The Ukazoo Journey-“Snapshots and Memorabilia”
Fourth week of Ukazoo Art Exhibit
“Island of Spheres Surrounded By Sea Serpents”
The next manila envelope at the bottom of the now almost empty box of mail had a confusing Postmark with just a series of letters and numbers which read “DZT4736L^-^B471c”.
Opening of the envelope produced similar contents as the envelope I received from Idaho, a letter and accompanying photo. I recognized the author of the letter immediately-“Henri”, the dad of the waylaid family I met outside of Roswell, New Mexico (Slide 10).
Besides opening greetings, Henri informed me that their communication equipment had finally been fixed (a found “bobby-pin” inserted between two circuits provided an electrical pathway to the main signal relay system) and contact with home had been restored.
Henri’s letter went on. “Back ‘Home’, relieved to hear our voices after 66 long earth years, our parents then held a bake sale to raise enough money to buy and send an upgraded star system computer app to chart a return course, plus, by Shipping-Pods, enough fuel for the return trip. ‘Home’, being a planet of vast areas of water, with a network of domed cities resting on numerous islands. Enclosed is an aerial photo from our long awaited approach to our home/city, ‘B471c’, which translates to your language as “Island of Spheres Surrounded by Sea Serpents”.
Henri explained, “One evening, when the city was build, four thousand earth years ago, a group of young space cadets were flying back from a flight-school graduation party. Noticing, that from above, the curled red connecting bridges to the smaller perimeter security spheres looked like the tongues of sea serpents ready to eat the spheres. Over the next several years, what began as comments said in jest, the residents’ gradually adopted the name for our city.”
Continuing to write, Henri, also noted that the space travel went smooth, but they did make one stop. A ’must’ stop for the family.
“During our earlier years in New Mexico, we ordered ’Delivery’ from a place we had heard about called “Spaceburgers” because of their “first order-free delivery” offer, but, while wonderful burgers and fries, we could never afford the $11,345.14 delivery charge for any subsequent order. The intergalactic trip home wouldn’t have been complete without stopping for another of their universally famous burgers and fries. The kids also had a great time meeting the local inhabits of the planet.”
“Wish you the best with your upcoming Ukazoo Art Exhibit. Keep well my friend.”
Henri and Family.
Such a coincidence, I will have to write back one day about my getting to eat one of those famous “Spaceburgers” (Slide 15)
This is the picture they enclosed.
Art notes:
All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt
Postings of “Ukazoo Journey” Slides are every Monday Evening.
New arrivals to the “Journey” please view:
Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com – “Journey to Ukazoo”
See “Slide One” for a brief synopsis.
Ukazoo Art Exhibit, OPENING ART RECEPTION of New Art Works, Saturday, March 15th, 2014, 5:00 to 8:00 P.M., at Ukazoo Book Store, Towson, MD 21204
Craig L Haupt 
I really like the story and the illustration. It took reading the story to figure out what was going on with the little red “lines” on the drawing. They don’t quite match the rest of the drawing and from the story, I don’t think they are necessary either. I just wish those little “wires” or whatever they are, didn’t need explanation and were a bit more self evident.
Thanks for the comment Aaron. The Journey to Ukazoo started June 3, 2013 as a self promotion tool for a secured Art Exhibit at Ukazoo Bookstore here in Maryland starting Feb 16, 2014. “Slide One” of the “Journey to Ukazoo” has some explanation of the Postings/Stories. I am using art images and the original titles I have created over the past several years and the idea for the Journey was to create a story (37 stops/stories in all) to one of those art images as if I was taking a picture at various stops on my trip. I am not creating artwork to match a story. So with each image I must create some type of logical explanation to both the image and the place I stopped in. I used a U.S. map to plot out a journey from Maryland to the West coast and back again. An example, I have a small drawing of two frogs jumping over one another, so I found the town of Kermit, Texas and used it there with a story (Slide 9) that also has references to the Muppet characters. It’s all tongue & cheek. “Snapshots and memorabilia” is just a tie-in to the Journey while the Exhibit is now showing from Feb 16 to April 13. Certain references from the “Island of Spheres are to Slides 10 “Spilled Milk” and Slide 15 “Spaceburgers”.Take care, Craig