Funny Papers

…some gems from facebook that tickle my funny bone.

Lucille

I can remember 1977 when this song came out.  It is still one of the saddest ones I know (and I wasn’t a farmer back then!)  Lucille may be eclipsed by Elvis Presley singing, “In the Ghetto.”    Oh wait, then there’s Bobby Goldsboro’s song, “Honey” where the wife died and he sings about how he misses her.  A sad song list must include Kris Kristoferson’s , “Sunday Morning Coming Down”  followed up by Johnny Cash singing, “We’ll Meet Again.”   –Whitney Houston’s, “I Will Always Love You” still tears me up.

Where are have all the great song writer, story tellers, and poets gone? 

On the flip side, I can be hip, too.  I think “Lose Yourself” by Eminem is brilliant.  Whatever the genre…I’m putting the word up and out on this web, this invisible cloud, to artists here and now:  we need real songs, real content again.  P R E T T Y  P L E A S E

Camping Cake

 Coincidence?  I think not.

I’m about to share with you, my friend, a super secret super easy single serving cake recipe perfect for your next camping adventure.

Bake it using caution:  at minimum have a frosty mug of creamy, whole milk at the ready.

Shopping List:

1 – box  angel food cake mix

1- box any other cake mix (I used strawberry cake mix)

1- gallon size Ziploc bag

Directions:

Toss the two dry cake mixes into a Ziploc bag and knead until mixed.  Stow it in your camper or your cabinet until you are ready for a single serve of sweetness.

3-2-1  Recipe:  (Trust is a must or your game is a bust)

To a coffee cup or paper bowl add:

3   tablespoons of cake mix

2  tablespoons of water

–Microwave this for

1  minute!

You can top your cake with some powdered sugar, some canned frosting, a dollop of whipped topping or fresh fruit.  The possibilities are endless.

Always remember that one of the cake mixes has to be angel food.  Experiment with other cake flavors like pineapple, lemon, carrot, chocolate, or red velvet for the second choice.  Storage of the mix is simple:  toss it on a shelf–no need to refrigerate because it is dry.

The Show Pony

Imagine two American icons converging at the tip of Michigan’s mitten–

at the Straits of Mackinac, where Great Lakes Huron and Michigan are defined by the Mackinac Bridge, a massive suspension bridge.

This is precisely the spot where a group of Airstream owners rendezvoused with Captain Adam, master of all that is pirate, this past summer.  Salty sea dogs, rogue pirates, and even Captain Adam have mothers.  I affectionately call him my “Show Pony” and cashed in all my chips to get him to load his 30’ Boston Whaler on its triple axle trailer to haul it 300 miles up north for my Airstream rally.

Ok, so I promised to bake him his favorite chocolate cupcakes too.

Throw in a visit to the historic Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island

and you have a combination of epic proportion.

Big boys (and girls) with toys! 

We called our rally, “Exploring Under the Bridge” and advertised that there would be an opportunity to salmon fish and joy ride on a private boat.  What catapulted this rally over the top was the Whaler and the added adventure it could provide.   Airstreaming families rolled in from GA, OH, IL, MO, OK, MI, IN and Canada!   For many, this was their first experience on big water.

Our attendees were able to go back “Somewhere in Time” to Mackinac Island and sip lemonade on the porch of the Grand Hotel.  We took full advantage of the twin 225 Mercury Verado engines as we explored under the Mackinac Bridge.  We docked in time to catch happy hour at the island’s Pink Pony Saloon.

Here’s the not-so-secret secret:  Airstreaming and Boston Whaler boats are a state of mind and have become as common and well-loved in the culture of America as blue jeans and tees. 

Airstream’s silver-bullet travel trailers have been streaming down the nation’s ribbons of highways for more than 75 years Founder Wally Byam began the enterprise in the 1920s by selling plans for building trailers, which led to the design and launch of “The Clipper” in the early 1930s. The company makes travel trailers primarily, but also produces its Interstate touring coach with full amenities. Airstream has produced about 140,000 travel trailers and motor homes since it began, and roughly two-thirds of them are still making trails. Airstream is a subsidiary of Thor Industries. 

Salty sea captains and die hard Whaler owners like my son, Adam, are secretly pleased with themselves for thinking outside of the box.  Owners of both of these iconic American brands have an elevated understanding of style, durability, and value without being snobby about it.  Was that snobby?  We feel responsible for the life of our boat or trailer–knowing where she’s been before, if buying used (as many of us do) or if she’s been restored.  Those leaving a dealership keep meticulous records to pass down one day–if that day ever comes.

Airstreamers are an industrious lot; many had researched the Boston Whaler website and learned how unsinkable they are.  Those who could not swim or were afraid of water donned life vests and threw caution to the wind.  By the rally’s end, we heard so many nice things about the Whaler’s creature comforts and how she handled the 2-4’s in the Straits and how unafraid folks were.  That speaks volumes about qualities that are built into the Boston Whaler and how tasty my chocolate cupcakes really are!

Two Moon Walks, One Hero

Michael Jackson’s death received more notoriety than Neil Armstrong’s death.  Both are famous for moon walks.

Am I the only person who thinks this is tragic?  The person on the street knows more about Hollywood, music videos, and what Kim Kardashian wore on the red carpet than the achievements of this modern day “Lewis and Clark.”  This man risked his life on the greatest adventure in the history of mankind and he did it relying on NASA computers antiquated by today’s standards.

Modern Day Pioneer

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has died aged 82. The former US astronaut, who will go down in history as the most famous pioneer of space exploration, passed away as the result of heart complications following surgery.

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, he became the first person to set foot on the moon, on 20 July 1969, fulfilling the longheld dream of the United States to get there before the Soviet Union. His first words as he stepped on to the surface – “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” – instantly became one of the most recognizable phrases ever uttered.

Armstrong had a determined effort to live a quiet, private life after his astronaut days.  There is a Neil Armstrong Museum in  Ohio (that I happened to visit earlier this year.)  When he passed, there was relatively little tape on hand to roll from interviews reminiscing about his experiences, reunions with old astronauts or public appearances because he didn’t seek personal fame.  Fame found him and he handled it with grace.  He didn’t go on the Letterman show.  He was a true American hero who did his job better than anyone else, led a quiet life, and never exploited his adventure for personal gain.  There was the moon walk, and not much else.