Peter Benchley & Beauty in the Deep

There's a lot to see and do in Hawaii, and much of it happens at the beach. If you're like my wife and I, that means that some of the best moments occur beneath the waves. We used to buy disposable cameras, but that meant getting film processed, which added to the total cost. After a few years, stores on the islands stopped developing film with less than a one-week turnaround. So we brought the cameras home, and had the film developed locally.

Eventually, the cost and bother got a little much, so we stopped buying these disposable cameras. This allowed us to spend more of our time looking around under water, as opposed to worrying about catching a fish just right. But it did mean that what we brought home from our snorkeling trips were only memories, which we couldn't show to friends.

This year, we opted to spend our Christmas in Hawaii. As a present to ourselves, we purchased an inexpensive digital camera. It was about 7-8 times more expensive than one of those old disposables, but we'll save on the cost and hassle with developing. On this trip, we probably took more than the equivalent of those 7-8 disposables. After the time not using a camera, it added a new dimension to our snorkeling.

One thing that's stuck with me from Peter Benchley's novel The Deep was that sharks were not necessarily voracious killers. (This aspect doesn't translate to the film version). At one point in the book, an inexperienced diver sees a shark approach, and immediately shoots it. Later, the dive leader berates the man, pointing out that he had been the attacker, not the shark. That shark would now swim off and die, because he had not bothered to assess the shark's level of interest in him before firing his harpoon gun.

If you've read The Deep, you know the villains of this story are distinctly human in nature.

I may have some of the particulars of that scene wrong, but it's my strongest memory from the novel. The film version of his first novel Jaws made everyone petrified of going to the beach, or into the water. In The Deep, Benchley seemed to be saying: okay, I told a story about one shark terrorizing a little town. That doesn't mean all sharks prey on swimmers. 

Still, I'm not planning on swimming with sharks anytime soon.

Whether we're talking sharks, fish, eels, or anything else you find underwater, the general rule of not touching anything remains the safest advice. Still, most of the sea life you find underwater are unlikely to attack you. The sea life we typically encounter belong to three groups: 1) They try to keep their distance from you; 2) They approach to study you; or 3) They flat out ignore you. 

Whatever category they belong to, this year I often wished they'd stay still for a moment. You know, so I could snag the perfect photo. And then there's the question of the lighting, which is always changing with the movement of the water.

By far the coolest fish I saw this year was this flatfish. As it had both eyes on top, my wife and I think it's a flounder. It had such an interesting movement, like a piece of parchment flowing through the dense water. When it saw me, it altered his direction away from me. Then it tried to hide from me.

Can you see it, blending in with the surface of the rock? It had such interesting body markings. Some fish have a dark mottled body, as if they're wearing a military camouflage suit. This one, when it blended in with the rock, was absolutely stunning.

But then, that's why we snorkel. To see everything that's going on in Hawaii. Even if much of it occurs beneath the waves.

Dragon Dave

Baroness Emma Orczy: Walking With A True Woman

In the early chapters of Baroness Emma Orczy's 1911 novel A True Woman, Louise Harris and her fiancé Luke de Mountford take a walk through Battersea Park in the Chelsea district of London, England. I can't remember if they actually walk across it, but Orczy mentions nearby Albert Bridge. And why not? It's beautiful! Just be careful if you walk across in a large group. You'll see signs posted reminding your party to break step every now and then. Otherwise, the bridge might collapse, and dump you into the river Thames!

As they stroll through Battersea Park, Luke mentions to Louise that a newfound relative is visiting London. Apparently one of his uncles had a son, and he's visiting London for the first time. The man doesn't seem to want anything more than to connect with his family. But Louise is aghast that Luke hasn't mentioned this man before. If his claims are true, the newcomer will replace Luke as the inheritor of the family fortune.

I can imagine Luke and Louise walking through the placid, tree-lined walkways of Battersea Park. Surrounded by such tranquility, Louise would have contemplated how the possibility that Luke might not inherit his surviving uncle's money would change their future plans. Up until now, Luke has devoted his life to being his uncle's right-hand man, managing all the family's investments and finances. He has no inheritance of his own, no income to fall back on. In this age of gentility, Luke would fall far below Louise's position in society. From society's standpoint, he would have nothing to offer her.

Sadly for Luke and Louise, this is exactly what happens.

Despite scientists' declarations that the fog that used to choke London's streets in a thing of the past, fog as thick as pea soup flows into London a few months later. It swarms around famous landmarks like Picadilly Square, and dampens the enthusiasm of crowds waiting to see the latest plays in the theatre district. Luke, now dispossessed, drives Louise and her father to an embassy party in her father's car. As he's no longer invited to such high society functions, he boards a city bus. After watching from afar for far too long, he has decided to confront his usurper in the man's club. He may no longer control the family finances, but he must convince the man to send their ailing uncle off to Spain for his health.

A few hours later, the usurper is found stabbed through the throat in a horse drawn cab. The cab driver cannot attest to the identity of the person who boarded the cab with the usurper, so thick with the fog. The next morning, Luke's walking stick is found in nearby Green Park. Secreted inside the walking stick is a stiletto knife. The blade has blood on it.

My wife and I walked past Green Park after visiting the Prime Minister's residence back in 2011. I remember a nice flat green expanse of lawn. But it was the evening, and we were hungry, so we didn't have time to explore it. If we had, I suppose we might have found someone's walking stick, and become an integral part of a murder investigation!

Luke is put on trial for his cousin's murder. Despite months of public pressure, Louise has refused to break her engagement to Luke because he lost his fortune. As she loves him, and believes in him, she attends the inquest. During a break in proceedings, they join with the fashionable set by walking the Ladies Mile in Hyde Park.

My wife and I explored Hyde Park in 2013. We saw the Rotten Row, where people rode their horses. E. F. Benson mentions the Rotten Row in several of his novels, such as Dodo, A Detail of a Day and Scarlet And Hyssop. While the Rotten Row stretches across the south area of Hyde Park, the Ladies Mile ran along the North. We had a great time exploring this historic park, along with our fellow walkers, cyclists, and horseback riders.

Thankfully, I wasn't suspected of murder at the time. This made it easier for my wife and I, as we didn't have to ignore everyone around us gossiping about the mountain of evidence against me. But then, my wife is a true woman. Had I been under suspicion, my wife would have stuck by me, just like Louise did with her beloved Luke.

Dragon Dave

Farewell Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

In the TV series "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman," Michaela Quinn travels from cosmopolitan Boston in 1867 to live in the rustic, limited surroundings of Colorado Springs. The residents are filled with prejudices, based on race, cultural heritage, and religious beliefs. But the first and biggest hurdle she must overcome is their reluctance to be treated by a female physician. Once she helps them overcome their preconceived notions of what a doctor can and should be, she urges them to take another look at all their other prejudices. 

In April last year, my wife and I visited Paramount Ranch in southern California, where the series was filmed. We set our chairs up in "Grace's Kitchen," the outdoor restaurant where a former slave fed her primarily Caucasian customers. We spent a quiet hour or two sketching, then took a wander around the town.

We found the set surprisingly small, considering the crew filmed 149 episodes here over six heartwarming seasons, plus two TV movies. We also noticed the buildings had been changed from the 1990s, when "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" was shot. This was because the buildings were just props, and Paramount allowed other production companies to make movies and TV shows there. The "town" not only held the history of its prior productions, but continued to serve the public by becoming part of new and exciting stories.

We walked across a small footbridge, and set up our chairs in a flat area where Ingrid and her fellow European refugees set up their camp outside town. While we enjoyed our lunch, a family held a children's party in a nearby pavilion. At one point, several adults arrived with horses, and whisked the children off into the surrounding hills for an exciting Western adventure. 

We always planned to return there, but life and circumstances got in the way. Last week, a wildfire rolled through the town, destroying this rich piece of Hollywood history. Thankfully, set a little outside town, the church in which the Reverend fought to allow Grace and Robert E. to marry, and worship therein, still stands. 

Was Someone watching over the humble center of worship, and sheltering it from the flames that ravaged the general store, barbershop, and saloon, as well as Dr. Quinn's surgery? One thing I know for certain. A part of California's cultural history was wiped out, and can never be replaced. 

Dragon Dave

Roger Zelazny in Loddon

You won't find the village of Loddon in most guidebooks. This seems a shame, as it offers a delightful glimpse into English country life. A wooden butcher sign advertises cuts of meat at a grassy intersection. Homes sport unique architectural features and colorful gardens. The locals play lawn bowling every afternoon.

Boats tour the inland waterways, and their occupants disembark to walk the town, and see its treasures. Why not? Loddon won a prestigious Village of the Year award for its region. Mariners like the village so much they tie up their ships in the harbor, or moor along the riverbank, so they can visit the pubs in the evening.

As the daylight waned one evening during our stay, the church bells called to me. So I left our room in the pub, and walked along the cobbled streets. I wandered among the gravestones, while the bells signaled the coming of darkness.

Like the village, Science Fiction and Fantasy author Roger Zelazny won many prestigious awards for his stories. Although best known for his Amber series, October is a good time to read his book A Night in the Lonesome October. Each day of the month gets a chapter, and the novel contains whimsical illustrations by Gahan Wilson. Together, they tell the story of a group of strangers who have taken residence outside a quiet English village.

Who are these strangers, and what are they up to? There's a man named Jack, who keeps a number of spirits captive in his house. There's a woman named Jill, who takes to the air in the evening. There's a Count who speaks with an East European accent, and someone known as the Good Doctor, who conducts experiments involving lighting and a shrouded figure. Observing all this is the Great Detective, who smokes a pipe, and seems adept at disguise.

We view this village and its environs through Jack's dog Snuff. He regularly chats with Greymalk, Jill's cat. He's on sociable terms with other animals who have accompanied these strangers to the village, such as a rat, a bat, and a snake. He helps Jack prevent his trapped spirits from escaping, and protects the house from outside threat, such as a crossbow-wielding vicar. When he has a moment to himself, Snuff often walks between the houses in which the strangers reside, and draws lines of power between them in his mind. It seems as though a game is afoot, but what that game is exactly, well...you'll have to read the novel to discover.

Unlike Jack and the other newcomers to the village, I didn't dig up any graves that evening in Loddon. But I did take time to enjoy the music of the bell ringers, and do a little sketching before the light ebbed away. Some may sense spirits there. Some may associate danger with the graveyard. For myself, I enjoyed the restful spirit of a peaceful English village, and the sense of history and community that the churchyard represented.

Roger Zelazny may never have visited Loddon, but you can discover its quiet wonders. Once you visit there, you can always return in your mind. Like Snuff, you can draw the lines of power between the river harbor and the lawn bowlers' green, revisit the charity shops, or walk the cobbled streets. The bells can call to you again. Their siren-like song will call to you, and draw you toward the church yard: a place of serenity and power.

Dragon Dave

Baroness Emma Orczy on Our Love for Chocolate

Right now I'm reading the novel Petticoat Government by Baroness Emma Orczy. It illustrates how the French aristocracy traded favors to wield important government positions. One theme of the novel suggests that Orczy wished her English readers to understand the level of government corruption that led to the French Revolution.

A chief figure in the novel is Madame de Pompadour. Although of humble origins, she rose to prominence as a favored mistress of King Louis XV. She used her influence to go on such an elaborate spending spree that the parliament instituted a Ministry of Finance. As the court traded on favors back then, the young husband of the Prime Minister's daughter was appointed the French Finance Minister.

While he initially viewed himself as unqualified for such an exalted position, the young husband finds that wielding the most powerful government position in France agrees with him. He welcomes groups of petitioners to his bedchamber in the Palace of Versailles, and entertains their ideas and suggestions from his throne-like bed. Orczy sees the women as largely wielding the real power in French society back then. So while the husband listens to their plans and pleas, it is his wife, the Prime Minister's daughter, who actually decides how to spend, or check, the government's income.

On one occasion, the secretary to the Finance Minister tells a supplicant that he holds no qualifications for entry. But when the young man tells the secretary that he's engaged to his daughter's friend, he is granted immediate access to the exalted chamber.

On this same August 13, 1746, he succeeded in being present at the petit lever of M. le Controleur-General des Finances. Once within the secret precincts of the bedchamber he, like so many other petitioners and courtiers, was duly confronted by the stony stare of M. Achielle, and found himself face to face with an enormous bedstead of delicately painted satinwood and ormolu mounts, draped with heavy azure silk curtains which hung down from a gilded baldachin, the whole a masterpiece of the furniture-maker's art.
Baroness Emma Orczy, Petticoat Government, 1910.

Another theme of the novel is the French aristocracy's love of chocolate. People in important government positions have access to chocolate, which is then not sold in bars, or an ingredient for desserts, but seen as the rich man's drink. Favors are traded, and access granted, because of people close to the servants who bring and mix the hot cocoa. Earlier in the novel, the Finance Minister's secretary wins his position because his daughter brings hot chocolate to a highly-placed official each morning. Of course, the young Finance Minister finds that his new schedule of drinking a cup of hot chocolate each morning agrees with him. 

When the young supplicant, who is engaged to the friend of the secretary's daughter, enters the Finance Minister's bedchamber, these are his first impressions:

The scent of chocolate filled his nostrils, and he vaguely saw a good-looking man reclining under a coverlet of magnificent Venetian lace, and listening placidly to what was obviously a very amusing tale related to him from well-roughed lips. From the billowy satins and laces of the couch a delicate hand was waved toward him as he attempted to pay his respects to the most powerful man in France...

Earlier this month, I enjoyed discovering the rich history of chocolate in Britain, which was celebrated in Norwich Cathedral by converting a large brass mixing bowl from a chocolate factory into a baptismal font. Now, through British-Hungarian author Baroness Emma Orczy, I'm learning that chocolate played a role in bringing down the government of France in the 18th Century. Oh, for the love of chocolate!

Dragon Dave

For the Love of Chocolate

I was watching the movie "Chocolat" recently, about a woman who reinvigorates a little French village by opening a Chocolate shop. In the "making of" featurette, I learned that the first chocolate bar was produced in the mid 1800s. Before that, chocolate was mainly used as a drink.

I normally associate chocolate with Switzerland. So it came as a surprise to learn that England produced the world's first chocolate bar. We always visit candy shops when we visit England, and you can find lots of varieties of candies and chocolates that are not available in the United States. But to hold the title of world's first chocolate bar producer, well, I think you'll agree that's something special.

Chocolate may not own the title of many Hollywood films, but it often plays an important role in literature. American author Joanne Fluke's first novel appeared in 1980, but twenty years later, her novel The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder proved so popular she's written a staggering twenty-five sequels. Children's author Roald Dahl may have written James and the Giant Peach first, but his followup Charlie and the Chocolate Factory became his best known novel, and produced his only sequel. 

Then there's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, whom Agatha Christie introduced to the world in her first published novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Poirot indulged in fine chocolates on occasion (particularly at Christmas), and also enjoyed drinking cocoa. Chocolate figures prominently in a few Poirot stories, including "The Chocolate Box." So it seems fitting that, when Clive Exton adapted Agatha Christie's first Poirot novel, he had Captain Hastings bump into the distinguished gentleman when he is purchasing cocoa for his evening drink.

On last year's trip to England, we visited Norwich Cathedral. Over 900 years of history have brought many changes to the city's center of worship. One recent addition is a brass baptismal font. The large brass bowl was once a mixing bowl used in the making of chocolate, until the local factory closed down. It now fortifies worshipper's spiritual lives, and reminds locals of Rowntree Macintosh, a center for employment there until 1994. The chocolate producer, in its storied career, created confections such as Rolo and Kitkat that people all over the world still enjoy. 

So the next time someone tells you chocolate isn't good for you, remind them that chocolate has brought happiness, success, and spiritual fulfillment to the world. Just be careful about eating any chocolates that come through the post, or are delivered by people you don't trust. You never know: they could be poisoned!

Dragon Dave

IDW's San Diego Comic Art Gallery

San Diego comics publisher IDW wants you to know about them and what they do. So they've opened a free museum, called the San Diego Comic Art Gallery, where you can be informed and entertained. 

In addition to statues of their popular characters, they've also got vintage arcade games you can play. Decades ago, I'd line up my quarters on favorites like Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga, and leave the arcade with a full heart but an empty wallet. At the San Diego Comic Art Gallery, I can pit my wits against ghosts and spaceships, devour all the fruit I want, and it won't cost me a penny!

On a recent visit, I enjoyed a focus on Sh*t My President Says, a book devoted to the twitter account of Donald Trump. It provides a glimpse into artist Shannon Wheeler's creative process. As you can see, he starts with a range of possible expressions, before progressing to the U.S. President's posture and background. Before long, he has a complete drawing, bringing The Donald's latest tweet to life.

"Join me at 4 PM over at the Lincoln Memorial with my family."
--dated 1/19/17

Here's a finished example of his work. The drawing accompanies a tweet, or quote, in which Mr. Trump invited his followers to join him at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., after he had been sworn in as President.

In addition to displays on their most popular franchises, there is always art on display, such as this sketch from a Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover. 

Perhaps the best reason to visit the museum is to give you a glimpse of an artist's mind. Take for example Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the famous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As this recreation of his home studio suggests, the creative mind is not necessarily an uncluttered one. If artists draw on their surroundings for inspiration, Kevin Eastman certainly has plenty of influences to draw upon.

So the next time your parent, spouse, or significant other tells you to clean your room, tell him or her that you're just being creative. Yes, you really need everything in your room to inspire you to greatness! 

Dragon Dave

Links To Follow for greatness!
San Diego Comic Art Gallery

Chuck Dixon: A Precursor to 9/11

Chuck Dixon's "Airboy" series for Eclipse Comics remained controversial through its fifty numbered issues, and in over a dozen specials. Like the 1940s series, it mixed contemporary action with a rich texture of fantasy, and remained popular until the end. Unlike the original, it never belittled people of other nations, races, or cultures. Instead, it showed us the way forward. While the original Airboy might have been manipulated into selling arms to bloodthirsty dictators, he chose to have his son raised by Hirota, a former Japanese fighter pilot, who acts as the boy's teacher, mentor, and friend. 

In Chuck Dixon's hands, the series discussed contemporary events many Americans might not have been aware of. For example, in one four issue story, published in 1988, Airboy travels to Afghanistan, and helps the locals in their fight against the Soviets. He befriends a younger boy-genius who, after graduating from a prestigious British university, returned to his country to organize Russian opposition. The young boy's efforts bear fruit, and he believes that Russia will eventually pull out of Afghanistan. Unfortunately, he fears his country will grow increasingly fundamentalist, and become a hotbed for terrorism.

"Do you realize that the leading anti-Soviet faction among the Mujahedeen plans to put to death all women who do not wear the veil?" the young revolutionary asks. "Is that the freedom I fought for?"

"With the Russians gone, we will have a slim chance at an honestly elected government. But a moderate one? I do not know. World opinion can place a lot of weight behind our cause. I hope to show the world that Afghanistan is not merely the place where Soviet ambition was humbled. It is also a country which needs to join the world community as an equal partner."

"I'll arrange a flight to the states for us," Airboy says, "but I've got a hunch you're gonna have a tough time convincing American politicians that human rights are more important than just having an anti-Communist government in charge."

Sadly, Airboy's cautious view of human nature triumphed over his younger contemporary's idealism. America and the world community forgot about Afghanistan, if indeed, many people here were ever aware of it. If Chuck Dixon had been President, things might have been different on September 11, 2001. They might be better today, all around the world. 

At least one thing is certain. If Chuck Dixon had served as President of the United States, more people would know about Airboy. As his stories talked about how we ought to live, and the role we ought to play in the world, that would be a good thing. Our airline industries might even be healthier, with Airboy's plane Birdie in the public consciousness. For, as the young Afghan revolutionary says, Birdie is "the darnedest plane in all the world!"

Dragon Dave

Andrew E Swenson and the Glories of Childhood

Lake Tahoe, California

In The Happy Hollisters by Andrew E. Svenson (writing under the pseudonym Jerry West), the Hollister family move to Shoreham, where Mr. Hollister runs a hardware and toy store. Embodying the entrepreneurial spirit, Mr. Hollister invents many of the items he sells. His bold and creative spirit rubs off on his children, as they help him run his store, make new friends, and solve any mystery they encounter.

Svenson started writing the Happy Hollister novels in the 1950s. My third grade teacher, an older woman, had read the books to her class for many years before I came along. Every day in class, I sat rapt at my wooden desk as she related the adventures of this large, loving family, and showed us the illustrations in the book. We no longer took naps at this age, but thankfully, the teacher still read to us. The memory of those story times shines brightly from that school year, and is one I will always cherish.

I cannot remember at what grade level my teachers stopped reading to me. Perhaps that class was the last year I enjoyed story time each day. I know I didn't get along with my fourth grade teacher. I remember her being hard and cold to me, and finding fault with everything I did. Perhaps she did not read great stories like the Hollister series to us, and resenting this loss, I acted badly in response.

I rescued some Happy Hollister books from my aunt's house after she died. They sat in my bookcase, waiting for me to read them, for too many years. How nice to discover that all 33 novels are still in print, and also available online. I enjoyed the family's first adventure, in which they moved to Shoreham, and discovered the villain who robbed their moving van, as an ebook on my kindle. Now it's time to delve into my bookcase, immerse myself in more of their adventures, savor the illustrations, and, oh yes, remember my third grade teacher. 

What a kind and loving woman she was.

Dragon Dave

For more on The Happy Hollisters, visit www.thehappyhollisters.com

The Guardians of Blythburgh

When tragedies strike, we wonder why. People ask: Why didn't God intervene? For Christians, there are no easy answers. Christian teaching suggests that each of us have a guardian angel, who looks after us in times of need. Yet where were God's guardian angels in 1577, when the legendary Black Shuck burst into Holy Trinity Church in Blythburgh, England, and killed a man and a boy?

These carved angels adorn the ceiling of Holy Trinity in Blythburgh. Even after centuries of existence there, their features can still be distinguished. The gentle restoration of the sanctuary preserves their beauty, without obscuring the way they have weathered the ages. So why didn't they prevent the death of two innocents on the day of the Black Shuck's attack, you ask?

Isn't a better question this: Why didn't the ghostly Black Shuck kill the entire congregation, instead of a man and a boy?

Either way, after the spectral beast's attack on Holy Trinity, the congregation took additional steps to ensure the Black Shuck would never terrorize them again. The local craftsmen created a Jack o' the Clock to protect their church. They set this additional guardian up in the church tower, where it could gaze out upon the surrounding land. 

If the Jack o' the Clock saw the Black Shuck, or any other danger approach, it could ring the church bell to alert the locals.

Still, the memory of an attack pervades a place. So these days, when worshippers kneel in prayer at Holy Trinity in Blythburgh, they not only look to the angels on the ceiling for protection, but to the Jack o' the Clock, who inhabits an alcove above the altar. He still rings his bell to call the faithful to worship.

 

Let's hope he never has to ring the bell for any other reason. 

Dragon Dave