Commodore Sloat & the Little Lost Bear

 

Twenty years ago, I accompanied my wife on a business trip to Monterey, California. While she was stuck in meetings that week, I explored the seaside town. Although we'd only have two days this time around, I looked forward to showing her the sights.

Our first stop was at the Presidio, where we found the military museum closed. We walked up a hill to check out an old monument.

 

 

In 1846, with the Unites States at war with Mexico, Commodore John Drake Sloat directed his fleet to Monterey. Despite a strong British naval presence, he secured California for the United States, and then briefly served as the territory's first military governor. Given the region's importance, California would become a state a mere three years later.

This monument, erected in 1910, commemorates Commodore Sloat's accomplishment.

 

As we made our way back to the car, my wife noticed a forlorn teddy lying in damp, freshly mowed grass. She picked him up, and cleaned him as best she could. Later that evening, she lavished more attention on him.

She posted photos of him on several Lost And Found websites. So far, no one's claimed their little lost bear. I wonder: does that mean he's found a new home?

Dragon Dave

Don Quixote and Pea Soup

 

I remember eating at Pea Soup Andersen's during my childhood. Given that my family lived in the Los Angeles area, we likely visited the original restaurant in Buellton, California. Every time I see a restaurant-like building with a windmill, I think of Pea Soup Andersen's.

Yes, there was also the Van de Kamp's coffee shop chain. I remember stopping at those a few times with my parents too. Those restaurants looked entirely different, and for whatever reason, I don't recall our visits there with any fondness.

 

The Pea Soup Andersen windmills rise like landmarks in my memory. Far from viewing them as enemies, like Don Quixote in Miguel de Cervantes' famous novel, I view them as old friends. If only I had specific memories of dining there.

All I recall is a fragment: my father telling me that we were just ordering the soup, nothing more. But then, I also remember my father telling me we were just ordering chili once when we went out to a Marie Callender's restaurant. So is my Pea Soup Andersen's fragment genuine, or an incident my mind pasted into the gap to enhance my recollections?

Recently, while returning from visiting a family member, we stopped for gas along an unfamiliar stretch of road in the northern California town of Santa Nella. 

And. There. It. Was. Pea Soup Andersen's!

It was morning, we'd already eaten breakfast, and we were on a schedule. Alas...

After my father left us, I have very definite memories of eating canned split pea soup. Usually it was Campbell's, but sometimes it was Andersen's. I guess the variety became something of a favorite for my mother and me. So, not often, but occasionally, I saw those famous windmills on a can in the family cupboard.

 

My mother also took me and my grandparents on a driving trip along the California coast after my father passed away. We could have stopped at the location in Santa Nella (or for that matter, the one in Buellton). I don't know if did, but for some irrational, inexplicable reason, I want to think we did.

Dragon Dave

Nervous Rex #1: Covers & Ordering Information

 

Nervous Rex #1 Cover A

If you haven't noticed yet, Previews is finally listing the first issue of Nervous Rex from It's Alive. Here's the description from the Previews website:

Rexford the T. Rex is back in print after 37 years! This was the first comics work from animator William Van Horn, who would go on to make a name for himself at Disney, drawing Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comics! 

Mild-mannered tyrannosaur Rexford doesn't really fit in with the Jurassic age, as he'd rather just eat oatmeal and hang out with his friends. His wife Dearie is always after him to be a more aggressive meat-eater and add to the fossil record. Also featuring a backup story starring the diminutive King Billy. Featuring a retro cover, along with an all-new variant cover by original creator William Van Horn and original colorist Barbara Marker!

In Shops: Sep 14, 2022

SRP: $5.99

 

Nervous Rex #1 Cover B

In case you need them, here's the Previews codes:

Cover A is JUL221688 and 

Cover B is JUL221689.

I suggest ordering these well ahead of publication date, not only so It's Alive can decide how many copies to print, but also because It's Alive is a small publisher, and your local retailer may not order copies for the store unless customers request them. I'm looking forward to reading this. I'm betting it's going to be lots of fun!

Dragon Dave

Sigmund Brouwer: Growing Up on Mars

 

In the first volume of Sigmund Brouwer's Mars Diaries series, an emergency interrupts Tyce's training. Tyce is a young paraplegic who exhibits unprecedented skill in controlling robots during computer simulations. Actually, he's the only young person living on Mars, as his mother is a scientist, and his father is a pilot on the Earth-to-Mars route.

His mentor Rawling has driven him hard to achieve this skill. The two hope to convert Tyce's skills during simulations into actual remote-control of robots on the surface of Mars, once the researchers can figure out how to grow plants outside their protective dome. Unfortunately, an unexplained oxygen link has curtailed unnecessary power usage. Unless the scientists in the dome can fix the problem, not being able to run computer simulations will be the least of Tyce and Rawling's problems.

In this fun, young adult novel, the scientists living on Mars are scrambling for ways to terraform Mars. They know that humans living on the surface of Mars is a long-term goal. The short-term goal--say in the next few decades--is to develop plants that can exist outside the protective dome. Should they be able to grow crops on this new world, who knows? They might even be able to grow food, and ship it back to feed Earth's starving billions.

In this first novel, they find themselves scrambling to fix the oxygen-generation problem. With his daily schedule interrupted, Tyce has a lot of time on his hands. As the oxygen-situation grows progressively worse, his mother must make a difficult choice for her own future. Along the way, Tyce will learn a devastating secret about his past, and confront his own views on faith and spirituality.

Although I didn't realize it when I began reading it, Mars Diaries Mission 1 was published by a Christian publishing house. Tyce's mother loves Jesus Christ, and her beliefs influence the significant choices she faces in this issue. But the story would work equally well, if his mother was Buddist, Hindu, or Muslim. For every person, at some point in their lives, must decide: Do I choose to believe in more than I can perceive and prove?

While I wish the novel dealt more with the reality of living outside their protective dome, I enjoyed this first installment in the Mars Diaries sequence. It employed simple (perhaps outdated) scientific terminology, and viewed at least one of the characters in rather simplistic terms. Also, I'm not sure how realistic most critics of the science fiction field would find it. 

That said, I love stories about Mars. If later novels in the series were to come my way, I would welcome more adventures with Tyce. Might his scientific community engineer plants that will grow unaided on the harsh, demanding surface of Mars? 

It's a dream worth dreaming.

Dragon Dave

Commemorating WWII in Haworth

 

While going through my photos, these memories of our 2012 visit to Haworth made me smile. The town had recently held a WWII celebration. This shop--our last stop--showed plenty of plucky British spirit.

I particularly like this important reminder of the need to conserve during those difficult times.

Women played an important role in all aspects of British life. While men not eligible to serve in the military joined the Home Guard, Haworth women joined the Home Guard Women Auxilieries.

 

Good news buoyed the spirits in those difficult times.

Good food--when the locals could get it--also helped. I don't remember eating an ice cream cone there, but apparently I did. Well, I had just taken a long walk through the nearby countryside.

I wonder what flavor I enjoyed. Rum Raisin, perhaps?

The Bronte connection led me to Haworth. I left with a unique kind of toffees I found nowhere else (on subsequent trips to England), a beautiful picture painted by a local, and some great memories.

Dragon Dave

P.S. Read about Haworth's Home Guard in the link below:

Haworth Home Guard

New Nervous Rex Cover Art

 

Back in the 1980s, San Diego publisher Blackthorne produced ten issues of Nervous Rex by Disney artist William Van Horn. Earlier this year, Drew Ford announced plans to publish a Nervous Rex collection through his company It's Alive. Along with that collection were three unpublished covers, which Drew asked local artist Barbara Marker to color.

Due to the way comics were made back then, Barbara used to work with dye-based markers. It was a complicated, multi-step process, and not comparable to the markers today's artists buy in your local art store and use to create artwork for sale.

 

Due to advances in the field, Barbara was able to utilize her first love of watercolor to color Van Horn's art this time around. 

I'm not exactly clear on whether these unpublished covers will be accompanied by unpublished issues, or if Drew will simply include the covers in his upcoming collection. When I learn more, I'll let you know.

Barbara Marker routinely shares her work with her followers on Facebook. She does book covers, trading cards, original art, and yes, the occasional new comic. If you'd like to check her out, or follow her, just search Barbara Marker Artist, and you can see more of what she does.

Dragon Dave

Neil Adams on Tarzan of the Apes

 

One of my early writing influences was Edgar Rice Burroughs. I was inordinately impressed by how many great stories he wrote. Whether they dealt with Mars, Venus, a land filled with dinosaurs at the Earth's core, or one of his stand-alone novels, his books always impressed me.

I thought: if I ever become a writer, I want to be like Edgar Rice Burroughs.

While I may have been aware of the older Tarzan movies, the only one that might have been on my radar was the one starring Bo Derek. Of course, I wouldn't be seeing that! So I think my only experience with Tarzan, up until High School, was Saturday Morning Cartoons.

After exhausting the bookstore and library's available Edgar Rice Burroughs Science Fiction and Fantasy titles, I decided to take a chance on this series. After all, Edgar Rice Burroughs had written them. And they sported some awesome covers.

Some of my High School friends belittled my reading choice, seeing the novels as kid stuff. But a few asked if they could borrow them after I finished reading them.

Three years ago, I happened upon artist Neil Adams's booth at Wondercon 2019.  I told him how much I enjoyed the cover art he supplied for this series. He kindly took the time to explain how he made them.

These classic scenes looked so lush to me I had assumed they were oil paintings. But (if I remember correctly), he said that he painted these on a piece of metal. This metal sheet was then used to print the image onto the covers.

Sadly, Neil Adams passed away last month. He left behind an army of fans who loved the comics he wrote and drew. As I wasn't into superhero comics in High School, this was my introduction to this giant of the comics field. Perhaps it also introduced my friends who borrowed these novels to his work.

These Tarzan novels are readily available (for free) online. The pages of my copies are yellowed. The print is small and the lines are spaced close together. Yet I find it hard to give them away.

Farewell, Neil. Thanks for all the great art.

Dragon Dave

Remembering A Friend

 

Raol in my High School Freshman Yearbook

Recently, my long-time friend Raol Kloss passed away. Even though we drifted apart during the last decade, his loss hit me hard. So I took some time to look back at all we had shared, and remember all he meant to me.

 

 

 

 

We met during our first year of High School. 1979 was an exciting year for young science fiction fans. The new Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was airing on TV, the long awaited 'Star Trek The Motion Picture' would arrive in December, and the second Star Wars movie--'The Empire Strikes Back'—would be released before the end of our Freshman year. Raol and I always found plenty to discuss, as magazines like Starlog were growing popular, and our friends gathered us into their Dungeons & Dragons fold. 

 

 

 

 

Throughout our four years of High School, we shared all we learned about the Sci-Fi movies, TV shows, and comics we loved. We loaned each other books and audio cassettes-- such as the Star Wars radio show—saw movies, and attended science fiction conventions together. As he lived much closer to the campus than I did, we often ended up at his house after school, to chat, read, or listen to TV or movie soundtracks.

 

 

From my Freshman High School Yearbook

 

I remember once, during our Freshman year, glancing over at him when class ended. His thoughts seemed far away. "You okay?" I asked. 

 

His eyes slowly focused on me. "Just reliving 'Star Trek The Motion Picture'" he told me.

 

That was my friend Raol.

 

Dragon Dave

The Bronte Sisters in Haworth

 

A sheep guards a moorland path into Haworth, England

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Jane Eyre. Wuthering Heights.

There's no question that the Bronte sisters--Anne, Charlotte, and Emily--were talented. Nor, sadly, is it questioned that they died far too young. As with fans of Jane Austen, Bronte fans can only wonder how many more literary classics the three would have penned had they lived longer.

 

Walking the streets of Haworth

 

An 1850 report by Benjamin Hershal Babbage reports a lack of adequate public privies, excrement in the streets for lack of sewers, and pigsty and slaughterhouse waste lingering for far too long. Drinking water mixed with decomposing matter in an overcrowded graveyard, as well as the other inadequately treated and stored waste matter. Add to that overcrowding, and its easy to see why Babbage reported that the average life expectancy in Haworth was 25.8 years.

Anne died just 29 years old, Emily at 30, and Charlotte, the most prolific of them all, at 38. All lived long lives, at least when compared with the town average. Perhaps the fact that they all spent years away from Haworth, for school or work, helped extend their lives.

 

Haworth's overcrowded graveyard

Had they lived three hundred years earlier, during England's Tudor period, the sisters would never have drank from the local water supply. The Tudors suffered no illusions as to the health of their drinking water. Thus, everyone made and drank only ale, which was sweetened with honey, as sugar had to be brought in from overseas, and was therefore expensive.

But then, Tudor life expectancy was only 35 years. 

Perhaps it's just as well I only drank Diet-Coke during my visit to Haworth ten years ago. It may have been a bit more expensive than tap water, as it's sweetened with rare and exotic sweeteners. Still, safety first, right?

Dragon Dave

Related Links

Babbage Report on Haworth

DCI Banks at Aysgarth

 

Unlike in James Herriot's day, one must now pay to park when visiting Aysgarth Falls. So a visit there must be carefully measured against the cost of parking, as well as the other stops on one's itinerary. My wife and I had quite a long list of places to visit on our drive through the Yorkshire Dales ten years ago, so it's not as if we would have spent the entire day there. 

Still, we might have spent a little more time, and felt more relaxed and at peace, if we hadn't needed to watch the clock.

Plus, we wanted to look around, and see a little of the surroundings too.

In the TV series D.C.I. Banks, based on the novels of Peter Robinson, Detective Alan Banks' investigation takes him to Aysgarth in the final two-part episode "Undertow." I had hoped that the production would feature Aysgarth Falls, and perhaps the village's beautiful church, which we had time to walk up and see, but didn't have time to actually go inside and explore.

Sadly, Banks and his team just investigate a suspect's house.

Aysgarth may seem like an insignificant village, with a population of less than two hundred. But the locals worship in a beautiful church, and can walk the banks of the falls and river at their leisure. Perhaps one day we could visit Aysgarth again, and see more of this shining gem set amid a landscape of astounding natural beauty.

Dragon Dave