Montezuma's Revenge

 

Life had gotten rather off-kilter before last month's vacation. So this time, I resolved to give myself a total break, and not to do any blogging. Once or twice I almost backslid, but the focus seeped out of me before I could compose a post.

My wife and I enjoyed exploring places like Montezuma's Castle on our vacation. Arizona may not be England, but it has its historic sites to inspire. As I walked around this national monument, I wondered about the lives of those long-ago cliff dwellers. So many questions arose.

Did they live there all the time, or just part of the year?

Did they farm the land below, or was the nearby Green River much closer to the cliffs?

What were their everyday activities? What were their trials and challenges?

Historians may have pieced together clues to address all those questions. Still, I suspect there's much left to ponder. So many stories about their lives yet to be told. 

 

 

I returned home less with fixed plans than with ideas and resolutions. Yet Montezuma insisted upon wreaking his revenge. We also returned to our California home with a automobile gremlin which ultimately the dealership would need to sort out. Exhaustion played its role, as did unexpectedly high gas prices ($3 per gallon higher than in Arizona). All this delayed my return to my local comic shop, to pick up the new stories I hungered to read.

Of the five I expected, my local comic shop only received three. As has become a theme since 2020, the other two were delayed. One I'm beginning to wonder if it will ever arrive. The new-to-me Star Wars #27 I picked up, as I'm trying out the series. Also, after reading several old DC comics I picked up during our vacation--and enjoying them--I picked up a copy of their preview magazine, to survey their contemporary titles.

I'll always have plenty of old stories to discover. I'll always have plenty of old stories to reread. Yet I wonder: was the reason my life felt so off-kilter before our vacation because I wasn't seeking out and discovering enough new stories?

Dragon Dave

 

An Excursion to Salt Pond Beach

Pocket: Did you hear where we're going today?
Denim: Master & Mistress said something about Salt Pond Beach.
Pocket: I hope this weather clears up then. 

Denim: According to my information sources, it's not supposed to rain so much on the southern and western sides of Kauai.
Pocket: You want to tell the weather gods that, or should I?
Denim: There's no need to be sarcastic. 
Pocket: I just wish I could EXTERMINATE this rain! The fierce downpour has already forced Mistress off the road. She'll probably just turn around now and head back.
Denim: Have faith in the Mistress, and in my information sources. Optimism may not banish the clouds, but it will help you accept what you cannot change.

Denim: Hooray! The weather cleared up, and we made it to Salt Pond Beach, on the westernmost coast of the United States!
Pocket: Thanks for helping me adopt a more optimistic viewpoint so I could EXTERMINATE my blues. 
Denim: No problem. Even Daleks have moods.

Pocket: I suggest we reduce the reception on our visual sensors. 
Denim: An astute suggestion, sir. With the clouds clearing, the colors might overload our systems.

Denim: Master's sketching, the Mistress is taking photographs and collecting shells, and the locals use this beach to make natural sea salt. What shall we do?
Pocket: Let's just sit here awhile. There's so much to see.

Pocket & Denim Dalek

If At First You Don't Succeed...

Pocket: Where are we going today?
Denim: Master & Mistress mentioned something about trying Waimea Canyon again.
Pocket: What? After last time?
Denim: I know, sir. But the weather's supposed to be better today.

Pocket: It is as I feared. Look at those dark clouds! And after all the time it took us to get up here!

Pocket: Say, a break in the clouds. Maybe today won't be as bad as I feared.

Denim: Ooh, look sir! A waterfall!

Denim: 

Down in the valley, 

The Waimea Valley so vibrant and green, 

I lost my dear sweetheart,

Her Dalekanium housing had such a lovely sheen.

Pocket: Poetry alert! Poetry alert!! POETRY ALERT!!!
Oh, let him have his moment.

Denim: So sir, were Master & Mistress right to attempt a second assault on Waimea Canyon?
Pocket: According to my analysis of the situation, the odds favored a day at the beach. Still, you can't argue with a triumph.

Pocket & Denim Dalek

Assault on Waimea Canyon

Denim: Where are we going?
Pocket: Master & Mistress spoke about heading for the hills.
Denim: Ooh, I bet we're heading up into Waimea Canyon. Mark Twain supposedly called it the Grand Canyon of the Pacific!

Denim: They say you just have to be patient, but we've been here forever, and the fog refuses to clear.

Pocket: Great, I'm getting raindrops on my visual sensors! I'm heading back to the car!
Denim: Sir, come back, please! I'm sure it's just a quick shower!

Denim: This looks like a nice park. I'll steer Master & Mistress toward the covered eating area. That earlier shower might signify rain.

Denim: I'm glad we could stretch these bread slices back into shape.* Master & Mistress love their Peanut Butter sandwiches with Pineapple Papaya jam.

Denim: The rooster's coming inside. I wonder if he senses something.

Denim: Oh no, now it's starting to rain. I guess Pocket was right to stay in the car. Still, I was hoping we could go on a hike.

Denim: I want Kauai to stay so lush and green, but why did it have to rain during our assault on Waimea Canyon?

Pocket & Denim Dalek

*See Hulk Smash Bread

Flying With Indiana Jones

Denim: Okay, the cargo's loaded. Order the pilot to take-off!

Pocket: We have to wait. People are still taking their seats.

Denim: But we're flying Economy Plus. We should be calling the shots!
Pocket: I don't think it works like that.

Pocket: See, we're underway.
Denim: Hooray! We're off to Kauai!

Denim: Are we there yet?
Pocket: No.
Denim: Are we there yet?
Pocket: What part of the word No do you not comprehend?
Denim: Well, how long until we get there?
Pocket: I don't know. A few hours, anyway.
Denim: Hey, we're flying Economy Plus! Order the pilot to speed up!
Pocket: I don't think it works like that. Would you like to see a movie?
Denim: Yes! Yes!! YES!!!
Pocket: What would you like to watch?
Denim: Raiders of the Lost Ark! Raiders of the Lost Ark!! RAIDERS--
Pocket: Okay, I get the idea.

Denim: Boy, Indy's sure having trouble Exterminating that Nazi so he can drive that beat-up old truck!
Pocket: Yeah, he should have flown Economy Plus.

Denim & Pocket Dalek

Ice Age Brighton

In his 1908 novel The Blotting Book, E. F. Benson introduces us to Edward Taynton, a pillar of Brighton's community. He's a respected English lawyer who runs a club for young men to prevent them from falling into vice. One of the activities he plans, but never carries out, is an archeological expedition to a raised beach several miles away. But there's no reason for him to travel so far, as there's a raised beach right at the edge of Brighton that has yielded numerous archeological finds.

Two hundred and fifty million years ago, Black Rock was flat. Due to the way the tectonic plates move and rise and fall, and given how the vast and heavy sheets of ice changed the landscape, the former beach is now a cliff. Had Edward Taynton led his young men here, they could have followed the example of real life archeologists, who have found Neanderthal tools, shells from ancient sea creatures, and bones of land mammals such as the magnificent furry mammoths.

A storm blew through during our week in Brighton. As a result, we had to tread carefully along the paved walkway to avoid splashing white, chalky mud on our shoes and pants. Isn't it amazing that such soft earth, so susceptible to erosion by wind and rain, would still be present, and still yielding treasures from thousands, let alone millions, of years ago? 

I don't know if many of the locals really take time to appreciate Black Rock, or partake of archeological tours there. When I visited, my main reason for doing so was to follow Edward Taynton's journey, and see with my own eyes what E. F. Benson had described in his novel. Having followed Loon's adventures in Kim Stanley Robinson's 2013 Ice Age novel Shaman, it would be neat to return to Brighton, and see Black Rock once again.

I could rent one of these apartments in Brighton Marina, and sit by the window, and read novels set in Brighton. Or I could just gaze out at Black Rock all day, and contemplate the history of this raised beach. Ooh, Black Rock. Ooh, Black Rock. Ooh, Black Rock.

Say, did anyone notice that the raised beach is white, not black?

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries
A Day in Brighton

Exploring London With My TV

Weekend Extra

Consider this the flip side of yesterday's list.  I let my favorite English TV shows guide my footsteps around London in 2011.  So here you have my old "TV Shows" Page, which I'm likewise taking down.  If you love any of these old shows, click a link below, and reminisce with me one last time.

All Creatures Great and Small
The Purple Cow of London

Are You Being Served?
The Great Anachronism 

As Time Goes By
The Link Between Assumption and Cowardice
As Time Goes By in Holland Park: Part 1
As Time Goes By in Holland Park: Part 2
As Time Goes By in Holland Park: Part 3

Doctor Who
On the First Doctor story "The Crusade"
Richard the Lionheart in “The Crusade”

On the First Doctor story "The Dalek Invasion of Earth."
Westminster Bridge in Color, and in Black and White
Lions and Daleks and Wizards, oh my! 
A History of Conflict 

Good Neighbors (aka The Good Life)
The English-Indian Love Affair

Goodnight Sweetheart
Forever in Flux?

Lovejoy
Dining Out if for the Bird (and the People)

Monty Python
Monty Python on Westminster Bridge
  
The New Statesman
Turned Away from the Palace of Westminster 

Red Dwarf
The English-Indian Love Affair

Rumpole of the Bailey
Always to Defend

To The Manor Born
Audrey, Richard, and the Unknown Constable

Yes, Minister
Walking Whitehall

Yes, Prime Minister
The Sausage That Brings Isolation Part 1
The Sausage That Brings Isolation Part 2 

I hope you enjoyed exploring London with me and reminiscing about some of my favorite shows.  If reading one of my entries aroused your interest in an unfamiliar show, or if it rekindled your desire to watch an old favorite, most are available on DVD.  

Dragon Dave

Rambling Around London

Weekend Extra

I've decided to rework my Pages section, that standalone area of blog posts that you can access at any time.  I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with it yet, but I'm taking down my old "Travel" page.  Most of the entries are related to my liking for British TV shows and movies. If anything strikes your fancy in the list below, you can click the link and read about.  

Come, explore London with me...

A Journey into English Fiction Part 1

A Journey into English Fiction Part 2
Where Church and State are One: Part 1 
Where Church and State are One: Part 2
Where Church and State are One: Part 3 
The Power of Big Ben 
Turned Away from the Palace of Westminster 
Richard the Lionheart: Carpark Attendant 
Richard the Lionheart in “The Crusade” 
Westminster Bridge in Color, and in Black and White 
Monty Python on Westminster Bridge 
Keeping an Eye on the River Thames 
The Purple Cow of London 
Walking Whitehall
The Sausage That Brings Isolation Part 1 
The Sausage That Brings Isolation Part 2 
The English-Indian Love Affair 
In Search of Greatness 
The Great Anachronism 
Lions and Daleks and Wizards, oh my!
Audrey, Richard, and the Unknown Constable
Dining Out if for the Bird (and the People) 
Faith, Religion, and the English People 
A Ramble, a Triumph, and a Risky Sacrifice 
A Surprising Discovery 
A History of Conflict 
Welcomed into the Palace of Westminster 
My Uncle, Hercule Poirot
A New Guru
Hercule Poirot Meets the Romans
As Time Goes By in Holland Park: Part 1

As Time Goes By in Holland Park: Part 2

As Time Goes By in Holland Park: Part 3

Whew!  That was a lot of traveling, wasn't it?  I hope you enjoyed your tour of London, and that it inspires you to do some adventuring of your own.   

Dragon Dave

The World's Longest-Running Car Event

In "A Reason to Time-Travel?" I introduced you to the Old Steine Gardens, and shared photographs of the Victoria Fountain.  On a return visit to the park, we noticed these strange contraptions roll past us.

We followed their progress, and along the beach, just past the Brighton Sea Life Aquarium, we saw the vehicles line up at the finish line.

According to the signs, we were witnessing the Royal Auto Club's 2013 London To Brighton Veteran Car Run.  

The event celebrates "The Emancipation Run," which took place in 1896 to celebrate the raising of speed limits on English roads from a brisk 4 miles per hour, to a staggering 14 mph.  Aside from a few breaks, the event has been run every year since, and qualifies as the world's longest-running car event.  

In keeping with the spirit of the event, no cars made after 1905 are allowed, and speeds are limited to a breathtaking 20 mph.  Given the cold temperatures, and the way they hurtled down the A23, it's no wonder drivers and passengers alike dressed up in their warmest finery.

We chatted with a man who made the the 54 mile journey in his 1902 Delahaye in 3.5 hours.  Some entrants took over 7 hours to complete the trip, he said, and if they took too long, they didn't receive a medal.

No wonder some of them got a little steamed up.

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries
A Reason to Time-Travel?

Related Internet Links
RAC Entry List featuring Entrant 118: 1902 Delahaye (middle, 2nd row)
Larger photos of the 1902 Delahaye from the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

A Reason to Time-Travel?

As I mentioned in "Eating Out in Brighton," one day we got hungry during our explorations.  But somehow, no restaurants appealed.  So we stopped in at a Morrison's, purchased a Cornish Pasty, a Sausage Roll, a bag of Quavers, and two drinks, and then set off for this nearby park.

The Old Steine Gardens lie near the Royal Pavilions, the cultural hub of the city.  According to Wikipedia, the Victoria Fountain was built in 1846, to honor Queen Victoria's ascension to the British throne, and the surrounding park came together after that.  We enjoyed sitting on our bench, and admiring the fountain, while we ate our lunch.  

Of course, it would have looked more impressive, had it actually been running during our visit, but…oh, never mind.  Like I said, we enjoyed our visit.  And we weren't the only ones who were glad we ate our lunch there.

Apparently, the opening of the Victoria Fountain proved a real community celebration, as you can see from this framed print in our hotel.

Strangely, the legend below the print read "Opening of Victoria Fountain 1845."

I find this discrepancy sufficient reason to hop into my TARDIS, and travel back in time to discover exactly how and when the fountain and park came together.  Of course, I suppose I could pop down to the library and check out a few books on the history of Brighton.  Research or time-travel: what a quandary.  Wish me luck, whatever adventure I undertake!

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries
Eating Out in Brighton

History Where You Least Expect It

Often, we're unaware of meaningful aspects of history that hide in plain sight.  But then, we tend to overlook things we don't immediately recognize as important, such as this baptismal font in St. Laurence Church in Falmer, England.  Let's face it: after my visit last year to St. Mary's Church in Thirsk, it's doubtful any baptismal font can ever impress me again!

Nevertheless, this booklet, which the church provided for a small donation, no doubt represents a fair amount of research into the history of this little church.  The Domesday Book, a survey of England and Wales completed in 1086, mentions the church in Falmer.  I'm not sure how much the building was worth back then, but by the year 1334, the village church was valued at the incredible sum of one pound!  Still, nothing lasts forever, not even buildings worth a single English pound coin, so in 1815 the building was taken down, and work started on the old foundation.  Lord Pelham, the present Earl of Chichester, laid the foundation stone for the new building in May of that year.

And why is Lord Pelham important, you ask?  Well, he's just one of many in a long family line.  One of his predecessors fought in the Battle of Poitiers in 1356.  This was one of three important English victories during the Hundred Years War, and resulted in the capture of John II of France.  In recognition of his service, Sir John Pelham was given the buckle of the king's sword belt.  

So what about the baptismal font, you ask?  Well, many places in the English county of Sussex proudly display the symbol of the buckle, in recognition of how the Earls of Chichester have overseen their lands, homes, and communities throughout history.  They remind us that as God oversees the spiritual realm, we must care for each other.  

So the carving on this baptismal font is not mere decoration, but a ring of Pelham Buckles that recognized the Earl's ongoing protection and support to the village of Falmer throughout the centuries.  It surrounds the bowl in which a child is baptized to initiate its spiritual life, and holds the water which is sprinkled upon the congregation at special services throughout the worshipper's life.  It represents the interlinked nature of life: the merger of the sacred and the secular, the spiritual and the physical, religion and politics, and yes, even history and the present.

And there you have it, history where you least expect it.  I'm grateful to the Reverend Canon Andrew N. Robinson, who wrote this little booklet. For the stories he shares highlight important aspects of history, and remind me of a pleasant worship service, in a quiet English village, on a fun little adventure during my stay in Brighton.  

Dragon Dave

Related Dragon Cache entries
"Let Me Show You This!"

Related Internet Link

More on the history of St. Laurence Church