Lonnie Holley’s van spotted in Birmingham. Lonnie, sometimes known as The Sand Man, is a noted self-taught artist and art educator.

Photos courtesy of Dystopos.

Hopefully, you will recall former “American Idol” contestant who was featured on Festville back in January of 2005. If not, the Youtube video is below. Leroy who has endured scrapes with the law since appearing on the popular television show is heading to prison for almost four years, a federal judge in Mobile ruled this morning.

U.S. District Judge William Steele sentenced Leroy Eugene Wells, 25, to three years and 10 months for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Wells’ arrest arose from a brief chase he led Mobile County sheriff’s deputies on in February after refusing to stop his vehicle.

Steele granted a request by defense lawyer James Scroggins to recommend to the Bureau of Prisons that Wells be sent to a prison with a comprehensive substance abuse treatment program.

“He has expressed his sincere remorse. We’ve had multiple conversations,” Scroggins told Steele. “He believes this is due to a drug problem.”

Added Wells, “I apologize for breaking the laws of Alabama and the United States. And I ask for forgiveness.”

Cell phone receiver gives you a better handle on things. The large retro-style design recalls simpler times when bigger was better - a perfect solution for today’s shrinking cell phones. It plugs into the earphone jack and provides great reception. Included adaptors fit most cell phone models. Vinyl, 2 1/2 x 2 x 7″.

Price: $14.98

Comment: This would be pretty sweet to have as you are sitting in traffic and all the cars pass you by as you sit there with this land-line type handset against your left ear.

LIGHTED MAGNIFIER VISOR

Lighted magnifier visor keeps your hands free while you read, sew or enjoy other detail-oriented hobbies. Adjustable strap provides a custom fit. Includes five changable/attachable lens, which can be doubled to increase magnification. Requires one AA battery (not included). Plastic.

Price: $19.98

Comment: I think excessive wear of this will wear down your neck.

GAS TRANSFER PUMP

Battery-powered pump quickly drains or transfers liquids. Empty aquariums, transfer gas, oil and other auto fluids, use for making beer or wine, or clear flooded areas. Pumps 5-6 quarts per minute with easy push-button operation. Requires two D batteries (not included). Jug container is not included.

Your Price: $19.98

Comment: As gas prices continue to rise, expect the sale of this item to increase as gas thieves can fill up at any parking lot..

Smoker’s bib Stop fumbled lit cigarettes and dropped lit ashes from burning holes in senior’s clothing. Flame retardent apron stretches across chairs armrest to prevent hot cigarette end from falling onto clothing or be- tween you and the chair. Light-weight, machine-washable fabric meets NFPA 701 flame retardent requirements. 30 x 34″.

Price: $39.98

A sample of Jacob Krejci’s “That Old Time Religion (Set)” on flickr.

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“This man stood on the corner in town from at least 10 0′Clock that morning, to 5:00 in the afternoon. He would hold this pose until someone walked up to him. They he would stand up and introduce himself.

He says that he stands on the street because when only 80% of the population goes to church there is no sense preaching there.

He was warm and friendly and openly invited people to take his picture….His only rule was that you couldn’t photograph his face…..He said he didn’t realize that the “Stop here on Red” sign was there until someone pointed it out to him”

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There’s nothing really pleasant about Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Balsam, NC. I really don’t think this lines up with scripture.

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Seen in Andrews, NC. This is really, really nice. I always love the billboard or bumper stickers that people have that have quotes from God that they made up. So what does the “ETC., ETC.” represent? It’s like fill in the blank. I guess they wanted to put a cure for Kudzu (seen behind the sign) and a cure for littering (in front).

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A new twist on the saying from Franklin, NC.

At the old Churches at in Cade’s Cove people leave bibles dedicated to their lost love ones….People add to these bibles and right nice kind message in them, and then there is this……..

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Courtesy of Jacob Krejci

Meet the Walters Family. Or rather meet their bus/RV/Skewly. Bottom line of this adventure is that Mr. Walters wanted to save some cash by converting an old school bus into a driveable RV.

He writes: “The main reason I wanted to do this little project (I wish it were little) was to have a really cool hotel room on wheels that would allow us to travel across the US, Canada and Mexico in style (and maybe Central/South America if I get the nerve) for less than the $100K for a new RV or $40K for a late-model, used one. When it is all said and done we should spend less than half the cost of a used Class C (class C RVs are those smaller RVs that are built on a van chassis) and have a unique RV that is made exactly to our specifications with all new stuff. Okay, the bus and engine aren’t new, but the insides will all be new. ”

The bus he purchased is a 1986 International S1700. He bought it from a church for $2,000. He lives in central Tennessee. This is really fitting.

“I knew I wanted to have a wide window on this side of the bus, so I had to remove one of the window supports. Grinder Ho! ”

“Sandblasting, prep, primer and BusKote roof paint and, Viola! Something that is starting to look a little bit less like a cheese wagon.”
Festville Comment: True, but now it looks like a prison bus.

“My handy-dandy custom dash board complete with backup camera monitor, generator remote start switch and other misc switches. I totally rewired the entire 12 volt electrical system in the bus because of all of stuff I had to remove.”

“Granny’s sleeping quarters. My mother-in-law lives with us and will be our travelling nanny. ”

Festville Comment: It looks like a mix between a prison bus and a Brinks truck.

He spent $14k total on everything. And he’s already taken it on trips. See more of the conversion here.

And a bonus for you if you are still reading. Here’s a photo I assume he took of Michael Jackson during a visit to Camp Zama, Japan.

Normally, you’ll find some funny stuff on Festville. Today, you’ll see the devastation that still remains in SE Louisiana and along the Mississippi coast. These are just a few photos from a large collection taken by a guy named James Baker.

Door to nowhere, East New Orleans

St. Bernard Parish, LA.

Abandoned church, Buras, LA.

Abandoned Masonic Lodge, Buras, LA

Ornate FEMA trailer, Bay St. Louis, MS.

Abandoned church, Arabi, LA

Pre-Katrina gas prices, abandoned Texaco station, Basin St., NOLA.

Plaquemines Parish Courthouse, Pointe A La Hache, LA.

Remains of fire house, Pointe A La Hache, LA.

More of his photos here…

Riverwalk Stadium did its part to help the Montgomery Biscuits on Saturday.

Mobile pitcher Matt Elliott — after giving up an eighth-inning run to tie it — went to the bathroom just behind the visitor’s dugout and slammed the door with such force that he broke it.

After the BayBears went down in the top of the ninth, Elliott was supposed to go back to the mound but was still in Riverwalk’s clutches.

“That’s the first time ever I’ve had something like that happen in my 25-plus years in this game,” BayBears manager Brett Butler said. “The way our night seemed to go, it seemed like anything was possible.”

Before firefighters arrived, stadium workers pried the door open with a tool that is used to pack clay into the pitcher’s mound. The hero, Rauch said, was Travis Burkett, a former football player who works for the team.

Elliott’s stay in the bathroom was 47 minutes, 20 of them after the game.

“They were beating on it,” said Elliott, who wasn’t sure what specific techniques defeated the door. “I couldn’t really see.”

“It was kind of weird,” he said.

Story

On July 2, 1982, Larry Walters took flight in a homemade aircraft, dubbed Inspiration I, that he had fashioned out of a Sears patio chair and 45 helium-filled weather balloons.

To avoid suspicion, he and his girlfriend used a forged requisition from his employer saying the balloons were for a television commercial shoot. Walters then attached the balloons to his lawnchair, filled them with helium, donned a parachute, and strapped himself to the chair with a pellet gun (with which he intended to shoot the balloons to lower himself), a CB radio, sandwiches, soft drinks, and a camera. After that, things did not work out as he had planned. When his friends cut the cord that had tied his lawnchair to his jeep, Walters’ lawnchair, which was planned to rise 100 feet above the ground, quickly rose to a height of about 16,000 feet (3 miles); he did not dare shoot any balloons, fearing that he might unbalance the load. Trans World Airlines and Delta Airlines jetliner pilots at 16,000 feet above sea level.

Minutes later, he was calling for help over his citizens band radio.

“This guy broke into our channel with a mayday,” said Doug Dixon, a member of an Orange County citizens band radio club. “He said he had shot up like an elevator to 16,000 feet and was getting numb before he started shooting out some of the balloons.”

Mr. Walters then lost his pistol overboard, and the chair drifted downward, controlled only by the gallon jugs of water attached to the sides as ballast.

The ropes became entangled in a power line, briefly blacking out a small area in Long Beach. The chair dangled five feet above the ground, and Mr. Walters was able to get down safely.

The F.A.A. has cited him for four violations of the Federal Aviation Act, including operating a “civil aircraft for which there is not currently in effect an airworthiness certificate” and operating an aircraft within an airport traffic area “without establishing and maintaining two-way communications with the control tower.” He was fined $4,000 by the FAA but the fine was later reduced to $1,500.

Walters abandoned his truck-driving job and went on the lecture circuit, remaining sporadically in demand at motivational seminars. But he said he never made much money from his innovative flight and was glad to keep his simple lifestyle.

He gave his “aircraft” — the aluminum lawn chair — to admiring neighborhood children after he landed, later regretting it.

Larry committed suicide by shooting himself in Angeles National Forest on October 6, 1993.

Wikipedia: Larry Walters