More Photos of Superman's Hometown: Metropolis, Illinois

Life in The Upper South... History and Old Stuff...

Here are a few more photos from Metropolis, Illinois. They didn't make the first cut, but they may be interesting to Superman fans. I'm going to set the time on this post so it appears below the other post about Metropolis, just to keep things in a logical order.

The Superman area of downtown Metropolis

Comic books at the Superman Store

Part of a life-size metal sign that features the lovable and lovely Betty Boop

The following photos fall under the category of "If only they had asked me before they did it!" Still they do illustrate some of the interesting old architecture in Metropolis. Unfortunately, other members of the party were growing impatient and didn't allow me to continue my walking tour of the historic downtown area or even take photos out the car window. Oh well, another time...

Across the street from the Isle-of-View Bed and Breakfast

Just the top of this old building. A terrible thing has been done to the bottom.

In the riverside area

There's a reason why I like to be the driver (as you can see below.) I haven't yet learned to rely on the preview window on the digital cam. I'm addicted to looking through the viewfiender. This habit results from decades of film-camera photography.

Bulldozed and Burned

Life in Christian County, Kentucky...

Only the roof remains.

Back in February, I posted a picture of an old house and wrote briefly about the old fellow who lived there for many years. (See this blog entry.)

I was shocked when I drove by there yesterday. The house has been bulldozed and burned. I think the landowner may have been having trouble with people going into the house. He had recently cut some trees so that they fell across the driveway and blocked it. Maybe he was afraid that someone would get hurt while messing around there. And I suppose it's better to burn the house down than to let it slowly fall down.

So it's dust to dust and ashes to ashes with Bill's house. I suppose that the land will be plowed and planted along with the rest of the field that adjoins it. All too soon, no one will even remember that there used to be a little house there.

Bill's house in February, 2006

Final Report on the Hopkinsville - Christian County, KY Tornado of April 2, 2006

Life in Christian County, Kentucky...

Note: If you're seeking information about the February 5, 2008, tornado, please see "Tornado Damage at Crofton, KY, Tonight."

The National Weather Service has released this final report on the damage done by the April 2, 2006 tornado that hit Christian County, Kentucky, just north of Hopkinsville. I apologize for the all-caps, but that's how it was issued.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
900 PM CDT WED APR 5 2006

...DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS FOR THE CHRISTIAN AND TODD COUNTY KENTUCKY TORNADO...

THE FOLLOWING IS AN UPDATED DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FOR THE ENTIRE TORNADO TRACK ACROSS CHRISTIAN AND TODD COUNTIES IN KENTUCKY.

* EVENT DATE: SUNDAY APRIL 2, 2006.

* EVENT TYPE: F3 TORNADO.

* BEGIN TIME: APPROXIMATELY 850 PM CDT.

* BEGIN LOCATION: 3 MILES NNE OF GRACEY KENTUCKY (JUST SOUTH OF THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN GRACEY-SINKING FORK ROAD AND SHURDAN CHURCH ROAD).

* END TIME: APPROXIMATELY 923 PM CDT.

* END LOCATION: 8.7 MILES NNE OF ELKTON KENTUCKY (2.5 MILES WEST OF EVERETTE...OR JUST WEST OF THE TODD-LOGAN COUNTY LINE).

* PEAK WIND: ESTIMATED 185 MPH.

* PATH LENGTH: 30 MILES.

* AVERAGE PATH WIDTH: 500 YARDS (700 YARDS IN CHRISTIAN COUNTY & 150 YARDS IN TODD COUNTY).

* INJURIES: 28.

* FATALITIES: NONE.

* EVENT TRACK: TORNADO BEGAN WITH AN EAST-SOUTHEAST MOVEMENT AND THEN CURVED SLIGHTLY LEFT AROUND PRINCETON ROAD AND MOVED EAST- NORTHEAST THROUGH CENTRAL CHRISTIAN COUNTY. THE TORNADO PASSED LESS THAN 4 MILES NORTH OF DOWNTOWN HOPKINSVILLE. IT THEN MOVED EAST INTO TODD COUNTY PASSING JUST NORTH OF PILOT ROCK AND THEN JUST NORTH OF ALLEGRE AND CEDAR GROVE.

* STORM CHARACTER: THE INITIAL TORNADO DISSIPATED ABOUT 7 MILES NORTHEAST OF HOPKINSVILLE AROUND ANTIOCH ROAD. A SECOND TORNADO DEVELOPED 6 MILES NORTH-NORTHEAST OF HOPKINSVILLE ALONG GREENVILLE ROAD OR ABOUT A MILE NORTH OF THE FIRST TORNADO. DOWNBURST WIND DAMAGE OCCURRED BOTH SOUTH AND NORTH OF THE TWO TORNADOES RESULTING IN A 2-MILE WIDE SWATH OF DAMAGE IN THE GREENVILLE ROAD AREA.

* DISCUSSION/DAMAGE: AT LEAST 243 HOMES WERE EITHER SEVERELY DAMAGED OR TOTALLY DESTROYED. OF THOSE...88 HOMES WERE DESTROYED IN CHRISTIAN COUNTY. NUMEROUS OTHER HOMES AND BUILDINGS HAD SOME DEGREE OF STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF TREES WERE DOWNED...SNAPPED...OR UPROOTED.

SHANKLIN/HOOPER/RJP

The National Weather Service has also posted some photos of the tornado damage.

Here and here are images of the tornado damage in the Sinking Fork area that were posted by the administrator of the Hoptown Hall Forum.

WKDZ Radio has posted over 80 photos of the tornado damage.

Other tornado reports I've posted:
Official Report on Tornado in Christian County
Tornado in Christian County, Kentucky
Stormy Weather Tonight

Springtime in the Fields

Life in Christian County, Kentucky...

It's unlikely (though not impossible) that we'll have another frost, so the preparation of the fields and the planting of the crops is a priority of local farmers right now. The weather has been dry enough that farmers can get into the fields and all across the county, they are taking advantage of this window of opportunity. It's important to get the seeds in the ground early so the plants have a chance to mature before August and September which are typically hot, dry months here in southern Kentucky.

Sugar Maple Blossoms

More About Trees and Plants...

The exotic flowers at left are the blooms of an old maple that grows in our yard. Each strand measures about 1 inch to 1-1/4 inch in length. The flowers have very little fragrance; perhaps there is just a hint of a "greenish" smell. They are just as chartreuse in color as they appear in the photo. Later, after the tree has grown its leaves, the fruit will appear -- a winged seed.

This old tree is apparently a Sugar Maple . This surprises me considerably because I had studied the tree's large, wide, deeply green leaves years ago and decided that it most resembled a Norway Maple. Now I am quite sure I was mistaken, because today I learned that Norway Maples have fairly large leaves before they bloom and their blossom looks a little different than this.

I have read today that Sugar Maples bloom in early to mid-spring before their leaves come out. I have also read that they bloom after the leaves are on. Much disagreement is found among web resources about the exact sequence of leafing and blooming in the Sugar Maple. However, this photo of a Sugar Maple's flower on the State of Illinois Division of Natural Resources page about flowering trees is identified as a sugar maple and looks very similar to the blossoms on our maple tree.

It seems that many people are puzzled with the exact identities of the maple trees in their yards. The maple identification page of the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association begs readers NOT to send in maple leaves for identification.

One website mentioned that more than 90 different native and imported species of maples grow in the U.S. On another page I read that some species of maples hybridize freely. This could well be why the identification of this maple is confusing me!

It's common to find little seedlings in my flower beds, etc. from this tree. Maple seedlings can be transplanted very easily. The only difficulty is finding a spot that has plenty of room for them to become large trees.