Random Thoughts on Friday: Playbills

 I have talked a lot about my love of books.  If you are like me, they do become a bit of an obsession.  An addiction even.  The rule around my house is "if you buy it you read it"- I'm pretty religious about that too, though there is the occasional book that I have to abandon after a bit.  That's rare though.

Books are special, and I love a unique book too.  I love signed books, and books with a little something more to them.  I have a few books signed by the author, and I have books signed by people mentioned in the volume or associated with it.  A particular favorite of mine is a signed Meatloaf biography- I keep the photo of me with him as he signed it in the book.

I have some special magazines too.  Some signed, some about a family member or friend....  

I also have some nice programs and Playbills from here and there.

As a packrat, I save just about everything.  I have programs with event tickets, signed by athletes and actors.  They all mostly have little financial value, but they have a lot of sentimental value to me.

Recently, at a favorite used bookstore, I found several nice Broadway Playbills for a buck each.  I looked inside, and some even had the event tickets tucked away.  

I greedily bought most, as they were plays that I like, or have some interest in anyway.

BUT, I thought of the person who accumulated the nice collection.  I hate to say it, but I pretty much assume that they probably passed away, and a family member sold this nice collection to the bookstore, probably in an effort to downsize and move on.

If they did pass away, I hope they know that I appreciate their leftover souvenirs.  

Greenbrier Hotel and Golf Course, White Sulphur Springs West Virginia Old Postcard

I picked up these two postcards showing the grounds of the LEGENDARY Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia recently.  They are unused, and both have a slight crease.  
 

Jerry A. Goodnight's books on Abraham Lincoln and rumors of his birth in North Carolina

On our recent road trip through the Carolinas we stopped at the Bostic Lincoln Center, where the museum discusses the rumor that Abraham Lincoln was actually born there, and not in Kentucky.  The main rumor also involves a different father than Thomas Lincoln.

Those are some pretty heavy rumors to consider.

The Bostic Lincoln Center sells a couple of books, authored and coauthored by Jerry A. Goodnight, that address and explain those legends.

"Tarheel Lincoln" is the first book and mostly addresses the local legend of Lincoln's origins.

"Searching for Lincoln:  Amid the Rumors, Legends and Lies" is a bit of a follow up book, digging deeper into variations on the North Carolina rumors and some other stories.  He covers, in detail, the 17 or so men who have been mentioned as possible fathers of Lincoln.

Goodnight is academic and mentions his sources and where the stories originated- while his books are still easy to read and follow.

The rumors and legends are uncomfortable but interesting.  One name pops up in almost every variation on the story.  These books are thoughtful and thought provoking, and they are worthy of inclusion in any serious Lincoln Library.

 

"Bringing Back A Hero" by Robert D. Jornlin Capt. LST 325

While visiting the LST 325 in Evansville Indiana recently (see my youtube channel) I picked up the great book, "Bringing Back A Hero" by Robert Jornlin.

Back around 1999-2000, a small group of veterans found an old LST ship, and decided to go to Greece (the US had lent it to them in the 60s), fix the ship up, and bring it back to the US for display.

The story IS as crazy as it sounds- the average age of the participants was 72, there is a bit of a mutiny to oust an unpopular leader early on, the men get little help from their own government for the project...  etc, etc.

I don't want to give away the ending but....  since the ship now sits in Evansville Indiana its no secret tthat the men were able to take the ship 6,000 plus miles to bring her back home!

Jornlin writes knowing that many of his readers will not be military or even nautical types...  He keeps the language basic and easy to understand.
 

Dragons Mouth Spring, Yellowstone National Park

This old, unused postcard mentions-

The beautiful Dragons Mouth Spring of hot, clear water contrasts with its near neighbor the Mud Volcano which belches boiling mud.  These are two contrasting types of thermal springs of which Yellowstone has many.

Random Thoughts on Friday: Low level Athletes.

The player walked on the field like he owned the place...  and he looked like he did.  He looked more like a pro wrestler than anything else.  I would assume some steroids were involved at some point.  He was probably a good 6 and a half feet tall too.

This was his second year playing pro sports, and he was playing at...  well a low level.  A very low level.

I have always enjoyed lower level pro sports.  There is something more scrappy about it.  More errors are made.  There is more hunger.  I'll take a single A baseball game any day of the week over an MLB one.

I've been pretty close to managers and coaches on some teams too over the years.  We have had season and partial season tickets for multiple teams.  A few coaches have talked very openly about some of the players.

This guy had the look though.  You instantly asked, "why is he playing at this level?"

The program magazine revealed that this player had played for a MAJOR college program.  

Now, he was playing for a couple hundred people, in a very small town.  The local paper probably wouldn't even mention the game tomorrow.

His college games were watched by tens of thousands of fans.  Sports Illustrated would mention his team often.  In college, his team was often on national TV.

So what happened?

The guy was a total jerk.

The guy was always complaining.  If management didn't give him what he wanted, he would give them a cussing that wouldn't believe.  No four-letter word was off limits.  I had heard about a particular verbal assault on a female staff member that was pure evil.

And, we all know that, if you are a superstar player, teams will still sign you.  I think this guy was just talented enough for him to be on some scouts' radars, but his general mediocrity plus his attitude kept him down.

Horse Shoe Fall From Canada, Niagara

I found this postcard, which is over a century old recently.  I love the picture on the front, and the GREAT, 1910 Falls Station postmark on the back.  Check out the Maid of the Mist in the picture too!

Random Thoughts on Friday

 My best pal Jimmy is a pretty smart guy, who has worked his way up from literally nothing.  He has his own company.  He is solid.

Well, he told me a story about when he was a teenager, and his getting involved with a mall modeling agency.

It's something he is embarrassed about now, and I am sure that, as an adult, he wouldn't fall for the scheme again.  In all honesty, it was his mom who fell for it.

I don't recall anything like this in the mall I grew up in, but I have seen retro 80s TV shows making fun of the whole thing.  Some sales guy at a mall convinced Jimmy's mom that Jimmy had "It" and could be a model.

He even jokes now about how they would go on and on about how he had the look, and the attitude.  Jimmy's mom paid a lot of money, to this company, for pictures and for him to be at model events.

Even though I don't remember any businesses like this when I was a kid- I can say that I once worked next to a similar modeling agency.

My company at the time and the modeling agency were in a very run-down old building.  I'll just say that mostly shady businesses were run out of the place.  That didn't keep the parents from bringing their perfect, model quality children into the building for the modeling business.

It was mostly moms and their kids too.  The moms were the ones I noticed mostly walking out with their attitude, and their noses in the air.  Moms love to hear how great and perfect their kids are.  Moms will pay lots of money to a modeling business that goes on an don about how perfect their little kid is.

At this dilapidated building, there was a bin under a stairwell in a rarely used area.  It was off to the side, where the offices were vacant...  Only a few people who worked in the building ever used these stairs.

The bin was huge.  I'm not sure why it was there, but a couple of businesses, including the modeling agency, started to put their trash in the bin, instaed of taking it to the outside dumpsters.

Well, one day we noticed that the modeling agency had put a ton of "publicity photos" in the bin.  When I say a ton, I mean that somewhat literally.  There were thousands of these photos, I am sure weighing in at close to a thousand pounds.  I assume these were unpurchased pictures that they tried to sell to those moms with perfect children.

We looked at the pics....  I don't recall any standing out.

My friend Jimmy, by the way, said that he threw away all of those photos his mom bought years ago.

Gibbon Falls, Yellowstone National Park

"Gibbon Falls, 84 feet high, Gibbon Canyon, Yellowstone Park, is one of the principal attractions between Norris Geyser Basin and Madison Junction on the Grand Loop Road of the Park.  It was named for General John Gibbon, who explored the canyon in the early days.

Random Thoughts on Friday: Nostalgic Restaurants

 A long time ago....  Heck, in the 90s, I spent a bit of time in Nebraska.  I spent a cold January there.

It's a long story, for another day- I have talked some about it here, but it was actually a pleasant time in my life, though I was very isolated.

I did not have a car, and I did a lot of walking.  It was nice (though again, Nebraska in January=cold).  A couple of nights I walked to a restaurant by myself and enjoyed some meals there.

The restaurant....  doesn't matter.  It was a fast-food place.

But the whole experience and time there was very sweet to me, and it was a major moment in my life.  When I came back to Kentucky things changed, in a good way.  Spending time away was good for me, and I would start dating my future wife right when I came back home.

The trip, and the time away was a significant moment in my life.

And there are days that I think about hanging out at that restaurant.  Some days I look it up on googlemaps and think about how lucky the people are that get to go there and work there.  I am kind of jealous of them.

I feel a bit of an attachment to this odd little restaurant, in smalltown Nebraska.

Arial View Of Niagara Falls Old Postcards

 This colorful Niagara Falls postcard shows the falls from a generally unique angle.  It went through the mail to a friend in Pennsylvania in 1957.

Random Thoughts on Friday: Covid masks

 I was going through a drawer the other day, doing some downsizing.  I came across some covid masks that we had.

My mother-in-law made a ton of them- for us, for friends.  A half dozen would have been plenty, but she probably made 50 or more for everyone she knew.

We had a few masks that we picked up in our travels.  There was a cool free one that was given away at a Tennessee visitor center.  I remember they were giving everyone a bag with some travel brochures, a mask (with the 3 starred flag on it) and some hand sanitizer.  I also had a Similar one from Indiana that I can't recall how I acquired.  There were a couple of others too.

I feel bad about throwing them out, because, again, my mother-in-law made them.....  but I am so gla we are done with all of that.

Virginia Military Institute, West Point of the South, Lexington Virginia Old Postcards

   This beautiful, though slightly bent postcard shows the Virginia Military Institue in Lexington Virginia- forever linked to Stonewall Jackson.

This postcard was sent in 1944.

High Level Bridge Across Maumee River, Toledo Ohio Old Postcard

 I love the colors on this great old linen postcard showing "High Level Bridge Across Maumee River, Toledo Ohio".

It is unused and undated. 

Through the Gorge by Trolley, Niagara Falls, NY

Someone sent this card to a friend in New Jersey, boasting that they were on the way to the fair.  It was sent in 1904 from Niagara Falls.

Wrigley Field - Chicago 1940

This postcard went through the mail in January of 1940.  The sender was in Chicago and tells their friend that the temps are negative 14!

Random Thoughts on Friday

 I have been watching the great youtube channel, "FatalBreakdown" lately.  Check it out when you have a moment.  They do very well-done video reconstructions of situations where people get trapped in caves.

The stories involve a lot of getting trapped in tight spaces, water, not being prepared for an adventure in a wild cave, etc.

I do love caves.  You know, mostly the well-developed, tourist type stops with a ticket office and gift shop.

Being trapped in a tight squeeze passage is a legitimate fear.  

I watched a video of four young people swimming through a wild underwater cave.  It involved swimming through a small passage to get to a cave.  All four ended up drowning.

I mentioned Floyd Collins in my book, and if you are not aware of the strange story of Floyd, look it up.  He was searching for a cave to develop and hopefully make money on- opening it up for tourists.  Different sources have different measurements, but he was at least 60 feet underground, and probably 150 feet plus from the opening.

Floyd got trapped and died a slow death underground.  When I tell people about Floyd I stress that, he wasn't in a nice, spacious cave that most of us think of (again, ticket booth and gift shop).  He was pretty much crawling and wiggling through a hole underground.

Getting trapped like that, to me, is the ultimate stuff of nightmares.

James Merle Wilson

 

My father passed away several years ago now.  He was a Vietnam veteran and made it out alive. We enjoyed a lot of time together, and I am grateful for that.   

When I go back to the area where I grew up, I always visit the grave of his friend, James Merle Wilson who was killed in action in 1967.  His lifetime and mine did not intersect directly.

I did know his mom who passed away many years ago.

He is buried in Mt. Zion Cemetery in Owensboro Kentucky (the Windy Hollow area).

I would love to hear from anyone with a connection to him.

Old West Point New York Postcards

I found these postcards recently, showing cadets at West Point.  They are blank, and undated on the back.

 

Random Thoughts on Friday

 I was on a road trip recently....  It was a nice one, in a very rural area.

I stopped at a business.  It was a small shop, mostly catering to tourists, selling souvenirs.  

Two very kind young ladies were working there.  

There was a local (I assume) older fellow that was there too.  He wasn't shopping.  He really wasn't doing anything.  

He wouldn't stop talking though.  I had a bit of a hard time asking about items for sale, and even when I paid for my purchases, the guy was going on and on.

He was dropping names left and right.  Apparently, he knew some local celebrities at some point and claimed to have some notoriety himself.  

I felt bad for the two young girls.  They really couldn't do much.  They were the old guys captive, reluctant audience.  Also, I think most of us have had friends with some claim to fame.  Most people I know in that position don't go around telling everyone about it.

I usually enjoy chatting with locals here and there when we travel, but you get the occasional person eager to impress anyone who will listen with their inflated stories.  

We tried to politely remove ourselves from the man's monologue.

1970s Matchbook Cover, New York City

 Here is a nice matchbook cover showing NYC from the 1970s!

Mayville Village Park, Mayville, NY Old Postcard

 This old linen postcard shows Mayville New York.  It is unused and undated.  I am guessing it is from the 50s.

Random Thoughts on Friday: Bank Robbery in Berea

 Yesterday, there was a bank robbery in Berea Kentucky.  I have had a lot to say about the great small town, and the college, half an hour south of Lexington.  I spent several years of my life there.  I still go there frequently- in fact, I was there just a couple of weeks ago having a beverage at Just Love Coffee which is a few steps from the bank that was robbed.

AND, two people were murdered during the robbery.

I was glad to hear that a man is in custody, but what an absolute tragedy for Berea and those two families.

"Extreme Expeditions 3: Bigfoot Versus Yeti" by Adam Davies

On our recent trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, we stopped by "Bigfoot in the Smokies" in Townsend.  The shop is a cool gift shop devoted to all things bigfoot.

The place is cool, and I found several things there that I had to have.  

One thing I noticed was a section of Adam Davies books, signed by the author.

Well, I realized that Adam Davies was actually there at the shop running the place!

Mr. Davies is a well-known researcher in the cryptid world.  He is all over the place.  In fact, we had just been watching a Josh Gates show featuring Adam!

He was very friendly, and he told us he is at the shop frequently, but not every day.  

So, I picked up the book "Extreme Expeditions 3:  Bigfoot Versus Yeti".  The volume is an interesting read, and each chapter kind of covers a specific investigation that Davies participated in (I picked volume 3 up because it includes his adventure with Josh Gates).

The book is perfect.  It is interesting and honest.  The author will let you know that, on many investigations, nothing happened.

BUT, that's not always the case, and he does have some interesting encounters.

 

Random Thoughts on Friday: Alice

 I have mentioned here before that I love old TV shows that I remember from my younger days that give me that warm, fuzzy nostalgic feeling.  My two all-time favorites are Newhart from the 80s and Northern Exposure.

I would often watch those shows on a small black and white TV in my parents' kitchen.  I would  see them, in reruns, after getting home from work late at night.  I loved the fact that they both happened in places a bit foreign to me at the time.  Newhart was in Vermont, and Northern Exposure was in Alaska.

Another TV show that I enjoyed was Alice.  I remember watching Alice when I was a REALLY little kid.  It is one of those shows that just was always there, my parents must have liked it a lot.  Like my two favorite shows, it also took place somewhere exotic that I have now come to love- Phoenix Arizona.

There was something sweet and dreamy about all of the shows, and their characters relationships to the places.  All involved an outsider moving to a new place.  Newhart moved to Vermont to run a B&B.  NE featured a New York doctor moving to a small cold Alaskan town to treat people.  Alice's car broke down in Phoenix, causing her to quickly have to set up her life in a new location.

I grew up in the 80s, and the thought that your car could break down causing a massive life change, and move, does seem logical to me, from a 40 years ago mentality.  Cell phones, the internet, and general instant help wasn't what it is now.  There was a time not too long ago that a car break down literally could cause a person to relocate.

It might be hard for audiences to "get" Alice now.  I don't think I would tell my friends kids, "how watch this, you'll love it".  It doesn't translate to "now."  I enjoyed it, but it wasn't what I remembered.  The jokes, the punchlines are very dated.  But I enjoyed it, because I watched it as a kid.