Every Once In A While

Image credit Google

Google does something right.

I've Always Heard

All about how we are uncultured louts out here in flyover country and how NYC is the center of the genteel universe. We do have art out here, but to compete against something so compelling as this?

A small group of young women in New York has taken to gathering in city parks to read pulp crime novels and other works while topless.

Of course this post is useless without pictures....

photo from nydailynews.com

photo from nydailynews.com

 I mean, they are promoting reading and all, so clearly they are supporting the arts by going unsupported themselves. How artistic is that?

I guess the critics are right. We just can't compete out here. We've just got nutjobs with mobiles made from junk*, and Western heroes turned into huge action figures. Or even someone like John Steuart Curry, among whose works is this mural in the Kansas State Capital building.

from Wikipedia

John Brown, famous historical abolitionist from Kansas with a tornado, settlers on the trail, prairie fires, sunflowers and the Civil War just can't compete with topless wimmin reading books. Just. Can't Do. It.

As a resident of the Great Plains Flyover Country, I hang my head in shame.......


*Ol' M.T. Liggett popped up in the news the other day. He is the Kansas man who volunteered his burial plot so the now perished from this earth Boston bomber had a place to lay for all eternity.

Random Sunday Thoughts

I'm a South of the Border kinda guy. Yep, I'm hooked on the crap Taco Bell shovels out at us all. I just do - it tastes good to me. Not that I don't like going to most Tex Mex restaurants - I do, and love the biggest share of all those places I've been. But when I need something quick to haul home because I just don't feel like taking the time to cook or to stop and eat, South of the Border is right up there with Wendy's, Sonic, et. al. I grew up with Taco Tico (and after non payment of taxes, eating there in the State of Kansas is Right Out), and frankly their offerings taste really, really musty and dank to me now. And to think I used to consider that crap some pretty fine hangover food. Honestly, the greasy sludge seemed to sop up queasy stomach crud immediately if not before. But, it's all Bell alla time these days.

I also like the "new" Doritos Locos Tacos in Nacho Cheese and have some with most orders. So, it was with great anticipation I awaited my opportunity to feast upon the all new Cool Ranch Doritos Tacos.

Surprise, surprise - I like 'em. Sour cream only improves things. I like them more than the Nacho Cheese variety. Something about that flavor blends more into their other seasonings better than the Nacho Cheese Dust. But, as in all things, YMMV!

And my other random thought for the day?

 

Marie Osmond. Sang the Star Spangled Banner at the NASCAR race in Vegas earlier this afternoon. Wind blowing rather unpleasantly and ruffling up her hair didn't bother her a bit - she's a trouper for sure. Sang great, and guess what? Still flippin' hawt!

I've parked my libido on the porch and let the big dawgs run, but I still have eyes that see. Just call me an art lover. Or a dirty old man. Both work.

My Head Aches

After looking at this car:

Be sure and click for larger. You wouldn't want to miss anything.

This is the FinnJet, built by a 71 year old former Finn Artie Rahko.

It’s made from two Mercedes station wagons and many, many other parts that Rahko has added continuously over twelve years.

At the Essen Motor Show in Essen, Germany, this huge model became one of the most controversial events attractions. Unprecedented way ship curb weight 3.4 tons scrolls to 8 rounds and will take up to 10 passengers. Although it passed two old estate Mercedes-Benz 300 TD but also includes parts of 40 other cars. These include for example. 86 projectors, 36 mirrors and 3 rechargeable batteries.  A vehicle approved to normal traffic had built for 10 years and considers it to be a work of art the value of $ 950,000.

Finnjet measures 8,839 mm, is controlled by the front and rear wheels, and the cabin features a microwave, 2 air conditioning systems, refrigerators, televisions, kitchen stove and even a complete sauna! For a relaxing ride along motorway reportedly consumes on average just 9.4 liters of diesel per 100 km.

It also comes equipped with a microwave, television, freezer and a couple of air conditioning units. What’s more, there’s even a functional sauna fitted in the passenger cabin. To keep the beautiful beast running, three batteries and three alternators have been installed.

You really should go to the link to see all the other pics. I always get a kick out of folk art - because that is what this is. At some point, excessive gaudiness turns into art, and this is about as arty as it gets!

At The Super C-Store

In Belle Fourche, SD. I think this could be classified as commercial folk art. Heh.

No Reason

No reason at all. I just wanted to.

More Christina Hendricks pictures here.

H/T Ace of Spades

One More From the Road

Well, actually, several from the road. Clearing out the ol' memory card a bit - various things that caught my eye in my never ending journey to nowhere in particular, but always with somewhere in mind.

This is one of our tanks held with two cranes - one "tailing," and one doing the placement. They pulled it off the truck, one hooked to each end, the truck pulled out, and then they began the process of taking a horizontal tank vertical without ever touching the ground. If memory serves, the biggun is a one hundred fifty ton crane. Those tanks of ours only weigh seven or eight thousand pounds, but it takes a hell of a stick to put those tanks where they needed to be. You can see one of our white tanks on the left almost in line with the red SUV. Those green tanks are steel and were not made by my company.

This'll give ya a closer perspective how high they had to lift to clear those structures. That tank is 12'x35.' This was in Wisconsin just north of Rockford IL.

HOT lookin' Pete at Brooklyn, IA.

Just not your every day bug in Western Kansas Paradise, so this puppy caught my attention immediately if not before. South of Iowa City, IA.

Juuuuust a tad over half the fleet at rest for the weekend, all scrubbed and serviced, ready for another week. The Mighty Binder is the one to the left - there is one other Navistar product, the rest are PACCAR products.

Today near Watford City, ND. My compadre unloaded and set that tank. It's a little different - it has a cone bottom with a sump hole. The crews have to set up those rings perfectly, then fill with pea gravel, dig a hole in the center, and angle the sides into the bottom before we can put the tank in it's "slot." The crane on my truck cannot lift one of these puppies unless it's mighty close if at all. This is a Cormach Model 36000 with four extensions, and it will lift the full weight at full length. These tanks are 12'x20' steel - rated at 400bbl crude oil holding capacity.

My compadre in the blue hard had - the crane operator/truck driver. He works a hell of a lot harder than I do and practically lives in North Dakota - coming home for the weekends only.

I don't care who you are, this is just plain kewl. A sculpture made from bits of cast off machinery of a cowboy riding a triceratops. This clever idea is on the main street in Lemmon, SD. Apparently, the Grand River Museum has some triceratops bones, so the idea of a dinosaur, a cowboy, and old farm machinery fits right in with the culture and history of Lemmon. When the sculptor says his chaps and saddles wear like iron, he ain't kidding. Yee Haw!!!

Lemmon is where a couple of us landed tonite. It will take a big day of driving to get home tomorrow, and Tubby Trucker is already bushed. G'nite, all - sweet dreams and don't let the bedbugs bite!

Soddies

Another "I gotcher art raht hyar" posts. These are commonly called "Soddies."  These are a sort of bas relief semi-commercial folk art produced by a Mennonite lady from Montezuma KS - Leah Johnson. This particular collection is called a "Small Four Seasons," because she produced them in various sizes. As you can see, the four smaller plaques represent the seasons of the year with varying scenes, all involving sod houses. They are actually made with sod - a special mix of mud for the three dimensional look. Her sons and grandsons cut and edge routed the plaques for her.

They are all dated '86 and signed "Leah Johnson." The last I heard - and this was quite a while back - she was physically unable to produce any more and was living in a rest home in Montezuma. Once again, a little googling can illuminate - I did not know this:

One Mennonite memory painter is Leah Johnson, a Holdeman Mennonite (Church of God in Christ, Mennonite) from Montezuma, KS, who since 1967 has painted sod houses set in various Kansas regional landscapes. She uses a self-developed, three-dimensional sand-painting technique that was revealed to her following the death of her husband when she was suddenly faced with earning her own living. She has also illustrated books with drawings of her favorite subjects, notably True Sod, written by Barbara Oringdeff(sp).

Barbara Oringderff is noted Kansas historian/author who publishes a Kansas history themed quarterly The Territorial.  True Sod is available at Amazon. According to the source above, an example of a memory painter:

Grandma Moses was a "memory painter"; that is, her scenes were naive, nostalgic renderings of a long-past era of American culture.

 Learn somethin' new ever' day! I didn't know that Mrs. Johnson had been making soddies since 1967, or that she had done illustrations and collaborated with Barbara Oringderff. I've been reading The Territorial for years. Aaaand, I did know that the Mennonites around here belong to the Holden branch. I'm not sure about Mrs. Johnson using sand for her soddies - it has always been said that she used plain ol' dirt - which is kinda sandy in the Montezuma area.

At any rate, I think I gave about eight bucks apiece for each of the plaques as a package deal and gave them to my Mother for Christmas. I've got a small one in my bathroom. My "extra mom" has a much larger plaque that her kids purchased for her as a group on display at her house. Ingalls Feed Yard used to (and may still - haven't been there in years) have a very large commissioned piece in their break room. Believe it or not, here in "red" flyover country, the cattle and grain barons support the arts.

You'll find Leah Johnson's soddies in plenty of discerning art lovin' homes here in southwester Kansas!

Virtual Sistine Chapel

Check it out! Using your mouse, you can orient your view and zoom in and out. I used my arrow keys on my laptop. I never realized that the ceiling is actually a series of pictures - for some reason I thought it was one giant painting. Part of it is - but there is actually so much more. Well worth a couple minutes of your time.

Thanks to MoK

For Your Artistic Consideration

A Poem by Abigail Elizabeth McIntyre

"Summer"

SHIT!

It's Hot!

The Illustrated Spam

Imagine if the crap that slides in so unctuously in your inbox could be illustrated. Perhaps this isn't quite what the purveyors of male enhancement "products" had in mind. Perhaps I really don't care what the spammers want and find these illustrations rather funny!






These are part of a collection by Elliot Burford. I bow to his superior skilz.

I've Gotcher Art Right Here Part 2

In 1868, William F. Cody -- "Buffalo Bill" -- was making his living as a contract buffalo hunter, feeding the crews laying tracks for the Kansas Pacific Railroad. At the same time, William Comstock, also known as "Buffalo Bill," made his living as a contract buffalo hunter feeding the soldiers at Fort Wallace.

To determine the real "Buffalo Bill," a contest was held west of Oakley. Bill Cody brought down 69 buffalo and Bill Comstock brought down 46 buffalo. From that day forward, the legend of William F."Buffalo Bill" Cody was born. [Joe Boulter, 10/28/2006]

This sculpture resides just south of I70 on US83 on the west side of Oakley, KS. I drive by quite a bit, and have always wanted to stop. Today, I had the time.

Charlie Norton from Leoti, KS is the artist. Another popular work of his is on display in front of the Security State Bank in Scott City, KS - it's called Cattleman's Harvest. The bank link is actually a Google Street View of the piece, and the second shows a smaller version for sale. But, all that aside, the Buffalo Bill Buffalo Kill statue is what we have here:

This is facing north.

South view

Close up of the buffalo.


View of Bill on horseback. Keep in mind I'm 6'3". The gun is a Springfield - my high resolution camera phone didn't capture the engraved printing on the receiver of the rifle.

This was the fun shot. There is a lot of detail here - check out the knife, the fringes blowing in the breeze, the tack - all the things a period buffalo hunter and his horse would probably be wearing are here. It's a pretty impressive piece. I'm glad I finally stopped.

The sculpture is atop a mound, and at the bottom is a little museum/outbuilding that was closed today. There is a sheltered billboard with historical information printed on it. There are no steps to go to the top, so it's handicapped capable. If you are ever in the area, it's worth a half hour or so at least.

Obsessed Much?

If one were to compile a listing of folk art and artists in southwestern Kansas, M.T. Liggett of Mullinville would probably have to head that list, if only because of the strength of his character. His kinetic, totem style creations blow in the Kansas winds, created from old farm machinery, road signs and assorted dietrus. The inspiration for most of his creations are whatever strikes him as worthy of comment - he mocks major politicians, local officials, items in the news, his ex wives - whatever trips his trigger. His work is mostly concentrated at Mullinville - a small spot on the map at the US54/US400 junction west of Greensburg, KS (yes, that Greensburg). There is a small (relatively speaking) display along US 54 just west of the "split," but the majority of his work lines the north side of US 400 on the west edge of the city limits in the corner of a pasture. Don't forget to click to enlarge the pictures.


His take on the Waco massacre.



A view to the northwest from near the eastern edge of the line.




I think some of these are associated with his ex wives.



He's not happy with the BATF, nor with former President Bill Clinton. The area I photographed would probably be primarily the "Clinton Era Section." He doesn't care much for the Bush family, either.



More on Waco, Branch Davidians, and his view of the law enforcement officers involved. I saw one about Janet Reno, too.




Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush are noticeable here.



Tipper Gore and I'm assuming Teddy would of course be Ted Kennedy. Cecil Maupin was the owner of Maupin's Truck Parts in Dodge City (a truck recycler with new and used truck sales). I'm sure he was alive when this section was first displayed. And, an artist signs his work, right?

There is quite a bit of info on the web about Mr. Liggett. There are several videos interviewing him and showcasing his work. Below is one - and beware of the language. He says what's on his mind. I do recommend watching the video to see the sculptures in motion, and to get a better idea of the quantity of the sculptures.



link

There are quite a few different sites that mention Mr. Liggett scattered across the Intertubes, plus several videos. If you watch this video, you'll see he cuts hearts out of old plow disks - then he has a heart and the cutout for display (plus there is one beneath the "Tipper" sign in one of the pictures above). Our county attorney's place just on the east side of Cimarron has the pasture fenceposts lined with those hearts - given to him by Mr. Liggett.

He certainly is the epitome of the quirky individual driven to express himself.

I've Gotcher Art Right Here

"So I said to him, "Barack, I know Abe Lincoln, and you ain't him."

Artist: Andy Thomas

H/T DR

Oldest Boeing Airliner In Flying Condition

I got this in an email, so naturally before posting I looked around to find sources to attribute. This article led me to the company that restored the airplane. Pemberton & Sons Aviation of Spokane WA is the entity responsible for the beautiful plane we see now. The Boeing 40C page has some interesting links to videos and pictures of the construction and the first flight, the first engine run, and historical pictures. Apparently this plane was a wreck and was pretty well trashed at the start of the project. Well worth the time to visit, as this isn't the only vintage plane they have restored and now own.

At any rate, I looked to find the author of the text below and couldn't find it. I did find a site that posted this text on Jan 7 - but since there are forum postings with the same text dated back in October 2008 I really doubt they wrote it. So, if the persons or persons responsible for the pictures and text wants correct attribution or removal, my info is on my About page.

Oldest Boeing Airliner In Flying Condition

This is as it should be - passengers in a closed cabin, pilot in open cockpit so he will stay awake. The airplane is in Spokane, WA and is the oldest flying Boeing in the World.

After 8 years of repair and rebuilding and 8,000 hours of toil the Boeing 40C rolled out last winter as a finished airplane. They had to wait a few weeks for the snow to melt to fly this baby. They received their Standard Airworthiness Certificate from the FAA and completed the engine pre-oil and fuel flow tests for the first of the taxi tests.

Facts for the Boeing 40 project:

221½ gallons of dope/reducer and 120 yards of 102 ceconite fabric. 12 gallons of poly urethane paint for the sheet metal. The wings have 33,000 individual parts in them. The airplane weighs 4080 lbs empty, has a gross weight of 6075 lbs. It is 34 ft long and 13 feet tall with a wing span of 44½ feet.

Wing loading is 10 lbs per sq ft and power loading is 10 pounds per HP. It should cruise at 115 mph using 28 GPH, and 32 GPH at 120 mph. It carries 120 gallons of fuel in three tanks.

350 - 2 inch brushes were used to apply 6 gallons of West Systems epoxy, and 181 rolls of paper towels for cleanup.

There were a total of 62 volunteers who worked on the project to some degree. 21 of the volunteers did a significant amount of work, and 9 of the volunteers worked continuously during the 8 year project.

Apparently the thinking at the time was that the pilot needed the wind in their face to stay alert and awake. They couldn't be enclosed, or be too comfortable. I'm sure the phones were used to communicate to the pilot.

Leather and wood, fabric and "dope," polished aluminum - what's not to love?

Saw This Yesterday

Some guys have pretty cool jobs. I passed this guy once, and he got by me while going through a port of entry. I needed to stop in a rest area, and lo and behold, this was parked there. That is a Willys in front, and an early seventies Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the rear. The driver told me the Willys cost $50k, and the Monte Carlo was either $17k or $18k. It was an all original big block. We both decided we'd prefer the Chevy, because the Willys was clearly designed for short people. The driver was about 5'10" or so, and he thought it was pretty tight. Those old Monte Carlos had a lot of interior room, plus a big block? Yowza! Plus, the Willys had some ripples in the bodywork. Hell of a paint job - you could dive into it, but it sure highlighted some less than perfect bodywork.

"Local" Artist

Some of you may have heard (no pun intended) of Stan Herd. He's noted for being a commercial artist who uses large tracts of land for his canvas. Originally from Protection, KS, he's made a name for himself making portraits that can only be seen properly from the air, as well as some pretty nice murals on buildings scattered around Kansas.

This is his latest:



This is near Longmont CO, and was strategically placed so airline passengers flying into DIA could see it. The portrait is meant to promote Papa John's new whole wheat crust.

Herd really made his name with this one:


For Absolut Vodka, of course. This one put him "on the map," as it were.

But, I prefer his "native" portraits:


The top picture is a portrait of Saginaw Grant, a Native American actor. The bottom is historical Kiowa Indian chief Satanta.

Mr. Herd is also known for his large murals with historical themes on various buildings in Kansas.


The old First National Bank building in Dodge City - owned by Bank of America these days.


A mural in Inman.

On the Kingman County Historical Museum in Kingman, KS.

He also painted a huge mural on the side of the old HyPlains Beef packing plant in Dodge. It is now owned by National Beef - and I don't remember if the mural is still there or not.

So, yeah, we got art on the prairie. It may not get the attention that Christo's does, but we really and truly don't care.