Friendship House Restaurant & Old Dinty Moore's Corner In Biloxi Mississippi

See the post below this video for more about this fine old restaurant. Now long gone.
At one  point before it disappeared it was later owned by Brennan's from New Orleans.

The Friendship House

http://www.cardcow.com/97431/friendship-house-restaurant-cottage-biloxi-mississippi/

Click on the photos to enlarge them.
I wanted to find an old Friendship House menu and lo and behold here it is.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Back In The Day And Gus Stevens Menu

Click on the two pictures above to enlarge them.

I have several other posts on this blog about Gus Stevens Restaurant. Click on the names in the Labels box below to find them.

That menu above is really appetizing. And look at those low prices.

I  wish I could find a menu for the old Friendship House Restaurant on the Gulf Coast. They had a stuffed flounder with crab meat that was delicious. I found one. Look at the post above this one.

Rick Vinson - The Hands of Time...... Includes Some Old Photos Of Kirbyville Texas 1955

This is a good song and some nice pictures from back in the day. Some nice old pictures of Kirbyville, Texas from 1955.
The picture above is of yours truly taken in 1955 just outside Kirbyville Texas. That is a power line that ran behind our house.
I am holding a plastic pistol that only shot rubber bands.
Look on this blog for more pictures taken that day. And for many more pictures of Kirbyville back then.
Old Photos of downtown Kirbyville Texas by D.T. Kent
Just click on the Label in the box below for Kirbyville Texas 1955.
Then click on the Label below that says Kirbyville Texas for many more different posts and pictures about Kirbyville.

Erika Lewis and Tuba Skinny - Yellow Dog Blues (Easy Rider)

Erika Lewis belting the blues.
For some strange reason this band sounds best out on the street unamplified. I think Erika's voice is best heard unamplified.  And out on the street she can really open up and let it go all the way.
All the indoors videos are good but there is something about the sound outdoors that makes it sound even better.
   Also I get a kick out of watching the expressions of people passing by. Those who have ears and can hear and know this music stop and appreciate it. Those who don't know good music kind of slow down and keep walking and have a quizzical look on their faces like "What is that?"

Tuba Skinny - Mean Blue Spirits - New Orleans 2010.wmv

Imagine walking on the streets of New Orleans and coming upon this.

Tuba Skinny with Shaye Cohn playing Piano - "Blue and Lonesome" - Spott...

Go to Youtube and read the comments about Shaye Cohn. This answers a lot about why this band is so good.
  According to the comments in the video shown above Shaye Cohn is the granddaughter of jazz musician Al Cohn. And she plays 4  instruments.  She is the driving force behind this band and now I know why they are so good. And Erika Lewis is something special as a jazz/blues singer.

Umbria Jazz Festival Perugia Italy

http://www.umbriajazz.it/Mediacenter/FE/CategoriaMedia.aspx?idc=180&explicit=SI

http://www.tubaskinny.tk/

Above is one of their CDs. Click on the link below to hear some of it.
http://tubaskinny.bandcamp.com/album/garbage-man

Tuba Skinny will be playing at the Umbria Jazz Festival starting July 6th 2012.
Click on the links above for more on their schedule.

Lindy Focus 2010 Solo Charleston Contest with Tuba Skinny

Erika Lewis at Preservation Hall 4-15-2012

What Really Happens At A First 100 Event At The Opening Of A New Chick-Fil-A

http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Locations/First-100

I went to this first 100 event at the new Falls Church Chick-Fil-A mainly to see for myself what really goes on at these events.
  I got there about 5 a.m. on the Wednesday before the Thursday real opening. On the Chick Fil A home page on line they tell people to come before 6am. Only people who arrive before 6a.m. on the Wednesday before a thursday opening can take part in the lottery.
If more than 100 people show up they hold a lottery and hand out tickets with numbers and then 100 names are drawn. About 150 people showed up before 6a.m.
The catch is that those 100 "lucky" people have to stay all day and all night in a parking lot roped off like a pen. That is what they called it. A pen. Just like cattle or sheep or maybe chickens.

When I found that out I did not want to stay but I did just to see what unfolded. People yelled and screamed and high fived when their numbers were called.
   Then they got a paper bracelet and had to go inside the restaurant and wait and fill out a sign a waiver against any legal claims they might make.
   I was wondering what I would do if my number was called since I did not plan to stay for 24 hours in a parking lot.
   Luckily my number was not called. Then then lady told us to wait and they would give to the remaining 50 or so people a coupon for a free chicken sandwich and also a free breakfast entree.
I felt like I had won because I could leave and the "lucky" 100 could not leave. They would be stuck in that parking lot for 24 hours.
    I enjoyed the whole event though. The crowd was mostly 20 somethings. You have to be over 18 with an ID to prove it to enter.
There were a few older people there also. Not many.  I wondered how many of the older people really would stay.One guy told me he had a doctor's appointment. I guess he will have to miss that.
   Since winning only gets you one free meal a week for a year it hardly seems worth it.
One young person called it "Occupy Chick Fil A".
    Then I went on down to my local McDonalds and ran into Orin Andrus and he told me he had been there the night before and they had had a special opening with free food. They let him in even thouogh some people had reservations for that event.
  He had a really good meal and they gave him some free coupons to had out to his friends. He gave me and four other people coupons good for one Chick Fil A Chicken Sandwich.
So I will go back in the morning and see how the all nighters are doing and watch the real opening of the restaurant at 6a.m. 

Several women were dressed in cow outfits({a chick fil a slogan is cows saying Eat More Chicken).
  One of the cow outfits had a large fake set of udders in the stomach. Truly a bit of Americana. Nothing is too vulgar for Americans

Thursday morning 5:30 a.m. I went back up to the new Chick Fil-A to see how the event ended. All the overnight campers were getting up and bringing down their tents and rolling up their sleeping bags.
Many had large tents and many looked like they had brought their children and family members.
  I found out that Chick Fil A had fed them breakfast lunch and dinner.
At 6am the first 100 were given white t shirts that said I Love Chick Fil A. Instead of the word love it had a large red heart. I heart Chick Fil A.
  Then they lined up and were given paper hats like soda jerks used to wear. They were told to yell EAT MORE CHICKEN on the count of three.
There was a guy from ABC Channel 7 filming the event. I asked him "Are you sure this is news?
He said they cover every opening and he had been to many many of them.
  The the first 100 went inside the restaurant and were given their prize. They got cards good for meals once a week for 52 weeks.
I noticed they all left right away and none of them stuck around. I guess they had already had breakfast.
   Many of these people are Chick Fil A opening groupies who travel around like Deadheads going to every opening they can get to. 
  They were all very organized. So were the Chick Fil A people.
It is good to have them open here.

Bus Rides To Kindergarden In 1944 In Meridian Mississippi Around the WW1 Doughboy Statue

Click on the above picture to enlarge it.

My grandmother used to take me on a city bus each morning in 1944 to my kindergarden class in Meridian Mississippi. We would go downtown and catch the bus which would go around the WW1 statue and head out of downtown.
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMCW4T_Spirit_of_the_American_Doughboy_Meridian_Mississippi
I always enjoyed seeing that WW1 statue. It is still there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22552325@N00/253574623/
   I think my grandmother and mother had been programming me for school and somehow had told me I was going to college. Being 4 years old I didnt want to go to college then or ever. I wanted to drive that bus.
   I remember running up the aisle and asking the bus driver, "Do you have to go to college to be a bus driver"?   No he answered. I said "Good because I don't want to go to college".
http://doughboysearcher.weebly.com/meridian-mississippi.html
   14 years later I did start college. I never did drive a bus. But I did drive UHaul trucks to California from Washington D.C. but that was transporting art for the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.

Chinese Food In Venice Italy

We went in this place. It was OK. Nothing special. But I was able to get some Chop Suey. It is hard to find. I always wondered what it is. Mixed veggies is what I got.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chop_suey

Chinese Food In Paris Delice Buci

I don't know why it is exactly but I really have a craving for the Noodle Soup shown above.
It is served at Delice Buci in Paris.  I always get a bowl for lunch if I am in the neighborhood. I will even walk a long distance to go there and eat that warm delicious dish. They have other good food there also.

This small place is located near the corner of Rue Buci and Rue de Seine.

Corner of Rue Buci And Rue de Seine Paris France Hotel La Louisiane In the Background

Click on the photo to enlarge it

Who Was Harry Lunn Jr.?

http://harrylunn.com/

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-harry-lunn-1196714.html

Harry Lunn Jr. was a former CIA agent who became a big time art dealer who more or less created the market for collecting fine art photography.

At an  opening at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. around 1970 I was talking with Walter Hopps who was Director of the Corcoran. This imposing figure suddenly appeared. It was Harry Lunn. Walter said "Harry you never come by to see me and you never call me".
Harry Lunn then replied, "Does that hurt your feelings Walter?"
Lunn was a money man. There is no entry on Wikipedia for him.
There is for another Harry Lunn though. That Harry Lunn was a Canadian football player.
It is interesting to me that often these dealers and money men are not remembered past their last deal.
Harry Lunn Jr. made it big time as a dealer selling fine art photography and he mentored others in that same field.
http://lalettredelaphotographie.com/archives/by_date/2011-05-13/2383/peter-hay-halpert-harry-lunn-tribute

You Are Not Special Commencement Speech from Wellesley High School

eech
I wish I had heard this at my high school or college graduation speech. Finally I get to hear a good graduation speech.

Woody Guthrie - Car Song

It Is Time For Bob Dylan To Do A Childrens Album... Froggie Went a Courtin'- Bob Dylan

Having done a Christmas album a few years ago it is time for Bob Dylan to do a Childrens album.
If I remember right Pete Seeger did a children's album and so did Woody Guthrie.
Bob can do songs like this one and  Take You Ridin in my Car Car(The Car Song) by Woody Guthrie. I think he has already recorded that song also.
He can add a few childrens lullabyes.
A few more suggestions: Old McDonald had a farm. Here Comes  Peter Cottontail. And she'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes.
Remember you heard it here first. Come on Bob do a childrens album. It might be a big seller.
   Have one of your grandchildren do the art for the cover of the album.
Or do it yourself.
See the post below this one for Bob Dylan and Dave Van Ronk doing the Woody Guthrie song The Car Song

Bob Dylan & Dave Van Ronk "Ride In My Car" Woody Guthrie Cover 1963

The Corcoran Gallery Of Art In Washington D.C. May Have To Move And A Good History Of The Corcoran Gallery Of Art By Roy Slade

The Washington Post today says the Corcoran Gallery Of Art may be forced to move out of D.C.  It is too expensive to stay and renovate. And they are losing money at a fast rate. Not surprising in a city full of free museums such as The Smithsonian and The National Gallery Of Art.
On the other hand this may be just a fund raising effort.

http://www.royslade.com/web/corcoran.html

The article above mentions a fist fight at an opening in November of 1972 between the Director of the Corcoran and another official. They are not named in the Washington Post article below article so I had to search the web. After some looking I found Roy Slade's blog and he tells the story. See his blog in the link above.
 He is very long winded and you have to scroll down through half his story to get to the details of the fight at the Corcoran at an art opening in Novemeber of 1972. The Director Gene Baro got a nasty cut on his head by the ring on the finger of the other guy.
The link below is to the story in today's Washington Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/corcoran-gallery-to-test-market-for-sale-of-building/2012/06/04/gJQAjHfBEV_story.html

Click on the label Walter Hopps in the Labels box below for many posts on Walter and his tenure as Director of The Corcoran Gallery of Art in the late 60s and early 70s. Those were the glory days. Nothing since has come close to the excitement Walter Hopps created in the art scene in Washington D.C. when he moved to D.C. from L.A. in 1967.    As they say you have to have been there. It was the 1960s and 1970s when "the suits" temporarily lost control and and the artists and the radicals took over.  

Above is a photo of Walter Hopps. He is on the phone which is where he always would be. That is the way he looked when he was Director of The Corcoran Gallery of Art from 1970 to 1972.
I knew it was not going to be Walter who was in a fight. No one would hit Walter in the head because he would never do or say anything that would lead to such an incident. He was way too cool  for that kind nonsense.
   He was always polite and thought and acted with a great sense of humor. Others were not so civilized.

The Diamond Jubilee River Pageant - News Highlights - 3rd June 2012

In case you missed it. It was quite a show. I watched it on CNN and BBC TV.

Diamond Jubilee River Pageant in HD The Best Bits The Queen floatilla of...

The Shard By Renzo Piano Tallest Building In Europe

http://the-shard.com/overview/

JERRY LEE LEWIS - WHATS MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS - ALL THE GOOD IS GONE - S...

It is always best to hear the original. So here it is. On a nice old 45rpm record.

Jerry Lee Lewis - Whats Made Milwaukee Famous

commander cody: what made milwauke famous (made a loser out of me)