Into every reign, one must bow – or something like that.
It is difficult to determine.
Distances cause sound waves to bend – which is appropriate. One must waste bend to show respect.
Sources tell Us this is The Most Interesting Man in the World.©
As RC of the Realm, We attempt to herd The Lesser Ones Staff in positive directions, but We regretfully see that it appears the dunderheads may have fallen in with bad influences.
We managed to secure, from an unnamed source, the above picture.
Perhaps the explanation of “planning a special event” is true. But odd as We, Ourselves, do not like mayo. Salmon oils are much more satisfying.
Nor do We really accept the excuse of “the sky was covered with rainbows.”
Bent light? Obviously clouds near expiration date and oozing. The stuff of Carebears and Skittles – if you believe all that “goodness and light”.
Sounds suspiciously sickeningly sweet and fattening.
We do not understand why Staff insists keyboard cannot function as couches. Obviously they do.©
We did goggle (Our eyes finding it difficult to focus on tiny images) and located this – which leads us to wonder if perhaps some sort of cheerful event in being planned.
Certainly full of enthusiasm and exuberance. One must hope EMS was on hand.
The dancers must have been under the influence of something to risk ankle and limb cavorting on those spiked foot covers.
We must look closer. It appears these poor unfortunates may have stepped on thorns which became implanted in their heels causing much leaping and whirling. Surely someone noticed.
We shall keep you informed as it is obvious staff can not be depended upon for the most ordinary of tasks
I am RC Cat and I approve this message.
Looking around for a Tardis. Time warp. Which past?©
Oh, to endure the endless curiosity of the turtle-slow tourists and the daily smirking of the concrete addicted people movers. 905 must sigh at the absurdity. A giant towering among the…what are they again?
Perfect example of being high-tech not being enough. Hard to adapt as time passes, but Snoopy did.
Like a stray dog, MetLife airship Snoopy One (Is that an appropriate name or what in these days of security concerns?), wanders with never a dog house to call home.
Has to be content to tie up wherever the ground crew can arrange a spot. A gypsy life for blimp, pilots, and ground crew at least 50 weeks of the year.
Oh, the life of an airship.
Once valuable military lookouts, airships had high hopes of returning to civilian life after the wars as “family air yachts”. That didn’t fly too well. Hard to park, not to mention garage.
Now history’s relics have been repurposed as billboards, and marketing pieces.
Could be worse. Could be extinct.
Although full of hot air, bumbling, and slow to respond, blimps are still up in the air.
(Eerily similar to politicians. Both enjoy sporting events and being led around by the nose. They’ve avoided extinction, too…so far.)
“Hey, 905. Playing hide and seek?”©
Recently, Snoopy One swooped by Space Center Houston/JSC to buzz NASA Space Shuttle Transport (The little mock shuttle on top was silent – always shy around those who actually fly).
Snoopy One sighed at all the lush landscaping of the Space Shuttle Transport’s retirement home – and all the kids visiting.
But 905 just smiled – like the Mona Lisa.
“Stay aloft as long as you can,” NASA 905 advised. “All these zippy little gasoline engine earth shuttles are as annoying as fleas on a sleeping dog.”
Snoopy grinned on the wind current like surfer seeing the perfect wave.
“Can’t see you flying and dragging a commercial banner around behind you. Maybe retiring to public service isn’t such a bad idea. Better than an amusement park jungle gym and slide.
Sooner or later, people will give up gravity hugging on this rock.”
Auto reverse. Into sky go.
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.
Read more?
- “Airships, Dirigibles, Zeppelins, and Blimps: What’s the difference?”
- (NPR.) “History and Future of Blimp Technology”
- “History and How Blimps Work” (Science.how stuff works)
- “Airships: The Hindenburg and other Zeppelins” (airships.net: a Dirigible and Zeppelin History site)
“How’s it going down there? Looks like you’re going green”©
These arches, not golden ones. From curvilinear flow to straight and rigid, no.©
Three arches in black and white
A parody of life
Oracle in stone: see how it goes.
Opening with free looping exuberance
Then conforming lines lie. Pretending, blending into the pre-set mix
Finally, stiffly stacked and stuck in angular block.
Too late noted alternative paths slipped from sight
No bread crumbs. One way.
Hard stop
Barred entrance or blocked exit. As with everything, perspective makes the difference.©
Life lined out.
A small offering from the Realm
Life’s litter? We said nothing of the sort. Absurd thought. Record only what We wish
As dictated by HRH RC Cat to Staff
The only barriers are those which are allowed, respected,..or obeyed…and who does that? HRH RC Cat ©
Predictable. People like that. For basketball brackets. For weather. For commutes. For kids.
Livin’ in Fools’ Paradise. Get cranky when their expectations and schedules aren’t met.
- Final Four. Finally. Remember you can watch in Virtual Reality. Will people miss the social interaction with friends in the room? Some gamers like Comic book Guy in the Simpsons may really appreciate the option. There’s always the benefit of no one eating all your chips, too. Facebook and Twitter have shown that people can do just fine without having face to face interaction.
- Who parks a backhoe on railroad tracks? It’s not like the train engineer can go, “Oh, we’ll just bail onto the shoulder and go around.” Mom used to scream if we tried to put a penny on the tracks. “You want to kill a bunch of people?” How does anyone shake that shrill shriek phrase out of their heads?
- Little kids. Just so impulsive. Can’t depend on them. Dad was washing his car. Big sister (5 yrs) and little brother (3 yrs) enjoying the sunny day playing in the ditch along side an extremely busy road. Little boy darts into the street and is hit by a red car which doesn’t do the right thing and stop. Kid in hospital. Police searching for driver. Neighbors blaming the city for not installing speed bumps. And parents stunned. Everyone’s shocked – about it all.
Nosey about what’s going on? (Albrecht Durer.London British Museum/USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
Lovely Spring weather helps distract – here, anyway. Other places?
Ever consider it could be like Mother saying “You were sent to your room to think it over. And you haven’t so you aren’t coming out until you do”? Oh, that’s silly, right?
- Boston snowstorm? Bah. Boston Commons.
- NY Yankees/Astros baseball game called off will possible sleet and snow forecasted for the Bronx? (There is a place for indoor stadiums?)
- What about snowflakes in the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe? Now there’s a rare delight.
There have been weird unpredictable Springs before. When Mount Tambora erupted.
Most people know about the crop failure, but that dark year also inspired writers (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and poets like her husband, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron.) The boring grim weather led them to challenge each other to created dark writings. Just think of it like a blog challenge for flash fiction.
That year might have changed the history of transportation. People started wondering what if all the horses died since hay and oats could not be grown. Cost of feed did increase travel costs. Such a worry might have prodded a German inventor to roll out an alternative, the bicycle?
- The year without a summer was a bizarre weather disaster in 1816. (history1800’s)
- Mount Tambora and the Year without a summer. (UCAR Center for Science Edu.)
It’s Chamber of Commerce weather here: 80’s and sunny.
Since the last front’s storm knocked down most of the oak pollen you can actually walk outside and not feel like you’re in a pollen sand storm. And there’s not green-ish grit coating everything.
Perfect for the weekends marathon, the fancy Shell Open golf tournament, patio dining, and all the Final Four Fan Fest outdoor concerts and events (oh, they are telling kids not to skip school, but it’s free….). The Final Four Championship Game, of course, is indoors at NRG stadium tonight. Uber drivers are thrilled.
Predictably ready to spring outta here
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.
Just in case you’re blanketed in flannel instead of Bluebonnets, a bit of warmth to stir dreams of Spring. The Trinity River is a big one from Dallas area past Houston to the coast.
“Holy chicken.” (Foghorn Leghorn.1947″Crowing Pains” Warner Bros/USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
Vegetarians may have to help me out here, but I’m pretty sure there’s no place in the Good Book that says “Through a chicken, thou shall know me.”
They talk about “on a wing and a prayer”, but that was strictly Hollywood.
These days, best chicken out.
If dwarf-tossing is frowned upon, it’s probably foul to do the same with chicks (no matter how cute).
The Christian group’s Youth Leader had lofting ideas, but tossing a chicken around the room as a team building exercise isn’t flying right with animal activists or the general public.
Bound to be a more humane, less messy way to teach how to trust or depend on others to step up and do the right thing. Everyone knows someone will drop the ball, uh, chicken.
- “Video of students throwing live chicken causes outrage” (Ch2 video/article)
- “Outrage over alleged chicken abuse” (abc 13. video/article)
Saying “Oh, no harm intended. The chickens weren’t hurt and are back on the farm now” is a little like saying “On, the shark is only tasting you.” No intent, no harm? Unwilling to admit the obvious.
“Fight for our rights? Have you not noticed we are chicken?” (USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
Obviously, while some are cagey about what is really going on, there may be a grain of truth in the Massachusetts legislators’ concerns farm animals.
The proposed measure which would affect conditions for hens, pigs, and veal calves, started with a petition of 95,817 certified supporters, so legislators are shuffling their feet.
Small farmers say their caging of hens is humane, prevents them from attacking each other, and keeps egg prices low.
Others (supported by animal activists in Washington D.C.) say stacking chickens in small cages over one another, having the birds balance on chicken wire floors, and never letting hens stretch their wings is cruel.
You decide.
“A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even knowing you are slightly cracked. (USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
It’s true consumers can crack open an industry with their purchasing choices.
Grocery stores offer a range of eggs from free range chickens, cage free chickens, vegetarian fed chickens, little chickens free (of hormones, antibiotics or animal by-products feed) or the cheaper cartons from factory/large farms (which could be barns with rows of stacked cages or big open barns full of chickens walking around the floor – maybe in “daylight” 24 hours a day.). Will the proposal limit consumer choices?
- “Animal welfare bill sparks debate: anti-cruelty or farm foolishness?” (Boston undercover report)
- “Gobi on animal protection ballot question: ‘We don’t have factory farms in Mass.'” (Worcester, MA. This longer article has quite a bit of information.)
Some 300,000 laying hens in Massachusetts are laying low and paying close attention. Other states, too.
Chick or the egg? You’ve been waiting for that. (USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
Want to really know where your food comes from?
How about eating backyard-to-table instead of farm-to-table? Give a cluck for Christmas or birthdays even.
Here’s something to get you started. VIDEO: “How to start raising chickens at Home”
Oh, don’t fool yourself. They all promise this, but you know who ends up doing all the work.(USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
Chicken? Thought so.
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge
Stumped by Trump du jour.
Droning on and on by the high and mighty has people turning eyes north. To Canada. Chill and be chilled.
There’s shelter there, outside Quebec.
Drone on, and we’ll just fly away. (Phantom 4 drone. DJI/YouTube)
Oh, not speaking French won’t be the biggest obstacle.
It’s the narrow residency requirements: must be wolf, deer, bison, or enthusiastic never-cold sled dog. (With Husky-style curly tail, Molly Malamute points out).
Fit the criteria and it’s refuge for life at Ferme 5 étoiles animal rescue in the wilds of Sacré-Coeur – carefully watched over by a caring director utilizing the latest technology.
Dogs looking wild for droning. People, too.
But exactly what is a drone and what isn’t?
An article in Scientific American clears that up here.
While droning opens a new world for photographers, it’s easy to understand why Park Rangers hate them.
Solid reasons: “…the devices could crash into sensitive landmarks, disturb wildlife, and present safety risks and general disturbance to visitors.” (High Country News/Tetons/Yellowstone)
- LA Times. 2016. “The latest buzz on flying drones in parks”
- CNET. “…take on the tech that’s taken over our lives – worse than mosquitoes...” (includes “Ranger tasers man in Hawaii” – among other insights and delights)
- NBC News. Dec.2015 “Flying Drones at National Parks can result in penalties, fines”
“A bit more to the right. Ahhh, that’s it. Deer thanks.”(DJI/You Tube)
FAA already has its’ eyes full around airports with the bird flocks and lasers. Sure. Add some drones. Why not?
If it’s not one hazard, it’s another.
A recent study from Europe indicates the closer you live to an airport, the faster the brain declines as you age.
Great. If the security scanners don’t fry you, or if landings and take offs don’t give you tinnitus, the constant airport noise will eat your brain.
Wait. Maybe that’s the explanation for these vaudeville politicos.
Look at the Final 4 – candidates, not hoops. Some of them didn’t sound so confused, petty, or illogical when they first started. But the more they fly around from primary to primary and fund-raiser to fund-raiser, the more goofy and disconnected from reality they sound.
It’s got to be the airports!
Ground all politicians immediately. Before it’s too late. For their own good…and ours.
Quick, run for it while they are distracted. Pass the road map.
Buzz off.
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.
Molly dreams of reuniting with her litter mates. Obviously her crate made the wrong turn at the airport terminal. (Director and sled dogs of Quebec’s Sacre-Coeur.You Tube/DJI)
There were bugs to poke and bunnies to chase. Yet here she sat. (USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
Whack
Sitting with a wooden spoon bashing the hand coming through the window. Repeatedly. So unfair.
Whack
It’s the right thing to do. Really? God wants bruised fingers. Never saw that in the Good Book – in English or Spanish.
Whack
It was her mother’s fault.
Whack.
Seeing the old man without any teeth. Seeing the indifferent shrugs. Told that all his family had died leaving him without kin to prepare or chew his food.
“Toss out of the tribe like rubbish,” her mother fumed.
So the wrinkled old Indian found if he sat close to their house, he would be offered soft food. Shortly he sat himself down under the kitchen window. Permanently. Part of the scenery.
Whack.
It became her chore to sit and protect the pies cooling on the window sill.
“Good things come to those who wait,” she wanted to scream in Spanish, or English, or Tribal tongue. Raising the spoon yet again.
The dark eyes sparkled. The toothless grin teased.
They both knew she never really whacked very hard anyway.
Wasn’t the right thing to do.
From a young girl’s journal of life in early Tejas. (1820 – 30’s)
“The Friendly Indians” probably were Lipan Apache tribes who signed a peace treaty with the Spanish in 1749 (which angered the Comanche, Tonkawa, and Hasinai so these tribes became bitter enemies of the Apache. The Comanche signed a peace treaty with Spain in 1785.) I do know from the journals that both the settlers and “The Friendly Indians” who lived peacefully among everyone greatly feared raids by the fierce Comanche.
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.
1824. First Federal Republic of Mexico. The area known as Tejas was so rough and wild, many Mexican citizens were not interested in settling there. So the government allowed immigrants into Tejas provided they converted to Catholicism, demonstrated that they spoke Spanish (even the children), and who pledged to be productive and good citizens of Mexico. (Giggette/Commons.wikimedia.org)
Something’s hopping.(Intrude Art Installation/Vimeo)
Despite their reputation for being jumpy airheads, some bunnies search for a better hop, too.
Not so dumb, bunnies.
De lighting. Sunrise. Sunset. Always the hope of a new day dawning.
Be the bunny!
(But not the chocolate one…they have ear problems.)
Watch the bunnies’ video here
Oh, OK. Click to the Denver cat, Boots, in his igloo. (Cats. Always with the cats…)
Looking for an answer? Working to make it better?
Chill for a bit.
Still fuzzy
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge
Rabbits at dawn. (Boston Intrude Art Installation/Vimeo)
Keep reading. You’ll see the connection.(Frank Vincentz/Commons.wikimedia.org)
All those tall inflatable tubes bobbing in front of businesses probably inspired by my palm waving.
Closer to vaudeville stage than Cathedral, ours was a hands-on church
Lots of kids in pageants acting out Bible stories which naturally resulted in competitive Moms constructing the most elaborate, the most heavenly costumes. Mentioning the “sin of pride”, totally avoided. (And if done right, a two-fer as a Halloween costume.)
Older brother was always one of the chosen ones.
Extremely dependable. Followed directions flawlessly. Tall for his age, he made a perfect “King of Orient Are” at Christmas. I felt such pride as he solemnly carried the gold-sprayed cigar box down the aisle to the manger.
Me, one of the littlest angels (with crooked tinsel halo), was herded out with the clump of others in belted white pillowcases.
Knowing I was generally shy and silent, Dad had whispered he’d give me a special treat if I would sing loud enough to be heard in the back pew.
Will ear-piercingly shreik sing for treats.
They said everyone asked “Who is that little angel singing so loudly?” But I never heard. Too busy belting out the carol and thinking of treats.
Mother was appalled. Brother grimly hoped no one would connect him with me. Dad thought it was hilarious. Hey, all the words were there and in the right order.
Brother grew to dread pageants as much as I loved them.
The minister’s wife dreamed of this, not our grubby mob. (Bundesarchiv,Bild 102-13232/Commons.wikimedia.org)
Palm Sunday approached. Would there be a real donkey?
Bets were taken. (Despite the fact that gambling was a “get down on your knees and beg for forgiveness” item.)
Then, excitement spread like lightning.
One of the church members was a florist. Instead of the usual sticks with green crepe paper fringe that faded in sweaty hands, real palm branches were coming. Frilly fronds would be carried by each child in the congregation up the main aisle and placed in front of the altar before each quietly returned to sit beside their parents.
Oh, the image of a meaningful illustration of The Word. A lesson that would stay with a child forever!
Palm Sunday we lined up in pairs according to height with the tallest closest to the entrance.
Moms went down the lines to make sure the Easter shoes were buckled or tied neatly, zippers zipped, and any pastel satin ribbons safely tucked.
Then the exotic emerald palm fronds distributed: the longest fronds to the tallest in the procession. But even those firmly pressed into little hands were giant…or at least as long as a yard stick.
Quiet instructions were given walk proudly and smile as if welcoming Jesus himself way back then. Then the door flew open and the organ music swelled.
The grand march began. Happily, no one tripped or fell down.
Women like this never broke a nail helping with pageants. No checking zippers for them. Her kid’s outfits were made by hired seamstresses. No one wanted to sit behind her and her hats.(USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
Brother, of course, complained bitterly afterwards. Mom just hurried us to the car. Dad simply asked why I wildly whipped my palm frond to and fro as if attacking a fly waved my frond so, uh, enthusiastically.
“Well,” opening my little colorful illustrated Bible to the Palm Sunday picture, “wanted to do it right,” I said pointing. And there on the page were little children skipping and cheerfully waving fronds in the air in front of the donkey. “They told us to walk and not skip, ” I said seriously. “But that’s OK since there wasn’t a donkey to get out of the way of.”
Brother took to sitting in the back of the church with the older kids. Appreciating “make a joyful noise” at a distance, I guess.
Dad and me, well, we only come for the singing.
And leave our seats empty on holidays for those who only show up then.
More true cathedral is the woods anyway.
Whatever you choose, insist on waves of joy.
Phil the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge
Speaking of happy hopping outdoors in the open air…(More about the bunnies here.)
Experts just waiting for the call.(USPD)
Bless the Belgian Malinois
Shield the Bouvier des Flanders.
Guide the German Shepherds
For these risk nose and paw to protect and defend the innocent.
Courage under fire. Strength during uncertainty. Encouragement in sorrow.
Soldiers of the fur standing shoulder to shoulder to restore the peace destroyed by those who choose to hate.
Brussels calls.
Those of the Order of the Nose step up and do not question.
The German Shepherds, the Bouvier des Flanders, the Belgian Malinois. Our best hope.
Keep safe out there, pups and handlers.
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge
(The dogs’ Animal Planet videos in links above)
Put me in coach.(diveofficer/wikimedia.org)
Living dangerously.(You are known by the company that you keep.) “The Cattle Thief” by artist O. Gail Poole (PD /Commons.wikimedia.org)
Why are so many cows named Bessie?
Ours were just called Meat.
Now calling them Bossy would be understandable. Do not stand between a Bos taurus and her hay. Their social graces are, well, a bit rough around the hoof.
Cow moves, however are not totally unfamiliar.
Ones with horns tend to keep greater distances between themselves and others which results in fewer bumps, bruises, and “you touched me” rages than in hornless cattle mobs. More personal space creates more stable social relationships within any type of herd.
Where’s the connection? Ever seen middle school kids with their giant backpacks or purses? What works, works.
“Why must you always try to horn in on personal space? Now apologize to Bessie.” (USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
There are standouts in the cow parade. Real celebrity cows who are more than famous for just being famous.
Elsie the Cow would be nothing without the media and her product PR team.
There are cows with attributes more than just big eyes and a pretty face.
Like Dasher, Dancer, and Prancer of Santa’s famous reindeer team, almost everyone remembers some celebrity cows.
- Mrs. O’Leary’s fiery tempered cow from Chicago, that hotbed of social change. Rumor is that she was taking a strongly anti-gambling stand.
- And, of course, there’s the Marvel “Bessie” simply not fitting her mood or fate. No mild milk mannered one was Hellcow as she searched for her blood-thirsty vengeance and diet.
- Then there was the Bessie who dared step out of her field – possibly protesting the spread of urban development. She cross the line to peacefully raise awareness of cows’ needs and rights only to be met by police. Some say as many as 15 police cars were there, but who knows as they closed the road like in Oregon. Mourned by many.
Elm Farm Ollie was such one bovine supreme.
Oh, Ok, Nellie Jay, the Guernsey cow from Bismark, Missouri, was talked into changing her name – just like Hollywood starlets. Can’t blame a farm girl for feeling hopefully frisky.
As part of the International Air Exposition in St. Louis, on Feb. 18, 1930, she became the first cow to fly on a plane. Her 72 mile flight from Bismark to St Louis, was touted as “blazing a trail for transportation of livestock by air”.
What a barn burner event.
Bessie, uh Nellie, would be blown away.(Mav/Commons.wikimedia.org)
WAIT! There’s more! Not only was she the first flying cow, she was the first cow milked in flight!
It wasn’t just a publicity stunt. Scientists were doing researching concerning the effects of mid-air flight on livestock. Seriously. They said that.
The 24 or so quarts of milk that were sealed in paper cartons and dropped by parachutes to attendees was simply serendipity.
The fact that Charles Lindbergh was there and drank some milk was purely coincidental.
In any case, Nellie Jay was quite proper to adopt the nickname of “Sky Queen” after the flight.
Inspired so many cows. Both the high flyers and those trouble maker cows who fiddled around stirring things up then taking off before being caught. (USPS/Commons.wikimedia.org)
Not wanting to step on any hooves or toes, Bessie is an informal diminutive form of Elizabeth. A term of endearment.
A name that was in the top 25 most popular names lists from 1880 to 1906.
Famous Bessies include Bessie Coleman, the first African-American aviator, and Bessie Smith, the legendary blues singer (“Empress of the Blues“).
Bessie. No queen could ask for more. (Now you can have a cow about that.)
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge
Now this is bossy. So was our bull James Arness.(Gary Halvorston,Oregon State Archives/ Commons.wikimedia.org))
March 20, 2016 may be the Vernal equinox (4:30 UTC), but snow is still the show.©
Recommended ditching and unexpected sniffing.
Senseless news or non-news, it’s obvious something smells.
Everyone looks instantly smaller without wearing a car.
So ditch the car (Wait! Park it, not into the canal with it.)
Active commuters who bike or walk, even slowly, to work are healthier according to a recent study with lower body mass and body fat. (Looking for the revelation here.).
Of course nothing was mentioned about needing counseling as co-workers begin to shrink away from the “healthy commuter’s” glowing skin and steamy odor. Will companies be forced to create policies about bathing in bathroom sinks? Will there be protests concerning the Right to Stink?
Then again, maybe other places and other times. It gets really hot and humid here. (Actually did bike commute once when the car died and it sulked wanting expensive repairs. Not sure who showed whom there.)
Waiting for the companion studies on the effects of traffic air pollution or extreme heat on bike riders and injury statistics for encounters with pot holes, distracted drivers, and road rage.
Who would have guessed they smelled better, those Dodo birds?
Despite their reputation as the ultimate symbol of stupidity, that may all be stuff and nonsense.
The Dodo, last seen in 1662 due to their bad judgement, may have been smarter than people thought according to research using CT scanning of a rare well-preserved Dodo skull. Scientists compared the brain capacity of Dodos to certain career-oriented family members, pigeons who carry on.
Of course, one must consider that the Dodo scorned flight. Lived on an island after all. Walking is far healthier (See above). Smart.
The scans stunned researchers with an unexpected attribute: large and differentiated olfactory bulbs. Birds normally depend on sight with well-developed optical lobes. For Dodos, relying on foot traffic, being able to smell food sources would be a big advantage. A smart move.
Actually, the extinction of the Dodo should not be attributed to their dim wits, but as the result of being too welcoming to strangers. Misunderstood the purpose of the hot tub. The “We’d like to have you for dinner”, lost in translation as the fearless birds were easily herded into boats by sailors.
Besides since when is being friendly stupid? Don’t answer that…
Poor judgement has been the downfall of many – even the intelligent.
Good sense to stop
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge
Be the Dodo! Drive friendly on that long and winding road of life.©
No one parties like the press. March 16,1949 media only party.(chron.com)
Over 2,500 shamrocks were flown in from Éire. The “Houston Rivera” deserved no less.
There were fireworks – of all kinds. Frank Lloyd Wright pointed to the lobby ceiling, “That, young man, is an example of the effects of venereal disease on architecture”. “An imitation Rockefeller Center”, Wright sniffed.
Who cares what Wright thinks? If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Glenn McCarthy (on the left), actor Robert Paige, and actor Pat O’Brien. (Houston Chronicle)
Wildcatter Glenn McCarthy, totally unconcerned, opened his Shamrock Hotel on St. Patrick’s Day, 1949, with over 150 Hollywood celebrities and a huge bash.
Ginger Rogers, Hedda Hopper, Robert Preston, Errol Flynn, Dorothy Lamour, Alan Hale, Van Heflin, Edgar Bergen – even the Goodyear Blimp and more arrived, and stayed for next day’s premier of McCarthy’s film “The Green Promise“. (Natalie Woods. Walter Brennan.)
Days before the opening, Howard Hughes sold McCarthy a customized Boeing 307 Stratoliner in order to fly in movie stars, Los Angeles business executives, and reporters.
For those not wishing to fly, McCarthy rented a Santa Fe Chief to haul Hollywood guests across country. Apparently everyone was pretty hooted up upon arrival. McCarthy himself wore dark glasses to the opening to cover up a black eye from one of the fist fights at the train station.
“Yes, they are called butterfly sleeves.” Glenda McCarthy seated in the Emerald Room during the Grand Opening talking with Gov. Jester (Houston Chron.)
Over 50,000 crowded inside with another 3,000 milling around outside and in the public areas of the hotel. So over crowded that Houston’s mayor had trouble getting in.
Elaborate and lavishly decorated featuring 63 shades of green in tribute to McCarthy’s ancestral Ireland, the Shamrock Hotel represented what the rest of the world thought about Texas – and many still do.
- On fifteen acres, the 18 story green tiled roofed hotel had 1,100 rooms, lush gardens, a massive swimming pool big enough to host motor boats for waterskiing performances, and a 3 story high diving platform with a spiral staircase.
- Staffed by over 1,200 who were managed by George Lindholm from the NY Waldorf-Astoria. Each was attired in emerald green uniforms.
- Guests used emerald green ink to sign the register.
- Rooms were quite unique even for this glamorous era. Each had framed abstract art on the green walls, air conditioning, push button radios, recorded music from the in-house system which featured phonograph records played by an operator, and a television. Kitchenettes were in about a third of the rooms.
- A resort-style convention hotel located 3 miles from downtown and SW of the emerging Texas Medical Center. People wondered if it would survive – being so far out in the country. But McCarthy seemed to have the Luck of the Irish, as well as “reckless” as a middle name.
Chicken tastes better when served with style. Hotel captains and waiters. Banquet manager, Erick Worscheh in center. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chron.)
We used to drive by to gawk at the rich and famous. Brag when parents attended a function there.
Nightclubs like The Cork Room and the Emerald Room offered big name entertainment by such as Lamour, Sinatra, and Patty Andrews of the Andrew Sisters.
Clubs, organizations and high school proms/senior parties competed to secure a treasured spot on the hotel’s event calendar.
From 1949-1953, the ABC network featured a radio show, “Saturday at the Shamrock” which was the only scripted radio program produced outside New York or Los Angles.
1955.The Ed Gerlach Orchestra at the Shamrock.(Gerlach Orchestra)
“Diamond Glenn” McCarthy, overextended himself and ended up $52 million in debt in 1952.
The Shamrock was sold to the Hilton Hotels Corporation. The “lanai wing” around the pool was added shortly. Cabanas just like in the movies, too.
That pool was famous.
Everyone dreamed of getting a coveted invitation from a club member. A new bathing suit and fancy sandals were a must , as well as best behavior. No one felt insulted when children were told, “Now remember, don’t use the bathroom in the pool. The restrooms are right there.” After all, it was the Shamrock.
The diving platforms were the highest in town. I never (shiver and quake) managed the top level. But one of my cousins was a champion diver on the Shamrock’s Competition Swim Team.
Everyone would marvel at the aquatic shows.
Land, lots of land with the starry sky above. 1953 aerial view of Shamrock Hotel/south Houston.(Houston chronicle)
The Shamrock was no longer in the country as the city grew around it.
Eventually the Texas Medical Center Complex took over everything between hotel and hospitals. Deciding not to do the extensive refurbishing of the hotel, the corporation donated the property to the Medical Center in 1985.
On March 1986, the Shamrock held the final Annual St Patrick’s Day Party.
Despite historic preservationists and protest rallies, the building was demolished in June 1987.
Except for the 1,000 car parking garage. Native Houstonians winced as the lush grounds were paved for med center parking.
Today the Institute of Biosciences and Technology stands on the NE corner of the property. At least there’s some landscaping around the fountains out front.
Always with the green. Program from one of the Shamrock’s Irish programs. (USPD)
That elegant style and those flamboyant people may not be visible to daily commuters today, but somehow, with the Luck of the Irish, you might still catch the Shamrock’s spirit on St Patrick’s Day.
Some early greens,
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.
Read more?
- Texas State Historical Association article “Shamrock Hotel”
- “Men Swaggered, Women warred, Oil Flowed” by Larry McMurtry (author of Lonesome Dove and other novels) NY Times film review, 1996. (The hotel was called “The Conquistador” in Edna Ferber’s 1952 novel Giant, but it was in reality the Shamrock. In the 1956 film directed by Stevens, James Dean played Jett Rink, the character based on Glenn McCarthy.)
No, not a scene from the film “The Shining.” Waiting to gain entrance to the Shamrock’s Grand Opening party, St Patrick’s Day, 1949
Face it. They rock.©
Rock of ages skips the beat. Stoned is normal. Underfoot, not pointless.
Not victim, not savior, just hard pressed conglomerate or sedimentary for the long-term.
Cracked when thing are jolting, but just as often smooth as dancing with the stars.
Composed like people that way.
“What do you mean she’s not our kind? Heard her name was Sandy.”(Bauer/USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
And like humans, their origins determine so much of their lives.
Many of them content to play a supporting role holding up their end of what’s building.
There’s the explosive hot-tempered volcanic who bullies and sears anything in the way – only to cool off with time.
Of course, there’s always those colorful beauties applauded a pretty existence. (Right place, right time for them – just like so many celebrities.) Perfect to have sparkling on hand.
The strong, silent type, they rock with independence and mineral rights.
Some gather moss. Ancient ones crumble to dust.
Thoughtful ones hold impressions of the past.
While others seem determined to travel breaking away from their assigned spots without warning. No one can stop them. They crush interference.
Inspiration for Rocky Road or Rocky Raccoon?©
Most rocks hate one thing: getting abruptly thrown into a life of grime or crime by human hands.
No mineral, no gem stone, no geode, no pebble, not even a stalagmite or stalactite craves morphing into a weapon or harmful tool.
Roughly speaking, no piling into human agendas sought.
So unhand them!
Settle things with your own fleshy appendages, people. Your causes are not their becauses.
Glass houses and all. Words are the domain of humans – stones stay out of those fields.
No need to make a molehill out of a mountain.
Rocky top images. Is that a prehistoric turtle perched there or it that the top of a Rock Monster’s giant head?©
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge
Spring Break calls for some rock solid Sci Fi thrillers.
- Within the Rock. 1996 (movie info. or You Tube Official Movie Trailer) Good reason to be suspicious of rocks aiming at Earth?
- Rock Monster. 2008 (movie info. or Movie Trailer). Traveling college students, sword pulled from stone, giant rock monster wakes, Evil One holds a special stone that can kill monster who is now on a killing spree – yep, clicks all the boxes.
- Apollo 18. 2011 American-Canadian film (movie info. or Official Movie Trailer) Conspiracy! Apollo 18 wasn’t canceled after all. It landed on the moon, yet….Are those cases as Space Center Houston strong enough to contain those moon rocks?
“Know they are lumpy, but always been partial to the strong silent type. And they said something about a rock concert.” (Bauer/(USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)
Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge 