Lots of Pots

Movie Blog Boy has an interesting story on a silent auction of 200 pieces of pottery used in the making of the movie Mr. Brooks.

On a recent stroll around WEACo we were struck by the beauty of the work of two local playin' with clay artists, Terri Smith (above) and Jane Heggen (below). You can acquire the pictured pieces at 725 Milam.

Picture of the Day

water mandala
Originally uploaded by courtneyisapirate.
It's the unofficial beginning of vacation season. RRBJ hopes your long, hot summer is a safe one.

Thank you to courtneyisapirate for the peaceful picture.

Columbia Cafe

Ted Danson lubs him some Columbia Cafe grub. With the new patio finally open maybe we'll be able to spot him or TomKat and Suri since Katie loves eating local foods.

More interesting news from CC: Owner Matthew Linn is running for Caddo Parish Commission, District 4. Linn has operated the Highland neighborhood resturant since 2002. He is also the founder of the Krewe of Highland and the founding sponsor of the Highland Jazz and Blues Festival.

Picture of the Day

The Picture of the Day from Stitcher ponders the question that every kid is asking "What are we going to do that's fun this summer?"

Maybe a trip to the library is the first step. The Summer Reading Club 2007 starts June 4.

Thank you Stitcher for the use of your lovely photo.

Riverfront Beamin'

It cost $50 dollars to fill up the RRBJ van yesterday. Needless to say, we luv us an entertainment bargain like the one you'll find in Riverview Park this Friday night. It's another outdoor movie from The Robinson Film Center and their Movies and Moonbeams project.

It's only $1 to see Spider-Man. Chris Jay with the film center says there will be give-aways for kids and concessions. Load up your lawn chairs cause the movie starts at nightfall.

What's the Ted Danson connection to the film center? Read about it at Maggie Martin's blog.

Thanks to Curt Youngblood and The Robinson Film Center for the picture.

Art Sale

Looking for an excuse to visit the West Edge Artists' Co-op Gallery at 725 Milam Street? Now's a good time.

Debbie Buchanan Engle says there's a big sale at the co-op, including 50% off all her gender-issues paintings (see example below). You'll also find 50% off all the visual art by the Red River Artists with Disabilities at WEACo (see picture above).

Three new members have just been added to the co-op: Dorothy Kristin Hanna (paintings), Latonia Barto (jewelry), and Mario Villafuerte (photojournalism).

Finito

nightime sunshine part 2
Originally uploaded by lorrAAAine.

Congratulations Class 2007!

Hirsch Coliseum's been humping with high school graduation ceremonies this past week with two more on tap -- C.E. Byrd takes the stage tonight and it's B.T. Washington's turn tomorrow night.

Across the river of course they gotta do it their way. Graduation takes place at CenturyTel Center on May 19 with back to back caps and gowns from 9:30 until 4 pm.

You so sweet lorrAAAine to let us use your picture.

Mommas

RRBJ is enjoying Mother's Day while reclining in our blue and yellow plastic Adirondack chairs (our shiny new mother's day gift) in the backyard of our Highland house.

If you'll excuse us now we gotta dial momma long distance in Texas, where she's tending to an ailing first cousin of ours. It's 2007 and still a momma's work is never done. Have a happy!

Gilbert and Kings Hwy

Field Day

Nothing says "school's almost over" like field days. And by checking the Caddo Parish Public School website we see the last day for school is May 18. Across the river, those poor kids don't get out 'til May 24.

Most importantly, on the CPPS website you can pull up the school lunch menu (we'll take the tater tots and the "colossal oatmeal raisin cookie").

New Toys for Columbia Park

From this... to this...

RRBJ's favorite part? Behind the "Welcome" sign twirls a blue merry-go-round. No word on whether all that kid energy is being harvested for anything.

The new equipment probably got a work out Monday night while the Shreveport Metropolitan Concert Band performed. Over the next six weeks the band is scheduled for more Concerts in the Park in various parts of the city.

Picture of the Day

RRBJ's Picture of the Day comes from Flickr user Allen Garcie. He took the downtown Shreveport shot, AmSouth Building Parking Meter, for a graduate level photography course he's taking through Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

RRBJ is always looking for nifty photos or illustrations of the Red River area to use as a Picture of the Day. Send us an email at RedRiverBlogJam@gmail.com for more details.

Day of the Dead

Friends of Greenwood Garden Cemetery want you to stop by tomorrow. They're having a "Gathering on the Grounds" from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM.

Besides serving refreshments they'll also be conducting scavenger hunts. Talk about your top notch S-P-O-O-K-Y entertainment!

Greenwood is in Highland at 130 Stoner Avenue.

Live!

We wanted to pay our water bill online but that link wasn't working. However, we did find a live webcam of downtown Shreveport.

There was also a PDF complaint form you can download to complain about that funky-butt odor that sometimes lingers in downtown. For some reason we thought of a wine tasting gone horribly wrong when we read the list for odor description: Decaying Grass, Earthy/Moldy/Musty/, Turpentine, Sewer/Sewage-like, Burnt/Smoky...

Our favorites? Woody and Cabbage-like (personally, RRBJ wishes downtown smelled more like cabbage -- it would remind us of the tasty Mulligan Stew our Irish great-grandmother made).

Picture of the Day

Happy May Day! When RRBJ grew up in Oklahoma May 1st was the first day Mom let us go barefooted.

If you're looking for a way to celebrate this almost forgotten holiday, you might try dancing in the waters of the Riverfront Park and then scooting up Milam Street to West Edge Books (inside WEACo at 725 Milam) for a gathering at 7 tonight of folks reading Kurt Vonnegut's work.

Also in the same place Friday night there's a reading and a book signing by three of the contributors of the anthology "able to...". Shreveporter Becky Haigler is one of the authors.

Thanks to Calamitylaine for the use of her photo.