael moved into Georgebrook.
        The street where Michael lives.
        Here's the front of Michael's house.

        Front view of our house in Polo Downs on a summer afternoon.
        Looking down our street toward the mountains.
        A view of the lake in our neighborhood.
        Another view of our lake.
        Still another view of the lake.
        This is a view of the other lake across Old Springville Road.
        Here's another view of Shadow Lake.
        Where we usually shop for groceries.
        Another place to shop for groceries.
        Our first house in Center Point -- a bit run-down these days!
        Our second house in Center Point still looks pretty good. . .


        and our old neighbor's house across the street still looks pretty good. . .
        . . .and even Thelma and Bill's old house still looks fine, but. . .banana trees?
        View of front of Huffman United Methodist Church.
        A side view of Huffman United Methodist Church.


        Return to top of page.


        Photos from 2004 and early 2005

        Christian Holt, age 13.
        A meeting at Jubilee Academy.
        Christian Holt, Christmas 2004.
        Another view of Christian Holt, Christmas 2004.
        Thom dressed for Christmas, 2004.
        Jacob and his acoustic guitar, 2004.


        Black and white version of previous photo.
        Jacob and Sarah during the spring of 2004.
        Sarah on a windy Sunday afternoon.
        Kathleen and Carol at the Grand Hotel.
        Trees like this live oak are usually four hundred years old or older.
        Another view of the tree in the previous photo.


        View of the main dining room at the Grand Hotel.

        KK at the Grand Hotel.
        Jacob at the Grand Hotel.
        Carol, Pops and KK.
        Sarah and Carol at the Grand Hotel.
        Sarah and a fellow fifth-grader.
        Sarah in early 2005.


        Return to top of page.


        Photos from Summer 2005

        Sarah and Colin watching an Elmo video.
        Sarah, age 11.
        Jacob, age 13.
        Another photo of Jacob, age 13.
        Colin Kennedy just before his second birthday.


        Tucker White and his wife at the famous Gumbo Party of 2005.
        Thom and Leslie at the Gumbo Party.
        Leslie and her husband at the Gumbo Party.
        Andy, his wife, and his son. . .at the famous Gumbo Party.
        New Orleans Viewed from Twenty Miles Out in the Lake.


        Return to top of page.



        On Decatur Street, just outside Cafe du Monde, a street musician plays traditional New Orleans jazz.
        Jake flirts with a bronze girl in the patio just behind the Cafe du Monde.
        Jake and the Zombie.
        In 2005 we stayed at the Hotel Royal at the corner of Royal Street and St. Philip Street.
        Another view of the hotel.


        Courtyard entrance to Hotel Royal.
        View of hotel courtyard from second floor.
        View of hotel second floor from courtyard.

        Jackson Square artist doing drawing of Sarah and Jacob.
        Another view of the previous scene.
        Preservation Hall, the home of impromptu jam sessions by old-time jazz musicians.
        The Balcony of Ferns.

        This building has been in use for 200 years.
        Another view of previous scene.

        Brennan's Restaurant on Royal Street is in a 210-year-old building!
        Another 200-year-old building on Bourbon Street.
        In 2005, this building was 211 years old.
        Jacob and Sarah outside a Bourbon Street dive.


        Return to top of page.


        Mike Anderson's Seafood Restaurant. An upscale New Orleans restaurant.
        Jake and Sarah waiting for our table at Mike Anderson's.)
        Breakfast at Cafe du Monde.
        Beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde, 2005.
        Typical view of Lafayette Cemetery #1, an old cemetery in the Garden District of New Orleans.


        An Empty Tomb. Messers Nichols, Brooks, and Elliot were buried in the same in-the-earth grave during the 1880's. The underground water has dissolved everything that was ever in that grave. That's why nearly all burials in New Orleans are above ground.
        Clowning around at "Gerhardt's" grave in Lafayette Cemetery #1. This cemetery is just across the street from Commander's Palace Restaurant.
        Jake discovers an escaping ghost.
        Pops finds a fresh flower on a very old tomb.
        Two very fancy "Angel Graves."
        Another view inside the cemetery.


        Return to top of page.


        Another view inside the cemetery. Notice that even though no one has been buried in this grave since the middle of the Civil War, some unknown person has placed fresh flowers on the grave in the background.


        A Little Civil War Era History.

        There are four people buried in the Sewell grave: an Irish immigrant who became a wealthy man in New Orleans, his wife, their only son, and a fellow Irish immigrant. Apparently, Mr.Sewell had fled to Shreveport to avoid trouble with the Yankees occupying New Orleans. In May of 1864 Sewell died in Shreveport leaving his wife Theresa alone in New Orleans. A few days later, Theresa received more bad news: the Sewell's only child, Corporal William Washington Sewell, C.S.A., a member of the famous New Orleans regiment known as the Washington Artillery -- that's right, you guessed it. Twenty-two-year-old William was killed in the Battle of New Hope Church. Poor Theresa lost both her husband and her only child within a few days. (Click here for a closer look at the inscription.)


        Across the street from Lafayette Cemetery is a very upscale restaurant -- Commander's Palace.
        Jacob and Sarah after lunch at Commander's Palace.
        A view of Carol taking the photo just above.
        Jacob and Sarah on the balcony of our room in the Hotel Royale.
        Another angle of Jacob and Sarah on the balcony of our room in the Hotel Royale.


        Return to top of page.


        The Natchez tied up to the pier where she is usually docked.
        The Natchez out in the middle of the Mississippi River.
        Waiting to go on a riverboat ride.
        Waiting on the levee to board the Riverboat Natchez.
        Black and white version of previous photo.


        Jacob and Grand. (Summer 2005)
        Black and white version of previous photo.
        View of downtown New Orleans as the riverboat heads downstream towards the Gulf.
        Site of the Battle of New Orleans.
        View of riverfront from the deck of the Natchez.


        View of the levee and the French Quarter from the deck of the Riverboat Natchez.
        Buying more film after the riverboat ride.
        Sarah sitting on the edge of fountain on St. Peter's Street. (July, 2005)

        The St. Charles Avenue Trolley driver.
        The St. Charles Avenue Trolley.


        Return to top of page.


        Black and white version of previous photo.
        Riding the trolley down St. Charles Avenue.
        Black and white version of previous photo.
        Famous alumni of this public school in the French Quarter include Ellen Degeneres,
        Richard Simmons, and Lee Harvey Oswald.
        The sign on the school building reads
        as follows: "Anyone who commits the crime of carrying a firearm in a school or on
        a school bus will be imprisoned at hard labor for not more than one year."


        This was where Faulkner lived in 1925.
        Plaque on house in Pirate's Alley where Faulkner wrote his first novel.
        There is a bookstore in the Faulkner House in Pirate's Alley.


        The Cabildo Museum is just to the left of the Cathedral. Pirate's Alley runs between the Cabildo and the Cathedral.
        Napoleon's Death Mask, one of the most interesting displays in the Cabildo.
        Local artist at work inside Jackson Square.
        A view of St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, 2005.
        Another view of St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, 2005.


        Return to top of page.


        Looking up the length of Bourbon Street towards downtown New Orleans.
        Just before we started the long drive home, we visited Magazine Street.
        Jacob and Sarah after three days in New Orleans.
        Jacob O., just back from New Orleans, Summer 2005.
        Jacob and Sarah just back from New Orleans, Summer 2005.
        Just back from New Orleans, Jacob and Sarah are reunited with Freckles.


        Freckles thinks he should be the star of a dog show.
        Black and white version of previous photo.
        Mario always manages to stare straight into the flash.
        Sylvia at Gatlinburg.
        Sylvia's photo of Jacob and Freckles.


        Freckles thinks he should be the star of a dog show.
        Black and white version of previous photo.
        Sylvia's photo of Jacob playing his electric guitar.


        Return to top of page.


        Experimental Editing of Some of the Above Photos

        Unused Logos.
        More Unused Logos.
        Still More Unused Logos.
        That's Right! Even More Unused Logos.
        And here are some more!.
        And here's another page of logos!.
        And here's still another page of logos!.
        There is no such thing as too many logos!.
        Some more logos!.
        And the logos just keep coming!.
        Here's four more!.

        Jacob Plays The Blues.
        A smiling Sarah!
        What I think Freckles is really thinking!
        Dance Scrapbook Cover?
        Sarah in a garden by a river.



        Sarah in a fancy frame.
        Sometimes Sarah has a hard time smiling.
        Images of Jake's two guitars.
        They are looking for their daddy, but he doesn't answer the doorbell.
        Who knows what shadowy creatures lurk in the depths of our neighborhood lake?
        Have you ever heard the legend of the Great White Shark of Lake Purdy?


        Return to top of page.


        The Decline of the Eastern Section of Birmingham

        The Eastern Section of Birmingham includes such areas as Woodlawn, East Lake, Roebuck, Huffman, Center Point, and Tarrant. These once pleasant places show obvious signs of decline as the more affluent residents move away to places like Trussville and Clay. The pictures in this section will make it clear why we moved out to Clay.
        Graffiti on the wall of an abandoned church in East Lake.
        Graffiti on the wall of the abandoned HQ hardware store in Center Point.
        More graffiti on the wall of the abandoned HQ hardware store in Center Point. The Spanish claims that "this place belongs to Cuban President Fidel Castro." Notice also that the design includes an anchor, an octopus, and a crudely drawn swatika.
        A view of the abandoned Eastwood Mall.
        Graffiti on the back wall of the empty Food World store next to Huffman High School.
        Just down the sidewalk from the Food World, a Walmart closed its doors and left the neighborhood.
        Abandoned factory near Tarrant.
        Twenty years ago East Lake was a nice place to live, but not any more.


        Graffiti on the back of a Center Point house.
        Graffiti on the back wall of the empty Food World store on Carson Road.
        By August 9, 2005, our Food World was being sold at auction.
        And our movie theater closed.
        And our Burger King closed.


        And -- only 200 yards away from Wild Bill's -- we got another video gambling parlor.
        And just 100 yards away from Wild Bill's is our third video gambling parlor.
        And our "soul food" restaurant was closed.
        And the liquor store was totally destroyed.


        Return to top of page.


        Photos from Late Summer 2005

        (In July, Hurricane Dennis headed toward the Alabama Coast. Kathleen, George, Charlotte, Colin, Sylvia and Arlen all headed up to Birmingham to ride out the storm. The storm was windy and noisy when it passed through Birmingham, but we had no real damage.)
        One way to wait for a hurricane.
        Meanwhile, down on the coast. . .
        Dauphin Island had not yet recovered from Hurricane Ivan in October 2004. . .and here comes another storm. . .(Ivan cut a fifty yard wide channel across the island, puched some houses down onto the beach, and blew some house entirely into the Gulf.)
        Another way to wait for a hurricane.
        Colin teaching Christian a hurricane party game.
        Colin and Michael ignoring the storm.


        And there was plenty to try to ignore!!!!
        There was plenty of damage on Dauphin Island.
        The wind is whistling outside, but Colin is making Michael sit in a laundry basket.


        Colin is not afraid of a hurricane.
        Black and white version of previous photo.
        Meanwhile, there really is something to worry about. . .
        Sylvia and Freckles pretending not to worry about the storm.
        Waiting for the hurricane was wearing everybody down.


        Thom arriving for the big Gumbo Party.
        Thom (his tummy now full of gumbo) is getting ready to head back to Nashville.


        Return to top of page.


        Photos from Carol and Warren's Florida Trip, August 2005

        We always wanted to stay at the Edgewater Beach, so on our 40th anniversary we did!
        Here's what our suite looked like from the beach.
        The view from the front door of our suite.
        The view from the end of the balcony in front of our suite.
        The beach at Edgewater Beach.


        Return to top of page.


        After years of passing by this famous steak restaurant, we finally gave it a try.
        We also ate at Captain Anderson's.
        Down on the beach, the weather was wonderful; but here's a seagull waiting for something to happen.
        Another seagull standing and waiting for the storm.
        Two little girls on Panama City Beach.
        Carol in the surf with a cup full of seashells.


        Carol and a Sandpiper Sharing the Beach.
        Carol with her seashell cup.
        Carol basking in the mid-day sun.
        A view from near our room looking west down the beach toward Seaside, Florida.
        Saturday afternoon we went to Seaside, Florida.


        Return to top of page.


        Another view of Seaside, Florida.
        A beautiful sunset at Edgewater Beach.
        Another beautiful sunset at Edgewater Beach.
        A westward bound thunderstorm came close to land Saturday night.
        Another view of the westward bound thunderstorm.
        Still another beautiful sunset at Edgewater Beach.
        Even 24 hours before Katrina came ashore, the weather was beautiful.
        Warren standing in the surf.


        Another view of Pops in the surf.
        Three pelicans headed for Hurricane Katrina.
        People fishing about 24 hours before the storm came ashore.
        What Katrina's surf was like 350 miles to the east and 24 hours before the storm struck New Orleans.
        Here's some damage done by the shifting sands.
        How the surf from distant Katrina moved the beach sand around.


        Return to top of page.


        Freckles sleeping during Katrina.
        Roxy-Cujo and Freckles during Katrina.
        When the storm came ashore at New Orleans, the destruction was terrible.
        And then the levees began to break.
        Food for Thought about Floods.
        There were several hundred deaths in the city of New Orleans.
        This office building collapsed into a parking lot.
        Downed trees and limbs in the Garden District.
        This apartment had nice large rooms, but it's missing a wall now.


        This fancy church was wrecked by Katrina.
        A wrecked live oak tree.
        The National Guard in Audubon Park.
        Garbage piling up on St. Charles Avenue.
        Two weeks after it went down, this crashed rescue chopper was still sitting where it fell.
        Thousands of homes like these were destroyed in southern Louisiana and eastern Texas during the recent storms.
        Halfway between Mobile and New Orleans, Biloxi caught hell from Katrina.
        Here's how the previous view looked before Katrina struck.
        But even more than 200 miles away at Mobile, the flooding was incredible. (This photo and the following photos of flooding in Mobile were sent to me by Kelly Torp Kiss, a niece from Mobile.)


        The downtown post office in Mobile was flooded.
        Bankhead Tunnel on Government Street about to fill up with water.
        A flooded parking lot on Government Street.
        Old City Hall and Jail.
        Another view of the old City Hall and the Jail.



        Flooding at the foot of Government Street.
        There was even serious damage over in Florida when Katrina came ashore.
        A domestic refugee from Hurricane Katrina.
        Another view of Roxy-Cujo.
        Jacob in early September, 2005.
        Black and white version of previous photograph.
        Jake had a couple of the guys over to celebrate turning fourteen.


        Jake is thinking over what it means to be 14.
        Mario is thinking over what it means to be a "made" cat in the Mafia.
        Why are these guys staring at a refrigerator?
        Does pizza encourage the growth of the brain?
        An analogy to how many blondes it takes to change a light bulb. How many geniuses. . .
        Jacob and Jonathan Gurley getting ready to rock.


        Return to top of page.



        We were at the zoo on Saturday, September 19, 2005, as part of Beverly's Dance Unlimited Show. Sarah sang one of her solos. I also walked around the zoo shooting pictures of the animals.

        A proud peacock.
        Macaws do most of the greeting of visitors.
        No show at Beverly's would ever get off the ground without Skip to get the sound system working.
        A bored cheetah.
        Miss Lisa, who is Sarah's vocal teacher.


        An alert meercat.
        Sarah singing a solo at the zoo.
        Another view of Sarah singing the zoo.
        A really big pelican!
        A gorgeous Scarlet Ibis.


        Arctic foxes are tiny little beasts with big ears.
        Two little cuties clogging at the zoo.
        One of the Birmingham Zoo's famous sea lions.
        An elephant with high self-esteem.


        Return to top of page.


        An angry baboon.
        Miss Beverly in a classic pose.
        A disgusting turkey vulture.
        This python was pressing against the glass wall of his cage.
        A cute red panda.


        Checking out the chicks at the zoo.
        A hungry white tiger.
        Michael and his children jawing at the birds.
        A really big lion.
        A gazing giraffe.
        But Jacob and Sarah also gazed at the giraffe for a while.
        Three on a String playing to raise money for Hurricane katrina victims.


        Return to top of page.


        In the 12 months from September 2004 to September 2005, we have been visited by Ivan, Dennis, Katrina, and Rita. Rita came ashore between Beaumont, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana, in the wee hours of September 24. The storm was over 300 miles wide!

        Here's where Rita came ashore. (Houston and Galveston are just to the west of the area depicted in this map; New Orleans is just to the east. So there was also damage in the greater Houston area; and, unfortunately, the levees in New Orleans failed again and re-flooded large portions of the city.)
        This is the actual path that Rita followed.
        Beaumont, Texas, is about the size of Montgomery, Alabama.
        Lake Charles will be flooded by any storm surge of any height because it is barely above sea level.
        Because Galveston lies to the west of where the storm came ashore, that city escaped a real flood.


        The whole area where the storm came ashore is filled with oil refineries and other petro-chemical production facilities.
        They also still raise cattle in southern Louisiana and eastern Texas.
        Miles away, New Orleans was re-flooded by Rita.
        Down in Cameron Parish, Rita really dumped a lot of water.
        More flooding in Cameron Parish.
        In the Vatican, Benedict the New prays for folks affected by Rita.


        Sarah's Dance Pictures

        Sarah got her first tutu in 1994.
        Her first recital was with Clare Goodhew in 1996.
        Sarah was "the Ocean" in her 1997 recital for Miss Clare.
        By 1999 Sarah was at BDU, and dancing started to get serious. Here she is in costume for a clogging number called "Boot Scoot & Boogie."
        In 2000 Sarah was dancing on the Tiny Tots Competition Team. They scored really well at nationals that year with their ensemble clooging number to "Grandma's Feather Bed," and we were hooked on competition from then on.
        In 2001 Brooke and Sarah did a duet as Pink Ladies from "Grease."
        Also in 2001, Sarah did her first solo at Nationals -- "The Devil Came Down to Georgia."
        Here's Sarah in her ballet number from 2002."
        2002! Sarah's first big vocal at Nationals -- Annie Oakley doing "You Can't Get A Man With A Gun."
        2004! Sarah's vocal solo costume! As the Romans used to say, TEMPUS FUGIT!"
        Spring 2005! Sarah's ballet costume!"
        Fall 2005! Sarah waiting for a sound check before the opening of Smokey Joe's Cafe at Canterbury UMC."


        Sean and Cystic Fibrosis

        This is the last known photo of Shaun Goff. Follow it you will find a letter by Charles Kennedy explaining just who Shaun was and why he is sorely missed. We hope that anyone who visits this section of this photo album will take time to read the letter and to become familiar with the cruel disease that cut Shaun off at age 24."
        Part One of Charles Kennedy's Letter"
        Part Two of Charles Kennedy's Letter"
        Part Three of Charles Kennedy's Letter"
        Part Four of Charles Kennedy's Letter"
        Part Five of Charles Kennedy's Letter"
        Here's a recent picture of Charles Kennedy, the man who took care of Shaun from the time he was 13 years old.
        Disclaimer: This album was made for the personal use of family members and friends. Nearly all of the photos in this album were taken by members of the family. A very small number were sent to me by friends with permission to include the photos in this collection. Also, a very small number of the New Orleans and Mobile area photos are from collections of stock photos that I purchased. However, if anyone viewing these pictures spots something that violates some rule or copyright, please contact me at wsorourke@msn.com and I will remove the photo immediately.