Intrigued by the ordinary

Posted Friday, September 4, 2009, at 11:14 AM

A remote-controlled model airplane taxiing down the grass runway near U.S. 41-A north of Rover on a Saturday morning.

Adults in our society tend to take things for granted. We tend to become disinterested in our surroundings after we see the same things day in and day out.

As a journalist, I believe that a reporter with a healthy curiosity can find stories and photos anywhere.

For example, I'm out to prove there is a story in nearly every mile of U.S. 41-A from the intersection of State Route 96 in Triune to Main Street in Shelbyville.

So far, I have shot photos of remote control model aircraft fans at the grassy landing strip just off the west side of the highway north of Rover.

Another time, I visited the Bobo Stables to take photos of Tennessee walking horse Rowdy Rev, trainer Bill Bobo and Jackie, the bluetick hound.

This week, I stopped to look over Conway Twitty's 1986 Jaguar sedan parked in downtown Eagleville. The story and photos proved to be popular. WTVF, News Channel 5, in Nashville asked permission to use the photos and The Associated Press filed its version of the story for AP-member newspapers and broadcast stations around the country.

I have my eye on several other possible stories with photos, but you'll just have to wait to see what I've discovered along the way.

And I urge you to open your eyes to what's around you, I'll bet you find a story to share with friends.

Comments
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I was driving up 41A Thursday of last week & saw what I thought was a plane at the glider field near Rover. It wasn't a glider, yet it looked too small to be a plane. I was trying to figure all of this out & driving too. Then I saw a man walking fairly fast while carrying a remote-controlled plane. That was when I realized the one in the sky was also remote controlled. At the time I was seeing the smaller planes, a plane & glider were getting ready to take off. Guess that meant it was time to land the smaller planes so as not to interfere with the big boys.

It brought back to mind an incident from maybe 30 years ago in Nashville. A friend of mine from work had 2 small sons who had a kite. He decided to take them out where there were no trees, houses, or cars and they could fly the kite. He found such a place, and they all had a great time. The kite must have had a very long string, because a policeman arrived and asked my friend to lower the kite. It seems the land he and the boys were on was in the flight path of planes approaching the Nashville airport. He was so embarrassed. He just wanted the boys to enjoy a kite as he probably did when he was a boy and lived out in the country.

-- Posted by bettyhbrown on Sat, Sep 5, 2009, at 12:58 AM

Being on a stay in state budget for good times I did a little bit of internet browsing for info on Tennessee. This summer the family and I have visited 18 of the 614 waterfalls scattered throughout the state. Its amazing the questions kids come up with on a long enough hike

-- Posted by big daddy rabbit on Sat, Sep 12, 2009, at 9:25 PM

Context is everything

Kent Flanagan

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Kent Flanagan joined the Shelbyville Times-Gazette in July 2009 after finishing four years as journalist in residence at Middle Tennessee State University in July. Before his venture into academia, Flanagan was bureau chief in Nashville for The Associated Press from August 1983 until November 2004. He's also been AP correspondent in Bismarck, N.D., news editor in Columbia, S.C. and newsman in Philadelphia, Pa. Flanagan is a graduate of Angelo State University, served in the U.S. Army in Germany and Vietnam and worked at newspapers in San Angelo, Texas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and San Antonio, Texas.

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