LACKMAN PARK

 Lackman Park is a small park in Lenexa, Kansas near my house. There are some small waterfalls in the park which are dry most of the year. Occasionally, after a spring rain, they come to life.

ROADSIDE ODDITY NW LOUISIANA

 One of the more unusual roadside oddities I have encountered on a road trip were these two concrete frog statues in the tiny village of Rodessa in northwest Louisiana. The monument, located near the intersection of state highways 1 and 168, celebrates the town's history. When the town was first being established, the inhabitants, who had migrated from Alabama and Georgia, were holding a meeting to try to pick a name. During the meeting, frogs in a nearby pond were making a lot of noise so they decided to call the town "Frog Level". The name was later changes to Rodessa.

CADDO LAKE

 Caddo Lake is a natural lake in the swamps of northeastern Texas, not far from Shreveport, Louisiana. The lake is thought to have been formed by the 1812 New Madrid Earthquake which was centered further to the northeast near New Madrid, Missouri. I spent a pleasant March day there in 2017, photographing the lake and wandering the hiking trails which included vintage Civilian Conservation Corps shelters built during the Great Depression. Caddo Lake is home to alligators. I did not see any while hiking, however, I did see a few in the lake while I was standing near one of the shores. Caddo Lake is also purportedly home to a Bigfoot-type creature. I did not encounter this creature while there. The scenery of the lake and trees is very primeval, almost "prehistoric" looking. I was impressed with how clean and pure the air was, defying the stereotype of a swamp.

BLACK BAYOU

 There are several lakes in Louisiana that go by the name of Black Bayou Lake. The lake I stopped and visited for a roadside siesta is located in the far northwest corner of Louisiana, west of Hosston and east of Rodessa, just west of the intersection between US Highway 71 and Louisiana State Highway 2. It was a very pleasant spot for a roadside stop, right in the heart of Boggy Creek Monster/Bigfoot country. Whenever I visit swampland areas I am always impressed at how unexpectedly clean the natural areas are, not necessarily what one thinks of when thinking of the word "swamp". 

HERITAGE FOREST

 Scenes of a small waterfall near my house in Lenexa, Kansas 

LAUREL & HARDY MUSEUM

 Laurel & Hardy Museum in Harlem, Georgia, Oliver's hometown

The short "A Perfect Day". Never let Stan Laurel change a tire near a man suffering from gout.

                                                              Oliver's baby picture

                                                               

                                                              Oliver's will

                                              

                                              A check Stan wrote to purchase a fancy radio

Vintage theater being restored in Harlem, Georgia. Perhaps Oliver watched some vaudeville shows here when he was young?

                                                            Laurel & Hardy pinball machine

                                                    "Ethel" from the L&H short "The Chimp"

BLACKFISH TRAIL & LITTLE MILL CREEK TRAIL

 During the past year with the COVID 19 nightmare, hiking trails have been a godsend, not only because I have not felt right about taking any auto road trips, but also for the opportunity they provide to help combat depression, clear thoughts, and also for something to do to fight the boredom of being stuck at home way more than I like or am used to. I have an extensive trail system within walking distance of my house in the Kansas City suburbs. Two of the trails are called the Blackfish Trail and Little Mill Creek Trail.