Roadie: Downtown Ketchikan, Alaska

Set at the southernmost entrance to Alaska's famed Inside Passage,
Ketchikan is thought of as the beginning of to "The Last Frontier."(6/30/2019)

My wife and I have not previously thought of ourselves as cruise-type travelers, but after spending five of a seven day cruise "in" Alaska (including three on port excursions to Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway), I am unsure there is any other way to comfortably scratch the complex surface of this non-contiguous state any other way.

Each city was geographically isolated from one another by large bodies of water and lush woodlands. Cruising by ship from port-to-port was much more cost effective and efficient than taking prop planes or small water craft. This mode of travel also allowed for multiple opportunities to view the natural wonders of Alaska's temperate rain forest (as well as glaciers and the resulting mountains) from a distance. First stop, after flying out following a single one night in Seattle, Washington, Ketchikan.

Once a Tlingit fishing camp, Ketchikan is now a sleepy town
and tourist attraction. (6/30/2019)

Ketchikan is located near the southern most tip of Alaska's pan-handle on the eastern coast of Revillagideo Island at the heart of the Tongass National Forest.

"Ketchikan" is Tlingit for "Thundering Wings of an Eagle," hence the statue that greets
visitors immediately after entering town. (6/30/2019)

Numerous totem poles, some of which tell stories and others that
memorialize historic figures are plentiful throughout the village. (6/30/2019)

The majority of totems are replicas of those previously destroyed
by settlers and missionaries. (6/30/2019)

Settlers built their homes, stores and brothels on stilts which have since
been reinforced. (6/30/2019)

Original home of famed "lady of the night" Dolly Arthur. (6/30/2019)

(6/30/2019)

Two of Alaska's most significant financial forces: salmon fishing 

and tourism. (6/30/2019)

Ketchikan Creek Waterfall. (6/30/2019)

Guess what secret path husbands would use to go home following a 

night out? Married Man's Trail, of course! (6/30/2019)

It was good too see that totems were in ready 

supply. (6/29/2019)

Only about 90 minutes of our stop in Ketchikan was spent in the town. There we walked the streets took in some of the local art and partook of some famous coffee. A recurring motif that we first became aware of in these tourist towns was the pervasive presence of (too) many jewelry stores on Main Street. These are apparently owned by the companies that run the cruise ships operations). We were much more interested in the history, wildlife, and landscape than tchotchke, though we did pick-up a few odds-and-ends for family back home.

Doll Collector: DC Direct Batman Incorporated Series 1 Man-of-Bats Action Figure

My Man-of-Bats still safely sealed in his tomb box.

To commemorate the publication this past New Comic Book Wednesday of the final issue of Grant Morrison's Batman Inc. series, it seems like a good time to dig into the toy box and share a recent acquisition. based upon a character that I had not had an appreciation of prior to reading the DC Comics series Batman Inc.:  the Native American Batman, Man-of-Bats.

Photo from
actionfigurepics.com.

Once I got on board with the title, just prior to the soft-reboot/non-reboot that was DC's New 52 initiative, I quickly gained a respect for Morrison's take on the character and his partner/son Little/Red Raven. Originally created wa-a-ay back in 1954 by Ed Herron and Sheldon Moldoff, Man-of-bats continued to demonstrate Morrison's ability to take old throwaway concepts and give them new life and weight. It was this added dimension that prompted me to seek out a the only figure my research showed had been molded for the character, the DC Direct Batman Incorporated Series 1 Man-of-Bats Action Figure.

Getting my hands on one proved a little more challenging than I had thought it would, as I first went to my local comic store hoping they may have one among there vast collecting of action figures and collectibles. Once I quickly learned that not only did they not have one, but that they could no longer be ordered, I went the traditional collector's route and found one very reasonably priced ($7.99, significantly lower than the original $16.99-$23.99 list prices) online.

As an action figure, the DC Direct Man-of-Bats is a fairly standard issue toy; standing 6.75" tall and with minimal articulation, it appears clearly designed for one of two functions: either to be played or marvelled at through the plastic packaging. The design is very consistent with the character's recent rendering in the pages of Batman Incorporated, which for me (as well as they low cost) was the carrot.

Let's face it, it is not as though I am going to remove it from the box and set up battle scenarios with my Jonah Hex figures... but, then again, you never know.

What's in a Name?

Spelling errors aside, there is an anecdote here...

Each day there is at least one trending hash tag on Twitter that requires some introspection whether silly (#tweetapicofyourfriendf*****up) or reflective (#itishardformeto), and as modern teen, my son often joins in the online community high jinks. I, in turn, (as a conscientious modern parent) "creep" on his responses so I have a clue as to what's going on.

A few weeks ago the Twitter exchange above took place between he and I, following his response to the trending #TweetANameYouAlmostGot. As you cane see, he mentioned on oft-told story (more of an "exchange" really) wherein he had nearly be dubbed "Geronimo" by his mother and I. In truth this was more a product of my desires, and ultimately it was her decision (rightly) to name him as he was. Like many young couples, we had spent quite a bit of time looking through baby name books and writing down ideas before settling on some names that would both work, and perhaps more importantly, appease our families.

I am a believer that there is something to the eventual response to the question "What's in a name?" but not necessarily that it is the seed of some self-fulfilling prophesy that the bearer can't escape. If you think about it, if naming resulted in a one-hundred percent predictive quality, why would anyone continue to bestow three names upon their child, as nearly any time some nut job commits a horrific crime they begin referring to he or she by their formal three-name moniker?

So, where did the idea of "Geronimo" come from? How was it that my son almost ended up with that as his name? As with many things in life, it all started with a poem...


Lifted from Public Radio's Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keiller website.

Since my days as an English major back in undergraduate school, Gary Snyder has been a favorite poet of mine. When I first came across this poem, it occurred to me what a great name Geronimo would be for a child, especially a son. Beyond the historical strength of the man, the tenderness and intimacy Snyder seems to imbue the name with, in describing his own son (at least as I interpreted the poem), seemed to result in a solid, strong, and sensitive name. Many years later, when my son's mother and I were planning for his birth, I suspect she humored me with even momentarily "agreeing" to it, I knew I had little chance in winning that "battle." In the end it wasn't about winning a fight, but about having a healthy baby anyway.

So even though we went with a slightly more traditional name (despite it not being so traditional in Upstate New York), his "nickname," Jack, proved to be one I had hoped for as well. Even if my son son did not get the reach name I had wanted, he has grown into a strong sensitive lad, so, what's in a name anyway?

Resources:
Remembering Geronimo on the 100th Anniversary of His Death by Gregory McNamee

Honoring the Spirit of Iron Eyes Cody

As is common practice, while awaiting the start of the Class A race this past weekend at the New York State Cross Country Championship in Elma, New York, myself and a few coaches walked parts of the course. While doing so, one coach , between talking points, finished drinking the remainder of a plastic bottle of water he had purchased. Upon drawing the final swig, he walked ahead of our small group of four, looked around and flipped his bottle into a small area of long grass just to the side of the path.

I happened to see this and quickly prompted the coach to "pick up your litter, there's cans and bins all over the place!" There were indeed trash and recyclable receptacles throughout the course and in the tent village where teams had set up shop for the day. This brief interaction prompted a short discussion during which one of my colleagues asked, "Do you remember that old commercial with the Indian who had the tear running down his cheek?" I did.

Despite a concerted effort on the part of communities, schools, and businesses to promote recycling, my friend still thought little of simply dropping his garbage on the ground. Of course, this doesn't make him "bad" or "evil," but it is indicative of a level of short-sightedness. Nationally, we may all be negligent in this regard.  I distinctly recall as a child in the Seventies, watching two television characters in particular do their darnedest to teach children (and adults) about the importance of recycling: Iron Eyes Cody and Woodsy Owl.

Star of the ad at the top of the post, Iron Eyes Cody was most famous for his "crying Indian" role in the "Keep America Beautiful" Public Service Announcement (PSA) in the early 1970s. It was an ecology commercial in which Cody, playing a Native American, sheds a tear after some trash is thrown from a speeding car and lands at his feet. The announcer, William Conrad, of Bullwinkle and Cannon fame, memorably declares: "People start pollution; people can stop it."


While Iron Eyes was a serious, powerful combination of image and message, I have always been  partial to United States Forest Service mascot, and spokes-bird, Woodsy Owl. Another environmental icon, he first came on the scene in 1970 for the first Earth Day in order to raise awareness in children and families for protecting the environment. Having been through a number of updates and hip redesigns, 40+ years later, Woodsy's messages of common sense conservation still lingers in my memory: "Give a hoot, don't pollute."

When my friend did pick up his bottle, and together we found an appropriate blue bin to drop it into, it was good to feel in some way the ghosts of those old PSAs past were pleased by the tiny difference this act (among many more) have made.