Great Greats

The above picture is Anna's mother Marie and her great great grandkids, that was taken six or so years ago.  I posted it on Facebook yesterday.

Ironically, hours after I had posted it, the same boy, now age 11, and his grandmother dropped by Marie's for a visit.  We were already there.   His grandmother is Anna's niece.  I found it interesting that two people in the same room were great great to one another.  How many people can claim to have personally known their great great grandparent or great great grandchild?

Three of my great grandfathers fought in the Civil War over 150 years ago, and they were not even "great great". 

My great grandfather William fought in the Civil War and his great grandfather William Trammell fought in the Revolutionary War.

Which Came First in Marietta?

Which came first, the Chicken or the Big Chicken?

Before the KFC Big Chicken it was the Johnny Reb's  Chicken, then a BBQ eatery, then before that MISS GEORGIA ice creamery, and before that Zesto's Custard Ice Cream with birthday clubs (you got a free ice cream cone on your birthday).   I got mine!

This Day in History: July 29, 2014, the last PLAYBOY closed

On this date in  1988 Last US Playboy Club (Lansing Mich) closes.  I did not make it to the Playboy in Lansing, Michigan for their closing.   Although I could have, as far as being admitted.   We had a PLAYBOY KEY holder's card, in our pr-K era. 

We have been to PLAYBOY Clubs in Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, Miami, and maybe Chicago - they all blend in after a while.    I know a girl I grew up from the Manget/Glover Street

neighborhood  who was a PLAYBOY Bunny.  My sister  saw her a few years ago working the cash register at a convenience store.  

  That gives you an idea of your long-range future with the PLAYBOY CLUB back in the early 1970s.

About the only memory I have of an actual event, we were in the ATLANTA PLAYBOY CLUB  one night and saw Sally Kellerman perform with a country western band.  I was loaded enough to go over and talk to her.   I told her I enjoyed her as Hot Lips Houlihan  in M*A*S*H.  Surprisingly, she was friendly  and talkative. 

But getting back to just how much I missed the PLAYBOY CLUBS I didn't even know they were closed.

The Art of the Dance

We went to a concert Friday night in downtown Marietta at Glover Park.   The band was AMERICAN FLYER and they were good.   They livened up the audience and a lot of people of dancing and just moving with the rhythms. 

Speaking of people inspired to move with their music were four or five teenagers that were in front of the band stand and by the steps to the stage.  I thought their movements with the music, their interpretation of what they should do was, well good too and deserve some attention.

I noticed them; got my camera out; and focused on them.  Which was hard to do because the crowds of people kept getting in the way.  About every time I have been in the Square recently there are kids in that same place doing interpreted dancing with a hat in front of them on the pavement.

I think they had a hat on the pavement or bricks in front of them.  If one wanted to toss some bills into the hat I doubt if they would chase that person down and return the money and say, "We do it for love of the dance, not money!"

SUNDAY FUNNIES!!! FABULOUS FURRY FREAK BROTHERS

By Gilbert Shelton.

(click to enlarge so you can read the balloons!)

Friday Night at the Square

Cotton in Window at Visitors' Center

Atherton Park

Click!

A few years ago while driving on Barrett Parkway I saw a weathered l woman driving a big motorcycle.  She reminded me of what Tug  Boat Annie might have looked like.  As rugged as she looked, in a little pouch or something, she had a cuddly little lap dog riding with her.  The  miniature dog had on riding goggles, just like its master's.  It was one of those moments I wished I had my camera handy.

The other day at the dog park I head the loud roar of a muffler of a motorcycle.   Then I saw a blond lady take her two small dogs in the "Small Dogs" area. 

I left shortly after that and  noticed  the only motorcycle there was a pink Harley.

A day or two later at the dog park, as I was arriving a blond lady with two small dogs were leaving.  She was walking towards the pink Harley I saw the other day.  I couldn't help myself.  I hurriedly rushed over to her and asked if I could take her picture with her Harley.  "Sure!", she said.

Do you want me on the bike? 

Yes.

Do you want the dogs in their position. 

That would be great!

She put them down to prepare them in straps and as soon as they touched the ground both of them starting barking wildly at me.  I was messing up their routine.

She scolded them and they quit barking at me.  She put the straps on them. 

Do you want for them to wear their goggles?

Yes.

Click!

Thank you!  

TUBA SKINNY, PLAY IT AGAIN

Mark Anthony Cooper

Cooper Furance

This huge stone structure is on the side of the Etowah River, just below the Allatoona Dam.   Back in my teenage years I climbed that thing.  It has protruding rocks and stones so it was fairly easily to scale like a roach might, although it did take my breath away.  I think two of us did it.  After we reached the top we realized that we also had to climb down, which seemed it might be harder.  But, we took it slowly and made it without losing our grips or foot hold.

What I didn't realize until recently, that the big stone thing is the only remaining ruin of what was a complex iron and mill works owned by Mark Anthony Cooper (1800 - 1885).  The Cooper - Stroup manufacturing complex had hundreds of men working.   Now, the rest of the complex is under the waters of the Etowah River and Allatoona Lake. 

I just read an article about Mark Anthony Cooper in the book A NORTH GEORGIA JOURNAL OF HISTORY, Volume 1.  article THE STORY OF A COMMUNITY ONCED CALLED ETOWAH by Robert Scott Davis, Jr.

Mr. Cooper was a very enterprising man, he owned many companies, bought companies, improved them and sold them.  He owned several railway companies and one of his companies, the article said, built one of the locomotives involved in THE GREAT LOCOMOTIVE CHASE.  Unfortunately, it didn't say if it was THE GENERAL or THE TEXAS.

Cooper made a lot of money and seemed to have lost all his money in one swoop but actually it was because of a series of unrelated things that went wrong.

Broke, he spent his remaining days in Murray County, Georgia.

Mark Anthony Cooper

James Garner and Bret Maverick

James Garner (Bret Maverick) and Jack Kelley (brother Bart Maverick)

James Garner, 86,  has died and it seems everybody has a positive word to say about him.  I will too.  I have heard he was graceful;  a man's man; a gentleman; cool; calm; generous; and witty.  I will amen most of that.  I don't know about his generosity, that falls outside my  knowledge field.

I think most today will remember James for his movie and his adventure TV series "THE ROCKFORD FILES".   I only have seen THE ROCKFORD FILES once or twice.

HOWEVER, I was a big fan of his earlier TV series MAVERICK.  

The MAVERICK series ran from 1957 to 1962.  It was about two brothers, both professional gamblers traveling the west and the Mississippi River boats.   Most of the time each episode would be about one brother or the other, not both.  Only on rare occasions would they join forces.  The other brother was Bart Maverick, played by Jack Kelly.  And when James quit the series because of a contract dispute he was replaced by Roger Moore, which played Beau Maverick, a cousin.

What I liked about MAVERICK was the "As my Pappy said" or "My Pappy always said" quotes.  Usually when James Garner would quote his pappy you would expect something  profound but always ended up with a greedy and self-serving quote.  I loved it!

Here are some of Pappy's quotes pulled off the blog spot INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE QUOTES.

Bret Maverick: As my old pappy used to say, work is fine for killin' time, but it's a shaky way to make a living.

Bret Maverick: Never cry over spilt milk. It could've been whiskey.

Bret Maverick: As my old pappy used to say, "Son, stay clear of weddings because one of them is liable to be your own."

Bret Maverick: As my old pappy used to say, you can be a gentleman and still not forget all you know about self-defense.

Bret Maverick: As my old pappy used to say, a man does what he has to do - if he can't get out of it.

Bret: My Pappy always said, "A coward dies a thousand deaths, a hero dies but one." A thousand to one is pretty good odds.

Bret Maverick: As my old pappy used to say, if at first you don't succeed, try something else.

Pappy Maverick: A man does what he has to do - if he can't get out of it.

Pappy Maverick: Son, hard work never hurt anyone - who didn't do it.

MONDAY FUNNIES!! MAD #23 BAREFOOT NOCOUNTESSA

SUNDAY FUNNIES is MONDAY FUNNIES this week.  Due to timing and juggling we decided to preempt  Sunday Funnies yesterday and run today.  You don't like it?  Complain to the boss.

This is a MAD story written by editor Harvey Kurtzman and illustrated by Jack David is lampooning a popular movie of the mid 50s THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA starring Humphry Bogart and Ava Gardner.  Take it away, Jack and Harvey!
(click on image to enlarge to you  can read the balloons)

Iva Nell's Surprised Birthday Party

Psst!  Click on image to make it larger.

Old Post Car of the John Ross Home, near Rossville, Ga.

Here is an old post card of the John Ross Home near Rossville, Georgia.  John Ross was a Cherokee Indian.  He owned a ferry on the Tennessee River.   His ferry was a step in  The Trail of Tears herding the Cherokee Indians off their native land to Oklahoma.  Ironic.  

Graves in Murray County

These graves are mostly distant relatives on my mother's side, but some just looked interesting.  We visited the two cemeteries July 16, 2014  There are a lot more relatives' graves I could have taken, but I already had them.

Sumac Presbyterian Church, Crandall, Murray County, Georgia 

This picture may look odd or flipped to you.  Well, you are right if you thought that.  The morning sun would have cast my shadow over the marker if I stood in front to take it.  So, I got behind it and took the picture upside down.

My great grandparents: Thomas Jefferson and Mary Etta Pullen Ridley 

Calvary Baptist Church Cemetery,  Crandall, Georgia

Great grandparents Daniel Webster and Jane Garrett Petty.

Jane's grand children (my mother's generation) knew to keep their distance from her.  If they got too close she would grab them shake them fiercely.  

Grandparents William Elijah Joseph and Frances Viola Ridley

These are three siblings, my grandfather William Elijah Joseph Petty's brother and two sisters.  They lived in the big original Petty House.  One sister had died and the other sister was in a rest home when the house burned to the ground, with the brother in it.

Chatsworth , Georgia

I think at least eight law enforcer officers came and gone while we were there.  

Dalton, Georgia