Frog Spatula

An evolving assemblage of unclassifiable observations and artifacts with varying degrees of usefulness. Kind of like a frog spatula.

[wcmericle]

Hey Kid: The Art of Leopold Segedin from Ben Segedin on Vimeo.

Art: Leopold Segedin (leopoldsegedin.com)

Music: Hey Kid, by Michael Smith (michaelpetersmith.com/)

Leopold Segedin: A Habit of Art (leopoldsegedin.com/book.cfm)

[wcmericle]

ENGLISH PG TIPS VS. AMERICAN PG TIPS

It is a commonly known fact.  Tea tastes better in England. Strong. Milky.  It can wake you up in the morning, soothe you in the afternoon and gently warm you at night.  And it’s way, way better than the instant coffee they strangely have a taste for.  Returning home from a recent trip, we set out to see if the PG Tips we bought in the UK taste different than the PG Tips bought in the US of A.  The results were surprising and controversial.  I think for the sake of accuracy, we should repeat this test on British soil.

[wcmericle]

FOUR COUSINS CELEBRATE WITH BREAKFAST

Jeri’s Grill on Montrose and Western has seen a lot in their 55 years of 24/7 operation.  On this Memorial Day, four cousins stopped in for some eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee.  One was celebrating a birthday.  Another was marking the 16 year anniversary of their passing.  The birthday boy sported a fancy mustache.  The late cousin was in a fancy canister with a plush, velvet bag.  Both enjoyed their breakfast.  

[wcmericle]

RUNNING THROUGH WHEAT

Many years ago, I wrote a TV commercial for a pitch that had as one of its scenes, two little girls running through a field of wheat.  We won the pitch, which meant we needed a field of wheat.  The only problem was, it was winter.  And the only wheat fields were in South Africa.  That’s how I wound up running through wheat one sunny winter day in South Africa with my friend (and Art Director partner), Mitch.  

[wcmericle]

This video preserves two unique examples of percussive musical instruments, handcrafted by a Griffin in Illinois, circa the late 2000s.  Researchers believe they were utilized in various song and dance rituals in a typical Chicago home from approximately 2008 to 2010.  Along with the accompanying rhythmic sounds captured from the actual instruments themselves, take note of the primitive yet colorful designs, the disarming smiley faces surrounding what appears to be a star-shaped sticker and the artist’s inscribed name, “Griffin.”  

[wcmericle]

MAGICAL BLUEBERRIES

This recently discovered footage shows the harvesting of magical blueberries at a little known patch outside of South Haven, Michigan. 

[wcmericle]

TRYING MARMITE

A sticky dark paste, Marmite is the definition of an acquired taste.  I acquired mine as a teenager thanks to my dear pal, Rupert. We would spread it on toast and eat it with steaming cups of milky tea.  The powerfully salty and slightly tangy flavor at first makes you gag.  But eventually, it grows on you.  Perhaps that’s because it is made from yeast.  In this rare footage, we see two American boys trying it for the first time in an authentic English home.  

[wcmericle]

Burning Kid Art

If you have kids, you know what prolific artists they are.   Their work is powerful. Delicate.  Bold.  Stunning.  And since your kids are clearly geniuses, their flowing marker abstracts and original paper-towel tube sculptures are priceless treasures.  That’s what you tell yourself as their body of work accumulates around you like Tribbles.  You might frame some of the more dramatic pieces.  Stack them on shelves.  Maybe even buy a couple more refrigerators.  But sooner or later, you will come to your senses.  A friend of mine began wrapping Christmas presents in her kids’ art.  We decided to give a large portion of ours a Viking Funeral.  Watching it burn was equally powerful.  Bold.  And stunning. After years of lying dormant, these lesser works were given new life in the dancing flames.  It was transformational.  

[wcmericle]

GRITS, GRAVY AND THE GHOSTS OF OCALA

John Travolta has a house in Ocala, Florida with two runways.  When he gets a hankering for breakfast, he ought to fly himself over to his local Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and say hello to these Thetans of the Spiritual Universe.  Biscuits?  Or Corn Muffins?

[wcmericle]

DASHBOARD MASCOTS I HAVE KNOWN

 In an earlier post, I shared my full-time dashboard mascot – Icky the Turtle.  When it comes to road trips, we typically get ‘em fresh. Classic Bobble Heads.  Suction Cup spring wobblers.  Fast Food freebies.   Tourist traps.  Gas station impulse buys.   Accumulated at stops along the way, we’ll name them.  Take pictures of them.   Sometimes they’ll remain on the dash for months.  Choo Choo the White Bear (bought near the Chattanooga Choo Choo) remained with us for well over a year.  The key is getting them to stay put.  Juicy Fruit, anyone?

[wcmericle]

THE TOWER BRIDGE IN 38 SECONDS

Built in the 1880′s, the Tower Bridge is the only bridge on the Thames River that can be raised for passing boats.  I recently witnessed such an event.  It took about 8 minutes.  Observing the raising of the Tower Bridge is supposed to be good luck, since it only happens a couple of times a day.  Like hiding a penny for you to find, I offer up this video and wish you all the luck in the world.

[wcmericle]

YOUR BREAKFAST COMPANIONS?  

Here are some of the handsome ghosts you might find yourself passing the biscuits across the table from at the Cracker Barrel in Gallatin, Tennessee.

[wcmericle]

PANCAKES??  WE USED TO LOVE PANCAKES!

If you feel like you’re being watched as you crack open your little warm bottle of syrup and tuck into Mama’s Pancake Breakfast, well, that’s probably because you are being watched by ghosts like these, found in the Vero Beach Cracker Barrel.  Because they used to love breakfast, too.  

[wcmericle]

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

Katie recently started working at a Cracker Barrel in Kentucky.  Imagine her surprise when she noticed one of the vintage photos hanging on the wall at her station was the same as a picture hanging on a wall in her family’s home.  Yep, Katie’s Great Great Aunt somehow ended up in Cracker Barrel as decor -- keeping an eternal eye on her Great Great Niece.  Small world.  

[wcmericle]

THE EMPTINESS OF PAPERTOWN

The Diner still serves a mean breakfast in Canton, North Carolina.  And the mill still cranks out enough milk cartons to lace the sky with plumes of white and fill the town with the slightly rotten odor of sulfur.  That said, if you’re looking for a place to rent, they seem to have plenty of space available.

[wcmericle]

The Cracker Barrel ghosts of Berea, KY 

The American singer Red Foley was raised in Blue Lick, just a stone’s throw from Berea, Kentucky.  He graduated from Berea, High School around 1927, so maybe he knew a few of these good folks.  He, himself, passed in 1968, so perhaps he is hanging with them now.

[wcmericle]

AN OLD FASHIONED TRIBUTE TO A FUTURISTIC INNOVATOR

A glance through the Chicago Tribune the day after his death proves what an enormous impact David Bowie had on our culture.  How many musicians are eulogized on the front page, in the editorial section, in the business section, by the fashion editor, the arts critic, the theater critics as well as the obligatory music reviewer?