“Twiggy, what are you doing?” “Keeping my mind off Friday. I’m smelling the roses.” “Great idea. Those are snapdragons though.”
It is Wednesday Story Day, and last week, we learned the plan to have American agents pick up Carolyn from the French and take her back to. The US in a private airplane. The question came up about the identity of the driver who was taking Carolyn to Paris. Pricilla asked her contact in the FBI if it was possible to ID the driver. The contact indicated that a satellite pass was coming up and would get back to her. I see her zoom call with her contact has begun. We better get back.
“Thomas here, Winters. What have we got?”
“We did get a shot of the driver, and we are running his image through the facial rec software.”
“How long?”
“A matter of minutes if this guy has a record. If no record, then almost impossible.”
“Yeah, I get that. I’m secretly hoping he is clean.”
“For Ms. Popović’s sake, I hope so too. Uh oh. I just got the info. Let me look at it a second.”
“That does not sound good.”
“Hmmm.”
“What does hmmm mean?”
“We have a problem.”
“Tell me.”
“It looks like the guy driving the car is one Andre Terrian with several AKA monikers. Long story short, he is a thug with ties to organized crime.”
“Any outstanding warrants?”
“No, unfortunately. Otherwise, the authorities could pick him up.”
“Couldn’t we call it suspicion of kidnapping of Carolyn?”
“There’s no evidence, and if Carolyn hired him, we would all end up with international egg on our face.”
“But we would have Carolyn.”
“Don’t forget the French Police Nationale are going to grab her anyway.”
“Yea, I got a little carried away. Do you think this thug intends on following Carolyn’s orders or is maybe working for Cortez?”
“There is no record here of Terrian being associated with Cortez. He’s pretty much a French thug.”
“it still makes me uncomfortable.”
“I know what you mean. Once they get off that train at Coquilles, we will all breathe better.”
“So, the train trip is about how long?”
“About 35 minutes.”
“And she is how far from Coquilles.”
“About thirty minutes.”
“your guys are how far from landing?”
“Two hours.”
“So, the French will have to hold her for at least an hour and a half or more if there are delays in the arrival of your guys.”
“That seems right.”
“That is not too long a time. Maybe nothing will go wrong.”
“Knock wood.”
“Yeah. You said it. If you hear anything more, let me know.”
“Well, there is just one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“There is a guy in the backseat as well.”
“What?”
“We can’t get a good look at him. He is all slouched down. Looks like he is taking a nap.”
“Just swell.”
“We’ll keep trying, but I don’t think this means too much.”
“How so?”
“The guy in the back is dressed like a college kid. At least that’s the overall impression. I’ll bet it is a boyfriend.”
“I think I need to ask Popović’ about what he knows about Terrian and a boyfriend.”
“Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem, anything, really, even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.
Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”
I am so pleased to be guesting with Victora Ray for an interview. She gave me some challenging questions, which caused some deep thinking. Victoria is the author of some pretty cool books which are winning awards left and right. Give her a visit and check them out. Here is the link
This week marks the 153rd anniversary of the debut of the first stock ticker in 1867. The ticker was invented by Edward Calahan, who configured a telegraph machine to deliver stock prices on a thin strip of paper. Whether you care about stocks or not, we have to visit New York and take a look at this thing. While we are there, maybe we can look around and see what the city was like at that time. Jump in James’s Olds, and we’ll be off. Oh, as a reminder, grab this list so that you won’t inadvertently do something to cause a tear in the time continuum. Who wants a shotgun?
James’s Oldsmobile from Eternal Road – The final stop
10 If you go, do not ask the operator for the price of the Consolidated Edison Stock. If you do, at best, he won’t understand you. At worst, he’ll think you are making up a name. (Sure Consolidated Edison is the oldest stock on the exchange, Min, but in 1867, it was named The New York Gas Light Company. The name change came in 1936. Don’t look now, but the operator is talking to that policeman over there.)
9 If you go, do not ask Tiny, the WWF champ, how his stocks are doing. If you do, at best, Tiny will be distracted. At worse, Tiny, who has missed several Personal Empowerment group sessions mandated by the court, will think you are asking a trick question. (Tiny does not have any stock, Minoru, and he thinks less of himself as a result. When he thinks less of himself, he likes to do things to others, making them feel less. I think you are about to go on a short helicopter ride with no helicopter.)
8 If you go, do not ask about a ticker-tape parade. If you do, at best, the operator will be engrossed in work. At worst, you will get a puzzled look. (The first ticker-tape Parade happened in 1886 to mark the opening of the Statue of Liberty, Misha. Right now, the operator is wondering what the heck is a ticker. That term was only applied to the symbol tape machine in later years and reflected the machine’s sound.)
7 If you go, do not ask for directions to Tiffanys. If you do, at best, no one will know what you are talking about. At worst, you’ll ask Alexander Turney Stewart, the father of the department store. (Stewart founded a store called the Marble Palace in 1846, Miska. He then built what is accepted as the first department store in 1862, which tool up a city block and was eight stories high. He is now wondering why you want to visit a place that only sells jewelry. Telling him, you just want to have breakfast there is not cutting any ice with him.)
6 If you go, do not ask if Central Park is safe. If you do, at best, no one will understand your question. At worst, you will ask Frederick Law Olmstead, one of the architects of the park. (Frederick, along with Calvert Vaux, came up with their “Greensward Plan,” which laid out the park to be a rural oasis in the heart of the city, Mjolnir. The park opened in 1859 and has about 2,000,000 visitors a year in 1867. Fredrick has taken offense to your question and looks like he will slap you with a glove. I think I would duck if I were you.)
5 If you go, do not ask for directions to Studio 54. If you do, at best, you will be ignored. At worst, you will ask Owney Geoghegan ex bare-knuckle boxing champ. (Owney opened up a sporting house at 103 Bowery known as “The Bastille of the Bowery,” in 1864, Modi. He now wants to know all about this Studio 54 business. He is willing to show you his bare-knuckle technique for the information.)
4 If you go, do not ask for directions to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. If you do, at best, you might get directions out of town. At worst, you might ask John Taylor Johnston, a railroad executive, and the first president. (The museum opened in 1872, Mohsen, so I think John wants to ask you a couple of questions about how you came to know about it. I don’t think he sees you knowing as a positive.)
3 If you go, do not ask if the city politicians are honest. If you do, at best, you’ll get a laugh. At worst, you’ll ask William Tweed, known as Boss Tweed. (I think you are in for a rough time, Monroe. You see, Tweed and his cronies swindled New York out of millions and were finally convicted of forgery and larceny in 1873. That doesn’t help you right now, though. That bucket of cement you are standing in looks a little suspicious.)
2 If you go, do not wonder aloud why The New York Herald does not have an evening edition. (Like you. would) If you do, at best, you’ll get lots of shrugs. At worst, you’ll ask Founded by James Gordon Bennett. (James founded The Evening Telegram in 1867, Montague. He is surprised you don’t know about his newspaper. Get ready for a two-hour lecture.)
1 If you go, do not ask about the absence of skyscrapers in the city. If you do, at best, no one will know what a skyscraper is. At worst, you’ll ask Bradford Gilbert. (Brad was the architect of the first skyscraper in NYC named the Tower Building, Montay. You see, buildings made of brick were limited to height. Brad used structural steel as his building’s skeleton and allowed it’s height to reach ten stories. Yes, Brad is looking at you funny since he has been dealing with the problem for years.)
Here we are getting close to the holidays. In Lakeway, there is a tradition called The Trail of Lights. This year Rona is not stopping the event. There will be distancing rules, but the trail will go on as usual. The lights go live in November. 20th. I thought it would be fun to go to the site and check out some of the preparations. Then after November 20th to come back and see what it all looks like.
We are going to take the bus and offload in the parking lot. There we will set up the lunch of Five-way Chili, salad, chips, salsa, and queso. We have a beer on tap and soft drinks. Five-way Chili is a Cincinnati original. It is pasta topped with chili, beans, onions, and cheese. Yeah, this is not your low, salt, fat, calorie meal. We also have Chicago for your entertainment.
So let’s get on and get going.
Here is a shot of some of the frames that will hold the lights
Some workers putting the tunnel of lights together.
Here is what the tunnel looks like all lit up. (from last year’s post)
A lonely frame waiting for more.
One of the two large trees.
A shot of the path. The city laid down freshly crushed granite.
The second tree.
More frames and path.
Nothing set up yet.
A machine shot.
A bobcat shot for Dan Antion.
This roller is used to flatten the granite and make the path hard.
Some characters are being set up as well.
Well, that is the tour for the day. I hope you come back when the lights are turned on. Please stay and have more food and listen to Chicago. Have a great week.
It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday, and here comes Linda Hill carrying what looks like a lawyer’s briefcase.
“Hey, Linda.”
“John.”
“This week’s prompt?”
“Or my lunch.”
“Yeah, I guess that could be.”
“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “ring.” Use it as a noun, a verb, an adverb, or an adjective…use it any way you’d like. Have fun!”
“Gee, thanks, Linda.”
Well, you heard it from the horses— um, directly from Linda hill. If you would like to have fun with the rest of us, visit Linda’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link.
“Yes Lucy it’s Friday and I’m taking the day off.” “Okay, Little One. You relax I’ll get the kibble.” “What kibble?”
It is Friday, which is known as Saturday Eve around here. Well, we have heard that the Rona Virus Vaccine is 90% effective in third stage trials. That is pretty good news. I noticed Ticketmaster has decided to start setting up procedures for concerts once the vaccine is released. I think it will be good to get these pesky teens away from books and back to the music scene. (Spoiler alert: That was a joke)
The lull between inauguration and voting day is a blessed piece of peace so far. I can’t tell you how much nicer it is without having to listen to the right and left sprew hate at each other. Of course, the pundits some blogs, and Twitter trending posts are still full of it, but they are easy to avoid.
I, for one, am glad some of the shows I enjoy are back. I can only watch HGTV for so long. (Well, dummy, it has been almost nine months, so you have at least that much stamina.) I have to explain. I only watch 45 minutes of entertainment a day. I prerecord everything and then playback. An hour network show takes 45 minutes to play. Then I watch the news for twenty. I guess I shouldn’t exclude news from the entertainment category, but I’m really after the weather because our local news follows the same pattern. 1. Hit and run, assault, or murder (If it bleeds, it leads) 2. Local school district and/or teacher angst. 3. Rona virus update (With no context) 4. Weather highlight. 5. Report from Washington (usually an insult to average intelligence) or Austin city report, which usually will include an update on those experiencing homelessness along with the mayor or city council members explaining why nothing can be done about whatever the issue happens to be. 6. The full weather report including the five day forecast. 7. TV off.
So you can see the time is precious and I want pure entertainment. There are ten shows recorded regularly, and I can only watch seven in a week. My viewing then usually lasts until well into summer.
Today’s JohnKu talks about rest for the mind. I hope you. all have a great weekend.
“What’s going on.” “My usual.” “What’s that?” “Waiting for Friday.”
It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week, we learned that Carolyn is in a blue Mercedes headed for the train that will take her and her driver through the Chunnel. We are grateful to the FBI’s techie, who decided to do some extra work in locating her. We also found out Lazar has some knowledge of Sandusky, the Rafferty’s, and Ned Dixon. He is not going to give out any information until he is sure Carolyn is safe. So, as Pricilla so eloquently said, “We need to concentrate on Carolyn.” To that end, I see that Pricilla has left the interrogation room and is on a Zoom call with her counterpart at the FBI. Let’s go there and see what we can learn.”
“So what is the plan agent Winters.”
“Well, Ms. Thomas, since we ID’d the blue Mercedes, it will be a matter of interception once they reach the French side of the Chunnel. I have been assured by my Police Nationale contact that they are already deployed to make the interception.”
“They know that Carolyn is not a criminal?”
“Yes, they have been informed of the circumstances.”
“What is going to happen once they have her.”
“She will be taken to the local headquarters and held until our people can get to her.”
“Where are your people now?”
“Last check-in, they were about 1500 miles from touchdown at Calais–Dunkerque Airport.”
“Is that closest to Coquilles?”
“There is another, but it is only able to land small planes. Our G600 needs 3100 feet of landing space, and Calais–Dunkerque Airport has 5000. Of course, it also needs 5700 feet of takeoff space, but the pilots assure us they can do it in 5000.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
“Not really. These two are the best.”
“Okay, then what happens.”
“Our team takes Carolyn to the plane, and we take off for the US.”
“Sounds pretty straight forward. Any idea who the driver of the Mercedes is?”
“We couldn’t get a good shot of the driver. There is a satellite pass coming up in a few minutes, so maybe we can get a shot.”
“Any way of hacking into the border cameras.”
“Not a bad idea. I’m sure the techie has thought of that. I will ask him, though, and get back to you.”
“I appreciate that. I would like to know who that driver is and how come he can drop everything to drive this girl to Paris.”
“Might be a boyfriend.”
“Yeah, that would make me feel better.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Nah. Just a feeling is all.”
“Okay, if that’s it for this call, I’ll ring up the techie and get back to you.”
“Thanks for all you are doing Winters. Thomas out.”
