Good Morning All & Happy “National S’mores Day”!
Here’s to my son-in-law Joel Cathey’s family (his dad, mom & sister) who visited us last night. We had a great dinner of “Wisconsin Burgers” and peach pie from Walter’s Fruit at Greenbluff and some vanilla ice cream with fresh huckleberries from Montana…a great time was had by all! We all enjoyed being with little June…she is sure a sweet little baby…”the apple of everyone’s eye”, for sure.
And here’s to my grandson Joshua (Josh)…he did a superb job on mowing and edging Joel & Amy’s yard in preparation for Joel’s family’s visit. It was spectacular! A master landscape artist in the making!
A great big Happy Birthday to former business partner and colleague extraordinaire, Branden, who celebrates his 42nd birthday today! Here’s to you Branden! Also, Happy Birthday to friend Holly…spouse, mother, grandmother and encourager of souls. She turns 57 today! Here’s to you!
Happy Birthday wishes also go to singer/musician Ian Anderson of “Jethro Tull” fame, who is 73 today; to country musician Gene Johnson of “Diamond Rio” fame, who turns 71 today; and to actor Antonio Banderas of “Zorro” movie fame, who is 60 today (he played a great Zorro, don’t you think?). Here’s to all of you!
Well, today is indeed “National S’mores Day”. Here’s to S’mores! One of the finer, tastier (and fun) things in life, for sure! Did you know that the whole “S’mores” thing started way back in ancient Egyptian times when they found a mallow plant that grew in salt water marshes & swamps. It was found to have a gooey, gelatinous sap that was used in meals. The ancient Greeks used the sap as a anti-inflammatory medicine that soothed sore throats. French cooks in the mid-1800s converted the mallow plant sap into a sweet by whipping it with egg whites and sugar, resulting in “marshmallows.” In 1829, the Graham Cracker was invented by Sylvester Graham, a Presbyterian minister who thought the cracker would help curb “unhealthy” sexual desires. In the 1890s, marshmallow roasts became the rage at summer resorts. In 1893, Milton Hershey buys a chocolate press left over from the Columbian Exposition in Chicago and begins manufacturing his Hershey Chocolate Bar. In 1913, Nabisco begins selling a marshmallow cookie called the “Mallowmar” that features a round graham cracker & marshmallow and covered with dark chocolate. Then in 1927, a recipe for “Some mores” appears in “Tramping & Trailing With The Girl Scouts.” In 1971, the name is shortened to “S’mores” and the rest, as they say, is history! Did you know that 90 million pounds of marshmallows are made each year in the U.S. in summer months and that half of them are roasted for S’mores? How about that!!! No campfire would be complete without S’mores, don’t you think?
Here are some facts for the day:
Christopher Columbus brought the first lemon seeds to America.
Someone on Earth reports seeing a UFO every three minutes.
Yesterday marked the 75th Anniversary of the Atomic Bomb being dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. What a horrible thing happened on that day, no question about it. I often wonder what would have happened to my father and all of his fellow Marines who were preparing to invade Japan. It was estimated that over 500,000 soldiers and sailors would have lost their lives during an invasion of the Japanese homeland and that 1-2 million Japanese would have died. Some people wish to use “revisionist history” to argue that the atomic bomb should never have been used. Without the benefit of hindsight, it’s difficult to pass judgement against the decision that President Truman made. Historians need to put themselves in the time period they are reviewing in order to have a clearer understanding of the circumstances of that time. The Japanese had fought long and hard from the mid-1930s until 1945 and gave no indication of being willing to surrender. Iwo Jima & Okinawa were two battles in 1945 that showed the resolve of the Japanese to fight on, with terrible casualties being inflicted on both sides. All I know for sure is that my father came home and that we should never, ever use nuclear weapons to fight wars and that the use of wars to solve differences never seem to work out very well for anyone. What do you think?
I came across a collectible card from the late 1950s that features the “Aerocar.” Does anyone remember the flying car in the cartoon series “The Jetsons.” No doubt it was inspired by the invention of the “Aerocar.” This particular collectible card has a picture of the first “Aerocar” and describes it as follows:
“Imagine the Aerocar being driven out of your hangar-garage of the future, onto a nearby take-off area and being flown to another city. There you land, take off the wings and drive the auto half to keep our appointment! When you wish to return, you drive the auto back to the flying half, attach the wings and fly home and no traffic worry! It won’t be long now!!”
The “Aerocar” was designed and built by Moulton Taylor in 1949 in Longview, Washington of all places! Although six examples were built, the “Aerocar” never entered production. Taylor’s design of a roadable aircraft dates back to 1946. During a trip to Delaware, he met inventor Robert E. Fulton, Jr., who had designed an earlier roadable airplane, the Airphibian. Taylor recognized that the detachable wings of Fulton’s design would be better replaced by folding wings. Taylor’s prototype utilized folding wings that allowed the road vehicle to be converted into flight mode in five minutes by one person. When the rear license plate was flipped up, the operator could connect the propeller shaft and atttach a pusher propeller. The same engine drove the front wheels through a three-speed manual transmission. When operated as an aircraft, the road transmission was simply left in neutral (though backing up during taxiing was possible by using the reverse gear.) On the road, the wings and tail unit were designed to be towed behind the vehicle. Taylor also put the propeller on the back of the car, so it would not have to be taken off when the Aerocar went on the road. Aerocars could drive up to 60 miles per hour and have a top airspeed of 110 miles per hour. Taylor reached a deal with Ling-Temco-Vought for serial production on the proviso that he was able to attract 500 orders. When he was able to find only half that number of buyers, plans for production ended (evidently the Aerocar’s purchase price was spendy, although the offering price isn’t ever mentioned!). One Aerocar was still flying as of 2008. In 2013, the Disney film “Planes” honored the design with a character based on the aerocar…Franz aka “Fliegenhosen.” In 2011, one of the original six Aerocars produced was being offered for sale for $1.25 million!!! The last Aerocar built (Aerocar III) is now displayed at Seattle’s Museum of Flight. Here’s to Moulton Taylor and his “Aeorcar”! I wonder when we will be flying around in our cars like George Jetson and his family! Probably not in my lifetime, but someday…you never know!
Here is the word definition for the day:
Proboscis (Pro-bah-skiss): An early 17th century Greek word meaning “the nose of a mammal, especially when it is long and mobile…such as the trunk of an elephant or the snout of a tapir”…”In many insects, an elongated sucking mouth part that is typically tubular and flexible.”
Here are some thoughts for the day:
“The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has.”
—Will Rogers, American humorist, cowboy & entertainer and Oklahoma native
“Oh Mr. Webster could never define what’s being said between your heart and mine.”
—Alison Krauss, American singer, musician & songwriter of “Alison Krauss & Union Station” fame
Here’s to a great Monday and “National S’mores Day” and lots of love & good wishes always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)