Throwback Thursday

The photograph above was taken during Spirit Week of my senior year of high school (1979). You remember Spirit Week...you dressed in something different every day of that week, depending on the day's theme.

If I cobbled my costume together correctly, you know that the day this photograph was taken there was a western theme going on...the fact that I had all of the pieces of the costume on hand is a bit fortuitous, considering that I did not grow up anywhere near the "Wild West".

Of course it was 1979, and every red-blooded American girl had a couple denim skirts and a pair of boots in her closet...those are a given in the ensemble above.

I cannot recall who the red cowboy hat and toy pistol belonged to. One of my younger brothers or even my toddler nephew who was living with us at the time? I had no problem wearing the toy pistol to school that day...now you cannot even think the word pistol without gaining detention or being thrown out of school for a week.

The red and white checked shirt and denim vest belonged to one of my older sisters and the red neckerchief was one of my dad's handkerchiefs that he always carried with him.

As with some photographs, I think what is in the background is sometimes more interesting to look at than the main subject.

I see to the left of me is a thin sliver of the playpen that my nephew used. The little broom hanging to the right of me is dressed like a woman in a skirt and apron. I cannot recall where my mom got that (maybe a Christmas present) but it was hanging there for many years. Just to the left of the broom-woman is a colonial-era town crier statue. It owned that little piece of real estate on the hearth for decades. I recall he was a bit heavy and substantial.

The mantle is somewhat sparse in its decoration and what is on there is interesting. What are they and why would my mother deem them worthy of such a place of prominence in the family room? It looks like there is a round medallion flanking each side of me. I think I remember them as being weighty metal medallions that featured some sort of colonial theme. There was a time when my mother decorated the family room in a Colonial or Americana theme (remember 1976 and the American Bicentennial?). There is a golden eagle affixed to the mantle face behind me and you can just see one of its wings over my left shoulder.

There is a small red glass vase on the mantle too. Again, not sure where my mother got this and why it holds a special place on the mantle. You can see a rectangular glass container down on the right from the red vase. I remember that container but not what was inside of it. There are a couple other smaller items between the red vase and glass container (minus the metal medallion) but I cannot make them out in the photograph and would have no idea or remember what they were.

I always find it interesting to look at old (and new) photographs and check out what is in the background. Sometimes the background tells you more about the subject than you initially saw (or remembered).

Next time you look at a photograph, really look at the background and see what you can see.

Making Tracks

About a month ago, The Colonel and I helped with a county program for children in one of the local libraries. We dressed up in our khaki shorts, khaki shirts, hiking boots and boonie hats. The program was about the Skunk Ape (Florida's Bigfoot).

The kids learned about Skunk Apes and then got to do craft projects that had a Skunk Ape theme. They were able to color a picture of a Skunk Ape (a friendly looking one) and then they made a Skunk Ape footprint in some modeling clay that would air-harden in a couple of days. The plastic feet (we had six of them) were made by a 3-D printer and were roughly 5 inches long and the kids took turns pressing them into the clay.

The Colonel portrayed Professor William "Wild Bill" Pike, a Cryptozoologist (one who studies hidden animals).

The Colonel as "Wild Bill" in the local newspaper

He talked to the kids about what a Cryptozoologist is and what they do. He held up a casting (we will touch on that later) of a Skunk Ape's footprint and told the kids where and how the cast was made.

The kids had a great time. I think their parents and grandparents did too. I know we did. We got a lot done in the one-hour program.

Now, I know you are curious about that Skunk Ape footprint casting that The Colonel is holding up in the picture above. It looks awesome and authentic doesn't it (as far as we know...I have never seen a real one...yet...have you)?

Knowing that we had the Skunk Ape program to work, a few weeks prior, The Colonel and I worked on a Skunk ape foot to cast. I drew it out on wood and The Colonel cut it out. He used putty to build up the ball, heal and toes of the foot. He then sanded it smooth and spray painted it.

We took our foot out to our piece of land in the country to make the casting. 

We had packed the truck bed with a shovel, buckets of water, some Plaster of Paris and our rubber boots. It had rained a day or so earlier and the sandy soil would be perfect for a casting. 

The Colonel prepped the casting site.

Then he pressed the wooden foot into the sandy soil.

Once the foot was removed from the soil and a print was left behind, it was time to mix the plaster and fill the print.

We walked around and did some brush clearing on our country lot as the plaster was curing. Finally, it was time to dig out the casting.

Once we returned home with the Skunk Ape footprint casting, The Colonel cleaned it up.

The casting was a very integral part of the program for the kids. The Colonel and I had a fun time creating it...what lengths we go to make the county programs more interesting and fun for the kids (and us too).

Wordless Wednesday