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Sometimes, says the Rev. Conklin, simple words are just not enough

The act of creating is in itself the simplest form of prayer — that’s the message the Rev. Kel-ly Schneider Conkling hopes to convey.

Conkling is the priest-in-charge of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, a posi-tion she has served in for more than a year. To fill the need of a temporary priest at the Big Spring Church, the San Angelo resident splits her time between the two cities.

Early in the week, she’s in Big Spring serving as the church’s administrator, visiting parishioners and providing spiritual counseling.

And sometimes she’s there just to hold a hand and provide a sympathet-ic ear.

On Sundays, she uses words to spiri-tually guide her congregation toward a higher purpose, but with artistic tools in hand, Conkling is an artist visually mapping out emo-tions no words can convey.

Faith and art serve as the cor-nerstone of her life.

“Art. Images. Symbols. God. Life. The sacraments and incarnation. These have always been intrinsically connected and bound together for me as long as I can remember,” she said.

Conkling grew up in a South Texas town where her family attended a tiny Episcopal Church. Her mother and

grandmother were very active church members who brought young Kelly along to help out with odd jobs. Sat-urday mornings were spent in the field cutting flowers which would later be arranged for placement on the alter.

“I remember preparing the linens and looking at the beautiful colors of the hanging — the deep rich reds and greens and purples and the tex-ture and the smell of the candles,” she said. “All of these things were found in that tiny church — the reflection of the colors from the stained glass that just sparkled over the pews and over the floor. That feeling of silence — no matter how many people were there — that sensitive silence, that presence of God in that place through the im-ages and the symbols around me.”

Prayer has always been tangible to her.

“There never was a time where I

Story and photos by Lyndel Moody

PaintingA Prayer

Sep 2008 l www.bigspringliving.com l 3


didn’t create art of some kind,” she said. “At seven, my grandfather brought some art books. I spent hours look-ing through those books. One of the things that fascinated me is how they could capture images of the divine in art and sculpture whether it was art from China or Ancient Greece.”

In the early 1990s, Conkling began working on her mas-ter’s degree in creative art. Her topic centered around prayer in two- and three-dimensional art and the relation-ship between art, prayer and spirituality. To meet the de-gree’s requirement, she had to create 20 pieces of artwork related to the topic as well as completing her written the-ses.

“As I began to create, each piece began to take on a life of its own and I found myself responding to the work without trying to analyze what was happening,” she said. “What colors I choose, whether I worked in paint or clay, whether I constructed the piece or painted on tin — I just let it happen.

“And I began to tap into something deep inside me that was not part of my conscious effort. As I suffered through this process, I realized that prayer has a reality of its own, a tangible presence.... After finishing the artwork, I began to realize that what I had done was put my life up to that point in visual form. It was not my intention to do that. Each piece represented a prayer about a particular time in my life.”

The task led to a breakthrough in her spiritual life.“What I discovered — what was really important, what

really influenced my work and my ministry since then — was that the act of creating the pieces was in itself prayer, not just a recording of the experience of prayer. Prayer in its simplest form. Opening my heart to God’s very great heart.”

Since that time, Conkling has continued to explore this relationship.

“I began to look deeper into my heart as a means of dis-covering myself, God and my relationship with God, and using art as a means of doing so,” she said. “Over the next few years I developed an alternative form of prayer, a vi-sual prayer which uses some art therapy techniques as a jumping off place for actually praying in images.

“I have trouble praying in words. Most of the time words are not enough. We can say these words but it doesn’t ade-quately express the deep feelings that are there. Words can only go so far in describing what we are trying to express and I found that images give me a way to go that next step further in expressing what there aren’t any words for. “

Conkling has published a book around her self-discovery titled “Prayer of the HeART” and provides workshops on visual prayer.

“One of the things asked of me is, how do I connect art with my ministry,” she said. “One thing I try to do is en-courage people to explore their own creativity. For me, it’s

always been a key part of my life. It’s never occurred to me that I couldn’t make something. But many people don’t believe they are creative.”

“The first words in Genesis are God Created. God is the Creator and we are created in the image and likeness of God, so we are creative — it’s in our DNA. It’s a matter of discovering how you are creative. It may be visual art or knitting or cooking. For my mother it was taking care of us and creating a home. There are so many ways of being creative that we don’t think about. And I want to try and help people discover that creative part of themselves.”




By Alex Newsom

Stars onthe

Rise

Six years after signing with Scars Entertainment, the Christian rock band Crimson Soul continues to gain popularity. They are now a full-time band, traveling in an RV and crashing at friends’ houses while they tour around the United States. They’ve traveled all over the west coast and in more than 12 states; released two CDs, Time Stands Still and Blame it On the Radio; played with well-known bands such as Switchfoot, Family Force 5, Thousand Foot Krutch, Hawk Nelson and Disciple––and it all started in Big Spring.


When Crimson Soul was first formed, it was a three-piece band consisting of Brandon Tant, 21, as lead vocalist and guitarist, Ryan Tant, 24, on the drums, and Burke Atkerson, 22, covering bass and vocals.

If listeners were somehow unaware of Crimson Soul’s status as a Chris-tian band, it would be hard to connect their name to the symbolism behind it: their souls are covered with the crimson blood of Christ. It’s simple to make the connection, once you know to look.

Ryan Tant, the oldest original mem-ber, was a percussionist in high school, making All-State band in 2001 and 2002.

Jim Koerber, president of Scars Entertainment and Crimson Soul’s manager, is highly complimentary of him.

“I have had the honor of work-ing with Ryan for the past six years. Technically, he is precise. Creatively, he is brilliant. And personally, he is passionate about his talent. I consider

Ryan to be extraordinary in the world of drummers.”

Longtime associate Cody Carnes, who eventually replaced Atkerson, said of the younger Tant, “Brandon has just this natural ability to perform. Offstage he’s actually kind of goofy. I mean, he’s mature, but he’s kind of like a kid in some ways. But when he’s on stage, he just owns it. He becomes a performer and is completely differ-ent. It’s really cool to see. He always knows exactly what he’s doing.”

Koerber met them under circum-stances that hold more than a hint of divine intervention.

“I owned a restaurant in Midland back then, and we had live music on Saturdays. It was really kind of a freak accident. It was a respectable place, and at the time, they were just a couple of kids. Brandon was about 13 or 14. They wanted to play there, but I didn’t go for it. I didn’t want kids that young playing at that kind of scene. Then we had a cancellation and we needed to fill it up. I was going to

be out of town, so I told my booking agent that if she wanted, she could go ahead and fill it, but it would be on her if things went wrong.”

He was about to leave for Lubbock while the group was setting up when he heard their sound check.

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“I was completely blown away,” he said. He actually cancelled his trip to Lubbock to stay and hear them play.

Crimson Soul was signed two weeks later.

“At the time, I was just this young kid and when you’re in that kind of situation, all you want to do is play,” said Brandon, recalling the experi-ence surrounding his first meeting with Koerber. “The opportunity to play at the Scars Cafe was really cool, and we were excited that we got the chance to show what we’re all about. When you’re so young, you don’t re-ally understand a lot of stuff that’s go-ing on. To us, that anyone cared at all was awesome. When were were able to sign, it was amazing. Looking back, getting signed seems almost impos-sible. It made it seems like anything was possible.”

That outlook has helped them climb higher and reach farther during the years. But one of the main things that impressed Koerber since their first meeting was the way that they han-dled themselves.

“From the moment I met them, their maturity, as far as professionalism on and off the stage, was brilliant. They had such maturity, even at such a young age. During the past six years, they’ve grown so much more. We’ve seen them step up time and time again,” said Koerber.

After the group moved to Denton to attend the University of North Tex-as, Jonas Palomino, 25, of Garland, joined them in January of 2007.

“It’s been great having that extra gui-tar. It really gave us that professional major label sound,” said Brandon Tant of the new addition to the group.

After six years together, the two brothers parted amicably with Atker-son, and the group welcomed anoth-er new member into the fold –– the aforementioned Carnes, 19, another Big Spring native.

“I’ve known Cody for more than 10 years. He is the most talented guy I’ve ever met in my life. He started out on drums, went to piano, then went to the guitar and then bass. He just plays anything you give him. He really took us to the next level.”

Carnes had opened for Crimson Soul while in another band, Hit the Ground Running, which won the Knockout Battle of the Bands in 2007 and, later that year, played at Rock the Desert.

“One of the biggest differences between Crimson Soul and Hit the Ground Running is that I get to do out of state touring with Crimson Soul,” said Carnes. “I actually spent my 19th birthday on a beach in Miami. It was pretty cool.”

Brandon Tant was straightforward when speaking of the four straight months Crimson Soul spent touring.

“Of course it gets stressful, and we sometimes argue and fight. And natu-rally, you get tired of touring after a while. But when it comes right down to it, it’s been the most fun I’ve ever had in my life,” he said.

Carnes’ favorite part of being in any band is getting to write and play origi-

nal music. “I love the creativity and getting to

express myself. It gives me the chance to show what God is doing in my life. The songs you write are really kind of a product of your life, and everyone gets to see it,” he expressed.

According to Koerber, the group is planning to begin recording a new CD in the fall. Carnes mentioned that he and Brandon have already written several songs for the album.

In the next few years, Brandon hopes to see himself still with Crimson Soul and touring with a major record label. Koerber also hopes they find a bigger record label to help take them to the next level.

“Scars is, first and foremost, a record label, but we do believe that Crimson Soul will get bigger than us,” he said.

Cody just hopes that whatever the fu-ture holds for him, music is involved.

“I feel like this is what I was made to do,” he said.

According to Koerber, Crimson Soul has worked not only with popular tour-ing artists, but grammy award win-ning producers. They are constantly meeting and being around these kinds of people, and despite all of this, they still manage to stay grounded.

“The guys in Crimson Soul are the most humble people you’ll ever meet,” Koerber said. “I’m the one who gets to brag because they won’t. They don’t give themselves enough credit, but I will. I think I’m prob-ably the luckiest man in the world to get to work with guys so passionate, so hungry, so professional. They’re a band beyond their years. I’ve gotten to watch them grow along the years, and that’s been the best part. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.”

“In the end,” said Brandon, “you’re just thankful for everything. Not a lot of people are able to get to play music and live their dream like this. We’re all so blessed.”

For more about Crimson Soul, go to http://www.myspace.com/crimson-soulrock



The Settles Hotel became the pride of West Texas in the years following the 1920’s oil boom and was frequented bydignitaries and celebrities such as Elvis Presley, Lawrence Welk, and Herbert Hoover. Vacant since the 1980’s, theSettles Hotel remains one of the most famous historic struc-tures in West Texas. After many years of drastic declineand eventual closure, the hotel was purchased by the Settles Hotel Development Company, LLC (“SHDC”), which was formed to acquire and restore the historic Settles Hotel property. SHDC is owned and managed by Big Spring native, G. Brint Ryan.

“It is an honor to bring this landmark back to its original glory by maintaining the inventive 30’s design concepts andmany of the hotelmany of the hotel’s most recognizable features, such as the winding staircases in the foyer and the grand ballroom,” saidG. Brint Ryan, SHDC Manager.

According to Mr. Ryan, “Our primary objective is the restora-tion of the Settles Hotel to its 1930’s architectural grandeurfollowing strict adherence to the original construction docu-ments, while simultaneously upgrading the mechanical,electrical, plumbing, and lift systems to modern standards.” Plans are also underway to incorporate commercial spacesalong with a full service restaurant and fitness center to the hotel’s design in order to facilitate economic development indowntown Big Spring and attract more residents and tourists to the lively historic community.

“Legendary“Legendary Texas landmarks like the Settles Hotel provide a glimpse into the proud history that has made the Lone StarState one of the most unique and renowned travel destina-tions in the world,” said Gov. Rick Perry. “I am proud to bepart of the restoration of a true Texas treasure.”

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Ed and Terrie Cheshire, captains in charge of the local Salvation Army, may be new to Big Spring, but make no mistake about it, the pair understand rural West Texas and its peo-ple’s needs.

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The pair, who were recently installed as captains after longtime Salvation Army leaders Linda and Russ Keeney were assigned to Midland’s corps of-fice, are in the Big Spring office af-ter a two-year stint in Plainview, and according to Ed, they are just happy to be able to serve in the Lone Star State.

“Prior to coming to Big Spring they had us stationed in Plainview, which is about three hours north of here,” re-marked Ed. “So we didn’t move far. We originally left from Corsicana to go to training. Corsicana is about 60 miles south of Dallas. So we’ve been very thankful that when they assigned us they brought us home to Texas, and so far they’re letting us stay.

“Our biggest goal is to share with the public more of what the Salvation Army does. Everyone in the commu-nity is aware of what we do now — the Boys & Girls Club, the shelter, our Christmas programs — but there’s just so much more the Army is involved with, not just locally, but statewide and nationally, and even internation-ally. We want to bring these things to light so people understand the minis-try that started with William Booth in England has grown and encompasses everything from helping someone with a bag of groceries to a mop and a blanket in a time of disaster. From spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to being involved in human traffick-ing worldwide and trying to bring that to light and stop it. I’ve likened the Salvation Army — to steal a line from the movie “Shrek” — to an onion. There are lots of layers to it.”

Terrie said she was surprised when they learned they would be taking over the helm of the charity’s Big Spring operation after only two years in the corps.

“We were shocked when we re-ceived the word we were coming to Big Spring. We had only been there (in Plainview) two years, and we made a lot of progress while we were there,” she said. “But, apparently, we had finished what they had sent us

there to do in those two years and they were ready for us to move forward and take on some bigger challenges. This is definitely going to be a bigger challenge.

“We want the community to see the Salvation Army is here to love God’s people,” she added. “We’re here to meet the needs of the community. We want the people to see the Salvation Army as being there.”

The Cheshires will have their hands full in the coming months, as the Sal-vation Army prepares to move for-ward with some major construction plans.

“The project itself entails building a new Boys & Girls Club facility, and to follow that with a new emergency shelter for men, women and families,” Ed said. “We’re really hoping this new facility will enhance what we do

in Big Spring. We’re aware the Sal-vation Army has done a lot of really good work in this town, and our only intentions are to continue that work and find ways to improve it and make it better. We want to let people know more about what we do overall.”

“It’s been fun, it’s been interesting and it’s been a challenge,” he added with a grin. “However, we’re definite-ly interested in picking up the ball and continuing to run with it. We’re aware the Salvation Army and the commu-nity have been working on this project for quite some time, and we’re going to continue on with it and hopefully get something to show for everyone’s labors in the very short future.

Ed, who was an aircraft hydrau-lics repairman for the Texas Army National Guard prior to entering the ministry, said it was a tremendous

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leap of faith for the couple to become involved with the Salvation Army, but

added that everything has worked out for the best.

“I don’t know if we were scared or just confused,” said Ed. “We both felt the Lord’s calling in our lives. Howev-er, after the first few months it’s like, ‘Now what?’ What direction do we go in, what do we do to answer that call? Once we entered training in Atlanta, Ga., I’m not quite sure the confusion was cleared up, but eventually it did. And two years later we landed right here, back in Texas.”

“I was a file clerk for an insurance company, and when we moved to Corsicana I started working with the elderly in their homes, making sure they had everything they needed,” said Terrie. “From there, I injured my back and was unable to go back to that line of work. That’s when I went and applied at the Salvation Army. I love to help people, so that was really the changing point in my life.

“I accepted a job as a social worker at the Salvation Army office in Corsi-

cana. While I was there I took on the responsibilities of the office manager and I began doing the books. We start-ed going to church there and we just fell in love with the work the Salva-tion Army does. Heart to God, hand to man. God called us to this ministry.”

Although they are adamant about maintaining the programs the Keeneys left behind, Terrie said she sees some additions that could be made to the lo-cal charity that would be for the bet-ter.

“We had a boys and girls program, and a Girl Guard and Sunbeams pro-gram, which is something we may have to get rolling here,” said Terrie. “It’s very similar to the Girl Scouts. They come and learn about God, earn badges and go to camp during the summer. It’s a very strong program. We also had a Corps Cadet program.”

As for the transition from Plainview to Big Spring, the couple agree it’s the hard work of the local corp’s employ-ees and volunteers than has made it all as smooth as possible.

“It’s really not all that tough when you have the direction you have as a Salvation Army officer. Every corps you go to is sort of the same. There are still plenty of differences, but as far as picking up the fan drive or the back-to-school drive is concerned, it’s something we would be doing anyway. You pick up the ball you’re handed and keep carrying it. You ad-just your lifestyle and your business ethic to fit the situation and go on. You always keep it in mind that no mat-ter what you have to go through, you never want to short-change the com-munity or change any of the services that have existed for years.”

“It has a lot to do with the employ-ees and the volunteers,” said Terrie. “You walk in and your employees are already working on the things they need to be working on. They really are a key asset. They play a very large roll in just how smooth that transi-tion goes. We couldn’t do what we do without them.”

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507 E. 4th - NICE COMMERCIALBUILDING with approx. 7,953 sq ft.Display and customer service area,storage area, two offices and rest room,warehouse with skylights and overheaddoor. Good location.

307 W. 4th - GOOD COMMERCIAL BUILDING SITE - Property has 3 lots, concrete building, the two houses on property will be moved.

502 E. FM 700 - PRIME LOCATION for any commercial business, for sale or lease. Approx. 11,242 sq.ft., fenced, 2.52 acres.

1701 & 1703 GREGG -SPACIOUS PROPERTY in high traffic location.Could be used for variety of businesses. Also includes 2 bedroom, 1 bath house behind property at 207 W. 17th.

1011 W. 4TH - Approx. 7,356 sq. ft., would make a good location for an Oil company with office, shop, living quarters and completely fence back yard.

1510 LANCASTER - PROSPEROUS LAUNDRY BUSINESS, newly constructed building and parking lot in 2007, top-of-the-line Dexter brandequipment, steadily increasing monthlygross income.

105 SPRING CREEK - BRICK CHURCH BUILDING with pews, 9 class rooms, large front lot, fellowship hall, approx. 2 acres. Sand Springs.

Commercial Properties


1901 W. 16th - NICE PROPERTY with approx. 9,900 sq. ft. plus additional metal building with approx. 2,000 sq. ft., paved parking, 5 acres included.

710 S. GREGG - GOOD INVESTMENT PROPERTY - Nice brick office building, recent updating and landscaping, large parking area, high traffic location.

308 SCURRY - OFFICE OR RETAIL use, good downtown location, central heat and air, approx. 3,164 sq. ft.

611 GREGG - GREAT BUSINESS LOCATION, approx. 1,572 sq. ft., central heat/ref. air, basement, storage shed.

Specializing in Residential,Commercial, Farm and Ranch,

HUD or VA acquired properties.



COMMERCIAL LOTS AND ACREAGE916 Lamesa Hwy. - 6 lots, great commercial site.Marcy & Runnels - Good commercial location, $65,000.Thorpe/Wasson - Commercial lots-frontage, $80,000.Wasson/Avondale - 3.40 acs., zoned neighborhood services.FM 700 - 3.9 acres, good commercial location.S. Service Rd & FM 700 - Good building site, 1.08 acre.N. Hwy. 87 - 49.143 acs. I-20 frontage, will sell 10 ac. tracts or all.500 E. FM 700 - 1.8 acre, corner lot.1208 E 4th - 50 x 140 on corner lot, $12,000.1210 E. 4th - Corner lot, $12,000. 1900 Wasson - 150 x 150 corner lot, $20,000.1901 Wasson - 150 x 150 corner lot, $20,000.1210 E. 5th - Corner lot, $6,000.1611 E. 4th - Corner lot, $65,000.S. Inter. 20 - 29.8 acres, S. I-20 & Snyder Hwy.1101 Scurry - Nice retail property, $75,000.1201 Scurry - Good retail location, $20,000.1202 Scurry - Nice retail lots, $7,000.907 E. I-20 - 127.32 acres, great commercial location.2800 Lamesa Hwy - 3.9 acre, $55,000.

RESIDENTIAL ACREAGEKentwood -5.08 acres, South of Merrily St.Kentwood - 89.10 acres, East of Kentwood.Stanton - 7.10 acres, beautiful building site. $35,000.Driver Rd. - 10 acs., new home building site. $30,000.Hearn - 3.86 ac., undeveloped land, $11,500.Baylor Blvd. - Morgan Ranch Estates, 5 and 10 acre tracts.Driver Rd. - Country Club Estates, fantastic building sites.S. Goliad - 9.681 ac., prime acreage, beautiful building site.Campestre Estates - 5ac. tracts - $12,500. (32 tracts available).1106 Todd Rd. - 38.48 acres, 2 wells, windmill, storage barn.Driver Rd. - 2.307 ac., great building site, $23,900.Oasis Ave. - 20 acres, water well needs pump. $37,900;Midway Rd. - 23.93 acres, nice property, $60,000.

RESIDENTIAL LOTSBaylor St. - 18 residential lots, $6,500 each.Parkland Estates - Thorpe / Wasson, $35,000 each.Fenn Ave. - Residential lots available, $7,500 ea.Kentwood - 17 lots west of Rebecca. Forsan - Warren St., nice building lot, $4,500.Connally - 7 lots, $11,500.Parkway Rd. - 70 lots, great building opportunity, $250,000.Coronado Hills - 6 residential lots. $49,000.Scott Drive - $18,000.804 Highland - $12,000.712 Craigmont - $17,000.720 Craigmont - $17,500.3802 Dixon - $8,000.3800 Dixon - $8,000.3802 Parkway - $4,000.3800 Parkway - $4,000.4031 Vicky - $15,000.4000 Vicky - $8,000.2513 E. 25th - $10,000.1308 E. 6th - $8,000.712 Colgate - $6,850.

Lots and Acreage

Home Realtors 432.263.1284 - 800.295.8938 - www.home-realtors.net

Specializing in Residential,Commercial, Farm and Ranch,

HUD or VA acquired properties.

RESIDENTIAL or COMMERCIALN. Birdwell Lane - 2 lots, residential or commercial, $12,500.



The Home TeamExperienced,

dedicatedprofessionalswho will give

you the superiorservice youdeserve.

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Pat Rutledge432.263.3436

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Linda Barnes432.268.1588

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Charles Smith432.263.1713

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Leslie Elrod432.517.0038 mobile

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432.213.5454 mobile432.267.4147Janet Higgins

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www.home-realtors.net - 110 West Marcy - Big Spring, TX 79720 - 432.263.1284 - [email protected] Sep 2008 l www.bigspringliving.com l 21


Because of injuries, most people will experience some form of cervical spine pain, also known as neck pain, in their lifetime. These injuries can be mild to moderate due to overloading the muscles in the neck when lifting improperly, pushing or tugging on an object. Injuries to the neck also occur from trauma such as when athletes hit their heads during contact sports.

Two types of athletes who will commonly injure their neck are football players and rodeo athletes. Football athletes hurt their necks when they hit/tackle/block head-first directly forward or at an angle. The direct trauma to the neck will cause the cervical spine vertebra to misalign in many different directions depending on the angle of the hit or impact.

Different variables such as the speed of the impact, size of each player and the muscle strength of the player’s cervical spine musculature will play a factor in how severe the cervical spine vertebra will misalign and be injured.

The rodeo athlete, especially bull riders or bronco riders, will injure their necks when they are dismounting/thrown from the animal and land on their head, neck or neck and shoulder. Injuries also occur when the rider and the animal’s heads collide, or if the animal steps on the cowboy’s neck. A cowboy’s injuries are usually moderate to severe because of the extreme brute force of the

animals they are riding. The most common type of injury mechanism is the

injury caused by an accident from an automobile, ATV or motorcycle. These injuries can range from minor to severe. A minor injury will result from a low impact collision in which there is a resulting sprain/strain to the cervical spine and minor misalignments. Obviously the most severe cases or accidents result in cervical spine fractures or dislocations. These severe cases are surgical or will require stabilization to heal. A hypermobile joint can be just as painful and debilitating as a fixated joint, but the two different conditions are treated very differently to achieve pain relief. Accident cases that are moderate will result in more severe misalignments, curvature changes in the spine and muscle contractures.

ATV and motorcycle accidents can result in more of the moderate to severe injuries at lower impact velocities than an automobile due to the lack of protection from the ATV and motorcycle. The above auto and athletic injuries can not only cause the misalignments and muscle problems but can also injure the cervical discs causing discitis, disc bulges/protrusions and complete disc herniations.

The symptoms from those injuries range from a dull achy pain to a sharp and stabbing pain. Other associated symptoms which can occur along with the neck pain are arm or hand pain, numbness and/or tingling. The arm symptoms occur due to a misaligned vertebra, a disc bulge/protrusion/herniation and/or a combination of both problems after an acute injury.

If these injuries are not properly treated with realignment of the spine and possibly rehabilitation of the cervical spine muscles in the acute stage, then the spine will heal out of alignment. The healing process will lay down layers of fribrotic tissue (scar tissue) which will restrict the injured vertebral segment’s movement and keep the vertebra out of its proper alignment. This lack of motion and improper alignment places abnormal biomechanical stresses on the vertebral joints and vertebral discs, which over a period of time if left untreated will lead to the wear and tear disease of the vertebral joints and vertebral discs. Most people know these disease states as osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease.

Individuals who have acutely injured their neck in a minor to moderate accident should see their chiropractor first for proper examination and diagnosis of the condition. People who have been in a severe accident and have severe symptoms should first seek emergency care at the closest emergency room. The medical provider can use advanced imaging to rule in or out fractures, dislocations or complete disc herniations. If you have one or more of these problems then treatment with surgery or

Acute Pain In The NeckBy Dr. James Riley, D.C.



immobilization will have to occur. If the emergency room doctor has ruled out fractures, dislocations or complete disc herniations, then you should see your chiropractor as soon as possible.

If your case is diagnosed as a minor injury then your chiropractor will likely utilize just the chiropractic manipulation. The manipulation of the spine is utilized to return the vertebra to their proper alignment and to break up adhesions around the spinal joints in order to return proper vertebral segmental motion.

In moderate injuries, therapeutic techniques such as electrical stimulation and mechanical traction can be utilized before the manipulation. The moderate to severe cases (cases that do not require immobilization or surgery) will likely require active rehabilitation of the cervical spine along with the therapeutic modalities and the manipulation of the cervical spine. In

these moderate to severe cases, the individual can get his or her medical provider to prescribe medication to help the patient deal with the pain while the structural problems with the spine are being corrected.

Accidents that cause a hypermobile vertebral segment (the vertebral segment is to loose or has too much movement due to lax ligaments) are treated mostly with active rehab, therapeutic modalities and possibly an occasional manipulation to keep the spine in proper alignment as it heals and strengthens.

Treatment can range from just one to three months for minor injuries to three to six months for severe injuries. The treatment plan is developed uniquely for each person as each person will have many different variables that will affect the treatment plan such as a patient’s age, overall health status and the severity of the injury.

Football players and cowboys will

have minor injuries on a frequent basis just due to the nature of the sport. Because of this, these particular athletes should have their cervical spine checked periodically to correct the minor structural issues in there spine while they are competitively active. By doing this, the individual will help prevent future problems such as degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease, not to mention the pain.

Individuals who have had an accident should seek care as soon as possible to get the best results possible in the shortest time frame. The longer a person waits to receive treatment, the longer the scar tissue has to set up around the spinal joints and muscles. So, procrastination only equates into a longer treatment plan to get you healthy and pain free again.

Dr. James Riley, D.C.08/13/2008

AroundTown


Now that we have discussed the technical, geeky side of photography, let’s talk

about the fun stuff. Let’s go take some pictures.

Hopefully you have been practicing and becoming familiar with the operation of your camera. The more comfortable you are with the operation of your camera the more time you can focus on your subject. Speaking of subjects, what do you think is the most photographed subject? No, it is not the world’s largest ball of twine. It is people!

The main reason you buy a camera is to capture images of the people in your lives. It is a great way to record the events that occur during our lives, such as weddings, births, graduations, etc. But it is also a way to capture ordinary moments in our lives. Don’t wait for an event to take pictures of family and friends. Sometimes, the best images are the

informal shots you take, because everyone is relaxed and they are more natural.

Many of us have photos of our relatives from generations past. Other that the fact that usually no one ever smiles in them, they are a great record of our own personal history.

Haven’t you noticed how much you resemble your great grandmother or grandfather? You would not know what your long lost relatives looked like if it were not for photography. So grab the kids and go to the park and make some history today.

The first thing we want to consider is the location. Be sure that there are no distractions in the background that will detract from the subject. Check for telephone poles, wires, strange people (oh, I’m sorry, that was your cousin), or other things that compete with the subject for attention. Also, make sure there is nothing in the background that appears to be sticking out of your child’s head,

such as a tree branch or bunny ears. OK, bunny ears are fine.

If your background isn’t acceptable, you can sometimes just move a few feet left or right and get a good background. You may have to change locations if you can’t move around and eliminate the distractions. Geek alert! If your camera has the ability to change the f-stop, you can open up your lens (lowest f-stop setting) and the background will be out of focus. You would be surprised at how good a really bad background will look using this method. So remember as you look through the viewfinder or view the LCD screen, be aware of what’s in the background.

The next thing is to be aware of the lighting. The best time of the day to take outdoor portraits is early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The hour after the sun comes up and the hour before it goes down is commonly called the golden hour. The lighting is beautiful at that time.

Posed for Perfection

By Bruce Schooler



The worst time is high noon. The lighting is too harsh and will cause shadows on the face that are not flattering. If you are taking pictures during the middle of the day, do not despair. Look for a place that has a lot of shade. It could be under a large tree, on a porch, or beside a building. Not only will the lighting be less harsh, but your subject will not be squinting. Most of the time I use fill flash while taking outdoor portraits. It adds a little “pop” to the eyes and eliminates some harsh shadows.

If you are shooting into the sun, you must use fill flash or you will most likely get a silhouette of your subject. That can be cool if that’s what you want, but if you want to see the facial features to be able to recognize the person, use the flash.

Composition is very important in creating a memorable portrait. Have you noticed that people are usually in a vertical position when photographed but the camera is held in the horizontal position. A large number of people have never taken a picture with their camera held in the vertical (portrait) position. You know who you are. All you have to do is slowly rotate the camera 90 degrees counter clockwise. Now look through the viewfinder and see how much closer you can get to your subject and still get a full length image. If you have more than two or three in the group, the horizontal composition works better than the vertical. Photographers use the terms

portrait and landscape for vertical and horizontal.

There is one other position of the camera I use now and then just for fun. You can tilt the camera somewhere between the portrait and landscape position. This is great for taking portraits of kids or teens.

Now that you have decided how you are going to hold your camera (vertical or horizontal), you need to place the subject so that the composition is pleasing. Most people put the subject right in the middle. Sometimes that is appropriate, especially with one person. If you pretend that the viewfinder or LCD screen is a canvas and you are going to create a portrait of someone on that canvas, it helps you visualize where to place the subject. There is a rule (oh no, another rule!) that has been around hundreds of years. It’s called the rule of thirds. How many remember the old game tic-tac-toe? Is it on a video game? Anyway, just pretend there is a tic-tac-toe grid drawn on your viewfinder. If you place your primary subject where the lines intersect, the composition is usually very pleasing.

In my opinion, the most important part of taking someone’s portrait is capturing the person’s spirit. You will have a good portrait if you follow the “rules” listed above, but you will have a great portrait if the subject’s personality is captured. My first clue that the person is not comfortable or is not smiling naturally is that his or

her cheeks are twitching because they are smiling so hard. I’m not kidding. Usually the twitching is preceded by that word “cheese.” Sorry folks, but when you say “cheese,” a natural smile is not created. I have kids say silly things like “monkey” or “fuzzy pickle” just to try to get a natural smile. It’s not the words so much as being silly. Try to be a kid when you are taking photos of kids. And by the way, who said someone has to have an ear to ear smile to get a great portrait? Some of my favorite images are of people not smiling. I like to think I have captured their spirit.

Now go out into the world and create some great portraits. If the technical and creative components are present and you have captured the true personality and spirit of the person, your portrait will be a true reflection of that person. You have captured a little bit of history. One day your great-great-grandson will say, “Wow, I look just like great- great-grandmother.” Go out and record some family history!

If you want to comment on this article or ask questions about the Art of Photography, please e-mail me at [email protected]. Our Web site is Theredbarnstudios.com. By the way, we capture people’s personalities and create portraits to record your family’s history. Call us at (432) 466-3315 for details.

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The perfect setup for an artist would be to have a giant studio with beauti-ful windows facing north. Different projects you were working on could be lined up under the windows. Peo-

ple ask me if I work on several ideas at once, or even if I work at home, and the answer is usually no.

Focusing and channeling your energy into one direction is what is required unless you like an assembly

line approach. I’m also asked if I work on oversized pieces, and yes, when someone wants a customized design or even a mural. My last large project was a 48 x 60 inch oil on canvas.

My studio is bursting with objects and antiques from my travels such as elaborate fabrics, books, and of course, paintings — the sheer volume of which has resulted in a new room addition. And yes, there are a few works stored in my closet or under the bed at home, like most artists.

Elaborate compositions emerge seamlessly most of the time from the objects surrounding me in daily life. Although my studio is far from ideal, I embrace the challenges of being a rural painter with the same enthusi-asm I approach the painting of an or-nate fabric or the shine of an apple.

When arranging still life setups, I pay less attention to the objects themselves than I do to their relation-ship to one another. Sometimes it is

The Fun is in the

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just what mood I am in, the color that is there, or the type or texture of the fabric. Once I establish shapes and colors in harmony, I check for how difficult my task is. If I thought about that long enough, I never would get started. I don’t want my work to be a nice little flower scene with a faded background. To me, paintings should be much more than wall decoration or collection of colors to match the furniture. In most of those timid flower works, it doesn’t seem like the artist had any fun.

Part of what’s fun is the challenge of it all, enjoying the process of mak-ing art. People should be amused, entertained and transported outside their own corner of the world. They may look and see flowers, pots, fruit, even animals, but what I want is to have an interaction between them and the art.

When someone buys a painting I don’t want them to just hang it and never really see it. I wish they’d say every now and then “Look at that! I never saw that before.” In other words, explaining and discovering unseen surprises that I have inserted into the work.

Much of the eye-catching appeal of my style comes from an uninhibited use of color. With my current palette there are 5 or 6 varied greens, blues, reds and yellows. I try to avoid earth colors such as burnt sienna, yellow ochre, raw or burnt umber, coal or lamp black, which will muddy the vibrancy. Avoiding repeated washes for the most part, I use water and lots of fresh pigment right out of the tube on a 1”-2” flat watercolor brush (or oil and appropriate bristle brushes for works on canvas). Color is put down and left alone, not stroked over and over. Getting it right the first time is the secret to intensity and spontane-ity, similar to how plein air painters operate. With watercolor works on paper, no white paint is ever used and all objects are reflective from the white paper being left as is.

To achieve consistently serious works on an ongoing basis, I invest in the highest quality paper and paint, as advised by an early instructor who said to buy the best materials you can afford. Paper and paint are the most important when you are ready for do-ing professional work, but until then, you can use any brush with its hairs intact, synthetic or natural, as long as it comes to a point. In the beginning, I practiced on scraps of white index paper but used sable brushes.

For watercolor my favorite brand I started with in 1993 is Saunders Waterford 140 lb. cold pressed paper. Although my Kolinsky sable flats have the brand names worn almost off, they’ve been in daily use for years.

Lots of time is spent setting up still life arrangements and even longer time doing careful pencil drawing directly onto the paper. Not much detail is put into it. This basic skel-eton sketch is what will be the actual

backbone of the work. A poor draw-ing will never carry the painting but an excellent drawing will carry even the most hastily and poorly done painting, no matter the medium.

Instinctively applying the juicy paint comes from years of a daily regimen. Taking a work to comple-tion may last several hours to several days or even weeks. I produce about 100 to 130 pieces per year.

The successful artists I’ve studied with and known for years have met with their success because their dedi-cation keeps them returning to their work every single day. Whether it is a compulsion or just a way to avoid housework, it is really about constant practice. Since this is a daily routine, I’ve developed an excellent hand-eye-brain coordination, measuring with my eye and not a straight-edge. Indeed, the fun is in the challenge and the thrill of making a lasting im-pression.

Kim L.Bango,MD

Board Certified in Family Medicine

Se Habla Espanol

Accepting New Patients432-263-0500

1608 W. FM 700, Suite DBig Spring, Tx 79720



Former Texan returnshome to set world mark

Former Fort Worth resident BJ Her-ring now holds the world record de-clared distance flight for Class 5 hang gliders, a feat accomplished at the Big Spring International in early August.

Herring, now living in Morrison, Colo., captured the record Aug. 9. He flew for 236 miles on a seven-hour, seven-minute flight that originated at the McMahon-Wrinkle Airpark in Big Spring and ended at the Pampa Airport that evening. The previous re-

cord, established in 2001, was for 221 miles.

Herring, 32, has been hang gliding for five years. Currently president of the Rocky Mountain Hang and Para Glider Association, he and a group of fellow pilots from Colorado decided to enter the Big Spring International after hearing about the exceptional flying conditions. On the last day of the meet, Herring would have been protecting his third place ranking in

the event but instead chose to go for the world record.

“I knew that if I didn’t fly the meet I’d be sacrificing my finish ranking, but the conditions for an attempt at the record were so favorable that I de-cided to try for a hail Mary,” he said.

He located a tug pilot willing to tow him up from the Big Spring runway, found some lift and headed north without a driver to chase and bring him back.



The gamble paid off, although it was far from a peaceful cruise above the high plains of West Texas. At times soaring at altitudes of more than 10,500 feet — and at times skimming much closer to the ground — Herring said it was often a harrowing attempt at finding thermals to carry his aircraft upward.

Thermals are the columns of ris-ing air caused by the uneven heating of the earth. They are the jet fuel of hang gliders. In West Texas during the late summer, the presence of these thermals make the area one of the best locations for hang gliding.

“You wouldn’t think of West Texas as a great hang gliding destination, but you’d be wrong. On the right day, it’s just epic!” said Herring, who has also flown in Arizona, Florida, New Mexico, Hawaii, Utah and Peru, along with Colorado.

But like the vast West Texas terrain, there are often huge expanses of open sky which provide no lift — or worse, sinking air. It was such a condition which almost ended Herring’s attempt at 180 miles.

“I got so low that I was on final ap-proach with my harness open and coming down to land. I’ve never gotten back up from this low and I was becoming anxious of what kind of hike I was in for just to get to a paved road. At the last minute, I went through a strong but smooth thermal. I had a chance to make one circle and it was going up at 400 feet a minute all the way round. ... I rode it up to cloud

base at 10,650 feet, so I was back in business,” Herring recalled.

Several other moments of altitude deprivation made the final miles of his attempt challenging. Finally, some 10 miles south of his goal, he could see the town of Pampa on the hori-zon. Herring’s GPS unit was finally indicating enough altitude to make it to the airport, but one last detail had yet to be worked out. USHPA rules require that a pilot’s landing on any record attempt be witnessed by some-one at the finish.

At 7:30 p.m. on a Saturday evening, Herring worried that there might not be anyone at the airport to validate his arrival. He put out a call over his radio and hoped someone was listening.

Luckily, a local HAM radio operator was receiving. After hearing Herring’s request, he agreed to call the airport to see if anyone would step outside to witness a landing for a world record attempt.

Travis Lamance, owner of Allegra Aviation, was surprised to see the hang glider above doing 50 miles per hour high banked turns to a perfect land-ing by his hangar and a sleek business jet parked outside. He was even more surprised to learn that the flight had originated seven hours earlier in Big Spring, 236 miles south.

“My wing is not as comfortable as a private jet, but I bet they’d love to trade fuel bills!” Herring said with a smile.

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WANTED: A hardy, drought-tolerant, low-growing, flow-ering plant for use as a specimen or ground cover. Must bloom from spring to fall and be covered with blooms most of the season. Must also be low maintenance.

Found: Lantana! This plant can serve as both a specimen and as a ground cover. It will usually be cov-ered with bright yellow flower clus-ters and will need attention only after a heavy frost. There are several Lan-tana but the one we are discussing is Lantana camara or Lantana hybrida. They are both about 2-feet high and spread to 4-feet wide in growth habit and prefer full sun but can tolerate some shade.

Lantana is a tip-blooming plant, so to ensure the best bloom period, prune or shear it back by an inch or so every six weeks throughout the summer. Lantana prefers well-drained, slightly moist soil (one inch per week) for the best blooms. Fertilize lightly if at all. Too much fertilizer will reduce the quantity of blooms.

This small perennial is considered a deciduous plant but may be semi-evergreen in mild winters in Howard County. It should be cut back to about six inches high after the first hard freeze, regardless. Mulching well (four inches) will ensure an even supply of water during the summer and help the roots over winter. Don’t prune Lantana in the fall before it freezes as this will reduce its ability to make it through the winter. Lan-tana thrives in heat and wont even start to grow in the spring until the soil has warmed up.

Lantana is considered a weed by many farmers and some Departments of Agriculture but that is only a tribute to its ease of growth and per-sistence. If cotton were as tough and persistent as Lantana we would con-sider it a pest as well. Well, maybe not, but the point is that Lantana may be a pest under some conditions, but in your garden it is a spectacular as-set.

Lantana comes in several colors including white, yellow, orange, red, pink and purple. The most common in Howard County is the bright yel-low.

Lantana is easily grown from seed or from tip-cuttings. The cuttings should be about three inches long. Strip off all but the terminal leaves and dip the butt end in rooting com-pound and insert into a loose, moist potting soil. Cover the pot or flat with a clear plastic bag and set in a bright warm spot out of the direct sun. In two to six weeks roots should have formed and the plants can be repotted or set out. For growing from seed, plant them 1/8 inch deep in a peaty potting mix around the end of Febru-ary. Grow them until the weather has warmed the soil well before planting in your beds. Germination can vary from 45 to 60 days. Soaking over-night in warm water can promote faster germination if you get a late start. Collect your own seeds from your plants when the berries turn black.

Now for the standard disclaimer for most hardy plants. All parts of the Lantana plant may be toxic. Some varieties may have parts which are not toxic, but it is best to treat them all as poison. Again, many of the plants people live with every day are toxic. The safest course is to look at your garden, not eat it.





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September 2008 Living