Monday, April 28, 2008

Fun Monday - Walk This Way

With only a few hours left in this Monday, I am composing my Fun Monday post. This week's hostess is Angela of The Lurchers. Our task this week is to "take me on your favourite walk." Our favorite walk is down a path through our neighborhood. Although we live in a suburban/urban fringe area, our son Luke refers to this as a nature walk. Indeed, we do see a bit of nature along this path. The pictures show the nature walk path in two different seasons. Walking along the path is peaceful and does bring solace to weary souls. To take other strolls visit Angela.


Nature Walk in Late Summer


Nature Walk in Winter

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Fun Monday - Five for Five


The fun, the amusing, the amazing, the talented Nekked Lizard Adventurers, Nekked Lizard Lady and Nekked Lizard Man are this week's Fun Monday hosts. For this week's challenge, the unclothed reptiles are asking us to display- FIVE PICTURES - FIVE WORDS PER PICTURE. Any 5 (FIVE) pictures, any subject, and any 5 (FIVE) words to describe and/or explain each picture. For my pictures, I have selected some family favorites. Selecting the right caption was harder than I thought. To see the list of Fun Monday participants showing five pictures with five word descriptions, visit the Lizards.



Little Budgee Loving His Kitty



Reflections of a Summer Evening



Sending Forth Ripples of Hope




Off to See the World





Happy Day at the Beach

Friday, April 11, 2008

Sam the Sham in the Parking Lot

On a hot summer evening in 1966, I met Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in a K-Mart parking lot in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Okay, I did not actually meet the novelty tune recording artist. My fiance', now husband of 41 years, and I were making a quick stop at the shopping center when we spied a large white tent in the parking lot. Inside the tent, we were surprised to find the performer and musical sensation of the 1965 hit single, Wooly Bully. Even in those days, a free performance in front of a discount store seemed like a strange venue for popular musician. Yet there in the tent, Domingo Samudio, with the stage name Sam the Sham performed with a back-up group called the Pharoahs. The audience of no more than 20 was enthusiastic and grateful for the free concert.






Uno, dos, one, two, tres, quatro Matty told Hatty about a thing she saw. Had two
big horns and a wooly jaw. Wooly bully, wooly bully. Wooly bully, wooly bully,
wooly bully. Hatty told Matty, "Let's don't take no chance. Let's not be
L-seven, come and learn to dance." Wooly bully, wooly bully Wooly bully, wooly
bully, wooly bully. Matty told Hatty, "That's the thing to do. Get you someone
really to pull the wool with you." Wooly bully, wooly bully. Wooly bully, wooly
bully, wooly bully.

Wooly Bully is reportedly about just that a woolly bull or an American bison. The whimsical tune was featured in a number of movies including Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Full Metal Jacket, Scrooged, Happy Gilmore, Splash, and The Chipmunk Adventure, in which it is performed by the Chipmunks . Lil' Red Riding Hood was another big hit for the group.

Today, Sam the Sham, writes poetry and music. Additionally, Sam the Sham, Domingo Samudio, makes occasional live performances and works as a motivational speaker. I am pleased to hear that Sam is still performing. If I ever meet Sam in person, I will thank him for the free summer evening concert so many years ago.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Fun Monday - First Crush

Jo Beaufoix is the hostess for this Fun Monday excursion. For this trip down memory lane, Jo Beaufoix has asked to tell about our first celebrity crush. To recall my first movie crush, please travel with me down a long and narrow path back to the late 1940's and early 1950's. Before we had a television in our home, my older sisters and I were allowed (encouraged) to go a neighborhood theater to watch the Saturday afternoon. I say encouraged as my parents considered the theater to be a safe haven as well as cheap babysitting. The price of ticket for the matinee was a nickel for children, and the price a child under five like me was free.

At these Saturday afternoon movies, I met my first celebrity hero. I am guessing that most or all of the Fun Monday participants will not recognize the object of my interest. In the 1950's, the movie-going population seemed to be infatuated with Westerns, movies featuring cowboys and occasional cowgirl. My hero was not one of the better known leads like Gene Autry or Roy Rogers. My silver screen love was the less-recognized Lash LaRue.


Lash, who's given name is Alfred, apparently had a number of obstacles breaking into the movie-business. According to one source, Lash's resemblance to Humphrey Bogart kept him from him winning the favor of casting directors. So when the opportunity to win a part in a film, Lash lied about an ability to use a bullwhip. Evidently, Lash did become proficient in using the whip, and the bullwhip became the trademark of my on screen lover. An interesting tidbit of movie trivia is that Lash LaRue taught Harrison Ford how to use a whip for his role as Indiana Jones.

In these B-westerns, Lash would do wondrous acts with his whip. He would use the whip to snap the six-gun out of the hand of the villainous opponent. I remember that Lash would even use his whip skills to catch the girl. In my mind even today, I can see Lash throw out the whip wrapping the tail ever so skillfully around some feisty heroine to pull her closer. Of course, as happened in all movies of that time, eventually the heroine succumbed to the advances and rewarded my Lash with a kiss.

The only recognition of Lash as the object of my affection was in my imagination. In my innocence even in my fantasy, I only remember Lash capturing me with his mighty whip. Well, that is my story, and I am sticking to it. If you would like to read about other celebrity crushes, visit Jo Beaufoix.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Round Robin: A Day in the Park

Today's Round Robin challenge is to post a Perfect Scene Captioned. My photo is shot from a gazebo at Deep River Park in Lake County, Indiana. Both the park and the gazebo have a special place in my heart. The park is home to the historic mill in the background and site of many fond memories . Additionally, our son, Luke, and our daughter-in-law, Bree, were married in the gazebo almost two years ago on a cold and rainy day in May.

In addition to the mill, the park features wooded trails, maple syrup festivities, vintage baseball, and cross country skiing. My husband and I enjoy visiting the park any time of year, and any day in the park always turns out to be a fine day.