April 1956

I've been working on scanning some pictures and wanted to take a minute to share one. It is my older brother Jay and I sitting on the couch in the living room. We are both wearing hats. Perhaps coonskin caps, Hard to tell from the picture. Jay is holding a dog and from the look on the dog's face he appears he would rather be anywhere else. In the picture I am just over 2 years old and my older brother is just short of 4 years old.

We appear to be a couple of happy little guys. It got me wondering. Why was this picture taken? No ones birthday. Surely it wasn't to get a picture of the dog. What the hell was going on? The picture below I think might reveal the reason.

I draw your attention to the crayon work on the wall above our heads. Apparently these two young fellas got a bit heavy handed with the crayons. Unsupervised boys and crayons are never a good idea. I'm sure mom was struggling a bit at the time. It would have been spring and planting was either under way or the field work to get ready for planting was going on. In addition a third boy would be added to the mix in August that year. So mom probably had to do something important like fix us lunch and we took full advantage of the opportunity to redecorate the place with our crayons. Mom still lives in that house and somewhere under those layers of paint lies that artwork from almost 60 years ago. I don't remember this incident but I'm sure it wasn't the only time we did something with crayons while mom was busy doing something else.

It Is an Island

I'm writing this on October 27, 2015 and it is the full moon in October. It is the first full moon after the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that falls closest to the autumnal equinox. The full moon tonight is the Hunter's Moon and is the final supermoon of 2015. The next supermoon will not occur until October 2016. So, what does that have to do with an island? Full moon and supermoon have created high tides. In fact record high tides. U.S. 80 is the only road from Savannah to Tybee Island. The tide today measured 10.427 feet. The distance is recorded from the amount of water above the mean low water level. The only times the tide has been higher at Fort Pulaski was during the hurricanes on October 15, 1947 and August 11, 1940. The high tides today were the result of the normal high tides caused by the full moon and an east to northeast wind blowing water in toward the coast. What follows are some pictures of the flooding which temporarily closed U.S. 80 for a couple of hours this morning. Since Fort Pulaski was mentioned the first picture is of the entrance to the fort grounds off U.S. 80.

 

 

The businesses on Lazaretto Creek were not doing any business this morning. Waterfront dining extended much further east than usual. So what do you do when the water is high? Wait for it to go down and then head off the island if that is your intent. We had no plans this morning so the high tide had zero effect on our lives.

It Was News to Me

Last week I post my thoughts about Mickey Mouse needing a cat in his life. It didn't take long for my daughter in law and expert in all things Disney, Mandie to let me know there was such a creature. I present for your review Pete the Cat.



 Pete is an anthropomorphic cat created by Walt Disney. He was originally a bear as his earliest appearance shown below clearly indicates.

 

 It seems interesting to me that Walt Disney would create a peg leg bear. The truth of the matter is that Pete predates Mickey or as he was originally known Mortimer Mouse. Pete was created in 1925 about three years prior to the appearance of Mickey Mouse. Pete has used a number of names including Peg-Leg Pete, Big Bad Pete and Black Pete. Pete states: "I was born to cheat and lie! I'm a mean rotten guy." In all of his appearances Pete is always up to no good.

 

Here is Pete appearing with Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie.

 

As you can clearly see Pete has changed from a bear to a more cat like appearance. He has a muzzle, nose, fur and tail like a cat. Over the years Pete would take on a more cat like appearance and become even more obese. He would also lose his tail. It is unfortunate in all those appearances he has never been able to make a meal of Mickey. I suppose that would be too much to ask Disney and too traumatic for the kids who watch and love Mickey and Minnie.

 

The attempt is always made to be correct on Bodine DILLIGAF so the record has now been corrected. Thank you Mandie.

Stuff I Think About

Dogs! I think about dogs. A lot! I wonder what they are thinking? How do they decide where to pee? How can they have such a powerful sense of smell and literally stick their nose in another dog's asshole to get acquainted? Do they have emotions? Like embarrassment? These dogs were at Pirate Fest. 

They seemed relaxed. If they weren't embarrassed they should have been. 

This dog was comfortable, in fact he owned his look. He was the cool dog.

I didn't talk to his people but overheard them tell someone he loves to wear his sunglasses. You will please note that I called them "his people" and not his owners. The true bond between dogs and people is when they claim us as one of their pack. When they are so relaxed around us they act like Lily. 

She is so mistreated. 

What else do I think about? Disney princesses? Why were they at Pirate Fest? 

Here's one of them. Which one? Damned if I know. Our daughter in law and granddaughters can name them all. 

Not a great picture but there are the rest of them. I can only name the old ones. You know Cinderella and Snow White. That got me wondering about that damn mouse. You know, that rodent bastard, Mickey. Money grubbing little shit. Disney always tries to be inclusive. Mickey has lots of friends like Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and Goofy. Why no cat friends? I might pay to see Mickey and Minnie with a cat. 

Thanks for stopping by to things I think about. 

Walking

I don't normally spend much time on here talking about me. So, tonight, I'll make this one about Lily. She started walking for exercise and to stay healthy a year ago today. She has me wear a Fitbit and track how far she walks, how many steps and how many calories she has burned. She really looks forward to our walks. Tybee Island and rural Illinois are full of things to smell. She likes meeting new people, barking at cats and for some reason I have never been able to determine- golf carts. They drive her crazy. The only thing that bothers her more is kids on skateboards. It does make walking in Illinois easier since out in BFE there are no golf carts or skateboarders. So, you may be wondering, how did Lily do over the past year? 

4,080,760 steps

1,997.08 miles

1,051,585 calories

It has been a good year walking with Lily. Tomorrow she will start year two and we will see how far she goes. 

StepsOct '14Dec '14Feb '15Apr '15Jun '15Jul '15Oct '155,00010,00015,00020,000

Events

For those searching for something to celebrate today I offer the following. On this date in 1887 Tybee Island was incorporated so today is it's 128th birthday. Here's a view of the lighthouse back then. 

If you are looking for something to celebrate next year then mark your calendars for this event. April 20th to the 24th 2016 will be the Tybee Wine Festival with the proceeds benefiting the Tybee Post Theater. Plan ahead and get your tickets as last year every event sold out. The Grand Wine Tasting is held on the lighthouse grounds. Here is a picture of the lighthouse during a past festival.

Sights on a Walk

Lily and I took a long walk this morning. We tried a new area and found a few things of interest along the way. So I get to share some of the things I think make Tybee unique.

Tybee has lots of newer homes but to me they lack the charm of the older beach houses. These seaside gems are especially interesting when the owners take the time to paint them bright colors and decorate the yard.

No true beach house is complete without an outdoor shower. You want to rinse that sand off before you track it all the way through the house.

Bare walls can be boring. The fish is a nice addition to this house.

Pirate Fest was this past weekend and someone really got into the spirit of the event. Lily and I both found the display disturbing.

We were out taking pictures for the blog and Carol spotted this pineapple lamp. Today's history lesson follows. The pineapple has long been a symbol of hospitality since colonial days in America. Legend has it that sea captains returning from the Caribbean Islands with their cargo of fruits, rum and spices would spear a pineapple on a fence post outside his house to let his friends know he had returned safely from his journey. The pineapple was his invitation to come and visit, share a bit of food and drink and hear tales from the sea. The tradition grew and soon innkeepers added pineapples to their signs as a symbol of hospitality. A tradition which continues to this day.

I thought this was a neat way to paint a house.

 I added the close up shot because I thought the dog got lost in the first picture.

Lots of vacation rental homes have names. Makes them easier to rent than just giving a street address. I thought the name and painting were a real selling feature on this home. Well that and being three blocks from the beach.

The birds add plenty to those boring pillars.

This was another Carol find.

If you are going to have a weather vane why not one with a fish?

Really folks? Your grass is brown and a little golden kidney juice from Miss Lily might just bring things back to life. The bad news for these folks is that Lily can't read. I can and was tempted to "water" the yard. After all the picture on the sign is a dog not a man.

Hope you enjoyed the sights from Tybee.

What You See When You Aren't Looking

Saturday before Pirate Fest on Tybee Island, I took Carol to Savannah for her quilt guild meeting. It gives me a couple of hours to waste and I thought I would go walk around Forsyth Park. It is a nice walk around the outside and I planned on checking out the offerings at the farmer's market. It started to rain on the way there so I decided to skip the walk. I don't keep up on Savannah events and there was something going on at the park that day. Not sure what it was but it created a parking mess. I was determined to go to the market. I ended up parking several blocks away in the Victorian District West. As I was walking to the park I walked up to this church. 

It is the St. Phillips Monumental African Methodist Episcopal Church. The congregation first came together in June 1865 and celebrated their 150 anniversary this past June. 

So there you have it, another little piece of the rich history of Savannah. You never know what you are going to happen across here. If it hadn't been raining and the park wasn't so busy I would never have parked where I did. Another happy, accidental find. 

Things I wonder about on Tybee

I had planned for several days to take the picture shown below. Lily has been getting up before sunrise and I thought this statue cast an interesting shadow on the house. I had another day I intended yo take the picture but some of the lights inside the house were on and it didn't look right. She is holding a sword in celebration of Pirate Fest here on Tybee. 

The second picture was taken at Benny's Tybee Tavern. Carol and I like to go there in the afternoon and have a social beer or two. Since it is a bar no one under 21 years of age is allowed. We enjoy the quiet time without the nonsense young tourists can cause. 

There are a couple of video gambling machines in the bar. Strictly speaking such machines are illegal in Georgia. You can't gamble and win money. Here is a closer look at the sing above the machines.

So, let's say you put $20.00 in the machine and win $200.00. You don't get $200.00 cash. You can have $200.00 in lottery scratch off tickets, or $200.00 worth of Georgia lottery keno tickets, or food, or t-shirts and hats from Benny's. So, to actually get money you have to win at the video machine and then win again playing the lottery or keno. I will never feel that lucky. Seems like a stupid thing to do. Several months ago when they were actually paying out cash the machines were busy most of the time. Since the change they seem to be rarely used. 

Last Blog Post?

This could be our last time together dear reader. Our days are numbered and while no one can be sure when the end will be....  Well now, just a minute, a group called E-Bible Fellowship says October 7, 2015 is very likely THE day. They hedge their claim just a bit by stating it is highly unlikely it isn't. So, got any big plans for later in the month? Might be time to move them up. Why wait till Halloween, go around today knocking on doors and asking for candy. Don't bother with a costume just grab a bible. Claim to be a prophet proclaiming the end of days. Thanksgiving dinner? Might be a little lat to thaw and cook that turkey and gather the family. I'm sure Swanson has a dandy TV dinner that would serve as a substitute. Christmas. Go crazy! Get everyone whatever they want. Use that credit card until the plastic melts. Get new credit cards and use them. Buy a new car or two. Mercedes, Lexus, BMW- what the hell if you are going to you doom why not go in style. High car payments, huge credit bills? Really, who gives a shit. Did you not understand? The world is ending. God is pouring out his judgment for our transgressions. Gay marriage, abortion, Disneyland, you know all the horrible things we have done. 

Just an FYI the same group made the same prediction for May 11, 2011. They revised their prediction indicating that was the date God picked the righteous to be saved. He would take the next 1,600 days to review His list to see if anyone was missed. Today is the final (?) day. 

See you tomorrow. 

What Now?

Once again I'm going to address guns and gun control. I think a reasonable comparison can be made between automobiles and guns. Some pro gun folks argue that car accidents cause far more deaths than guns yet no one is talking about banning cars. I will grant them that point. I do think they miss the point that in attempting to deal with the death rate from automobile accidents we have required seat belts, padded dash boards, collapsible stealing columns, airbags and drivers licenses. Why can't we require the same public health approach to guns and gun violence? Today you can buy a gun from another individual without a background check. There is also the gun show loophole that allows for sales without a background check. You cannot legally operate a car without getting a license and proving to an examiner that you can operate the vehicle safely. It would seem reasonable and prudent to require education, training and licensing to own and/or possess a firearm. Insurance is also required for vehicles, why not for guns? It would seem appropriate to require at least liability insurance. I'm sure if you get insurance companies involved there would be training required before a policy would be issued. So, to me, it is that simple. Background checks, licensed users, insurance. Would it have prevented Sandy Hook or the recent carnage in Oregon? Maybe not, but consider these two facts. In 2013 more preschoolers were shot to death (82) than police officers killed in the line of duty (27). The other fact is that on an average day in America 92 people die from guns. Since 1970 more Americans have died from guns than have been killed in all United States wars dating back to the American Revolution. There have been fewer than 1.4 million war deaths since 1775 with more than half occurring during the Civil War. Since 1970 more than 1.45 million gun deaths have occurred in the United States. That number includes murders, suicides and accidental gun deaths. We must do something. Doesn't the picture below say something about our questionable priorities? 

10%

I'm going to spend some time again writing about guns. The shooting at Umpqua Community College has once again hurt me to my bones. We shouldn't have to worry, as parents or grandparents, when we send our children or grandchildren to school at places like Sandy Hook or Umpqua that we will never see them alive again. 

Why can't we control our gun violence? 

The pictures posted above are part of what is wrong with the conversation about guns. I honestly believe that 10% of the population is so pro gun that no regulation will ever be acceptable. They believe that the government will become a tyranny if the population is disarmed. The other 10% is so anti gun that the only acceptable answer is a severe restriction on the private ownership of firearms. What we are left with is an ineffective 80% of the population who cannot get the conversation moved enough to stem the almost daily carnage in the United States. 

I think the following sums up my frustration.

"If we are going to talk about this legislation, let's talk about it honestly and not say that it does something that it does not do. All this legislation does is keep guns from criminals and the demented and those too young. With all the violence and murder and killing we've had in the United States, I think you will agree that we must keep firearms from people who have no business with guns or rifles."

Robert Kennedy, May 27, 1968 in Roseburg, Oregon near the shooting site of Umpqua Community College. 

What was the reaction from some in the crowd? The usual. You want our guns registered so you can take them. Gun registration was part of what happened to Nazi Germany. 

It has been over 47 years since Robert Kennedy spoke those words. What has changed in the gun debate? Absolutely nothing. 

By the way, less than two weeks later Robert Kennedy was dead. Shot by a man with a handgun. 

Think Outside the Box

Problems that happen repeatedly and seem to have no solutions require new thinking. One of the best definitions of insanity I've seen is this one. Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result is insane. Let's be realistic old people, how many of us have sat at a computer and hit the same button hoping something different would happen? We weren't sure what to do and we were worried that pushing the wrong button would destroy our document, file, computer, network or perhaps even the Internet. If we continued to push the same button at least nothing bad could happen. Maybe we didn't hold it down long enough? Maybe it needed to rapid clicks? Maybe using the other hand or a different finger? Hey, nobody said it had to make sense. So, while you may think my answer below to a repeated problem makes no sense, keep in mind we don't have time for rationale thought. 

We had another mass school shooting today. This time it was Oregon. The problem is literally coast to coast. Newtown, Connecticut to Roseburg, Oregon. Gun control folks want to ban guns. Gun advocates want more guns in more places. President Obama is addressing the nation for the 15th time during his administration following a mass shooting. So, more guns or less guns have been proposed as solutions. So have additional background checks. More mental health treatment and screening. None of those things have been enacted. Somebody sees each of these solutions as unworkable or unreasonable. I was watching television today and a former FBI agent stated that we don't know anything about the shooter but most likely it is a white male. Almost without exception the shooters are white males. We went to a movie last month and after we were seated a lone white male came in and sat behind us. Did I racially profile? Yes I did. Did I keep an eye on him during the movie? Hell yes. Does that bother me? Yes. It shouldn't be necessary. We should be able to go to any public place and not have to worry about mass shootings. The time for rationale thought and reasonable solutions has passed. I have the answer. Originally I thought the best way to solve the problem would be to ban white guys. If white males are doing he shooting, when we get rid of them the problem will go away. Being a white guy it seemed to go against my self interest. My revised solution? White guys can't wear any clothes. No place to hide the gun. Naked white guys everywhere. If you go outside with clothes on you are subject to arrest. Cold weather? Sorry, still no clothes for you. The answer to gun violence- naked white guys.