Navajo lullaby

We finally arrived in Farmingon, N.M. after a seven hour drive.

I don't know about Momma, but we need our beauty sleep!

I sleep in beauty
Yes I do, yes I do,
I lie in beauty
Yes I do, yes I do,
Just for you and only you
Hay ya ha na

The signature pop culture experience of the Southwest

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Momma has been granted a media pass for the upcoming Phoenix Comicon 13!

That means that I, Steampunk Addie, shall be there in an official capacity!

Not only that, but my arch nemesis, Evil Wil Wheaton, will be there again - his sixth year appearing at Phoenix Comicon.


I am sooo excited.

I simply cannot wait for Phoebe to get here. We are going to have so much fun!

Now where did I put my Li'l Wil....

The Best Blogger Award

Aww, my dear friend Reese over at Reese's Pieces of Life just nominated me for The Best Blogger Award.

As I told her, I am (deservedly) humbled and grateful. 

For the first part of the award, I shall answer these five questions:

1. What is your favorite post that you've ever created? So many to choose from (729!), but I think my all-time favorite is Bring Out Yer Dead.
2. What is your favorite photostory that you have ever taken part in? Hmm, again so many choices but I think it was my series of adventures with Sam, Ruth, Josefina Ester at the St. Louis World Fair. Or (finally!) meeting Super Inky! It showed me how much I like to share my adventures with other dolls.
3. Why do you blog? I guess it's in my blood stuffing. Momma's family has been writers, printers, and journalists since at least 1883.
4. How many followers do you have? Not enough (of course) but I know of 57, and counting....
5. Do you like being nominated for awards? Who doesn't?!

I now get to nominate five other blogs which haven't been nominated yet - darn it! So I, Steampunk Addie, hereby nominate:

1. Just for Fun: Momma's friend Jenn can crochet anything and have fun doing it.
2. Pippaloo: I hope she hasn't been nominated yet because Teresa provides the tastiest doll food, ever! 
3. Angry Words from Angry Jess: Who doesn't like a doll with an attitude?
4. Doll Diaries: The latest scoop on anything doll related, and Char likes me.
5. Dolls Behaving Badly: Charlie's dolls aren't as badly behaved as she thinks, but there's always room for improvement. 

I shall now ceremoniously add My latest Major Award to my cyber awards shelf.

 

One in a million

I went off to find my friend Ivy after leaving the indignity of the restroom.

Harumph.

I found her hanging out with our friend Julie in 1974.

Ivy was greatly astonished to find several doppelgängers of herself standing around. I comforted her by saying there was an opportunity to be found in clones.

I demonstrated by taking her into the 1864 room (I think of AGPLA as one, giant TARDIS) and tried to waken my doppelgängers from their stasis.

Mwahaha. 

Dozens, nay hundreds, of Addys at my command!

Too bad it didn't work.

Momma said it took more than my half-dime to wake them from their slumber.

So now I am saving up. In the meantime, my Big Sister's Addy is amenable to my plans.

One down....

 

Be our guest

After spending a day at Disneyland we headed over to California Adventure for an early dinner at Ariel's Grotto.

My Big Sister rediscovered her love for Disney princesses while we were at Disneyland, and her oldest cousin still adores Ariel.
 

Join Ariel and her friends at Ariel's Grotto for an enchanting Character Dining experience filled with music, laughter, delicious food and the opportunity to meet Disney Princesses during "Ariel's Disney Princess Celebration."

Children of all ages get to meet their favorite Disney Princesses up close and personal! It's a welcome respite after walking all over trying ot find characters - at Ariel's Grotto you can rest and enjoy a delicious meal while the princesses come to you!

We got to meet Ariel, Belle, Snow White, Mulan and Jasmine while we were there. (Thankfully, Momma got to see her childhood favorite Cinderella earlier.)

Ivy was especially excited to meet Mulan!

Lurkin' in ev'ry cove

While at Disneyland we had to go on our all-time favorite ride, Pirates of the Caribbean.

We liked it before there was a moving picture ... or even a Captain Jack Sparrow!

Pirates of the Caribbean was the last attraction overseen by Walt Disney himself; he died three months before it opened at Disneyland in 1967.

The ride tells the story of a band of pirates - including their troubles and their exploits.

It is also known for its song "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" written by George Bruns and Xavier Atencio. It also inspired the 2003 Pirates of the Caribbean film series. Since 2006, Disney has added characters from the film series into the Disneyland, Disneyworld, and Tokyo Disneyland versions of the rides.

At Disneyland, Captain Jack Sparrow has been added to the ride three times.

• He is seen hiding behind some dresses in the town square. 
• He is hiding in a barrel just behind the "Pooped Pirate," popping out and getting a good look at the map over the pirate's shoulder.
• Finally, he is seen in a room full of the hidden treasure, draped over a large throne-like chair and waving his new treasures around happily while talking to himself and to passing guests. Every once in a while he sings, "Drink up, me hearties. Yo ho!"

Ivy was mortified when I hoped off the boat to check out the pieces of eight.

Psst! Avast there! It be too late to alter course, mateys. And there be plundering pirates lurkin' in ev'ry cove, waitin' to board. Sit closer together and keep your ruddy hands in board. That be the best way to repel boarders. And mark well me words, mateys: Dead men tell no tales! Ye come seekin' adventure with salty old pirates, eh? Sure you've come to the proper place. But keep a weather eye open, mates, and hold on tight. With both hands, if you please. Thar be squalls ahead, and Davy Jones waiting for them what don't obey.  

The Year of the Ear

As previously mentioned, Momma surprised us with a one day trip to Disneyland last week. Momma, my Big Sister, her two cousins and their Momma piled into the car on Thursday and off we went. (I was joined by McKenna, Kanani, and Cécile. We met Ivy at Disneyland.)

The first thing we ALL did after walking in was get our Mickey Mouse Ear Hats.

Mickey Mouse Ear Hats began in the 1950s when The Mickey Mouse Club aired on television. The Mousketeers wore them throughout each show, so the hats became something young children and adults dreamed about wearing.

The creator of these ears was Roy Williams, an adult Mousketeer. He was allegedly inspired by the 1929 short story The Karnival Kid, featuring a scene of Mickey tipping his ears to Minnie. Many years later, the first wearable Mickey Mouse Ears were born.

The Mickey Mouse Ear Hat is probably the most popular item purchased at Disney theme parks. They are usually a simple round cap with two round ears attached so they look like Mickey's ears.

Did you know that Disney has declared 2013 to be the Year of the Ear? So there are more ears than ever to choose from! 

Momma selected a limited edition Steampunk Ear Hat (of course!), my Big Sister got Perry, I got a MousekeEars Mini Ear Hat - Red and McKenna got blue MousekeEars. My cousins also got a Dumbo and Donald Duck each.

You're never too old to be a Mouseketeer!

The happiest place on earth

Can you guess where my friend Ivy and I are?

"To all who come to this happy place – welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, dreams and the hard facts that have created America… with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."

Walt Disney

July 17, 1955

Give a hoot

My friend June is the original tree hugger.

She is into hippy culture, nature, tree climbing, environmentalism, and really wanted to visit the Redwood Forest.

So off we went - where we promptly found a redwood that had been cut down. June was devastated and wept while I tried to comfort her. 

The redwood species contains the largest and tallest trees in the world. (There's nothing like standing next to one of these babies to make anyone feel short - especially if you're only 18 inches tall!) These trees can live to be thousands of years old.

They are endangered due to habitat losses from logging, fire ecology suppression, development, and air pollution. 

Sequoiadendron giganteum and Sequoia sempervirens in California and Oregon are vulnerable species, and Metasequoia glyptostroboides in China is a critically endangered species. 

That's enough to make me a tree-hugger!

 

X-Women

My friend Ellie arrived this week for an adventure.

When I asked her what she was interested in doing, she said anything with space, planets, and telescopes.

She wanted to immediately launch into space but I told her, "Patience, my Padawan."

Let's start with some basics - which is easy since there are two powerful telescopes in Arizona: Kitt and Lowell.

My favorite? Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz.
 
Lowell Observatory was founded in 1894, making it one of the oldest observatories in the United States.

In 1906, Percival Lowell, a wealthy Bostonian who had founded the Lowell Observatory, started an extensive search for a possible ninth planet, which he called, "Planet X."

It was there that Clyde Tombaugh discovered the dwarf planet Pluto on Feb. 18, 1930 using the 13-inch Pluto Discovery Telescope.

Ellie said she wanted to see that so off we went. She was so excited I was afraid she'd push Tombaugh out of the way!

Known for years as a planet, poor Pluto was downgraded to dwarf planet status in 2006.

(Momma likes to say that when she was my age Pluto was a planet.)

New Mexico's House of Representatives passed a resolution in honor of Tombaugh, a longtime resident of that state, which declared that Pluto will always be considered a planet while in New Mexican skies and that March 13, 2007 was Pluto Planet Day.

See what's become of us

My friend Norah arrived this week for an adventure and we decided to go see the astronomical clock at Hampton Court Palace.

Norah likes England, history, museums, reading, water, castles, and libraries so it seemed like a natural.

King Henry VIII commissioned the astronomical clock for his palace at Hampton Court, which was installed around 1540. Still functioning, it was quite practical: showing the time, month, day of the month, position of the sun in the zodiac, the phase and age of the moon.

It also determined the time at which the moon would cross the meridian and therefore the time of high water at London Bridge, which was useful if you, like King Henry, traveled to London by Royal Barge.

We, however, traveled in my floating library.

 

Auld lang syne

Sadly, my adventures with my dear friend Molly McIntire must come to an end.

For now.

Molly was understandably reluctant to go back to school, but I assured her that her arrival at school would be noteworthy.

So here we are saying our final goodbyes after touching down in front of her school.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne* ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my jo,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

*The song's Scottish title may be translated into English as "old long since."
 

Fearsome critters

Clementine insisted it was her turn to have an adventure with Molly so we went looking for that elusive creature: the jackalope.

I had heard of these supposedly mythical creatures, but Clementine said they were real and could be seen at most roadside attractions in Arizona.

For those who don't know, a jackalope is a jackrabbit with antlers. The word "jackalope" is a combination of "jackrabbit" and "antalope," an old-fashioned spelling of "antelope." It is also known as Lepus temperamentalus.

We found this gentle specimen outside of town. Molly was alarmed by Clementine's rifle* and raised her flag in surrender, but we assured her the rifle was saved for real varmints - not jackalopes.


*No jackalopes were harmed in the making of this adventure.

Wings on their feet

While we were visiting in England Molly and I got to talking about one of her heroines: Sonja Henie.

Molly has admired Henie, a Norwegian figure skater and film star, for years. Henie has won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater.

Henie gave up her amateur status after the 1936 World Figure Skating Championships and became a professional skater and actress which made her one of the highest-paid actresses of the time.

Henie became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1941. Like many Hollywood stars, she supported the U.S. war effort through USO and similar activities. Unfortunately, Henie's connections with Adolf Hitler made her controversial before, during, and after World War II.

Thankfully for Henie's Norwegian family, occupying German troops saw Hitler's autographed photo on their piano so none of Henie's Norwegian family or property was hurt by the Germans.

Henie is credited with being the first figure skater to adopt short-skirted figure skating costumes and wearing white boots.

Molly didn't want to interrupt Henie's practice, so she skated nearby so I could get a quick photograph.

Aren't they elegant? 

 

Molly and I take flight

photo courtesy of QNPoohbear

Golly gee, my friend Molly McIntire and her family sure do get around!

Not only is her father, Captain James McIntire, serving as a doctor in England, but her Aunt Eleanor is a W.A.S.P. -- a civilian female pilot employed to fly military aircraft under the direction of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.

On one of Aunt Eleanor's cross-country flights she and Molly met this short little guy named Curt Clump. Poor Clump has bad vision (we could both relate!) so he became a navigator for the 458th Bombardment Group.
 
During World War II, the 458th Bombardment Group was an Eighth Air Force B-24 Liberator unit in England. Assigned to a Royal Air Force station near Norwich, Norfolk in early 1944, the group flew its last combat mission on April 25, 1945 flying 240 missions and losing 47 aircraft in combat.

Molly is (understandably) a bit anxious about her father since he's overseas, so we popped over to see him in my time-traveling dirigible. While we were there I suggested visiting the 458th.

They had a group photo taken while we were there. Clump (the shortest man standing) was glad to see us since we were shorter than him, so I dragged Molly in, too!

Unofficially, of course.

The adventurous type

I've been thinking.

Clementine and I are always having adventures of one kind or another, but we're starting to think that others might like to occasionally join us.

Would you?

So far I've has adventures with Sam, Ruth, Josefina Ester at the St. Louis World Fair, and Inky and Raven in the Chiricahua Mountains.

My dear friend Phoebe is scheduled to arrive for a visit in May so she can meet Nichelle Nichols at Phoenix Comicon.

If you (or your vinyl friend) have always dreamed of an adventure but don't know how to fulfill that dream - let me know!

Who knows, maybe you (or your vinyl friend) can have the adventure of a lifetime without leaving home!

Just contact me at steampunkaddie@gmail.com.

Geronimo!

While visiting with my dear friends Inky and Raven on Wednesday they mentioned that they hoped to go camping in the Chiricahua Mountains this weekend.

I decided to surprise them.

The Chiricahua Mountains are named after a group of Apache Native Americans who live in the Southwest United States. At one time they were living on 15 million acres of territory in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona in the United States, and in northern Mexico.

The most well-known warrior leader of the Chiricahua Apache, although he was not considered a chief, was Geronimo.

After an 1858 attack by a company of Mexican soldiers killed his mother, wife and three children, Geronimo joined revenge attacks on the Mexicans. During his career as a war chief, he was notorious for consistently urging raids upon Mexican Provinces and their towns, and later against American locations across Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas. He made a stronghold in the Chiricahua Mountains, part of which is now inside Chiricahua National Monument.

In 1886 Geronimo surrendered to U.S. authorities after a lengthy pursuit. As a prisoner of war in old age he became a celebrity and appeared in fairs but was never allowed to return to the land of his birth. He later regretted his surrender and claimed the conditions he made had been ignored. Geronimo died in 1909 from complications of pneumonia at Fort Sill, Okla.

Today, only two branches of the Chiricahua are federally recognized as independent units: the Fort Sill Apache Tribe, located near Apache, Okla.; and the Chiricahua tribe located on the Mescalero Apache reservation near Ruidoso, N.M.

The best laid schemes of dolls and women

Inky and Raven enjoy our desert landscaping.

What is the old saying about "the best laid schemes of mice and men go often awry"?

Well, they certainly went awry this week!

Momma and my friend Inky's mom had spent considerable time setting up a Wednesday play date for us at the Phoenix Zoo. They're visiting their friend Raven's mom in Tucson, but wanted to come north to meet Me!

So what does Momma do? Lands herself in the hospital instead.

Now would you rather have a play date at the zoo, or go to the hospital?

I voted for the zoo but Momma said her vote overruled mine - especially since she was driving.

Sadly we told Inky's mom about our change in plans, but she replied that she would still like to come see us! So Inky, Raven, and their moms arrived at the hospital just as Momma was discharged.

Being sporting women, they said they would follow us back to the house where we visited and posed for photos for a few happy hours. We even surprised each other when I gave Inky a pin with my likeness on it ... and she gave me one with her likeness!

It wasn't a trip to the zoo but it sure was fun!

I hope they come back soon, although they did invite us to visit them in New York City, too.

Faithful friends who are dear to us

It looks like the fun times at the Fair are over. Sam and Ruth are wrapping up their Fair adventures and heading home soon. School starts next week. I imagine it's the same for Josefina Ester. Thanks for the fun time at the fair! 

Next year all our troubles will be miles away.
Once again as in olden days, happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us, will be near to us once more.
Someday soon we all will be together, if the fates allow
Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Meet Me in St. Louis, 1943

Meet me in St. Louie, Louie (oh no)

Sam, Ruth and Josefina Ester join Esther and Rose at the piano.

Giddyup! Today's the Horse Show Parade at the 1904 Fair's Livestock Forum which got me thinking about lyrics you don't normally hear.

"Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis," better known as "Meet Me in St. Louis," is a popular song from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair featured in the movie, Meet Me in St. Louis. 

In the 1904 song "Louis" is pronounced "Louie" and the chorus is the same for the first two verses but varies for the rest of the song to reflect the verses.

Verse 1
When Louis came home to the flat

He hung up his coat and his hat
He gazed all around
But no wifey he found

So he said, "Where can Flossie be at?"

A note on the table he spied

He read it just once, then he cried

It ran, "Louis, dear,"

"It's too slow for me here,"

"So I think I will go for a ride..."
 

Verse 2

The dresses that hung in the hall

Were gone, she had taken them all

She took all his rings

And the rest of his things

The picture he missed from the wall

"What, moving?" the janitor said

"Your rent is paid three months ahead!"

"What good is the flat?"

Said poor Louis, "Read that!"

And the janitor smiled as he read...
 

Chorus

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis,

Meet me at the Fair

Don't tell me the lights are shining

Anyplace but there

We will dance the "Hoochie-Koochie"

I will be your "Tootsie-Wootsie"

If you will meet me in St. Louis, Louis,

Meet me at the Fair.
 

(The rest of the verses are usually left out. Can't you just see Esther secretly singing these with Rose? Or even Mr. and Mrs. Smith when they were alone!)

Oops, you caught me!

Verse 3

Lew Woods was the name of a horse,

that ran at the New Orleans course,

I played him one day

for a dollar each way,

and I charged it to profit and loss;

He started to run in the wet,

the son of a gun's running yet,

That crazy old skate,

he made straight for the gate,

and I hollered, “Hey Lew! don't forget.”
 

Chorus 3

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair,

Take my tip and don't stop running until you are there,

You're a wonder that's no liesky, if you don't fall down and diesky,

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair
 

Verse 4

There came to the gay tenderloin,

a Jay who had money to burn,

The poor simple soul

showed a girlie his roll,

and she said, “for some wine dear, I yearn.”

A bottle and bird right away,

she touched him then said, “I can't stay.”

He sighed, “Tell me, sweet,

where can you and I meet?”

and the orchestra started to play.
 

Chorus 4

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair,

Don't tell me the lights are shining any place but there;

I'll be waiting there my honey, to divorce you from your money,

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair.
 

Verse 5

The clerks in the bank said, “It's queer,

did anyone see the cashier?

It's way after time,

and we haven't a dime,

we can't open the safe 'till he's here.”

The President shook his gray head,

“Send out for an expert,” he said,

The door's opened wide,

not a cent was inside,

just a card, that was all, and it read:
 

Chorus 5

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair,

All the boys and all the girls are going to be there;

If they ask about the cashier, you can say he cuts a dash here,

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair
 

Verse 6

In church sat a man near the door,

asleep, he was starting to snore,

The Minister rose,

and he said, “We will close

singing, Meet on the Beautiful Shore.”

The man in the back then awoke,

he caught the last words that he spoke;

He said, “Parson White,

you can meet me alright,

but The Beautiful Shore is a joke.”
 

Chorus 6

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair,

Don't tell me the lights are shining any place but there;

I'll be waiting at the station, for the whole darned congregation,

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair

The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
Daily Calendar

Friday, Sept. 2, 1904

• Fraternal Aid Association
• Horse show parade at livestock forum