Duchess & Sadie's Reclining Domain

Bayfield, Colorado - NW Okie has been taking us walking up to the San Juan National Forests and Vallecito Creek lately. By the time we get back home, we get to situate ourselves in the stretched out recliner. As you can see here in this photo on the left.

I think NW Okie is trying to get us Pugs and herself in shape here in the Southwest Rockies of Colorado!

Did you notice a NEW icon link (Google Voice) in this weeks newsletter below?

NW Okie is trying out this Google Voice mail on her website to see how it works. If you would like to leave NW Okie a voice-mail or share a comment, legacy, or just say "Hello!", click on the "Google Voice" icon link on this page. Thanks!

Hope all of you Oklahomans are located high and are keeping dry down there in Central Oklahoma. We have been watching CNN while they follow the flooding going on around Edmond and Oklahoma City. And the rescues that were undertaken to retrieve a young lady out of a tree near the Arcadia area. They reported over nine inches of rain in six hours and the streets were flowing with the red clay muddy waters through different areas of northwest Oklahoma county. Anyone out there have any ireports to share?

Besides flooding in Central Oklahoma, we hear the panhandle had tornadoes passing through there earlier Monday morning. It was Monday morning, wasn't it?

Got to get off here and rest up because tomorrow, Tuesday, we are going to video tape a huge, leaning tree removal here at our place here in the San Juan mountains of Southwest Colorado. This big pine tree is precariously situated just next to a garage with the roots of the tree on one side rotted out. The tree seems to lean to the east a little bit each year. It needs to come down safely!

NW Okie needs to make sure her movie camera and digital camera are charged completely.

View/Write Comments (count 2)   |   Receive updates (1 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

My Thoughts

Canton, Oklahoma - Has anyone been to a place in Canton, Blaine county, Oklahoma where there is a place that collects and sells old movie posters to collectors? I am wondering if they have a website online?

Canton Lake is the largest in western Oklahoma where the Walleye Rodeo is held every May on the weekend following Mother's Day. It attracts 150,000 to 200,000 visitors to Canton and Canton Lake every day.

There are/were two unique businesses in Canton: File Favorites and Movie Poster Services. This NW Okie has never heard or seen either of these two unique businesses. If someone out there knows of these two businesses or has photos of these businesses, drop us a message in an email or send us a "Google Voice-mail" and tell us about Movie Poster Service and File Favorites.

Is File Favorites and Movie Posters still in business in Canton, Oklahoma?

I did do a Google search online for "File Favorites" and "Movie Posters" and found this information concerning "Film Favorites" that use to be in Canton, Oklahoma.

It stated, "After purchasing Film Favorites in Canton, Oklahoma, he decided to move the business to Houston in 1993. He changed the name to Arnold Movie Poster Company and then a few years later to Movie Posters as the internet came along.

The business is now in Tomball, Texas, just outside of Houston. Gene's son, Mark, and Son-in-Law, Rob Gasper work with him. They have their hands full as they sell, across the U.S.A. and around the world, thousands of original movie posters and reprints of classic titles.

On another note! Did you ever hear about a 1920, U.S. Post Office Department rule that children may not be sent by parcel post? Was or Is this for real? Did they use to send children by parcel post? Who would send their children through parcel post?

If you know the answer to this question and U.S. Post Office Department rule, then please enlighten us all! Thanks! View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

The Day Japan Bombed Oregon (Sept. 1942)

Oregon - The Day Japan Bombed Oregon (Sept. 1942) Have you ever heard the WWII story concerning the day that Japan bombed Oregon? Is this for real?

Ellis Raymer submitted this interesting article about the only submarine launched Japanese bombing of the U.S. mainland during WWII. There was a special on PBS a few weeks back concerning that the Japanese had a plan after major naval losses that they planned to build super submarines that carried aircraft and could airlift bombs to a target and return to the sub. Then the planes would be put back into the sub and it would submerge and be hidden for it's next attack. The Japanese had plan to build fleets of these subs, but only three (3) were ever completed.

The Day Japan Bombed Oregon written by Norm Goyer "September 9, 1942, the I-25 class Japanese submarine was cruising in an easterly direction raising its periscope occasionally as it neared the United States Coastline. Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor less than a year ago and the Captain of the attack submarine knew that Americans were watching their coast line for ships and aircraft that might attack our country.

"Dawn was approaching; the first rays of the sun were flickering off the periscopes lens. Their mission; attack the west coast with incendiary bombs in hopes of starting a devastating forest fire. If this test run were successful, Japan had hopes of using their huge submarine fleet to attack the eastern end of the Panama Canal to slow down shipping from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

"The Japanese Navy had a large number of I-400 submarines under construction. Each capable of carrying three aircraft. Pilot Chief Warrant Officer Nobuo Fujita and his crewman Petty Officer Shoji Okuda were making last minute checks of their charts making sure they matched those of the submarine's navigator. The only plane ever to drop a bomb on the United States during WWII was this submarine based Glen.

"September 9, 1942: Nebraska forestry student Keith V. Johnson was on duty atop a forest fire lookout tower between Gold's Beach and Brookings Oregon . Keith had memorized the silhouettes of Japanese long distance bombers and those of our own aircraft. He felt confident that he could spot and identify, friend or foe, almost immediately. It was cold on the coast this September morning , and quiet. The residents of the area were still in bed or preparing to head for work. Lumber was a large part of the industry in Brookings, just a few miles north of the California Oregon state lines.

"The aircraft carried two incendiary 168 pound bombs and a crew of two.

"Aboard the submarine the Captain's voice boomed over the PA system, "Prepare to surface, aircrew report to your stations, wait for the open hatch signal" During training runs several subs were lost when hangar door were opened too soon and sea water rushed into the hangars and sank the boat with all hands lost. You could hear the change of sound as the bow of the I-25 broke from the depths, nosed over for its run on the surface. A loud bell signaled the "All Clear."

"The crew assigned to the single engine Yokosuki E14Ys float equipped observation and light attack aircraft sprang into action. They rolled the plane out its hangar built next to the conning tower. The wings and tail were unfolded, and several 176 pound incendiary bombs were attached to the hard points under the wings. This was a small two passenger float plane with a nine cylinder 340 hp radial engine.

"It was full daylight when the Captain ordered the aircraft to be placed on the catapult. Warrant Officer Fujita started the engine, let it warm up, checked the magnetos and oil pressure. There was a slight breeze blowing and the seas were calm. A perfect day to attack the United States of America. When the gauges were in the green the pilot signalked and the catapult launched the aircraft. After a short climb to altitude the pilot turned on a heading for the Oregon coast.

"The "Glen" was launched via catapult from a I-25 class Japanese submarine. "Johnson was sweeping the horizon but could see nothing, he went back to his duties as a forestry agent which was searching for any signs of a forest fire. The morning moved on. Every few minutes he would scan low, medium and high but nothing caught his eye.

"The small Japanese float plane had climbed to several thousand feet of altitude for better visibility and to get above the coastal fog. The pilot had calculated land fall in a few minutes and right on schedule he could see the breakers flashing white as they hit the Oregon shores.

"Johnson was about to put his binoculars down when something flashed in the sun just above the fog bank. It was unusual because in the past all air traffic had been flying up and down the coast, not aiming into the coast.

"The pilot of the aircraft checked his course and alerted his observer to be on the lookout for a fire tower which was on the edge of the wooded area where they were supposed to drop their bombs. These airplanes carried very little fuel and all flights were in and out without any loitering. The plane reached the shore line and the pilot made a course correction 20 degrees to the north. The huge trees were easy to spot and certainly easy to hit with the bombs. The fog was very wispy by this time.

"Warrant Officer Fujita is shown with his Yokosuka E14Y (Glen) float plane prior to his flight.

"Johnson watched in awe as the small floatplane with a red meat ball on the wings flew overhead, the plane was not a bomber and there was no way that it could have flown across the Pacific, Johnson could not understand what was happening. He locked onto the plane and followed it as it headed inland.

"The pilot activated the release locks so that when he could pickled the bombs they would release. His instructions were simple, fly at 500 feet, drop the bombs into the trees and circle once to see if they had started any fires and then head back to the submarine.

"Johnson could see the two bombs under the wing of the plane and knew that they would be dropped. He grabbed his communications radio and called the Forest Fire Headquarters informing them of what he was watching unfold. "The bombs tumbled from the small seaplane and impacted the forests, the pilot circled once and spotted fire around the impact point. He executed an 180 degree turn and headed back to the submarine.

"There was no air activity, the skies were clear. The small float plane lined up with the surfaced submarine and landed gently on the ocean, then taxied to the sub. A long boom swung out from the stern. His crewman caught the cable and hooked it into the pickup attached to the roll over cage between the cockpits. The plane was swung onto the deck, The plane's crew folded the wings and tail, pushed it into its hangar and secured the water tight doors. The I-25 submerged and headed back to Japan.

"This event ,which caused no damage, marked the only time during World War II that an enemy plane had dropped bombs on the United States mainland. What the Japanese didn't count on was coastal fog, mist and heavy doses of rain made the forests so wet they simply would not catch fire.

"This Memorial Plaque is located in Brookings, Oregon at the site of the 1942 bombing.

"Fifty years later the Japanese pilot, who survived the war, would return to Oregon to help dedicate a historical plaque at the exact spot where his two bombs had impacted. The elderly pilot then donated his ceremonial sword as a gesture of peace and closure of the bombing of Oregon in 1942." View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

V-J Day in Honolulu August 14, 1945

Honolulu, Hawaii - We found this movie clip online concerning VJ Day, Honolulu Hawaii, August 14, 1945 by Richard Sullivan.

VJ Day, Honolulu Hawaii, August 14, 1945 from Richard Sullivan on Vimeo.

Real Excellence in Education

"Patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country's virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, "the greatest", but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is." - Sydney J. Harris, journalist and author (1917-1986)

Joel Berg, Ph.D., Past President, Las Vegas Chapter #1113, Phi Delta Kappa International, submitted this article and says, "The attached article by Sylvia Saunders in the 20 May 2010 issue of The New York Teacher is a fine statement of what models educators and our government should follow to advance real excellence in education and avoid the myriad errors of the past.

"It summarizes the call to action by Maria Neira, Vice President of the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) at its Representative Assembly 29 April - 1 May 2010 in Washington, DC. This whole issue is valuable to all educators but this clarion call really impressed me." View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Red Rock Creek & Red Rock, Oklahoma

Red Rock, Oklahoma - Red Rock Creek is north of Perry and you cross it on U.S. Highway 77 west of Red Rock, Oklahoma. As you follow state highway 15 east towards Red Rock, the creek would always get out of its banks in the low area where it made a bend (west of the town of Red Rock). The creek empties into (and feeds) Sooner Lake at the north-east portion.

Cow Creek goes through the south portion of Perry and is very old (with steep, deep banks). LOTs of 'bottle collectors' like to explore its banks after a series of rainstorms wash away some more of its banks because many bottles of all kinds were thrown off the footbridge a couple of blocks west of highway 77 (before the highway was created). I think that it (Cow Creek, and Calf Creek) empties into Lake McMurtry or Lake Carl Blackwell. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Model Cars by Year

Francis M. sent us this link concerning Model of Cars by the Year.

The 1948 Buick Streamliner is an unbelievable, beautiful looking car was created in the late 1940s by Norman E. Timbs, mechanical engineer. Timbs designed the project all by himself and it took him more than 2 years and $10,000 to complete this ultimate hot rod. Emil Diedt created the body for $8,000 using aluminum alone. The car is powered by a 1948 Buick V8 with a maximum speed of 120 mph.

This 1948 STreamliner Buick was built in the year of this NW Okie's birth. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Google Voice Is Here!

Did you get your invite to open a free Google Voice account? If you haven't already heard about it, Google Voice is a free service that makes using your phone much better!

You can either use Google Voice with your existing mobile phone number and get:

Sand Plum Jelly Recipe

Oklahoma - It is June! Sand Plums are ripening in Oklahoma now! We did a search back through our OkieLegacy archives and found this recipe for Sand Plum Jelly that we received from a lady a few years ago. My mother (Vada Paris McGill) used semi-ripened sand plums along with ripened plums which gave an excellence blend of tart, sweet to the jelly.

Helen Ruth's Sand Plum Jelly
4 pounds sand plums, 3 pounds ripe and 1 pound under-ripe; 1 cup water; 1 package powdered pectin (1 3/4 ounces); 7 cups sugar.

The cherry-sized sand plum of the American Southwest is kin to the beach plum, that favorite for preserves from the sandy coasts of the Northeast up into the Canadian Maritimes.

The sand plum is ripe in early June; the season for beach plums starts around the middle of August; the sand plum is a lovely pink when ripe, the beach plum is purple for conserve later in the month but is picked red for jelly. Both varieties gel better if at least one-fourth the amount of fruit is not quite ripe, thus having more natural pectin.

Wash and pick over the plums; do not pit or peel. Crush them in the bottom of a large enameled kettle with the 1 cup water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes. Crush again with a vegetable masher as the fruit softens. Strain juice. Return juice to the kettle, reserving 1 cup in which to mix the pectin; combine pectin mixture with juice and bring to a full boil, stirring constantly.

Add the sugar, continue stirring, and boil hard for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, skim, and immediately pour into hot 1/2-pint canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headroom. Cap with two-piece screwband lids. Give a 5 minute B-W bath." View/Write Comments (count 1)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Alva (OK) Gets New Stop Signs At 7th & Flynn

Alva, Oklahoma - One of our readers sent us pictures of the NEW STOP signs that appeared at the corner of 7th Street and Flynn Avenue, just West of the downtown square in Alva, Woods county, Oklahoma.

Mike says, "Talk about confusing for someone that has driven up and down Flynn for more than twenty years. You slow down heading East, towards downtown. Anyway, it's heading West that will be hard to remember." View/Write Comments (count 1)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

An Ordinary Day That Became Extraordinary

Waynoka, Oklahoma - The following article was written, submitted by Gene S. Bartlow, MPA, MS, CAE, Colonel, USAF-Retired, Waynoka High School 1958. It also was published originally in the "Waynoka Chronicles," Waynoka Historical Society, Waynoka, Oklahoma, Summer 2007, Vol. 5, No. 2, page 1, 4.

It is very interesting how some events are seared into the memories of young people for life. This is a short story of one of those very special memories. For some unknown reason one of the earliest events of my life growing up in Waynoka, a very small town in Northwest Oklahoma, is burned into my memory as an ordinary day that became quite extraordinary. The day began quite ordinarily; it was springtime in early April, 1945. I was with my mother Mildred Bartlow and my grandmother Minnie Stevens and we were sitting on wooden benches in the relatively small lobby of the AT&SF (Santa Fe) depot waiting for a train to arrive. We were expecting friends, who it was we were to meet I don’t remember. At the time I was just 5½ years old and I remember that I was carrying two of my favorite toys, small painted figures of a fireman and a policeman.

This was during World War II when the dreaded news of the death of members of the military was received by telegram from the telegraph office in the Santa Fe depot. A black stripe was taped on the telegram if the news concerned a death.

All of a sudden, without warning, every single person in the crowded waiting room of the Santa Fe depot (including those railroad employees behind the counter) began crying uncontrollably, sobbing with tears all around. As a young five-year-old child I was understandably distraught and joined the crying as if on cue, not knowing or understanding why all the grown ups were all crying. Clearly I had never experienced this phenomenon before (or since), a group of adults beginning to cry simultaneously without warning, and it scared me frightfully.

I inquired as to why everyone was crying. My mother answered through her sobs, “Gene, the President has died”! This answer had little meaning for me at the time and it was only much later in a high school history class that the significance of that day came clear. As the World War II drew to a close, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's health deteriorated, and on April 12th, 1945, while at Warm Springs, Georgia, he died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Telegrams were sent out to all stations throughout the nation about the news of the President’s death, the only President the country had known for over 13 years, since 1932.

Those of us alive at the time all remember where we were on the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22nd, 1963, and the day the New York City twin towers came down on 9/11, 2001. I remember where I was on the day FDR died. View/Write Comments (count 1)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe