Robber: Give me your silver and your gold, your huddled coppers yearning to breath free...

Scholar: Ube est mi medula cuminosa?

Nameless Fear: Here to keep your nightmares at bay.

Knight: Not ready for this!

Merchant: Peace is profitable.

 

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On August 31, 2021, the legendary Rio Grande Southern Railroad was brought back to life (if only for a day). Built in 1891 by Otto Mears, the original RGS was located in Colorado’s southwest corner and ran between Durango and Ridgway via Lizard Head Pass, hauling coal, silver ore, and other goods from the mining communities of Telluride and Rico. The RGS was profitable for only a few years before a silver panic crippled its finances, but nevertheless it managed to stay in business, struggling through two world wars before running its last train in 1951. Following this, its 3-foot-gauge rails were taken up.

 

Rio Grande Southern No. 20, an 1899 Schenectady Ten-Wheeler, is one of four RGS steam locomotives still in existence. It was preserved by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club in 1952 when the RGS was abandoned and over the years was cosmetically restored for display, first in Alamosa and later at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. After fifty years sitting cold, No. 20 was transported to the Strasburg Rail Road in Strasburg, Penn., for a top-to-bottom restoration beginning in 2006 that took 12 long years to compete. The restoration was spearheaded by a donation from the Moedinger family of Pennsylvania, who put up $400,000 for the effort. After additional fundraising, No. 20 finally steamed again around the loop track at the Colorado Railroad Museum in 2020.

 

While a 3/4th mile loop is nice for a short train ride, Jeff Taylor and others at CRRM desired take No. 20 to a railroad where it could really stretch its legs. That opportunity came in 2021. For No. 20’s first major outing since restoration the museum took the 4-6-0 to the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad at Antonito, Colorado. Its visit coincided with the Victorian Iron Horse Roundup, held in in celebration of the C&TS’s 50th anniversary, which featured four locomotives built before 1900.

 

The trip with No. 20 on August 31 was sponsored by TRAINS Magazine, with editor Jim Wrinn and video producer Kevin Gilliam coordinating the event for photographers. The event was dubbed “Sunset on the Rio Grande Southern.”

 

Tickets for the event went fast, despite it costing nearly $900. The primary goal of “Sunset on the Rio Grande Southern” was to recreate an RGS trip that the late William Moedinger photographed in 1941, with the brakeman riding the pilot beam to watch for landslides. The first half of the consist matched the train that Moedinger photographed that day, which was featured on the cover of TRAINS in February 1942. William Moedinger’s son Linn was the person that did much of the restoration work on No. 20 during its time in Pennsylvania.

 

Denver & Rio Grande Western 2-8-2 No. 463, owned by the C&TS, was re-lettered as long-scrapped Rio Grande Southern No. 455 for the trip, and doubleheaded with No. 20. Thanks to decades of hard work by the Friend of the C&TS, the Cumbres & Toltec was able to provide a long string of authentic narrow-gauge equipment with an authentic RGS short caboose bringing up the markers. The scenery on the C&TS between Antonito and Osier is similar to the territory the RGS ran in.

 

The charter was an incredible experience and recreated scenes that hadn’t been seen since the 1940s. Was it worth the money? I’ll let you be the judge of that, but for me it certainly was. A big thanks is due Jim Wrinn and Kevin Gilliam, plus the men and women of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic for making it all possible.

 

Bodie, California, is a ghost town on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Mono County, California, United States, about 75 miles (120 km) southeast of Lake Tahoe. It is located at 38°12′42″N, 119°00′46″W, at an elevation of 8369 feet (2550 m).

 

Discovery

 

Gold was discovered in 1859 by prospector W. S. Bodey (also spelled Body), after whom the town was named. Bodey died in November after making a supply trip to Monoville and perishing in a blizzard.

 

In 1876, the Standard Company discovered a profitable deposit of gold, which transformed Bodie from an isolated mining camp of few prospectors and company employees to a Wild West boomtown. Rich discoveries in the adjacent Bodie Mine during 1878 attracted even more hopeful people. By 1880 Bodie boasted a population of nearly 10,000.

 

As a bustling gold mining center, Bodie was famous for its lawlessness. At its peak it had 60 saloons. Murders, barroom brawls, and stagecoach holdups were regular occurrences. Legend has it that a little girl, upon finding out that her family was moving there, prayed one night, "Goodbye God, we are going to Bodie." But a local editor claimed she had really prayed, "Good. By God we are going to Bodie."

 

Gold bullion from the town's nine stamp mills was shipped to Carson City, Nevada by way of Aurora, Wellington, and Gardnerville. Most shipments were accompanied by an armed guard. Once the bullion reached Carson City, it was delivered to the mint or sent by rail to the mint in San Francisco.

 

A first in electrical power

 

In 1893 the Standard Company built its own hydroelectric plant, located approximately 13 miles away on Green Creek, above Bridgeport, California. The plant developed a maximum of 130 horsepower and 6,600 volts alternating current to power the company's 20-stamp mill. This pioneering installation is marked as one of the first transmissions of electricity over long-distance.

  

Interesting points about town

 

Bodie had its own Chinatown, which had several hundred Chinese residents at one point, and even included a Taoist temple. Chinese workers earned their incomes mainly from selling vegetables, operating laundries, and cutting, hauling, and selling firewood.

 

Bodie has a cemetery on the outskirts of town and a nearby mortuary which is the only building in the town built of red brick three courses thick, most likely for insulation from the intense summer heat which would make undertaking a malodorous job.

 

As with most remote mining towns, Bodie had a popular, though clandestinely important red light district on the north end of town. From this is told the unsubstantiated story of Rosa May, a prostitute who, in the style of Florence Nightingale, came to the aid of the town menfolk when a serious epidemic struck the town at the height of its boom. She was attributed to giving life-saving care to many, but was denied burial within the gates of the town cemetery, remaining a social outcast even to her death.

 

In town's center stands the Miners Union Hall, a general meeting place for residents. It now serves as a quasi town museum. As a State Park, the ranger station is located in one of the original homes on Green Street.

  

Weather

 

Summers in Bodie were hot, but in winter, temperatures often plummeted well below 0°F, and winds could sweep across the valley at close to 100 miles per hour. These days nights stay plenty cold even throughout the summer months, and to this day the ghost town most often holds the nightly records for coldest temperature in the nation. The harsh weather is due to a particularly bad combination of a very high altitude, (8,400 ft.), and a very exposed plateau, with little in the way of a natural surrounding wall to protect the long, flat piece land from the elements. Plenty of firewood was needed to keep residents warm through the long winters, possibly related to the fact that there are very few trees today in the area. Many inadequately prepared residents perished during the winter of 1878–1879, which was particularly harsh.

  

Authentic ghost town

 

Though greatly reduced in prominence, Bodie held a permanent residency through most of the 20th century. Bodie is now the Wild West's most authentic, intact ghost town, even after a fire ravaged much of the downtown business district in 1932. The town was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and in 1962 it became Bodie State Historic Park

 

Today, Bodie is preserved in a state of arrested decay. Only a small part of the town survives. Visitors can walk the deserted streets of a town that once had a population of over 10,000 people. Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods. Bodie is open all year, but the most comfortable time to visit is during the summer months.

  

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

after a long and profitable day out in Brum and having met some fellow 'Flickrites' for the first time, 67020 at the rear of the WAG has just deposited 'Yours Truly' back in Bangor.

For a 'snapshot' I was well pleased with the result - especially the reflection!

March 20th 2018

More pictures to come from this Gold Rush, ghost town.

 

In 1876, the Standard Company discovered a profitable deposit of gold-bearing ore, which transformed Bodie from an isolated mining camp comprising a few prospectors and company employees to a Wild West boomtown. Rich discoveries in the adjacent Bodie Mine during 1878 attracted even more hopeful people. By 1879, Bodie had a population of approximately 5000–7000 people and around 2,000 buildings. One idea maintains that in 1880, Bodie was California's second or third largest city, but the U.S. Census of that year disproves the popular tale. Over the years, Bodie's mines produced gold valued at nearly US$34 million.

L'esplugabous (bubulcus ibis) és molt usual trobarse'l ara per camps i abocadors, però originariament un dels seus espais habituals, i d'on agafa el nom, es l'esquena de quadrupeds, als que allibera de polls i altres parasits. En aquest cas, un cavall als Aiguamolls de l'Empordà.

 

www.sioc.cat/fitxa.php?sci=0&sp=BUBIBI

 

ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esplugabous

 

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A cattle egret (bubulcus ibis) in the back of a horse, doing his "job" of delousing. It's not so usual now, because these egrets have discovered more profitable places. Near my workplace there's a slaughterhouse, and all arround it it's allways full of cattle egrets (plus gulls).

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_egret

I don't usually offer tips or advice on photography or equipment because, well, I don't know anything about it. You could just as profitably ask the cat. However, I recently invested a small sum of money in a piece of kit and it has been so much bang for my buck I want to pass it on in case it might benefit anyone else. Disclosure:I have no connection with any of the manufacturers or sellers of the equipment and, alas, nobody will offer me a farthing for any sales that might result. I mean, I would take the money no questions asked but they just don't offer it. Another disclosure:it was actually more bang for my wife's buck owing to a purely temporary (but recurring, Ed) problem of liquidity on my part.

 

Some years ago I moved from Canon camera bodies to Fujifilm. At the time Canon had no professional offering in the mirrorless market. I wanted to see what all the mirrorless hype was about so I put a toe in the water with a Fuji X-E1 in 2013. I loved the Fuji colours (they've been engineering colour for just about as long as anybody), film simulations and portability. Mirrorless was wonderful for me, now I could visualise my barmy exposures in real time. Eventually I invested in a pair of XT2s and I’m still happy with them. Except for one thing:battery life.

 

In my Canon days I could shoot a whole event on one battery. However, Fuji batteries are not that big in capacity to start with and the XT2s just ran away with the juice. I tried Fuji batteries, the extended versions, third party suppliers. I tried the little rain dance around the battery before inserting it, sworn by some YouTube jujuman as key to longevity, and even riches. Nothing made much difference. The batteries always made me sad. And it only got worse after I added a Fringer adapter to my rig to let me use legacy Canon glass with the Fuji bodies. There were times when I only got six long exposure shots from a fully charged battery. No seriously, six shots. I just kept adding batteries and if I went out to shoot a sports event I would have perhaps a dozen charged batteries in my bag. Understandably, events organisers want shots to post on their event sites, send off in hope to local papers, give to sponsors see you next year eh you bet. What they don't want are worthy explanations about Fuji battery life and I nearly had a great shot of the winner fighting off a crocodile but the battery ran out.

 

I continued to obsess about batteries, searching for settings that might reduce the power consumption and reading everything I found on the subject. My wife unkindly observed that you never seem to OCD about fixing stuff or putting gas in the car or mowing the yard. One day I came across a web page called 'Powering the Fuji X-T3' by Dom Varney. This proved to be the Eureka moment in the battery problem for me. domvarney.com/2018/11/22/powering-the-fuji-x-t3/ The solution also works for XT2s.

 

Dom is a proper expert in battery technology (unlike run-of-the-mill internet witch doctors and regular ol' snake oil sales folks) and on his page you will find an extensive and very thorough analysis of the Fuji battery issues. If you read carefully you'll find the Fuji approved solution to the problem.

 

In case you’re disinclined to do so I’ll summarise the solution here. Anker PowerCore Slim 10000, available at your leading online reseller for less than £20. Charge up the PowerCore and pop it onto a shirt pocket. Connect it to the Fuji USB input port with a camera battery installed and bingo, you can shoot for days on end on one battery. Apparently the Powercore is made from something and that's what Get on with it (Ed.) I have used this setup for months now. Even after four photo shoots the PowerCore level has never dipped below 3 lights out of four.

 

You may be able to achieve the same results with another external power source, and possibly with other cameras too. I have no idea about that. I only know this one works reliably for me and That's enough now (Ed.)

 

The era of 'deregulation' of bus services spawned many a newcomer to the industry as provision on profitable routes burgeoned. Some of those it was thought would benefit and take up the challenge simply gave up and retired, whilst others expanded themselves into oblivion. The new era brough numerous 'fly-by-night' operations, many of whom weren't fit to hold a licence, but there were other commendable efforts. Many of those in the latter category were enthusiast run, people simply wanting to provide a service to others via the medium of their hobby. They put their heart and soul into doing things properly but seldom was there the financial return to make the sums add up... which I know from bitter experience.

I don't know the ins and outs of Dorset based Verwood Transport, but the small fleet always appeared well turned out in their two tone blue livery with gold lining. Here ex Glasgow Alexander bodied Leyland Atlantean HGD 863L is seen with blinds set for a journey to Christchurch (Bournemouth) in 1987. Sadly, the business no longer exists, but even if it did, it wouldn't legally be possible to provide service nowadays with the sort of vehicles an enthusiast owner would have a preference for using. Better to have no service than one provided by a bus with a step entrance eh?

BNSF's most profitable L-CHI813 local screams back to La Crosse with the proudest looking 1922 on the point, dragging a few cars for the yard. Stoddard, WI 8/8/16

Currently one of London's more profitable businesses

Burrillville, RI

March 19, 2022

 

"Prior to the mid-nineteenth century, the Oakland vicinity was a sparsely settled rural area with only one dwelling, erected by Daniel Cooper in 1820 (still standing at 381-83 Victory Highway). The town of Burrillville — originally part of Providence, set off as a part of Gloucester in 1731, and incorporated as an independent town in 1806 — had been an agricultural area from its initial settlement in the seventeenth century, but its rugged, rocky terrain and poor soil were not well-suited to cultivation. Burrillville experienced economic decline and out-migration as farming became less profitable here during the early nineteenth century. Between 1830 and 1840 the town's population decreased about ten percent. However, Samuel Slater's success at water-powered cotton spinning at Pawtucket in 1790 drew attention to the industrial development potential of the State's rivers and streams, and in the ensuing decades Rhode Island businessmen showed an eagerness to exploit available waterpower sources, even in relatively remote areas that had not been considered particularly favorable for settlement. The industrial development of its river valleys transformed Burrillville. Between 1840 and 1850, the decade during which the largest number of new factories were established in Burrillville, the population of the town increased over seventy-eight percent. Within this context, John L. Ross 1819-1908, then employed at Whipple's Mill in nearby Mapleville, initiated the development of Oakland. He purchased seven acres for a mill privilege in 1848 and built a dam across Clear River the following year. Though he was sued by the owners of the adjoining mill privileges at Plainville and Mapleville for altering the flow of the river, Ross constructed a three-story, 100 by 38 foot stone mill at the dam in 1850. He first leased the building to the Woonsocket Delaine Company as a worsted goods factory, then in 1853 took over the facilities himself to manufacture cotton yarns and satinets. This enterprise must have been successful, for Ross built a 32 by 40-foot addition to the east end of the mill in 1856 and an ell on the main building four years later. In 1870 the 1856 addition was extended 54 feet, and a tower and mansard roof were added to the main building.

 

The early history of Ross Mill illustrates many of the circumstances surrounding the evolution of the textile industry in the nineteenth century. The factory's establishment and its relative proximity to the mill sites at Mapleville and Plainville reflects the aggressive entrepreneurial spirit of this era and the desire to utilize every available resource. The dispute over water rights is characteristic of this period, when the obtainment of sufficient water power critically affected a company's productivity and prosperity. Ross's initial decision to lease the mill is not unusual. Some owners of riverfront land chose not to become directly involved in manufacturing, but instead erected mills which they administered as income-producing property.

 

Once the mill was built, housing had to be supplied for the laborers and their families. Old maps document the early growth of a little village of ten or twelve buildings near Ross' Mill. Most of the structures were arranged along the short street now Mill Street leading from the main road today's victory Highway down to the factory, while three or four buildings were sited along victory Highway north of the Mill Street intersection. Some of the houses now standing on the street were probably built shortly after the construction of the mill in 1850, and later altered. The dwellings at 15, 16, 21, 22, 25, and 26 Mill Street are most likely to be the survivors from this period; though they resemble two houses obviously constructed later, they are differentiated from the other dwellings by their granite-block foundations. The double-house form used for these early dwellings and a number of the later residences here is typical of Rhode Island mill villages. In this State, industrialists commonly employed women and children in the factories as well as men, and families constituted an important component of the labor pool. The need to shelter entire families precluded the widespread use of boarding houses and contributed to the adoption of the double house as the, standard for mill village housing."

#abandoned #mill #textilemill #hdr #hdrphotography

Lakhta story. youtu.be/j8uuH89ZiAM

Lahti. Lakhta ?This small village on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, about 15 km northwest of the city, is home to human settlements on the banks of the Neva. It was on the territory of Lakhta that the remains of a man’s parking site of three thousand years ago were found.

In official documents, a settlement named Lakhta dates back to 1500. The name is derived from the Finnish-speaking word lahti - "bay". This is one of the few settlements that has not changed its name throughout its 500-year history. Also known as Laches, Lahes-by, Lahes and was originally inhabited by Izhora. In the last decades of the 15th century, Lakhta was a village (which indicates a significant population) and was the center of the eponymous grand-parish volost, which was part of the Spassko-Gorodensky graveyard of the Orekhovsky district of the Vodskaya Pyatina. In the village, there were 10 courtyards with 20 people (married men). In Lakhta, on average, there were 2 families per yard, and the total population of the village probably reached 75 people.

From the notes on the margins of the Swedish scribe book of the Spassky graveyard of 1640, it follows that the lands along the lower reaches of the Neva River and parts of the Gulf of Finland, including Lakhta Karelskaya, Perekulya (from the Finnish “back village”, probably because of its position relative to Lakhti) and Konduy Lakhtinsky, were royal by letter of honor on January 15, 1638 transferred to the possession of the Stockholm dignitary, Rickschulz general Bernhard Sten von Stenhausen, a Dutchman by birth. On October 31, 1648, the Swedish government granted these lands to the city of Nyuen (Nyenschanz). With the arrival of the Swedes in Prievye, Lakhta was settled by the Finns, who until the middle of the 20th century made up the vast majority of the villagers.

On December 22, 1766, Catherine 2 granted Lakhta Manor, which was then in the Office of the Chancellery from the buildings of palaces and gardens, "in which and in her villages with courtyards 208 souls," her favorite Count Orlov. Not later than 1768, Count J.A. Bruce took over the estate. In 1788, Lakhta Manor was listed behind him with wooden services on a dry land (high place) and the villages Lakhta, Dubki, Lisiy Nos and Konnaya belonging to it also on dry land, in those villages of male peasants 238 souls. On May 1, 1813, Lakhta passed into the possession of the landowners of the Yakovlevs. On October 5, 1844, Count A.I. Stenbok-Fermor entered into the possession of the Lakhtinsky estate, which then had 255 male souls. This clan was the owner of the estate until 1912, when its last representative got into debt and noble custody was established over the estate. On October 4, 1913, in order to pay off his debts, he was forced to go for corporatization, and the Lakhta estate passed into the ownership of the Joint Stock Company “Lakhta” of Count Stenbock-Fermor and Co.

After the revolution, Lakhta was left on its own for a while, here on the former estate of the counts Stenbock-Fermorov on May 19, 1919, the Lakhta excursion station was opened, which existed there until 1932. In the early 1920s, sand mining began on Lakhta beaches, and the abandoned and dilapidated peat plant of the Lakhta estate in 1922 took over the Oblzemotdel and put it into operation after major repairs. In 1963, the village of Lakhta was included in the Zhdanovsky (Primorsky) district of Leningrad (St. Petersburg).

  

At the beginning of Lakhtinsky Prospekt, on the banks of the Lakhtinsky spill, there was the village of Rakhilax (Rahilax-hof, Rahila, Rokhnovo). Most likely, under this name only one or several courtyards are designated. There is an assumption that the name of the village was formed from the Finnish raahata - “drag, drag,” because there could be a place for transportation through the isthmus of the Lakhtinsky spill (we should not forget that not only the bridge over the channel connecting the spill with the Gulf of Finland was not yet here, the duct itself was many times wider than the current one). The search book of the Spassko-Gorodensky graveyard of 1573, describing the Lakhta lands, mentions that there were 2 lodges in the “Rovgunov” village, from which we can conclude that we are talking about the village of Rohilaks, which the Russian scribes remade into a more understandable to them Rovgunovo. The village was empty in Swedish time and was counted as a wasteland of the village of Lahta.

  

On the banks of the Lakhtinsky spill, near the confluence of the Yuntolovka River, from the 17th century there existed the village of Bobylka (Bobylskaya), which merged into the village of Olgino only at the beginning of the 20th century, but was found on maps until the 1930s. It is probably the Search Book that mentions it Spassko-Gorodensky churchyard in 1573 as a village "in Lakhta in Perekui", behind which there was 1 obzh. With the arrival of the Swedes by royal letter on January 15, 1638, the village was transferred to the possession of the Stockholm dignitary, Rickshaw General Bernhard Sten von Stenhausen, a Dutchman by birth. On October 31, 1648, the Swedish government granted Lahti lands to the city of Nyuen (Nyenschanz). On the Swedish map of the 1670s, in the place of the village of Bobylsky, the village of Lahakeülä is marked (küla - the village (Fin.)). The village could subsequently be called Bobyl from the Russian word "bobyl."

The owners of Bobylskaya were both Count Orlov, and Count Y. A. Bruce, and the landowners Yakovlev. In 1844, Count A.I. Stenbok-Fermor entered into the possession of the Lakhtinsky estate (which included the village of Bobyl). This family was the owner of the estate until 1913, when the owners, in order to pay off their debts, had to go for corporatization, and the Lakhta estate was transferred to the ownership of the Lakhta Joint-Stock Company of Count Stenbock-Fermor and Co. By the middle of the 20th century, the village merged with the village of Lakhta.

  

The name Konnaya Lakhta (Konnaya) has been known since the 16th century, although earlier it sounded like Konduya (Konduya Lakhtinskaya) or just Kondu (from the Finnish kontu - courtyard, manor). Subsequently, this name was replaced by the more familiar Russian ear with the word "Horse". In the Search Book of the Spassko-Gorodensky Pogost in 1573, it is mentioned as the village "on Kovdui", where 1 obzh was listed, which indicates that there most likely was one yard. On January 15, 1638, together with neighboring villages, it was transferred to the possession of the Stockholm dignitary, Rickschulz General Bernhard Steen von Stenhausen, of Dutch origin. On October 31, 1648, the Swedish government granted these lands to the city of Nyuen (Nyenschanz). In a deed of gift, Konduya Lakhtinskaya is called a village, which indicates a noticeable increase in its population. Later, on the Swedish map of the 1670s, on the site of the present Horse Lahti, the village of Konda-bai is marked (by - village (sv)).

The owners of Konnaya Lakhta, as well as the villages of Bobylskaya and Lakhta, were in turn Count Orlov, Count Ya. A. Bruce, and the landowners Yakovlev. In 1844, Count A.I. Stenbok-Fermor entered the possession of the Lakhta estate (which included Konnaya Lakhta. This family was the owner of the estate until 1913, when the owners had to go to corporations to pay off their debts, and the Lakhta estate became the property of Lakhta Joint Stock Company of Count Stenbock-Fermor and Co. In 1963, Horse Lahta was included in the Zhdanov (Primorsky) district of Leningrad (St. Petersburg).

  

As the dacha village of Olgino appeared at the end of the 19th century and initially consisted of both Olgin itself and the villages of Vladimirovka (now part of Lisiy Nos) and Aleksandrovka. In the first half of the 18th century, this territory was part of the Verpelev palace estate, which in the second half of the 18th century was granted to Count G. G. Orlov, then it was owned by the family of landowners the Yakovlevs, in the middle of the 19th century the estate was transferred to the counts of Stenbock-Fermor. In 1905 A.V. Stenbok-Fermor, the then owner of Lakhta lands, divided the lands around Lakhta into separate plots with the intention of selling them profitably for dachas. So there were the villages of Olgino (named after the wife of Olga Platonovna), Vladimirovka (in honor of the father of the owner; the coastal part of the modern village of Lisy Nos) and Alexandrov or Aleksandrovskaya (in honor of Alexander Vladimirovich himself). It is likely that on the site of the village was the village of Olushino (Olushino odhe) - a search book of the Spassko-Gorodensky churchyard in 1573 mentions that there were 1 obzh in the village of Olushkov’s, which suggests that at least one residential the yard. On behalf of Olushka (Olpherius). Most likely, the village was deserted in Swedish time and then was already listed as a wasteland belonging to the village of Lahta. Thus, the name of the village could be given in harmony with the name of the mistress and the old name of the village.

The villages were planned among a sparse pine forest (the layout was preserved almost unchanged), so there were more amenities for living and spending time there than in Lakhta. A park was set up here, a summer theater, a sports ("gymnastic") playground, a tennis court, and a yacht club were arranged.

In the 1910s about 150 winter cottages were built in Olgino, many of which are striking monuments of "summer cottage" architecture. In 1963, the village of Olgino was included in the Zhdanovsky (Primorsky) district of Leningrad (St. Petersburg).

  

Near Olgino, in the area of ​​the Dubki park, there was a small village Verpeleva (Verpelevo), which consisted of only a few yards. In the first half of the XVIII century. this territory was part of the palace estate "Verpeleva", which in the second half of the XVIII century. It was granted to Count G. G. Orlov, then passed to the Counts of Stenbock-Fermor. The village has not existed for a long time, but the entire reed-covered peninsula (barely protruding above the water of the Verpier-Luda peninsula (Verper Luda (from the Finnish luoto - “small rocky island”)) still existed, and there was another spelling the name of this island is Var Pala Ludo).

  

Kamenka. The Novgorod scribal book mentions two villages in the Lakhta region with a similar name, referring to the possessions of Selivan Zakharov, son of Okhten, with his son and 5 other co-owners. On the lands of this small patrimony, which, unlike the estate was inherited, peasants lived in 3 villages, including: the village "Kamenka in Lakhta near the sea" in 5 yards with 5 people and arable land in 1,5 obzhi, the village "on Kamenka "in 2 courtyards with 2 people and arable land in 1 obzhu. For the use of land, the peasants paid the owners of the patrimony 16 money and gave 1/3 of the rye harvest. Thus, in the 16th century on the Kamenka River (another name for the Kiviyoki River, which is the literal translation of kivi - "stone", joki - "river") there was one large village of Kamenka near its confluence with the Lakhtinsky spill and the second, smaller, somewhere upstream. On the drawing of Izhora land in 1705, a village under this name is depicted in the area of ​​the modern village of Kamenka. The village of Kamennaya in the middle reaches of Kamenka and on the map of 1792 is designated. Other name options are Kaumenkka, Kiviaja.

In the second half of the 18th century, Kamenka became a vacation spot for Russian Germans. Here in 1865, German colonists founded their "daughter" colony on leased land. Since then, the village has received the name Kamenka Colony (so called until the 1930s). In 1892, a colony near the village of Volkovo "budded" from it. The inhabitants of both colonies belonged to the Novo-Saratov parish and since 1871 had a prayer house in Kamenka, which was visited by 250 people. He maintained a school for 40 students. The house was closed in 1935 and later demolished.

Currently, Kamenka exists as a holiday village, located along the road to Levashovo. Since 1961 - in the city, part of the planning area in the North-West, from the mid-1990s. built up with multi-storey residential buildings and cottages.

  

Volkovo. The settlement is about southeast of the village of Kamenka - on the old road to Kamenka, on the bank of a stream that flows into Kamenka between the village of Kamenka and the Shuvalovsky quarry. In 1892, a German colony emerged on the territory of the village, "budding" from a nearby colony in the village of Kamenka. The origin of Volkovo is not clear, the village is found only on maps of 1912, 1930, 1939, 1943. and probably appeared no earlier than the 19th century.

  

Kolomyagi. Scribe books of the XV — XVI centuries and Swedish plans testify that small settlements already existed on the site of Kolomyag. Most likely, these were first Izhora or Karelian, then Finnish farms, which were empty during the hostilities of the late XVII century.

The name "Kolomyag" connoisseurs decipher in different ways. Some say that it came from the "colo" - in Finnish cave and "pulp" - a hill, a hill. The village is located on the hills, and such an interpretation is quite acceptable. Others look for the root of the name in the Finnish word "koaa" - bark - and believe that trees were processed here after felling. Another version of the origin of the name from the Finnish "kello" is the bell, and it is associated not with the feature of the mountain, but with the "bell on the mountain" - a tower with a signal bell standing on a hill.

The owners of Kolomyazhsky lands were Admiral General A.I. Osterman, Count A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, a family of Volkonsky. In 1789, the Volkonskys sold these lands to retired colonel Sergei Savvich Yakovlev. On his estate S. S. Yakovlev built a manor and lived in it with his wife and seven daughters. The once-Finnish population of Kolomyag was “Russified” by that time - it was made up of descendants of serfs resettled by Osterman and Bestuzhev-Rumin from their villages in Central Russia (natives of the Volga and Galich) and Ukraine. Then the name "Kellomyaki" began to sound in Russian fashion - "Kolomyagi", although later the old name also existed, especially among local Finns. And not without reason the indigenous Kolomozhites associate their origin with the Volga places, and the southern half of the village is now called “Galician”.

Yakovlev died in 1818. Five years after his death, a division of the territory of the manor was made. The village of Kolomyagi was divided in half between two of his daughters. The border was the Bezymyanny stream. The southeastern part of the village of Kolomyagi beyond Bezymyanny creek and a plot on the banks of the Bolshaya Nevka passed to the daughter Ekaterina Sergeevna Avdulina.

Daughter Yakovleva Elena Sergeevna - the wife of General Alexei Petrovich Nikitin, a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, who was awarded the highest military orders and twice a gold sword with the inscription "For courage", died early, leaving her daughter Elizabeth. The northwestern part of Kolomyag inherited the young Elizabeth, so this part of Kolomyag was practically inherited by the father of Yakovlev’s granddaughter, Count A.P. Nikitin, who in 1832 became the owner of the entire village. It is his name that is stored in the names of the streets - 1st and 2nd Nikitinsky and Novo-Nikitinsky. The new owner built a stone mansion on the estate’s estate - an excellent example of classicism of the first third of the 19th century, which became his country house and has survived to this day and has been occupied until recently by the Nursing Home. It is believed that this mansion was built according to the project of the famous architect A.I. Melnikov. The severity and modesty of the architectural appearance of the facades and residential chambers of the Nikitin mansion was opposed by the splendor of ceremonial interiors, in particular the two-light dance hall with choirs for musicians. Unfortunately, with repeated alterations and repairs, many details of the decor and stucco emblems of the owners disappeared. Only two photographs of the 1920s and preserved fragments of ornamental molding and paintings on the walls and ceiling show the past richness of the decorative decoration of this architectural monument. The mansion was surrounded by a small park. In it stood a stone pagan woman brought from the southern steppes of Russia (transferred to the Hermitage), and a pond with a plakun waterfall was built. Near the pond there was a "walk of love" from the "paradise" apple trees - it was called so because the bride and groom passed through it after the wedding. Here, in the shadow of these apple trees, young lovers made appointments.

Under the Orlov-Denisov opposite the mansion (now Main Street, 29), the structures of an agricultural farm were erected, partially preserved to this day, and the greenhouse. Behind the farm were the master's fields. On them, as the New Time newspaper reported in August 1880, they tested the reaping and shearing machines brought from America.

In the 19th century, the provincial surveyor Zaitsev submitted for approval the highway called the Kolomyagskoye Shosse. The route was supposed to connect the village, gradually gaining fame as a summer residence of the "middle arm", with St. Petersburg. The construction of the road ended in the 1840s, and then horse-drawn and country-house crafts became the most important articles of peasant income. In addition, peasants either built small dachas in their yards, or rented their huts for the summer. Located away from the roads, surrounded by fields, the village was chosen by multi-family citizens.

The income from the summer cottage industry increased from year to year, which was facilitated by the summer movement of omnibuses that opened on the new highway from the City Council building. They walked four times a day, each accommodated 16 people, the fare cost 15 kopecks. Even when the Finnish Railway with the nearest Udelnaya station came into operation in 1870, the highway remained the main access road through which public carriages pulled by a trio of horses ran from the Stroganov (now Ushakovsky) bridge.

The importance of the highway has decreased since 1893, when traffic began along the Ozerkovskaya branch of the Primorsky Railway, built by the engineer P.A. Avenarius, the founder of the Sestroretsky resort.

Douglas DC-3 “Flagship Orange County” at Lyon Air Museum:

 

The DC-3 airliner was not only comfortable and reliable; it also made air transportation profitable for the first time. American Airline’s President, C.R. Smith, who played a key role in the development of the DC-3, said it was the first airplane that could make money just by hauling passengers, without relying on government subsidies for transporting U.S. Mail. As a result, by 1939 more than 90 percent of the nation’s airline passengers were flying on Douglas DC-2s and DC-3s. In the 21st Century hundreds of DC-3s are still flying, many in commercial service carrying cargo and even passengers.

 

Specifications and Performance:

 

Manufacturer:

Douglas Aircraft Company

 

Model:

DC-3

 

Army Air Corps Serial Number:

42-100931

 

Prototype First Flight:

December 17, 1935

 

Crew:

2

 

Passengers:

21-28, depending on configuration

 

Power:

Two 1,200-horsepower, Pratt & Whitney R-1830 “Twin Wasp” 14-cylinder or Wright Cyclone

R-1820 9-cylinder radial piston engines

 

Weight:

Basic Empty Weight – 18,300 pounds, Gross Weight – 28,000 pounds

 

Fuel Capacity:

1,700 gallons

 

Range:

1,025 miles

 

Wing Span:

95 feet

 

Length:

64 feet, 5 inches

 

Height:

16 feet, 4 inches

 

Service Ceiling:

24,000 feet

 

Number Built:

10,629 (including military C-47 version)

 

Speed:

Maximum – 237 miles per hour Cruising – 150 miles per hour

 

History of DC-3 “Flagship Orange County” at Lyon Air Museum:

 

“Flagship Orange County,” Lyon Air Museum’s own DC-3 in American Airlines livery, started life as a C-47A built during World War II. Prior to its conversion to airliner configuration, it flew with the USAAF’s famed 440th Troop Carrier Group. And just before midnight on June 5, 1944, this aircraft was positioned at Exeter Field in England, ready to fly across the Channel with hundreds of other Dakotas. Its assigned mission: Drop members of the 101st Airborne, the Screaming Eagles, over Drop Zone DELTA, to support the D-Day invasion in Normandy at 1:40 AM, on the morning of June 6, 1944.

 

Converted after the war to a DC-3 airliner configuration, it served in various roles as a cargo and passenger transport. It has been restored and given the livery of an American Airlines “Flagship” of the late 1930s to honor the key role American Airlines played in the development of the aircraft.

 

Lyon Air Museum Location:

 

Lyon Air Museum is located in the city of Santa Ana in Southern California.

 

The address is:

19300 Ike Jones Road, Santa Ana, CA 92707

 

Website: info@lyonairmuseum.org

 

The museum is located on the immediate west side of John Wayne Airport (KSNA).

   

North Miami is a suburban city located in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, about 10 miles (16 km) north of Miami. The city lies on Biscayne Bay and hosts the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University, and the North Miami campus of Johnson & Wales University. Originally the town of "Arch Creek", the area was incorporated as the "Town of Miami Shores", which was renamed the "Town of North Miami" in 1931. It was reincorporated as a city in 1953.

 

The city is also home to the Oleta River State Park, which is the state's largest urban park.

 

As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 58,786. With almost 60,000 residents, North Miami is the sixth largest city in Miami-Dade County.

 

In the final phase of Indian inhabitation of the area that eventually became "North Miami", United States Army soldiers in 1856 cut a Military Trail through nearly impassable thickets and rivers connecting Fort Lauderdale to Fort Dallas at the mouth of the Miami River. This eight foot trail, Dade County’s first roadway, crossed a unique natural bridge -- a natural limestone bridge spanning 40 feet (12 m) across the creek that no longer stands in Arch Creek Memorial Park -- in an area that would attract a settlement that early on would be known as "Arch Creek". Even before 1890 a handful of adventuresome pioneers spent brief periods around the Arch Creek Natural Bridge, a centuries-old Indian settlement.

 

In 1891, Mr. Ilhe was the first to put down roots in the Arch Creek vicinity. He purchased 80 acres (320,000 m2) from the State of Florida at one dollar an acre in the area of today’s N.E. 116th Street and Biscayne Boulevard. The place was so remote that his nearest northern neighbor was thought to live in Ft. Lauderdale. Mr. Ihle built a temporary palmetto frond shelter. During the next 27 years he grew shallots, coontie, squashes, bananas, sugar cane, Puerto Rican pineapples, lemons, guavas, limes, rose apples, Jamaican apples, and tomatoes.

 

By 1905 the area surrounding the nine-year-old Arch Creek Railroad Depot had become the community’s hub. It was located at 125th Street and the F.E.C. tracks. That year a post office and a school were opened nearby. By 1912, eighteen homes, a church, a general store, a blacksmith shop, and two tomato packing houses were located around the railroad. The population was estimated at less than one hundred. Farming was still the principal occupation.

 

The Florida land boom that was underway in the 1920s spread to Arch Creek farming community. The Biscayne Canal was dug in 1924 to remove farmland from flooded conditions. But as a consequence, the soil began to lose its moisture, and the farming which had been the backbone of the economy, was no longer profitable. However, in step with the times, this drained land became available for partitioning, lot sales, and development.

 

Thirty eight out of the forty seven registered voters, at the encouragement of developers E.C. Harner, Earl Irons and Arthur Griffing, showed up and voted to incorporate into a town on February 5, 1926. North Miami, between 1926 and 1931, was named "Town of Miami Shores", partially because its early eastern boundary was the Atlantic Ocean. The Town limits were: bounded on the South by Miami and Miami Beach, on the East by the Atlantic Ocean, on the West by 17th Avenue, and on the North by a line which approximates Golden Glades Drive or 166th Street. Incorporation moved costs from developers to residents and lot purchasers. Late in 1926 a bond issue of $287,000 was passed to build streets, sidewalks, a town hall, a water system, and fire protection.

 

The devastating September 1926 hurricane burst the real estate land speculation. The local community recovered from the damage, but lot sales came to a stop, and the northern tourists names showed up in great numbers on the delinquent tax list. Some money from the bond issue was used to build a Spanish-Mediterranean style city hall building at N.E. 8th Avenue and 125th Street in 1928. The City Hall also housed the police and fire departments. In the 1930s a new water plant and gravity tank was installed behind City Hall. The first newspaper, The Miami Shores Bulletin, was published in 1927-28 and chronicled the events of the times. The historic William Jennings Bryan school was constructed in 1928 on the same spot where the Arch Creek Elementary School had burned down the year before.

 

Credit for the data above is given to the following website:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Miami,_Florida

SN/NC: Anacardium Occidentale, Anacardiaceae Family

 

The cashew tree is a tropical evergreen tree that produces the cashew nut and the cashew apple. It can grow as high as 14 m (46 ft), but the dwarf cashew, growing up to 6 m (20 ft), has proved more profitable, with earlier maturity and higher yields.

The cashew nut, often simply called a cashew, is widely consumed. It is eaten on its own, used in recipes, or processed into cashew cheese or cashew butter. The shell of the cashew seed yields derivatives that can be used in many applications from lubricants to paints. The cashew apple is a light reddish to yellow fruit, whose pulp can be processed into a sweet, astringent fruit drink or distilled into liquor.

The species is originally native to northeastern Brazil. Major production of cashews occurs in Vietnam, Nigeria, India, and Ivory Coast.

 

De cashewboom is een tropische groenblijvende boom die de cashewnoot en de cashewappel voortbrengt. Hij kan wel 14 m hoog worden, maar de dwergcashew, die tot 6 m groeit, is meer winstgevend gebleken, met een eerdere rijpheid en hogere opbrengsten.

De cashewnoot, vaak simpelweg cashewnoten genoemd, wordt veel geconsumeerd. Het wordt op zichzelf gegeten, gebruikt in recepten of verwerkt tot cashewkaas of cashewboter. De schil van het cashewnotenzaad levert derivaten op die in veel toepassingen kunnen worden gebruikt, van smeermiddelen tot verven. De cashewappel is een licht roodachtige tot gele vrucht waarvan het vruchtvlees kan worden verwerkt tot een zoete, adstringerende fruitdrank of kan worden gedestilleerd tot likeur.

De soort komt oorspronkelijk uit het noordoosten van Brazilië. De belangrijkste productie van cashewnoten vindt plaats in Vietnam, Nigeria, India en Ivoorkust.

 

Es también conocido como cajú, anacardo, nuez de la india, castaña de cajú, marañón, caguil o merey es un árbol originario de la región amazónica del nordeste de Brasil y casi toda Venezuela. Muchos de sus componentes son utilizados en la elaboración de productos diversos, como por ejemplo dulces, cosméticos y medicamentos.

 

O caju é muitas vezes tido como o fruto do cajueiro quando, na verdade, trata-se de um pseudofruto.

O que entendemos popularmente como "caju" se constitui de duas partes: o fruto propriamente dito, que é a castanha; e seu pedúnculo floral, o pseudofruto, um corpo piriforme, amarelo, rosado ou vermelho.

Na língua tupi, acaiu (caju) significa noz que se produz.

Na tradição oral sabe-se que acayu ou aca-iu refere-se a ano, uma vez que os indígenas contavam a idade a cada floração e safra.

O pseudofruto e fruto

Cajueiro frutificando no município de Cascavel, no Ceará, um dos grandes produtores de caju no estado

O caju, o pseudofruto, é suculento e rico em vitamina C e ferro. Depois do beneficiamento do caju, preparam-se sucos, mel, doces, como cajuada, caju passas, rapadura de caju. Como seu suco fermenta rapidamente, pode ser destilado para produzir uma aguardente o cauim. Dele também são fabricadas bebidas não alcoólicas, como a cajuína.

Muito antes do descobrimento do Brasil e antes da chegada dos portugueses, o caju já era alimento básico das populações autóctones. Por exemplo: os tremembé já fermentavam o suco do caju, o mocororó, que era e é bebido na cerimônia do Torém.

Existe uma variedade enorme de pratos feitos com o caju e com a castanha de caju.

De suas fibras (resíduo/bagaço), ricas em aminoácidos e vitaminas, misturadas com temperos, é feita a "carne de caju"

 

Nó còn được gọi là điều, điều, điều, điều, điều, caguil hoặc chỉ là một loại cây có nguồn gốc từ vùng Amazon phía đông bắc Brazil và gần như toàn bộ Venezuela. Nhiều thành phần của nó được sử dụng trong sản xuất các sản phẩm khác nhau, chẳng hạn như đồ ngọt, mỹ phẩm và thuốc.

 

Es ist auch bekannt als Cashew, Cashew, Cashew, Cashew, Cashew, Caguil oder Merey. Es ist ein Baum, der im Amazonasgebiet im Nordosten Brasiliens und in fast ganz Venezuela heimisch ist. Viele seiner Komponenten werden zur Herstellung verschiedener Produkte wie Süßigkeiten, Kosmetika und Medikamente verwendet.

 

Conosciuto anche come anacardi, anacardi, anacardi, anacardi, anacardi, caguil o semplicemente, è un albero originario della regione amazzonica del nord-est del Brasile e di quasi tutto il Venezuela. Molti dei suoi componenti sono utilizzati nella produzione di vari prodotti, come dolci, cosmetici e medicinali.

 

On l'appelle également noix de cajou, noix de cajou, noix de cajou, noix de cajou, noix de cajou, caguil ou merey.C'est un arbre originaire de la région amazonienne du nord-est du Brésil et de presque tout le Venezuela. Beaucoup de ses composants sont utilisés dans la production de divers produits, tels que des bonbons, des cosmétiques et des médicaments.

 

تُعرف أيضًا باسم الكاجو أو الكاجو أو الكاجو أو الكاجو أو الكاجو أو مجرد شجرة موطنها الأصلي في منطقة الأمازون في شمال شرق البرازيل وكل فنزويلا تقريبًا. تستخدم العديد من مكوناته في إنتاج منتجات متنوعة مثل الحلويات ومستحضرات التجميل والأدوية.

view at the ceres terminal, amsterdam harbor, reprocessed

b/w

now it's an empty space again, the cranes are gone

it was not profitable

We appreciate the courtesy of Chatwick University Archives for letting us use the journals in our research, and for permission to use parts for the genesis of “Dare’s Game”.

Dare’s Game

Beth, eagerly looking for Dare, walked straight into Seth’s cunning snare…..

 

Suffix, circa 1910?. It was during this time a fanciful young lady, whom we will call Beth, started a journal which she would faithfully keep over the course of almost 50 years. She led quite an adventuresome life for a lady of that time, and her journals were filled with many tales and observations of her exploits. The following story is derived from events that she penned down in the early years in her journal.

******************************************************************************

Beth had known Dare since their childhood. Dare was a handsome free spirited youth only two years her senior, who lived for the games his life had to offer. As his cherished nickname inferred, Dare was always trying to find the thrill out of anything he could think up, relishing to go beyond the pale in anything he attempted. Dare always a little different, harboring feelings and ideas way beyond his years, almost as if he had lived a previous life and retained something from it in his being.

Beth would remember times playing dress up with Dare’s sister Diana in some old gowns of their mothers. It was always then that Dare and his friends seemed to appear and talk them into playing hide n seek, tag or cops n robbers. Dare seemed to take pleasure in cajoling the girls into playing with them in this manner. Eyeing them as they played with a far off look that suggested the game they were playing had more meaning to him than he could ever venture to say. It was hard for Beth to explain it, but she did find it pleasurable (almost erotic using a word whose term she would learn much later) to be observed by him in this way.

One warm fall day Diana and Beth headed down to an old shack located near some railroad tracks at the back of a cornfield. Diana was dressed in a long satin play gown with her mother’s jewelry, which Dare had called rhinestones. Beth, herself dressed in a long flowing dress, loved the way Diana’s jewels twinkled and sparkled as she walked. They were going to pretend the shack was a ballroom and they were one their way to a fancy dance, like Beth’s and Diana’s parents had recently attended. Diana wasn’t supposed to be wearing her mother’s jewelry outside the house, but as a result of Dare’s teasing, had done so anyway.

They had reached the shack, an old white brick building with a wooden roof half fallen in, when a man’s voice suddenly said behind them, what are you two ladies up to? Turning they were confronted by a happily sneering drifter. The grubby man looked around, alone is we, and advanced towards them. The two girls stood petrified, he reached out and probed Diana along her side, pretty dress missy, he said, sparsely toothed mouth grinning like a pumpkin. He suddenly reached up and tore the necklace away from Diana’s throat, sending her falling backwards. Beth screamed bloody murder, as the vagrant turned heel, running off towards the tracks. Suddenly Dare appeared, and Beth, meaning to yell for help, exclaimed instead “help honey” to Dare. Dares eyes took on a very different look, almost of a burning yearning. Beth told him what had happened and he took off down towards the tracks in hot pursuit. For Beth, the look he had given her and the way he had dashed off excited her beyond measure. Even for someone that young, Beth now knew what Dare meant to her. From then on, playing games with Dare took on a heightened meaning for Beth.

But, nothing really changed in their relationship until Beth’s sophomore year of high school. Beth was sixteen at the time, a whimsical being, passionate, innocent, not particularly attractive, but radiating with a love of life. A living free spirit, developing into a very sexual being by the time her and Diana decided to attend their schools prom in their sophomore year. Beth dressed in a fuchsia coloured satin dress with dangling rhinestone earrings that had been” borrowed” from Diana’s Mother, the same ones Diana had been wearing when they had run into the drifter at the shack. Diana slipped into the slinky blue spaghetti strap gown and matching cover-all that she had worn as her cousin’s bridesmaid. She was wearing sapphire costume jewels patterned after the hope diamond. Their parents had given them a hard time when they saw their made up girls in their gowns and finery , admonishing them for looking way too mature. They smiled, consoling their parents fears, and went off on their adventure.

Their eyes were dazzled by the display of lights, the cheerfully student filled room, the band. They had stopped and were letting it all sink in, when Beth felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and came face to face with Dare, who once again had the same yearning fire in his eyes as on that fateful day at the old shack. A veil was lifted from between the two, and Beth spent the whole evening encompassed in Dare’s arms. Soon after that the two had begun seeing much more of one another. Their relationship was still going strong eight years later.

*****************************

8 Years Later

*****************************

Come on Dare, let’s go to the Riverside, it will be fun she urged. She had been trying to get her fiancé’ to take her to the exclusive five star resorts for some time. And now she had a free overnight room card she had won at work! Dare looked into Beth’s wide, hope filled eyes, knowing her passion for attending these types of affairs. Ever hopeful she would see someone rich. Dare knew how to use this to his advantage. Finally he buckled, all right, only if we play the game afterwards he bargained. She squirmed inwardly with passion, nodding her agreement. Beth found the game exciting, though she would never let on to Dare. And, you must wear the gold bridesmaid gown and jewels you wore to your friend’s wedding last week , he added, a wistful smile lighting up his thin face.. Okay she agreed, trying to sound reluctant, but truthfully feeling multiple tingles of delight.

Dare was handsome, in a scrawny, thin bearded, sort of way ( From an old photo that survives he resembled a young Johnny Depp… the eds), with a witty writers imagination and a playful disposition. He could always make Beth laugh, feeling his excitement as he drew her into his stories and games. She would never admit to it, but found the game delightfully erogenous. She smiled to herself, so Dare had liked the satin gown after all, he had not shown any interest in her wearing it since the wedding. And the jewelry, the small rhinestone pendent and earrings had been pretty, but Beth soon came up with another idea. She would knock his socks off by wearing the glittering diamonds and emeralds that had been inherited from her grandmother. The set had laid collecting dust in a safety deposit box all these years, unworn. She had never told Dare about them, waiting for the perfect occasion. She could just imagine the look in his eyes when he saw her wearing them. Okay then, game on, Beth thought, wickedly sending shivers up and down her spine.

Dare’s Game was based on role playing:

Dare would give Beth money to purchase a new outfit, something rich and shiny, like silk or satin. With the new outfit, Beth would wear the good gold jewelry she had received from Dare on her birthdays. The idea was to acting like a bored rich girl out for a good time, alone and vulnerable.

Dare would be at the hotel bar, waiting for Beth to make her entrance, then make her acquaintance , playing a debonair, suited gentleman with a mysterious past and a hidden agenda. They would make a date later, usually to dance and have drinks.

Then that evening, she would go down to the bar. Dressed in one of the long gowns Dare favored, fitting in with the usual spillover from a wedding reception that had been held in one of the Ballrooms. Sometimes she would wear the rhinestone jewelry they had purchased together at various antique stores. Then Beth would wait for Dare to make his entrance, signaling the time for Dare’s game. He would assume one of several roles, or possibly a new one that Beth had never seen. In the past Dare had played:

A spy who would dance with Beth, then disappear. Sending a note to Beth via a third person that would have her meet him clandestinely in a remote location…

A highwayman who would come across Beth on the castle grounds , usually the resorts empty gardens at night….

A rich millionaire looking for romance…

A kidnapper hired by an evil uncle, who after tying up Beth and removing her valuables would have a change of heart….

A Jewel thief who would be cunningly after her valuables…

A handsome prince rescuing Beth’s damsel in distress ….

Or Dare’s favorite, centered on their old childhood game of cops and robbers. Dare would play the thief, and steal something from Beth, usually while dancing. He would then leave preset clues around the grounds that she would have to follow to catch him.

All of the games usually led to some playful groping and then escalating into the upper echelons of erotic pleasure. Sometimes they never made out of the woods, or barely out of the ballroom. Beth shivered at these thoughts, wishing she didn’t have to wait….

 

**********************************************************************

Three weeks later at the Riverside Resort.

**********************************************************************

In the Bar:

At the bar, Dare smiled to himself, pleased. He had dropped Beth off to check in by herself. She would change into her new outfit and wear it down to the bar for lunch. She would come in acting like a complete stranger to the area. Dare would make her acquaintance, invite her to lunch, and make plans to see her that evening at the resorts dance room. There were two wedding receptions going on, and that dance room should be filled with well-dressed patrons. Beth would fit right in; clad that pretty gown she had promised to wear.

Dare had been sitting at the bar, thinking about ways to play out the game that evening, when the answer came to him, in the form of a stranger who had come with his drink and sat next to him. The stranger introduced himself as Seth, and shaking Dare’s hand sat on the stool next to him. After they had had couple of drinks, they had become quite chummy. Seth explaining he had come up for one of the weddings, and assumed Dare was doing the same. Seth did not fail to observe Dare’s secretive smile, but did not question it. Their conversation was distracted only when a newcomer appeared at the entrance. Beth walked in, a long flowing silky skirt swishing down to her leather sandals. A shiny, long sleeved satin top fitting tightly along her perky figure, with bright gold jewelry complementing the ensemble. Real gold, Seth observed silently to himself.

Beth went to a table, both men going silent as they watched her move through the room. Good-looking one, that, Seth commented, looking at Dare who was deep in thought as his eyes were fixed on the sexy newcomer. Seth teasingly offered Dare a penny for his thoughts. Dare smiled mischievously, letting lose his plans. Seth listened to the young man, smiling as a light went on in his steal grey eyes. When Dare finished he offered up a suggestion as to how Dare could make it really interesting for Beth. The two co-conspirators worked it out: Seth told Dare about a stone hut and wall that was located on the back nine of the resorts golf course. He suggested that he, Seth, would meet Beth that evening and pass a note onto her from Dare saying that he was in trouble and needed her help, with directions to the spot. Dare liked the idea, and wrote the note on a cocktail napkin, cementing the plan by handing it to Seth.

Off you go old chap, let Uncle Seth take care of his end, he said grinning, giving Dare a sporting clap on the back. With a wink, Dare left his fellow collaborator, and went over to Beth, who had since been seated by a male waiter, now standing drooling over her shoulder as she looked at the menu.

 

Later that same evening, inside the crowded club:

 

Seth had stopped by the bar for a last drink. His business venture had been concluded earlier than he had expected. With the change in his plans, he had checked out early, his kit packed, boot loaded and the car ready. He now sat at the bar Causley watching young lass of about seventeen who had literally ran into him at one of the receptions. He watched her flirting about the club, weaving in and out of the guests. With a long swishing gown flowing provocatively along her lithe figure, abundant, solid white gold chains swinging out in an alluringly eye catching manner as she scurried about. A diminutive gold ring its half caret diamond flickered playfully from the petite pinky it loosely surrounded once again welcomed his contemplation. The lass presented quite an intriguing gold feathered fledgling, just begging to be plucked. He looked around, spying her parents on the dance floor. The father/husband, despite being an excellent dancer, gave him no interest. It was his partner, the wife/ mother, decked out in a iridescent suit and long swishing satin skirt upon which he now was reexamining. He again studied under the bright dance floor lights her fine pearls dangling from her ears, throat, and wrists. But it was the Ladies’ two rings that stole the show for him; an engagement ring with a rock of at least 2 carets surrounded by numerous shimmering half caret stones and a pinky ring similar to her daughters, that proudly displayed a single white solitaire diamond of at least one caret that had garnered his consideration. He also reconsidered the facts that he had been able to garnish about the lady who wore them, and her husband. The wife/mother was a heavy drinker who would not be expected to make any kind of appearance before noon. Hubby was a golfer, who would be out for breakfast at five am before being on the links at 6 am the next morning . At 5 :15 Seth was planning to pay a visit to his suite, and relieve his two ladies of their expensive trinkets. It should be an easy straight forward caper, that had Seth bristling with anticipation at the prospect.

As he was tossing down the last of his drink he remembered about Dare and the note he still had in his pocket. Setting down the empty glass, he pulled the note out and looked at it, kids he smirked, and was preparing to crinkle toss it on the bar and leave, when his eyes caught sight of Beth. He had felt his breath taken away when he saw her. Not at all what he had expected, he would say to Beth much later in the evening. He looked over the note, stirrings of a plan began formulating. All thoughts of the dancing couple and his plans fled his mind, as He rose, throwing a fiver on the bar and went off to intercept Beth.

Seth held Beth in his arms, she was a vivacious little thing he thought, while smiling charmingly into her eyes. She seemed a little apprehensive at first, but had settled right in when he had told her this had been set up by Dare, remember me at the bar with him this afternoon he had consoled her, she had smile brightly into his eyes in answer. He relished in the feel of her warm satin gown, and allowed himself to be mesmerized by the shimmer of her diamonds.

 

It reminded him of the diamonds that had been worn by one of his dance partners earlier that evening at a reception. He had forgotten her name, but not her diamonds, one of which now resided in a hidden compartment of his roadsters boot, along with the diamond pin he had slipped off the satin cape he had cordially help a well-dressed lady put on. He had also shelved his plans for his 5:15 am “meeting” at the golf playing husbands hotel room, Beth’s jewels were a much more lucrative prospect.

 

When the dance had ended he took her to the bar and sat her down, ordering her a drink. She seemed a little perplexed, Seth kissed her gloved hand; wait for it he told her mysteriously, winking into her eyes. Beth had winked back, the fire in her heart reflecting deep in her eyes. Seth left, smiling cleverly to himself as he took in his surroundings. He looked around as he walked away, now where had the little imp gotten off too?

He had decided that the seventeen year old in the long flirting gown would play a very different role in his plans. He approached her, with Dares note and a twenty. Thought for a moment about the pair of thick platinum gold chains dangling from her throat down the open neckline of the girl’s glossy gown, then banished the though, he had bigger fish to filet. The twenty caught her attention and she eagerly listened as he explained to her what to do, pointing out Beth sitting, waiting in earnest at the bar. Wait until she finishes her drink, Seth told her as she listened eagerly. She took the twenty into her hand, the half caret diamond on her pinky ring flashing, and her gold chain bracelets jangled as she grasped it. Seth left, figuring he had about twenty minutes to stop at his car, get a few items from the boot, and put his plan in motion.

Beth had curiously received the note from the attractively shy young lady, clad a slinky gown that made her appear years older. Reading it she folded it and was just getting up when a man wearing a suit came up to her and offered to let her dance with him. It took her some time, before she was finally able to ward him off and leave the brilliantly lit clubroom for the dark, forbidding grounds outside.

Now, a thoroughly excited Beth walked up the hill. Her senses becoming more prickling alert with each step. Innocently unaware that she was no longer playing a role in Dare’s game!

 

************************************************************************************

Epilogue:

 

As Seth walked away admiring the shimmery necklace, his thoughts travelled back to the gold burdened impish youngster in the swirling gown, and her pearl and diamond laden mother. Revisiting his original plans he decided that he liked the odds, especially since they would be against him. With the father leaving early to meet his cronies for breakfast the Mother should be still sleeping off her drink induced stupor, the hyperactive girl should still be out cold, but presented no risk if she awoke, he had more rope. The ladies jewels should be lying about in the apartment, or handedly on their persons( the pairs of diamond pinky rings, as well as the multi-diamond engagement ring flashed once again across his memory with all their brilliant glory),as he caught fire with the vision. There could be a safe he reasoned, but with a tied up daughter and a knife in his hand, the mother should have no issue opening it for him, or disclosing anywhere else her jewels may have been hidden . But if there was no safe, and the rings, pearls and solid white gold chains were somewhere in the room, he knew he would be able to noiselessly break in, find and slip the jewels from wherever they were perched, and be safely on his way without even causing the slightest stir from the sleeping woman and her daughter. It was a road Seth had travelled down many times. He prickled at the thought, as he foresightedly tallied up the potential haul while making his way to the car. The Mother/wife’s diamond rings, would easily fetch him at least three grand, probably close five with her pearls and the whelp’s jewelry added in. About a quarter of what he probably would get for the jewels now in his procession, so he mused inquisitively to himself, so ,was it worth the risk of his 20,000 bird in hand? Yes he answered himself, as all too familiar and welcome tingling sensation overwhelmed Seths muscular body. Like Dare, Seth like to play risky games, especially those which promised to be somewhat profitable. It would be a tantalizingly chancy gamble of his own; to wait a safe distance away while things cooled down and then return to break into the un protected sleeping ladies chamber.. He knew just the place to hide , and it would be a perfect spot to watch events unfold around Beth and Dare, while making his plans! It also afforded a nicely secret hiding nook for the ill-gotten gains collected so far that evening in case something went wrong, which it wouldn’t..

 

Courtesy of Chatwick University Archives

 

"VIDEO KILLED THE RADO STAR?"

 

Well, just about, I'm a tad knackered at the moment!

 

G’day, I’ve been a wee bit quiet for the past few weeks as I reviewed movies at this year’s 2007 Melbourne (Australia) International Film Festival. I broadcast the reviews over about two and a half hours all up on my show, Zero-G: Science Fiction, Fantasy & Historical Radio, on 3RRR FM. (rrr.org.au)

 

The above picture is the sign on the Erwin Rado Theatre at 211 Johnson Street, Fitzroy, where the MIFF has its headquarters. The building's nothing much to look at from outside, really! But the sign...well, THAT has character!

 

Below the MIFF offices, the theatre, named after the director of the Film Festival from 1957 - 1983, has a charming old 69 seat cinema that can screen 16mm and 35mm film as well as DVD, LaserDisc, VHS, Data and MiniDV.

 

The MIFF’s access to the theatre expired at the end of 2007 and, ideally, it really should have its own dedicated screening facility, as other major city’s film festivals have. Still, the office itself has now moved to a more central location in Melbourne, which is handy!

 

To find out more about the MIFF go here:

 

www.melbournefilmfestival.com.au/

 

Anyway, I thought I’d post some of reviews here, inspired by films that I particularly enjoyed at this year’s event.

 

The full transcripts can be found at:

 

www.rrr.org.au/playlist/2778/

 

-AACHI & SSIPAK-

SOUTH KOREA

 

This continuously violent South Korean animated adult feature presents a future where human excrement is an energy source. Citizens have a monitoring chip attached to their arses and particularly productive individuals are rewarded with addictive drug laced munchies called Juicy Bars.

 

I shit you not.

 

The story begins with a roadwarrior highway battle as the swarming blue mutant Diaper Gang (!) attempts to truckjack a cargo of Juicy Bars, only to encounter a devastatingly lethal cyborg enforcer who makes Judge Dredd look like a human rights campaigner.

 

Headshot bodies fall at a rate that would impress Aeon Flux and Samurai Jack combined as the repressive government, assorted roving bands of bandits and con men, including the title characters Aachi and Ssipak (pronounced ‘she-pock’) along with a feisty would-be actress, all compete for the Juicy Bars.

 

Given the outrageous level of mayhem and the giggling concept that lies at the, er, bottom of the plot, it’s hardly worth noting that the animators cheerfully raid pop culture for many sequences, including the films Aliens and Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom. The latter is extensively overmined for one tunnel chase set up.

 

The animation is quite stylistically vigorous while the off the wall social commentary reminds me a little of the kind of thing that animator Ralph Bakshi attempted in his Fritz The Cat days, well before the likes of South Park and its shock-anime kin. There’s also something to be said for the biting political satire that runs through the narrative, which results in the government and gang leader being merely two opposite sides of the same ruthless coin.

 

People with kids could have pointless fun banning them from seeing this film, but apparently MTV’s thinking of doing a telly series based on it anyway, so, futile or what?

 

Subtle it isn’t, but it is a species of wicked fun that will gather bums on seats!

 

Director Joe Bum-jin

2006/90mins

    

-A FEW DAYS IN SEPTEMBER-

ITALY/FRANCE/PORTUGAL

 

The first film directed by screenwriter Santiago Amigorena, A Few Days In September

(Quelques Jours en Septembre), is a laid back but quite charming French spy thriller that makes espionage a family affair...and a realistically bickering family at that.

 

Elliot, mostly alluded to or played as an off screen voiceover by Nick Nolte until near the film’s conclusion, is an ex-CIA agent with knowledge about the upcoming 911 attacks. He hopes to trade the information for a stake that will enable him to reunite and live with his biological daughter and step-son, legacies of two seperate cover identity marriages in France and the U.S.

 

Much sought after by various factions, Elliot entrusts his grown up children, Orlando (Sara Forestier) and David (British actor Tom Riley) to the capable care of Irène, a cool, experienced French secret agent who used to be Elliot’s colleague. The potentially overwhelming meta-story takes a back seat to the character relationships, which makes a nice change to the usual breathless adventures that would normally puff up this kind of story into a by-the-numbers action thriller.

 

Juliette Binoche brings marvelous, stylish depth to her role as world wise spy Irène, providing a wryly sophisticated setting for her charges’ inevitable romance. (What IS it with the French anyway? After Irène’s arm is injured she turns up wearing a chic scarf as a sling, but of course!) Always gorgeous, the actress pitches the character as being adept enough at her deadly trade so that she can afford to enjoy herself while she works. Forestier is all sharp edged, angry eyed angst as she works through father/daughter issues while Riley nervously cooks (his character worked in a restaurant) for the two formidable women who have abruptly complicated his life with their Amazonian expertise with firearms. I also very much enjoyed the arch Franco/American banter between Orlando and David.

 

Seeking Elliot through the medium of his children is William Pound, a whacko ‘wet work’ assassin who has a penchant for poetry, drives a florist’s delivery van and has a mobile phone plagued by the world’s most annoying ringtone. Pound’s character is tightly wound by John Turturro, who played one of the convicts in O Brother, Where Art Thou? and also an equally obsessive relative of the title character in the television series Monk.

 

A Few Days In September benefits from first rate cinematography, including some playful soft focus shots that whimsically render Venice and Paris, cheekily explained by Irène’s habit of removing her glasses to ‘see things differently’. There’s also a cracking good shot through the dark framed doorway of a Venetian Chapel which reminded me of a signature frame from a John Ford Western, only instead of Mesas and sagebrush we get the Venice Lagoon and a passing ocean liner.

 

Although this film lingers perhaps a little too lovingly on the wrangling entanglements of its main characters I still found it pleasant and rewardable viewing. Amigorena certainly knows how to inject off-beat life into his characters.

 

Director/Screenwriter Santiago Amigorena

2006/115 mins

  

-BUG-

USA

 

When down on her luck small town waitress Agnes White (played by Ashley Judd) invites eccentric drifter Peter Evans into her seedy motel room she receives much more than she bug-aned for!

 

Director William Friedkin (The Exorcist, & The French Connection) gets almost unbearably psychological in this cross genre movie that wisely adds no excess fat to the one set, pressure cooker Tracy Lett’s play that it’s adapted from. As the two main characters’ relationship slowly emerges from a far too tightly spun chrysalis the film builds to one of the most intensely wound paranoic conclusions seen on screen.

 

Michael Shannon is gauntly convincing as Evans, a role that he pioneered in the original stage play and intially at least, reminds me a little of a young Steve McQueen or perhaps, Joachim Phoenix. Harry Connick Junior has a supporting part in the film as Agne’s ex-convict, ex-husband.

 

Bug’s maddeningly paced escalating tension is supported by an appropriately chittering score, composed by Brian Tyler, who also gave us soundtracks for the films Constantine, Bubba Ho-Tep, the Children of Dune miniseries, as well as episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise and the upcoming Aliens Versus Predator 2: Survival Of The Fittest. Speaking of Star Trek, Ashley Judd also played Ensign Robin Lefler in Star Trek: Next Generation.

 

Bug is a film that creeps up on you and by its final scuttling rush will definitely get under your skin...one way or another.

 

Director- William Friedkin

Screenwriter-Tracy Letts

2006/101mins

   

-EL TOPO-

(MEXICO)

 

El Topo (“The Mole”) was director Alejandro Jodorowsky's third film. The infamous Mexican allergorically surreal Eastern/Western is presented at the festival in a very fine new restoration (a bit of a shock for those used to seeing it in its customary raddled grindhouse/cult prints!) along with its natural companion piece, The Holy Mountain.

 

This comprehensively startling but compelling film begins, not unlike the Lone Wolf And Cub Samurai series, with the black clad, flute playing gunslinger El Topo (played by the director himself) riding across the wastelands in company with a taciturn child companion. After a blood drenched encounter with drunkenly bestial bandits El Topo replaces the boy with a seductively manipulative woman who urges him to become the greatest shootist in the world by seeking out and defeating four master gunfighters.

 

As with the wuxia martial arts films that this story frequently references the quest for the masters proves dangerous, difficult, baffling and wonderous.

 

The gunslinger’s odyssey to achieve enlightment and mastery is populated with exotic encounters and inventive, symbolically charged imagery. Deflating balloons signal the start of duels, capering outlaws with shoe fetishes rape feminised sand paintings and carve bananas with sabres, civilised townsfolk prove more depraved and debauched than the wasteland bandits, herds of rabbits mysteriously die at El Topo’s feet, incestuously deformed trogalytes living in oil drums tunnel to escape their underground prison, and live bullets are caught and deflected by butterfly nets.

 

This visual melange is supported by Jodorowskys and Nacho Méndezs evocative music which, by turns soothing or jarring, echoes across the many desert based sequences and permeates the locations, which frequently read more like artistic installations than sets grounded in any kind of mundane reality. In fact, there is a timeless anachronistic feel to the desert that makes you question whether this is nominally a period Western or indeed set in some kind of post-apocalyptic Stephen King future.

 

El Topo is rendered even stranger by its renowned mid-film gear change, one of several enigmatic transformations that can be interpreted as Buddhist inspired reincarnations of the title character.

 

Just imagine what might have been if Jodorowsky had pulled off his mid-70s adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, with its intended cast of Salvidor Dali as the Emperor, Mick Jagger playing Feyd Rautha and Orson Welles as Baron Harkonnen? As it is the Acid Western tradition at least got another outing in Jim Jarmusch's more recent film, Dead Man, which, for all its many remarkable charms, by comparison to El Topo is cast into monochrome shade.

 

A bizarre chimera even by Zero-G's notoriously unhinged standards El Topo is a cult classic given gloriously grotesque new life by its own recent transfiguring restoration.

 

Director/Screenwriter Alejandro Jodorowsky

1971/125mins

 

-FIDO-

Canada/USA

 

Fido fiendishly expands upon the gag featured in Shaun of the Dead (amongst other films) that zombies could be domesticated to perform simple tasks. Zombies helping in the kitchen? Uh-oh, better make sure they keep those rotting fingers are kept hygenically away from food preparation surfaces with a pair of crisp, clean white cotton gloves....

 

In an alternate 1950s the all encompassing ZomCom, which apparently helped win the Zombie War, protects and serves the walled small towns of America. Now, we all know that the only reason to provide zombies with clever electronic control collars is so that the gadgets can malfunction; cue zombie outbreak! It’s the slyly subversive juxtaposition of wholesome mom and apple-pie Leave It To Beaver sitcom with Zombie killing procedural that lends this consistently bemusing film a wicked Addams Family style where Pop naturally reads Death Magazine and scenes shot in cars are filmed using good old fashioned rear screen projection.

 

Not that we’re talking Black and White telly, nosirree Bob! Fido is filmed in full, glorious technicolour, complete with ginormous finned automobiles, two toned shoes and compliant Stepford housewives who wait at the front door for their patriarchal hubbies to take the martini from their submissive, manicured hands. Happily, Carrie Anne-Moss in one of the main roles, as Helen Robinson, is more of a buddingly feisty Desperate Housewife after the armed and dangerous example of Bree Hodge. (From The Matrix to a zombie packed Pleasantville is indeed an ironic career path!) It’s not long before Helen kicks over the domestic traces following the example of her young son, Timmy (knowingly played by the intriguingly named K’Sun Ray) and his new pet zombie, the Fido of the title, embodied by Billy Connolly. Connolly plays the long suffering Fido with toothy glee, moaning and groaning and lurching in the throes of what could easily double as a hangover of fatally heroic proportions.

 

Keep an eye out (easy to do in a zombie film) for Dylan Baker, as the nervously cheerful Bill Robinson. Baker has had the sleeper part of Doctor Curt Connors in the Spider-Man films and, as comic book fans anticipate, should eventually get to mutate into the super-villain, The Lizard.

 

Fido is my genre pic of the Festival, in the tradition of another year’s shambling B-schlock spoof, The Lost Skeleton Of Cadavra. I ask you, how can I not enjoy sinking my teeth into a film where a pet zombie is addressed with a line like: “What’s that Fido? Timmy’s in trouble?”

 

It’s enough to make Lassie dig her way out of her grave!

 

Director- Andrew Currie

Screenwriters- Robert Chomiak, Andrew Currie, Dennis Heaton

2006/91mins

   

-HANSEL & GRETEL-

GERMANY

 

If you go down to the woods today.....you’d better take your copy of the Brothers Grimm Cookbook For Baking Independent Elderly Female Cannibal Sorceresses.

 

German director Anne Wild and screenwriter Peter Schwindt settle for a straightforward retelling of the classic rural ‘stranger danger’ story wherein the devious Gretel proves the most resourceful of two deliberately lost children who end up on the menu of the obligatory member of the local Guild of Almagamated Wicked Witches & Confectioners.

 

Deliberately lost? How do you think the kids got to be wandering around in Blair Witchburg in the first place? Sometimes tactfully omitted from modern retellings of this familiar story is the neglected element of child abandonment, a practice forced upon starving families in situations of plague, famine, wars and other social upheavals. In this case, it’s the pragmatic step-mother who pushes her more sentimental but nontheless compliant woodcutter husband into cutting loose the kids.

 

In early versions of the story it’s usually just the natural mother who suggests jettisoning the offspring...a much more useful cautionary tale for parents to use as and Awful Threat when disciplining naughty anklebiters.

 

Leaving aside observations about how Hansel and Gretel underlines the historical distrust of skilled single women of independent means this is actually a moderately creepily staged film. The woods are suitably threatening, and the witch herself, though certainly not up to Buffy The Vampire Slayer standards is a reasonably nasty albeit dimwitted piece of work...

 

I never can figure out quite why witchy poo needed to go Hannibal Lector on kiddies when she was capable of whipping up enough food to fatten a small army, not to mention all that square footage of gingerbread real estate. Let’s just assume it’s an alternative lifestyle choice, along the lines of supergenius Wile. E. Coyote yearning after Roadrunner drumsticks in spite of the fact that he had enough credit to order truckloads of expensive gadgets from the ACME Corporation.

 

(On the subject of ghoulish folks developing a fondness for ‘long pig’ just what DID those darling children do with the oven fired witch after they fried her arse?)

 

We all know how this ends, after making off with the witch’s portable property the kids, in a remarkable act of forgiveness, share their taxfree windfall with their deadbeat dad...though their step mother has obligingly dropped dead in the meanwhile.

 

Hmm, did anyone actually see step-mama and Ms Witch in the same room at the same time?

 

Don’t expect a Post-Modern fractured fairytale from Hansel and Gretel and you won’t be led astray by what’s essentially a traditionally told, moderately unsettling film.

 

Director- Anne Wild

Screenwriter- Peter Schwindt

2006/76mins

   

-THE HOLY MOUNTAIN-

MEXICO

 

If you thought Alejandro Jodorowsky’s third film, El Topo, was weird...well, no caca Sherlock!

 

Wait until you get a load of this....

 

His next surreally allegorical outing, 1973’s The Holy Mountain, scales even more whackily experimental heights. Like El Topo, The Holy Mountain has also been recently, lovingly restored, all the better to trip out on the eye bulging psychedelic imagery!

 

Again, as with El Topo, the nominal protagonist is on a messianic quest to achieve enlightment. Even more ironically symbolic in this case since the central thief character bears a strong and exploitable resemblance to the traditional representation of Jesus Christ.

 

Horácio Salinas plays the hapless thief, leaving Jodorowsky himself the catalytic role of a tower dwelling alchemist who charges him to accompany seven influential but materialistic powerbrokers to Lotus Island where they will achieve eternal life once they have climbed the eponymous Holy Mountain.

 

Initially the dialogue is thin on the ground but soon ramps up to cheerfully inexplicable levels where a line like “hypersexed brown native vampires” can pass without comment or indeed comprehension. Politics, art, sexuality, and filmmaking, amongst many other subjects, all cop a satirical hiding in this extraordinary film which relies heavily upon fantasy imagery drawn from tarot cards, astrology and religion.

 

Just listing a few of the oddball ideas gives you an idea of the unique scope of Jorodowsky’s fevered imagination.

 

Two women are ‘cleansed’ of clothing, make-up, jewellery, false nails, and hair by a black robed priest who himself has ebony varnished fingernails. A screaming man lies covered in tarantulas...no big acting stretch there! The Invasion of Mexico is renacted by lizards dressed in Mezoamerican costumes battling frogs wearing Conquistador armour and missionary robes. (I have my doubts about this sequence, it sure looks like the poor frogs are really being blown up by explosives?) A mulitple amputee writes cryptic messages in the dirt with a severed animal leg. Parading prostitutes turn out to be just as holy as priests. Roman soldiers cast the thief in plaster and create a line of life-sized crucifiction merchandise. Art factory paint coated nude backsides stamp out images on a production line while live body painted nudes are built into installations so they can be fondled by gallery patrons. Gas masked soldiers attend dances and machine guns and hand grenades are painted in rainbow colours. Spartan like warriors pursue a cunning plan to emasculate 1000 heroes to create a shrine of 1000 testicles....and nevermind what they did with the other 1000! Eviscerated victims spill chicken guts....and I mean they literally pull chickens from their wounds’ while Liederhosen wearing Teutonics trip on drugs and strongmen are able to turn intangible and teleport through entire mountains.

 

Distantly reminiscent of Fellini’s Satyricon, and to some extent Roma, The Holy Mountain also boasts the most startling Orgasmatron machine since the erotic cult film Barbarella, in the form of a Giant mechanical vagina that’s manipulated like a theramin.... well, if a theramin was played by a giant dildo!

 

Is it any surprise, really, in the wake of the cult success of El Topo, that The Holy Mountain’s producer Allen Klein also managed The Beatles and that those fans of all things psychedelic, John Lennon and Yoko Ono helped fund the movie?

 

Landmark or landfill experimental film? The Holy Mountain remains an obvious precursor to movies like Eraserhead, The Cremaster Cycle, and The Qatsi Trilogy.

 

Climb it at your own peril. (You know you want to!)

 

Director/Screenwriter Alejandro Jodorowsky

1973/114mins

  

-lLS-

France

 

Clementine (Olivia Bonamy) and Lucas (Michael Cohen) live happily in pastoral rural isolation in a rundown chalet in the Romanian woods, until one night they are attacked by....THEM! No, not by lurching giant ants from a 1950s horror film but by...well, that would be telling. Some horror films take their time building suspense but Moreau and Palud’s shiversome first feature nails you straight to the wall and keeps you hanging there for the economical just-over-an-hour’s running time. And I do mean ‘running’.

 

The adept direction and unrelating pace set within the atmospheric confines of the old chalet (a dream of a location to create nightmares in) is ramped up by genuinely unnerving sound effects design, an evocatively tense soundtrack, solid if necessarilly Spartan performances by the two leads, and the teasing revelation of the nature of the besiegers.

 

There’s nothing particularly new about the ingredients stirred into this terrifying mix. In fact, you could, after the credits have rolled and the lights come up again, sit back and tick off the horror cliches one by one, starting with the usually tiresome pronouncement, “Based On A True Story”. Commentators seem uncertain about the veracity of that, but in this case it adds to the overall feel of unease that permeates the ending of this film. I found myself thinking, “Y’know, I can see how that could actually happen....brrrr!”

 

Ils...it took me a while to realise that the title is merely the French word for “Them”... is one of the most disturbing horror films I’ve seen in some time, and all without buckets of blood or lashings of sickly inventive torture porn. With its efficient minimalist approach it’s very close in tone to the best of the New Wave of Japanese horror that burst upon the West several years ago now.

 

Directors/ Screenwriters- David Moreau and Xavier Palud

2006/70 mins

  

-ISLAND OF LOST SOULS-

DENMARK

 

A big budget supernatural fantasy for young adults that's part Spielberg, part Lucas, with an added dash of Harry Potter, but which ultimately wears its ample CGI well to create an enjoyable and in a few places reasonably scary film.

 

When two children move to a quiet country town the last thing they expect to find is a haunted island plagued by a supernatural confluence of kidnapped souls. When a young girl taps into the mystic mayhem it results in her brother being possessed by the spirit of a centuries dead member of an ancient order of sorcerous crimefighters.

 

The film's young actors are capable and ‘self possessed’ in the face of some quite formidable magical opposition, including a new and nasty take on that familiar player from Central Horror Casting, the living Scarecrow, along with a necromancer who could be brother to both Nosferatu and the Star Wars Emperor, right down to the cadaverous features and handy ability to cast Sith lightning from his fingies! I especialy liked the offbeat character of the trainspotting psychic investigator who inevitably comes to the kid’s aid in their hour of dire peril.

 

A fun little romp that’s no longer than it should be at an economical 100 minutes.

 

Director- Nikolaj Arcel

Screenwriter- Ramsus Heisterberg

2007/100mins

 

Sessions

Sun, 12th of August, 1:00 PM

ACMI

  

-KHADAK-

Belgium/Germany/The Netherlands

 

Bagi, played by Batzul Khayankhyarvaa, is a young nomad, who, along with his family are wrenched from their nomadic existence by the Mongolian government who want to consolidate people in towns, villages and cities as the fledgling democracy gears up to enter the 21st century’s global economy. After rescuing Zolzaya (Tsetsegee Byamba), a beautiful female coal thief, Bagi boldly goes where nomad has gone before on a shamanistic quest that culminates in fantastical revelations about Mongolia’s future relation with the environment.

 

Khadak is underpinned by a hypnotically compelling narrative fascination with magic realism that often contrasts the shabby reality of the concrete high rises with the colourfully organic traditional nomadic traditional yurt dwellings.

 

The film overflows with powerful imagery, including a simple but effective camera roll that causes an iconistic prayer-scarf draped tree to turn upside down as the land itself is inverted by mineral exploitation and pollution. A deserted town, in reality an abandoned former Soviet barracks, stands in for one potential future. Tractors, used to haul the disassembled yurts, are started and allowed to run aimlessly free across the steppes as the government agents burn the nomads’ links to their former lifestyle behind them.

 

Khadak doesn’t always offer too nostalgic a view of the nomadic struggle; many of the former rural folk cheerfully adapt to their new circumstances and some seem to pragmatically thrive, especially Bagi’s mother, who ends up running heavy machinery at the coal mine where immense draglines swing with saurian grace across the screen.

 

The film’s reverberating score resonates across the wind blown, echoing steppes, giving way to some moments of pure musical bliss, especially when some of the newly urbanised young people get together for astonishing ‘jam’ sessions.

 

Both lyrical and hard edged Khadak is a film, like Martin Scorsese’s Kundan, whose exotic sights and sounds will be welcome guests in my yurt for as long as they choose to stay.

 

Directors/Screenwriters- Peter Brosens, Jessica Hope Woodworth

2006/105mins

  

-LAST WINTER, THE-

USA/Iceland

 

It’s damn cold in Northern Alaska but not cold enough, as tough but soft centered Ron Perlman’s advance oil drilling preparation crew discover when they set out to re-open an isolated test drilling site that may be viable in the face of looming energy shortages. The arctic circle tundra is thawing rapidly, unleashing the kind of environmental horror movie that used to be in vogue back in the 1970s and which is all too timely now as global warming makes its presence felt in the real world.

 

Perlman, as usual, is excellent, giving the kind of inflected performance that graced Hellboy, Cronos, City Of Lost Children and his impressive work in the television fantasy series Beauty & The Beast. The ensemble players are also deftly sketched in, often in a low key fashion that adds realism.

 

Director Larry Fessenden successfully follows up and even references in one brief bit of dialogue, Wendigo, one of his earlier, not entirely disimilar horror outings. As with some other genre films in this year’s festival the horror elements are timeless; from the simmering sexual and tensions and hostility between the boffins and the bluecollars to the classic scenario of the besieged ice station. The latter is a character in itself, in the ‘Thingy’ tradition of both Howard Hawks and John Carpenter’s seperate adaptations of John W. Campbell’s seminal very Cold War science fiction novella, Who Goes There? Best possible use is made of this stunning location, as the screen often becomes an overwhelmingly vast white or dark canvas to trap and diminish the hapless blue collar workers.

 

Crystal clear sound design helps ‘sell’ the visuals and the impressive CGI special effects are first rate, without ever detracting from the practical drama of the sheer dangers of living and working in such an extreme environment.

 

The Last Winter is a cunningly ambiguous chiller that cleverly maintains a plausible alternative explanation for the film’s lethal events up to and possibly including the final admirably restrained frame which begs teasingly to be opened out into a wider shot but leaves the audience wanting more, leaving room for a possible but unecessary sequel.

 

Oil be back!

 

Director- Larry Fessenden

Screenwriters- Larry Fessenden, Robert Leaver

2006/107mins

  

-MEN AT WORK-

IRAN

 

A carload of Iranian buddies on their way down the mountains from a skiing holiday stop for a toilet break at a precipitous roadside layover and discover a monolithic rock

that just HAS to be tumbled down the slopes.

 

If you’re a bloke, you automatically know how it is.

 

If you’re a woman, equally, you KNOW how we are!

 

An amusing exploration of male bonding and stubborness this happily crazy film is guaranteed to contain no sociopolitical allegory whatsoever (really!) and the Iranian writer/director has asked that the U.S please refrain from invading his leg of the Axis of Evil until he has finished his next project.

 

Director/Screenwriter- Mani Haghighi

2006/75mins

  

-SEVERANCE-

UK

 

When completely politically incorrect arms merchant Palisade Defence rewards its crack Euro Sales division with a team-building weeked in the woods of Eastern Europe the mismatched but archtypal bickering office workers soon find that they’re not quite the ‘gun’ group that they thought they were.

 

Yes, the comparison of choice is The Office meets Deliverance and that’s fair enough because what makes this movie so gormlessly funny is the inept Brits Abroad schtick combined with an equally knowing, wickedly timed take on the horror slasher genre that puts most inept Hollywood fun with fear spoofs to more shame than ever. The only time this film ever really fumbles is when it takes the horror too seriously, which is not all that frequently, though more noticably and perhaps inevitably, in the apocalyptic last reel.

 

Oddly, Severence’s particularly grungy baddies who get to fold, spindle and mutilate our heroic twonks remind me very much of the “Stalkers” from the recent popular video game, which itself references the Tarkovsky film and the less well known science fiction novel that classic is itself based on, Boris and Arkady Strugatsky’s Roadside Picnic.

 

The heavyweight British ensemble cast is a real corker here, and one of the most enjoyable in the festival films I’ve seen this year, including at least one former Bond villain (Toby Stephens who was Gustav Graves in Die Another Day) and the always wetly amusing Tim McInnerny who plays to his well known Blackadder type (He was both Lord Percy and Captain Darling) as the incompetent boss of the Palisade’s party.

 

I won’t be the last reviewer to note that Eastern Europe has become destination of choice for horror filmmakers of late. Attracted by threatening woodlands, abandoned buildings and low cost production facilities the exotic locales also perhaps wallow in a degree of smug and possibly premature Western superiority in the wake of the economic collapse of former Eastern Bloc foes. For the moment, these once hard to access countries are providing filmmakers with a place to set their stories ‘beyond the glow of the streetlights’. Again, as with other festival genre films, Severence does benefit from a marvelously decrepit Old Dark house of a location.

 

Severence is laced with joyfully understated sight gags, dialogue to listen for, and a good deal of well meaning irony regarding corporate responsibility. The icing on the cake is a musical score that fiddles with both ominous gypsy curses, pop tunes and even riffs off We’ll Meet Again as featured in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove, to which black comedy there’s more than one reference.

 

Severance gives awful new meaning to the term, “You’e fired!”

 

Director- Christopher Smith

Screenwriters- James Moran, Christopher Smith

2006/90mins

  

-STILL LIFE-

HONG KONG/CHINA

  

An intimate but involving look at the disapora of displaced persons produced by China's Three Gorges Dam mega-engineering project as seen through the eyes of two people.

 

In the first part of the film coal miner Han Sanming (played by Sanming Han) returns after 16 years absence to his former home town of Fengjie, only to find its 2000 years of history submerged beneath the waters of the dam. Taking a temporary job in demolition, he searches for news of his ex wife, whom he hasn’t seen for 16 years.

 

Still Life never wanders far from the dominating horizontal visuals of the mighty Yangtze River and the monolithic concrete and steel dam. The apocalyptic rubble of the yet-to-be flooded part of the town forms another powerful metaphor, a full stop to the flow of linear time represented by the River, which itself has been given pause by the immense project.

 

It’s a hard life for Han, though undoubtedly far less dangerous than the notoriously hazardous Chinese coal mining industry, and it provides some extraordinary imagery.

Men in supposedly protective suits with sanitising back pack sprayers wander through gutted homes. Friends are made amongst workmates to the jaunty ringtones of their mobile phones as they exchange numbers...a socialising ritual that later prompts one of the film’s most poignant moments when a mobile ‘s unanswered ringing signals a tragic accident. Condemned buildings collapse with tired grace in the distant background as they receive explosive coup de grâces.

 

The second half of the film segues into another quest for closure, as Nurse Shen Hong (Tao Zhao) journeys to the town looking for her own estranged husband.

Again, the dam is another defining presence in the story, providing a backdrop for the final resolution of Shen Hong’s search.

 

One baffling scene (and I’d welcome any light that anyone can shed on this!) sees Shen staring at a large monument in the distance. It appears to be a Chinese alphabetical character, rendered in concrete. As she turns away, rocket motors ignite at its base and the whole giant structure lifts off into the skies. I assume this is some kind of reference to the recent successes of the Chinese manned space programme but am not sure as to why it’s relevant to the story? Unless it’s just a bit of triumphalism? Or indeed, because Shen does ignore the startling sight, perhaps it’s meant to be ironic? Enquiring minds need to know!

 

Actually, the overall philosophical conclusion drawn at the end of Still Life does read a little bit like some kind of inspirational tract to me....but that may just reflect my own bias, or again it could be ironic, and I won’t spoil the ending by going further into detail. (Well, cross cultural puzzles have always attracted me to World Cinema!)

 

Still Life is a beautifully visualised, thoughtful film with a measured pace that aptly reflects the larger elements that form the canvas that its smaller, but no less important, human dramas are played out against.

 

Director/Screenwriter- Jia Zhang-ke

2006/108mins

   

-THE WAR TAPES-

USA

 

Rather than be 'embedded' in a U.S military unit in Iraq filmmaker Deborah Scranton chose to give cameras to three National Guardsmen to record their own experiences deployed with Charlie Company, 3rd of the 172nd New Hampshire Mountain Infantry. Scranton provided additional remote directorial aid via text messaging and email to the three soldiers, Sgts. Stephen Pink and Zack Bazzi, and Specialist Michael Moriarty, whose stories were chosen from an overall pool of 1000 hours of footage.

 

The soldiers’ personal and professional accounts are sobering and revelatory and never less than enlightening.

 

Though it does this remarkably cohesive documentary something of a disservice to cherry pick material out of its sturdily engineered overall context it’s necessary to give some idea of the range of material included in the film.

 

We see several ambush eye views of the destructive force of roadside Improvised Explosive Devices which, though initiated and responded to with varying degrees of control by both combatant forces, usually result in chaos and confusion, death and destruction, for bystanders. One soldier matter-of-factly tours a vast graveyard of combat lossed vehicles, shattered and gutted by I.E.Ds, casting in an increasingly ironic light President Bush’s triumphantly naive 2003 announcement that “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended...”

 

The complexity of night operations are mirrored in the silvered eyed stare of soldiers seen through the eerie but tactically invaluable lenses of night vision equipment , rendering one formation of troops strikingly like a formation of stolid Terracotta Warriors. The detached professionalism of the soldiers understandably falters when a night time convoy kills a woman who was then struck repeatedly by each truck in turn.

 

The irony of soldiers and hired civilians (drivers and security guards) risking and losing their lives to protect re-supply cargos of, for example, cheese for hamburgers, is not lost on the troopers who wonder loudly if the complex and highly profitable logistical tail is wagging the policy dog? In fact, they’re refreshingly unguarded in their speculations about what they see, from their perspective as boots on the ground, as the reasons behind the ongoing war. Their observations are pithy, and to the point...or, rather, multiple points, as the individual opinions cover the entire spectrum of current controversy, from oil driven conspiracy to patriotic war on terror.

 

Soldiers will always enthusiastically relish the opportunity to grouse about their lot, reserving special venom for the shortcomings of their equipment, training, rations and orders. One complaint amongst many was that these soldiers received little or no cultural instruction to help prepare them for operating in the Iraq theatre, which ommission makes it hard to both know the enemy or understand your friends. Even a simple misunderstanding over a commonly used hand gesture for ‘Stop’ can, in the local environment, be fatally mistaken for ‘Hello!”

 

The fact that the Iraq conflict is, in reality, fought amongst peoples homes rather than some spiffily titled combat theatre, warzone or neutrally termed area of operations is thoughtfully underlined by frequent segues to the soldiers’ American homes, either when the troops have returned or during their absence. Surface impressions notwithstanding there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of difference between U.S and Iraqi civilians; folks, it seems, are alike all over. Stateside sequences touch upon the complicated effects that the deployment had on civilian family members, the problems of post traumatic stress disorder suffered by the veterans, and the more obvious physical injuries. For example, one of the soldiers has carpal tunnel syndrome in his hands, the result of vibration transmitted through the grips of his vehicle mounted machine gun on patrol. He also has to cope with back pain from wearing body armour in a confined space.

 

Crammed with ‘real time’ feedback from ongoing conflict The War Tapes makes a provocative companion piece with the 2005 documentary Gunner Palace. For balance I would also add to the recommended viewing list: Control Room (2004), Baghdad ER (2006), and My Country, My Country (2006)

 

Director- Deborah Scranton

2006/97mins

  

-WELCOME TO NOLLYWOOD-

USA/NIGERIA

 

Never heard of the Nigerian film industry? This inspiringly cheeky doco will rectify that and should be seen by all budding filmmakers seeking new ways to practice their art.

 

Something like 2400 movies per year are produced in Nigeria, making it the third most prolific film industry in the world. Film? Well, that’s a nostalgically generic term to describe the Nigerians’ enthusiastic bypassing of conventional film stock and its complex and expensive infrastructure in favour of digital video distributed directly and cheaply at local marketplaces on DVD or VCD.

 

The 300 or so Nigerian directors have an already rich tradition of oral storytelling to draw upon, and have embraced multiple genres usually lensing them through an action adventure filter, which has fostered a support industry of movie fight Action Camps where actors can learn the stunt fight business. Although one director claims “We don’t do science fiction” Nollywood nevertheless loves fantasy, especially religious based melodramas with plenty of demons and angels, sorcererors and witches.

 

Period films set in Nigeria often have a luridly portrayed but understandably anti-slavery element, which alongside with the witchcraft angle concerns some commentators who argue that focusing on these aspects promotes stereotypes.

 

A visit to the set of a film grounded in the recent Liberian war shows the Nigerian director, who at least partly funded the movie himself, putting his actors through boot camps to learn how to fill out their soldierly roles, including veteran advisors from both sides of the original conflict. The actors go through production hell but ironically are brought low by a botched contract with the caterers...

 

Nollywood; not entirely different from Hollywood!

 

Director- Jamie Meltzer

2007/58mins

  

-U-

FRANCE

 

A lyrical French animated feature with fluidly drawn artwork and an equally languid, but elegant plot as a Princess Mona is faced with choosing between new love and a beloved friend, who happens to be a unicorn. The charming, anthropomorphic animal cast could have been drawn by Dr Seuss, and the story is a souffle of flirtatious love with a playful musical topping.

 

Directors- Grégoire Solotareff, Serge Elissalde

Screenwriter- Grégoire Solotareff

2006/71mins

        

A franchise needs to have profits or else what is a franchise for? Industrialization was set up from almost the getgo in the New World with the manufacture of glassware in the Jamestown Settlement so that it could be profitable for the Virginia Company of London.

 

Besides having invented and implemented the moving assembly line for mass production, skyscrapers, the elevator, the telephone, and Wonder bread, American industrialization knowhow nowadays makes super strength gorilla glass, quantum computers, artificial intelligence, intra- and interstellar spacecraft, self-driving cars, propulsion drives, cancer-curing biotech products, financial derivatives, stickies, and hamburgers (including pure vegetable ones that taste just like a beef burger).

It still feels very weird to see Airbus aircraft being operated by Alaska Airlines, an airline that proclaims to fly a "Proudly All Boeing" fleet, excluding the retired fleet of Bombardier Dash 8-Q400s and Embraer E175s operated by their regional subsidiary through Horizon or on contract with SkyWest.

Indeed, Alaska Airlines had grown substantially after acquiring Virgin America in 2016 which was completed in 2018, this leading to the airline operating Airbus aircraft for the first time since commencing operations in 1944. Virgin America was a respected airline albeit was known to haemorrhage money thanks in no small part to competition from Los Angeles and San Francisco where major legacy carriers compete heavily. Alaska Airlines too are very respected, and are profitable thanks to loyalty and dominance within their hubs at Anchorage and Seattle.

Following on from Alaska Airlines acquiring Virgin America, the carrier inherited the latter fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft, ranging from the the Airbus A319/A320s to the Airbus A321neos. The acquisition was merely to make Alaska Airlines a much stronger carrier within the West Coast of the United States and to appease the threat of JetBlue also eyeing up purchasing the carrier. Indeed, the acquisition raised eyebrows as Alaska Airlines, a Boeing 737 operator were going to add competing Airbus A320 family aircraft into the fleet; by 2018 the carriers operated under a single operating certificate and were repainted into Alaska livery.

To mark the acquisition of Virgin America by Alaska Airlines, one Boeing 737-900ERs from pre-acquisition Alaska Airlines and 2 Airbus A321neos from the inherited order from Virgin America received 'More to Love' colours, blending between the two dominant colours of both airlines, red for Virgin America and blue for Alaska's then new livery introduced in 2016. Once withdrawn from service by September 2023, the solitary Boeing 737-900ER will remain as the only aircraft to retain this rather bold and striking livery.

Currently, Alaska Airlines operates 10 Airbus A320 family aircraft, all of which are Airbus A321neos.

November Nine Two Six Victor Alpha is one of 10 Airbus A321neos operated by Alaska Airlines, delivered new to the carrier on lease from GECAS (Jackson Square Aviation since September 2019) on 27th April 2018 and she is powered by 2 CFM International LEAP-1A33 engines.

Airbus A321-253N N926VA powers along Runway 25R at Los Angeles (LAX), California on AS1301 to Seattle-Tacoma (SEA), Washington.

Fishing in the Algarve region of Portugal is good. However, fishing tourists is a lot more profitable. Therefore, local fishermen in the picturesque Ponta da Piedade district, with its caves and marine tunnels, drive groups of tourists around for a nicely rounded fee...

When Manchester Corporation Tramways began operation in 1901, it discovered that a profitable side-business could be made carrying parcels on its trams. It quickly put in place a system of delivery boys based at the district offices and this business thrived, making the transition to carrying parcels on buses, and then using dedicated parcels vans based at a building in Bennett Street, Ardwick.

 

The Parcels Service even lasted into SELNEC days, based at the closed Parrs Wood bus depot, and turned a nice profit based mainly on home catalogue sales with customers such as Great Universal Stores.

 

Eventually the business started to lose money, driven by the opening up of the parcels market and with fewer parcels sent only within the Manchester area. But for over seventy years, people in Greater Manchester benefited from a cheap and reliable home delivery service that predated Amazon and eBay by decades.

 

If you'd like to know more about the Museum of Transport Greater Manchester and its collection of vintage buses, go to www.motgm.uk.

 

© Greater Manchester Transport Society. All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction is strictly prohibited and may result in action being taken to protect the intellectual property interests of the Society.

An easy and profitable business to start up is to produce crystal clear ice sculptures. There is a target market in every corporate and social event. More info: www.icegallery.biz/

 

>- Profitable Place to Sell Your Photos Online -<

  

Follow me on:

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | 500px

 

AndreyFilippov.com

 

Watco's WRA 002 diesel electric locomotive at Warwick, Queensland undergoing some maintenance and possible repairs. Watco is an American short line railroad operator to use US parlance. A short line in America is usually a borderline profitable or potentially profitable downgraded mainline or former branch line (s) of one of the major railway companies sold off to one of the many smaller private companies which may operate one or even a large number of usually non-connected short lines with a view to making a profit by increasing customers, offering specialised services and doing it all much cheaper. Mostly the high standards of operations expected of mainline operators are not required because they are restricted to slower speeds, less well maintained track and equipment and often lower axle loads. We generally do not have such companies operating in this way in Australia, but following privatisation and open access, some have set up here to operate over parts of the general railway system, sometimes financially borderline type services which the large companies have abandoned or even services which are Government subsidised. Watco are now operating in several states.

 

In Queensland, they are based in Warwick adjacent to Downs Steam which does certain mechanical work for them. Watco have now won the right to operate grain trains in Queensland and the Government contracts them to operate our cattle trains. The WRA class were their first locomotives, built overseas and as they have won more traffic from the likes of Aurizon (formerly Queensland Rail's freight arm), they have added more locomotives and in a strange twist, these are ex. Queensland Rail/Aurizon locomotives that were sold overseas and following their withdrawal there (mainly South Africa) they have been purchased and returned to Queensland by Watco where they are now technically used in competition with their previous owner. Watco's presence has generally been a shot in the arm for general (non-mineral) rail freight in Queensland which was dumped as unprofitable by Aurizon.*

 

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watco_Australia_WRA_Class

 

* A number of years back during the madness and pressure of privatisation of many public assets, when the concept was that public servants knew nothing about how to run the various entities that they had run for many years, often shackled by unrealistic government red tape, the Queensland Government was more or less pressured against its will to also sell assets and keep up with with the rest of Australia. Often, it was with the threat of losing vast amounts of Commonwealth grants and subsidies if the privatisation didn't occur. In this melee of madness, which has had to be reversed in a number of fields in both Australia, New Zealand and even in the birthplace of Thatcherism, the UK, the Queensland Government hived off the freight arm of Queensland Rail and the ownership of the very profitable coal network in Central Queensland. The new stock exchange listed company became known as Aurizon.

 

In the fight for more and more profit for shareholders, it abandoned most of its interest in general freight which either lost money or was only mildly profitable. In the end, they priced themselves out of intermodal traffic, cattle, sugar, grain etc laying waste to vast railway infrastructure in the state. This occurred even as they set up interstate in profitable services such as minerals and coal. Having placed all their eggs in limited baskets, the recent threat to coal and therefore profits has seen them expand interstate operations, taking over other railway companies and they are now the largest operator in Australia with a presence in all mainland states. If you get a feeling of deja vue from some of this info, it may be because you have felt the cold wisps of similar treatment from the likes of the big banks, Qantas and telcos! Less services, more profit for shareholders (and most of us are indeed often shareholders through superannuation) but.....there is a limit isn't there.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3: 5-6

  

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Hebrews 11: 1

   

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness " ~ 2 Timothy 3:16

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Testimony

  

I have many christian testimonies of God's intervention but I will share with you the latest one TODAY ! .

 

My husband had a bike accident last week , had injury on his forehead and on area surrounding the eye ,but not fatal , one important thing it missed his eye , could have been so bad , but his whole arm was on plaster cast for days due to fracture on his radius . He is off sick from work , added to that ,it makes things with me bit more tough in the house . We normally share household chores as we are both working . For one thing I don't like shopping groceries . I just make the lists and he will do one big shopping once a week .It's normal routine since the beginning even before we got married .We always have this arrangements with chores .I cook , he cooks ,but now I will do all that . I felt it was tough in the last few days .

 

Just when this accident happened he was in such agony and went to A&E ( Accident and Emergency ). I prayed to God ,like a conversation, he wouldn't have fractures . But he came out and diagnosed having fractured his radius shown from the X-ray results . His arm was put on a plaster cast soon and to be seen again soon . It was a bit tough on him especially being stuck and can't do much things .

 

Came the time today of another hospital check on his arm - the result was ,they can't see any fracture from another X-ray , buffled , they said he was misdiagnosed . He came with a soft splint in his arm for the bruise , not even a sprain ,I can't see much bruise either , he is not anymore in such pain .He 's back on his bike today . :) -- and volunteered it's his turn to cook dinner ( while I am posting this one on flickr :) He didn't know I was writing about him in my post . How good God is - you see :)

 

Praise God for the healing !

 

GOD IS SO GOOD !

  

If you love God and delight in Him and His righteous ways ,he will be right with you when you need Him .Make sure you dial the right number --- through Jesus Christ alone !

 

Because there's no name given under heaven whereby we are save and put right with God !

   

The Bible said so :

 

"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” ~Acts 4:12

 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. " John 3 : 16

 

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Walid Shoebat , a former muslim talks of Christianity and Islam eschatology , Jesus and Muhammad , muslims ,christians and Jews ,cresent moon , Israel , Anti-christ , the coming big events in the middleast etc .Very interesting - he has the points ,it sounds right when you have prior background awareness with old testamment prophecies. I just don't agree of him ignoring the Vatican / Toman Catholic church in the prophecies and its big involvement in the end time scenario /one world government -one world religion which the Vatican is promoting .Yet his discussion of Islam on another branch of eschatology hard to ignore . This isn't an indignation to our muslim brothers and sisters but as an encouragement for many to also try looking into the Bible ,have a comparatve reading with Quran - read it , heartily pray and search for truth .

 

* Prophecy 101 by Walid Shoebat

    

* Walid Shoebat : ISLAM IN BIBLE PROPHECY

   

* Walid Shoebat : End Times Today ( Quran and the Bible , Christianity and Islam , Israel and long persecution,Satan ,Angle of light , great deception , Biblical prophetic associations connected with the Quran / symbols ,Muhammad ,Revelations )

   

SIGNS OF THE TIMES :

    

* What Happens When You Ignore God's WARNINGS

  

* Paul Begley : Bank of England "Plans" for Euro Collapse

 

* Chagas Disease, an incurable infection, called the ‘new AIDS of the Americas'

 

* Quake reveals day of Jesus' crucifixion, researchers believe

    

* Saudis Suppy 90% of Jihad funding

 

* How can 1.2bn people be identified quickly?

 

* Money Flies Out of Spain, Regions Pressured

    

* The Pacific Ocean Is Dying: Special Report On Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe

   

* Fukushima Reactor 4 poses massive global risk

  

* JERUSALEM POST: Yielding Temple Mount would be a fatal mistake

 

* Steve Quayle : Severe Warning !

  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I'm still so busy at the moment and hardly be able to spend extented time on flickr ,so I wouldn't be visting your photo streams sooner or answer your emails. But many thanks of your visits and kind comments .Take care friends ,I'll see you later :)

The Concorde was an engineering marvel as it was the most specialized and fastest aircraft ever used for commercial passenger service. It flew faster and higher than any other commercial aircraft in aviation history. The aircraft was developed under an Anglo-French treaty signed by both countries in November 1962. It was jointly manufactured by Aérospatiale in France and the British Aircraft Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was designed in the 1960s when America and the USSR (Russia) were developing supersonic transports (SST) of their own. Boeing's design entry, the Boeing 2707, was canceled because of hard-to-find materials and cost overruns. This would put the Concorde project firmly in the lead.

 

The name Concorde, which means agreement, harmony, or union in English, reflects the cooperation between the two countries on the groundbreaking project. Many airlines all around the world immediately took an interest in this new concept. Most of these orders, however, ended up being dropped or canceled altogether. The Concorde's limited commercial success can be attributed to several factors, including its high operating costs, limited range, and the 1973 oil crisis which significantly increased fuel prices. Only British Airways and Air France were the two airlines that operated Concorde flights. Each had a fleet of seven aircraft with a total of 20 aircraft produced; six were non-commercial. When it was first introduced, the Concorde had it all: elegant, luxurious, and extremely fast. These commodities were reserved only for the upper class and were extremely expensive. In 1972, a first-class ticket was estimated to cost around $3,800 for a round trip ($26,585 today).

 

The Concorde took its monumental first flight on March 1st, 1969. However, she was sadly not the first SST to fly. That distinction goes to the competing Soviet Union and its Tupolev Tu-144. This was achieved in typical Soviet-era fashion by obtaining designs and documents via industrial espionage. The Tu-144 took flight two months before Concorde, on December 31st, 1968. Entering service on December 26th, 1975, it was nowhere near as successful as its British/French competitors.

 

The Tu-144 was a perfect example of attempted Soviet oneupmanship. It was insanely loud, uncomfortable, and dangerous. If you compare the two aircraft, you will see that the Tu-144 knocked off Concorde's design. However, it did some things better, like carrying more passengers and even flying faster. The more primitive engines and cooling systems worked together to produce a sound so loud that people flying in the 144 couldn't even talk to one another. Instead, they had to pass around handwritten notes. The engines used on the Tu-144 burned up so much fuel that the only route it flew regularly was between Moscow and Almaty, Kazakhstan. It couldn't even cross the entire Soviet Union.

 

Despite all this, the aircraft only flew once a week, even though eight other aircraft were certified and ready for service. Out of 102 scheduled flights, there were 226 mechanical failures, 80 of which were serious enough to either delay or cancel the flight altogether. Its airworthiness was also in serious question. It only performed a total of 55 flights, the last occurring on June 1st, 1978, after two were lost in crashes. The first occurred at the 1973 Paris Airshow, the second happened in 1978 when a cargo version went down after a fuel line ruptured, and a third incident occurred in 1980 when another suffered an engine explosion, forcing an emergency landing. These landings were often so hard that the plane used a built-in parachute. A total of sixteen Tu-144s were eventually built before the program was canceled in 1983.

 

The Concorde's design team had state-of-the-art Rolls-Royce Olympus 593 engines (The same engines used on the Avro Vulcan bombers) with computer-controlled engine inlets that allowed for supercruise. This meant that her fuel-thirsty afterburners could be switched off once Concorde reached supersonic while maintaining supersonic speeds. It also had a sophisticated delta wing optimized for supersonic and low-speed flying. Another cool feature the Concorde had was a passenger cabin display board. This showed the aircraft's current altitude, mach, Outside Air Temperature (OAT), and ground speed. It was a popular feature with passengers, allowing them to track the aircraft's progress and see how fast they were flying. The Concorde also had a unique droop nose, which was lowered during takeoff and landing to improve visibility for the pilots.

 

When Air France and British Airways commenced commercial operations with the Concorde in 1976, it was a historic moment. The Concorde was the world's first and only supersonic passenger transport (SST). However, it faced challenges, particularly with noise issues. This led to the type being temporary banned on the East Coast. This ban was eventually lifted in February of 1977.

 

An interesting part of the Concorde's history that I didn't know about was that it was briefly operated by an American airline. From December 1978 until May 1980, Braniff International Airways (BIA) would lease 11 Concordes, five from Air France and six from BA. These were used on subsonic flights between Dallas, TX, and Washington, D.C., flown by Braniff flight crews. Air France and British Airways crews then took over for the continuing supersonic flights to London or Paris. The aircraft were registered in both the United States and their home countries; the European registration was covered up while being operated by Braniff, retaining full AF/BA liveries. The flights were not as profitable as Braniff had hoped and were typically less than 50% booked, forcing Braniff to end its tenure as the only U.S. Concorde operator in May of 1980.

 

The Concorde had a reputation for having a near-perfect safety record until a fatal crash of an Air France Concorde operating flight AF4590 occurred outside of Paris on July 25th, 2000. All 109 passengers and crew, plus four more people on the ground, were killed. This accident severely damaged the aircraft's reputation and temporarily grounded the fleet until November 2001. Regardless, the plane remained in service for nearly three decades, carrying many VIPs and upper-class travelers. However, due to a combination of factors including the 2000 crash, rising maintenance costs, and a decrease in demand, the Concorde was retired in November 2003. This marked the end of an era of supersonic commercial aviation. The final flight of a Concorde took place on November 26th, flying from London Heathrow to Filton, Bristol, UK, for preservation.

 

Reaching a maximum altitude of 60,000 feet (18,288 m), which was high enough to see Earth's curvature, Concorde flew at over twice the speed of sound, or 1,350 mph (2,170 kph). With these impressive speeds, Concorde made the transatlantic flight from New York to London or Paris in about three hours, which is less than half the time of conventional jetliners, even to this day. This aircraft, serial number 100-010 (G-BOAD), was affectionately nicknamed "Alpha Delta." She flew her first flight on August 25th, 1976, and served with British Airways until being retired in November 2003. This specific aircraft was the last Concorde to depart from JFK Airport, so it is only fitting that she is on display in New York City.

 

Alpha Delta is also known for having the short-lived Singapore Airlines livery placed on the left side and held a joint marketing agreement that saw Singapore insignia on the cabin fittings, as well as the airline's "Singapore Girl" stewardesses jointly sharing cabin duties with British Airways flight attendants. However, all flight crews, operations, and insurances remained solely under British Airways, and at no point did Singapore Airlines operate Concorde services under its own operator's certification nor wet-lease any aircraft. This arrangement initially lasted only for three flights, conducted between December 9th and 13th, 1977; it resumed on January 24th, 1979, and operated until November 1st, 1980. The Singapore Airlines livery was used on G-BOAD from 1977 to 1980.

 

Alpha Delta would make history when she set a new world speed record for passenger airliners on February 7th, 1996. She flew from New York to London in just 2 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds! This record, unbelievably, still stands today. When she was retired, she had logged the most flying hours out of the 20 Concordes built at an astounding 23,397 total flight hours. I saw her here looking quite beat up, and the paint faded. Hopefully, she'll be restored and repainted soon.

Nothing lasts in our country that reminds of coal or mining. This several hundred meters long hall, an early concrete built, now has been demolished, probably to make space for new profitable developments of the major chemical enterprise DSM. Taken from the rail line that feeded the hall with coal.

Holy smoke to wish the seller a profitable trade for the day.

On August 31, 2021, the legendary Rio Grande Southern Railroad was brought back to life (if only for a day). Built in 1891 by Otto Mears, the original RGS was located in Colorado’s southwest corner and ran between Durango and Ridgway via Lizard Head Pass, hauling coal, silver ore, and other goods from the mining communities of Telluride and Rico. The RGS was profitable for only a few years before a silver panic crippled its finances, but nevertheless it managed to stay in business, struggling through two world wars before running its last train in 1951. Following this, its 3-foot-gauge rails were taken up.

 

Rio Grande Southern No. 20, an 1899 Schenectady Ten-Wheeler, is one of four RGS steam locomotives still in existence. It was preserved by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club in 1952 when the RGS was abandoned and over the years was cosmetically restored for display, first in Alamosa and later at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. After fifty years sitting cold, No. 20 was transported to the Strasburg Rail Road in Strasburg, Penn., for a top-to-bottom restoration beginning in 2006 that took 12 long years to compete. The restoration was spearheaded by a donation from the Moedinger family of Pennsylvania, who put up $400,000 for the effort. After additional fundraising, No. 20 finally steamed again around the loop track at the Colorado Railroad Museum in 2020.

 

While a 3/4th mile loop is nice for a short train ride, Jeff Taylor and others at CRRM desired take No. 20 to a railroad where it could really stretch its legs. That opportunity came in 2021. For No. 20’s first major outing since restoration the museum took the 4-6-0 to the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad at Antonito, Colorado. Its visit coincided with the Victorian Iron Horse Roundup, held in in celebration of the C&TS’s 50th anniversary, which featured four locomotives built before 1900.

 

The trip with No. 20 on August 31 was sponsored by TRAINS Magazine, with editor Jim Wrinn and video producer Kevin Gilliam coordinating the event for photographers. The event was dubbed “Sunset on the Rio Grande Southern.”

 

Tickets for the event went fast, despite it costing nearly $900. The primary goal of “Sunset on the Rio Grande Southern” was to recreate an RGS trip that the late William Moedinger photographed in 1941, with the brakeman riding the pilot beam to watch for landslides. The first half of the consist matched the train that Moedinger photographed that day, which was featured on the cover of TRAINS in February 1942. William Moedinger’s son Linn was the person that did much of the restoration work on No. 20 during its time in Pennsylvania.

 

Denver & Rio Grande Western 2-8-2 No. 463, owned by the C&TS, was re-lettered as long-scrapped Rio Grande Southern No. 455 for the trip, and doubleheaded with No. 20. Thanks to decades of hard work by the Friend of the C&TS, the Cumbres & Toltec was able to provide a long string of authentic narrow-gauge equipment with an authentic RGS short caboose bringing up the markers. The scenery on the C&TS between Antonito and Osier is similar to the territory the RGS ran in.

 

The charter was an incredible experience and recreated scenes that hadn’t been seen since the 1940s. Was it worth the money? I’ll let you be the judge of that, but for me it certainly was. A big thanks is due Jim Wrinn and Kevin Gilliam, plus the men and women of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic for making it all possible.

 

Though the trio of sellswords had been quite profitable patrons of The Stone Chalice for some time, Breaton knew he could not tolerate them brandishing their weapons within the tavern. However, after failing to convey that they were no longer welcome to stay, Breaton finally resorted to beating the drunkards from his tavern with an old broom. This was not his preference, but he was comforted as one of the mercs collapsed in the street upon exiting the tavern. Breaton reasoned with himself that they were not likely to remember the whole incident.

Here is my entry into the Summer Joust Collab. My team member is Matt Hew. This is a Weapon Smith's shop.

 

The Sword maker is a very profitable job. The ability to have a good weapon is something people will pay high prices for, especially considering the current bans on weapon production. The new laws are not favored by the people and few obey them. Nestled in the woods, the small forge produces counter-ban swords for the rebels in their plot to overthrow the king.

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Having been the bane of many an airship crew for quite some time now, this motley crew under the command of Nadakhan needs little further introduction. With the airspace around Eastern Ninjago becoming increasingly secure and non-profitable to piracy – which can surely be attributed to the rise of a certain band of Airjitzu Masters under the tutelage of legendary Master Wu – Nadakhan had set his sights on new trade routes to pillage. With trust in him wavering in his crew, he needed to win back loyalty. Also, the overhaul of their old black junk „Misfortune's Keep“ and the installation of four brand-new high-speed Brickswell engines had cost the Pirates most of their loot.

Hearing of the imminent maiden voyage of a new royal yacht, he promised his crew a fortune to be made. Ever the sneaky djin though, Nadakhan did not tell them all his reasons for venturing off their proven airspace.

Finally wanting to honor his promise to Dilara – his one true love – to stop his pirating ways and marry her, he was in search of a truly special stone for her wedding ring – the Ruby Crystal. This rare gem could not only encapsulate feelings, making them as permanent as stone, it could also take him to the „Departed Realm“, where Dilara and eternal peace were finally waiting.

Having been hidden for ages in the sacred „Cave of the Phoenix“, a daring scientist and explorer unearthed the gem on his recent exploration of the ancient Chima territory. This man, Dr. Maxwell Tinker, was said to be on board the „Skytanic“ as well, the Ruby Crystal surely in his possession.

Although the „Misfortune's Keep“ could probably catch or outrun most airships, she was no match for the swiftness of the „Skytanic“, with a top speed whispered to exceed 60 knots! Nadakhan needed a more intricate plan, if he ever wanted to meet his beloved Dilara again. Surely, he was determined...

 

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SN/NC: Anacardium Occidentale, Anacardiaceae Family

 

The cashew tree is a tropical evergreen tree that produces the cashew nut and the cashew apple. It can grow as high as 14 m (46 ft), but the dwarf cashew, growing up to 6 m (20 ft), has proved more profitable, with earlier maturity and higher yields.

The cashew nut, often simply called a cashew, is widely consumed. It is eaten on its own, used in recipes, or processed into cashew cheese or cashew butter. The shell of the cashew seed yields derivatives that can be used in many applications from lubricants to paints. The cashew apple is a light reddish to yellow fruit, whose pulp can be processed into a sweet, astringent fruit drink or distilled into liquor.

The species is originally native to northeastern Brazil. Major production of cashews occurs in Vietnam, Nigeria, India, and Ivory Coast.

 

De cashewboom is een tropische groenblijvende boom die de cashewnoot en de cashewappel voortbrengt. Hij kan wel 14 m hoog worden, maar de dwergcashew, die tot 6 m groeit, is meer winstgevend gebleken, met een eerdere rijpheid en hogere opbrengsten.

De cashewnoot, vaak simpelweg cashewnoten genoemd, wordt veel geconsumeerd. Het wordt op zichzelf gegeten, gebruikt in recepten of verwerkt tot cashewkaas of cashewboter. De schil van het cashewnotenzaad levert derivaten op die in veel toepassingen kunnen worden gebruikt, van smeermiddelen tot verven. De cashewappel is een licht roodachtige tot gele vrucht waarvan het vruchtvlees kan worden verwerkt tot een zoete, adstringerende fruitdrank of kan worden gedestilleerd tot likeur.

De soort komt oorspronkelijk uit het noordoosten van Brazilië. De belangrijkste productie van cashewnoten vindt plaats in Vietnam, Nigeria, India en Ivoorkust.

 

Es también conocido como cajú, anacardo, nuez de la india, castaña de cajú, marañón, caguil o merey es un árbol originario de la región amazónica del nordeste de Brasil y casi toda Venezuela. Muchos de sus componentes son utilizados en la elaboración de productos diversos, como por ejemplo dulces, cosméticos y medicamentos.

 

O caju é muitas vezes tido como o fruto do cajueiro quando, na verdade, trata-se de um pseudofruto.

O que entendemos popularmente como "caju" se constitui de duas partes: o fruto propriamente dito, que é a castanha; e seu pedúnculo floral, o pseudofruto, um corpo piriforme, amarelo, rosado ou vermelho.

Na língua tupi, acaiu (caju) significa noz que se produz.

Na tradição oral sabe-se que acayu ou aca-iu refere-se a ano, uma vez que os indígenas contavam a idade a cada floração e safra.

O pseudofruto e fruto

Cajueiro frutificando no município de Cascavel, no Ceará, um dos grandes produtores de caju no estado

O caju, o pseudofruto, é suculento e rico em vitamina C e ferro. Depois do beneficiamento do caju, preparam-se sucos, mel, doces, como cajuada, caju passas, rapadura de caju. Como seu suco fermenta rapidamente, pode ser destilado para produzir uma aguardente o cauim. Dele também são fabricadas bebidas não alcoólicas, como a cajuína.

Muito antes do descobrimento do Brasil e antes da chegada dos portugueses, o caju já era alimento básico das populações autóctones. Por exemplo: os tremembé já fermentavam o suco do caju, o mocororó, que era e é bebido na cerimônia do Torém.

Existe uma variedade enorme de pratos feitos com o caju e com a castanha de caju.

De suas fibras (resíduo/bagaço), ricas em aminoácidos e vitaminas, misturadas com temperos, é feita a "carne de caju"

 

Nó còn được gọi là điều, điều, điều, điều, điều, caguil hoặc chỉ là một loại cây có nguồn gốc từ vùng Amazon phía đông bắc Brazil và gần như toàn bộ Venezuela. Nhiều thành phần của nó được sử dụng trong sản xuất các sản phẩm khác nhau, chẳng hạn như đồ ngọt, mỹ phẩm và thuốc.

 

Es ist auch bekannt als Cashew, Cashew, Cashew, Cashew, Cashew, Caguil oder Merey. Es ist ein Baum, der im Amazonasgebiet im Nordosten Brasiliens und in fast ganz Venezuela heimisch ist. Viele seiner Komponenten werden zur Herstellung verschiedener Produkte wie Süßigkeiten, Kosmetika und Medikamente verwendet.

 

Conosciuto anche come anacardi, anacardi, anacardi, anacardi, anacardi, caguil o semplicemente, è un albero originario della regione amazzonica del nord-est del Brasile e di quasi tutto il Venezuela. Molti dei suoi componenti sono utilizzati nella produzione di vari prodotti, come dolci, cosmetici e medicinali.

 

On l'appelle également noix de cajou, noix de cajou, noix de cajou, noix de cajou, noix de cajou, caguil ou merey.C'est un arbre originaire de la région amazonienne du nord-est du Brésil et de presque tout le Venezuela. Beaucoup de ses composants sont utilisés dans la production de divers produits, tels que des bonbons, des cosmétiques et des médicaments.

 

تُعرف أيضًا باسم الكاجو أو الكاجو أو الكاجو أو الكاجو أو الكاجو أو مجرد شجرة موطنها الأصلي في منطقة الأمازون في شمال شرق البرازيل وكل فنزويلا تقريبًا. تستخدم العديد من مكوناته في إنتاج منتجات متنوعة مثل الحلويات ومستحضرات التجميل والأدوية.

With COVID-19 still causing heavy disruption across commercial aviation, even the most profitable carriers like Emirates have too suffered from a substantial fall in passenger traffic.

Although there seems to be a very slow return to recovery for the aviation industry, demand isn't expected to return for at least the next 2-3 years... Even Emirates which has largely focused on its fleet of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s has admitted that it needs smaller jets to cope as demand slowly returns.

A saving grace for many airlines has been cargo; for Emirates whilst their Airbus A380 fleet have mainly been grounded (although they are slowly returning back to service), their Boeing 777 fleet has largely maintained their operations albeit for use as freighters. Whilst their fleet of 11 Boeing 777Fs have been used intensively since COVID-19, a large proportion of their Boeing 777-300ERs have seen seats removed in favour of cargo capacity.

At London Heathrow, this is particularly apparent! So far, only EK1/2, EK3/4 and EK7/8 are carrying passengers with two of those flights utilising Boeing 777-300ERs in favour of Airbus A380s. Looking at the side of the coin, EK29/30 and EK31/32 are currently utilising Boeing 777-300ERs but to carry cargo with seats removed.

Emirates have continued to provide their twice-weekly SkyCargo flights (EK9943/9944) utilising Boeing 777Fs operating Wednesday and Saturday only which is one of the few flights that hasn't changed since COVID-19 started to gather pace.

Currently, Emirates operates 153 Boeing 777s, which includes 10 Boeing 777-200LRs (8 currently in storage), 132 Boeing 777-300ERs (11 currently in storage) and 11 Boeing 777Fs. Emirates have 115 Boeing 777-9s on-order.

Echo Foxtrot Oscar is one of 11 Boeing 777Fs in service with Emirates, delivered new to the carrier on lease from DAE Capital on 31st October 2014 and she is powered by 2 General Electric GE90-110B1 engines.

Boeing 777-F1H A6-EFO on final approach into Runway 27R at London Heathrow (LHR) on EK9943 from Dubai-Al Maktoum (DWC) via Dubai-International (DXB).

Volvo to stop building complete buses in Europe.

 

Volvo Buses has announced that it will be ending production of complete buses and coaches in Europe as part of a new business model aimed at improving profitability and securing its long-term competitiveness. Wroclaw plant, where also electric buses are built, will be closed in Q1 2024. The manufacturer will concentrate on chassis production in Europe and leave Volvo-based bodies to others.

 

The decision comes after years of losses in the European market, and Volvo Buses plans to implement a new model already successful in other markets.

 

‘Our business in Europe has been loss-making for years. With this business model, that we already today apply successfully in many markets, we will improve profitability and secure our long-term competitiveness’ said Anna Westerberg, President of Volvo Buses.

 

According to Ms Westerberg, the company will continue to have the customer interface, offer a complete range of buses and coaches in partnership with selected external bodybuilders, and provide strong uptime service and a high standard of safety and quality. This will result in a leaner structure, improved flexibility, and the ability to better meet market requirements and customer demands.

 

Volvo Buses will continue bodybuilding manufacturing in Wroclaw until the first quarter of 2024, with orders for complete buses and coaches in Europe being delivered from the Wroclaw plant as planned. The company will also continue to give full service and support to both existing and new fleet offerings.

 

As part of the transition, Volvo Buses has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Vargas Holding, which will divest Volvo Buses’ premises in Wroclaw and re-purpose the facility for future growth. The LOI includes Vargas Holding’s aim to offer employment to parts of the Volvo employees, some as early as the third quarter of 2023.

 

The decision to end production of complete buses and coaches will affect around 1,600 positions at Volvo Buses, with approximately 1,500 of these being based in Wroclaw. Volvo Buses says it has initiated discussions with respective unions and will work with Vargas Holding, local authorities, and other parties to support affected employees in finding new employment opportunities. My thoughts do go out to the staff involved, who will be facing an uncertain future.

 

Implementation of the new business model is expected to temporarily impact Volvo’s revenues in Europe during the transition period in 2024 and 2025. A restructuring provision of approximately SEK 1.3 billion (116 millions euros) will negatively impact operating income in the first quarter of 2023. The expected negative cash flow effect is estimated to be approximately SEK 1.0 billion, with the majority impacting 2024. Once the transition is completed, the move to the new business model is expected to make the European bus operation profitable.

 

If all this seems familiar the same sort of thing happened to Leyland Bus when Volvo took it over. Firstly the bodywork production ceased, then chassis production stopped in Leyland’s United Kingdom factory and then Volvo’s Irvine plant where it moved to, Ironically some of chassis production then moved to Wrocław when Irvine shut.

 

In the United Kingdom, at present the integral buses presently offered are the 7900H (Diesel Hybrid) and 7900E (Full electric). Sales have been modest, which is a polite way of saying it’s not sold well. Lothian has taken the most of hybrid type, with a small batch also going to First Berkshire. The electric version has went to Transdev Harrogate & District and Stagecoach West Scotland. Indeed Volvo had recently launched its new electric buses, the BZL range of single and double-decker buses, in partnership with MCV in the UK. So the 7900 was probably going to die a death anyway, in the UK at least.

 

However where it leaves coaches is more interesting. Volvo had been building integral coaches for some time, although in the UK it’s only been offering these for a few years. It’s offering has been 9700 range and it’s actually done reasonably well, McGill’s have some for FLiXBUS operations and more on order. Parks of Hamilton have recently taken delivery of some too, replacing Jonckheere bodies in Park’s preference. However it would appear that this integral model is to go as well, as it’s also built in Poland too. Of course Volvo coaches are also available in UK with either Alexander Dennis owned Plaxton and also MCV bodywork.

 

So Volvo will revert to just being a chassis manufacturer in Europe for buses, having preferred partners for bodywork. For many years in the UK, it’s partners were Wrightbus and many operators chose their products. An example of this is 2230 (SF11CWJ) seen here, which is a recent addition into the Midland Bluebird fleet, albeit still in McGill’s colours. Alexander Dennis and MCV bodywork was also an option, on double-deckers certainly. However since the insolvency event suffered by Wrightbus, very very few new Volvo buses have been bodied by the ‘new’ Wrightbus. Volvo’s new main bodybuilding partner in the UK is now MCV, although Alexander Dennis is an option for double deckers, particularly with Lothian Buses.

Richard Adams left his moderately profitable gunsmithing buisness to join the legendary 50th Paratrooper brigade in late 1944. When the Great Outbreak began, the 50th was dropped into Vatican City. A massive amount of people, believing the Great Outbreak to be the work of the devil, and not some demented Nazi scientist, fled to the The Vatican in hopes of finding holy refuge. The American army was stretched too thin, and was forced to leave the 50th paratroop behind as they fell back.

Abandoned, the 50th was gradually overcome, and all of the civilians they were to protect were lost to the mutants. Their numbers continued to dwindle, when finally they stumbled on a large concentration while searching for food. Adam was the sole survivor of that engagement.

Unable to escape from Vatican City, he began to search for survivors to create a resistance.

This is his personally customized weapon. It sports different sights, altered pistol grips, a 50 round drum magazine, and a sling attachment point.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

 

SCRIPTURE—invariably in the New Testament denotes that definite collection of sacred books, regarded as given by inspiration of God, which we usually call the Old Testament (2 Tim. 3:15, 16; John 20:9; Gal. 3:22; 2 Pet. 1:20). It was God’s purpose thus to perpetuate his revealed will. From time to time he raised up men to commit to writing in an infallible record the revelation he gave. The “Scripture,” or collection of sacred writings, was thus enlarged from time to time as God saw necessary. We have now a completed “Scripture,” consisting of the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament canon in the time of our Lord was precisely the same as that which we now possess under that name. He placed the seal of his own authority on this collection of writings, as all equally given by inspiration (Matt. 5:17; 7:12; 22:40; Luke 16:29, 31).

 

M. G. Easton, Easton’s Bible Dictionary (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893).

****************************************************************

Symmetry

A plot in Motion

As excerpted from

“An Odyssey Less Taken “@

 

Tallie looked into the mirror as the bound Olivia stirred, a self-satisfied smirk lighting up her pretty face. It was time to administer the syringe containing the liquid that would render Olivia unconscious until late the next morning, giving them plenty of time. Olivia would wake thinking she had been the victim of a robbery. She should have no clue that the real reason was a simple piece of paper she had had tucked away inside her gold purse.

 

A couple of hours earlier:

 

Tallie had jogged into the upscale inn’s main lobby wearing a black running suite with her long,hair tucked up under a neoprene running cap. Playing the part of a guest who had gone out for exercise, she was also wearing thin gloves, wide wraparound sunglasses, small backpack and listening to music on her I Phone. She took up station in a corner of the inns’ huge lobby, like she was resting, while listening to her music. Ten minutes later, Olivia, whom Tallie had been shadowing, came in. Olivia had been easy to follow. An eye catching figure clad in a gold silk dress and pearls. She was carrying a shiny gold purse, and holding a bag containing a deep purple satin gown. Olivia had headed straight to the elevator, tapped her floor button and disappeared inside.

 

Tallie spent an uncomfortably anxious 10 minutes deciding what to do. Olivia had not gone to the front desk to take her jewels from the safe. Although her jewelry was not a main part of the plan, Tallie had loftier goals in mind, they did present a rather profitable bonus. Tallie decided to proceed, not wanting to blow the whole operation for a few pretty baubles. She had just risen when the elevator tinged. The doors opened, and Olivia exited into the lobby, still clad in the gold silk, and headed to the desk. There, she had the manager retrieve a black case. Showtime Tallie thought, relieved now that she had waited, watching as Olivia once again left in the elevator. Ten minutes after that, it was time to put the plan in motion. Using her I Phone, Tallie rang Olivia’s room pretending to be a hotel employee. “Someone had found something of yours in the lobby; a manager is on her way up with it.” She hung up not giving Olivia any chance for response.

  

From then, it had gone like clockwork. Tallie, with delight, watched the shocked look on Olivia’s face when she opened the door expecting a female hotel manager, but instead came face to face with a Taser wielding double of herself, Tallie! Firing the Taser, the shocked girl slumped into Tallies’ welcome arms. Kicking the door shut, Tallie pulled Olivia into the bathroom, where she was then bound and gagged. To make it look like a robbery, Tallie stripped Olivia of her pearl necklace, earrings, bracelets and rings. Then she quickly looted the apartment of any other small, but valuable items. Placing these items, along with the small backpack, into a leather clutch. Tallie then went to the dresser top and opened the black case sitting there. She whistled to herself as she savored the shiny contents. Looking them over, she made a selection, then poured the remaining jewelry into the clutch, glittering explosive fire as they went. She placed the selected diamond jewelry on the bathroom sink. Tallie found Olivia’s gold purse and opened it and pulled the ticket out. Studying, with eager eyes, the prize they had worked so hard to obtain. The small ticket was the key to the whole plot, worth potentially millions.

  

Carrying the purse to the bathroom, Tallie started to get ready. De bagging Olivia’s purple gown, she slipped it on. It poured over her curvy figure perfectly, as they had known it would. Tallie had switched her calfskin gloves for a pair of Olivia’s satin ones. It was as she had been putting on Olivia’s glittering diamonds that the tied up girl started to stir. Walking over to the groggy eyed girl, Tallie pretended to fumble with the ropes knots, and administered the hypo containing the knockout drops. After checking the heavily sedated Olivia’s Pulse, Tallie finished putting on the unlucky girls jewels.

 

Tallie admired herself in the mirror, almost not recognizing herself. She had dyed her midnight black hair blonde to match Olivia‘s and had put in blue tinted contacts. The clingy gown fitted snugly in all the right places, tightly outlining her perky breasts and nicely rounded butt. Very nice, thought Tallie beaming. After putting on Olivia’s stiletto heels, Tallie pronounced herself ready. Picking up the purse, she patted it for luck, and went into the bedroom. Tallie called the front desk, asking to have a limo called to pick her up out front, then she also ordered a wakeup call with breakfast for eleven o’clock the next morning. Hanging up the phone, Tallie still had 12 minutes left to kill. She spent it retracing her steps around the entire apartment making sure nothing had been overlooked, and then double checked that Olivia was going to stay out of the picture. When her time was up, Tallie snatched the clutch up from the satin covers of the bed, heavy now with Olivia’s valuables and her running suit and backpack. Tallie left the apartment, closing the door after hanging a do not disturb sign on the lever. Tallie entered the empty elevator , pushed the down button, and focused on the task at hand.

  

Finally, after seemingly endless months of careful plotting, preparation, rehearsals and dry runs. It was time. The whole scheme had been planned to the minutest detail, it had to be. The main prize was the tens of millions of dollars’ worth of jewels worn by the female guests attending the annual formal Casino Night by the Bay Ball. The annual black tie ball was a Republican Political Fundraiser by special invitation only and Olivia, who had been carefully selected and shadowed for weeks now, had been one of the lucky ticket holders. As a final coup de grâce , Tallie would attend the ball wearing Olivia’s luxurious gown and her brilliantly expensive diamonds, fitting right in with the other attendees. Security would be checking ID’s at the door. But Tallie now resembled Olivia almost to a T. She would fool those rent a cops easily as they checked her against Olivia‘s driver’s license for identification, bending over and showing a little bosom for added distraction. Tallie couldn’t wait to mingle and rub elbows with the galas ultra-rich patrons. She would mark her time by mingling and endearing herself to as many of the male guests as possible in the short time allotted to her. She would use her rich welsh brogue to the fullest to win over the posh male Yanks. All the while admiring the shiny gowns and scoping out the shimmering jewels that would be adorning her fellow female guests. Those jewels would include the Dahlkemper pearls, the Caboyt diamonds with the brilliant sapphires that placed the “Hope Diamond” to shame, and, of course, the famous matching waterfall diamond sets the Dempsey Twins would be wearing (Not to mention their Mother’s emeralds and rubies) . The sets, which had been presented as gifts at the twins ultra- fancy coning out ball, were insured for over 1 million dollars by the girls parents.

  

Then at the appointed hour, Tallie would slip away to a seldom used back stage door, conveniently hidden neath a stairwell. Security would not have this door covered. It was there that Tallies’ husband and his troupe of fellow masked thieves would be waiting to make their entrance. If all went to plan and it would, she was sure of that, they would proceed to hold up and rob all the guests. Relieving the lot of their fat designer purses, thick leather wallets, gold Rolexes, and of course, their jewels, Lots and lots of shimmering, pricy jewelry. Not to mention the piles of loose cash lying on the gambling tables begging to be collected. Tallie’s heart beat faster at the enticing visions.

 

After the last guest had been relieved of their valuables, Tallie’s next part of the plot would come. This was where Tallie’s experience as an actress would pay off. The thieves would grab an innocent hostage (Tallie) by knifepoint Then, while threatening the life of the frightened squirming hostage, order the rest of the guests to strip off their clothing. If Tallie had played her part well, mingling and playing the doe eyed innocent who reminded those she met as someone who they would love to protect, her fellow guests would not want to see her harmed and be obedient to the robbers threats, not wishing any harm to come to her. The guests would be threatened to not to try anything for the next hour, or they would eliminate their hostage. The gang would then leave with their loot, as well as their hapless hostage. Then they would make, what in Tallie’s opinion, was a rather brilliantly orchestrated get away.

  

This was not the first time out for Tallie and her husband’s team, but it promised to be their last. The gang had been operating in Europe and Latin America, seeking out small, but lucrative, gatherings of the privileged and ultra-wealthy. They had gotten quite adept, fine tuning a formula that successfully paid attention to even the minutest detail.

  

Tallie loved playing the part of the inside victim. Getting as close as possible to the female guests (usually by flirting with husbands and boyfriends) to get a close appraisal of their jewels. Then, after letting her husband and crew loose, observing the well-dressed guests being herded to line up along the wall with raised hands. Usually creating a colorful array of swishing lace, satin, silk , velvety gowns and dresses, all flowing along forlorn figures. It was a thrill to watch their facial and body expressions and reactions. Especially of the women and girls present, as they were forced to hand over their flashy gemstones, their Shiny gold and silver, opulent pearls and other assorted fine jewelry were handed over reluctantly from about their persons.

 

Then would come the part that really aroused Tallie. The thieves would reach her and tell her to “fork over the jewels miss,” and depending on her mood, would do so, either acting defiant and forcing them to take them off her, or frightened(especially if the thief was her husband) , and timidly handing them over. She would be squirming inside with a deep, delicious delight as she took off , or had the thief wrench off, each precious piece. It was a reaction she did not fully understand, but just knew and accepted it as a scintillating feeling. Tallie, shivered, licking her lips at past memories of being a robbery “victim”.

  

The band had no qualms about was fair game, boldly invading Weddings, Receptions, Fancy dress dances and even the upscale prom or mansion party. All had been meticulously planned, all had been very lucrative. Their last raid had been carried out on a coming out party for an English Earl/ Minister and his titled wife’s only daughter. It had occurred at the minister’s isolated country manor located deep in the moors. Where, in addition to the jewels worn by the guests that ill-fated Saturday evening, the manor’s many bedroom safes yielded a dazzling array of cases of unworn jewelry brought by the guests for the four day weekend.

  

Tallie fondly remembered that raid. She had gained access to the family by going as the guest of a rather vain bachelor she had “happened to make an acquaintance with,” in London. The dinner gatherings and nightly parties that had led up to the night of the debutante’s ball had been all over the top, as only very old money can pull off. Tallie had almost suffered a system overload by observing the bounty of rich offerings at her fingertips. Beckoning jewels so very close, and as of yet, so very far. The Saturday evening ball could not have come soon enough. But come it did, and the minister’s daughter did not disappoint, nor did her mother or any other of their female guests. The young debutante had made her grand entrance in a long slinky blood red gown and matching gloves. Among the child’s perfect jewels was included an authentic family heirloom tiara, dripping with pristine diamonds, holding up the wavy curls of her silky fawn hair.

  

Tallies mouth had watered as she kept stealing looks, keeping her eyes glued to the precocious miss all evening. She inwardly was squirming with anticipation, up until the delightful moment when the begowned debutante limply removed and handed over the tiara, along with the rest of her gleaming diamonds and pearls to one of the gang of masked robbers who had had the “audacity “ to crash the party..

  

Now, Tallie was traditionally allowed to keep one piece of jewelry from the loot taken from each job as part of her take if she so desired. She always enjoyed picking out pieces she would like to have as she mingled with her fellow guests before her husband’s gang charged in. In the coming out party it had been the sad puppy faced debutante‘s cascading diamond earrings that Tallie had claimed for her own from the minute she first saw them dangling from the pretty girl’s delicate ears. Tallie had subsequently worn and been “robbed” of those earrings several times on jobs since then.

  

After the Manor house’s guests had been relieved of their valuables, the gang had made its getaway, seemingly vanishing into the moors misty air. The mechanics of that escape would form the basis of their getaway attempt after this evening’s robbery of the wealthy guests attending the “By the Bay Ball” Actually the symmetry of the two events did not stop there. The profit realized by the take from the Earl’s family and guests had given the gang the seed money for the enormous expense in planning tonight’s complex raid. And tonight’s successful raid on the ball, appropriately enough, its diamond jubilee, would be splashed over all of the countries newspapers, like the Manor raid had been. And like after the Manor raid, Tallie and her husband would be reading those papers in the safty of their isolated island retreat.

 

******************

 

As Tallie dwelt on that remembrance, the elevator completed its long, uninterrupted journey by tinging its 1st floor arrival. Showtime! Tallie thought with wry amusement as she stepped into the now crowded lobby. Tonight would be more of the same tingling robbery experiences, only ten times better and since it may very well be her last time , Tallie was going to savor every delicious minute.

 

Tallie left the elevator and moved quickly towards the sitting area she had occupied when watching for Olivia to come in. In one of the chairs sat a young man wearing wraparound sunglasses reading a blue covered novel. She swished by him, allowing her satin clad leg to brush along his. She watched with enticement as he straightened, uncomfortably, in his chair, his reaction to her teasing pleasing her immensely . Going around him, she placed her clutch on the chair behind him before turning and primping herself in front of one of the long mirrored walls that lined the sitting area. Seeing that no one as of yet was looking her way, she smiled to herself and swished her way back into the main lobby, leaving behind her clutch. She again passed the young man, who, even with the sunglasses, bore a striking resemblance to a young Sidney Poitier! No signal passed between them. The blue novel meant everything was going as planned, a red novel would have meant danger. The clutch on the chair behind him signaled the young man she had teased, Jessie by name , that everything was a go on Tallies end. After she left, Jessie would retrieve the clutch and rejoin Tallies husband and the rest of his gang.

  

With the prearranged signals exchanged, Tallie happily made her way to the fancy Glass doors where a uniformed Doorman was opening for arriving and departing guests. She could feel more than one pair of jealous eyes following her as she weaved her way through the crowd, her long gown swishing deliciously along her pretty figure. The pretty blond in the purple satin and shimmering diamonds was soon lost to sight, as she exited the doors to the misty street below. Those watching her were totally oblivious that the pretty blonde passing them was setting into motion the complex wheels of a rather ingenious scheme. Meanwhile in a ballroom some miles away a large group of extremely well dressed and decked out guests attending a certain excessively extravagant Ball , were innocently mingling, jewels sparkled with a frenzied riot of colours! These heavily gem encrusted guests were also totally oblivious as to what fate had in store for them in a few hours.

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@ Chatwick University extends its compliments to the unknown artist whose worthy photo and captivating title proved to be the spark that ignited the genesis of our Tallies Odyssey….

 

Bodie is a ghost town in the Bodie Hills east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Mono County, California, United States. It is about 75 miles (121 km) southeast of Lake Tahoe, and 12 mi (19 km) east-southeast of Bridgeport, at an elevation of 8,379 feet (2554 m). Bodie became a boom town in 1876 (146 years ago) after the discovery of a profitable line of gold; by 1879 it had a population of 7,000–10,000.

 

The town went into decline in the subsequent decades and came to be described as a ghost town by 1915 (107 years ago). The U.S. Department of the Interior recognizes the designated Bodie Historic District as a National Historic Landmark.

 

Also registered as a California Historical Landmark, the ghost town officially was established as Bodie State Historic Park in 1962. It receives about 200,000 visitors yearly. Bodie State Historic Park is partly supported by the Bodie Foundation.

 

Bodie began as a mining camp of little note following the discovery of gold in 1859 by a group of prospectors, including W. S. Bodey. Bodey died in a blizzard the following November while making a supply trip to Monoville (near present-day Mono City), never getting to see the rise of the town that was named after him. According to area pioneer Judge J. G. McClinton, the district's name was changed from "Bodey," "Body," and a few other phonetic variations, to "Bodie," after a painter in the nearby boomtown of Aurora, lettered a sign "Bodie Stables".

 

Gold discovered at Bodie coincided with the discovery of silver at nearby Aurora (thought to be in California, later found to be Nevada), and the distant Comstock Lode beneath Virginia City, Nevada. But while these two towns boomed, interest in Bodie remained lackluster. By 1868 only two companies had built stamp mills at Bodie, and both had failed.

 

In 1876, the Standard Company discovered a profitable deposit of gold-bearing ore, which transformed Bodie from an isolated mining camp comprising a few prospectors and company employees to a Wild West boomtown. Rich discoveries in the adjacent Bodie Mine during 1878 attracted even more hopeful people. By 1879, Bodie had a population of approximately 7,000–10,000 people and around 2,000 buildings. One legend says that in 1880, Bodie was California's second or third largest city. but the U.S. Census of that year disproves this. Over the years 1860-1941 Bodie's mines produced gold and silver valued at an estimated US$34 million (in 1986 dollars, or $85 million in 2021).

 

Bodie boomed from late 1877 through mid– to late 1880. The first newspaper, The Standard Pioneer Journal of Mono County, published its first edition on October 10, 1877. Starting as a weekly, it soon expanded publication to three times a week. It was also during this time that a telegraph line was built which connected Bodie with Bridgeport and Genoa, Nevada. California and Nevada newspapers predicted Bodie would become the next Comstock Lode. Men from both states were lured to Bodie by the prospect of another bonanza.

 

Gold bullion from the town's nine stamp mills was shipped to Carson City, Nevada, by way of Aurora, Wellington and Gardnerville. Most shipments were accompanied by armed guards. After the bullion reached Carson City, it was delivered to the mint there, or sent by rail to the mint in San Francisco.

 

As a bustling gold mining center, Bodie had the amenities of larger towns, including a Wells Fargo Bank, four volunteer fire companies, a brass band, railroad, miners' and mechanics' union, several daily newspapers, and a jail. At its peak, 65 saloons lined Main Street, which was a mile long. Murders, shootouts, barroom brawls, and stagecoach holdups were regular occurrences.

 

As with other remote mining towns, Bodie had a popular, though clandestine, red light district on the north end of town. There is an unsubstantiated story of Rosa May, a prostitute who, in the style of Florence Nightingale, came to the aid of the town menfolk when a serious epidemic struck the town at the height of its boom. She is credited with giving life-saving care to many, but after she died, was buried outside the cemetery fence.

 

Bodie had a Chinatown, the main street of which ran at a right angle to Bodie's Main Street. At one point it had several hundred Chinese residents and a Taoist temple. Opium dens were plentiful in this area.

 

Bodie also had a cemetery on the outskirts of town and a nearby mortuary. It is the only building in the town built of red brick three courses thick, most likely for insulation to keep the air temperature steady during the cold winters and hot summers. The cemetery includes a Miners Union section, and a cenotaph erected to honor President James A. Garfield. The Bodie Boot Hill was located outside of the official city cemetery.

 

On Main Street stands the Miners Union Hall, which was the meeting place for labor unions. It also served as an entertainment center that hosted dances, concerts, plays, and school recitals. It now serves as a museum.

 

The first signs of decline appeared in 1880 and became obvious toward the end of the year. Promising mining booms in Butte, Montana; Tombstone, Arizona; and Utah lured men away from Bodie. The get-rich-quick, single miners who came to the town in the 1870s moved on to these other booms, and Bodie developed into a family-oriented community. In 1882 residents built the Methodist Church (which still stands) and the Roman Catholic Church (burned 1928). Despite the population decline, the mines were flourishing, and in 1881 Bodie's ore production was recorded at a high of $3.1 million. Also in 1881, a narrow-gauge railroad was built called the Bodie Railway & Lumber Company, bringing lumber, cordwood, and mine timbers to the mining district from Mono Mills south of Mono Lake.

 

During the early 1890s, Bodie enjoyed a short revival from technological advancements in the mines that continued to support the town. In 1890, the recently invented cyanide process promised to recover gold and silver from discarded mill tailings and from low-grade ore bodies that had been passed over. In 1892, the Standard Company built its own hydroelectric plant approximately 13 miles (20.9 km) away at Dynamo Pond. The plant developed a maximum of 130 horsepower (97 kW) and 3,530 volts alternating current (AC) to power the company's 20-stamp mill. This pioneering installation marked the country's first transmissions of electricity over a long distance.

 

In 1910, the population was recorded at 698 people, which were predominantly families who decided to stay in Bodie instead of moving on to other prosperous strikes.

 

The first signs of an official decline occurred in 1912 with the printing of the last Bodie newspaper, The Bodie Miner. In a 1913 book titled California Tourist Guide and Handbook: Authentic Description of Routes of Travel and Points of Interest in California, the authors, Wells and Aubrey Drury, described Bodie as a "mining town, which is the center of a large mineral region". They referred to two hotels and a railroad operating there. In 1913, the Standard Consolidated Mine closed.

 

Mining profits in 1914 were at a low of $6,821. James S. Cain bought everything from the town lots to the mining claims, and reopened the Standard mill to former employees, which resulted in an over $100,000 profit in 1915. However, this financial growth was not in time to stop the town's decline. In 1917, the Bodie Railway was abandoned and its iron tracks were scrapped.

 

The last mine closed in 1942, due to War Production Board order L-208, shutting down all non-essential gold mines in the United States during World War II. Mining never resumed after the war.

 

Bodie was first described as a "ghost town" in 1915. In a time when auto travel was on the rise, many travelers reached Bodie via automobiles. The San Francisco Chronicle published an article in 1919 to dispute the "ghost town" label.

 

By 1920, Bodie's population was recorded by the US Federal Census at a total of 120 people. Despite the decline and a severe fire in the business district in 1932, Bodie had permanent residents through nearly half of the 20th century. A post office operated at Bodie from 1877 to 1942

 

In the 1940s, the threat of vandalism faced the ghost town. The Cain family, who owned much of the land, hired caretakers to protect and to maintain the town's structures. Martin Gianettoni, one of the last three people living in Bodie in 1943, was a caretaker.

 

Bodie is now an authentic Wild West ghost town.

 

The town was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and in 1962 the state legislature authorized creation of Bodie State Historic Park. A total of 170 buildings remained. Bodie has been named as California's official state gold rush ghost town.

 

Visitors arrive mainly via SR 270, which runs from US 395 near Bridgeport to the west; the last three miles of it is a dirt road. There is also a road to SR 167 near Mono Lake in the south, but this road is extremely rough, with more than 10 miles of dirt track in a bad state of repair. Due to heavy snowfall, the roads to Bodie are usually closed in winter .

 

Today, Bodie is preserved in a state of arrested decay. Only a small part of the town survived, with about 110 structures still standing, including one of many once operational gold mills. Visitors can walk the deserted streets of a town that once was a bustling area of activity. Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods. Littered throughout the park, one can find small shards of china dishes, square nails and an occasional bottle, but removing these items is against the rules of the park.

 

The California State Parks' ranger station is located in one of the original homes on Green Street.

 

In 2009 and again in 2010, Bodie was scheduled to be closed. The California state legislature worked out a budget compromise that enabled the state's Parks Closure Commission to keep it open. As of 2022, the park is still operating, now administered by the Bodie Foundation.

Symmetry

A plot in Motion

As excerpted from

“An Odyssey Less Taken “@

 

Tallie looked into the mirror as the bound Olivia stirred, a self-satisfied smirk lighting up her pretty face. It was time to administer the syringe containing the liquid that would render Olivia unconscious until late the next morning, giving them plenty of time. Olivia would wake thinking she had been the victim of a robbery. She should have no clue that the real reason was a simple piece of paper she had had tucked away inside her gold purse.

 

A couple of hours earlier:

 

Tallie had jogged into the upscale inn’s main lobby wearing a black running suite with her long,hair tucked up under a neoprene running cap. Playing the part of a guest who had gone out for exercise, she was also wearing thin gloves, wide wraparound sunglasses, small backpack and listening to music on her I Phone. She took up station in a corner of the inns’ huge lobby, like she was resting, while listening to her music. Ten minutes later, Olivia, whom Tallie had been shadowing, came in. Olivia had been easy to follow. An eye catching figure clad in a gold silk dress and pearls. She was carrying a shiny gold purse, and holding a bag containing a deep purple satin gown. Olivia had headed straight to the elevator, tapped her floor button and disappeared inside.

 

Tallie spent an uncomfortably anxious 10 minutes deciding what to do. Olivia had not gone to the front desk to take her jewels from the safe. Although her jewelry was not a main part of the plan, Tallie had loftier goals in mind, they did present a rather profitable bonus. Tallie decided to proceed, not wanting to blow the whole operation for a few pretty baubles. She had just risen when the elevator tinged. The doors opened, and Olivia exited into the lobby, still clad in the gold silk, and headed to the desk. There, she had the manager retrieve a black case. Showtime Tallie thought, relieved now that she had waited, watching as Olivia once again left in the elevator. Ten minutes after that, it was time to put the plan in motion. Using her I Phone, Tallie rang Olivia’s room pretending to be a hotel employee. “Someone had found something of yours in the lobby; a manager is on her way up with it.” She hung up not giving Olivia any chance for response.

  

From then, it had gone like clockwork. Tallie, with delight, watched the shocked look on Olivia’s face when she opened the door expecting a female hotel manager, but instead came face to face with a Taser wielding double of herself, Tallie! Firing the Taser, the shocked girl slumped into Tallies’ welcome arms. Kicking the door shut, Tallie pulled Olivia into the bathroom, where she was then bound and gagged. To make it look like a robbery, Tallie stripped Olivia of her pearl necklace, earrings, bracelets and rings. Then she quickly looted the apartment of any other small, but valuable items. Placing these items, along with the small backpack, into a leather clutch. Tallie then went to the dresser top and opened the black case sitting there. She whistled to herself as she savored the shiny contents. Looking them over, she made a selection, then poured the remaining jewelry into the clutch, glittering explosive fire as they went. She placed the selected diamond jewelry on the bathroom sink. Tallie found Olivia’s gold purse and opened it and pulled the ticket out. Studying, with eager eyes, the prize they had worked so hard to obtain. The small ticket was the key to the whole plot, worth potentially millions.

  

Carrying the purse to the bathroom, Tallie started to get ready. De bagging Olivia’s purple gown, she slipped it on. It poured over her curvy figure perfectly, as they had known it would. Tallie had switched her calfskin gloves for a pair of Olivia’s satin ones. It was as she had been putting on Olivia’s glittering diamonds that the tied up girl started to stir. Walking over to the groggy eyed girl, Tallie pretended to fumble with the ropes knots, and administered the hypo containing the knockout drops. After checking the heavily sedated Olivia’s Pulse, Tallie finished putting on the unlucky girls jewels.

 

Tallie admired herself in the mirror, almost not recognizing herself. She had dyed her midnight black hair blonde to match Olivia‘s and had put in blue tinted contacts. The clingy gown fitted snugly in all the right places, tightly outlining her perky breasts and nicely rounded butt. Very nice, thought Tallie beaming. After putting on Olivia’s stiletto heels, Tallie pronounced herself ready. Picking up the purse, she patted it for luck, and went into the bedroom. Tallie called the front desk, asking to have a limo called to pick her up out front, then she also ordered a wakeup call with breakfast for eleven o’clock the next morning. Hanging up the phone, Tallie still had 12 minutes left to kill. She spent it retracing her steps around the entire apartment making sure nothing had been overlooked, and then double checked that Olivia was going to stay out of the picture. When her time was up, Tallie snatched the clutch up from the satin covers of the bed, heavy now with Olivia’s valuables and her running suit and backpack. Tallie left the apartment, closing the door after hanging a do not disturb sign on the lever. Tallie entered the empty elevator , pushed the down button, and focused on the task at hand.

  

Finally, after seemingly endless months of careful plotting, preparation, rehearsals and dry runs. It was time. The whole scheme had been planned to the minutest detail, it had to be. The main prize was the tens of millions of dollars’ worth of jewels worn by the female guests attending the annual formal Casino Night by the Bay Ball. The annual black tie ball was a Republican Political Fundraiser by special invitation only and Olivia, who had been carefully selected and shadowed for weeks now, had been one of the lucky ticket holders. As a final coup de grâce , Tallie would attend the ball wearing Olivia’s luxurious gown and her brilliantly expensive diamonds, fitting right in with the other attendees. Security would be checking ID’s at the door. But Tallie now resembled Olivia almost to a T. She would fool those rent a cops easily as they checked her against Olivia‘s driver’s license for identification, bending over and showing a little bosom for added distraction. Tallie couldn’t wait to mingle and rub elbows with the galas ultra-rich patrons. She would mark her time by mingling and endearing herself to as many of the male guests as possible in the short time allotted to her. She would use her rich welsh brogue to the fullest to win over the posh male Yanks. All the while admiring the shiny gowns and scoping out the shimmering jewels that would be adorning her fellow female guests. Those jewels would include the Dahlkemper pearls, the Caboyt diamonds with the brilliant sapphires that placed the “Hope Diamond” to shame, and, of course, the famous matching waterfall diamond sets the Dempsey Twins would be wearing (Not to mention their Mother’s emeralds and rubies) . The sets, which had been presented as gifts at the twins ultra- fancy coning out ball, were insured for over 1 million dollars by the girls parents.

  

Then at the appointed hour, Tallie would slip away to a seldom used back stage door, conveniently hidden neath a stairwell. Security would not have this door covered. It was there that Tallies’ husband and his troupe of fellow masked thieves would be waiting to make their entrance. If all went to plan and it would, she was sure of that, they would proceed to hold up and rob all the guests. Relieving the lot of their fat designer purses, thick leather wallets, gold Rolexes, and of course, their jewels, Lots and lots of shimmering, pricy jewelry. Not to mention the piles of loose cash lying on the gambling tables begging to be collected. Tallie’s heart beat faster at the enticing visions.

 

After the last guest had been relieved of their valuables, Tallie’s next part of the plot would come. This was where Tallie’s experience as an actress would pay off. The thieves would grab an innocent hostage (Tallie) by knifepoint Then, while threatening the life of the frightened squirming hostage, order the rest of the guests to strip off their clothing. If Tallie had played her part well, mingling and playing the doe eyed innocent who reminded those she met as someone who they would love to protect, her fellow guests would not want to see her harmed and be obedient to the robbers threats, not wishing any harm to come to her. The guests would be threatened to not to try anything for the next hour, or they would eliminate their hostage. The gang would then leave with their loot, as well as their hapless hostage. Then they would make, what in Tallie’s opinion, was a rather brilliantly orchestrated get away.

  

This was not the first time out for Tallie and her husband’s team, but it promised to be their last. The gang had been operating in Europe and Latin America, seeking out small, but lucrative, gatherings of the privileged and ultra-wealthy. They had gotten quite adept, fine tuning a formula that successfully paid attention to even the minutest detail.

  

Tallie loved playing the part of the inside victim. Getting as close as possible to the female guests (usually by flirting with husbands and boyfriends) to get a close appraisal of their jewels. Then, after letting her husband and crew loose, observing the well-dressed guests being herded to line up along the wall with raised hands. Usually creating a colorful array of swishing lace, satin, silk , velvety gowns and dresses, all flowing along forlorn figures. It was a thrill to watch their facial and body expressions and reactions. Especially of the women and girls present, as they were forced to hand over their flashy gemstones, their Shiny gold and silver, opulent pearls and other assorted fine jewelry were handed over reluctantly from about their persons.

 

Then would come the part that really aroused Tallie. The thieves would reach her and tell her to “fork over the jewels miss,” and depending on her mood, would do so, either acting defiant and forcing them to take them off her, or frightened(especially if the thief was her husband) , and timidly handing them over. She would be squirming inside with a deep, delicious delight as she took off , or had the thief wrench off, each precious piece. It was a reaction she did not fully understand, but just knew and accepted it as a scintillating feeling. Tallie, shivered, licking her lips at past memories of being a robbery “victim”.

  

The band had no qualms about was fair game, boldly invading Weddings, Receptions, Fancy dress dances and even the upscale prom or mansion party. All had been meticulously planned, all had been very lucrative. Their last raid had been carried out on a coming out party for an English Earl/ Minister and his titled wife’s only daughter. It had occurred at the minister’s isolated country manor located deep in the moors. Where, in addition to the jewels worn by the guests that ill-fated Saturday evening, the manor’s many bedroom safes yielded a dazzling array of cases of unworn jewelry brought by the guests for the four day weekend.

  

Tallie fondly remembered that raid. She had gained access to the family by going as the guest of a rather vain bachelor she had “happened to make an acquaintance with,” in London. The dinner gatherings and nightly parties that had led up to the night of the debutante’s ball had been all over the top, as only very old money can pull off. Tallie had almost suffered a system overload by observing the bounty of rich offerings at her fingertips. Beckoning jewels so very close, and as of yet, so very far. The Saturday evening ball could not have come soon enough. But come it did, and the minister’s daughter did not disappoint, nor did her mother or any other of their female guests. The young debutante had made her grand entrance in a long slinky blood red gown and matching gloves. Among the child’s perfect jewels was included an authentic family heirloom tiara, dripping with pristine diamonds, holding up the wavy curls of her silky fawn hair.

  

Tallies mouth had watered as she kept stealing looks, keeping her eyes glued to the precocious miss all evening. She inwardly was squirming with anticipation, up until the delightful moment when the begowned debutante limply removed and handed over the tiara, along with the rest of her gleaming diamonds and pearls to one of the gang of masked robbers who had had the “audacity “ to crash the party..

  

Now, Tallie was traditionally allowed to keep one piece of jewelry from the loot taken from each job as part of her take if she so desired. She always enjoyed picking out pieces she would like to have as she mingled with her fellow guests before her husband’s gang charged in. In the coming out party it had been the sad puppy faced debutante‘s cascading diamond earrings that Tallie had claimed for her own from the minute she first saw them dangling from the pretty girl’s delicate ears. Tallie had subsequently worn and been “robbed” of those earrings several times on jobs since then.

  

After the Manor house’s guests had been relieved of their valuables, the gang had made its getaway, seemingly vanishing into the moors misty air. The mechanics of that escape would form the basis of their getaway attempt after this evening’s robbery of the wealthy guests attending the “By the Bay Ball” Actually the symmetry of the two events did not stop there. The profit realized by the take from the Earl’s family and guests had given the gang the seed money for the enormous expense in planning tonight’s complex raid. And tonight’s successful raid on the ball, appropriately enough, its diamond jubilee, would be splashed over all of the countries newspapers, like the Manor raid had been. And like after the Manor raid, Tallie and her husband would be reading those papers in the safty of their isolated island retreat.

 

******************

 

As Tallie dwelt on that remembrance, the elevator completed its long, uninterrupted journey by tinging its 1st floor arrival. Showtime! Tallie thought with wry amusement as she stepped into the now crowded lobby. Tonight would be more of the same tingling robbery experiences, only ten times better and since it may very well be her last time , Tallie was going to savor every delicious minute.

 

Tallie left the elevator and moved quickly towards the sitting area she had occupied when watching for Olivia to come in. In one of the chairs sat a young man wearing wraparound sunglasses reading a blue covered novel. She swished by him, allowing her satin clad leg to brush along his. She watched with enticement as he straightened, uncomfortably, in his chair, his reaction to her teasing pleasing her immensely . Going around him, she placed her clutch on the chair behind him before turning and primping herself in front of one of the long mirrored walls that lined the sitting area. Seeing that no one as of yet was looking her way, she smiled to herself and swished her way back into the main lobby, leaving behind her clutch. She again passed the young man, who, even with the sunglasses, bore a striking resemblance to a young Sidney Poitier! No signal passed between them. The blue novel meant everything was going as planned, a red novel would have meant danger. The clutch on the chair behind him signaled the young man she had teased, Jessie by name , that everything was a go on Tallies end. After she left, Jessie would retrieve the clutch and rejoin Tallies husband and the rest of his gang.

  

With the prearranged signals exchanged, Tallie happily made her way to the fancy Glass doors where a uniformed Doorman was opening for arriving and departing guests. She could feel more than one pair of jealous eyes following her as she weaved her way through the crowd, her long gown swishing deliciously along her pretty figure. The pretty blond in the purple satin and shimmering diamonds was soon lost to sight, as she exited the doors to the misty street below. Those watching her were totally oblivious that the pretty blonde passing them was setting into motion the complex wheels of a rather ingenious scheme. Meanwhile in a ballroom some miles away a large group of extremely well dressed and decked out guests attending a certain excessively extravagant Ball , were innocently mingling, jewels sparkled with a frenzied riot of colours! These heavily gem encrusted guests were also totally oblivious as to what fate had in store for them in a few hours.

*************************************************************************************

@ Chatwick University extends its compliments to the unknown artist whose worthy photo and captivating title proved to be the spark that ignited the genesis of our Tallies Odyssey….

Lifting light vague

 

-This tale is a fairly reasonably accurate description of a true event that occurred during a Welsh wedding reception some time ago...

 

-Mention must be made that the expensive looking attire worn by this particular young lady may have helped falsely enhance her jewelry’s appeal as a tempting target.

 

-Regardless of whether the nicking had been done to tease, or for a hoped for profit !

 

-Which leads us to the story below: the tone of which is deliberately ambiguous.

 

It is a retelling: either from the viewpoint of one sibling playing a trick upon another sibling, or the viewpoint of a scoundrel who seeks out profitable opportunities at fancy dress- up affairs.

 

It is for you, the reader, to guess out....

  

Title :

 

Perils of a Living Doll

  

She was certainly that, a living doll, scurrying about in her fluidly flowing,shiny in the lights, fancy party attire:

 

An eye catching ensemble made up of a rather glistening emerald green button up back thicke satin blouse with a high ruffled neckline with long sleeves ending in matching ruffles. A long flowing pleated black satin skirt quite nicely completed the darling ensemble.

 

But very few dolls ever wore jewelry like her’s:

 

A surprisingly full complement of gleaming white pearls dangle deliciously along her lithe, youthfully curved figure, with her long flowing hair, and a wide eyed doe like curiosity of living life glowing from her pretty face.

 

Though I had other more pressing business to attend, I kept an eye out on her, relishing each time I caught her in view.

 

Those baiting pearls kept popping up in my mind when she was out of my sight, making it hard to concentrate fully on anything else!

 

It was quite in the realm of possibility that those smooth pearls of Her’s were as valuable as they were pretty!

 

Also knowing the fact that the female in possession of them was quite youthfully gullible, added up to make for an all to tempting target to easily be subtracted from her lustrous possessions !

 

Being a tad bit assured that somebody else may do the math, and might actually happen to make that subtraction was the reason I waited,with baited breath, to again catch a lingering look to see that she still was in possession of all of them !

 

Then at the end of another successful work day, as I slipped away, I caught an unexpected final sighting of the girl.

 

The poor thing had exhausted herself from the busy agendas of her long day looking like a princess,and all that doing so will entail!

 

Dead Asleep now, peacefully snuggled in on a couch corner, quite isolate, however, not quite alone!

 

For a girl whom I knew to be her cousin, sat dozing next her.

 

A girl her age incredibly pretty in a long sleek peach gown, enchantingly wearing what looked like rhinestones, earrings and bracelet, (surprisingly no necklace)! She had now opened her eyes and was looking around incredibly bored.

 

As I watched she rubbed her eyes, then tugged at the sleeping Lass who did not budge. She rose with a visible sigh and skipping off , her pretty peach colored gown winningly fluttering along her eye catching figure!

 

Failing to notice me standing nearby in the shadows as she swished past still rubbing her eyes!

 

Silently I thanked her for being so quite accommodating in leaving her sleeping cousin , and her delectably appealing pearls, quite behind !

 

It was prime time for that mathematical subtracting I had mentioned earlier!

 

But then subtracting had always been my best subject, something I was rather keen at doing!

  

Again on the hunt, I stalked up behind my prey!

I crouched down looked her over from behind.

 

Her reflection showing up Clearly enough in the polished glass vase on the coffee table in front of her as I silently had treaded in from behind!

  

Amazingly it appeared, she had made it though the gauntlets of the day with all her pearls in place.

 

Even when she and her cousin , the girl in peach satin, had startlingly snuck outside to swing on a nearbye schools playground, they had fortunately come back in unscathed!

 

Untouched by the rather dark lurking elements that sometimes will creep in from societies shadowy outer fringe to feed upon the richly dressed unwary!

 

Since I won’t deny my desires probably made me a loosely connected part of that rather unconventional brotherhood at times, I still took a personal interest in making sure she came to no distress .

 

And so I had taken the time to lecture them for taking on such perils , whilst secretly harboring a desire to lift away the very pearls I was scolding her for taking a risk on losing by playing outside!

  

I now, of course gently sat down on the opposite end of the couch, watching her and the surroundings, planning my strategy.

 

For this type of subtracting, the distraction for the victim was her sleep.

 

I only had to make sure my moves along her figure were as nimble as can be and used the lest amount of pressure to work off what I was after!

 

Also a rule was to keep an eye on any subtle changes in her breathing or movement as I worked!

 

This would tip me off that it was time to leave with what jewels of hers I had in hand , regrettably leaving the rest perched in place as she was waking!

 

I saw her cousin quite aways off, she did not appear to be concerned or coming back anytime soon, leaving me a window opened for opportunity!

 

So I gently, with growing anticipation, slowly inched closer, my earlier desires now sharply reawakening!

 

Finally Reaching her sleep warmed figure, I ventured in to gently caress her arm, tingling encased in her emerald satin sleeve with its daintily ruffled end.

 

The young darling did not stir at my cool fingers touch as I eyeballed her wrists bracelet and ringed fingers!

 

Normally I would have gone for her necklace first, followed by her earrings, since in that order they are usually the most valuable of the jewels a lady would wear!

 

A procedure I had observed a thief carry out on two different ladies at the same venue! It was watching his moves that had effectively whetted my appetite for this game!

 

But , in this one’s case, I had an inkling that her bracelets and rings(especially the diamond one on her left pinky) that as a whole, may be the more advantageous route to proceed in case I had to face an early retreat !

  

I moved my fingers tingling down the sleeve of her right arm that lay upon her lap, carefully peeling back the ruffles to reach the pearled bracelet.

 

I then moved that bracelet up over her sleeve before lifting it, than delicately slipping it around until the diamond studded clasp was exposed.

 

Licking my lips I snapped it open, leaving the ends dangle as I moved my hand away and sat looking at her from the corner of my eye!

 

She kept on breathing heavily with no tell tale signs of waking up soon!

 

No one was paying our little corner any heed!

 

I reached over and taking up the bracelets end used the smoothness of her sleeve and her satin skirt between which it was sandwiched, and easily peeled it away !

 

I Let it lay on her lap, drooling over the pretty thing !

 

Then I reached down in again, curling my fingers around hers. Ever so delicately, one by one, slowly slipped off her shimmering rings from along each nuckle, feeling my heart beating with exhlileration, until they each were worked free ,laying them one by one on her black pleated satin clad lap till they all lay in a glittery group together!

 

Her left arm was at her side, and I gingerly grasped it and lifted it limply onto her lap to join her other.

 

I sat back for a minute, she wasn’t stirring, the cousin was still a distance away.

 

I went back to work.

 

Carefully I slipped off her other bracelet, laying it over my growing take. Then I lifted her pinky, where a glittery ring set with 3 dainty diamonds had been sparkling merrily as she had scurried about!

 

I easily worked it off , having it join in with the collection I had already neatly slipped off from her.

 

I took a deep exhale of breath of the air I had been holding, then reaching in, scooped them all up from her downy soft lap inside my cupped hand in one fluid motion.

 

As I pocketed them I watched her necklace do it’s dangly dance.

  

A fine double strand of glistening perfection laying their ever so elegantly up against the sheer front of her lush emerald green satin blouse.

 

Both strands dripping down from beneath her blouses’ elegantly ruffled neckline !

 

The matched strands dangled together just below her heaving chest. Held together by a round diamond set pin about halfway up on the right side.

 

The rich material of her form fitted blouse pleasurably outlined her petite young curves, with the enticingly baiting pearls adding a very nice accent to the overall picture.

 

It almost was a shame to relive her neck of the richly gleaming burden.

 

Almost....

 

Before making my move I delicately reached over and slipping my fingers underneath the strands, feeling her chest rise up and down in its gently moving heaves, lifted them up for the second time that day , I again drooled over them a bit before making my move...

 

I slid in daringly closer, placing my arm so it lay on the couch around behind her back.

 

As I watched around us from the front my fingers worked hidden from behind, locating the jeweled clasp , then prying it open, looking down at her I let the loose ends slither down along her shoulders. The pearls slipped away with an almost silent swish down the front of her slick blouse where they curled up in a dainty nestling pile upon her sleepy shiny lap.

 

I froze, ready to exit, but she did not stir from her dreams!

 

Far too exhausted to be awakened by my practiced subtle extraction of her jewelry !

 

I studied the piled up pearls for a few satisfying seconds,congratulating me on a job well done, well half done actually!

 

Then I reached in and neatly plucked the gleaming double strand free from where they lay nestled in to finish it!

 

As I was doing so I now felt something sharply hard inside her skirt against the back of my hand.

 

I looked it over as I pocketed her pearls and spied a pocket of her own in the side of her skirt, hidden in the pleats .

 

Wondering what it held, I eagerly pried it open and reached inside and surprisingly came away with a glittery rhinestone necklace !

 

“Whats this then luv?” I thought silently questioning her as I admire the pretty sparklers.

 

A necklace as pretty as this belonged around the throat of a girl dressed up fancy, like the one wearing the luxurious peach gown who had been sitting next to her !

 

Looking up at her angelic face I wondered what games of her own this pretty miss had been up to as I pondered vexingly whether to keep or return her sparkling trophy?

 

As I made my decision I saw her earrings peeping out .

 

That was all that was left to take, her pearled earrings with the diamond clasp ! Fortunately her delicate ears were not pierced, which may have been more of a sticky wicket encumbering their removal!

 

But still this might be tricky enough, her long silky soft hair held them for the most part safely inside.

 

I looked around then got up and went behind her and put the mirrored vase to use.

 

Picking up a strand of her hair I watched as I tickled her nose with it. She stirred, and without really waking, pulled her hair back away from her ears Nicely exposing her beautiful twin pearled earrings for an easy lift.

 

With a touch as delicate as any surgeon’s I reached around and gently pulled as I slipped off each one in turn.

 

Amazed at how easily they freely slipped off each slightly sweat glistened earlobe!

  

I cheerfully pocketed them.

 

Then spent some time watching her figure in my safe haven behind her, making good use of the mirror to assure myself nothing of value had been missed or overlooked !

  

Her tightly fitting attire still was glistening shiny, but starkly bear naked now that her gleaming jewels had been all been nicked clean away.

 

This had been almost too easy, not that I was complaining, for it had been a most enjoyably scintillating , guiltily pleasurable, game of it!

 

I looked around, planning my exit.

 

Then I spied something glittering in a far corner!

 

I recognized it as the diamond bracelet being regally worn by her errant cousin! I decided on following in to capture a better last look at the satin peach clad vixen!

 

Perhaps I may have to ‘bump’ into her and take the ‘opportunity’ to, with feeling, compliment her on her fetchingly pretty attire!

  

Toodles I endearingly said in silence to the sleeping doll’s shimmery figure still snuggled into the couch,biding her a fond adieu as I walked away, feeling my pockets nicely weighted down with her still warm purloined pearls!

 

Still finding amazement over the quantity and apparent quality of the jewelry that my victim had been allowed to wear out daringly alone this particular evening !

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Not much later the girl did stir, stretching and yawning. Then laid her hands back onto her Lap, covered as it was in her midnight black pleated satin skirt.

 

She flexed her fingers along its luxurious length, relishing in the skirts satiny feel.

 

She looked around. Something was not quite right. Where was her cousin?

 

As she thought this she reached up to rub her eyes, than gasped...

 

She was looking at her hands, shocked , her bracelets were gone, and her rings, including her small one set with diamonds!

 

In her bewilderment she still was feeling cobwebbed from sleep as she, with a puzzled frown, reached up and ran her fingers through her long hair...

 

Hold on, where are my bloody earrings. Then she felt at her throat! Her necklace of pearls were no longer there, she felt down the front of her shiny blouse to confirm that the strands we’re no longer dangling down!

 

With a sinking feeling she realized that her pearls, all of them were gone!

 

And she had a pretty good idea of who had the Gaul to have spirited them away like this

  

The wanker she hissed under her breath as she mentally pictured her twin brother who liked to play lifting games and picking off items from her, like her jewelry.

 

He has been up to no good again, even though he had promised he would be in best behaviors after she caught him earlier!

 

For he had already lifted the rhinestone necklace of thier similarly aged girl cousin wearing a pretty gown of peach satin.

 

Taking it as he had danced with her!

  

She had seen him, and demanded he had hand it back to her!

 

Sulking over being caught and scolded out, he had given it to his twin and tasked her to be the one to somehow sneak it back to their cousin!

 

Which she had forgotten to do and her hand darted inside her silky skirts pocket to feel for the rhinestone necklace.

 

Nope it was still there, so she still had that job to do also!!!

 

She actually did not mind his games , rather the opposite actually! Just had felt a bit jealous he had danced with their cousin over her first !

 

And now she believed he had lifted her pearls in retaliation for her scolding him!

 

Of all the bloody Cheek!

  

That her brother had his eyes her pearls, and the downy softness of her sleekly pretty party outfit was no mystery!

 

She knew this because he had kept teasingly prodding her, touching at her pearls, on the long drive here as both had been sitting wedged in the back seat of papa’s small sports car.

 

Though she had also been an antagonist herself, intentionally giving him reasons to grasp her As she squirmed away, knowing full well it was triggering the desires to lift her jewelry that he was trying so hard to suppress with their parents seated up front!

 

Mum had only to tell them once to settle down, turning around to scold them, the diamonds in her earrings glittering as madly as she was only pretending to be at her children!

 

Those earrings were very pretty, too pretty to be kept at home. Papa had to go to a bank to get them, along with my pearls!

 

Thinking the word “bank” made her jump to her feet, as suddenly a cold realization swept over her!

 

The razor thin feelings that divided between the delicious chills of guilty pleasure that her pearls had been nicked and the cold stark reality of the punishment she would get for losing them if the parents saw her first before she got them back!

 

No matter how they had been lost!

 

Now fully wide awake, with a straightening of her glittering long shiny midnight black pleated skirt, she hurried off to call him out !

 

Or at least that is what she down deep hoped that was all she had to do to get them from him!

 

For an unsettling inkling was now forming queasily in her gut that it just conceivably may not have been her brother who had lifted her pearls.

  

For her mum had not really been happy with her insisting to wear them out this evening.

 

Thinking she may be a bit too young to be wearing them without her parents presence!

 

For mum and papa were a part of the bridal party and would not be able to keep close eyes themselves on her and her brother!

 

And it was only with her brothers suspiciously eager promise to keep an eye on her, that she was given permission!

 

Her mum also had not known about the small diamond ring she had smuggled out of the house to put her on finger once when her parents were finally not around!

  

She had been lectured to take great care of her fine jewelry, which of course she hadn’t , playing around like she was back at home and not attending a posh reception!

 

Then she had snuck off to the playground with their cousin, without her brothers knowledge !

 

And her brother had lectured her when she had admitted to him where she had disappeared off too. Probably mad because he would have like to have been included in!

 

And then....

 

Speaking of being scolded...!

 

She suddenly remember the icy stern lady in a red silk dress , whom she had not recognized, but apparently had seen the girls sneaking off outside to play!

 

Chillingly she recalled the penetrating look she her and her girl cousin had receive from that strange lady with severe hair and eyes who had caught them sneaking back in after being outside at the playground!

 

She had admonished them for going off alone dressed like they were!

 

As she scolded she pawed at the slick fabrics of the girls fancy dress attire caressing them over with clammy fingers, then had lifted my pearl necklace up like she was going to take it for safe keeping.

 

She doesn’t of course, but it had been a very unsettling experience for both of the startled doe eyed young girls !

 

But that lady had so unnervingly acted like my pearls belonged with her, she remembered with unsettling clarity!

 

But of course she was being silly, only men would have a desire to take a girl’s jewels, right!?

 

That’s the way it appeared on the telle show they had watched once!

 

But there had been plenty of men there, strangers who had stopped what they were doing and look them over as she and her cousin darted in and out amongst them

In the crowded ballroom.

 

Most had commented how pretty the pair looked, others just turned away with thoughtful looks on their smug mugs.

 

Now with a fast growing bit of nagging anxiety , pensively still feeling her still naked ears and the chillingly bare neckline of her ultra-soft satin blouse for still peskily non existent pearls , she urgently sought out her twin brother.

 

Needing to be assured that he had been indeed up to his tricks and would reunite her with them.

 

And in doing so, to be relived of her new concerns over the worrisome idea someone else may actually have been responsible for her missing bank vault worthy pearls!

 

Some unknown individual whose intentional reasons for nimbly lifting them off as she had slept would probably not involve giving them back to her!!

 

With these uncomfortable swirling thoughts she looked with suspicion through the crowd of handsomely attired guests!

 

Spotting the peach satin gown her cousin was wearing, she quickly swished to catch up and enlist her help!

 

“””””””””””””””””

 

As she did so, the one who had a small cache of guests jewels hidden away in a deep pocket, was watching , with a secret grin, this recent victim’s shiny green and black attired figure’s worried progress from her couch, while standing a reassuringly safe distance away!

 

Watching with a wicked smirk as she was reaching the equally prettily attired young girl clad so elegantly in peach satin .

 

The one who had deserted her cousin from the couch leaving her unguarded as she slept.

 

The one who had turned away blushing,so winningly as the person had so eloquently complimented her while holding her arm to give added meaning to a false sincerity !

 

The one who in a matter of minutes was probably about to realize that her cousin was not the only one to have had several of her jewels mysteriously taken from her elegantly clad person!

 

Smirking at these thoughts, with a rather proud cockiness over this evenings accomplishments, shown in a happily haughty demeanor!

 

The person standing in the shadows slowly moved in , mulling over that in addition to subtracting, there was nothin like a good old fashion game of cat and mouse!

 

Fini

 

Now, not everyone likes an open ending to a story...

 

So If anyone would like to know what the real life solution was to the mystery of who took her jewelry, and whether she got it back , please ask in the comments section and I will privately email the answer

 

The Ed’s...

 

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness--that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

 

The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.

 

Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its stories are true, and its decisions are immutable.

 

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.

 

It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

 

It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter.

 

Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of Hell disclosed.

 

Christ is its grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end.

 

It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.

 

Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.

 

It is a mine of wealth, health to the soul, and a river of pleasure.

 

It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

Sir Thomas Brisbane:

 

Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane (1773-1860), governor, was born on 23 July 1773 at Brisbane House, near Largs, Ayrshire, son of a family of ancient Scottish lineage. He was educated by tutors and attended both the University of Edinburgh and the English Academy, Kensington. In 1789 he was commissioned an ensign in the 38th Regiment, which next year he joined in Ireland; there he struck up a long and profitable friendship with a fellow subaltern, Arthur Wellesley. From 1793 to 1798 he served in Flanders as a captain, from 1795 to 1799 in the West Indies as a major, and from 1800 to 1803 he commanded the 69th Regiment in Jamaica as a lieutenant-colonel, earning high praise from the governor, Sir George Nugent. From 1803 to 1805 he served in England, but when the 69th was ordered to India went on half-pay in Scotland because of his health.

 

He then was able to indulge his interest in astronomy, which he developed after nearly being involved in a shipwreck in 1795, and in 1808 he built at Brisbane House the second observatory in Scotland. In 1810 he was promoted colonel and elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London, and in 1812 at Wellington's request he was promoted brigadier-general. He commanded a brigade which was heavily engaged in the battles of the Peninsular war from Vittoria to Toulouse, and continued to practise his astronomy so that in Wellington's words, he 'kept the time of the army'. In 1815 he was created a K.C.B., received the thanks of parliament, and commanded a brigade in the American war. From 1815 to 1818 he commanded a division in the army of occupation in France and in 1817 he was created a K.C.H. (G.C.H., 1831). He returned to England in 1818 and next year married Anna Maria, daughter and heiress of Sir Henry Hay Makdougall of Makerstoun, Scotland, whose surname he added to his own by letters patent on 14 August 1826. In 1815 he applied for appointment as governor of New South Wales, but the post was not then vacant; in November 1820 on Wellington's advice Brisbane, then in command of the Munster district in Ireland, was appointed. He arrived in the colony on 7 November 1821 and took over from Governor Lachlan Macquarie on 1 December.

 

Brisbane's policies for the colony were usually sensible answers to pressing problems, based on Commissioner John Thomas Bigge's report and the instructions derived from it, modified by his own impressions. Though he was on good terms with Macquarie he condemned the latter's 'system' and told Earl Bathurst later that he had changed New South Wales in so many ways that if Macquarie had returned 'he would not have recognised the place'.

 

When Brisbane arrived 340,000 acres (137,593 ha) of promised grants had still to be located and there were many confused permissive occupancies and nebulous promises. Lands were occupied and transferred without legal title, and boundary disputes seemed never ending. Proper survey was essential for a workable policy of alienation to be evolved, and the Ripon regulations of 1831 were made to a large extent possible by the practical development of the policies which Brisbane had implemented.

 

In 1822 he issued tickets-of-occupation which enabled land to be immediately occupied without a preliminary survey and graziers to be given security against trespass without the land being permanently alienated. Additional assistant surveyors were appointed to reduce arrears in the surveying and granting of land, but Brisbane promised land only to those with the inclination and ability to use it productively, forbade the acceptance of chits signed by irresponsible persons as valid titles, and gave tickets-of-occupation only when extra stock had actually been obtained. He granted land to sons of established settlers only if their fathers' properties had been considerably improved, and to immigrants in proportion to their capital. He was reluctant to make grants to his newly-appointed officials, even though this subjected him 'to a most unpleasant feeling'. In order to promote settlement of the colony by settlers who really wanted to improve the land and to deter speculators with fictitious capital, he insisted that grantees should maintain one convict labourer, free of expense to the Crown, for every 100 acres (40 ha) they were given, and he maintained this rule against criticism from the Colonial Office that it would hamper settlement. Brisbane insisted that although the regulation had been temporarily unpopular genuine settlers did not oppose it, for convict servants were coming to be looked on as a boon. It would help to control the intense demand for land, though even that check would not be sufficient. 'Not a cow calves in the colony but her owner applies for an additional grant in consequence of the increase in his stock', he wrote. 'Every person to whom a grant is made receives it as the payment of a debt; everyone to whom one is refused turns my implacable enemy'. He asked the British government 'to fix an invariable proportion of land to be cultivated in every grant' and to appoint a Commission of Escheat, for without it, since a judgment by Barron Field, the 'clearing and cultivating clauses' in the grants had become 'a dead letter'. The instructions on the disposal of crown lands which were sent from London in January 1825 owed so much to Brisbane's advice that he found 'great satisfaction' in noticing 'the very prominent similarity' between them and the practice he had been following in New South Wales.

 

Acting on one of Bigge's suggestions Brisbane in 1824 had begun selling crown lands, at 5s. an acre. 'While the system of free grants exists, there is little chance of extensive improvement taking place generally in the colony, as the improver of land can never enter the market in competition with the individual who gets his land for nothing', Brisbane told Bathurst. Between May and December 1825 more than 500,000 acres (202,345 ha) were sold. In land policy Brisbane had recognized the need to encourage men of capital, though at the same time opposing over-lavish land grants. Seeing the need for consolidation rather than expansion, and for more accurate surveys of the settled areas, he gave less encouragement to land exploration than either his predecessors or successors, but he continued, as instructed, to organize coastal surveys.

 

Brisbane received from Bathurst full instructions on convict affairs, derived from Bigge's report. These were based on the belief that Macquarie had been too lenient and too extravagant, and Brisbane conscientiously carried them out. He rigidly adhered to the rules against the premature granting of tickets-of-leave. He reduced the number of road-gangs, whose members often indulged in dissipation and crime, and the numbers employed on public works in Sydney, and organized in their place gangs to clear land for settlers in return for payment to the government; this greatly speeded up the rate of clearing. He ordered convict mechanics to be hired instead of being assigned; this brought in revenue and made for a more efficient distribution of labour. He established new centres of secondary punishment as Bigge had recommended, first at Moreton Bay and later at Bathurst's suggestion on Norfolk Island, and he sent educated convicts to be confined first at Bathurst and later at Wellington valley, but he opposed excessive corporal punishment, reprieved many prisoners sentenced to death and was criticized by Bathurst for his improvidence in granting pardons.

 

Brisbane set up an agricultural training college and was the first patron of the New South Wales Agricultural Society, founded in 1822, which among other activities, financed the importation of livestock. On Bathurst's instructions, he drastically reduced the assistance given to new settlers and so, by making it virtually impracticable to begin farming without capital, helped to improve production. He conducted experiments in growing Virginian tobacco, Georgian cotton, Brazilian coffee and New Zealand flax, but unfortunately without much success.

 

Brisbane looked forward to getting the 'Colony on to its own Resources' and regarded the achievement of economy in government expenditure as one of his major successes. In 1822, on the advice of Frederick Goulburn, colonial secretary, and William Wemyss, deputy commissary general, he initiated currency reforms by which commissariat payments were to be made in dollars at a fixed value of 5s. or about one-eighth above their intrinsic value. This attempt to set up a dollar standard was intended both to reduce expenditure and to provide the colony with a coinage which would prevent a repetition of the issue of store receipts as practised by the former commissary, Frederick Drennan, and it would discourage imports by depreciating the local currency. But the system was not a success and after the terms on which the dollars would be received had been modified the dollar standard was replaced by a sterling exchange standard on instructions sent from London in July 1825. In 1823 all commissariat supplies were called by tender, though the introduction of price competition hurt small farmers and favoured the larger ones; when only three month's grain was bought by tender, instead of a year's at a fixed price, a minor depression occurred, but this was partly due to the suddenness of the change.

 

Brisbane was devout and broadminded in religious matters, and prepared to support any sect that did not threaten the state. He encouraged Wesleyan societies, advocated and gave financial aid to the Roman Catholics, but opposed what he regarded as extravagant demands by the Presbyterians, considering them wealthy enough to build their own church. He supported Bible and tract societies. He attempted to encourage education by appointing a director-general of all government public schools, but this was quashed by the Colonial Office. He believed that clergy, like government officials, should not indulge in private trade, which of course made him unpopular with Samuel Marsden. His policy towards Aboriginals was ambivalent. On one occasion he ordered some to be shot; on another he imposed martial law beyond the Blue Mountains because of 'the aggressions of the Native Blacks'. However, he favoured compensating them for lost land, and in 1825 granted the London Missionary Society 10,000 acres (4047 ha) as an Aboriginal reserve.

 

Like other governors, Brisbane found the emancipist-exclusive quarrel a major difficulty, and the success of many of his policies was vitiated because some of his officials ignored him and favoured the exclusives. Brisbane himself did not have great faith in the future of a colony based on emancipists; but though he preferred the large-scale immigration of free settlers, especially those with capital, his cautious liberalism was to the emancipists' tastes. Unlike the exclusives, they gave him a warm farewell. Brisbane appears to have believed, as he said at a public meeting just before he left, that free institutions could be safely established in New South Wales. In 1824 he did not apply any censorship when William Charles Wentworth's Australian began publication, and ended control of the Gazette by government officials. He ordered the holding of Courts of Quarter Sessions at which there would be trial by jury, an experiment which Chief Justice (Sir) Francis Forbes reported to have been very successful; they were abolished by the Act of 1828, but not before the exclusives had grossly misused them at Parramatta in their vendetta against Henry Grattan Douglass. The Legislative Council set up by the New South Wales Act of 1823, which began meeting in August 1824, operated calmly under his rule and began the process of reducing the powers of the governor from the autocracy of the past.

 

At first Brisbane had too few men to do the work of government; by 1824 he found himself with a number of departmental heads appointed independently of him, varying in ability, at odds with each other and the government. He thought Judge Barron Field and Judge-Advocate (Sir) John Wylde responsible for much of the party feeling in the colony, and was heartily glad to see them go in 1824, but John Oxley, Saxe Bannister and Frederick Goulburn were also sources of trouble. Men like George Druitt, John Jamison, Marsden, John Dunmore Lang, the Macarthurs and the Blaxlands frequently made vicious misrepresentations in London about Brisbane's administration. They gave the governor much to contend with and, though he 'evinced a forbearance amounting to Stoicism', in the end he felt compelled to remove some 'exclusive' magistrates for grossly improper behaviour. It was partly to counter their misrepresentations that he sent Dr Douglass to London in February 1824, but his patronage of Douglass, who was in trouble with the War Office, in the end contributed to his recall. Brisbane did not find Goulburn easy to work with and in January 1824 asked for an assistant-secretary. Goulburn refused to carry out some of Brisbane's instructions; he suppressed letters or answered them without reference to the governor; on 19 April 1824 he even claimed that the governor's proclamations and orders were invalid unless they went through his department. Such conduct Brisbane clearly could not countenance and he protested to the Colonial Office; the reply in December was the recall of both governor and secretary, and in November 1825 Brisbane departed.

 

Brisbane did not concern himself with all the details of his administration; but a governor could no longer attend to everything. The colony had expanded in size in recent years, and Macquarie had ruined his health and peace of mind by a concern with every administrative detail and petty squabble as Governor (Sir) Ralph Darling was soon to do also. Brisbane had worked well with Lieutenant-Governors William Sorell and (Sir) George Arthur in Van Diemen's Land, which was still under his jurisdiction, and he had no trouble there. Unfriendly contemporaries, Marsden, Archdeacon Thomas Scott and the Macarthurs, found Brisbane amiable, impartial but weak. His enemies accused him of a lack of interest in the colony, but this was untrue. Judge Forbes, whom he found 'a great blessing', praised his work; an emancipist address on his departure spoke of 'a mild, an unpartial, and a firm administration'; but soon afterwards John Dunmore Lang was to make what became the standard comment on his governorship; 'a man of the best intentions, but disinclined to business, and deficient in energy'. Of the quality of his intentions there is little doubt: highly patriotic, and regarding New South Wales as being of considerable moral, political and strategic value to the United Kingdom, he was genuinely concerned in its future progress. The stock criticisms, that he was weak and lacked interest in administrative detail, either because he was lazy or more concerned with 'star-gazing', are very misleading. 'In place of passing my time in the Observatory or shooting Parrots, I am seldom employed in either. And Altho' I rise oftener at 5 o'clock in the Morning than after, I cannot get thro' the various and arduous duties of my Government', he wrote. Brisbane had been a very respected and successful soldier, as indicated by Nugent's admiration and Wellington's occasional recorded praise and continued championship. Brisbane's dispatches are permeated with bitter realism about the greed and duplicity of leading colonists, and his policies for the colony were usually sensible. He was ready to delegate work to subordinates who were too often untrustworthy, but he was extremely diligent in the duties which he undertook himself as pertinent to his office. Sensitive, respectful to others, and never vindictive, he was rather out of his element when surrounded by the arrogance of the New South Wales magistracy, the disloyalty and factiousness of officials and the explosive rifts in colonial society. At the same time a more forceful man, living in Sydney not Parramatta, who ignored his wife and infant family (two of whom were born in the colony and a third on the voyage home), would probably have had more success in overcoming his difficulties. It was an unhappy period in Brisbane's life and, as Wellington commented on his recall, 'there are many brave men not fit to be governors of colonies'.

 

His astronomical activities had continued in Australia and indeed were probably a reason for his seeking the appointment. He built an observatory at Parramatta and made the first observations of stars in the southern hemisphere since Lacaille's in 1751-52 of which he published an account. 'Science' was 'not allowed to flag'. When he departed he left his astronomical instruments and 349 volumes of his scientific library to the colony, as he wanted his name to be associated with 'the furtherance of Science'; but he had had to leave most of his observatory work to Christian Rümker. There is little reference to astronomy in his letters after 1823, but he kept up his interest and in 1828 reported on the subject to the Royal Society, London. His astronomical achievements indeed brought him as much fame as his military and vice-regal career. When in 1823 Oxford University made him a D.C.L. he wrote that 'no Roman General ever felt prouder of the Corona Triumphatus … than I do on this occasion'. In 1826 he built another observatory at Makerstoun. Later he became president of the Edinburgh Astronomical Institution and did much to make the Edinburgh Royal Observatory highly efficient. In 1832 he was elected president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in succession to Sir Walter Scott. In 1836 he was created a baronet, in 1837 awarded a G.C.B. and in 1841 promoted general. In 1826 he had been given command of the 34th Regiment; in 1836 he was offered the command of the troops in the North American colonies, but refused on grounds of ill health, as he did in 1838 when offered the Indian command. In 1858, when he was 'the oldest officer in the Army' he twice sought a field-marshal's baton; but though asked for without emolument it was refused. Much of his later life was occupied in paternal works at Largs. He improved its drainage, endowed a parish school and the Largs Brisbane Academy. Predeceased by his four children, he died on 27 January 1860, after enjoying locally great popularity and respect. The city of Brisbane, Queensland’s capital since 1859, was founded as a convict settlement in 1824, and it and its river were named for the governor at the suggestion of the explorer Oxley, the first European to survey the area. Brisbane himself visited the new settlement that year. It was declared a town in 1834 and opened for free settlement in 1839.

 

Source: Australian Dictionary of Biography.

One of the biggest surprises in 2017 was the announcement by United Airlines that they would restart flights between London Heathrow and their most profitable hub at Denver, Colorado.

The last time United Airlines served direct non-stop flights between London Heathrow and Denver was back in 2008 following the Bermuda II Agreement being abolished in favour of the EU-US Open Skies Agreement. The new flight operated with Boeing 777-200ERs but only lasted until 2010 when the flight cancelled owing to poor yields. If passengers who were wishing to fly to Denver from London Heathrow with a Star Alliance carrier, other options were fly with United with a connection in the United States, or fly with Lufthansa via Frankfurt.

Since 24th March 2018, United Airlines reintroduced direct flights between London Heathrow and Denver, their fourth largest hub in the state of Colorado. UA26/27 initially operated summer seasonally with daily flights utilising Boeing 787-8s. The same flight recommenced on 31st March 2019 for the S19 schedule.

For the W19 schedule, United made the decision to convert their Denver flight into a year-round operation which commenced from 1st November 2019. Instead of operating daily, the flight will operate 6 times a week whilst continuing to maintain Boeing 787-8s.

Currently, United Airlines operates 46 Boeing 787s, which includes 12 Boeing 787-8s, 25 Boeing 787-9s and 9 Boeing 787-10s. United Airlines have 13 Boeing 787-9s and 5 Boeing 787-10s on-order.

November Two Six Nine Zero Nine is one of 12 Boeing 787-8s in service with United Airlines, delivered new to the carrier on 27th January 2014 and she is powered by 2 General Electric GEnx-1B engines.

Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner N26909 on final approach into Runway 27L at London Heathrow (LHR) on UA27 from Denver (DEN), Colorado.

Headstone of Colonel William Mathewson. Last Of The Old Scouts

 

Inscribed "The Original Buffalo Bill Jan. 1, 1829 Mar. 21, 1916 Last Of The Old Scouts". On each side of the headstone lays Bill, his son and two wives Bill out lived. The grave between John Noble and Mister Mathewson is Bills third wife.

  

Several times a year I go to visit William Mathewson and James R. Mead seeking wisdom I will never find on this spot. And though I never knew him or lived in his era, I miss him. And though William Mathewson and James R. Mead were buffalo hunters, they never imagined they would ever exhaust the immense herds that roamed these plains. And though they were not fully responsible for the extermination of the buffalo, in the end when it was over it saddened them all greatly at what they had done to the herds and the Native Americans.

 

Truly, the last of the old scouts.

  

Known by Kansans of his day as "Buffalo Bill," William E. Mathewson lived the life that many of us have read about, but will never experience. He was born New Years day in 1830 (headstone says 1829) in the small town of Triangle, New York, the seventh of eight children. At the age of 19 he went to work as a trapper and trader for the Northwestern Fur Company, which was based in what is now Montana. In 1853 he set up his own outpost at the "Great Bend" on the Ar-kansas River, and other posts soon were built on the Little Ar-kansas River and Cow Creek in Kansas.

Mathewson earned the nickname "Buffalo Bill," given by the numerous settlers he saved from starvation during the winter of 1860-1861. The drought of 1860 had ruined the crops that the settlers had planted leaving them without a reserve food source for the winter. Hundreds of settlers came to Mathewson from September to March asking the expert hunter to provide them with food. He complied by supplying them with buffalo meat, which he hunted without concern for his own safety or welfare, and for which he refused payment. He killed as many as 80 buffalo in a single day for the settlers. An accurate count of the number of animals he killed was not kept.

Through his 26 years as a trader and trapper he also earned the respect and trust of most of the Native Americans he encountered. His Kiowa Indian name was "Zane-pong-za-del-py" which in English means "Long-Bearded Dangerous Man," which was given to him by the Kiowa chieftain, Satanta, after the warrior had received a severe beating from the trader at the Cow Creek post in 1861.

In his later years Mathewson settled in Wichita and enjoyed a profitable career as a civic leader and banker. He built one of the first homes in that area in 1868, established the Wichita Savings Bank, and remained there until his death in 1916.

James R. Mead was an intimate acquaintance and associate of Mathewson, and was no doubt fully acquainted with the facts. From his statement it will be seen that Mathewson was known as "Buffalo Bill" at least six years before the name was applied to Cody. Capt. Jack Crawford, the well known scout, also makes the statement that Col. Mathewson is the original "Buffalo Bill."

Although a man of great accomplishments, news of his exploits rarely was printed in the newspapers or the dime novels published on the East Coast. Mathewson was a modest man who refused to talk to newsmen or sell the story of his life to a publishing house. This modesty is why when someone usually talks about "Buffalo Bill" they are referring to William F. Cody, instead of William E. Mathewson.

 

Mister Mathewson out lived two of his three wives, all buried next to him. Along with his son.

  

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By Louise Barry

At Fort Larned, on July 17, Kiowas, and allies, instigated by Satank, stampeded the stock, making almost a clean sweep of horses, mules, and beef cattle. The same day they burned Pawnee Fork bridge. A mile or so west of Walnut Creek Crossing, within sight of Camp Dunlap, on the 18th, a band of over 100 Kiowas and Arapahoes made a sudden attack on the Fort Union-bound wagon trains of Jerome Crow and Richard Barret. Ten of the freighters' men were killed and five seriously wounded (including two who were scalped but survived); also the contents of several wagons (flour, principally) were strewn on the ground, and some oxen killed or taken.

 

News that Plains Indians were on the warpath reached several New Mexico-bound trains on July 19 as they approached Cow Creek Crossing. One large Mexican ox-train, carrying government supplies, corralled east of the bridge, not far from Cow Creek ranch. Four small trains (three drawn by oxen; one by mules) following it, pulled off the trail about a mile and a half above the bridge and formed one large horseshoe-shaped corral. Many of these wagons were loaded with ordnance store for Fort Union, N. M.

  

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On July 20 bands of Indians (altogether upwards of 500 warriors), armed principally with bows and arrows, and lances, surrounded the trains, opening attacks on both corrals, and at the ranch. (General Curtis, in a July 30 report, stated: "The Kiowas, Big Mouth's Arapahoes, and Comanches seem certainly engaged in this affair, but some stragglers from all the prairie Indians join in the villainy.")

 

The nearest to a contemporaneous account of events at Cow Creek ranch on July 20, 21, and 22, 1864, is in a letter written by Denver publisher William N. Byers, who was at Mathewson's trading post, briefly, in mid-January, 1866. "In 1864 the Indians under-took to clean him out," Byers wrote. "They besieged his house for three days, but, with two [?] men to aid him, he kept them at bay. Finally they attempted to storm his castle, to do which they had to charge over a high and long bridge across Cow creek in front of his house. Trained upon this he had planted a howitzer in his front porch, and when the bridge was crowded with savages he opened fire; killing many, wounding others, and putting the balance to flight. They incontinently raised the seige, and since that time have a very high respect for 'Buffalo Bill.'"

 

Charles Christy, in purported "Memoirs" (published 1908-1909) claimed that he, "Hurricane Bill," and "Bronco Sam" were Mathewson's companions in the fight at Cow creek. (But Christy gave the year as 1860, and place as "Little Cow" creek.) Although he could not have been in Kansas in 1864 his description is so convincing -- with allowance for a little exaggeration -- it would seem he must have heard the story from one of the participants. Most of Christy's narrative is reprinted here:

 

We loaded the six-pounder with about a quart of minie-balls, scraps of iron and things, and trained it on the bridge. The bridge ["eight feet wide and thirty feet long"] was the only approach to the post, and over it we knew the Kiowas must cross if they came. Bill [Mathewson] then stationed himself beside the cannon and the rest of us took up positions with our carbines behind the adobe walls of the out-buildings and waited.

 

The next morning [i.e., on July 22-the third day of the siege at the ranch] we were rewarded by seeing the Kiowas coming in full force, clad in war-paint and feathers and fully armed. They made no pretense of taking us by surprise but came riding along at a steady trot, yelling their war-cries and shaking their lances in the air. We kept out of sight and made no reply to their yells. In a few minutes they came streaming over the bridge in a long close line, making such beautiful targets of themselves, . . .

 

The firing of the cannon was the first intimation they had that we were ready for them and the Indians were thrown into instant confusion. ... horses and riders fell together and were piled on the bridge in a struggling mass. The cannon's discharge was followed by a volley from our carbines that brought down several more; and then we came out from behind the adobe walls and made a break toward the Indians, yelling and firing as we ran.

 

The surprise was complete. It needed no more to put the enemy on the run. ... the survivors turned and fled back across the bridge as fast as their horses could carry them, and scattered to the shelter of the hills; and those who had fallen from the bridge into the water were forced to swim or drown.

 

In the meantime we kept them on the run by firing at them as fast as we could; and when we quit making 'good' Indians and the last live one had disappeared, our carbines were red hot. It was the most one-sided fight I ever saw. That single discharge from the six-pounder mush have killed about twenty Indians, with their horses, and wounded as many more; and I am sure we killed about ten others with our carbines. The bridge and the bands of the creek were strewn with dead. ... (Christy's story also says that later in the day, three or four Indians came with white flags, and were given permission to carry away their dead and wounded.)

 

In some fashion Philip H. Green, William H. Martin, and Robert H. Martin fit into the story of events at Cow Creek Crossing in the July 20-22, 1864, period. It is pure conjecture, but a plausible explanation, that they were William Mathewson's companions during the siege at Cow Creek ranch. Philip H. Green filed a claim (in 1868) against the "Kiowas, Comanches, Arapahoes, and Cheyennes" for property valued at $3,839, allegedly "stolen or destroyed" at "Cow Creek Ranche on the Santa Fe Road," on or about the 22d day of July, 1864. His itemized list of possessions taken included livestock (2 mules, 7 horses, 26 cows & calves, 20 oxen), and a wagon. All other items (see below) probably were in the wagon at the time of their theft and destruction (but this is an assumption). Green's supportive evidence consisted of affidavits by William H. and Robert H. Martin that they were "eye witnesses to the transaction," and an affidavit by John H. Corbyn, who stated that the Kiowas, headed by Kicking Bird, were making raids on the Santa Fe road about July 22, 1864.

 

Speculatively, Philip H. Green, living in a habitation somewhere in the vicinity, brought his livestock and a wagonload of possessions to Cow Creek ranch in the summer of 1864 for better protection against Indian raiders. (In 1868 he said he had been a resident of Marion county for three years, but in 1864 lived in Peketon county) Again speculatively, William and Robert Martin may have been William Mathewson's ranch employees. (In 1868 they lived in Morris county.) Nothing in the Indian depredation case file for P. H. Green gives any clue to the actual circumstances under which he suffered the losses claimed, or from what vantage point the Martins -- and Green, presumably -- saw the whole affair. The question arises whether he was the same Green arrested at Cow creek in 1863 Also, was Philip H. Green the same person as Horace Green who had been Mathewson's hunting-and- trapping partner in 1856-1857? The odds seem good that the answer is yes to both cases.

 

The 1879 sketch of William Mathewson's life devoted one sentence to the Kiowas' attempt to take Cow Creek ranch: "On July 20 the post was attacked, and after three days of incessant fighting against over five hundred of the hostiles, the Indians retired, having lost a large number of warriors." But that article also stated: "During the first day's fight the enemy drove off a large number of cattle belonging to Mexicans [the train near the ranch] and killed some of the herdsmen[?] . . ." Wagonmasters of the trains corralled above the ranch reported it this way: "They [the Kiowas and allies] ... made an attack upon a large train encamped a mile and a half below us, firing upon them, running off their stock and shooting them down on the prairie. They also took the stock belonging to the U. S. Mail Company." General Curtis later reported that the Mexican train had "raised a white flag and negotiated peaceable arrangements, but the Indians proved false, and stole some three hundred head of their stock .... "

 

After defeating the Kiowas decisively, Mathewson became aware that the Mexican train was in danger of being captured. At a later time he gave this account to a friend:

 

During July of '64 a band of about 700 Indians made a raid on my ranch. We drove them away and killed a lot of them. There was a big government supply train of 135 wagons and 155 men camped out in the bottom east of the ranch on the Santa Fe trail. The Indians went after that train and came near massacreing the whole outfit. In that train were about twenty wagons loaded with Sharpe [Sharps] rifles and a lot of ammunition. I knew it, but the men with the train didn't. You see, being the owner of one of the regular posts along the trail, I was kept posted as to what was being taken over the road to the West.

 

Those Indians had just about scared the teamsters out of their wits. With their old guns they hadn't killed enough Indians to attract the buzzards. I got on my horse, and I had a fine one, and rode to the help of the wagon train. Keeping in a slough, I got within a half mile of the train before an Indian saw me. Then the shooting started. I gave the Indians close to me as good as they sent, but I thought that my hair would be lifted any minute. I got through and armed the men with the Sharpe rifles, and we scattered those Indians like sheep ....

 

Another account, published in 1888 (writer unknown), says of Mathewson: "Taking his Sharp's rifle and six revolvers in his belt, and mounted on his celebrated mare, Bess, he picked his way through the tall grass and down a ravine until within 200 yards of the corral. The Indians ... failed to observe him until he had passed with almost the speed of lightning through their lines, and in a moment reached the corral. His thoroughbred mare ... with one Herculean leap sprang within the corral. He threw himself from the back of his noble steed and called for an ax splitting open the boxes and handing out rifles and ammunition to the men .... "

 

The four small trains (fewer than 100 wagons; about 104? Men) in corral some distance above Cow Creek Crossing also were under siege from July 20 onward. The letter (appeal for help) which the wagonmasters -- L. C. Palmer, G. W. Harrison, William Delong, and G. W. Marion -- addressed to Council Grove (over 100 miles distant) on July 21, stated: "We have been here three days, surrounded by a formidable and hostile foe. ... They [the Kiowas, and allies] made their appearance at this place yesterday attacking us from all sides. We rallied our forces, and drove them back with the loss of one man. ... We are suffering extremely for water for our stock and men, and if we do not receive assistance shortly, we shall have to give up our trains." (A Mexican herder, trying to retrieve a mule, was killed on July 20. On the 21st, Elisha "Sale" Whittaker, of Ogden, was killed and scalped while trying to get water at a spring. A third man died later, at Fort Larned's hospital, from the effects of prolonged exposure to the sun while evading Indians during an attempt to reach a spring.)

 

The trainsmen's message reached Council Grove on the evening of July 23. Some hours later a second courier arrived. On the 24th Cpt. James H. Dodge (at Council Grove) sent word to Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis of plans (not carried out) to "start this morning for Cow creek .... " "The trains are valuable," Dodge stated, "mostly ordnance stores for Fort Union, which are being used for the defense of the trains .... " He also informed Curtis: "They have been fighting five days. Indians reported in large force, and well armed[?]. Men from trains threaten to desert unless relief comes soon." (L. C. Palmer reportedly said later that they "had more trouble with their own men than with the Indians-that one half of them were Missouri rebels, and that they had to put a double guard out.")

 

Sharps rifles (with a longer range than the Indians' bows) and ammunition, in quantity, were available from the start to the men in this corral. They kept the enemy at a distance. As to casualties among the Indians, those who fell were carried off, and the trainsmen never knew whether any were killed. After "seven long days" in corral (and six days of fighting) the siege at, and near, Cow Creek Crossing ended-on July 25. The Kiowas and their allies broke off the fight, "set fire to the prairie, and [when this plan to capture the trains failed] moved off under cover of the smoke."

 

Three days later (July 28), coming by way of Salina and Smoky Hill Crossing, Gen. Samuel R. Curtis with 396 men (militia and volunteer troops) and two pieces of artillery arrived at Fort Zarah (recently Camp Dunlap), near the mouth of Walnut creek-23 miles west of Cow Creek Crossing. Curtis reported (to Halleck, in Washington): "The Indians have scattered. The 400[?] wagons which were besieged at Cow Creek are with me all safe, except the loss of 2 men and some 300 head of stock belonging to Mexican teamsters."

 

One month after the "exciting times" of July, William Mathewson (34) married Elizabeth Inman (22), native of Yorkshire, England, daughter of Joseph and Charlotte Crossley Inman, of St. Joseph, Mo. She had lived in Kansas since 1860, according to a later-day statement. The marriage date was August 26, 1864. It is said that Mathewson did not bring his bride to Cow Creek ranch until she had become expert with rifle and revolver. (By all accounts she was a courageous woman.) For part of September he was away from the ranch, serving as guide for Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt's expedition against the Plains Indians. But the assumption is that the Mathewsons were at Cow creek during the winter of 1864-1865.

 

In early April, 1865, Bvt. Brig. Gen. James H. Ford was at Fort Riley completing preparations for an expedition against the war-minded Kiowas and their allies. At the same time Jesse H. Leavenworth (agent since May, 1864, for the Kiowas, Comanches, and Plains Apaches) was about to start south on a peace mission, renewing efforts begun late in 1864, following the Chivington massacre, to separate the Comanches and Little Raven's band of Araphoes from the hostile Kiowas. After conferring with Ford, on April 9 at Fort Riles, the agent made a hasty trip to Washington. There, in company with Senator Doolittle, he saw General Halleck who assured them the military would not fight friendly Indians. Leavenworth then returned to Kansas. Fort Larned had been agency headquarters for him in 1864, but his base of operations in 1865 was Cow Creek ranch. (It was at the mouth of Cow creek that he hoped to meet the peace-minded Plains Indians.)

 

Six miles west of Cow Creek Crossing, on April 23, unidentified Indians killed and scalped four Mexican herdsmen of Kitchen's train. On April 24, Indians, unseen, came and stealthily stole stock from the Cow Creek ranch. Bvt. Brig. Gen. James H. Ford reacted by ordering 1st Lt. Marshall M. Ehle and 40 men of the Third Wisconsin cavalry at Fort Zarah to establish a station at Cow creek. They arrived on the 25th. (Ford also sent troops to Little Arkansas Crossing.) Agent Leavenworth, who returned to Cow Creek on the evening of April 25, wrote next day:

 

On my arrival I found that the Indians had made a raid on this place and driven off (16) sixteen head of mules and one pony. They did it in the night and when the men were up and passing about the buildings as usual. From the footprints (moccasins) it is believed to be a party from the north. Lt. Ehle saw a number of pony tracks in the Plum Buttes, passing south. This and the number of Indians seen at different points leads me to believe that quite a party of Cheyennes and Sioux are about us, and need great care and caution to prevent further mischief. ... The stage company lost eleven mules; I lost four; and the ranch one mule and pony.

 

In his letter of May 6, 1865, to Comm'r of Indian Affairs Dole, from "Cow Creek Ranch, Kansas, 60 miles east of Fort Larned," Leavenworth recounted his "diligent' efforts to get the Indians together. "Now," he wrote, "I am obliged to send them word not to come .... " (He had just been informed that Ford had orders to proceed on his expedition against the Indians.) He also stated: "I have nearly the half of the goods for the Indians of the Upper Arkansas of last year here for distribution. The balance is at Leavenworth City. The goods are not safe here; there is no storage at Fort Larned or Fort Zarah."

 

From "Cow Creek Ranch, 115 miles west of Council Grove," Leavenworth wrote to Dole, again, on May 10: "I would ... inform the department that the commanding officer of this district has, at my request, placed a company of mounted men at this place [Cpt. Elisha Hammer's Company G, Seventh Iowa cavalry relieved the Wisconsin troops, in the early part of May], and that I have got storage room sufficient for all the goods I have here, and that I believe them now to be as safe as at any point this side of the Missouri river."

  

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On May 30, at Fort Zarah, Leavenworth conferred with the U. S. congressional committee on Indian affairs. (The committee, composed of "Vice President" L. S. Foster, Sen. J. R. Doolittle and Sen. L. W. Ross, accompanied by Maj. Gen. A. McDowell Cook, had started west from Fort Leavenworth on the 20th.) The agent was also at Cow Creek ranch-23 miles from Fort Zarah-on that day. A May 30 letter he wrote (after his return?) to General Ford reported the arrival at Cow creek of "My colored man, George Ransom," who "is satisfied all the tribes are near Fort Cobb holding a grand medicine lodge." Leavenworth, although in poor health, apparently left Cow Creek ranch on May 31 to make contact with the Plains tribes. (Maj. Gen. G. M. Dodge wrote General Pope on June 6 that Leavenworth "started south a week ago to bring up the chiefs to the mouth of Cow Creek.") But the agent was at the mouth of the Little Arkansas when, on June 27, he wrote that the hostile Indians had held a great council near Fort Cobb, at which a Texas officer was present who told them the whites had made peace among themselves, and advised the Indians to do the same.

 

On the Santa Fe trail a number of incidents occurred in June. East of Cow creek, near Chaves (Jarvis) creek, on the 9th, a herder was killed by Indians, and around 90 mules were taken from one of the trains attacked; most of 75 oxen run off from another were recovered. Near Fort Larned (and over 45 miles west of Cow creek) on the 11th, two dispatch carriers were killed and mutilated. On the 12th, in a skirmish with Indians near Plum Buttes (about nine miles west of Cow creek) another Second Colorado cavalryman was lost.

 

This same day -- June 12 -- Lt. Richard W. Jenkins and seven men of the Second Colorado, and Seventh Iowa cavalry, left Cow Creek Station as escort for the mail stage to Fort Zarah. They rode in the advance coach. The passengers were in another some distance behind. About three miles out, the leading coach was attacked by about 50 Indians. The driver of the second stage turned around and raced back to Cow creek for reinforcements. Cpt. Elisha Hammer and 55 Seventh Iowa cavalrymen reached the scene in short order. The Indians fled, heading southwest. Pursued for 20 miles by the troops, they were overtaken at the Arkansas crossing point, but the chase went on five miles beyond. One Indian had been killed in the attack on the coach; and perhaps 15 were killed or wounded at the crossing. A large number of Indian ponies were killed. Others were captured, as were also blankets, robes, and the enemy's camp with all its equipage.

 

Pvt. William W. Colburn, Company I, Second Colorado cavalry, and his horse, were killed by lightning at Cow creek on June 15. Three companies (I, K, and M) of the 13th Missouri cavalry, assigned, briefly, to Cow Creek Station, probably arrived on or about the 16th of June.

 

In two separate incidents, east of Cow creek, in the Little Arkansas area, on June 30, four cavalrymen (three from the 13th Missouri; one from the Second Colorado) were killed by Indians. (A day earlier, near Fort Dodge, Kiowas had killed two Mexican herdsmen, and scalped a Mexican boy.)

 

William Mathewson's activities in the spring and summer of 1865 cannot be determined with certainty. It appears he had a role in Leavenworth's efforts to get the Plains tribes to the mouth of the Little Arkansas for peace talks, and that he spent some time in the Indian territory on this hazardous mission. The 1879 sketch of Mathewson's life says: "The Indians not coming [when overtures were made to them], Mr. Mathewson was sent, by the government [i.e., by Agent Jesse Leavenworth] to travel among the different tribes and, if possible, bring them in, which he finally accomplished." The preliminary peace agreement, which the agent had worked so many months to arrange, was signed by chiefs of the Comanches, Kiowas, Arapahoes, and Plains Apaches, on August 15, 1865, at the mouth of the Little Arkansas, and "permanent" peace treaties were made with most of the Plains Indians.)

 

By August 23 Leavenworth was back at Cow Creek ranch, and Mathewson, too, presumably. Changes already were in the making. Bvt. Maj. Gen. John B. Sanborn (Ford's successor as head of the District of the Upper Arkansas), in an August 28 letter to General Dodge, estimated Cow Creek Station would need only one squadron of cavalry "now that we have peace with the Indians along the route." But the troops arriving at Cow creek on September 10 were infantrymen -- Cpt. W. E. Hayward and Company F, Second U. S. volunteer infantry ("galvanized Yankees" -- former Confederates). They relieved Company L, 13th Missouri cavalry. Their stay undoubtedly was brief. After September 20, some time, Cow Creek Station was abandoned.

 

Leavenworth went East in September. He was in Washington on the 19th, but back in Kansas before the 28th. (On that date he and two other commissioners to the Indian peace treaty council set out from Leavenworth for the Little Arkansas) At Cow Creek ranch on September 21, 1865 "W. Mathewson, of Cow Creek" paid a U. S. internal revenue collector $12 in taxes for his August toll bridge receipts. On September 22 Beach Valley post office was reestablished, and Mathewson was appointed postmaster. (It had been discontinued May 9, 1864.)

 

Agent Jesse Leavenworth, direct from the Kiowas' camp (which he had left on or about November 2), arrived "near Cow Creek Ranch" on November 9. With him were three persons just recovered from the Indians -- Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague, Alice Almeda Taylor, and a boy, James Benson. Five other captives, surrendered earlier, were on this date at the Kaw Agency in Council Grove-where Mrs. Sprague, the Taylor girl, and Benson boy no doubt joined them.

 

When Cpt. Wilson L. Parker, 13th Missouri cavalry, who had been at Cow Creek Station in summer, wrote (from Fort Aubrey) on December 1, 1865, to "Friend William" Mathewson, he sent "best wishes and kindest regards for your self and family" -- implying that were more than just two persons in the rancher's household. Apparently since the middle of the year, if not earlier, "Lizzie" Mathewson's teen-age niece Alice Inman, and Alice's mother, had been members of the Mathewson household. Letters of January 5, 1866, from Fort Zarah (by Robert S. West), and of January 29, 1866, from Fort Lyon (by W. S. Barnett), Written to Alice Inman, are the earliest items of evidence that she was at Cow creek.

 

Aboard an eastbound stage which stopped at Mathewson's ranch on January 13, 1866, was William N. Byers, copublisher of the Rocky Mountain News, Denver. He wrote:

 

The next station from [Fort] Zarah is at Cow creek; kept by Wm. Matteson [sic]; or, as he is best know, 'Buffalo Bill.' He is the most celebrated buffalo hunter in the west; estimates the number he has killed at 12,000, and has slain one third that number in a single winter. Of course he was giving the chase his individual attention by that them. ... He keeps a store, a stock ranch, general trading post, and is rapidly getting rich. Here Col. Leavenworth at present makes his headquarters. He is trading with the Indians, and report says, is vastly more interested in the traffic of buffalo robes and other skins than in serving Uncle Sam and the people as Indian Agent.

 

Aged 17 years and seven days, Alice Inman died, tragically, on February 6, 1866, at Cow Creek ranch. It is said that she was suffering from "lung fever," and instead of the intended dosage of quinine was given another alkaloid (strychnine?) which caused severe convulsions. Robert S. West, who was present, next day wrote to William Mathewson at Fort Zarah: ". . . she departed this life about forty minutes after you had left. She suffered dreadfully. Her mother and Lizzie were almost inconsolable. I should have liked very much if you had been here. I sent to Fort Zarah and two of my men came down and we made a coffin. She was buried today at nine o'clock . . ."

 

By February, 1866, William Mathewson was spending most of his time at Fort Zarah. The 1879 biographical sketch says he was there at the request of the Indians, but the circumstances are not clear. It appears he occupied quarters with Fort Zarah's postmaster, Reuben Howard (and perhaps handled Beach Valley postal matters from that office). His trading activities still were connected with E. H. Durfee, of Leavenworth -- dealer in furs, hides and Indian goods." 73 Some time in the spring of 1866 he went to Leavenworth on business, and was guest of honor at a banquet which celebrated his deeds and exploits during the July, 1864, Indian troubles.

 

"Lizzie" Mathewson, in her letter of June 20, 1866, from "Cow Creek," to "Dear Will," at Fort Zarah, has provided the last available information not only of the Mathewsons' residence there, but on the ranch itself. She wrote:

 

The long looked for trouble has come at last. The bridge broke through yesterday, but as luck happened, there was no damage done to the conveyance of Mr. Schnavly. As he could not haul the plank to fix it, John had to make the repairs. Will, if I were you, I do not think that I would sue him for it would take more time and labor than the bridge is worth.

 

On June 22 Beach Valley post office was discontinued-permanently, this time. However, William Mathewson was appointed postmaster at Fort Zarah, succeeding Reuben Howard, on September 3, 1866. (The date of his commission was December 24.)

 

The story of Cow Creek ranch from June, 1866, to June, 1872, cannot be written. No one recorded what happened during those years to the place described (in 1859) as "three houses [and] ... a good corral"; and (in retrospect) as "three or four little lumber shanties built in a row on the east side of Cow creek." In 1876, when Rice county was only a few years old, John M. Muscott wrote in his "The History of Rice County," that "The first Methodist Episcopal church was organized in the township of Spencer (now Raymond,) [but today in Center township] at a point where the Santa Fe trail crosses the Big Cow and on the spot where 'Buffalo Bill' had his ranch. It was formed June 1st, 1872, by Rev. M. J. Morse."

 

On the Cow Creek ranch site one artifact remains -- the well. It has been described as "about 40 feet deep and walled almost from top to bottom with sandstone slabs which could not have been procured closer than 15 miles away." [77] Very likely it was constructed late in 1858 when the Beaches started their ranch. For many years it has been known as "Buffalo Bill's well." The Lyons Daily News of April 12, 1961, reported "Buffalo Bill's Well now has its curb, has been cleaned out and will soon receive a wooden superstructure which has been built for it. Then the old well ... will become a small park .... " The restoration was the result of efforts by the Lyons Kiwanis club and the Rice County Historical Society.

  

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