How to Anger a Slot Player

I went to my usual haunt, The Emerald Queen Casino, today. I like to play Quick Hits, the slot game on which I've won jackpots of over $1700 and $1600 recently. I was having no luck with the machine on the right so I thought I'd move to the one on the left. To explain, there are four machines. Two on the right of the row and two on the left, with two Asian-themed games in between. So, I approach the one on the left and discovered a woman is playing both of them on that side. She asked me if I wanted to play and I said yes after a little hemming and hawing. She was down to 29 cents on one of them so she moved over and gave me that one. I had a few good spins, including one for $30 and one with five Quick Hits for a tad over $25. These are progressive machines and the pot for the Quick Hits grows as the machines are fed money. There's also a minimum amount with which each jackpot starts. For example, five Quick Hits is $15, Eight is $1500. I hit seven, which paid around $175. Not a great payout (someone else must have hit it recently for the payoff to be so low), but it was great to see the woman who'd turned the slot over to me seethe with envy. She was less than gracious when I thanked her for giving up the seat.

Caryl Linder

My sister-in-law died this afternoon. She's been in a full care facility suffering from Alzheimer's Disease for the last 3 1/2 years, so it wasn't a surprise and was in fact a bit of a relief. She just turned 71 a few days ago.

Molly Getting Bigger

She's almost eight months old and a total delight.

Happy Birthday, Stephanie

Twenty-two years ago today, a very lovely little girl was born. My Steph.

When Good Blogs Go Bad

Richard Prosch's Meridian Bridge has always been a quality blog. Until now. Click here and see what I mean.

'Tis a Puzzle

A simple puzzle made for kids featuring Hugh O'Brian as Wyatt Earp, from the 1950s TV show The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. Maker is Whitman, piece count is 63, and final puzzle is about 18 X 14 inches.

'Tis a Puzzle

A Masterpiece picture puzzle from Whitman Publishing. Titled "The Roundup," it has 204 pieces, measures 10 3/4 X 14 3/8 inches when completed, and is one of eight puzzles in this series (#102). There's a sticker on the side of the box that says "J.J.N.Co, 15 cents" It actually has the cent sign, but that's not available here, or if it is I have no idea how to create it. Anyway, the box this came in was pretty small and the colors on the box top didn't match the puzzle that well, which is not unusual. But I did have fun putting it together and the finished product displayed well. You can see by the photo that the pieces had some interesting shapes. I don't know when this puzzle was produced, but I'm guessing the 1950s. Degree of difficulty: Easy.

On another subject entirely, I'm not that happy with the contenders for the baseball World Series. They deserved to get there, but I'm in the position of rooting against one team rather than for one. So, Go Cards!

I had a lot of fun with this puzzle. The shapes of the pieces were interesting, the picture was neat, and the degree of difficulty was medium. Just the facts: A Guild puzzle by Whitman, 304 pieces, finished size 18 X 14 inches, and it says proudly all over the place that it's Machine Cut. The title is Two Friends. I started with the water and the cowboy, moved to the background, and finished with the horse. Best of all is the cover price, 29 cents. I can't even get them in a thrift store of that price now.

'Tis a Puzzle

All I can say about this one is that it was a killer. The pieces didn't interlock and every time I breathed too heavily they moved and separated. I started this one with the mountains, moved to the sky and smoke, then the horse in the center. The foreground came last. The maker is Milton Bradley, finished size is 16 X 20 inches, there are 500 pieces, and the title is "Forest Rangers in Action." It says there are 24 pictures in this series. What cracks me up is that is says right on the box "500 interlocking pieces." Maybe in the whole 24-piece set, but not this puzzle. Even a lot of the border pieces didn't interlock. In the early days of jigsaw puzzles it was common to have pieces abut without holding tight, and this is a classic example of that.

'Tis a Puzzle

I bought this one on eBay. The shipper wrapped some packing paper around the box instead of protecting it inside of another box, so it arrived crushed on the top, bottom, and two sides. Since I like to keep the box in top shape I was bent out of shape and complained to the seller. He refunded the postage, which was nice, but I'd rather have had a box in good condition. It's the collector mentality in me.

The puzzle is called Whooping It Up, painting by John Leone. Maker is SunsOut, there are 550 pieces, and the image is 18 X 15.5 inches. Average difficulty, and a nice picture when it's finished.

'Tis a Puzzle

Looks like this idiotic site cut me off for no reason yesterday, or maybe today. I'm not sure why. Something about "unusual activity," which is odd since I haven't posted in ten days.

So here's another puzzle. My technique for doing a jigsaw puzzle is probably the same as most people's. I study the picture on the box, then dump all the pieces into the box top--the part with the picture. Next I transfer the pieces to the box's bottom, sorting out the frame/edge pieces as I go. I also make sure every piece is face up. If there's a lot of sky I might put that into a freezer bag, but if it has sky plus an object on the horizon on it it goes into the box's bottom. Then I look for a good place to start building. For example, in the puzzle I'm showing here I separated out the red coat, the cooking pot's tripod, and the checkered shirt. I also set aside all of the colorful leaves on the right of the picture. Once I got all of those assemblies fairly complete I did the mountains and the heads of the men where they meet the sky. The sky followed, and lastly the forest floor in the foreground. You can also see the rug on my office floor under the edge of the table. I should have cropped this first. This puzzle is 750 pieces, made by CEACO, and measures 18 X 24 inches. The picture is titled "Sergeant Beaubien," painted by John Buxton, and is part of their Each Picture Tells a Story series. Here's what it says on the bottom of the box:

"This group of Rogers Rangers are on ground overlooking Lake George, New York, which stretches Northward behind them. Captain Robert Rogers' men scout deeply within enemy territory, supplying the latest intellegence of French activity, and their daring hit-and-run tactics not only delivered great annoyance to the enemy but also boosted English spirits.
"Experienced Ranger lieutenants are briefing several new cadets and a volunteer from the 42nd Highlanders, as to the basic rules outlined by Captain Rogers--rules still employed by Ranger forces today. Among the Ranger 'cadets' in the fall of 1756 is William Stark, brother of Ranger Captain John Stark, with his wolf/dog Sgt. Beaubien. At one point throughout their history, Stark entered the wolf/dog into the official Ranger muster roll to draw a sergeant's rations and pay. It has been said that Sgt. Beaubien dispatched his share of the enemy and was well deserving of his pay."

$1631.29

So, did anyone else win $1631.29 playing the slots today, or was it just me? Yep, I hit eight Quick Hit symbols and collected the above-named sum. This is the same game (but not the same machine) on which I won $1733 about 5-6 weeks ago.
There's a bit of a back story. I was on the machine next to this one and the lady playing the winning machine was doing all right. But she said she had to leave and I took over her machine. She came back a little later and took a slot and the end of the row--four machine away. You can imagine her chagrin when I hit the big money on the machine she'd abandoned. Also, I was in dire need to hit the latrine and almost walked off, but decided to play a little longer. And, BOOM! Jackpot.

I've been away from the blog for a while, but not vegetating completely. I've been to Portland and back, read a number of books, finished a batch of jigsaw puzzles, wasted time at the casino, took Molly to obedience class, and generally did all the usual lazy retiree activities. More when I get my pix ready.

'Tis a Puzzle

A puzzle that's also an ad for the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. I like the action, the Western trappings, and the composition. It also shows you could get the idea for the product across without a lot of flashing lights, blaring music, and those abominable flash cuts.

Bachmann Birds of the World

Another recent mania has been my attempts to buy Bachmann Birds of the World on eBay. These birds came out in kits from 1959-1960, and were a cross between plastic model kits and arts and crafts sets. The birds were created life sized and came with paints, brush, instructions, and a combination paint thinner/glue. I recall a day when my visiting cousin, Georgie, and I sat down at the dining room table and put ours together. I did a Goldfinch and he had a Scarlet Tanager. The kits were simple and straightforward. Anyone with a functioning brain could produce one, and the results were satisfying. What follows is a Wikipedia entry about them:

"During the 1960s Bachmann produced plastic models of animals (Animals of the World series, Birds of the World series, and Dogs of the World series) called Nature Craft Kits. They also produced their own Mini-planes, Slotcars, military models (with Fujimi) that include fighter planes, helicopters, and Tanks; and toy robots called "Toys of Tomorrow" (with Tomy).

Complete list of 22 Bachmann Birds of the World officially released to the public: Baltimore Oriole, Goldfinch, Bluebird, Scarlet Tanager, Woodpecker, Robin, Parakeet, Cardinal, Barn Swallow, Blue Jay, Canary, Painted Bunting, Hooded Warbler, Parrot, Hoopoe, Kinglet, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Bohemian Waxwing, Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Screech Owl, Meadowlark, European Goldfinch. [Announced but never put into production: Evening Grosbeak, Pitta, Weaver Bird.]

Complete list of 11 Bachmann Dogs of the World officially released to the public: Collie, German Shepherd, Pointer, Wire-Haired Terrier, Poodle, Basset Hound, Cocker Spaniel, St. Bernard, Boxer, Dalmatian, Mongrel.

Complete list of 9 Bachmann Animals of the World officially released to the public: Squirrel Monkey, Giant Panda, Deer, Cow and Calf, Tiger, Lion, Zebra, Morgan Horse, Leopard."

'Tis a Puzzle

I've been buying jigsaw puzzles recently. I prefer Old West themes, or TV cowboys and the like. A recent acquisition was this studio shot of Buffalo Bill, Jr., and Calamity. The TV show BUFFALO BILL, JR ran from 1955-56. Here's what someone had to say about it on IMBD:

Gene Autry was in television in a major way during its early days. Not just as an actor on his own show, but his Flying A productions brought many other shows to television like Range Rider, Annie Oakley and this one Buffalo Bill, Jr.

The premise for this show involved a kinder, gentler Judge Roy Bean character, Judge Ben 'Fair and Square' Wiley played by Harry Cheshire. That moniker was always how he was addressed and referred to. Cheshire found the young adolescent Dick Jones roaming the Black Hills after an Indian massacre of a wagon train. The adolescent was carrying an infant girl who was to grow up to be Nancy Gilbert.

Wiley took them in and raised them and renamed them after those western icons Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane. Jones was most assuredly not the son of Bill Cody. But he certainly could ride and shoot.

From his earliest days Jones was a trick rider and all around western performer since his discovery by movie cowboy hero Hoot Gibson. He got into acting and kept real busy as a child actor, probably most famous as the Senate page in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. Jones was in that tradition of Hollywood child stars who grew up and played callow youths until way beyond his actual years. Jones was 28 when he played Buffalo Bill, Jr. and his family name in the show was Bridger who was certainly another western icon.

As this was a kid's show young Jones had absolutely no contact with the opposite sex other than helping to raise his kid sister. The more sophisticated audience of today would not appreciate this film. Still it wasn't a bad series for the year it lasted.

My Daughter, the Psychic

My older girl said she dreamed last night that I'd win a jackpot at the casino today, on the dragon slot machine. I played a couple of them and won nothing. They don't have jackpots anyway, just bonuses. I ended up at a progressive slot called Quick Hits and POW, eight Quick Hit symbols came up. I won $1733.18. It took a good half hour to deal with all the paperwork connected to this win (I'll have to pay taxes next year), but it was nice to finally hit big. The attached photo was taken on my daughter's phone. I don't know if it'll be clear enough to see the winnng symbols, but it's the best I have. The Quick Hit is the one that looks like a red ball. Middle of the first column, etc.

Still Here

I haven't blogged in a while so I thought I'd pop in to prove I'm still alive. I had jury duty from Aug 1 for two weeks. I reported on the first two days and was never called back. I could have been doing better things but I had to wait around each evening to call in and see if I had to go down there the next morning. Grrr. I used to love jury duty because it got me out of work, but now that I'm retired it's as much a pain for me as it is for most people.

Our Chihuahua has to get surgery Wednesday. They think a bad tooth is causing the constant leaking under his right eye. Poor little pup.

Last week we went to the zoo. This is me riding a camel named Dale. I'm not a humpback, I had to sit that way to maintain my balance. Lawrence of Suburbia.

I've been on a small eBay binge recently. I'll have more to say about that soon.

Wonderful Tonight

This is a recording I really like.

Back From Vegas

I spent the 20th thru the 26th in Las Vegas, playing slots at some of the better casinos on the southern strip. A few comments:

Don't stay at Harrah's. It's not a fleabag, but the rooms lack coffee makers (not that I drink the swill, but Linda does). The climate control was a joke. The hoydens in the next room were too loud. Okay, the latter could have happened anywhere, but thicker walls would have helped. The TV in the room was of low quality, too.

If you can walk along the strip for more than ten feet without some pimp trying to press a flyer for escorts in your hand, you beat my record.

If the street pimps aren't enough, the ones waiting in all the shopping areas and hotels add to one's annoyance. These aren't selling escorts, but show tickets or some other crap I didn't want.

It was hot. In the neighborhood of 106 every day.

Everyone lies. Every deal has fine print. The hotel's alleged airport shuttle doesn't exist.

The braised pork and eggplant I had at Ming's had less meat than a can of Campbell's pork and beans. Not a bad meal, but the menu was misleading. Linda's chicken dish had no chicken meat.

The buffet at Harrah's was mediocre.

Prices were high for most things. The only deals I got were from my rewards card, which made lunch at Toby Keith's just $15 and Ming's under $7.00, for two.

I had my first encounter with an airport body scanner leaving LV. You have to remove everything from your pockets--front and back--and hold them over your head while they flash you. Okay, not so bad. But then you have to go to another TSA idiot who looks through the items you had in your hand.

The art show at the Bellagio was a dissappointment. Small, and with a lot of artists I'd never heard of. Not that I keep up with artists, but all I knew were Monet (one small painting), and one Lichtenstein (IIRC. The guy who does op art with dots)

On the up side:

The toilet at Harrah's was great. It sucked overthing away in the blink of an eye.

Some of the casinos were works of art. Caesar's Palace, The Venetian, The Bellagio, and The MGM Grand were nice to visit.

The dancing water show at the Bellagio's pool was neat.

The lions at the MGM Grand were great.

The foot-long hot dog was tasty.

I hit some nice wins on the slots.

We got Lorna Doones on the airplane.

3-D Printing

This is incredible.

New Documentary News

Go here for a cause near to my heart and one that ought to interest anyone who believes in freedom. It's not political and you don't have to pony up any money despite the pitch at the end. Make sure you play the video. I am NOT trying to rope you into a cult. Just the opposite; I want to warn you about the evils of one.

Happy Fourth of July

On the third day of action at Gettysburg, as Pickett's division attacked the federal center, confederate cavalry swept around the federal's right flank. Had they been successful they would have won the battle and we'd all be eating grits for Thanksgiving and whipping our slaves in America today. The charge was stopped by General George Armstrong Custer, although heavily outnumbered. By this day, the 4th, Marse Robert was heading back to Virginia in bitter defeat.

Molly the Cat Burglar

I said I wouldn't have another Molly posting, but here's her latest trick.

Burning Question of the Day

What do the following phrases have in common?

Chomping at the bit.

Congressional Medal of Honor.

Over and out.

Less calories.

I could care less.




The answer is--they're all incorrect. Horses CHAMP at the bit. The word Congressional is not part of the MoH or its citation. In radio transmissions you say either over or out, never both. It's FEWER calories. If you could care less then you might care a lot. To show ultimate contempt or disinterest you should say I COULDN'T care less.

Now that you are armed with this knowledge I want you all to spread it throughout the world.

There's one other that drives me up a wall. In a Vonage commercial some over-excited twit says, "It's the white elephant in the room." Obviously the fools who wrote that line don't know what a white elephant is. And I'll bet they were high fiving each other mercilously when they came up with it.

On a positive note, the photo of the pretty girl is Doreen of the original Mouseketeers.

Bambi Attacks

Yesterday, my wife told me there was a deer in our cul-de-sac. I walked outside and found a buck across the court, near the entry. He saw me but showed no fear. I talked quietly to him. He ambled onto the grassy area in the center of the cul-de-sac, into the yard of the house at the 12 o'clock position, and then to the yard of the house next to that. He nibbbled a few leafs and ambled towards the backyard of that place. As he was browsing in the grass my daughter drove up and I pointed him out. She pulled out her phone/camera/Swiss Army Knife and shot the accompanying photo. Around here we have blacktail deer, smaller than whitetails and muleys. This fellow had short antlers still wrapped in summer velvet.
My house is to the left of the brown one in the photo.

June 25, 1876: Custer's Last Stand

Yes, troopers, it's that day again when we pay homage to the brave men of the 7th Cavalry who fell on the field of honor on this date 135 years ago. And their foes who did them in, of course, the mainly Sioux and Cheyenne warriors who won the day but sealed their fate in doing so.

Molly Again

This will be the final Molly posting until she changes color. These were taken last Sunday at her obedience class graduation.

More from 1982

Another couple of pix from the post-Bouchercon gathering at Art Scott's. I see I was wearing contact lenses. Oh, to have thick hair and a thin waist as I did then, rather than the other way around.

The top photo shows (l-r): me, Steve Stilwell, Bill Crider.

The lower photo shows (l-r): Ron Harris, me, Steve Stilwell.

Goofing on Bill Crider

Photo taken at Art Scott's house after the 1982 Bouchercon. That's me giving Bill the horns.

Is it just me or has the world gone insane?

At the store earlier. At the egg display case. Saw a sign on one of the cartons: VEGETARIAN FED HENS.

When Monsters Attack

Go here to see what my typical day looks like.

Molly Update

Molly is now four months old. The bundle of fuzz we brought home looks like a miniature German shepherd these days. She's 30 pounds of playful energy and a joy to watch grow. If you wondered where I've been lately, I've been watching her. She'll chew anything in the house--including the house--if we don't watch her constantly. I had her here in my office a couple of times but had to stop that when I found her with a paperback in her mouth. Luckily, I stopped her before she damaged it. But I'll be along soon and play catch up. Hasta lumbago!

Good Golly, Miss Molly!

Meet Molly, who entered our family on Friday. She's an energetic bundle of fuzz who would chew the couch into a wad of leather and padding if you give her half a chance. Toby and the cat hate her and are showing no signs of relenting, though we remain hopeful. She's a full-blooded German shepherd about 9 weeks old. I tried to find a dog through two rescue organizations and the Humane Society. The latter was helpful but bogged down in ridiculous regulations. The rescue groups are useless cookie eaters who constantly beg for donations but don't seem to have any interest in actually placing a dog into a home, in my opinion. Just as well; we love the little devil dog and wouldn't trade her for a carload of Rin Tin Tins.

This and That

I had some KFC yesterday. I don't have it very often because I think it's overpriced. I also think, thanks to yesterday's sample, that the quality has tanked. I recall plump pieces of chicken so tasty I was tempted to eat the bones. Now, the scraggly road kill they offer is barely palatable. And the biscuits are garbage compared to the wonderful rolls they used to sell. The Colonel must be rotating in his grave like a chicken on a spit.

I was waylaid by some Girl Scouts outside Albertson's today and forced to buy a box of Thin Mints, easily the best cookie made. But $4.00 a box? Larceny. Are they training these kids to be good citizens when they grow up or thousand-dollar-a-night call girls?

My hot streak at the casino continues. Five straight winning visits for a total of about $750. Two progressive jackpot wins ($233 and $143). I may buy another box of Girl Scout cookies if this keeps up.

Who writes ad copy for TV commercials these days? I keep hearing "less" used when "fewer" would be correct.

Tomorrow is Daylight Savings. Spring ahead. I always thought that if I died before the Fall Back date I'd be ahead of the game. Not looking to do it any time soon, though.

Have a nice weekend.

Need a Laugh?

One of my daily must-visit blogs is Ken Levine's. His varied career includes writing for hit TV shows M*A*S*H, FRASIER, MARY TYLER MOORE, CHEERS), baseball announcer, director, playwright, and bon vivant. He's published a book about his travels called WHERE THE HELL AM I? Each short chapter, and there are scores of them, recounts a trip he's taken to somewhere, either for business or pleasure. His pithy, witty observations are guaranteed to have you laughing out loud.

You can buy the Kindle version on Amazon. Other formats are also available.

Remember the Alamo

On this day in 1836 the final assault on the Alamo resulted in the death of all the defending Texians. It was a costly victory for Santa Anna (estimated 800 casualties), and the 13 days he spent in the siege allowed Sam Houston to assemble an army and ultimately defeat the Mexican army at San Jacinto. The deaths at the Alamo were not in vain. Revisionists now say that Davy Crockett surrendered and was executed. I don't buy that. Right after the battle one of the non-combatant survivors, Susanna Dickinson, saw Crockett's body in the area of the chapel, surrounded by dead Mexican soldiers. He and his Tennesseans were assigned the defense of the low palisade, an open area between the chapel and high wall in which a makeshift defensive position was fashioned from wagons, boxes, sacks, etc. That's on the lower right on the accompanying map (#14), on the slant.

Sling Free

I officially got permission to stop using my sling today. That's the one for my right arm. My butt will undoubtedly be in a sling forever. Unofficially, I stopped using it two days ago. Good riddance. Now, if I wanted a Singapore Sling I'd wish to share it with a vintage Anna May Wong. Speaking of her, I've seen some people spell her middle name Mae. I have a feeling both spellings were used over the years.

AMC Ticks Me Off Again

It was bad enough when AMC started inserting long commercial breaks into their movies, usually at inapropriate moments, but now they've gone and sicced their PC Police on a revered John Wayne movie. Yesterday I managed to catch EL DORADO from the beginning while channel surfing so I decided to watch it. This, you may know, is a remake of RIO BRAVO, but with Robert Mitchum in the Dean Martin/drunken sheriff role, James Caan instead of Ricky Nelson, and Arthur Hunnicutt taking over for Walter Brennan. Charlene Holt in the Angie Dickinson role is no slouch, either. Anyway, in one scene Caan, Mitchum, and Hunnicutt are trying to sneak into the back door of a saloon, but find it guarded by a bad guy. What happens in the unexpurgated film is Caan disguises himself as a Chinaman, missing no stereotype, until he can get close enough to the thug to knock him out. In the AMC snipfest, Caan says, "Wait, I have an idea." The next thing you know he's slugging the owlhoot. I don't know about you, but I don't need some clown at AMC censoring my movies for me. What's this world coming to?

Baby Time

Granddaughter Sofia is three months now so here's a photo of her taken a few days ago.

Birthdays

I was off line most of Thursday-Friday so I didn't get a chance to mention my mother turned 88 on the 24th. Today, the 26th, my wife hits another birthday milestone. I guess I'm not supposed to mention which one. The photo is my mother about 70 years ago. Can you say Catholic Italian?

13 Days to Glory Commences

On this day in 1836 the siege of the Alamo began. The vanguard of Santa Ana's forces came up from the south and invested San Antonio de Bexar. Col. William Barrett Travis and Col. Jim Bowie brought their men to the Alamo mission, determined to stop the advance of "The Napoleon of Mexico." It would take 13 days for the battle's outcome to be determined.

Dog Heavies

Dog Heavies, the third and final Lucas Hallam mystery by L.J. Washburn, takes us to Texas. Lucas and some other cowboys who work in the picture business are sent to a ranch outside Fort Worth to teach a young actor, Adrian Tremaine, how to appear like an authentic westerner in an upcoming big budget movie. The ranch needs the money it's getting for hosting the group because their cattle are being rustled, but that doesn't endear them to some of the working cowboys, especially the foreman, Armstrong. Armstrong picks on Teddy White Horse, a Native American, worse than the rest. Nice guy. Other than a bit of huffing and puffing, though, things are working out fairly well. The kid is learning the ropes (including roping), and the real cowboys start to respect the intruders. But a murder changes everything. Hallan has to use his private eyes skills to help the accused and discover not only who committed the crime, but who's behind the cattle thefts. No small task when the local law is hostile to his efforts.

A nice extra touch is seeing Lucas Hallam back on the turf he roamed as a youth. He's not one for nostalgia, but being on the ground of his old home pulls at the heartstrings of his memory for a touching moment. There's also the rancher's beautiful daughter and cussed old cook on hand to add a fun touch to the proceedings.

I hope these books sell well enough in their Kindle editons to inspire Washburn to write more. Lucas Hallam is too good a character, and 1920s Hollywood too great an era, to wither away.

Turn Away, Bill Crider

More great moments from Paris here.

The Final Dapa-Em

In today's mail I got my final copy of Dapa-Em, #216. It will never be published again, and I'll miss it. The idea of an apa (Amateur Press Association/Alliance) is that a limited membership (35 in Dapa-Em)--usually fans of a genre--produce individual zines, print enough copies to cover the membership plus a couple of extra copies, and send these copies to a single individual, called an Official Editor, or Central Mailer, or Big Toe, etc. The OE then collates each person's zine into one large volume and mails the big volume, called a mailing, back to each member. In the next mailing people can remark or reply to what was in the previous mailing or discuss whatever they want. Dapa-Em was a mystery apa, the only one to ever exist. It started around 1974, under the leadership of Donna Balopole, but it really took off 35 years ago when Art Scott took the helm. I joined in 1979 and have missed only one of the bi-monthly mailings in all that time. But all things must pass, and Art needed a rest after so many years of remarkable service and punctuality. Kudos to him for an incredible service.

The illo shows one of the typical Dapa-Em room parties at a mystery con.

I wish.

Packers!

It's not that I'm that much of a Packers fan, but I hate the Stealers and revel in their loss. That said, it was an exciting Superbowl and the officials didn't interfere with the game other than that phantom face mask call against Green Bay, which helped Pittsburgh sustain a scoring drive. Now begins the lull in my sports year. I don't follow hockey or basketball, so until baseball season starts I'll make do with other entertainments. Like staring at Natalie Wood photos. Won't you join me?

Pimpmobile, RIP

Today I said good-bye to my wonderful 1995 Oldsmobile Regency 98. Alas, it was becoming too unreliable to continue driving. In its place is a 2008 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck (14,00 miles). I got a good deal on the truck, but it's a bare bones model and I'll miss such amenities as keyless entry and power windows and locks. I also need to replace the radio with a radio/CD player, but I have a very nice one in the garage and I'll have that installed soon.
And if that's not worth a look at Natalie Wood, I don't know what is.

Dead Stick

Dead Stick, by L.J. Washburn, is the second Lucas Hallam mystery. I talked about the background of the character and setting in an earlier post. Now, Hallam is hired by a studio to discover who's sabotaging their picture, a WWI flying epic. Suspicion is on a KKK group upset that one of the actors is a former German ace. Also in the movie are four American airmen whose squadron had been betrayed during the war., They were the only survivors. The German was part of the force that set upon the Americans. There are also a couple of jealous hearts in the mix due to some Hollywood bed-hopping, a brash stunt pilot, and an ex-jockey who runs a speakeasy and has a shady reputation. Washburn cleverly works parallel plots, so smoothly you're not aware of it, and brings the story to a satisfying, action-packed climax.
Liz Fletcher, from the first book, Wild Night, reappears, too. She moved from her ghost town saloon to Hallam's apartment building and got a job as an organ player at Graumann's Egyptian Theater. But she's not sure the city life is for her and, well, the course of true love never runs smooth.
Available on Kindle.

Am I Wrong?

Am I wrong or is this the anniversary of The Day the Music Died; i.e., the day Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash in an Iowa cornfield? I was sure Bill Crider would have mentioned it.

Pictured are classic rockers (l-r) me, Dave "Evan" Lewis, & Tough Jim Gaston. We strive to keep the music alive.

Wild Night

Wild Night, by L.J. Washburn, takes place in Depression-era Hollywood. Lucas Hallam is a former lawman, Pinkerton, and cowboy who has also spent a little time on the owlhoot trail during his heyday. Now, in the 1920s, he works part time as a Western movie extra and also maintains a private detective business.
While scouting a ghost town as a possible movie location he gets into a shootout with a couple of thugs. The town's owner and sole inhabitant, Liz Fletcher, thinks they were after her stash of hooch. Back in Hollywood later that day, Hallam is hired by an evangelist, Rev. Forbes, to accompany him to a meeting that evening. They go, and in short order Hallam is knocked out and the two people they went to meet are dead, with the reverend standing over them with a gun in his hand. He swears he didn't do it but the cops toss him in the graybar hotel anyway.
Hallam is asked to clear the minister, and even though Hallam doesn't like the man, he agrees to help. Only he and Forbes know a fact about the night of the crime that no one else does, and they're holding it back.
As Hallam delves into the church and Forbes' past he finds himself the target of a gunman. Seems like someone doesn't want him to find the truth. Or does it?
Washburn writes a strong mystery with an extra twist in the end that I didn't see coming. Her prose is clear and eminently readable. Best of all, Hallam is a wonderful character--strong, simple, honest, brave, and nobody's fool. The early Hollywood setting--with its studios, speakeasys, and cultish temple--captivated this reader and rings true. Some of the luminaries of the day also step in for cameos. I've already started the sequel and I'm grateful that the Kindle has made these hard-to-find books available again. Check them out.