Dick Powell was born and raised in Mountain View, Arkansas

One of my readers requested the Mountain View address of Dick Powell. I went to the house and took some pictures.The picture shows that the house number is 220  South Main.

Dick was big in the movies when I was growing up in Pomona, California. For several years he was a song and dance man. When that career slowed  he was successful as a tough detective type. He played the lead in the first Phillip Marlowe movie. He made hundreds of movies.

He was married at different times, to Joan Blondell and June Allyson.

"No beans Monson" got some!

At last years Beanfest I watched music while the start of the bean serving started. I leisurely walked over to the bean pots some 20 or 30 minutes later. I wanted to avoid standing in line. To my dismay every bean was gone! I became famous for going to the Mountain View Beanfest and not getting one bean. Some called me "no beans Monson". Well, I was there in time this year.

There could have been a thousand gallons of pinto beans!

Oh boy! So good.

A stroll down Bean Pot Lane.

They lit the bean pots at 7 AM. I was there about eight thirty to check on the progress. They add lots of good stuff to the beans.

Last night I counted 29 bean pots. I gather each is sponsored by a group.

Oh boy! I am looking forward to 12 noon for a bowl of beans and a piece of cornbread.

She said that she was not Choctaw,

This group must be from Minnesota.

I do not understand this sign.

I am at Bean Fest 2017 in Mountain View, Arkansas

Nice six hour drive. Had lunch in El Paso. Got to Mountain View in time for a nap. Nice room about 3 minutes from the square. The Pinewood Cabins are really nice.

There were five groups of pickers at work in the Square.

Some trustees from the Stone County Jail were busy at eight AM on Friday morning putting out tables and pot stands for the beans. The beans are served at Saturday noon. They start early getting ready.

The Forty Fools of Company C

I was one of them.

Here is the title page from my army unit.

After much training we found ourselves on the island of Angaur which is the southern most of the Palau Islands. My Army Division (the 81st) had landed on Angaur and in a week or so had the island under control. A Marine Division (the Old Breed, the 1st) had landed on the next island of the Palau chain, Peleliu. The Battle for Peleliu would be one of the Marines bloodiest Pacific battles.

The Marines asked for the assistance of some of the Army's demolition teams. The enemy was in many heavily built forts. I was on one of the  teams with a demolition rating. However it was strictly a volunteer force that our commanders requested. Forty men volunteered. After months of training we had seen very little fighting. We were young and restless. Some of the forty would die and some would get wounded. (I was shot in both legs) Here is some text from my Army unit history.

Sorry for the poor reproduction. The high lighted text says "The Forty Fools of Company C". I do not think many if them ever again volunteered to help the Marines.

I have so much respect for the Marines and the Army Infantry. They do every day what we Forty Fools did for a few weeks.

I am related to a cheerleader!

My youngest great grandchild, Johnny Lynn Miller, is a cheerleader in Franklinton, Louisiana. Here are pics that prove it. I love her.

Johnny sometimes takes time off from cheerleading.

Christian Steven Newberry takes me for a ride!

Went out to the deer lease today with John and Christian. Christian is another of my great grandsons who live in West Monroe.  Among other chores Christian drove John and I around the deer lease roads.

Christian inspects John's deer stand.

Helping John put out corn for the deer.

We stopped by the deer lease headquarters.

Christian helps inspect one of the the hog traps.

The only good snake is a dead snake.

Ross's last junior high football game.

Ross John Newberry, another one of my great grandsons played his last junior high school game Thursday night. Here are some pics.

Ross is the middle linebacker (number 44) and is a good player. He gets there!