American Iliad
Last night I went to Jim Ribby’s performance at the old Township Hall in Elk Rapids. If you were there, you know why I’m glad I went. If you missed it, here’s a little glimpse. For two hours, Jim took us back to the fields of wartime Ohio, the battlegrounds of Tennessee, the streets of Abraham Lincoln’s Washington D.C. The place was full of Civil War veterans–not just the ones that have been living with me this year, but the ghosts and descendants of all the others who came here when their war was over. I think if you look closely you can see them.
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The Mural
Donna Lane just sent me an email that jogged what remains of my memory. I never followed up on the story of the mural at Sonny’s. By now everyone in the Township who is here in March has been by to see the finished work, but there are those of you who are in Florida, or from Away, who have not seen it! So here it is:
You can go see a whole slide show at Dennis Orlowski’s website. You can also see a complete reprint of the article in the Elk Rapids News. You can, in short, see everything but a link to Torch Lake Views. But am I hurt? ‘Course not. Don’t be silly. I am vengeful. You will have to google to find the slideshow. Now on to the good part. The prizes! (Um, there was a contest involved. It’s been so long you’ve probably forgotten. Sorry.) The envelopes please, Miss Sadie.
- For the best-imagined scenario: Carsten!
- For the most thorough research: Isa!
- For the punniest response: Amy-Lynn!
- For the wildest flight of fancy: Fee! (who has no link because she is a sensible Scot who does not blog, saving her considerable store of wit for commenting)
You may claim your prize by sending me a Contact note with your address. I will ship it off right smartly. Since all the winners, without exception, are not just from Away but from Far, Far Away—and since the Cowboy made off with several excellent treats—the prizes will be light in weight but heavy with Torch Lake Significance.
For those of you from Here, aren’t you sorry you didn’t play? You might have won cinnamon rolls. Never mind, they’re all gone. (Not to worry. Chris will make more, and Sonny’s will be open every day beginning in two weeks.)
Torch Lake Views 
Fee
April 11, 2010
Ooh, Ooh, I won a prize!
*stumbles onto stage in mild disarray*
I’d just like to thank .. well .. everyone, in the whole world, ever. *sniff* You’re all wonderful, and I love you all to bits. *sniff*
*Exits, stage left, bowing*
Preston
April 11, 2010
Sounds like quite an event. Nothing like a good story teller.
I love Fee’s response. Congrats Fee.
Carsten
April 12, 2010
A prize for using my imgination – thats great 🙂
But then it wasn’t the facts? 😉
Thanks Gerry.
….It would be nice to have you on your own stage Fee. -I’d surely be on first row.
(at, on or in?)
Gerry
April 12, 2010
Facts, Carsten, are elusive things. You’re welcome.
I think Fee would be great on stage, too.
We would be at the theatre every time she appeared, and we would sit in the front row.
Carsten
April 12, 2010
Thanks for “in” Gerry. In danish it is “on” (or “på”). Prepositions are learnt early in life.
Danes say “up” of the water instead of “out of”. And “on” the bathroom instead of “in”.
If you remember this, then it will be easy for you to learn danish 😉
Gerry
April 12, 2010
I’ll complicate your life even more. In Michigan, people stand in line waiting to be admitted to a concert. In New York people stand on line. (I believe in Alaska they simply form a mob and knock the doors down, but that could be slander.)
I expect that at this stage of my life I am unlikely to really learn another language. I don’t have so much neural pathways as neural canyons, where everything gets lost. But Danish sounds familiar, as if it must be a language I do know. I think that comes of growing up in northern Wisconsin, where every third family had Scandinavian roots. My grandmother taught me to say what she claimed was “I’m a good little girl” in Swedish, but now that I think of it, my grandmother had a wicked sense of humor, and she might have misled me. It went something like “Snella nella flicka.” Can that be right?
Fee
April 12, 2010
I would dearly love to learn another language, but I fear my time has passed, too. My less-than-extensive lingual skills amount to just about managing to buy beer, wine, pizza and train tickets in three different countries. In two of them I can even ask for the bill (in France I’d have to wave notes around until they got the hint!).
Our European neighbours, generally speaking, put us to shame. I blame it on English being so widely (and well) spoken that we don’t need to try too hard to be understood.
Gerry
April 12, 2010
I learned Spanish fairly well in my salad days, but have managed to lose it all through 20 years of disuse. I learned French well enough to apologize in Quebec. It’s a long story. Now, of course, I’m learning a few words of Scottish here and there. I quite like “bahookie.”
Carsten
April 13, 2010
It might have been “Snälla lilla flicka” meaning “sweet/kind/good little girl”. I’d say it meant: (You are a) sweet little girl. She might have said and meant it to you and made you repeat.
I have cousins in U.S. and I find it interesting explaining similarities betweeen English and Danish. We have so many words in common. In the years 800..1200 the Vikings had great influence on the northern part of Europe, and the languages was probably ‘mixed well’ at that time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_Age
In the western part of Denmark, Jutland, the grammar is very close to English. Unfortunately the local dialects are dying out. Radio and tv kills them slowly.
flandrumhill
April 13, 2010
I’ve been busier than a one-armed-wallpaper-hanger lately, so am just reading about the awards now. Light or heavy, treats are always a… treat 🙂
The completed mural is wonderful.
Gerry
April 13, 2010
I’m glad you like it. I think Dennis captured a certain Torchness very well indeed. I may buy him a cinnamon roll next time he visits.
Light treats coming up!
isathreadsoflife
April 14, 2010
Magnifique, Merci Gerry 🙂 It is like Christmas at Easter, no wonder we have snow in April 😉 Research was fun, puzzling sometimes and certainly like being in a labyrinth, I really enjoyed your contest. The mural is so real, as if the little birds and squirrel would soon jump onto your table !