Southern living demo derby and Southern Living

Caution: Never before attempted: Magazine Review and Demolition Derby report in a single blog post. Design fans can read the yellow boxes.

Hooked on Houses is hosting her "Hooked on Fridays" blog party; I hope y'all will click here and have look. I'm hooked on southern living and the new Southern Living Magazine.

This is Southern Living.	This is southern living.
The new, improved Southern Living Magazine.	Classic southern living at the 2009 Henry County Fair Demolition Derby. Micheal with 1st place trophy.

Miranda Lanzillotti Time Inc. Lifestyle PR Group sent me the October issue of the new, improved Southern Living Magazine hoping I would blog about it. Thanks Miranda.
Stockbrige Emission Center made me an honorary member of the Demolition Derby Pit Crew. Thanks Bill, Jason, Lamar, Micheal, and Rick. What a great week!
So here is my man-blog review of 2 kinds of southern living.
Demolition Derby - preparation
Remember the Stockbridge Emission Center Pusher Car? No? Here you go:


My Stockbridge Emission Center buds converted their pusher car for demolition. It's for a good cause: helping promote the Kiwanis Club sponsored Henry County Georgia Fair and the opportunity to win $500. Nice intimidating tu-tone paint job:

Southern Living Magazine - the giftI've been scanning Southern Living since the very first issue in 1966. My dad was a gentleman farmer and got Progressive Farmer. I think my mom suggested we switch to Southern Living (same publisher). So I've been scanning Southern Living for 43 years. Right now my kids' Grandma gets it so I scan it on family visits. Grandma always invites to take it home.
southern living derby and Southern Living Magazine
The great thing about the magazine: If you read it long enough, you find a home, an event, a restaurant, a shop, a personality, right in your own neighborhood. I don't know if they've covered the Henry County Fair yet, but they just might.

Demolition Derby - getting ready
Before the Derby, the crowd got acquainted with the cars and drivers.

Southern Living Magazine - the scan
I've developed my scanning routine. Feeling a little sleepy-eyed from Grandpa's huge dinner - often including dumplings and chocolate pie - I head for the sofa and grab the latest issue. I do a straight front to back page scan mostly looking for colors, places, and food that catch my eye, and places I'm familiar with.
Then I go back and read the articles that interest me. Usually there are an handful of pictures that I show to the wife, kids, and anyone else in the room. They humor me and say, "That's nice Terry."
Southern Living Magazine - the dog-earOn my second time through, I dog-ear the pages I want to follow up in person or on the Internet.

Demolition Derby - drivers' meeting and the "pen"
The drivers meeting was serious. I mean they are going to crash cars on purpose, man. But these guys were about to have one of the best times of their lives.

The crowd started moving up from the midway, the rides, the corndogs, the livestock auction. There were far more than I can show in the picture. They were ready for a good time.

The big machine made a pen from New Jersey Barriers. The derby cars drove in and the machine sealed the pen behind them. You can see the Stockbridge Pusher blur its way in.

Southern Living Magazine - the followupLast month there was a landscape article about a tiny yard in Midtown Atlanta. I dog-eared the page. When I got home I Googled the homeonwer, the landscape architect, and tried to find the house in Bing.com. I found the owner and architect but couldn't find the house. So the next day I did a drive-by and there it was. I'd driven by it 100's of times. Southern Living helped me to look more closely.
Just like the magazine? Yes and no. The yard wasn't freshly manicured but still looked great and tiny. The house looked better in person. Seeing the house in context with it's neighbors and from different angles is something you just can't get in pictures.

Demolition Derby - crash, bang, boom...
The cars were sealed up in the pen, noses to the wall.

Then we had 9 minutes of real southern living ecstacy: roaring engines, belching smoke, red mud flinging, powing, banging, and crunching, the crowd screamed, squealed, ooh'd and aah'd with delight...

Until the only car still moving was the Stockbridge Emission Center Pusher Car! But it was a little muddy.

Southern Living Magazine - stuff that caught my eyeI'll need a bit more scan time at Grandmas to get through it. Here is what caught my eye this time:

• Pansies on page 17 (I man-plant the pansies at our house)
• Catfish dinner with slaw on page 31
• The Benjamin Moore ad on page AL3
• The blue bar color on the "Great Escapes" pages.
• Black columns in antis on page 48
• Bedroom with maps page 56, man maps
• Our Favorite New Cottage page 64 costs too much to be called a cottage but it's a beauty with it's red roof.
• Dear Southern Living page 72. New feature? Very nice graphics for getting points across.
• Garden section starting on 80. We're too lazy to plan. This is nice though.
• Build an Outdoor Fireplace page 90. The one picured costs more than my house.
• Plant Zones page 92, a Southern Living (and Progressive Farmer) standard.
• Bishops House page 94. What details! Personally I don't need so much stuff inside but I like how industructable it looks.
• Food pictures.....
• Baptism at Moon Lake page 112. This is a new type of feature I think.
• Healthy Living page 119. This is the anti-southern living. Pass the butter and salt please.
• Two Great Auburn Galleries page AL 6 because Auburn is a cute nearyby college town.

Demolition Derby - the winner and tow truck ride of honor
So Jason took the trophy

The whole team celebrated...

And while some competitors didn't fare so well
The winning Pusher Car rode home in honor.

Thanks to readers, Southern Living, and to the Stockbridge gang. What a week.
Terry
And thanks to "Hooked on Fridays" blog party; I hope y'all will click here and have a look.

Here is the whole slide show