Whimsical

Journey to Ukazoo-Slide 14

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The Video Game

Journey to Ukazoo

Slide 14: The Video Game

2:00 p.m.  Level One   0 points

Just walked into the video arcade with a couple of people I connected with in Los Angeles, California. Off to my left, I heard the sound of coins fed into a video game by an odd looking chap. I only say odd due to the two multi hued mismatched socks he was wearing with tasseled sandals and a “sun glasses needed” pair of Lime Green Madras shorts.

2:30 p.m.  Level 3    3,386,000 points

The odd chap, I was informed ,was Oglethorpe Oscar Pearlynski, video-game wiz and semi-permanent fixture of the arcade. A legend. Oglethorpe once tried to make the Arcade his Postal address. At a level change, noticing a new face, he gave me a welcome nod.

3:05 p.m.  Level 7    7,910,350 points

Of the Arcade’s 65 video games and 17 pinball machines that listed top scorers, Oglethorpe’s initials, OOP, were at the top of every one except “Space Alligators”.

3:55 p.m.   Level 12    15,530,825 points

Of the 30 sets of initials listed in “Space Alligators”, OOP was typed in from 30 to 2. Number One was ALI, typed in three years ago. Arthur Linquest Ibecki’s top score, 71,417,560 points.

4:35 p.m.   Level 16   25,040,540 points

Oglethorpe’s top score, 67,752,750 points. His initials, for that game, typed in 3 months and 228 quarters ago. We took a break to get a bite to eat with the expectation of returning to check on Oglethorpe’s progress. As we left, a few regulars started to drift towards Oglethorpe’s game.

6:25 p.m.   Level 27   47,860,675 points

Just after we returned, I took this picture of Oglethorpe at level 27. A friend, Lewis, had just replenished his Root Beer and box of Popcorn. The few regulars now became a fair size circle of spectators. At level changes, Oglethorpe received unobtrusive pats on the back and soft words of encouragement.

7:30 p.m.   Level 33  63,950,105 points

A crisis moment. Oglethorpe’s right leg fell asleep and he started to lose both his balance and  concentration. Friends rushed to stop a possible fall and dispense karate chop massage motions up and down his leg till his nod assured them he was fine. He was nearing his top score. The circle of spectators now swelled to form a crowd.

7:50 p.m.  Level 35   69,360,800 points

With a tight grin of confidence, Oglethorpe surpassed his top score and both regulars and curious onlookers started making calls, taking pictures, and posting to internet accounts. Oglethorpe was locked in for the game of his life. Undaunted, Arthur’s top score was next.

8:00 p.m.   Level 36   71,810,350 points

At level 36, a special bonus Blue Striped Alligator Mother Ship and it’s subsequent destruction pushed Oglethorpe past Arthur’s top score. The place went nuts! His appreciative look and nod quickly silenced the crowd as he now maintained his focus on creating some distance.

8: 50 p.m.   Level 41  92,117,560 points

Clocking just under seven hours, an Invisible Three Headed Mutant Alligator, shedding it’s cloaking device at the last moment, wiped him out. Glassy eyed, tired, hungry, and badly in need of a bathroom break, Oglethorpe punched O O P in “Space Alligators” number one spot. After all these years it was now OOP/ALI and not ALI/OOP

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of Journey to Ukazoo Slides are every Monday Evening, Except Slide 15 which will post Sunday Morning, Sept. 8

Journey to Ukazoo-Slide 13

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King Me

Journey to Ukazoo

Slide 13: King Me

Aware of the crowd expected for the four-day Seventh Annual Checker Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada, I called in advance to reserve one of the last available rooms.

A 3rd floor room with balcony, gave me a birds eye view of an expansive brick courtyard where the final Adult vs. Adult and Adolescent vs. Adolescent Championship elimination rounds were held outdoors. Once the respective champions were announced, the much anticipated special “Adult Champion vs. Adolescent Champion Face Off” would commence on the final evening of the Tournament..

Last night, returning champ Linus B. Larra, won his final match to become the now seven time undefeated adult champion. Earlier today, against all odds of a family match-up, David, his son became the adolescent champion. Linus has never lost a best of five “Face Off” match”. He also has never lost a checker game to his son.

Game One began. Move after move met with soft ooh’s and aah’s, and occasionally punctuated by the roar of the crowd each time a player shouted “King Me”.

Linus, easily winning the first game, strutted around the courtyard like a rooster, pointing at his custom made “I am the Checker Champ-You’re not” T-shirt, and crowing “Yes, Yes, Yesssssss”

The second game was close but David just managed to win by taking advantage of an overconfident dad. This time a more somber Linus stayed in his seat stewing over his lost, waiting for game three to begin. David, defeating his Dad for the first time, wore a soft smile and a spark of confidence was ignited as he too, waited for game three to begin.

Game Three also started out very close but somehow, Linus, deep in concentration, failed to see his son’s corner set-up move and David was able to sneak a lone checker in for a second “King”. That move tipped the game into David’s favor and he continued on to clinch his second straight win, thus sending Linus into a full fledged tirade.

Down two games to one, Linus won the coin toss for first move of a crucial, must win, Game Four.

I took this picture as David struck with the game’s first “King me”. Linus, already having lost several of his pieces was livid and starting to lose his composure.

David, sensing the “thrill of victory”, made a bold calculated move to the left side, sacrificing his “King”, to strengthen his pieces on the board for an attack on the right side.

It worked, Linus bit at the ruse and didn’t realize his mistake till he lifted his son’s “King” off the board. David, over the next five moves against what little resistance Dad could muster, had called out “King Me” twice, before a stunned adult crowd and an elated audience of kids.

Linus, assured a certain defeat of game and match, rose from his seat and leaving his frustration behind, walked around the table to graciously shake his son’s hand. Linus found himself, with a tear swelling up, extremely proud of his son.

The crowd was ecstatic.

What a wonderful night.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of Journey to Ukazoo Slides are every Monday Evening.

Journey to Ukazoo-Slide 12

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Four Dancer's

Journey to Ukazoo

Slide 12: Four Dancer’s

 

My stay in Weidup, Arizona has been rain, Rain, and more RAIN. A slow steady rain with very few pauses. Two events I was interested in attending were canceled. The first, a two day outdoor Arts and Crafts fair on the outskirts of town, canceled due to rain. The other event, a Bluegrass concert some 40 miles North, in Kingman, also canceled due to the lead singer’s unexpected elopement with the lead guitar player.

With a third day of rain, reading, working in the sketch book and aware of a “Twitting the Thumbs” mood creeping in, I made my way down to Ned’s Diner for a late lunch.

Missing the bulk of the lunch crowd, the place was relativity empty except for two behind the counter teenagers, Phil and Rita, as their names tags implied. As they took their lunch brake, once things were slowed down, two of their friends, Nancy and Larry stopped in to join them.

Phil and Rita already caught my attention with their behind-the-counter levity but together the four turned it up a notch. Silly, laughing, goofy, and at times clowning around with their food.

During their display of comedic actions, one of their trays worked it’s way off the table and created quite a mess. I was near enough that I helped them clean it up. A conversation developed and despite a substantial age difference, the mood, talk, and the laughs between us made it relativity easy to become friends.

Rita asked if I would be interested in seeing, this evening, a High School dance recital they were involved in. The “One Night Only” recital was sold out but Nancy’s older sister took off unexpectedly to audition for an opening of lead singer in a now very shorthanded Bluegrass band, so an extra ticket was available.

I couldn’t  imagine what was in store for me based on the type of characters they had already projected in the diner.

During the recital, I was extremely impressed by the set design and chorography, as well as the level of expertise and commitment by all the students involved.

Phil made a singular contribution to a jazz piece and teamed up with Nancy for a 50’s bebop number. Rita and Larry did a beautiful ballroom waltz. Together, these four, as noted in the program conceived, choreographed and presented the finale, a tribute to an early 1900’s composer, Henry Kimball Hadley. They selected parts of three Symphonies he wrote, to form a Music/Dance medley that would involve all four of them both in the title as well as dance.

I took this picture as they performed their interpretation of the first classical piece entitled “Youth and Life”, which was followed by “The Four Seasons” and “North, East, South, West”.

After the recital and getting their well deserved hugs and congratulations they gradually transformed back to the four goof-ball teenagers I had encountered at the diner, the laughs and silliness back in top form. They even managed to make their way over as I was leaving and we shared several words and laughs before parting company.

In a few short hours I had become very good friends with a very special foursome, funny what a rainy day can bring.

 

Art Notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of Journey to Ukazoo Slides are every Monday.

Journey to Ukazoo-Slide Ten

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Spilled Milk

Slide Ten: Spilled Milk

 I didn’t start driving till late in the evening and after just a few hours, as I neared Roswell, New Mexico by some back roads, I started to feel a heaviness in my eyelids. Rather than risk falling asleep at the wheel I found a small secluded spot and pulled off the road. As I worked to find a comfortable position to catch a little nap I noticed the dim glow of a light up in the distance hills. Curious, I left the van and climbed towards it. As I inched over a small rise I saw, nestled between two stands of rocks, a very unique metal and glass home and just outside the entrance was a family standing around a small camp fire getting ready to make s’mores.

Startled by my presence, they nonetheless extended a warm welcome and an offer to join them for dessert.

Engaged in a “Getting to know one another” conversation while prepping for the s’mores, they recounted how while en route to a vacation destination they noticed the need to find a place for refueling. They had just pulled out of Warp Drive and needed to make a turn as they approached Milky Way which would get them to the next fueling station.

Henri (the husband/dad) insisted that they turn left against everyone’s else’s opinion to turn right and after traveling for several ‘Light hours’ realized they were lost. They ran out of fuel just as they arrived in this area and had no choice but to pull in and park.

That was 66 earth years ago. With no identification and possibly here illegally they decided to set up home in these hills while working to reconfigure their communication system so they might go home. Over all this time their system has produced only static, but as of late they have managed to filter in some classic “60’s” songs.

Their only close encounter with people was when they first arrived. The kids were out flying a rather large balloon they had made and out of nowhere some local farmer shot it down.

They have avoided anyone ever since.

I asked where home was and they quickly responded in unison “France”.

As the parents went to get a photo album to show me some pictures of their earlier travels, a couple of the older kids started to boast about how they could do this levitation thing with their glass of chocolate milk. The younger ones rolled their eyes and dared one of them to do it.

I took this picture just as Mom came back to find a rather audacious but failed levitation attempt.

A not-so-happy Mom proceeded to scold them, not just for the spilled milk but because they should know that the intergalactic law for levitation is “no one under 16 years old is allowed to do it-period”. Besides being sixteen, she reminded them, there are several hands-off training courses and tests required prior to obtaining a license before you can levitate any objects on your own.

She sent them all off to bed without any dessert, but after they were all tucked in, she at least, with a wink, allowed Dad to read them a favorite bedtime story, the universally acclaimed children’s book, “The Little Prince”.

Later, back in the van and on the road, I reflected on the evening of conversation and several dozen album photo’s of star systems, which prompted a passing question. Were they really from France?

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of Journey to Ukazoo Slides are every Monday.

Blog: http://www.craiglhaupt.com

Likes and Follows are welcome.

Journey to Ukazoo-Slide Eight

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The Letter

Journey to Ukazoo

Slide Eight: The Letter

 Stopped in Waurika, Oklahoma, and found a wonderful rustic looking Bed & Breakfast. Later in the day as I returned to the inn after a walk I found several of the guests conversing in the Dining area. Much of the conversation centered around trying to find a fourth for Pinochle, and not just any Pinochle but Double Deck Partners. Without hesitation I jumped at the opportunity.

Chad, Mitchell, and Trey, as my partner sat down in the dining area to begin playing and it was during our game that John, a rather quiet but slightly emotional owner of the B & B opened a letter from his wife. She had, several days ago, gone to visit and help out a sick friend of theirs. John proceeded to read about his wife’s stay and how during the caring for their friend “she gave thought to what it would be like to fall in love with him and continue to stay even after he had regained his health”. That, upon her decision to stay, she would ask you to “box up and mail all my belongings” and would you “send the checkbook as I would need money to buy fancy new shoes and clothes” and also “have someone bring over the cat too”. The page concluded with “These were some of numerous thoughts that went through my head”.

Reading this created several outbursts of, “oh me’s” “What did I do wrong” and “How could she’s”. I took this picture after John had dropped the letter and he started into the “should I end my life” phase of moaning. Janet, a frequent guest who was sitting nearby, was concerned enough to pick up the dropped letter and looking closely saw that two pages were pressed so close together you thought it was just one sheet. Janet took it upon herself to separate the pages, calm John down, and insist that he read the second page his wife had written that started out with the sentence “but that didn’t happen, couldn’t and wouldn’t happen” and went on about how she found a “reaffirmation of love for John….”.

After the major drama of the letter had subsided and we went back to our game, John regained his composure, relaxed with a glass (or three) of wine, retired to the kitchen to bake a batch of chocolate chips cookies to share, and took requests for drinks. I asked if per chance he had a bottle of a local brewed root beer. He did.

Double Deck Pinochle, exceptional Pinochle players, home baked Chocolate Chip Cookies, local brand of bottled Root Beer. I would have to say that this was one of those-’It doesn’t get any better than this” moments.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of Journey to Ukazoo Slides are every Monday.

Likes, Shares, and Comments are welcome.

Journey to Ukazoo-Slide Seven

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How to Spin a Top

Journey to Ukazoo

Slide Seven: How to Spin a Top

 It was evening when I pulled into Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Found a restaurant to get a bite to eat and at the next table over I met a couple, Jack and Kelly. After getting to know them, I was cordially invited to their son’s debut the next day of trying to spin a top for the first time, in front of family and friends, since reading a recently acquired instruction book.

To his family the act of top spinning was as important as learning to read and write, and for several generations they had won various trophies at Top Spinning competitions. Yet their son, Kirk, could not master top spinning-not even with the help of relatives, friends, How to Books, after school programs or even “In Your Sleep” instructional tapes.

His repeated failures to master the art of top spinning had effected him personally and I was told there was a period several years back in ‘01 to ‘03, after a very close friend had moved away, that his depression became so bad that even all the different types of tops he purchased were predominantly blue in color. Family and friends helped him through those rough years but outwardly you could still see the lingering effects of that period.

The instruction book he received was from a long lost cousin in Spain was based on some rather abstract ideas. The book took standard Top spinning instructions and illustrations and rearranged them in ways he had never seen before but to his mind they breathed an air of clarity where all other straight forward instructional techniques had failed.

I took this picture of Kirk, as a set up shot. He had just finished spinning his top for the first time but he wanted the picture to represent the reading of the book as the true reason he was finally able to spin the top successfully.

Afterwards, Kirk told me he felt like a weight had been lifted and he was walking on a bed of roses after being so down and blue for so long. He also decided that he was now intent on mastering Chapter 12, “Seven Steps to Spin a Top on a 3”x 3” Cube”. The cube is to him one of the more challenging tricks but after considering all the steps, if he took away “Two” the method became even clearer.

Great family, will miss them. After breakfast tomorrow its onward to Ukazoo.

Art notes:

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt

Postings of Journey to Ukazoo Slides are every Monday.

Facebook community page-Craig L Haupt

Blog-www.craiglhaupt.com

Likes, Comments, and Shares are welcome.

Journey To Ukazoo (Towson, MD Bookstore)

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I started a “Journey to Ukazoo” slide show on my “Craig L Haupt” Community Facebook Page, June 3rd. Below is the first Facebook post that includes a description of the “Journey to Ukazoo”.
I will be posting “Slide Six” Monday, July 8th, on the Facebook page. The intent is to post the next five Facebook slides (Slides 2 to 6) over the next few days to the blog as to bring it up to date, so “Slide Seven” on the Blog will align with the Facebook post, “Slide Seven”, by Monday July 15th. As I post a “Slide” with text each Monday afternoon at 5:45 on Facebook to my “Friends” and “Likes”, I will then post the same “Slide” and text to my “Blog” page for those on my art mailing list and new guests to my artwork who do not use Facebook.

June 3rd Facebook Post-Description of Journey to Ukazoo and Slide One:

Steppin' Out

By way of a series of small events in connection with recently displaying a few prints at Ukazoo Bookstore in Towson, MD and also securing an art exhibit there as well, starting the week of Feb 16, 2014 to April 13th, I have decided to promote the exhibit by taking a “metaphorical journey” to Ukazoo
I will be posting a “Tongue in Cheek” slide show of my “trip”, once a week (Monday) for the next 37 weeks, using images from past art shows as a series of slides of my “stops” at various locations in the U.S. as I “travel” to Ukazoo.
Besides the self-promotion aspect of generating interest for the future exhibit of new works, this slide show also gives those new to my artwork, a chance to see various examples of images exhibited since my first show in 2005.

Slide One: ‘Steppin’ Out’
This shot is of me taking that first step on my journey to Ukazoo. To be honest, the image is a little off as I do sport a beard and mustache. Now the hair on the other hand, or should I say ‘lack of hair’, is fairly accurate. The van is packed. Up front I have some tunes, my water, pretzels, and some homemade chocolate chip cookies and I am ready to go. First stop is Ocacoke, N.C.

All images and text are copyright Craig L Haupt.