MONSTER MONTH IS HERE

It is October; Monster month, so I can declare,
I love Frankenstein.
Ever since I was just a kid I loved Frankenstein, I read Mary Shelly's novel "Frankenstein - or the Modern Prometheus" when I was about 12 years old. And have reread it several times over the years. Shelly completed the novel when she was only 18 years old. Even with her husband's connections it took over a year to find a publisher for her novel.
Of course Frankenstein is the name of the Doctor that created the monster, the poor monster never had a name other than "Frankenstein's monster", no wonder he had issues.
But what I really love is Frankenstein movies. There have been over 100 movies (believe it or not) having to do with Frankenstein in some way. No I have not seen them all. There are some good ones some bad ones and some very bad ones. How about "Lust for Frankenstein" 1998, nope, haven't seen that one. There are funny ones "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" or how about "Blakenstein" , haven't seen that one either
The first "Frankenstein" was a silent movie released in 1910, it was a whole 13 minutes long. This short film was thought to be lost until, in 1975, a collector found he had a badly damaged copy. As much restoration that could be done on the film was done and you can now find this film in it's entirety on You Tube.
My favorites by far are the Universal Studios movies made in the 1930's; "Frankenstein" 1931, "Bride of Frankenstein" 1934, and "Son of Frankenstein" 1939. With the famous monster created by actor Boris Karloff.
And of course high on the list of favorites is Mel Brooks "Young Frankenstein" and to make this one even more funny, you should watch the 3 old ones first. There are many subtle scenes that Mel Brooks took from the old ones, like someone descending an enclosed stair case with an unlit candle! who knows where the light source is. Or lightning flashes that can be seen in a dungeon with no windows! great stuff.
If your a purest. The movie that follows Mary Shelly's novel the closest is a 2004 made for TV movie staring Luke Gross as the monster.

SO, HAPPY OCTOBER
Watch a Frankenstein movie.
there are plenty to go around.

OLD, BUT NOT DEAD YET

When I was a child I counted my birthdays by months not years. To a kid your life revolves around birthdays and Christmas. The time span between each is counted in long weeks. Every kid knows how old they are right down to the month.
The years go flying by when you get older. The older you get the faster time travels.
Well now I'm old. Not dead yet mind you. But so much older.

When I was born (an official baby boomer) Harry Truman was in the white house. George Albert Smith was president of the LDS church.
A gallon of gas was $.20. Wow! A six pack of coke was $.37, of course they were 6 oz bottles. A postage stamp cost a whole $.03, and that was the only choice you had of getting a message cross country. No e-mail yet.
And speaking of e-mail, 1951 was the year that the first commercial computer was sold. The UNIVAC 1. The massive computer was 8 feet high, 7-1/2 feet wide and 14-1/2 feet long. 46 machines were built, for about $1 million each.

I don't count birthdays in years anymore but in rounded decades. I'm hoping I still have a few years left. I come from a line of long livers. My grandparents all lived into their 80's and my paternal grandmother had a couple of siblings that lived into their 90's. I try to take care of myself. I don't get enough exercise, I kind of watch what I eat. But some things are just worth the trouble.

"I'm 93 years old, do you really think a pat of butter is going to shorten my life"
(Jacob Jankowski, "Water for Elephants")

FRANKENSTEIN

It is October; Monster month, so I can declare,
I love Frankenstein.
Ever since I was just a kid I loved Frankenstein, I read Mary Shelly's novel "Frankenstein - or the Modern Prometheus" when I was about 12 years old. And have reread it several times over the years. Shelly completed the novel when she was only 18 years old. Even with her husband's connections it took over a year to find a publisher for her novel.
Of course Frankenstein is the name of the Doctor that created the monster, the poor monster never had a name other than "Frankenstein's monster", no wonder he had issues.
But what I really love is Frankenstein movies. There have been over 100 movies (believe it or not) having to do with Frankenstein in some way. No I have not seen them all. There are some good ones some bad ones and some very bad ones. How about "Lust for Frankenstein" 1998, nope, haven't seen that one. There are funny ones "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" or how about "Blakenstein" , haven't seen that one either
The first "Frankenstein" was a silent movie released in 1910, it was a whole 13 minutes long. I do have this one on my iPod a great start of the genre
My favorites by far are the Universal Studios movies made in the 1930's; "Frankenstein" 1931, "Bride of Frankenstein" 1934, and "Son of Frankenstein" 1939. With the famous monster created by actor Boris Karloff (right).
And of course high on the list of favorites is Mel Brooks "Young Frankenstein" and to make this one even more funny, you should watch the 3 old ones first. There are many subtle scenes that Mel Brooks took from the old ones, like someone descending an enclosed stair case with an unlit candle! who knows where the light source is. Or lightning flashes that can be seen in a dungeon with no windows! great stuff.

SO, HAPPY OCTOBER
Watch a Frankenstein movie.
there are plenty to go around.

AMERICA - THANK HEAVEN

I thank my God that I live in a land that is truly “choice above all others”. Each of us is a very fortunate person, thank heaven. Thank heaven for America! Despite our weaknesses, despite our problems, despite our challenges, this is the greatest nation on earth. Someone once said “we haven’t done badly for a nation of immigrants.”
But we haven’t done it alone. We have done it because God helped us do it. Our gratitude for this great country should be to Him. At the conclusion of the convention at which the Constitution was adopted George Washington said, “We have raised a standard to which the good and wise can repair; the event is in the hands of God… who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be, that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks.”
Several years ago I had the opportunity to visit a very large military installation in California, it was a language training base that was shared by all branches of the military. Twice a day as the flag of our great country was raised or lowered every single person on that base would stop what they were doing, salute and face the flag. Weather they were jogging, studying or shopping, even cars would stop in the street as the occupants would get out of their cars to give respect for the symbol of this country. This daily event never failed to touch my heart and bring a tear to my eye.
Let us all take pause during the coming weeks to give thanks. Not just for another holiday or an extra day to our weekend. But give thanks for the greatest country on earth. And pray that the leaders of this land will continue to seek the inspiration of that creator that inspired and guided our founding fathers.

WHO AM I

Probably one of the longest living mascots in advertising history is this dog.
commonly called the RCA Dog. He was first used in the US by Thomas Edison's company the Victor Talking Machine Co., which later became RCA Victor and finally just RCA. It is all the same company just the evolution of the name.

The slogan that was used for many years with the image of the dog was "His Masters Voice".

For a short time he had a companion standing at his side in many ads.

So here is the contest. WHAT ARE THE DOG'S NAMES. You have to get both names.
(clue: the names rhyme with each other.)

yes you will win something. I just don't know what yet, maybe some old RCA vinyl, dinner out or who knows.

ALIEN LANDING STRIP

This is a picture of an ancient alien landing strip. It was built billions of years ago by a civilization of giant brine shrimp that came from another galaxy to inhabit this part of our planet. They were mistaken in their theory that the entire earth had the same brinish atmosphere that surrounds the Great Salt Lake. Thankfully for us, they were wrong.

Yes the brine shrimp are still here, they are the only living thing that survives in the Great Salt Lake. However in a very strange phenomenon of reverse evolution, never imagined by Darwin, the shrimp have actually gotten much smaller than they were when they first arrived eons ago.....

.............Actually
I think this is all that's left of the grand boardwalk of the old Saltair resort, the boardwalk ran from the railroad spur out to the resort. It looks like rocks neatly lined up but is actually the salt encrusted wood pylons. It is hard to believe visiting the Lake today that there was ever anything this grand that ever existed out there.
In the photo it looks like the ground is all dried and cracked mud, but when we walked out here the top layer was dry and underneath was still muddy so it gave you the sensation of walking on thick foam rubber.

IN DEFENSE OF MINERVA 1888-1976

"In heaven,
there will be red"

One of the most prolific painters in church history, was Minerva Teichert. She painted early pioneer life and western history she also did an entire series of work depicting Book of Mormon scenes but could interest no one in the church to purchase them. In the end she donated most of the series to BYU.
Minerva's work is very stylized and can be recognized long before you find her signature. Her work has appeared often in Church publications and as cover art for many books.
One of the crowning achievements of her life occurred at the age of 57, when she was called on a mission and with one assistant painted the murals for the world room in the Manti temple.
Minerva Kohlhepp was born in North Ogden, but grew up homestead farming in the vicinity of American Falls, Idaho. Her father encouraged her childhood sketching and she soon developed an "indomitable will to succeed and excel in the field of art." She taught school to raise enough money to go to Chicago for her art studies. When she had raised the money, her father would not let her go alone. It was arranged for her to be "set apart" as an LDS missionary so that she could travel with a church group.
She became the first known female artist to pursue her painting lessons with the specific and official blessings of the LDS hierarchy. When money ran low in Chicago, she put together a roping act for the New York stage. This is when she began her custom of wearing her distinctive head band. She became very good friends with her teacher, Robert Henri. He encouraged her to go home and "paint the Mormon story." And this is what she determined to do with her life. Here is an excerpt from her own autobiographical life sketch, written in 1947:

"I married my cowboy sweetheart, which was right. My first son was born while my husband was serving in France. I painted stage scenery to pay for his birth. I painted what I loved for the Pocatello Tabernacle "Not Alone", and got thirty-eight dollars for it. . . .For the next ten years I helped in the hay fields. My first three little boys grew up beside a haystack. . . .When the American Falls Dam went in I was the last white woman out of the Snake River Bottoms. . . .I spent most of the mornings for the next fifteen years in the milk house. The children must be educated, etc. I painted after they were tucked into bed at night.......

I must paint. It's a disease."

NEW TEMPLE

Today I had the opportunity to visit the new Oquirrh Mountain temple. I went with my staff at work to inspect the fine art that is hanging throughout the temple. some will need to be redone before the open house but for the most part they are beautiful. One of the managing GA's did not like a particular artists work, so several of her paintings are being replaced.
If you went to the Draper open house so you think you don't need to see this one. Don't be mistaken, it is unique and beautiful, with gorgeous marble and wood work, cut glass and beautiful furnishings. Don't miss the chance to see this great work before it is dedicated.

Open House Reservations will be made available to the general public starting Monday, May 4, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. by contacting the reservation call center at 1-800-521-5105, 801-240-7645, or online at www.lds.org/reservations.

INDIAN ART OR ANCIENT GRAFFITI

These days when a group of young men go out hunting, if things get boring they start shooting up road signs or tin cans or what ever else seems to be good sport.
Well in ancient times when the native Americans went out hunting they would gather in the shade of an over hanging cliff and practice their art. I have often wondered if they are really trying to tell story with their art or if it is just ancient graffiti by bored young men out for the hunt.
what ever it is, I find it fascinating and love to locate examples of this ancient art.
We found these great looking specimens in various locations within about a half mile of each other. They are located on a dirt road between the town of Thompson, Utah and the old ghost town of Sego, (see post "ghost towns" 4/23). The road is not to bad at all, we traveled it with our Hyundai Tucson while pulling our trailer.

GHOST TOWNS

While on a road trip to Moab, Utah we decided to check out a ghost town that I had read about. The town of Sego, Utah was founded in 1911. It began as a coal mining operation, but almost as soon as it began the water table dropped and things soon went from bad to worse. By 1947 the town was nearly deserted and the whole town was sold at auction in Moab.
The stone building was the company store. the wooden structure that is about to fall was the boarding house. There are also several other stone buildings scattered about the site that are in various stages of collapse.
To get to Sego you take the Thompson exit that is just east of Crescent junction, on I-70. Sego is about 4 miles North of Thompson. Thompson itself is all but a ghost town. there are still a few people living there but all the business have closed. there is a deserted cafe, hotel, motel and a once used train station which is probably responsible for the town being there in the first place.

NO TAKERS

I can't believe no one wants a free dinner!
Karen, try as she did, never got it. Now she is disqualified because she knows where it is.

So, a clue........or 2.
The picture was taken just off I-80 somewhere between the 2 Utah borders
At the base of the sign is a pile of cinder block that was once a gas station, and with the pile of block you will find assorted other garbage like; old mattresses, tree stumps, carpet, etc. because everybody knows "1big pile of garbage is better than 2 little piles".
So for any regular reader of this blog, that is not a total stranger, to identify where this photo was taken, wins dinner at the Rio Grande Cafe of course I get to go with you.
All you have to do is identify the freeway exit where this sign resides.

NO FREE STUFF

Nobody has free stuff anymore. Unless you count toothpicks at restaurants.
I remember going on long road trips as a kid and all the gas stations had "free" maps. They were printed and distributed by the gas companies as a way to get you to patronize their establishments. Some also had "free" popcorn and of course you did not need to get out of the car. there was an attendant to fill your car with gas, wash your windows, check your tires and oil. And all without being asked, it was called "service" which is why gas stations were known for years as service stations.
As a kid I used to walk to the service station that was close to our house and check out all the new maps. I had quite a collection of maps, for places I had never been or would never go. But hey they were free. It is probably guys like me that brought and end to the free maps. I still love maps and love to plan road trips that I might still never take. I love road trips. I even went by auto once from Chicago to Salt Lake City. Not by choice. I was in Chicago on 9/11 and it was the only way we had to get home 23 and 1/2 hours from downtown Chicago to the Salt Lake Airport.

BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN; FYI

Driving down highway 89 in central Utah, you will pass the Big Rock Candy Mountain. Have you ever wondered what significance if any this place has to the old hobo balled of the same name?

Well the song was first recorded in 1928 by "Haywire Mac", and again in 1949 by Burl Ives, but it has been recorded by many artists throughout the world. It is probably best known today for its use in the soundtrack of the 2000 movie O Brother Where Art Thou? (One of my all time favorite movies).

Shortly after the release of the original recording in 1928, some local residents, as a joke, placed a sign at the base of a cluster of some brightly colored hills a short distance from Marysvale, Utah, naming it "Big Rock Candy Mountain". They also placed a sign next to a nearby stream proclaiming it "lemon Springs" The names stuck and the location is currently home to the Big Rock Candy Mountain Resort.

I remember as a kid stopping here when ever we went to southern Utah. We would by rock candy and there once was a sort of "zoo" there with foxes, coyotes and rattlesnakes.

CHANGE?

So it's a new day, we have a new president who has promised to "fix" everything. If any fix comes at all I believe it will take years for us to feel any real effect over what happens in the next four years.
This picture was taken in 1937, and shows a group men and boys lined up, hoping to get some food. Look at their shoes and clothes. I think we would probably not find this level of poverty and hopelessness in our country today. With that, though, the buzzword of our day appears to be "Change". Its change we want, and, I fear, it is change that we are about to get. My word of caution is, be careful what you wish for.

thanks to http://old-photos.blogspot.com

MAKIN' MONEY ON THE DEAD

While visiting Boston on business I took some time to walk the "freedom trail" visited the Old North Church of Paul Revere fame. Also saw the SS Constitution "Old Iron Sides" one of the first fighting ships in the US Navy.
Just down from the North Church I saw this cool grave yard. If you notice the head stones are 2 deep, sometimes 3.
Apparently the sexton of the cemetery was reselling grave sites of some of the old graves and then stashing the headstones in the basement of a nearby church. While renovating the church they found the headstones and have tried to restore them to their rightful places.