One birthday in my teens, I was hanging out on the south lawn waiting for the festivities to begin. I was facing the woods and swamp.
One of many reasons why extraterrestrials avoid our planet: they've received these transmissions and have concluded that we're complete idiots.
Among my favs: Happy Hot Dog Man. Insane concept to begin with. Poor bored babies-ugh, hot dogs again, Mom? Well, let's jazz their dogs up with faces!
I take it a step further- the adult version for those quiet after hours for Mom and Dad:
The Happy Hot Dog Man Kama Sutra! EAT ME, BABY!! 🙀
Whittier Alaska, population 272 (2020) is located 58 miles SE of Anchorage. Nearly everyone lives in the 14 story Begich Towers Condominiums.
The region occupied by Whittier was once part of the portage route of the Chugach people native to Prince William Sound. Later, the passage was used by Russian and American explorers, and by prospecting miners during the Klondike Gold Rush.
Whittier was incorporated in 1969 and eventually became a port of call for cruise ships. It is utilized by local operations and about 100-passenger mid-sized cruise ships. When the two mile long Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel under the Whittier Glacier opened to public access in 2000, it became the first highway to connect Whittier to Anchorage and inner Alaska—previously, the only ways to reach the town had been rail, boat and plane.
After the tunnel expanded access to Whittier, it began to be visited by larger cruise lines. It is the embarkation/debarkation point of one-way cruises from Anchorage to Vancouver by Princess Tours.
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A very happy birthday to my dear friend and birthday twin Karen Stock!
Editor's correction: In the August 5th Five Second Story post, your author ranted about the lack of "E" provided in subtitles for the latest "Justified" series, for "Point" as in Grosse Point. I was writing a birthday card address to a close pal who lives in one of the Grosse Points. Oooppps. There is no "E". My bad and I apologize to all for my ignorant rant.
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From our friend Anna Zvegintzov of Oxford, England:
A Name
When Eve walked among
the animals and named them—
nightingale, redshouldered hawk,
fiddler crab, fallow deer—
I wonder if she ever wanted
them to speak back, looked into
their wide wonderful eyes and
whispered, Name me, name me.
Ada Limón, 1976
Currently the incumbent Poet Laureate of the US
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The phenomenon of singing sand:
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_sand
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A Seen While Out and About memory: there was this property on West Grand River in the country heading towards Grand Ledge that had two incongruous features-out back in a fenced field were a number of bison; in the front yard were life-sized statues of the Blues Brothers.
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New non-alcohol wine tasting: Ariel Cabernet and Chardonnay. Much better than Fre-the process of removing alcohol differs between the two. Ariel has fruit first with a quick, dry finish. No mustiness which both C and I found to be the major drawback with all the Fre wines we tried. Ariel pairs well with food and even has a bit of body. Another plus is that Ariel wines have a third of the calories found in regular wine. Back in the '90s, Ariel got a publicity boost from the then wildly popular TV cook, Graham Kerr, The Galloping Gourmet. However, next to regular wine, it's still pretty bland.
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I was watching an 11 minute doc concerning the African Humid Period when North Africa was a lush, green place. The credits are given by the narrator, eight first and last names and ending with "and Steve". I guess Steve is shy.
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Sheesh, after two nights in the mid-40's and we kicked the heat on. 9/13.
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RECOMMENDED VIDS
Marco Polo
Nuclear Power Trio "Ukraine on the Membrane"
"The Hippie Temptation"
Reasoner's style looks to be the inception of the modern trope of a pompous, square newsman. Ted Baxter from Mary Tyler Moore show is an early parody followed by Kent Brockman from The Simpson's and many, many others.
Mr. Reasoner and CBS news should be ashamed of themselves for producing this disgusting, cringeworthy PSA. Who knows, perhaps the White House (Johnson is still Prez) twisted some arms to get the word out. After all, CBS News was highly trusted throughout much of the country-it's the home of Uncle Walter for Christssakes.
A message threaded in was the notion that those damn kids should be grateful for what their country has given them and by God, they should consider (thanks JFK) doing something in return. Oh, like going to fucking Vietnam and getting your ass killed in an unwinnable war. The WWII gen yells-we volunteered without question to fight, what is your problem? My gen replies: we prefer to make our own decisions what is worth risking our lives over. And this mess in 'Nam, no thanks.
While watching this, I was reminded of a couple of shows of the times that turned up on the tube when I was in high school. One was a feature 1968 film "Wild in the Streets" where a 24 year old rock musician becomes President of the US with the help of massive doses of LSD introduced into the Washington DC water supply. The other was a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week "Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring" set in the late '60's about a girl (Sally Field) who returns to her suburban home a year after running away to join the Hippies. Oh dear, she probably had pre-marital sex and did drugs, all without adult supervision.
Holy Batman!
The animation is simply mind-blowing, breathtaking and intense. There are many elements that are reminiscent of Looney Tunes, particularly the exploits of Wile E. Coyote and Disney's Aladdin. One can see this as a next generation of "Fantasia".
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cutebuddypix:
Chillin' with Dad:
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| Ahhhhhh premium strokes from Dad |
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| Buddha cat blissing out to some Coltrane |
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Hot Tuna's 1970 cover of Blind Gary Davis' 1960 song. The band consists of former Jefferson Airplane members Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady. Absolutely scorching guitar work by Jorma.
The day after Labor day was hot enough (after a string of hot days) for us to try out Motz Lake again. The water was warm and my Watergirl swam for 40 minutes or so.
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| Happy Watergirl |
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| Longfellow! |
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| Impossibly cute! |
“The Paqui One Chip Challenge is intended for adults only, with clear and prominent labeling highlighting the chip is not for children” or other sensitive groups,the company, a subsidiary of the Hershey Company, said in a statement on its website. “We have seen an increase in teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings.”
As a result, the company said, it was working with retailers to remove the product from shelves “out of an abundance of caution.”
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| Gator in Tampa, FL crossing busy 4-laner was heard to say "Big Jake says Fuk U" to upset motorists who had to stop and those scolds who complained he wasn't using the crosswalk. |
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| Comet Nishimura photographed 9/6 in CO by Thomas J. Clark. Click for better view. |
Labor Day, the end of Summer. Pool is covered and winterized; second wave of tomatoes ripening.
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| Sunlight illuminating a single arrow shaped crosspiece on the shed door. |
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| Mr. Monarch fueling up. |
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| There's still a few fireflies out in the evening. |
Freddie's tail is lengthening and getting luxurious. Both he and LT bound towards me when I am on the deck tossing peanuts. I hope they view me as a friendly giant who provides food rather than just an entry in his mental catalog of food sources. If these two were human, we'd be pub mates.
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| Steve Reeves!! |
Want to revisit the Odyssey but don't care for the long slog? I came across this nice vid. Nicely put together, great illustrations and maps.
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Creepy Enbridge Energy ads where their mascot, the Rooster, is everywhere including, at .43 mark, his shadow is cast on the sun brightened wall of a little girl's bedroom. Yikes! Mommy, there's a rooster in my room! Trauma therapy later in life is probably a given.
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It's another Smorgasbord Night at the Diner!
LT seemed a bit wary of the main course: bagels on top of salad. Peanuts were his choice. Later, around twilight, a big Stampy came out, grabbed a bagel in his mouth and dragged it back to his apartment porch. Another Stampy came out and challenged his ownership and lost.
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Consumer note: Avoid buying the cheapo brand of saltines at Target. Probably the worst I've ever tasted. Stale with weird flavor although well-suited for a retromeal pairing with government post-war cheese and a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20.
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Sadly, one of the berm big pines has died. I'd guess stressed from the consecutive years of summer droughts. Who knows when the property owner will get around to removing it.
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| Lee R. Berger | |
A Serval is a wild cat native to Africa mainly in sub-Saharan countries. Slender, 21-24 inches at the shoulder weighing 20-40 lbs, the Serval has the longest legs of any cat relative to its body size. It has a distinctive large ears whose backs are black with broad white bands. These are thought to mimic eyes that might discourage predators and to serve as a communication guide for its young.
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| Troy Howell |
The Song of Roland. My mother loved this tale and shared it with me, probably when I was heavily into the Trojan War and Greek Myths.
From Wiki:
The Song of Roland (French: La Chanson de Roland) is an 11th-century chanson de geste based on the Frankish military leader Roland (who is also Charlemagne's nephew) at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in AD 778, during the reign of the Carolingian king Charlemagne. It is the oldest surviving major work of French literature. It exists in various manuscript versions, which testify to its enormous and enduring popularity in Medieval and Renaissance literature from the 12th to 16th centuries.
The tale takes place during Charlemagne's campaign against the Moors in Spain. After seven years, his army is tired and he sues for peace and they head back home in Francia. Roland is in command of the rear guard. His grandfather, fearing he is being set up by Roland to be murdered by the Moors, out of revenge, informs the Moors of a way to attack the rear guard as it works its way through the mountains. The Moors ambush Roland at the Roncevaux Pass in the Pyrenees located along the modern French/Spanish border. The Franks fight hard but are being overwhelmed when Roland, in an attempt to get help from the rest of the column, blows his horn. Charlemagne, hearing Roland's call, turns around but alas, arrives too late. The rear guard including Roland have been annihilated. The king is broken-hearted.
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The detectives asked the man why he had shot his widescreen TV four times. He responded:
"I told those guys to shut the fuck up cuz I was on the phone. They didn't listen so I shot them".
A Hartland man, 41 years old, was driving to a Holt worksite via westbound I-96 on the evening of August 24. His work pickup truck took a direct hit, swept up by a F-2 tornado and deposited in a woods adjacent to the freeway. The truck was not visible from the road and was not found until the following morning.
As I said in an earlier post (A Summer Storm, August 30), we don't get that many tornadoes in MI. Odds are slim that you would actually see one. Further fantastic odds if you were to be killed by one and winning the WWL.
Heartfelt condolences to his family.
Under the Enchanced Fujita Scale:
EF-2: Considerable
damage (111 – 135 mph). Roofs torn off well-constructed houses;
foundations of frame homes shifted; mobile homes completely destroyed;
large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated; cars
lifted off ground. Original Fujita Scale estimated wind speeds: 113 to 157 mph.
You are not hallucinating. That really is a 2,200 lb steer riding shotgun in a automobile. What could go wrong?
Cue up "Bonanza" theme in your head when viewing.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/31/us/nebraska-watusi-bull-car.html?searchResultPosition=1
