WEIRD WIDE WORLD OF VOO: July 2009

JOSHUA CHAMBERLAIN

1828 --- 1914

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

The other day I spent my noon hour at the Manti Parachute Plant showing the young ladies who work there the the correct way to fold a parachute. One of the young working mothers, I think it was Juanita Lorraine Odell, said to me "Mr. Voo, does one person ever make a difference in the outcome of a major event?" "Yes, Juanita Lorraine," I said, "one person can make all the difference in the world. For example, the story of Joshua Chamberlain comes to my mind.

Joshua Chamberlain was fluent in nine languages and a professor at Bowdin College, in Maine, when the Civil War begin. He enlisted in the Union army and gained the rank of Colonel. At the battle of Gettysburg, Colonel Chamberlain was in charge of defending the southern slope of Little Round Top. After repelling many Confederate attacks, Chamberlain and his troops were out of ammunition and nearly exhausted. With no ammo left, Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge at the advancing Confederates. His men responded and soon the Confederates panicked and withdrew or surrendered. Had the Confederates broken through the Union line, they would have overrun Little Round Top and probably won the battle of Gettysburg. Had they won the battle of Gettysburg, the South would have won the Civil War. Had they won the Civil War we would all be eating grits, watching NASCAR, and talking like Ferlin Husky.

Chamberlain won the Congressional Medal of Honor and served four terms as Governor of Maine. In all, Chamberlain served in 20 battles and numerous skirmishes, was cited for bravery four times had six horses shot out from under him, and was wounded six times. He was the last Civil War soldier to die from war wounds in 1914. Truly, one man made a great difference in the outcome of U. S. history.

SUMMER FUN AT ZIONS AND THE CABIN
JULY 2009

ZIONS NATIONAL PARK

MRS. BOMB, LITTLE LOIS, AND MARGO
Talking about the wonders of Obama.

LANE AKA TAGALONG

Thinking about the wonders of ice cream.

Two of the four Marthas.

Itty Bitty Martha and Little Martha

Little Martha and Mrs. Wank

Mona Lisa AKA Teeny Tiny Martha and Tulip

Some crazy broad who jumped into the pool with her clothes on.

Some of the family preparing for the hike to Emerald Pool.

Luckily, our group met up with the world famous Ranger Bob. Ranger Bob volunteered to be our guide to Emerald Pool. As a result, we only had one person out 22 hikers get lost and that was Ranger Bob.

Small waterfall

Opie and Tagalong

Four Dorks

A whole canyon full of dorks.

Some of the hikers needed oxygen.

The Two Brat Sisters

Short Brat and Tall Brat

CABIN FEVER

Tulip has one on.

Maddie is hooked up

Spike eyes Maddie's catch of the day.

Lane also caught a nice Rainbow.

Spike and two clowns.

Ferron Family Robinson

NOTE: Thanks to everyone who participated in the 4th celebration at Manti, the Zions trip, and the Cabin adventure. For the most part, we have a pretty great family. There are slackers, of course, and they know who they are. Don't they Bubba, Stainless, Marconi, Piper, Willow, and the Wank Brats? Pleae keep in mind that the core of our family has little patience for fun haters. Your names will not be forgotton.

KNOT OF THE WEEK

I forgot the name of this knot but it is a good knot for tying your horse to a rail in front of a saloon.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Respect the Bing."

...............Tony Soporano

VOO'S ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIE SERIAL

"FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE"

This serial was filmed in the 1930s and would play on Friday nights at the old Manti Theatre. There were about 18 episodes and is available today at Netflix or Amazon. It is classic.

Olympic gold medal winner, Buster Crabbe, is Flash Gordon.

The clay people appearing right out of the cave walls.

The Rock People looked stoned, but unlike Oil Can they didn't need viagra.

Flash and his enemy, Ming The Merciless, along with some space babes.

Ming The Merciless

(More evil than Dick Cheney)

SKULL PILLOW OF THE WEEK

OLD COWBOYS OF THE WEEK

Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy

VIKING MOVIE OF THE WEEK

"THE VIKINGS"

1958

Note: Karl Tucker took Jackie and me to this movie at the Woodland Drive In in Salt Lake in 1958. It was the first time I had ever been to a drive- in movie.

SLEEPING PROBLEMS

The other night I was having trouble sleeping. This is not unusual. What was unusual was the fact that I got up to let Spike out for a minute and noticed that it was snowing. Snow is not uncommon in Manti, UT, but snow in July is totally unheard of. I decided to make the most of it. I put on my winter coat, gloves, and boots and went outside. I let my artistic side take over and by morning I had completd the snow sculpture pictured below.

(see below)

SNOW SKULL OF THE MONTH FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2009

SKULL UMBRELLA OF THE WEEK

MT. RUSHMORE

Last spring I was rapelling down George Washington's nose at Mt. Rushmore when one of my companions, I forget who, asked me if I had ever seen any unusual clocks in my world travels. The answer was "yes." I have long been interested in time pieces and I have included some of them in this posting. For some reason, most of them seen to have a kind of a skull theme.

VOO'S DISPLAY OF UNUSUAL CLOCKS

RANGER BOB'S ENVIRONMENTAL TIP OF THE WEEK

People constantly walk up to me and ask "Ranger Bob, is global warming real and if so what can be done about it?"

The answer is simple. "Yes, global warming does exist and we, as the human race, can do something about it. What I personally recommend is this. For two hours every day turn your air conditioner on full blast in the high position. Next, open all your windows and doors. If you don't have an air conditioner, open your fridge door for two hours. Also, back your car out of the garage, turn the air conditioning on high, and let it idle for two or more hours. All these things will help cool down the outside environment and prolong life for penguins and sled dogs."

"Open it up....... "

....Ranger Bob

SCREAM QUEEN OF THE WEEK

BARBARA STEELE

Barbara was born in 1938 in Ireland and her most memorable work came in the 1960s in such classics as Black Sunday, Nightmare Castle, and The Pit And The Pendulum. She was just about always cast as one evil bitch.

Thanks for the memories and mammories Barbara..................

QUIZ OF THE WEEK

I have tried to swear-off any more quizes because of all the crazy people who respond but I have been out -voted and overwhelmed by people who want to be part of a quiz. So, here goes.

Below there of 6 photos of certain body parts of local celebrities. Underneath the photos are the names of those pictured . Your job is to match the photo with the appropriate name. Submit your answers via email or the blog. A winner will be chosen by my new rules committee no later than August 1, 2009. The winner will receive a season pass for two to the Manti Movie Theatre. Good luck.