Sunday, July 07, 2019

River Scenes, July 1960

I wish today's photos were a bit more exciting, but - they am what they am.

Looky! It's the Columbia - the first American ship to fly around the moon. Why, I remember it like it was yesterday. It was especially windy on the moon that day. That's how Thursday got the nickname "windsday" which is why we call it "Wednesday". And now Thursday is called "Marvin". But you already know this, because it is taught in every astro-school.


This would be a very nice photo if it wasn't so gol-durned dark. I'm sorry about the curse words, but sometimes I just lose it. I blame my Navy father! 

There's a busy Columbia, a busy canoe, and a busy raft. Those are all the busy things.


Lets finish up on this slightly less-dark image, even though we've seen 3.2 trillion photos that are pretty similar. The best thing is the deadly poisonous oleander plant, caught in mid-leap as it attacked those people on the raft. They will be slowly digested over a period of one thousand years.


13 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

Yes, but the oleander plant grows so easily and requires little maintenance. It was no mere coincidence that California freeways are heavily-landscaped with the poisonous flora. Just don't nibble on them.

Thanks, Major.

Andrew said...

I guess you could say today's photos are less than river-ting! Hey, I'm at a loss right now...

stu29573 said...

Thursday is now "Marvin" because that's when the Mark Twain sailed to Mars. See, I paid attention in astro-school! The current Disneyland oleander is purple, pink and gold, and digests you while singing princess songs. People clain its a million times more horrible!

Melissa said...

They named her CoLUMBia because she's built out of LUMBer.

K. Martinez said...

The 3rd pic capturing Cascade Peak, Huck's Treehouse, the Mark Twain, the Columbia and Tom Sawyer Island Rafts is wonderful. It reminds me of the fold-out panoramic shot of Frontierland's Rivers of America in the National Geographic Magazine. Thanks, Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

Ken, I know the pic you are talking about. All we need is a man walking by in mid-step, wearing a sombrero and eating popcorn from a vintage blue and white striped popcorn box!

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, apparently oleanders are threatened by a little bug called the “glassy-winged sharpshooter”, it’s killing them off in droves. Oleanders may be poisonous, but I still enjoy seeing them lining the freeways with their pink and white flowers.

Andrew, I can’t argue, these photos are a snooze…

stu29573, I wonder if Mark Twain ever wrote a story about going into space, or going to another planet?? I’m unaware of one, but it would have been cool!

Melissa, the pain… the pain!

K. Martinez, I guess when you put it that way, there IS a lot going on in photo #3! I just wish the sunlight was coming from a different direction, so that things looked a little better.

TokyoMagic!, good grief, I haven’t looked at that photo in forever, guess it’s time to dig out that 1963 issue of NatGeo again.

JC Shannon said...

Any pic of the river is a goer. I an pretty sure the canoe is getting up to ramming speed. Love the photos today. Thanks Major.

"Lou and Sue" said...


Stu29573, the last time I was at Disneyland, when you walk through the castle, to your immediate left, in Fantasyland, there's a new meet and greet area for the purple, pink and gold oleander.

Sue

TokyoMagic! said...

Ha, ha, Sue! Too funny!

stu29573 said...

Was it singing? How "magical!"

"Lou and Sue" said...


Stu29573, no, it was busy posing for pictures with kids and signing autographs, at the time I walked past it.

Sue

Anonymous said...

Great pics of the Columbia and the River.

Oleanders always meant road trips to me. Highway 99 is/was practically lined with them in all colors from Sacramento to Bakersfield, and I-5 from Sacramento to Oregon. Every trip to Disneyland meant hours of watching oleanders go by.

They are being removed from I-80 east from Cordelia to Sacramento and replaced with concrete crossover barriers, which is sad. Major, maybe this is related to the insect infestations you mention. This is news to me and not good at all.

Glassy-winged sharpshooters are a major ag pest and threaten all kinds of permanent crops like vines and orchards.

Thanks for the pics.

JG