Ghost or Gold,? Auraria, Georgia

WELCOME TO AURARIA, GEORGIA! Population 0 or 1: One of the things on my bucket list was to go to Auraria, Georgia, and take some pictures. I heard it was ghost town now. It is a ghost neighborhood, it doesn't have enough dwelling to even be a ghost subdivision. There are three houses, one is sort of big and decayed which symbolized the thriving gold mining rush that was here about 1830. This is where gold was discovered in Georgia, and the famous saying, "Thar's Gold in them thar hills!" originated. For years gold was mined, hydra-stripping the hills and mountains. Up until the gold was discovered it was all Indian land, the Cherokee and Creek Nation. They had a contract or a treatyto that fact. Then, some crooked Indians leaders and Georgia Political leaders voided the treaty. The Indians carried it to the Supreme Court and was ruled in their favor. But President Andrew Jackson ignored their decision and had the Indians forcefully removed to reservations out west, mostly in Oklahoma. President Andrew Jackson said Chief Justice John Marshall could enforce their decision if he could.
This little ghost neighborhood was the start of it all: Gold in them thar Hills and The Trail of Tears.
The old white house with all the junk is an interesting place. I poked around and took some pictures. When I got fairly close to the house I could hear someone singing old type songs, like "She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain When She Comes" The music was not coming from a radio, but from someone's throat. I heard on our visit to Dahlonega that the Pickers visited that house recently. It sure would have been easy pickings, all that junk out in the yard. I think someone must live there and he doesn't like visitors.

This little ghost neighborhood was the start of it all: Gold in them thar Hills and The Trail of Tears.
The old white house with all the junk is an interesting place. I poked around and took some pictures. When I got fairly close to the house I could hear someone singing old type songs, like "She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain When She Comes" The music was not coming from a radio, but from someone's throat. I heard on our visit to Dahlonega that the Pickers visited that house recently. It sure would have been easy pickings, all that junk out in the yard. I think someone must live there and he doesn't like visitors.

Musician Leon Redbone Died Today

Leon Redbone R.I.P.

Musician Leon Redbone died today.  He was always a good impersonal musician playing deep mellow songs with his own impersonal style and beatr.  I think I saw him first on the Smothers Brothers many years ago and lightened up ever time I saw him since.  His music was sort of subdued Dixieland with a smirk or tongue-in-cheek. He dressed just like he got off a Banana Boat. He had his own drummer (or strummer) he marched to.

He must have been a very private person.  Googling him nobody seems to have any idea when he was born or where?

So long Leon, wherever you are.

Throwback Thursday: Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter

Copied and pasted from a previous Chicken-fat blog:


Thirty years ago we named our first son Rockwell Tyson Hunter. From time to time some one will ask why did we pick such a name.

Well, my middle name is Tyson, and so it is my father's, and it is also his mother's maiden name.

Now for the name Rockwell. Back in 1957 when I was in high school, one day a new kid came to class. I forgot his first name but his last name was Crane. He was tall and Lanky. He sat next to me in class and I asked him was he related to Ichabod Crane. He gave me a hateful look.

Then, that same day, at lunch several of us were up around the baseball field hanging out. Crane walked up near and stood at a distance. Trying to friendly and to welcome him as one of us, I said, "There is old Whooping Crane!'

He came at me swinging his fists like a lopsided windmill with broken blades. He had no fighting sense about him. He only knew when you are in a rage you attack giving it all you have by swinging your fists.

I am not much of a fighter either. But I do know how to dodge a something coming at me, especially when the route of the on-coming fist is so predictable. So, I merely danced around dodging his fists, and from time to time hit him in the face with no problem at all, he knew nothing about blocking oncoming blows either.

I won the fight. I had no damage look about me at all, no blood, no body scratches or marks, where Crane on the other hand had a bloody nose, and puffed up swelling around the eye and his clothes were torn and dirty.

There was a movie playing at downtown Marietta's Strand Theater at the time, starring Jayne Mansfield and Tony Randal. The name of the movie was "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" And not many months before the movie "Somebody Up There Likes Me", the story of Rocky Graziano, prize fighter starring Paul Newman. Both movies plus Craine and my actions called somebody who witness the fight to say, "Will Success Spoil Rocky Hunter?"

My new nickname caught on and spread quickly. I was Christened "Rock Hunter" by my peers. I went by the name Rock for the next ten to fifteen years, and still when and even now when I happen to run into a long lost friend, chances are he/she knew me as Rock.

So, it was only fitting that I named Rocky Rockwell.

And some place else in this blog world Crane may be at this very moment posting his blog which ends by saying "... and that is why we named our first son Icabod."

Foreign Policy Advisores

Rev/Artist Howard Finster, One Man's Art, Another's Rubble

This past weekend we went to the late Rev/Artist Howard Finster in Summerville, Ga. Paradise Festival.  He was eccentric, painting or sculpturing  what popped in his mind, complete with quoted Bible scriptures.  Cast away junk was his canvas.  He turned throw away junk into art.  His Paradise is on a few acres in the middle of a run-down neighborhood which has seen better days.

Even thought the day we attended, I think, was an annual festival, I learned that Paradise is opened year round.

The below pictures does not represent even 1% of the art, compulsive as it is.  It just goes and on.

You will learn a lot about Howard Finster if you Google him.

Click on each picture to enlarge it to get more out of it.

JAMES HUNTER LANCE (1831-1923) MARRIED PHOEBE TURNER (1812-1898)OF BLAIRSVILLE,GA. FIVE OF THEIR GRANDCHILDREN IN PICTURE, BLANCHE PENLAND,THELMA PENLAND, FRED SMITH, MILDRED SMITH AND NEAL SMITH.
JAMES AND PHOEBE BEGAT ROSE THAT MARRIED ALLEN THOMPSON AND ROSE AND ALLEN BEGAT ADA, MABEL,AND CALLIE THOMPSON DAVIS, THAT I WAS BLESSED TO HAVE FOR MY SCHOOL TEACHERS AT HAYESVILLE . JAMES WAS A BROTHER TO MY GRANDFATHER SAMUEL DEBARRIS LANCE.

Flags at Kennesaw Mountain, Marietta

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! wonder wart-hog & the Wird Ones

From HELP Magazine #23, art by Gilbert Shelton (the who created the Fabulous Freak Bros.
Click on image to make it bigger and hopefully make sense.

Oprylland Dec 2016