Book Review: Little Toot

As much as I love trawling thrift stores looking for treasures, the fact is that I am actually pitifully, pathetically, and painfully bereft of the thrifting mojo.  But sometimes the thrifting gods (probably just to mess with my brain by instilling a false sense of confidence) smile upon me.  For some people, their benevolence can be realized in a coveted Catalina swimsuit in just the right size, or a pair of lamps with matching, fiberglass shades, or a Heywood-Wakefield side table for under a million dollars.  For me it is found in the uncovering of a childhood favorite.  Imagine my surprise when at the very same thrift store, where a couple of months ago I found a well-loved copy The Little House,  I found a copy of Little Toot.

I will be honest, just like The Little House, I never owned the book Little Toot, which actually made finding the book all the more exciting.  I was introduced to the charming story as one of the animated sequences from Disney's cartoon revue, Melody Time, as sung by The Andrews Sisters. 

Little Toot is the story of a boat who, in his neurotic desire to become the best and most efficient tugboat,  nearly kills two cruise ships full of unsuspecting passengers, myriad dock workers and pedestrians, himself, his father, and potentially, a bevy of marine life as well.  It is the unflinching examination of father-son relationships, betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption.  It explores themes of self-loathing, bullying, depression, alienation, and most importantly, water safety - pretty heavy stuff for a children's book.

The boat in question
Don't be deceived by his cheery expression; this is an
emotionally disturbed tugboat teeming with
psychological troubles, pent-up angst, and unresolved
daddy issues.

Anybody would feel discouraged if all they could muster
 was "a gay, small - toot-toot-toot."

Happy one minute, sad the next, they were going to rework 

the story with trains instead of boats and call it "The Bi-Polar Express."

(Forgive me, my intention is not to make light of depression
or mental illness but that one made me laugh)

Okay, so maybe I was reading a little too much into the story.  Truth be told, Little Toot is an eager tugboat that makes a few mistakes but learns some valuable lessons along the way.  Published in 1939, Little Toot is a solid children's book with amazing, watercolor illustrations.  Here are just a few of the plates from the book.  I think it is cool how consistency was not an issue for Gramatky; as long as the key elements were there, Little Toot was sometimes a cheery, pudgy-faced, button-nosed, line drawing and sometimes he was heavy-browed, awash in color, and had dark, shoe-button eyes.

Papa Toot

The many faces of Little Toot

My favorite illustration in the book
The blue and the red in the water had me searching
for some 3-D glasses!

I love how strongly influenced the animators were by Gramatky's beautifully rendered watercolors.  You'll see that now as you enjoy Little Toot, as interpreted by the fine folks at Disney Studios.  Come on, it's a no-brainer.  The Andrews Sisters, plus Disney, plus a zippy little tug boat - what's not to love?

"Little Toot" (1940)

I know there was a greater power at work when I found Little Toot.  Just the night before, Mary asked me to pick a song at random and sing it and what song do you think I chose?  Hmmmm?  "Won't you ever grow up Little Toot?"  With the forces of the cosmos on my side, I am currently working on a song entitled, "New Car, Free House, and Five Million Dollars."

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Waking the Dead: Happy Trails

Sunset Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary - Apple Valley, CA

Don't you love when things come full circle?  When we were very young, my grandparents took us to the Roy Rogers Museum.  There we saw all kinds of amazing things, including a fully-taxidermied Trigger.  My grandparents were great for taking us to some off-beat places and that day is one of my fondest memories with them.  The memory can't be entirely relived because the museum as it was, was moved to Branson, MO, and that outlet of western wonder has subsequently shuttered its doors as well.  Now the closest we can get to that sunny afternoon with my grandparents is the final resting places of those great stars of the West, so we headed on over to Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Apple Valley to visit the graves of Leonard Franklin Slye and Frances Octavia Smith, otherwise known as Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

"The Cowboy's Prayer" - Roy Rogers

In the dappled sunlight of what I like to think (although I have no substantiation by a certified horticulturist) is a cottonwood tree, is the final resting place of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, the King of the Cowboys and the Queen of the West.

Who knew Dale's birthday was Halloween? Spooky!

Obviously, as regulars on TBN, the Rogers were devout Christians.
I did a search for the meaning of the 33 inside the triangle and came up with some lame answers like
"Perhaps it was his brand," and "I think it has something to do with the age of Trigger when he died."
A more likely explanation was that Roy Rogers was a Mason and there are 33 degrees of Masonry.  Masonhood? Masonship? Masonism?  In looking up the significance of the 33 and the triangle, I was directed to all kinds of occult, conspiracy theory, and secret society websites...a little too creepy for my taste, so I'll just go with a simple,
"Yep, he was a Mason alright." 

And don't even get me started on their western wear...
If they weren't already dead, I might kill 'em for it.
(I'm a pretty terrible kind of a person, aren't I?)

Amber, Bobby, and Mary paying their respects under a beautiful desert sky.

The graves of the Rogers can be found quite easily; they are immediately to the left of the main entrance, under a shady tree and next to the fish pond.  As long as we were in the area, we decided to see if there were any other noteworthy headstones or wacky tacky epitaphs.

I was a little perplexed at the Sironi's marker.
Were they buying engraving on the installment plan?
Why do we know so little about them?
Their individual headstones revealed a little more about their personalities.

Trigger

Visiting Roy and Dale's graves was a bit like visiting the markers of my own grandparents', which I try to do at least once a year.  The very last song played at my grandma's funeral service, as performed by the women of her choral group and played on the organ, was "Happy Trails."  See what I mean about everything coming full circle?  So to you, I also say, "Happy trails, until we meet again."

"Happy Trails" - Roy Rogers & Dale Evans

Sunset Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary

24000 Waalew Rd

Apple Valley, CA

(760)247-0155

www.sunsethills.cc

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Rocks, Bottles, & Ostrich Eggs: An Epic Adventure Day

My very favorite days are adventure days!  Sometimes they are born of boredom, when we hop in the car with absolutely no direction and go where the wind takes us.  Other times they are planned in great detail, with a trunk full of snacks, a cooler full of drinks, good friends, and an itinerary eight pages long.

The itinerary, as thoughtfully prepared by Amber.

As I mentioned in my last post, we spent a wonderful Saturday with our friends Amber & Bobby, on an exploration of the high desert of Southern California.  Fortunately, the weather was ideal, breezy and hot - but it was a dry heat!!!  Hopefully you're in a comfortable chair because this is a very picture-heavy post.

Adventure day begins...with bagels in Bob & Amber's cool kitchen.

MORMON ROCKS AT THE CAJON PASS

Our first stop of the trip was Mormon Rocks at The Cajon Pass, so named because of the significant rock formations, created by shifts in the San Andreas Fault, and noted by the Mormon Pioneers as they made their way from Salt Lake City to Southern California.

To me, the most fascinating part of these rock formations was their appearance.
Now I'm no geologist, but I guess it is the extreme, windy conditions of
the area, that, over time, have created the pitted, pock-marked, but
 very smooth, round shape of the rock faces.  At such a stress point along
 a major fault line, I expected a much more craggy, fractured appearance.
And that concludes our "Rock Formations for Dummies" lesson.

Amber was a surprise to me on our adventure.
I never would have pegged her as the type to turn over every
single rock that we saw, looking for scorpions and snakes.  We
were expecting to see at least one snake because according to
our local news, this is "a record rattle snake year."

Much to Mary's dismay, the only wildlife we saw was this tiny lizard.

I took my orders from our fearless leader, Bob.
He was an Eagle Scout, you know.

Amber was pretty certain that every rock she picked
up was either an arrow head or a centuries-old fossil.
This one definitely was...a rock!

I'm not sure at what angle I took this photo, but for some reason it minimizes
 the rather treacherous angle of the rock face.  Trust me, this guy was
 a real climber!

This formation is called the "Happily Ever After Rock."
Not by anyone else, I just thought it would make Amber & Bob feel special.

Yeah, we hiked...kind of...

THE CALIFORNIA ROUTE 66 MUSEUM

Our next stop was the Route 66 Museum.  There was a car club there that I was foolish enough to not get pictures of even after one of the ladies snapped a photo of Amber and kept looking for "that blonde hussy," Mary, so she could get a picture of her too!  I also didn't get a single picture of their cars.  Thanks to Paul & Larry, volunteers at the Museum, I found a picture of us on their Facebook page!

Bob, Amber, Mary, and Mr. Tiny
(courtesy of the California Route 66 Museum)

Brownie was a stray dog that lived along the Santa Fe Railroad Line and was
adopted by the train engineers.  He was the unofficial mascot of the
station and faithfully greeted returning soldiers until one day he got
in the way of the 5:15.

The museum is filled with all kinds of authentic Route 66 artifacts including
cars, trailers, and water bags.  My favorites are the signs!

An awesome sign for Mahan's Hulavlle

The Hula Girl

After the museum, we took off on a helicopter ride over the
beautiful high desert of Southern California.
Or maybe this is really just a scale model of downtown Victorville.

The facilities were primitive, but effective.

I saw first hand, during our Route 66/Grand Canyon Tour
 last year, that Burma-Shave signs still exist along Route 66.

A fully-outfitted teardrop trailer

O.K. CORRAL OSTRICH FARM

Ostriches are weird and scary.  According to legend, that I may or may not have made up in my own imagination, they can disembowel you with one angry kick.  They are definitely prehistoric in origin and they don't smell particularly good.  Therefore, it was strange that I was so happy to be around them and take their pictures.  Could you imagine seeing one in the wild?  The weirdest bird that we have in my neighborhood is the eccentric lady down the street who built a wall around her front yard so she can sunbathe in the nude...and sometimes we see those wild parrots that make so much noise.

My favorite ostrich face of the day!!!
This guy was so cartoony!

Their beaks are constantly opening and closing (recreating the sound of that coconut shell horse gallop) and their mouths are full of some kind of phlegm that is probably due to seasonal allergies and the arid desert climate.  I was pretty sure they were saving it up to spit on me.  Amber, in another surprising turn of events, was not afraid at all!

How much do I love this photo?
Mere words are not enough.  With the right filters, wouldn't this
look like some 50's Kodachrome dream of your crazy aunt on a roadtrip
 to California?

Yep, they're doing exactly what you think they are doing.
I've seen more of an ostrich than I ever wanted to see.

ELMER'S BOTTLE TREE RANCH

The glory that is Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch is beyond description.  This one spot alone, would have made our trek worthwhile.  The only disappointing part was the absence of Elmer.  We were assured by our pals at the Route 66 Museum that if Elmer was there, he would come out and chat about his ever-evolving masterpiece - no such luck!  But the presence and inspiration of Elmer could be seen and felt everywhere!

No bottle, or piece of scrap lumber is immune to repurposing
 on the bottle tree ranch - even this outhouse seat!

Even though Elmer wasn't home, music was being piped
in through the rusted front end of a car or tractor.

LOVE!!!
I've always wondered - when the Santa Ana Winds start howling through,
 is it just like one big, never-ending jug band?

Elmer says, "I may not always make bottle trees,
but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis."

Happy to be lost in the bottle tree forest!

We were told that Elmer scoured all of the local dumps
 for pieces that could be used in his creations.
But where did he find the torpedo???

Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch is an homage to the long-gone, Mahan's Half Acre Hulaville.  The signs for the defunct bottle tree forest can be seen above (they are on display at the Route 66 Museum).

A carousel pony high atop a tree made of vintage,
glass insulators

NELSON STUDIOS

Our ultimate destination was Nelson Studios.  Amber told us that her dad found this abandoned studio lot on one of his adventure days and had since taken them back to explore the grounds.  Relics of long-forgotten films litter the premises and offer a look into a place that is very difficult to research.

Amber just kept surprising me.
I dared her to sit in this filthy, sun-baked, louse-ridden
Barcalounger that had been there for who knows how long
...and she did it!!!

The main building on the lot seemed like it was more of a storage space than a
sound stage.  The building is about 1/8 of a mile long and is filled with crumbling
 statuary, architectural plans, fiberglass molds, old pop cans, and assorted odds and ends.

The corrugated metal roof had been blown off (or removed for scrap) since
 Bob & Amber's last visit.  I'm actually glad; it made creeping around in there
 a lot less creepy because the space was flooded with natural light.

 

The property is covered in stone, cement, plaster, and fiberglass figures that were presumably used as set pieces or ???  Almost every item is in pieces, but there was so much to examine and discover that we decided early on to save some room in the trunk for mementos from our visit.

This sea serpent/fish body was cool, but we couldn't find the head.

This mantle/fireplace surround was beautiful but much too big to fit in the trunk.

Our favorite piece of all was the gargoyle, but it was far too heavy, not to mention cemented into the ground, to realistically excavate and bring home.  We had to settle for taking our pictures with it.

I make apologies for neither my poses nor  my hair on adventure day!!!

A Mary-atid
(Art/Architecture history nerds will get that one)

Mary decided on this partial face.
I took some reliefs of horses heads that looked like
they were part of a larger frieze.

I will leave you to draw your own conclusions on this particular artifact,
which was mercifully left in the dust for some other scavenger.

It was funny being at Nelson Studios because all of the remaining
 design elements were Greco-Roman and Egyptian in style, so
 we really got the feeling that we were digging through ancient ruins.

Who's to say we didn't just hop a flight to ancient Greece?

 There is not one complete building on the whole of the grounds; some
were demolished, some ransacked, some left to the ravages of weather and time,
 and some were burned.  Here's a tip: when the fire starts burning, don't waste
 time looking up the number for the fire department; just dial 9-1-1!!!

Amber, Mary, and Bob stand on a bridge that
crosses what was once a man-made lake. 

Apparently it was deep enough to film water scenes or at least
float around in a row boat on a lazy summer day.

One of the buildings on the property was encrusted in bricks,
mortar, and stucco.  Upon further inspection, it became clear
 what the building was - a 1960's mobile home that had a
facade built around it.  The Hollywood tradition of smoke
 and mirrors continues!!!  The original refrigerator and
 wallpaper were left unchanged.

Groovy wallpaper...

Sadly, I couldn't gather much information on Robert Nelson or his studios in one of my famously perfunctory Google searches.  The only thing I could find was a picture of the studio's water tower on someone's tumblr.  One of the comments on the photo indicated that the studio was in operation into the mid- 90's and that old man Nelson was eccentric, kind, and rich in not much more than interesting stories.

According to locals, The Ace Motel is the place where
Robert Nelson spent his final days, penniless and alone.
The sign looks very similar to the Green Spot Motel
 sign found at the Route 66 Museum.

Was that enough adventure for you or what?  I hope it wasn't too much because I even left out a few minor stops AND we still have a couple more posts from our epic adventure day.  Thanks Bob and Amber for a wonderful day!  I hope that she's already hard at work on the itinerary for our next adventure!!!

"Donald's Ostrich" (1937)

* On an entirely unrelated note, we are closing in on 100 followers - not a huge number for some of you big-time bloggers out there, but extremely surprising and gratifying for us here at wacky tacky!  When we reach 100 followers, we are going to sponsor our very first GIVEAWAY (details to follow)!  So, please encourage your friends to follow us here and on facebook.  Thanks for following and participating!


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny