Jim Thorpe Memorial

During our adventures in Pennsylvania in the last week of September, we ran across a memorial to Jim Thorpe.



Part of the Jim Thorpe Memorial.



Jim Thorpe (1887-1953) was an American athlete who achieved fame in the 1912 Olympics, where he received gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon. He also played football (collegiate and professional), and professional baseball and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles because later it was learned that he had been paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics. This violated rules in place then.

In 1983, 30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his Olympic medals.

Hubby reading the memorial information.

Interestingly, Thorpe grew up in Oklahoma. He was a member of the Sac and Fox Nation and thus of Native American heritage. He was the first Native American to medal in the Olympics.

He was also the first president of what eventually would become the National Football League.

Jim Thorpe with a football.

An ABC Sports poll called Thorpe the greatest American athlete ever, beating out others like Ali and Michael Jackson.

Thorpe died in California. He never lived in Pennsylvania. He ended up buried in Pennsylvania allegedly because his third wife "stole" his body as it lay in state. Apparently, she heard that the small Pennsylvania towns of Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk  (now called Jim Thorpe) were seeking to attract business. She made a deal with officials which, according to Thorpe's son Jack, was done for monetary considerations. Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk bought Thorpe's remains, erected a monument to him, merged, and renamed the newly united town in his honor, even though Thorpe had never been there.

The monument site contains his tomb, two statues of him in athletic poses, and historical markers describing his life story.

Thorpe's burial monument.

Thorpe's son, Jack, in 2010 attempted to have his father's remains relocated to Oklahoma, but in 2014 a U.S. Appeals Court ultimately ruled that the remains should stay where they are, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear another appeal, which ended the matter.

Facts about Jim Thorpe.

Jim Thorpe with a discus.

 

Thorpe's memorial.

 

Hubby reading more information.

 

Full picture of one of Thorpe's statues.
 

Belching on a Federal Holiday

A little weather "inversion" showing off the smoke from the local industry at 7:35 a.m. this morning.

(It's 7:59 a.m. now and the smoke is still rolling out of the stacks.)

Sunday Stealing: Wish List, Part 1

Sunday Stealing
Wish List Meme, part one

1.) What are 3 things on your wish list and why?

A. I don't really have a wish list, but I think I would like (a) for someone to come in and take care of my clutter and redo my house - with me away somewhere knowing things I think I treasure (but probably really don't) are being thrown out while new things are being brought in (like one of those house-remodeling TV shows); (b) for my husband to be able to retire, because he is 57 years old and all the things he does are physical and dangerous (firefighting, farming, construction), and (c) to lose weight, because I would probably feel better.
 
2.) Do you miss your childhood?

A. Hell no.

3.) What do you do on your spare time on the weekends?

A. I change the bed linens, give the house a clean-over as best I can with my current health issues, and then play video games, read, play the guitar, and have dinner with my husband.

4.) What do you appreciate most in your life?

A. My husband.

5.) Would you rather be rich or healthy?

A. Healthy. If you're healthy you can work on being rich, but if you're rich and sick, all you have are good doctors who aren't going to do much for you anyway.

6.) If you could go back in time would you and why?

A. I would like to go back in time to look around, so long as it didn't affect the future. I would like to see how the pyramids were built, for example, and how Stonehenge was actually constructed and what it was used for.

7.) Favorite game as a child?

A. I don't recall having one, really, but the first thing that came to mind was Candyland, so I will go with that one.

8.) What is your dream career?

A. At this point, I honestly don't have one. I still like to write and hopefully one day will get a book written, but I no longer see that as a career option. The Internet has changed the path I was on so much that it is unrecognizable to me as the one I wanted when I was younger.

9.) What do you do in your free time?

A. Isn't that the same as question #3? The answer is the same.

10.) Favorite clothing stores?

A. Belk and JC Penny.

11.) What TV shows can't you live without?

A. I don't watch much TV and could live without it. I currently like Big Bang Theory, Masters of Sex, and Game of Thrones. I am waiting to see the second season of Supergirl. I also watch Survivor but I don't know why.

12.) Three things you need in your life are:

A. My husband, sleep, and mental stimulation.
 
13.) What can't you sleep without?

A. I sleep on a wedge because I cannot lie flat because of abdominal adhesions.

14.) Who do you have a celebrity crush on?

A. No one, really. But I'll go with Viggo Mortenson and Orlando Bloom, because, Lord of the Rings.

15.) What is your favorite season and why?

A. I like Spring. I used to like Autumn, and I still do, but as I've grown older I have come to appreciate the new life that Spring brings.

16.) What is your favorite wild animal?

A. I like bears.

17.) Name three of your favorite childhood shows:

A. H. R. Pufnstuff, The Land of the Lost, and Isis.

18.) If you could live as a character in a movie who would it be?

A. I would be Arwen in Lord of the Rings. She's an elf with powers and she marries Aragorn.

19.) Favorite vegetables?

A. Green beans and carrots.

20.) Favorite fruit?

A. Concord grapes. Grapes are a fruit, aren't they?

21.) If you had a dragon what would you name it?

A. Drachen.

22.) What do you put on hotdogs?

A. Usually only ketchup and pickle relish. Sometimes I go wild and add a little mustard.

23.) Do you play online games?

A. I only play single-player games, but they are online. I do not play multi-player games.

24.) What is your favorite way to get inspired?

A. Listen to music and/or take a walk in the woods.

25.) Do you have a middle name?

A. Yes. Apparently it is Trouble, because that is what everyone in the county seat would say when they saw me entering a room. "Here comes trouble." That was when I was writing for the newspaper.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: My Life

Saturday 9: My Life Would Suck Without You (2009) 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.  (New song for me. But then, I don't listen to Kelly Clarkson much.)

1) This video begins with Ms. Clarkson on a swing. When you were young, did you prefer the swings or the slide?

A. Neither. I was not particularly interested in outdoor activities. I read. I do remember that the big long bar across the swing set at my grandmother's house was hollow, and we would stand on the bar that created an "A" and talk to one another through the bar. One year a bunch of bees had nested there and I was stung in the ear. We stopped doing that.

2) The first words are, "Guess this means you're sorry." Who is the last person to apologize to you?

A. Nobody who really SHOULD apologize to me has ever apologized to me. But I think the last person who said "I'm sorry" to me was my physical therapist, when I nearly fell off the exercise ball on Thursday and she nearly missed catching me and pushing me back upright. After that, she did not let go of me.

3) One of Kelly's earliest show business jobs was as an extra on Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. Do you believe in witches and warlocks?

A. Not like you mean, I think. Not like in Wizard of Oz or whatever. Do I think there are people who practice witchcraft who call themselves witches and warlocks? Absolutely. Are some of them bad? Absolutely. But I also think there is a bit of a witch or warlock inside each of us. We just don't know it.

4) Mentioning witches and seeing Kelly with a lollipop reminds Sam . . . She needs to pick up a 1 lb. bag of Dum Dums for Trick or Treaters. Have you done anything in preparation for Halloween?

A. No. We live in a rural area and have never once in 28 years had a trick-or-treater. I guess if someone showed up I'd give them a tube of toothpaste or something.

5) Ms. Clarkson's advice to aspiring young singers is not to listen to advice. "Everyone gives you their 2¢ worth, but you have to follow your gut." Are you good at soliciting and following advice? Or do you tend to follow your gut?

A. I think I tend to follow the advice that is most in line with my gut.

6) The year this song was popular, 2009, saw two major newspapers go out of business. Both the Seattle Post Intelligencer and Rocky Mountain News published their last editions. Do you still read a paper copy of your local newspaper?

A. I do. I have been reading the newspaper since I was four years old. I don't see any point in stopping now.

7) In 2009, Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that Facebook tried to buy Twitter, but was rebuffed. Which social media site do you spend the most time on?

A. Facebook. I have accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ but I don't understand the last three - or haven't tried to. I recently joined Pinterest and can't figure that out, either.

8) In 2009, the Balmain Collection included a pair of jeans that retailed for $2,165. What's the most you would pay for denim pants?

A. About $50.

9) Random question: You buy a charity raffle ticket and tuck it into a friend's birthday card. Before you can give the card to her, the numbers are drawn and you realize the ticket is worth $500. Do you keep the ticket or give it to your friend, as planned?

A. Ooo. Tough question. I think it would depend on whether or not I'd already sealed the envelope. If I hadn't sealed the envelope, I would consider removing it and replacing it with something else. If I had sealed it, I think (!) I would give it to the friend. Technically, by sealing it I feel like I've already given it away, but if I haven't sealed it yet, then it is technically still mine. Semantics, I know.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

More Martin Guitars

If you want to hear current owner Chris Martin give a tour of the Martin Museum and offer an explanation of how Martin Guitars came to be, check out this link, which has a video tour in numerous parts. If you have any interest in learning about guitar history, this is an interesting video series.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016, we visited the Martin Museum, located at the factory, after we toured the factory. With the guitars behind glass, it was difficult to obtain decent pictures.

Many well-known people have played Martin guitars, including Joan Baez, Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Kurt Cobain, Gene Autry, Sting, Paul Simon, Jimmy Buffet, Jimmy Page, Tom Petty - the list goes on. Most well-known musicians apparently own or owned a Martin guitar.

A wall of musicians who have or have played Martin guitars.

 

Some newer guitars.

 


I think this was the 500,000 Martin guitar but I am not sure. If so, it was built in 1990.

 


Older guitars looked like this. Not much
different than what you see today, eh?

 


A story of how Martin came to Nazareth, PA.

 

Being a female guitar player,
I found this content eye-opening.
Apparently guitars were originally
 a woman's instrument. By the time
 I was a teenager, guitars were considered
 men's instruments. I do not know what
 changed, but I suspect the introduction
 of the heavier electric guitar played
 a role in changing guitar from a female
 to a male instrument. Additionally, this says
 that Martin expanded his markets to take
 in the rail lines so that his product
 went west. My guess is its portability
 led it to become the instrument of
 choice among rail road builders
 and others who traveled to the other
 side of the United States.

 

More guitars owned by famous people.

 

This is the one millionth guitar,
produced in 2004. It took three years
 to build. Its value is $1 million.

 

This is the front of the guitar.

To see better photos of the one millionth guitar, check this link for the back and this link for the front. 

More guitars played by famous people.

 

This was Andy Griffith's guitar.

I would guess the company should be coming up on its 1,500,000 guitar soon, if it hasn't already surpassed that.

Guitars are lovely to look at, and beautiful to play. Music is a wonderful hobby and it's worth playing if only for yourself. Don't ever let anyone tell you that picking up a guitar is a waste of time. Do it for yourself. After all, it's your life. Make it sing.

Thursday 13: Martin Guitars

In Nazareth, PA, the Martin Guitar Company builds guitars for those of us who like to do a little strumming.

Martins are terribly expensive guitars, though. I don't own one.

Anyway, we toured the finishing factory. It was a one hour tour and with my health issues I was a whipped by the time we finished.

What we saw was how a guitar is made.

This is the exterior of the Martin Guitar Company. It says "established in 1833" on the front there.

 

This cutout shows you the parts of the guitar - the top assembly, anyway.

 

Before a piece of wood is cut into the well-known guitar shape, it is thoroughly checked both by laser and visual inspections for blemishes or thin spots. Wood that does not meet quality standards is not used.

 

This is a display of how they bind the sides together, using clothespins, after the wood has been shaped in a days-long process.

 

Lots of guitars. They try to put out nearly 200 guitars a day.

 

 

This is what  a guitar looks like without the neck, polish, or decoration.

 

Our tour guide explained how the fret boards are placed on the guitar necks.

 


This man was inspecting the guitar for quality. The guitars are checked at every step.

 

These are guitar necks, which will be fixed to a guitar body. Some are fixed with machines; others by hand. The ones done by hand can take about an hour to place properly. These, of course, are custom guitars and expensive.
 

 

A display showing the guitar and how it is put together.

 

Guitars that have been stained and polished await additional work.

 

I like the sunbursts. (The reddish looking ones).

 

The factory was huge. It took us over an hour to tour it.

 

This robot polishes guitar bodies to a high sheen.

 

Martin also has a factory in Mexico which is making cheaper guitars. They are not made from real wood but instead are created from composite wood. I played the small one (second from the tour guide's hand - that other thing is called a backpacker) and personally found it lacking in tonal quality.

The guitars made in Mexico have an "X" in the model number and range from $429 to $879 and up. The guitar *I* would like to have (if I could find one to play first) is an OO-18 Authentic 1931 made of genuine mahogany that looks to be about the same size as the small cheaper guitar that I played. The OO-18 has a price tag of (gulp) $7,499. So there is a big difference in price between an "X" guitar and a non-X Martin guitar.

A Martin Dreadnought D-455 Authentic 1936 made of Brazilian rosewood sells for (big gulp) $59,999.  And custom guitars sell for much more than that. I suspect noted musicians routinely come in there and pay $100,000+ for specialized instruments.

More on guitars tomorrow. They also had a museum, and I will show pictures from that.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 468th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.