This and That: A Blog

 Cee's Fun Foto Challenge: Monochrome   I disagree with Paul Simon, everything doesn't look "... worse in black and white, " some things look so much better!  My brother, Bret, who we lost unexpectedly last year, and me.

 Yet again, more St. Vincent de Paul 1/2 price ephemera!   These two old joke cards are not postcards.  Both date from around 1915-1925. " Scotch " is now used to refer to the whiskey, but it used to refer to the people and things from Scotland . The note on the back, " I'm still butlering and being dignified as usual ," is probably a joke as well.  I did get postcards, quite a few since they were half-off.  Most were antique and only 38¢.    Here is one special birthday postcard.  1918 The bird lifts up for the birthday message.  I also got some unused WWII military humor postcards. These are five of them. Is it just me or does this fella look a lot like Bill Dauterive (Sgt. William Fontaine de la Tour Dauterive) from King of the Hill?   It's like they based his character's looks on this postcard!  At last, that's all for the 1/2 collectibles sale. 

Some very random things today. A sign someone left on one of the park's dog run gates.   It's true, a dog with a muzzle isn't necessarily "bad" or a biter.   These bathing babies were seen in the Goodwill Outlet (the Bins)!  I'll guess they are educational dolls of some sort, probably expensive when new.   The pomegranate is flowering. I've never gotten them to form fruit.   Funny pet toys at the Dollar Tree.  Cats get knock-off names, the dogs get brand names! Speaking of cats... Baby Cat shows a sign of intelligence when she's hot!  She's not the brightest cat we've had.  She will walk across the dog when he's sleeping on the sofa.  Naturally he jumps up snapping, which I don't correct.  After all, if we had something jump on us with sharp nails when we were sleeping, we'd react that way too!  Plus, he's not really awake at the time, and calms right down when he is. School is starting up in a few weeks, so the ...

Sunday Stamps: Mountains Switzerland 1983  Zermatt mountains (the most famous is the Matterhorn) and Schwarzsee lake. The nude is a depiction of the Virgo zodiac sign.  Why?  There was a multi-year series, " Zodiac Signs and Landscapes ," pairing the 12 zodiac signs with views of Swiss geography.  Odd pairing if you ask me. Norway 1968 100th anniversary of the Norwegian Mountain Touring Association USA 1972  Mount McKinley, Alaska, celebrating the National Parks Centennial The mountain was known as Denali by the  Koyukon Athabaskan people  for centuries before a 1800s gold prospector named it Mount McKinley after the then-presidential candidate.  Alaska continued to call it Denali, and in 2015 President Obama restored the name Denali on all federal documents. In 2025 President Trump signed an executive order reversing that, restoring the name Mount McKinley.  Alaska continues to call it Denali.  I expect it to be federally Denali again b...

  Skywatch Friday   Click above to see skies from around the world and link your own sky!  My son took this sky shot while on a solo country drive. I'm particularly pleased with it as he actually pulled over to take it for me!  Have a nice weekend.  Mine will be hot, but not as hot as yesterday or Wednesday, which were both 104°.  

 Thursday Postcard Hunt has the theme of Travelling this month.  First up is Trains.  1960s Pikes Peak Cog Railway train.  A cog railway, or rack railway , is a type that is used for steep grades, where conventional tracks wouldn't work.  They have toothed rails with cog wheels or pinions that allow this.  The most common train tracks operate at 10% or so, while cog rails can be 45% or more. I don't think I'd be comfortable on a train like that!  Prior to 1890 materials used Pike's Peak, however in 1890 the newly established U.S. Board on Geographic Names dropped the apostrophe.  This same board, in 2025, unanimously decided to deny the request to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.   1930-1945 view of the Cog Railway. Speaking of "peaks," illustrated travel postcards, like this is one from France, were at their peak in the Edwardian era.  c.1900-1915 California State Railroad Museum , Sacramento, CA My youngest chil...