“Henry was a hard man of the rarest kind. There’s a superficial toughness a lot of men like to portray – all strut and swagger and aggression; men holding ugly masks up to conceal their fear. And then there’s the serene equanimity that radiated from Henry: a steadfast, resolute solidity that came not from fear but from love, from a positive human spirt, and from a heart that shone. – Henry usually signed off his messages with a single word. – Onward.” –
Henry Worsely (1960-2016)
[It was known as] C.C. Cannan Field since 1918 and as an informal flying field and race track before that. In 1925 the field was purchased by Vince Hays for his Houston Aerial Transport Company. It was on this field that Shorty Walker and Guy Hahn made and flew their airplanes and aircraft engines. [Source]
[Top image found here, 1923 C.C. Cannan Field article found here, 1923 Detroit Free Press ad here.]
[Top image via FB, h/t Paul Y. ]
Hold onto your earflaps people. Andre Antunes has a hit on his plate, and he included the lyrics so everyone can sing along.
The Cleverlys Who’s That Knockin’ At My Door is pure gospel bluegrass. Awesome happens at 02:30 with Irl Hees on bass. He’s no longer with the band.
In November 2019, Mr. Hees was charged with felony domestic battery in the second degree and felony aggravated assault of a household member.
“Hees said the argument was over his communication with an ex-wife. He said at some point during the argument, Heather DuBroc walked into the kitchen, picked a pistol up off the kitchen table, and pointed the weapon at him.” [Source]
Ricky Skaggs is one of the greatest mandolin players to come out of the 1980s bluegrass revival, and Highway 40 Blues is one of my favorite early morning roadtrip songs. Skaggs continues performing at the Grand Ole Opry.
Another of my favorites is the ballad of Colly Davis, written by Steven F. Brines and Jim Smoak. I’ve heard a few versions, but this one by The Whiskey Gentry blew me away.
That should keep you rollin’ a while. Have a great weekend folks, and do whatever seems righteous. See you back here tomorrow for more things to click on.
The early Thanksgiving Day parades often had a circus orientation, and hence the animal elements. Actual lions, tigers, and bears were trucked down city streets, traumatizing them and causing the elicitation of roars and growls that frightened observing children. Wisely, the use of living animals was abandoned after a few years, with animal balloons and floats substituted, together with some great vintage cartoonish stuff that was rather surreal.
[Image and text found here; previous Thanksgiving posts here.]
The Niva button factory in Patisia, Greece, opened in the 1940s and remained in operation for decades before being abandoned.
“The photo was available on various international websites. Most of them state that it is an abandoned button factory in China. […] With a little searching and a lot of luck, we found where the ghost factory really is! It is not in the Chinese city of Longhua Shenzhen, as mentioned in most posts, nor are we talking about a set photo. The abandoned button factory is located in Patisia!”
[Top image found in here, other images and story here via here.]
Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Teresa Conde, from San Diego, sculpts a Halloween cake aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) on Oct. 26, 2020. US Navy Photo.
USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group are currently stationed in the Central Persian Gulf.
[Image and caption found here. I posted this because it’s still not Thanksgiving yet.]
UPDATE: Also on the Nimitz – A Veteran’s Day Cake
Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Sarah Freitas, left, and Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Erica Rodriguez cut a Veterans Day cake on the aft mess deck of the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) on Nov. 11, 2020. US Navy Photo
NASA scientists are studying planet magnetic fields and revisited raw data collected by Voyager 2 over three decades ago. They found that
Voyager 2 spotted a massive magnetic bubble pulling gas out of Uranus’ atmosphere.
https://www.space.com/uranus-gas-blob-voyager-2-discovery.html
Such loop-like plasmoids are typically formed as a spinning planet flings bits of its atmosphere to space. “Centrifugal forces take over, and the plasmoid pinches off.”
https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/news/details.php?article_id=119
[Previously posted here. Related posts here.]
26 September 1918
“We are in a camp near Auzeville and the big drive is to start. In fact the one that finished the ‘Boches’. Then the morning of the 26th dawned but dawn was preceded by a terrific barrage which was as loud as thunder and lighted up the whole skyline for miles. We were not flying ours but were held in reserve. Hundreds of “planes” were now flying over head. One bunch had over 150 in it.
Along about 8 a.m., along comes a boche plane and he burned three of the balloons all observers landed safe but one and his parachute burned and he fell to his death.
A fellow by the name of Barnett and I started out to see the fun. Put our guns on and started for the front line trenches which were about 5 miles north. After a short while we hit the trenches but of course our boys had advanced and were chasing the boche for a fare you well. We hit several mine craters where the boche had mined the roads but already our engineers had started to budge them. After another hour’s walk and dodging a few pieces of shrapnel we hit the town of Varennes and were keen for souvenirs. The boche were still in one side of the Varennes and we were in the other.
Machine guns were crackling with a steady roar and long streams of ambulances carrying away the wounded. Dead Boche were laying every where. The roads were filled with them. Long about then a Boche 77 took my ….. but never touched us. Then we started going through the dugouts and it was there that I got the general’s helmet. Also was almost lucky enough to capture a Jerry but a doughboy beat me to it. He was hiding in a dug out. Looked like he wasn’t as old as “Bugs” and he was scared almost to death.
After monkeying around a while we hopped an ambulance and rode back toward Auzeville. So that finished the day’s fun. But you ought to have seen the dead Huns. Some had legs blown off. Some had their heads and shoulders off and some were in pieces only. A great many had been burned by mustard gas and were burned to a crisp.”
PFC Walter Myers, age 19, US Army Signal Corps
Tacky Raccoons 