Lunch

Open-face BLT, on fresh bread just out of the oven a half hour before

Battlestar Galactica tonight.

If you are watching this show, don't miss "Battlestar Galactica" tonight. If you miss it, you can catch it on Hulu for a while. I missed last week's episode, but watched it a couple of days later on Hulu.

A few weeks ago, I read a great article in "Newsweek" about the show:

"An orchestrated terrorist attack. An inexorable march to war. An enemy capable of disappearing among its targets, armed with an indifference to its own mortality. It sounds like a PBS special on Al Qaeda. In fact, it's a synopsis of the Sci Fi Channel series "Battlestar Galactica," which—for anyone who manages to get past the goofy name—captures better than any other TV drama of the past eight years the fear, uncertainty and moral ambiguity of the post-9/11 world..."

The rest of the article by Joshua Alston is found here. Well, I don't see the name as goofy. For science fiction fans of a certain age, the now 30-years-old original tales of the battles against the Cylons have taken on the weight of myth.

There are only 8 or so more episodes of the show, and I wonder if it is in some sort of slowdown-coda. After all, it was all about the journey to Earth, and they have been there and gone already. I hope it won't be like "Babylon 5", which was supposed to be 5 seasons. Then the makers of the show told it was cut to 4 seasons, and they rushed the story and finished things by the end of season 4. But then Season 5 was given to them again, and they had to think of some stuff to put there now that the main epic story had been told. I have read that the makers of "Battlestar Galactica" have had to deal with something similar, with the number of seasons being adjusted a few times.

And if you haven't watched it before tonight? It will take some figuring out, but at least there isn't all the crazy time traveling like there is in "LOST". But, like with "LOST", people often come back after they die.

Above is a picture of Edward James Olmos, who is said to never smile. I actually can't remember seeing him in anything else besides "Battlestar", other than what must have been a few episodes of "Miami Vice" which I have entirely forgotten now, and "Blade Runner" which I last saw in the movie theatre when it first came out. Has anyone seen Olmos in other things?

The Lion Kings

This old postcard view is of Rockledge, the E. L. King mansion at Homer near Winona, Minnesota. It was built in 1912 and demolished in 1987. I went by it many times on the highway below it, but unfortunately never had a chance to go into it. I understand that the estate grounds and remaining buildings are still owned by the King family.

A King descendent (Lance King) posted recently on a forum:

"I used to live in Rockledge when I was growing up, my grandmother Betty King tore it down in order to build her new place because Kingsware was too big for her to keep up with in her older age.She needed a one level place and a project to keep her creative mind working.Rockledge unfortunately was in pretty bad disrepair because of burst heating water pipes, and could have been revived but the cost would have been considerable.Rockledge was originally built as a summer house for my great grandparents, and had 11 bathrooms, 5 bedrooms, a library, smoker (mens hang out room) a two family party type rooms, a dining room, two exceptionally large screened porches, an amazing kitchen, bar, lounge, and a lot of storage ; )"

Additionally, I've heard that the Kings kept lions at their house. Live ones. They liked to go on safari in Africa, and apparently brought back live trophies as well as dead ones. Yes, pet lions. And sometimes they would get loose and prowl about the neighborhood. How would you like that? Puts a different spin on calling the neighbors to tell them that their cat is loose in your yard.


E.. L. King founded Winona National Savings Bank. The bank was built in the Egyptian Revival architecture style in the 1910s. There weren't many buildings ever built in this style. A golden lion is the mascot/symbol of the bank, and there is a stuffed lion trophy in the lobby over the teller area. In addition, the bank is like a museum with many things (including other trophies on display). The bank still stands today.

The architecture style would probably appeal to the "Stargate SG1" crew:

Lost on Mars...

We caught a new episode of "LOST" again tonight. I'm wondering if this season is beginning well: this episode was very confusing. I wasn't entirely sure what version of what character (time-traveling character vs character moving through time normally vs character time-traveling only with his mind) was in what time. I suppose it might be a little better if every time they jumped time, the year would appear in the lower left corner for a couple of seconds.

After that, we caught our first episode of "Life on Mars". We usually don't watch shows from 10 to 11, but we sometimes do. The first thing I noticed was how orange everything looked. The show had color, almost like the huge of an old videotape WKRP episode but darker. This is in contrast to "LOST", which has realistic color, or a bunch of other things that dial down the color so much that it looks like black-and-white. The show takes place in 1973, apparently an era when cops liked to put down their guns and engage in a brawl like in a barroom in an old Western. I suppose they were all still watching "Gunsmoke" back then. And based on this episode, sex is as casual as a handshake, too. Must be something of the pre-AIDS era.

And what is with the flybots? I suppose since it is a science-fiction show, they have to use CGI somewhere, even if it means tiny digital flies. And thank you, makers of "Life on Mars", for reminding me that it takes place in 1973. I wish the makers of "LOST" would similarly tell me what part takes place when.

If I end up watching "Life on Mars" more, it could end up being only the third cop show I've ever really watched consistently.

While these shows were on, I went to check to see what was on NBC. Nothing I wanted to see. I guess NBC is now the "Is that network still on?" network. But I remember when ABC was like that, nothing on but "Millionaire".

The Funeral Tunnel

This old postcard was printed around 1908. It depicts the funeral tunnel that links the Home Hospital (then apparently known as Hospital #21) and the cemetary at what is now known as Dayton VA Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. I've been to Dayton a couple of times to attend a ham radio event, and that is my main knowledge of Dayton. The Funeral Tunnel sure looks dark doesn't it? And that is not a very inviting name to begin with.

Dayton VAMC has been in operation since 1867. It has modern buildings now, and 500 medical beds.

It was initially called National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, shortened as the National Asylum. This was one of those times when "asylum" was used in the name of an institution which had nothing to do with psychiatric care. At one point in the 19th century, before the name was changed, the governor of Ohiocame to visit. He asked someone to drive him to the asylum. Dayton at the time was also home to the Dayton Asylum for the Insane. The driver took the governor to the insane asylum instead of the VA hospital. There, some people actually tried to admit him, and when he claimed he was the governor, they were like "yeah, right....". But he did manage to get out of there without being committed to a psychiatric ward.

From the web page:

We can enter the cemetery through the funeral tunnel from Home Hospital. When a soldier dies, a funeral escort follows the flag draped casket. The Home Band plays a solemn requiem, and the firing party discharges three volleys over his grave. The graves are marked with neat head- boards painted white. You notice the words Name Unknown on one of the headboards. Though unknown, he is honored"

The Tightwad Bank (Odd Town Names)

Many years ago, I drove through Tightwad, Missouri. I found out that they had a bank at the time.

I went to look it up now, and I see that the bank in Tightwad is still in operation. It looks like they are having a little bit of fun with the website:

http://www.tightwadbank.net/

And Tightwad, Missouri is not very far from Humansville, a real place that lent its name to an old album by the Texas Brave Combo. I love the Brave Combo's "Tubular Jugs". You can hear it by clicking this link.

See this post at Cube's blog for more funny town names. There are other names that come to mind: "Fingerboard Corners" is somewhere in northern Michigan. It just sounds extremely quaint, and like it would have been a place somewhere near Green Acres, Hooterville, and Petticoat Junction.

You won't find Keoxa on a map. It was a Native American town, and has been supplanted by Winona, Minnesota. The name might not stand out, but "Keoxa" is said to translate into something like "they marry their cousins and close relatives".




Feel free to chime in with more funny town names, here or as a response to Cube's post.

More "ObamaIcon"

Hector has some new Obamaicons on his blog, so that inspired me to do a few more. Remember, these icons are easy to make at the Obamaicons web site. My older ones are on this post.

Centauri ambassador Londo Mollari. I think he must be hungry....

For Green Lantern fans...

Captain Kirk is still angry...

Chicken Casserole De Luxe

I recently came across an old cookbook, Good Housekeeping Casserole Cookery. It is from 1971, and appears to be long out of print.

We figured we'd be adventurous in cooking, and try it out. I chose about 5 likely casserole recipes from the book, and we went with one. We have major economic reasons to save money, and it turns out we had all the ingredients for this one. (Over at "Insidious Truth", Laughingatttheslut is making a good go of the Dollar a Diet Project. But I just do not like bean soup. Or beans in general, but for those who love beans, this "Ways and Beans" recipe from Anali's blog looks interesting, and sure to make Rep. Charlie Rangel happy.).

Here is the Chicken Casserole De Luxe recipe:

• 1 4-pound roasting chicken
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3-cups seasoned, cooked green beans
• 20 single saltines
• 1 cup shredded Process cheddar cheese
• 1 10 1/2 ounce can condensed cream-of-chicken soup, undiluted
• 1/2 soup can chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dry onion flakes
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds OR fresh mushrooms (optional)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine.

Make early on day, or about 2 hours before serving

1. Wash chicken, place in lage kettle with 2 quarts boiling water and salt. Simmer, covered, until tender - about 1 hour. Drain, reserving broth; cool, remove chicken meat from bones.

2. Start heating oven to 350 degrees F

3. Arrange beans over bottom of greased 13 by 9 by 2 inch baking dish; arrange half of chicken meat over beans. top with 16 of the saltines, then half of cheese, then remaining chicken meat.

4. Combine soup, broth, onion flakes, and remaining cheese; pour over chicken.. Crumbe remaniing saltines, sprinkle over casserole with almonds. Drizzle with melted butter.

5. Bake for about 3o minutes, or until bubbling hot and lightly browned. Or refrigerate, then start baking about 30 minutes before serving.

6. Serve with shrimp cocktail, romaine salad, buttered pumpernickel, and coffee. Makes 6 servings.

---

I found the serve-with to be quite interesting. We had leftovers from this for a few days. So enjoy this recipe from the 1970s, the era of harvest-gold painted ovens. Is anyone else making casseroles?

Christine Baranski Friday

It's Christine Baranski Friday again. No, the Christine Baranski for President campaign was not successful. There's someone else in the Oval Office signing executive orders now for the past couple of days, instead of Christine as seen to the right.

Fun with Obama Icons

I found out on Analis's blog about the Obamaicon.me tool. It lets you easily make an icon in the style of the Obama Hope icon, with any image or any word you want

It is pretty easy to try it with different icons and words, such as these examples I put into it:

Pope Benedict XVI...

Zorba the Greek..

Oprah Winfrey..

Samuel Adams..

Dr. Zaius...

Mr. Bubble..

Chief Kevahemah..

Mr. Heat Miser..

a Sleestak..

Christine Baranski..

The Noid..

Myhr the Cat Guy..

And finally, Lex Luthor..

A new leader has been inaugurated

This is late news, actually. Over the summer, Mountain Dew had a "Dewmocracy" vote to choose the new brand of Mountain Dew. The choices were Supernova, Voltage, and Revolution.



I found the winner, Voltage, on the shelf at the supermarket yesterday. It is the blue raspberry one. As is typical with Mountain Dew flavors, the fruitiness is somewhat muted. A glass of it appears to the right. It's bright blue, and made me think of something that Aunt Beru would serve to Luke Skywalker back at the Tattooine moisture ranch (see image below).... or a glass of toilet-bowl cleaner.



I've seen a bunch of new and odd sodapops introduced in the past couple of years. This includes Blue Dr Pepper (I didn't think it was that good) some soda that tasted like chocolate covered cherries (truly awful) and the (Diet?) Pepsi Jazz flavors. I'm not sure which ones have lasted. I just know I don't see Blue Dr Pepper around here anymore. Has anyone else tried the Dewmocracy Mountain Dew flavors, or any of these other odd new sodapop flavors, and did any stand out for you?

Your Call Is Very Important To Us.

I came across this Youtube gem when looking up material on the Lost in Space robot. Daleks represent the pinnacle of customer-service technology, don't they? I wonder who the tall robot is.

What is the worst thing that has happened to you when calling telephone customer support? I suppose having someone take hundreds of dollars and refuse to deliver computer parts, and telling me "F*** you!" when I asked for my money back, is probably as bad as it gets. This once happened to me.

Michigan Hometown Heroes - Anthony McGill

I found out from Kimber Bilby on the "Ron Jolly Show" this morning that clarinetist Anthony McGill is an Interlochen graduate. McGill was the clarinetist in the quartet who played 'Air and Simple Gifts' (arrangement by John Williams) at the inauguration yesterday.

I wonder if the quartet's performance might have set a record for the most people viewing a live classical performance (both live on TV). Arranger John Williams of course has a lot of science-fiction credentials, with music ranging from "Lost in Space" and "Time Tunnel" through "Star Wars" to "Harry Potter".

From President Bush to President Obama

As I submit this blog entry, President Obama is taking the oath of office.

The photo below is of the north side of the White House. I took this photo on the evening of September 25th. Earlier that day in Washington DC, President Bush met with both candidates, Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama, concerning the then-unfolding economic crisis. So I assume that President Bush was home that evening, and perhaps that illuminated window in the upper right corner is in the residential parts of the White House where Bush was. But I am not sure, not knowing the layout of the White House.

Regardless, tonight, after the inaugural balls are over, a different President will be in the residential areas of the white house.

Here is a prayer for the President that I found when looking for general prayers for government leaders:

Prayer for Government Leader:

God of power and might, wisdom and justice,
through you authority is rightly administered,
laws are enacted, and judgment is decreed.
Assist with your spirit of counsel and fortitude
the President and other government leaders of these United
States.
May they always seek
the ways of righteousness, justice and mercy.
Grant that they may be enabled by your powerful protection
to lead our country with honesty and integrity.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Bob May Dies (Lost in Space Robot)

I just read on Cube's blog that the main inside the Lost in Space Robot, Bob May, had died. I guess these things do come in threes at times, and this comes right after the deaths of Patrick McGoohan and Ricardo Montalban. May died Sunday in the Los Angeles area. The Yahoo story is here. I was just talking with someone about him the other day after seeing a "Lost in Space" rerun on TV. To the above right is a close-up of the "face" of a robot from my "Lost in Space" robot collection.

I was a major fan of the old show growing up. I think there is only one show I liked more than "Lost in Space"

Below is the "Lost in Space Robot Dance", which includes a sound clip of Dick Tufeld as the robot voice singing the "Golden Nugget Song". Tufeld is alive, and as far as I know, well.

The "Lost in Space" robot has become enough a part of pop culture that it was used in an Altoids ad campaign. It has appeared in "The Simpsons" as well as "Family Guy" in recent years (albeit in animated form, which doesnt require any work by Bob May).

In this blog, I don't report on everyone who dies. But it seems like a lot of science-fiction greats have been passing away lately.

Cars - 1951 Tucker Talisman Two-door

On another blog, there was some discussion about what cars someone would like to buy, if one had the money. I've already mentioned the Dobbertin Surface Orbiter, which is the closest one can come to Ark II. So, if I had enough money, maybe another one of the cars I might want would be a 1951 Tucker Talisman. It is shown below in green. But maybe I'd probably prefer a dark red one.

1951 Tucker Talisman

Michigan Hometown Heroes - The Gambler

The man in the tale is supposedly the friend of a friend of a friend:

There was a guy who travelled around the world on steamers. During his long travels, he studied gambling. He figured out a way to "read" roullette wheels.

One day, he docked in a French city. He wanted to try out his roullette wheel method, so he asked where a good place was. He was told of place run by the mob. So he went there, and they let him into the unmarked building.

He played into the evening, losing money as he figured out the roullette wheels. Finally, he was able to figure out of the wheels. For the rest of the evening, he played that wheel. Eventually he won about $300,000 dollars, which I was told would be a couple of million dollars today.

The guys running the casino told him, that was it, no more money. The gambler was happy to have won that much. The mobsters then told him it might not be safe walk out of there and alone on the streets with the money. But they had a nice room upstairs that he could stay in overnight.

So, the gambler stayed in the room. He was quite nervous, having so much money and having pulled off his roullette-wheel reading trick, and he was now staying in a mob house. He lay in the big four-poster canopy bed, looking around, cautious of sound, but eventually he started to nod off.

A little later, he woke up and noticed something odd. A painting on the wall was smaller. The top part was obscured by the edge of the bed canopy. How could this be? He could see the entire painting before. It was then he noticed that the bed's canopy was silently lowering down over the bed.

He quickly rolled off the bed as the airtight canopy sealed itself over the rest of the bed, making a suffocating trap. He grabbed his money and slipped out the door, not even bothering to get his shoes. As he went down the stairs, he heard a door slam upstairs and someone said "He should be dead soon". He slipped out the door and ran away from the place, making his escape. He did find out later that this operation killed a lot of people this way and dumped their bodies in the river.

He took his winnings and used them to buy a campground in northwestern Lower Michigan, probably Leelanau.

Battlestar Galactica - Nearing the End

The first episode of the final half-season of "Battlestar Galactica" is on tonight, at 10 pm Eastern, 9 Central. There's only supposed to be 10 or so episodes left. I wonder what they will find on the Nuked Earth? I hope along the way there is some explanation about why an old Bob Dylan song is so important in the show.
The scifi channel is even selling commemorative Cylon toasters.

I've quite enjoyed the show, and look forward to the next "Battlestar" series, which is a science-fiction lawyer show called "Caprica".

Science fiction lawyer shows.... Believe it or not, there was another science fiction lawyer show a few years ago, called "Century City". Wasn't there one before this? I seem to recall an older one, but am not sure.

Indian Women Postcards

A couple of postcards I turned up recently:

The first one is of Marcele Sharron Ahtone, Miss Indian America from 1965. She is a Kiowa Indian. The pageant was in Sheridan, Wyoming, and that is where the postcard was published. I'm guessing that it was published in 1965 or 1966. Most of these old postcards do not have publishing dates on them. For cards like this, you can guess at the dates from how cars look, or in some cases there are arrays of funny triangles and squares on the back which can be decoded to figure out a date range.

I've been to Wyoming, but I doublt I've been to Sheridan.

---

The one below says it of an "Ottawa Squaw" on the back. The word "squaw" isn't really used much anymore. Ottawa Indians are often called Odawa now, too. She is at Peshawbestown in Leelanau County, in Michigan. That is where the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians is based. I am pretty sure that this postcard was published in the 1960s also. George Happy was the photographer and postcard publisher. No, the tribal members do not typically dress this way.



Peshawbestown is generally pronounced like "Shawby town". Some call it P-Town. The main attraction there is the Leelanau Sands Casino. They have a museum there now, but I have not been up that way since it has opened.

Ricardo Montalban (Khan) Dead at 88

I just heard from a friend that Ricardo Montalban has passed away.

The story is here.

I first remember him well from the "Planet of the Apes" movie series. I was hoping that he would get some sort of role in the remake of "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes". I also remember him, of course, for the Chrysler Cordoba commercial, Mr. Rourke in "Fantasy Island" (a role I think was inspired by Christopher Lee in "The Man With the Golden Gun"), and of course Khan in "Star Trek". The most recent thing I saw him in was when he played the patriarch in "Spy Kids".

I've also mentioned him several times in my blog, even if it has not been as many times as Christine Baranski.

He'll be missed.

A Youtube link to the great old Chrysler Cordoba commercial from 1975 is below. "...soft Corinthian leather".

---

Patrick McGoohan of the classic show "The Prisoner" also passed away. Story here. I remember my college dorm room being decorated with gear from this show.

Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Salad

I recently described to a friend one of my dad's favorite things to prepare in the kitchen. I remembered it wrong, and described it as having tomatoes, onions, and peppers (with vinegar). It turns it out was really tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. A Google search turns up many pages on how to make it. This one by Rachel Ray sounds pretty close what my dad made, but I don't think he followed a recipe. It is really hard to screw this one up: it about as easy as tossing a salad.

Ingredients:
- 5 medium plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
- 1/4 red onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
- 1 Kirby cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- A generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, about 2 tablespoons
- 2 splashes red wine vinegar
- Coarse salt and black pepper

Directions:
- Dress the tomatoes, onions, and cucumber with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- Let stand while you prepare dinner, about 20 minutes. Re-toss and serve salad with crusty - bread for mopping up juices and oil.

---

Of course, I remember this as being a late summer thing, with tomatoes and cucumbers fresh from the garden. Good luck to you if you want to try this now, and find good-tasting reasonably-priced tomatoes and cucumbers at your supermarket. For some of us, thinking of this can remind us of warmer times in the year and past summer cookouts.

The Conrad Hilton in Chicago

Several years ago, we had the pleasure of staying at the Hilton in downtown Chicago for a few days. I have to say it is the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in. The ballrooms and lobby are extremely ornate and detailed. The place is huge, but it might not be the largest hotel I've stayed in.

Earlier today, Writerquake did a post about this hotel when it was known as the Stevens. That inspired me to go looking for a postcard of it. I was sure I had at least one, and found this one. There's a lot more historical information about this place on her post. The postcard view below is probably from the 1960s. Unfortunately, the card is unused, so there is no interesting writing on the back.

I wish I remembered the date I was there. The hotel and the area around were quite busy one of the nights. There was some sort of football thing going on at nearby Soldier Field, and I saw NFL great Dick Butkus walking around the hotel entrance. But it wasn't just football. There was also some sort of celebration of Michael Jordan going on, and a skyscraper could be seen at night with his jersey number 23 displayed in the pattern of lights being on or off. No, I did not see Michael Jordan.

I happen to have a postcard of Chicago's Soldier Field also, shown below. It was printed in the 1930s or 1940s. It has a strong Roman architecture theme, and is located adjacent to the Field Museum of Natural History.

My question for my readers is what is the nicest hotel you have been in?

Chilling on Trempealeau Mountain

Right now, weather.com says it is 6 below, but feels like 24 below at Trempealeau, Wisconsin (just east of Winona, Minnesota) in the Hiawatha Valley of the Mississippi River, between Wisconsin and Minnesota. It is relatively balmy here: 12 degrees, but feels like 1 below. But it is going to get colder tomorrow.

Below is a picture I took of Trempealeau Mountain in the frozen Mississippi River in February 2003. Yes, there are men on the ice seen in the lower left. It was cold then, but I know it didn't feel like 24 below. According to historic weather data, the temperature at Trempealeau has gotten down as low as 44 degrees below (actual temperature, not exaggerated by wind chill) in the past fifty years. The type of cold where you smile outside and your teeth crack out as a result. Now that's cold.

It is not good to go to Trempealeau Mountain in the summer, because it is covered with angry rattlesnakes. So if you want to go there and avoid being bitten, now is the time while the snakes are frozen.

So, make the choice: angry rattlesnakes, or bitter cold.

Let's imagine listening in on the ice-fishermen:

• Grumpy Old Man 1: "It sure takes a long time to bore a hole in 3-foot thick ice, eh?"
• Grumpy Old Man 2: "Stop grumping about it, and get me a Hamm's from the cooler."
• Grumpy Old Man 1: "I'm thinkin' about going to the mountain over there and digging up some frozen rattlesnake instead.
• Grumpy Old Man 2: "They say it tastes just like chicken , you know.
  

The TV season has started.

It seems like the TV season has started now instead of back in September 2008, as most of the returning shows I look forward to the most have finally started up again.

"24" started last night. Jack's back, and the bad guys have boxed Phlox. Yes, John Billingsley, the guy who played the doctor in "Star Trek: Enterprise" is on in this new season and has already been captured. So many things have changed. Chloe has been replaced by Janeane Garofalo (photo to the left), for example. I wonder if she has a bowling ball containing her father's skull sitting under her computer workstation.

Janeane was on the talk radio network "Air America" along with Al Franken. Somehow, Franken gets to go to the United States Senate, while all she gets is this cyber desk jockey job.

Phlox appears to the above right. Doesn't he look like he slept overnight with a horseshoe crab pressed against his forehead? The two-hour season "24" pilot was on last night, but there is also a new episode tonight as well.

"Battlestar Galactica" starts up again this Friday, January 16th. It is not technically a new season, but the hiatus has been so long it is like it is a new season.

"LOST" starts later this month, too. Don't miss them.

Shreveport Ramada Postcard

Here is a 1974 postcard of the Ramada Inn at Shreveport, Louisiana. It is one of just a few Louisiana postcards I have. The rest are from New Orleans. It sure looks flat in Shreveport. Look at all the cool cars, mostly from the 1960s it appears. I've not yet been to Louisiana, but one I drove part of the way on the trip described on the back.

Written on the back:

"It is hard to believe we are already in Shreveport. We left Dallas at noon and enjoyed driving down the beautiful East Dallas highway."

According to Google maps, that is a three-hour drive.

I haven't been to a Ramada in a while. The last one I was at, the sheets and blankets were full of holes.

Ostrich Farm Postcard

A 1910s era postcard in my collection showing an ostrich-pulled wagon at Jacksonville, Florida.

I've been to an ostrich farm. I was told that the ostriches there would steal your glasses if you let them. I was also told that they had a nasty foot claw, and would gut you like a velociraptor, if you let them. Fortunately, I experienced neither. There were no wagons at the ostrich farm, either.

Signs you live in the cold country (II)

Last month, I did a post of "Signs you Live in the Cold Country". As the season goes on, I get ideas to update it. So here is the old list, updated with a few new ones added:

Things I notice as what might be typical experiences and observations in the cold country:

- You've had church snowed out

- You could pass other bundled-up people for weeks at a time and not know until spring if you were smiling at a male or a female (thanks P.J. Grath)

- Ice cream shops are open 3 months out of the year

- You can go south to Canada (Michigan only)

- You are going 5 mph and approach an intersection and gently apply the brake. At this point, you somehow speed up slightly and sail right through the stopsign/stoplight.

- Most of the doors of your car are frozen shut for weeks at a time.

- You get to be more concerned about the pricec-per-gallon of windshield-washer fluid than you are about gasoline.

- You stuck your scraper in the trunk, which is now frozen shut, and are reduced to clearing your windshield with the edge of a credit card (thanks Gerry)

- Any time anyone mentions "global warming", there are gales of laughter all around

- It takes several tries to get out of your driveway, due to trying to charge through the drifts piled there.

- When you open the car door in the morning, a pile of snow from above the door edge lands on the seat.

- The wet and cold grocery carts available for use at the supermarket.

- You can't find your snow shovel because at one point it fell over and last night's 5 inches of snow buried it completely.

- You see several snowmen each day.

- You hear conversations about ice-fishing.

- Driving around at 13 mph gets to be normal after a while.

- If the newspaper guy misses the newspaper-tube, you won't be seeing that paper until the snowbanks melt off in the spring.

- If you accidentally leave a can of pop in the car overnight, you will find in the morning that it exploded and splattered the insides of the car with sweet caffeinated slush.

- There's always some guy riding a bicycle out in the worst snowstorm and ice roads. What the....?

- The drive-through window guy at McDonalds's is used to customers who have to open their door to pay and get their orders because their windows are frozen-in and won't roll down.


- You look forward to snow-covered roads, because it paves over and fills all the cracks and potholes.

- You brake for snowmobiles crossing the road.


- It seems like half the cars out there on the road are Subaru's with all-wheel drive.

- You start to think of a weekend getaway, to drive down to some balmy tropical southern state such as Indiana.

---

And here is a stop-motion elemental that rules the land this time of year. Let's hear it for Mr. Snow Miser:

Want cherry in that burger?

I heard on the news this morning that the Christian Science Monitor had an article on the Cherry Hut in Beulah, Michigan (Benzie County). I googled it and found the story on a Houston, Texas TV station site: click here to read it.

An excerpt: "The burgers at the Cherry Hut restaurant in Beulah, Mich., are a hit with customers. But these aren't ordinary hamburgers. Every summer, when tourists come to sample the state's bumper crop of cherries, the restaurant's co-owner Andy Case starts taking orders for the restaurant's popular burger. After broiling the patties in the kitchen, he slides them onto a bun and tops them with fixings. It's in this moment, before the first bite, that customers stir with anticipation because the Cherry Hut is home to an unlikely specialty - the cherry burger. ....."


The article also mentions the Plevalean burger from Cedar, Michigan (which many of you might have seen if you saw Ray Pleva (in the chef's hat to the right) show it off on one of those interminable reruns of "Home Improvement" or an episode of "Oprah" years ago).

I've had the cherry burger at Cherry Hut and it is great. Cherry hamburger? If you haven't had it, it is not as bad as it might sound. Cherry Hut also has other cool cherry items (candy, sauces, jelly, etc) which I gave to several people as gifts for Christmas a couple of years ago.

The map below shows where Beulah and Cedar are.

Hastings Minnesota River Turbine

I just heard on Paul Harvey News that Hastings, Minnesota has installed a water turbine in the Mississippi River in order to produce energy (photo to the right is from the Wired article) It has drawn controversy because of a claimed hazard to fish. I am reminded of the Ludington Reservior project in western Michigan, at one time the largest hydroelectric project in the world. When it started, it ground a lot of fish up, putting chum into Lake Michigan.

Hastings was also the home of the famous Spiral Bridge, as seen in the postcard below, from the 1940s or 1950s. Hastings is at the north end of the Hiawatha Valley.

Downtown Grand Rapids

A nice picture I got of the Grand Rapids, Michigan skyline (from the east) this morning. The skyscraper on the left is known as the Plaza Towers. It is the tallest building in town right now. I'm pretty sure this is the one they had John Denver sing at when they opened it. The pale one in the middle is the McKay Tower, which was the tallest building in Grand Rapids until 1983. It is 227 feet tall. On the far right is the Amway Tower. It was the tallest building in the city from 1983 to 1991. I like to go up skyscrapers when I can, but I have not gone up any of these and do not know if they are open for this.

Surgery

A family-member has important surgery today. Back soon.

The Wizard of Oz

I recently had the pleasure of seeing "The Wizard of Oz" on a big theatre screen in a packed house. They charged 25 cents a head.

I saw it many times growing up, and had gotten sick of it. However, I had not seen the movie for at least 20 years, so I could finally look at it afresh.

So, here are a few of my comments about it. I'll do this as I typically do my movie reviews. Not a coherent Roger Ebert-style essay, but just a list of comments.

---

This movie was released 70 years ago. Long before GGI and computer-controlled animatronics. Yet, don't those winked monkeys look pretty good? And the tornado... it is hard to imagine it looking better. The CGI tornadoes in "Twisters", all made of furry CGI, did not look as good, I think. This page describes the effects.

Many of the sets involve a detailed foreground with props, and a painted background that blends in. For example, the Scarecrow's corn area. The yellow brick road is a real road set that meets the edge of a painted flat backdrop fairly seamlessly, even if you can tell where the set ends and the painting starts. I think the reason it looks great is the talent that went into the painted backdrops.

The painted backdrops show sunlit scenes of soaring hills and cliffs: a Tolkienesque landscape which brings the Land of Oz more to life than anything.

When the witch sends the flying monkeys out to get Dorothy and her friends, she says "I've sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them". When the monkeys capture the heroes right afterwards, they are armed for extermination. This is because of continuity problems from the Jitterbug scene that was here, but did not make it into the final movie. The scene and its removal are described here.

The castle of the Wicked Witch of the West is similar to how Castle Dracula is described in Bram Stoker's Dracula .

While the whole thing of Oz being a dream, with her farmhand friends appearing in her dream as the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Man makes sense in the movie story, in the original books Oz was entirely a real place. The Gale house even had to be rebuilt in Kansas because the tornado left it in Oz.

Remember the scene where Dorothy and her friends observe the marching guards at the Witch's castle, crouched on a cliff? I think Peter Jackson had this in mind for the scene in his "Lord of the Rings" movies where Frodo and Sam crouch on a cliff at Minas Morgul to see the orcs march out.

The Land of Oz is not ordinarilly ruled by carnival charlatans who blow in from other worlds, or by scarecrows. It has a royal dynasty which is interrupted at the time of the first book, and the movie made of the book. The rightful ruler, Ozma, takes the throne in the first sequel book, "The Land of Oz".

Most probably do not know that the Wicked Witch of the West's tall cyan-faced guards are of the Oz species known as Winkie. They are the main inhabitants of the western quadrant of Oz, just as the Munchkins are the main inhabitants of the eastern quadrant. Like the monkeys, they have been enslaved by the witch. The monkeys, by the way, do the witch's bidding because she possesses a magic cap that enables her to control them.

Below is a map of the continent where Oz is located. It was created by Dick Martin and James E. Haff based on meticulous research on more than 50 official Oz and related books (including "The Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, his 13 sequels, the many sequels by Ruth Plumly Thompson, and other books by L. Frank Baum). The Emerald City is in the exact center. Munchkinland ("Munchkin Country") is the blue area to the right of it. It is blue because most everything in Munchkinland is blue, not because it is water. The yellow area to the left of the Emerald City is the Winkie Country. The Wicked Witch of the West had her castle here. And yes, most everything in Winkie country is yellow.

(By the way, the flag of Oz looks much like the map of the country)

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" might be the first time a cyborg appeared in fiction. It is the earliest one I can think of, anyway. The cyborg is the Tin Woodman, known in the movie as the Tin Man. In the 1938 movie, he has to be one of the first film cyborgs. The character has a real name: Nick Chopper. It is not mentioned in the movie, but he has a rather grisly origin for a children's story character. He was once a regular human being, a woodchopper. Someone enchanged his axe so it kept slipping and chopping off body parts. These body parts were replaced one by one until all of him had been replaced by metal prosthetics. This included his head and torso. You'd think he would have taken up another profession and run like hell from the axe after the first or second "mishap", wouldn't you?