Claim to Fame in Hollywood

 

Today on TV seeing Hollywood on fire reminds me two times I visited there.

The first time was in 1967.  My Naval Reserve unit spent two weeks in Yuma, Arizona, at a Marine Base  On Friday there was a plane or helicopter, I forgot which, going to the LA area of California.  The ride there was free but we had to find our own rides back Sunday.

A bunch of us took advantage of the free ride.   The Naval Air Base there was across the highway from DISNEYLAND.  As I hitchhiked there I could here the music and clacking tracks of train ride tracks.

I finally got a ride to downtown Los Angeles.  I got a room at a nice hotel.  Then I went to a USO dance, which was interesting.  I felt out of place.  Then I went to a bar, which was OK.

Finally I went back to the hotel.

I sat in the big lobby in a big cushiony chair and watched people walk by.

Then my Chief walked by.  He glanced my way but kept on walking.

Good!  He did not see me.

Then the chief backed up and looked in the window, saw me an waved.

Well heck!

He asked if we could share a room and the epense for the night.   Sure.

He called an old Naval friend of his, who lived in Hollywood Hills.  He invited us to let him picked us up the next morning (it was late).

Which he did.  He was an engineer for DISNEYLAND. 

His wife a Asian.  Where my Chief and his friend talked of old times.  His wife entertained me.

We had a good time.  She showed me interesting in the house and  around their back yard.. 

Then two big dogs came galloping up.  They were not mean, they just wanted petted.

Which we petted..  If I remember correctly she pulled out some treats and fed them.  She explained they were Steve McQueens’s dogs.   Steve McQuen lived behind them, or they lived behind him, whatever.

That is my claim to fame, I petted Steve McQueen’s big dogs.

 

The next day our friend took us to the bus stop and back to Yuma Marine Base.

Ancestry Graft

 

The Carters in Plains in 1976

 

In November 1976, the weekend after Jimmy Cartee was elected President Anna and I left our infant child Rocky with his grandparents and we drove to Plains, Ga.  To take pictures.  We did not see Jimmy but did see his brother Billy and mother Mrs. Lillian.

The pictures were publishe in th book JIMMY CARTER IN PLAINS, THE PRESIDENTIAL HOMEDOWN  

BY Robert Buccellato, pictures by Charles Plant and mee.

Here are the ones I took:

Billy Carter Service Station up

Billy Carter driving down

Billy Carter shot me a bird.  I missed photographing it.  I don't blame him, I was almost in his face.

I must ad that Miss Lillian was very congenial and friendly until a lady almost hugged her.  Miss Lillian bitterly said something like, "No hugging!!"  Once a nurse, always a nurse. 

Billy Beer

Federal Cemetery & Cobb County Courthouse

 

RUDDER'S RANGERS on D DAY

 My Petty Cousins: I am currently reading the Kendal e-book BATHOOM READER PLUNGES INTO HISTORY. As the title suggests it deals a lot in history in all shapes and forms, a lot of war battles. One is about RUDDER’S RANGERS on D-Day. Roy is not mentioned by name but it tells 2nd Ranger Battalion commanded by Lt Col. James Earl Rudder and scaled he cliffs at Point du Hoc on D-Day. It tells how hey climbed them and what artillery they were facing. It said 220 men attempted and only 90 Rangers were battle ready. The article is only about a page and a half. Just in case you want to look for it.

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Gypsy Lou and THE OURSIDEE

 

Speaking of New Oleans.

Over the years we have been to New Orleans 4 ir 5 times.

The first time I went, January 1965, I was on the Navy vessel USS NEWPORT NEWS.  I was on the helicopter crew.  Acttually, I was a clerk at Lakehurst, NJ, and saw a chance fo a 30 days cruise, which included New Orleans.

The ship met a British Ship there and they reenacted the Battle of New Orleans.  That was them.  I went New Orleans sight seeing.

In fhe French Quarter there was a section of a street for artist’s art to be displayed and available to buy.

There I met Gypsy Lou. Gypsy Lou had only a few of her canvases for sale.  She also had hanging on a clothesline many copies of TRUMP Magaine..  TRUMP Magazine had nothing to do with Trump he policeman.  TRUMP MGAZINE was by my favorite MAD Comicbook creators, such as Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder, and so on.  Although I already had these 2 issues, I bought at few more.

Gypsy Lou also had a thick paperback for sale by her titled THE OUSIDER.  It was a book of her poetry.  I bought that too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

Seeing Red

Yesterday evening we were sitting on our deck watching the hummingbirds fuss and duel over our hummingbird feeder like we do most evenings when suddenly I heard the humm and wind vibration from flapping wings about at my waist. Like looked down and beside my belly was a hummingbird. I said something startled and it flew away. I wondered why it got so close? I think I know why: I was wearing a red t-shirt. I think they are drawn to the color red, their feeders are red. Am I a naturist or what?

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Atlanta Street, `1st Block

This is something you don't see often. The first block of Atanta Street vacant of cars. I probably took this picture on a Sunday morning. Years ago I used to walk in downtown on Sunday mornings. One time in the spot the lens is aimed, about where all the newspaper boxes are, a guy ran around the corner, and flattened himself against the wall. I was walking towards him. As I got closer, I saw why he did what he did. A Marietta police car cruised slowly from Roswell Street going west. I gulped, because in just a second we would be face to face. What did we do? The safest thing, as far I was concerned, we ignored each other.

Jimmy Carter has let the building

 

Urinating Records

UNCLE JOHN’S PAGE A DAY CALENDER, Monday, September 17, 2018 page that Professor David Hu of Georgia Tech sent his students to the Atlanta Zoo doing research. Each of them was to time animals pissing. You know, urinating. And another bunch of students was to search on Youtube for animals taking a leak. Their assignment was to time how long each animal took relieving itself. Guess what? Every animal at the Atlanta Zoo and Youtube took exactly 21 seconds.. The professor’s group also studied the size of animals urethra. What they found that no matter how big or how small the animal, each of their urethras was always l20 times longer than the diameter.

What does it all mean? The physicals laws of life comes as standard equlpment.

But it also got me wondering again about my grammar school classmate Archie Richardson. In the boys bathroom at Waterman Street School Archie could arch his back, hold his penis in an upward position and urinate always to where the ceiling and the wall met. I wonder if that was 21 seconds?

JIMMY CARTER HAS MOVED ON...

 

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! MAD Magazine #25's THE JACKI GLISTEN STORY

 Story by Harvey Kurtzman (editor), art by Wallace Wood.

Jacky Gleason made news when he fired an underling entertainer Julius La Rosa on live TV.

MAD artist Wallace Wood took his  own life years later.

Grande Old Opry

 GRAND OLE OPRY, RYMAN AUDITIOREM This is mostly copied, pasted, and edited from a previous post. Ken Burn's current running special of NPR about the history of country music inspired me to recycle it.

I just read an article in AARP Magazine about Willie Nelson by Rich Cohen, which brought up the time he met Charlie Dick, manager and husband of Patsy Cline, which he met Patsy, and she sung a song he wrote, “Crazy”, which she got to hear before she died. Her death brought up the memories below:

In October 1962 President J.F. Kennedy spoke live to Americans via live TV. He told us through what he learned from spies and aerial photos that the U.S.S.R. was arming Cuba. Kennedy ordered a blockade of the little country only 90 miles from Florida.

By the way newscasters were whispering seriously like they were almost scared they would be heard, about war possibilities.

“Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country..” I typed in typing class hundred of times. But in October 1962, it was serious. But when they said “good” I’m not sure I am that good of a person. So, I substituted “young” for “good”.

Now is the time for all young men to come to the aid of their country. I enlisted in the Navy Reserves at NAS ATLANTA in Marietta.

The Navy technician in charge of finger printing, Military I.D. cards, and Dog Tags was a friend, co-high school student and co-Big Apple Grocery Store employee.

I had my boot camp in December and it was planned that I would go active duty for two years in July 1963.

Before I went into an active duty and God knows where, I wanted my friends and I to go to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Then I had a PV544 Volvo. We decided to go to Nashville in it. It was small, we would probably get better gas mileage. But it had brake problem. My friend, who also was going on the trip said bring it by his mother’s house and we (him) would put new brakes on. Which I brought by his house. And we (him) put on the new brakes.

On the trip, this was before Interstate expressways, we went the old Dixie Highway. Miles north of Chattanooga the road going up hills and mountains got steep. Coming down one steep hill my brakes gave and our uncontrollable speed picked up getting faster and faster and faster. Thank God for truck runaway ramps back then. It saved our lives. Ed screamed until we came to a stop.

I’m not sure of the date we went but it was before March 5, 1963. Patsy Cline died on March 5, 1963, and so did Cowboy Copus. We saw them perform at the Grand Ole’ Opry.

We drove into Nashville and got us a room at the Andrew Jackson Hotel, next door to the Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grande Ole Opry.

We went down on the streets of downtown Nashville to find a place to eat. We ate at a Five and Dime Store, maybe Woolworths. The booth we were witting in was facing the sidewalk. A tall unkempt man with a guitar slung on him was just outside the window looking at every bite we took. We invited him to join us. He mimicked that he had no money. We motioned that we would buy him a meal, which he immediately joined us. He told he and Cowboy Copus grew up together and were good friends. Cowboy told him if he ever got to Nashville he would see that he got to play on stage at the Grande Ole Opry.

We wished him good luck.

Shortly after that we were in the balcony of the Ryman Auditorium stomping our feet to country music. We saw giant cereal boxes and famous singers, lined up one after another. Cowboy Copus was the M.C. and kept the show time moving rapidly.

Then I looked down on the first floor and saw the familiar dirty old raincoat and the guitar. I punched my friends to look. The old drunk we bought his dinner was walking up the aisle toward the stage. An usher stepped out from nowhere and asked him something. The man pointed up towards Cowboy Copus and said something. Another usher joined them. They bot listened to hm and half way politely nodding and rudely shaking their head. They forcefully removed the bewildered man. Cowboy Copus, playing up on stage did not miss a beat.

Patsy Cline played that night. My memory is confused. I think her and Cowboy Copus were killed in a plain wreck in Camden, Tennessee, either that night or the following Saturday night.

Afterwards we went to a jam session at something like Earne’s Music Store and then to a bar/lounge called the Jungle. Our waitress flirted with us for tips and somehow learned she had six or seven kids at home that her husband was minding over while she worked, not that that had anything to do with anything.

Savannah, The Pink House, and the Detached Hand

Heh heh. Boys and Ghouls, actually it is not tales from this crypt, it is a tale about the resident of that crypt – in a manner of speaking, heh heh, heh,

He was a person wanting independence and did much for the independence movement , but died before the actual Declaration of Independence was, well, declared.

The other day while indexing pictures I came across some pictures I had taken in Savannah. The Ole’ Pink House and the Habersham’s crypt brought back some memories. But I did not take the picture of Habersham’s portrait, I found it on Google.

In February of 2005 Anna went to a business meeting in Savannah and I tagged along. The five day meeting was to convene on something like the 15th. We arrived a day before and toured Savannah. We ate at Paula Dean’s “The Lady and Sons” that morning and took a tour of the city.

On the tour The Ole Pink House Restaurant was pointed out as being the home of James Habersham in Colonial Days. The tour guide added that the house was rumored to be haunted by old James himself. We made a mental note to maybe eat there while we were in Savannah.

Somehow, either that night or the next night almost all the people at the meeting decided to have dinner at The Ole’ Pink House.

When we arrived a the restaurant we were taken up to the second level and about 8 of us were seated at a big round table with a portrait of James Habersham looking down on us

The travel channel did a bit about Hancock’s ghost there and so did PBS. The waiters claim that he would walk around in his clothing of the period and socialize with the guests and sometimes evening playing a trick on them like hiding one’s fork before he or she reached for it, and the list is endless. I wonder if he had a haunted poo-poo cushion that he would slip under some individuals as they were sitting down?

We had reservations. Two big tables held ten of us. Our table was round and was in a corner of the a room. Anna's co-staffers table were within arm’s reach. One of the men sitting across from me I will call Tony. Behind Tony, high up on the wall, was a portrait of James Habersham, the original owner and maybe part-timeghost.

As we made polite conversation Tony, who struck me as a loud mouth braggart, with lack of anything else to say, brought up the subject of somebody that worked in his office, a handicapped person, a person that was challenged in controlling his body movements and his face movements. Tony said if he got excited talking he would lose control of his facial muscles and spit all over all you as he talked. Tony said he learned long ago to keep his distance or step aside when this guy was about to tell something. And Tony imitated him.

Then…

One quiet person, lets call him John, between 55 and 60 years of age said, “Tony I think you deserve a hand for that

WHAM!!! A big unattached hand landed onto Tony’s empty plate.

Everything got deathly quiet. John reached over and picked up his rubber artificial hand and re-attached it. Everybody at the table broke into laughter and some even were having hysterical laughter. I looked up at the portrait of James Habersham and he seemed to be frowning and not amused at all.

The rest of the evening Tony was mostly quiet. The hand was an inspiration to many to use some one-ones… like, “John can’t keep his hand to himself."

Home Delivered Milk and Ambitious Little George

 

This morning THE TODAY SHOW had an article about home milk delivery, like back in old times, but now.  They went around with a milk delivery man in Seatle and saw his friendly relationships with his customers.  He liked them and they liked him.

I thought they no longer have home milk delivery  in Cobb County.

However, my mind instantly reminded me of the times they did.

Sealtest delivered our milk by George.

I think George was self-employed milkman driver.  My sister Frances was his bookkeeper.  She called him “Little George.”

George was ambitious.  He ended up owning an insurance agency.

He also joined the Republican Party and became a county commisser.  I know, our neighborhood organization wanted to have the county put in speed bumps on our street and Commissioner George  came to a meeting to hear our complaints.  He advised against speed bumps.  He remembered me.

Not long after that he moved into our neighborhood.

He got drunk at a UGA Game in Athens and became loud and vocal.  After that his reputation went down hill.  It was believed he was an alcoholic.

He died young.

6888 Movie and other stuff.

 6888 Thoughts

We watched the new movie 6888 on TV today.  It about war mail service in WWII.   Spirits wre low.  The mail was having a hard time getting through.  Soldiers were not hearing from their parents is parents were not hearing from their sons on the war fronts.   The Arm Services had train box loads of undeliverable mail.  Morale was low.

First Lady Elinor Roosevelt initiated an Army corps of black women to hunt down the recipients.

It was a great heart moving movie.                                                                                      

Against all odds and precious leaders they got it right.

Which brings to mind that was I did for several in the Postal Service:  Find homes for undeliverable mail.  The mail with confused address was called NIXIE Mail.    Being a native of Maietta I think I did pretty good.

Also the movie reminds me of our two mail clerks in my Naval Squadron HU-4.  Ther were 300 to 500 men in the squadron.  About half of them were on detachment on ships at all times. 

At that time I subscribed to THE REALIST Magazine.  It was a very outspoken magazine.  When I first starred reading it I liked it so much I subscribed and swept up all the back isssues.

The mailroom was small, about the size of a large closet.  The head mail clerk, which I forgot his name, I will call “Jack” for the purpose of this.  Thie otgher mail clerk was Alen.    One day “Jack” sorted the latest THE REALIST Magazine and flipped through it and liked it.  He asked could he borrow it and he would for sure return it tomorrow.  He lost it.

The Mess Hall on base had to borrow workers, usually for 6 weeks at a time. They were borrowed from each unit stationed on base.  When once Jack was chosen he said, “Don’t send me, send Alen!”  And everybody thought Jack and Alan were close and best of friends.  … tch.

Speaking of Alan, after his Navy time was up he moved to my hometown of Marietta to work at Lockheed.  Strangely, he rented a house on Montgomery House, which was the same house my uncle and his new family lived in at one time.

My nickname is/was Rock.  All my Navy buds called me Rock except Alan, he called me Rox.  Always.

Then after a few monhs Alan disappeared .  That was about 1966 – and Never more. 

Charles Brooks Foster, Anna's Ancestor

 Charles Books Foster (1856 - 1928). This picture was taken 1 year before he married Ardella Catherine Vinson, 24, December, 1876, at age 20. Therefore the picture was taken when Charles was about 19 years old in 1875. He was born in South Carolina and died in Marietta, Georgia. He is Anna's great grandfather.

Me Roofing

 While sorting pictures I came across this picture. The memory of me putting on my own roof by myself still make my fingers on my left hand tingle. I had to press down with my left hand I had to hold the blade with my right hand and cut the tabs. My left hand fingers tingled and hurt for years afterwards.

But wait! I s putting a new roof solo is not what this is about. It is about my hat. I noticed in the picture I was wearing my gray striped railroad hat.

Months before when the picture taken we went to Chattanooga to the Railroad Museum. We bought our sons the gray stripped railroad worker type of hats. We bought them hats. We didn't buy me a hat.

After thinking about it I decided I wanted a hat like that too. I saw them for sale at Goldstein's Department Store, which at that time was where McClellan's was, and now it is a restaurant. I called Goldstein's and Mr. Goldstein answered the phone. I described the kind of hat I wanted and he said that he had them. I asked how much and he said, $3.99.

I worked at night getting off at 8:30am. When I got off one morning I drove to downtown Marietta, walked into Goldstein's and walked to the work hats and caps and picked up the railroad hat I wanted. Mrs. Goldstein followed me, stood back until I made my choice. There were no price stickers on any of the merchandise. I asked her how much is it (Herbert had already told me on the phone $3.99). She held the hat up and hollered to Mr. Goldstein about 20 or 25 feet away.

She said, "Mister Goldstein, how much are these hats?"

He didn't look at the hat, but looked at me. He said, $2.99.

I already knew he had a reputation for looking at the person, not the product when telling the price.

I didn't know if I should feel lucky I saved a dollar or insulted because that is all he thought I would pay.

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! PANIC' Comicbook's SANTA's Visit

 This had been posted on CHICKEN-FAT more than any thing else, and always during this time of the year. It was originally published in PANIC Comicbook, which is a sister satirical magazine to MAD Comicbook.  It was done by my cartoonist Will Elder.  And it was banned in Boston, really.

Me Faking a Wreck in Carmel, NY

 

If you were speeding down this road in Carmel, NY, you might have sped by turned over car with a human body on the ground, probably flung out the back window.

Then you might pull over, run out and see what happened and help the poor soul, if he is still alive.

Then I would jump up and apologize and say I was just posing for a picture with the car, being the ham that I am.

That wrecked turned over car was, I think, on its side for at least two years that we Navy buds would see every time we visited my uncle Roy who lived on the top of the hill right beside the car.

"Dear" and Sexist? Ooo La La!

 

At a bank yesterday I overheard a bullish man say to a teller. “Is Mable** here?”

He went on to say, “I need to know when n Mable* is off so I can come here on those days”.

Then after his transaction he said, “Thank you Dearr”

“Dear”  Sexist?

*Mable not real name.

Grocery Carts for the Homeless

 

We find ourselves in Cobb County’s Town Center area a lot..  Maybe 2 or 3 times weekly.  Mostly we are cutting through on Barrett Parkway.

On Barrett Parkway U.S. Highway I 75 is there with entrance and exit ramps  to and from Barrett Parkway.  

I noticed on the two entrance ramps (North and South) there are almost always unclaimed grocery shopping carts.

I have seen many homeless people push around grocery carts with their belongings in them.  That way, their stuff in right in front of them, they can keep their eye on all their belongings.

So, why empty carts at the beginning of entrance ramps?

I think when the homeless decided to move on and would have to leave his cart vehicle there.  He/she would never get picked up hitchhiking on the expressway if they kept their grocery carts.

Yesterday, near a ramp entrance  was a row of maybe 9 or 10 carts, of different colors, like red Target, metallic for Krogers, and blue ones too.

I think a good Samaritan collected them all up   and hopefully then put at the two incoming ramps for newcomers..... like saying WELCOME!

Allatoona Pass Civill War Sight Now Below Water

Allatoona Pass is a stone’s throw of Allatoona Landing at Lake Allatoona. Back on Octobr 5, 1864, it hosted a very bloody battle in the Civil War. 5000 men were involved. There was 30% casualties.. Months before in June was the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, here in Marietta, as a matter of fact, by reflectors the two high points of each communicated. My great great grandfather William Trammell/Huntter’s unit 39th North Carolina Infantry, Company I was there. Willliam wasn’t. He was in a private residence in Woodstock, Georgia, recuperating from a shot in the knee he received on Kennesaw Mountain.