tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66245227577041553702012-02-16T02:57:06.361-08:00Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.comBlogger5901100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-52103312658780235812012-02-14T01:00:00.000-08:002012-02-14T01:00:04.174-08:00

A lithophane night light. Jerry got this at the Oceanside Sunset Market while on our search for Magic Meryle. The mold is hand carved by the artist then he makes impressions in some sort of plastic. He said that each mold produces only about 25 impressions. That makes it a limited edition. He hand colors some. Others he leaves white.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-75443920793304432942012-02-09T07:19:00.000-08:002012-02-09T07:19:01.193-08:00

The one blog I read every day is Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle. Rex provides valuable insights into the subtleties of every day's puzzle, their use of tired words, video illustrations of featured words, etc. It is followed with lively discussion of the puzzle and Rex's write-up. It starts out with a "Word of the Day" that showed up in the puzzle. I also am a fan of Rex's Facebook page.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-76640815897750829382012-02-07T01:00:00.000-08:002012-02-07T01:00:06.475-08:00

A rice-filled, fabric froggie festooned in festive turtles. From Peggy.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-51077477484302006892012-01-31T01:00:00.000-08:002012-01-31T01:00:00.501-08:00

A bronze sculpture by Jammey Huggins. Our Link to the Past Our Link to the Past

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-8350279478064005312012-01-24T01:00:00.000-08:002012-01-24T01:00:05.005-08:00

A little bronze turtle left by Santa. The card Santa left with it tells us it is by Joseph Addotta. An elf?

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-65425597841900105662012-01-22T21:21:00.000-08:002012-01-22T21:21:29.842-08:00

Robert Nelson died recently. He was an experimental filmmaker. I hadn't heard of Robert Nelson but I had seen a few of his films in college. I was a member of the Tech Weathermen. The club had nothing to do with the Weather Underground. The Tech Weathermen was formed by my friend Walter Kubilius mostly to put on film festivals. It had some beer busts, too, I think. Walter would program the

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-51225824726138123252012-01-18T19:44:00.000-08:002012-01-19T19:44:40.820-08:00

Today we're protesting the House's proposed Stop Online Piracy Act and the Senate's PROTECT IP Act. Who among us hasn't posted some material that we don't own the copyright of? I've been living in fear of the lawyers because of one of my YouTube videos. I uploaded the Magic Meryle segment of the Rosie O'Donnell show to YouTube. I worried that I'd be hearing from Oprah's lawyers about that. I

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-50419756002425406952012-01-17T01:00:00.000-08:002012-01-17T11:07:27.457-08:00

A set of measuring cups in the shapes of turtle shells. They stack on top of the turtle's body. These were a Christmas present from Ray and Cathy.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-54874470036869212812012-01-10T01:00:00.000-08:002012-01-10T01:00:10.256-08:00

A candle from L'Objet (but the lid is on so you can't see the candle itself). You might remember our L'Objet napkin rings.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-40114730480907024722012-01-08T18:34:00.000-08:002012-01-08T18:34:38.394-08:00

For many years I've been having orange juice with my breakfast cereal. For a while I was even using the juice on my cereal. I haven't been a milk drinker for many, many years. Now I use soy milk on my cereal. For many years I've been telling myself that orange juice from concentrate isn't much more than orange-flavored sugar water that is fortified with vitamin C. I've been saying we should get

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-75422140379351816452012-01-03T01:00:00.000-08:002012-01-03T01:00:06.236-08:00

A turtle made from old sweaters.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-57033795224776884102011-12-27T01:00:00.000-08:002011-12-27T01:00:04.518-08:00

A plaque from La Pointe Pottery. This was a Christmas present from Karen!

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-50520268815425006742011-12-23T13:37:00.000-08:002011-12-23T13:37:46.345-08:00

I found some coffee cans at work on the "Free to a good home" table. I had made some solargraphs using 3-pound coffee cans I had gotten from the same table. I had made some with Guinness cans and quart paint cans. I found the smaller, 12-ounce coffee cans just before the summer solstice and decided to add one more round to the solarography project. I put the cans back on the chimney's spark

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-17883380290366135302011-12-20T01:00:00.000-08:002011-12-20T01:00:11.739-08:00

A nativity scene by Randy Chitto.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-72131018645639623322011-12-13T01:00:00.000-08:002011-12-13T01:00:04.952-08:00

A sand painting-like turtle ornament. We recently picked this up in Madrid.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-54945324434549952402011-12-06T01:00:00.000-08:002011-12-06T01:00:13.311-08:00

Another ornament. Etched glass. We rediscovered this one that had been stuck in a box marked "Stuff" for years.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-32051348206169473602011-11-29T01:00:00.000-08:002011-11-29T01:00:05.840-08:00

A little wind chime we got in Taos many years ago. It's hanging on a wall in the family room so it doesn't do a lot of chiming.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-32016550838099666622011-11-22T01:00:00.000-08:002011-11-22T01:00:10.421-08:00

Another horse hair pottery turtle from Madrid. Others of the herd can be seen here.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-61035482607812423222011-11-15T01:00:00.000-08:002011-11-15T01:00:06.965-08:00

From my underwear drawer. (Sensitive people who have been living in a cave for the last six months should not click on the following link!)  Does anybody need an Anthony Weiner-like shot of these?

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-79895332452851729492011-11-08T01:00:00.000-08:002011-11-21T18:31:25.000-08:00

A plaque from our recent visit to Taos.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-11424851261442339352011-11-03T22:24:00.000-07:002011-11-03T22:24:05.789-07:00

Remember the exciting news about Ms. Magic Meryle Cohen, Cohen the Violinist, being filmed by the Rosie Show's crew? Be prepared for more excitement! We set our DVR to record each episode of the Rosie Show so we'd be sure to see Magic Meryle. The show runs each weeknight. I had a bunch of the shows recorded and finally decided that I needed to free up the DVR's disk space. So I started playing

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-15746225628621603642011-11-01T01:00:00.000-07:002011-11-01T01:00:07.117-07:00

A soapstone plate from Kenya, seen with a soapstone egg and Eames elephant we've seen before.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-56449096263790395152011-10-25T01:00:00.000-07:002011-10-25T01:00:03.488-07:00

A sand painting for tourists (mass produced) from Galeria Ortega (next door to Ortega's Weaving Shop) in Chimayó, New Mexico.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-71678726611278183982011-10-19T01:00:00.000-07:002011-10-19T01:00:11.604-07:00

Yet more netsukes.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-15128007001113392402011-10-11T01:00:00.000-07:002011-10-11T05:54:00.700-07:00

A candle. It's on a plate that is bright green under a black light like a 1955 plate that Poss gave us. Uranium?

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-43430763156497836802011-10-04T01:00:00.000-07:002011-10-04T01:00:05.650-07:00

Nesting turtles (from Poss).  The smallest one's head is MIA. Here they are all nested together.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-26403278879697013182011-09-30T10:46:00.000-07:002011-09-30T17:40:48.948-07:00

Last time we saw our new concrete whose release agent had been hosed off. It's a nice color but a bit dull. It needed one more technique applied to it. It got a sealant that makes it glossy and richer. Before being washed and sealed: After: And what it looks like today with the stucco repaired, the paint touched up and the sun shining: Next project: The fence! As I've pointed out

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-62347868020509474082011-09-27T01:00:00.000-07:002011-09-27T01:00:05.071-07:00

Some mystery turtle hooks. These came in the mail a few days ago. No note. We haven't decided where they're going to be hung.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-49881836250395787702011-09-26T21:08:00.000-07:002011-09-26T21:08:46.995-07:00

The day after they poured the concrete we got to look at things more closely. We got to see the side of the house for the first time. You'll notice (you probably already noticed last time) that the surface of the concrete isn't your normal, broom finish. We wanted a finish that is more attractive. So we had them stamp a stone finish onto our walks. We also wanted something prettier than

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-76103832595979666532011-09-23T20:14:00.000-07:002011-09-23T20:43:10.119-07:00

When we last checked in, the framing had been completed. That was a Saturday. They didn't do any work on Sunday. Or Monday (it was a holiday). Or Tuesday. By 6:00 Wednesday morning a swarm of people had descended on our yard. A few things needed to be done before the concrete was to start flowing in just a couple of hours. Before this project was started we had been sending the water from our

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-25704677997825250162011-09-21T22:12:00.000-07:002011-09-21T22:12:39.514-07:00

In Part 4 we saw a ditch being dug under the new walkway near the septic tank. Well, here's the pipe in its full glory: We occasionally have problems with the drain and we have to get a plumber to visit to clear a clog. Whoever built this house didn't think to have any cleanouts on the line. The plumbers would have to remove a toilet to get to the pipe to shove their auger down. One plumber

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-60342374206100227302011-09-20T01:00:00.000-07:002011-09-20T01:00:05.713-07:00

A beach towel. I have no idea where it came from.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-42235167655723950742011-09-18T20:09:00.000-07:002011-09-18T20:09:21.725-07:00

The old concrete has mostly been removed. There are bits that have to be done with a bit more deftness than can be accomplished with their front loader. Around the pipe leading into the house, for example. But it has been cleared away enough to start framing the new walks. Going clockwise around the house here's the side of the garage. There is no art on the wall. The front of the house:

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-78972629705758045352011-09-14T20:49:00.000-07:002011-09-14T20:49:46.517-07:00

Here comes the second day of demolition! Last time we were going around the house in a counterclockwise direction. We had made it to the garden room. Continuing around the house that evening we saw this: The next day we came home to this: You might remember the view of the front of the house from the previous episode. This is what it looked like the next day: No more walkway along the

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-8774457822265536112011-09-13T01:00:00.000-07:002011-09-13T01:00:07.900-07:00

A beaded coin purse.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-50449626443588626032011-09-11T21:08:00.000-07:002011-09-11T21:23:45.549-07:00

A few years ago, we hired a landscape designer to come up with a plan for what we can do with our yard. She came over and got ideas from us about what we wanted. She measured the property and went off. When her initial plans were done we had a meeting to go over some drawings she had made. I told her that the septic tank is where we pointed it out at the first meeting and it couldn't be

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-68745606145215540232011-09-11T00:01:00.001-07:002011-09-11T00:01:01.237-07:00

I think this is the end. Where did this fear of "666" begin? This article from the Los Angeles Times asserts that it was the 1976 movie "The Omen" that started the craze. Thanks for the clipping, Karen. I can't find a lot of material on the Internet that backs up this claim but I believe it is because of "The Omen." I don't have the energy or know-how to prove it. I'm surprised that 12

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-74992190887023410862011-09-07T19:50:00.000-07:002011-09-07T19:53:29.983-07:00

Colleen asked how the turtle made its way to our front porch. Well, I'll tell you. It's a long story. You might have read about our oleanders. All of the oleanders in the area are going to die of oleander leaf scorch. Ours were showing signs of the disease. Instead of waiting until we had a lot of ugly sticks in the ground like many people in the area, we decided to take the oleanders out now

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-37680554584716435582011-09-06T01:00:00.000-07:002011-09-06T01:00:00.617-07:00

On our front porch.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-86777411868056093582011-09-04T06:30:00.000-07:002011-09-04T06:44:33.926-07:00

Here it is again already: Labor Day Weekend. Time to celebrate Ms. Magic Meryle Cohen, Cohen the Violinist! Happy Birthday, Ms. Magic Meryle! We have something very special to celebrate later this year. Last week I got an email from meryle cohen with a question. She asked if I know anyone who subscribes to the OWN network. She might need a DVD made on her. She didn't say what was going to be

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-46192139729955046852011-09-04T00:01:00.000-07:002011-09-04T00:01:01.311-07:00

We're now driving full speed to the end of my Satanic collection. This undated picture shows the odometer of my old Camry. Taking pictures of odometers that end with "666" is a common activity. But I didn't do it while hurtling down the highway at almost 80 miles per hour, like some! Here's a newspaper clipping about the outside of a car: In an earlier episode of this series, I said I

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-61551336335721283962011-08-30T01:00:00.000-07:002011-08-30T01:00:08.732-07:00

A puzzle box. Assembled: Opened:

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-49792039412549774232011-08-28T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-28T00:01:00.102-07:00

Odds and ends. This hobby is odd. And we're getting to the end. We get to see some of the things that have 666 somewhere on them but don't have much of a story to them. Years and years ago, we didn't have terminals, much less computers, on our desks. We had to go to the "terminal room" to actually do something with a computer. These terminals didn't have monitors. They had paper. You typed on

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-77155347140668284552011-08-23T01:00:00.000-07:002011-08-23T01:00:06.376-07:00

A Mata Ortiz pot. I've shown another Mata Ortiz pot in an earlier installment.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-44246625320639522382011-08-21T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-21T00:01:02.309-07:00

"VII: You shall not steal." --(Roman Catholic and Lutheran version of) God Over the years, while nobody was looking, I've stolen order forms featuring 666 from places I was doing business with. I've sinned. I'm going to hell. I took my car to Sears for some sort of service, probably a battery died. While the person writing up my order was away from the desk looking something up I noticed that the

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-91900998728905408252011-08-16T01:00:00.000-07:002011-08-16T01:00:05.354-07:00

A horse hair turtle from Mom. Shown with the miniature by Daniel P. Kronberg we got at Shidoni a few years ago. The turtle is getting a little unraveled.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-58254083136497155932011-08-14T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-14T00:01:02.308-07:00

Peggy has sent me many 666 items over the years. Here are my favorites of the treasures she's given me. These live on my computer desk. It's a bottle of 666 Cold Preparation made by Monticello Drug Company in Jacksonville, Fla., and an advertising fan. They still sell products with that name but they've been reformulated since this bottle was sold. Here's a closer picture of the box. 666

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-67200210501372276322011-08-13T09:30:00.000-07:002011-08-13T09:30:58.700-07:00

It has happened again! Our very nice neighbors left two big grocery bags packed with Valencia oranges on our doorstep. Juice! A half-gallon of fresh orange juice! And that's only the first bag of oranges! And this happened just as my pitcher of orange juice from concentrate was down to its last swallow. Such good timing! The bag that's left weighs 11 pounds. Another half-gallon of fresh juice

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-50205401449130118982011-08-09T01:00:00.001-07:002011-08-09T01:00:00.827-07:00

A painting by Linda Herzog. The Tortoise and the Hare

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-12560248314074819032011-08-07T00:01:00.000-07:002011-08-07T00:01:01.753-07:00

Money talks... ...the language of Satan! I mentioned before that people seem to think anything with a number must be the mark of the Beast. What is more common in peoples' lives than paper money. Each and every piece is uniquely identified with a serial number. Money is Satan's tool! It's been proven! The only safe currency is gold! NOT! I've collected money that features "666" in their serial

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-26513688473737136222011-08-02T01:00:00.000-07:002011-08-02T01:00:09.577-07:00

Plush toys. Left to right: Shelly — A first generation Puffkin (from Peggy) Peekaboo — A Beanie Baby (from Mom) A Canned Critter (from Karen). The can must be somewhere...the turtle used to sit on a shelf sticking out of the can.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-34284809127657423042011-07-31T00:01:00.000-07:002011-07-31T00:01:00.188-07:00

Satan is in the news. Here come some of my newspaper clippings that discuss 666 issues. My sisters contributed some of this week's material. Thanks for looking out for me, sisters! The Los Angeles Times had a feature "Only in L. A." where odd stories from Los Angeles were shared. Occasionally they had some 666 bits. I have two copies of the above story. One is folded so it could fit into an

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-30745943737948802942011-07-26T01:00:00.000-07:002011-07-26T01:00:01.928-07:00

A silver pendant by Matthew Cirello. The stone in the turtle's back is tourmaline and the one near its tail is an opal. Too bad I don't wear jewelry.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-28450686078033734082011-07-25T15:20:00.000-07:002011-07-25T20:39:21.751-07:00

Another batch of family pictures. Mom and dad took a couple of trips to Mexico in 1969 and 1970. The second trip was with Walt and Lupe Sullins. None of these are interesting to me. Out-of-the-way Mexico has no draw on me. I got itchy looking at the scenery. About the only picture that interested me was laundry day: From Carousel-27 A whole roll was not in focus. The first 44 pictures have

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-86248084450302567492011-07-24T00:01:00.000-07:002011-07-24T06:24:46.617-07:00

Ding-a-ling! Satan calling! When I got my first telephone I was in the 714 area code. The proliferation of pagers and fax machines necessitated the splitting of that area code. Orange county got to keep 714 and I got put in the new 619 area code. Cell phones became popular and there weren't enough phone numbers to keep us all in the 619 area code so it got split. San Diego got to keep that

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-2798422513267305762011-07-19T01:00:00.001-07:002011-07-19T01:00:00.868-07:00

A kiddie toy. You pull the little turtle that is on the string away from the big turtle and the big turtle starts rolling forward (the only way a turtle moves!) and a music box plays. The little guy is drawn back to the big one. The feet no longer work but the music box does. Here's a simulation of what they used to do. I know what you'll be humming for the rest of the day!

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-61858689519257170912011-07-17T00:01:00.000-07:002011-07-17T00:01:03.565-07:00

People seem to think that anything that has to do with numbers is Satanic since Satan is identified with a number ("666"). Kooks are afraid of Social Security numbers. Cars' license plates are Satanic. Drivers' licenses are the mark of the beast! What then could be more Satanic than Lotto? The California Lotto had its first drawing on October 14, 1986. Since I knew that Lotto and Satan were in

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-38191791088192529382011-07-12T18:14:00.000-07:002011-07-12T18:14:00.308-07:00

There's not a lot to say about this lot of pictures. Jack, Maggie and Karen continue their trip to Lake Powell and Rainbow Bridge. Karen's got some great earrings. Christmas 1977 is very underexposed. We have a grumpy cat. We warp ahead to July 3, 1985, when Mom had a birthday party at work. She had an admirer. We do the time warp again. We move ahead two more years to July 11 & 12, 1987 when

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-69135219177204081322011-07-12T01:00:00.000-07:002011-07-12T01:00:10.562-07:00

A boot brush. But it doesn't get muddied. It just hangs around the garage. Mom gave this to us.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-33093251554247234912011-07-10T00:01:00.000-07:002011-07-10T00:01:02.435-07:00

In the early days of the Intertubes, before there were web forums for very specific interests, before spammers filled your inbox, there was Usenet. Usenet is a distributed, hierarchical, threaded discussion system. One of the hierarchies that I followed was: rec.* – recreation and entertainment rec.humor – a free-for-all group to post jokes and funny stories rec.humor.funny – a moderated group

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-65957738596810505532011-07-07T09:15:00.000-07:002011-07-07T15:11:47.787-07:00

Earlier this year I posted a picture to Facebook where I said "Big Brother is Watching My Neighborhood Today." It was a picture of a Google Street View car parked in the lot where I had gone for groceries. For the comfort and convenience of my non-Facebook friends, here's the picture: Big Brother is Watching For some reason, I looked at their Street View of that parking lot today. Well,

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-55947623908632140732011-07-05T21:02:00.000-07:002011-07-05T21:06:35.982-07:00

Last time, we saw Karen and Jack on a trip to see three of his sisters. They continue their trip in this installment. They visit Herbie and see sights in the Los Angeles area. I have a poor memory. I was living in the L. A. area at the time but I have no memory of this visit. Maybe Karen can tell me if they saw me. Somehow I think not. I'm not in any of the pictures. They saw:Disneyland

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-42439479798025066672011-07-05T01:00:00.000-07:002011-07-05T01:00:02.475-07:00

Over the years we've gotten a lot of turtles that are no longer on display. These are languishing in the garage in a box marked "Turtles." Some of them are kind of nice.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-87830387638470702302011-07-03T00:01:00.000-07:002011-07-04T20:32:37.906-07:00

Last week I told you about our drive down the Devil's Highway. Unfortunately, my car didn't carry the mark of the beast. Each time I buy a new car I wait on pins and needles for my license plate to arrive hoping that its numbers will be "666." It hasn't happened yet. I need to buy more cars. Long ago, I went to California's DMV web site to see about a special license plate. I once saw a little

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-38906765252462443282011-07-02T15:26:00.000-07:002011-07-25T15:22:25.558-07:00

Picture time again! Karen became quite the traveler in the mid-1970s. She had been to Emporia and now finishes the trip to Washington, DC, that she started in the last batch of pictures. In this batch of pictures that takes us from April, 1975, to Summer, 1976, we'll see: More of Karen's trip to Gettysburg and DC A deep snow Bobbie's graduation from college Christmas, 1975. I can't make out any

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-16413363158524080852011-06-28T01:00:00.000-07:002011-06-28T01:00:09.685-07:00

More of my Christmas present from Poss. This is a wooden bottle holder plus a bottle of wine that it holds. Thanks, Poss!

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-19969948231721707772011-06-26T00:01:00.000-07:002011-06-26T06:06:22.285-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I said that I had posted all the 666 cartoons from my collection. I lied. As my father always told me, you go to hell for lying. As I've said before, I'm going to hell. Here's one more (the rest of my collection of cartoons, I promise!): Mixed Media by Jack Ohman In August, 1987, Jerry and I took our first road trip to New Mexico. Jerry kindly let me take us a little out

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-72321927086120364942011-06-24T21:49:00.000-07:002011-06-24T21:49:39.669-07:00

An orchid has survived and bloomed a second time!

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-91523148280813062452011-06-21T01:00:00.000-07:002011-06-21T01:00:02.154-07:00

Here's my birthday present from Jerry! Thanks, Pumkin! It's a bowl by George Bucquet. You might remember the other bowl of his that we got many years ago. What the heck! Here are both so you can see the how they compare. The new one is very heavy.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-35384743948953636662011-06-19T00:01:00.000-07:002011-06-19T07:13:04.032-07:00

Today we see the start of my collection of "666" items. Claim tickets. Once upon a time, when you went to a fast food restaurant they would write the order on a pad with a serial number printed on the main part of the form and again on a tear-off tab. The kitchen would get the written up order and you would get the claim ticket with the matching serial number. When the food was ready they'd

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-81134250394086221592011-06-14T01:00:00.000-07:002011-06-14T01:00:02.417-07:00

A turtle sculpture signed "©RSD" (I think the second letter is "S") on its tail. Peggy gave this to us.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-90214365930298462772011-06-12T00:01:00.000-07:002011-06-12T09:05:06.724-07:00

Time for some mirth. Long ago, I clipped comic strips from the newspaper and posted them at my cubicle doorway. I posted "The Far Side" every day. Occasionally, the comics included some 666-ness. Of course, those also made an appearance. Here are the comics I have in my 666 folder. This first one is from March, 1986. This is the oldest item I've found in my collection that has a date on it. It's

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-26734199809947733982011-06-07T01:00:00.000-07:002011-06-07T05:52:20.849-07:00

We got this turtle at the Cilantro Gallery on our recent trip to Palm Desert. It's by Carlos Albert, a collaboration of two artists from Mexico and Holland. Their turtles aren't terribly anatomically correct. They have two carapaces and no plastron. That's OK, they're terribly cute!

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-92020712294319159682011-06-05T00:01:00.000-07:002011-06-05T00:01:01.243-07:00

June 6, 2006 (6/6/6) was a good day for the Beast. Colleen sent a card to commemorate the event. Colleen's Card The greeting I don't have any newspaper articles in my collection that discuss that Evil Time. But the Internet comes to the rescue! You might want to read (or watch) some of these:Landover Baptist Church: If Your Child is Born on 06-06-06 (those Baptists!) The Sunday Times: 

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-71298243178276059172011-05-31T01:00:00.000-07:002011-05-31T01:00:00.098-07:00

An outdoor turtle tea light holder. It's never held a tea light...it just hangs around.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-48438418051178902102011-05-29T00:01:00.000-07:002011-05-29T06:41:17.096-07:00

As I said in my first Satanic post, some of the 666 stuff I've collected is receipts. The oldest receipt in my collection is from October, 1989. I bought some contact lens disinfecting solution. There's "6666" on it that indicates something like which cashier rang it up, what transaction this was, which register was used, which store I bought it from or something. Too bad the price wasn't six

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-50324043235168364182011-05-24T01:00:00.000-07:002011-05-24T01:00:04.273-07:00

We picked up a Rick Satava Petroglyph Rock on our recent visit to Palm Desert. It's glass. It has two turtles on it. Mr. Satava's web site's title is "Home of the Jellyfish." We have a glass jellyfish. It turns out we are now collectors. Our jellyfish is also one of his creations. Here it is on its light base: Jerry wondered if our petroglyph rock would look good on a light base. The home of

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-11555499475538330312011-05-22T00:01:00.000-07:002011-09-03T17:52:31.412-07:00

I'm going to hell. Well, since you're reading this, you are going to hell. We missed out on the Rapture. We're doomed. I've been preparing for these Apocalyptic times for quite a few years. In my day-to-day transactions I noticed that the number "666" would show up with eerie frequency. I was marked. With the sign of the devil. A Chick Publications tract I've collected. Read the whole

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-17425499432131240532011-05-17T01:00:00.000-07:002011-05-17T01:00:01.396-07:00

The calendar on my fabric-covered box above my desk. These are Madagascar Radiated Tortoise hatchlings.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-86750966224328786852011-05-10T01:00:00.000-07:002011-05-10T19:41:36.166-07:00

A ceramic lithophane nightlight. (Another in a glowing family of nightlights.) Poss asked for a picture of it turned off. Here's a not very good picture of it. I hope it gives you an idea of what it looks like unlit.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-24615235432028320392011-05-03T01:00:00.000-07:002011-05-03T01:00:08.343-07:00

A hook holding a scarf.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-48056987651720670472011-05-01T22:44:00.000-07:002011-05-03T20:09:01.345-07:00

Here come nearly two years of our lives. But no Christmases! Reasons for not having a massive Christmas orgy in 1973:Mom and Dad got divorced. Dad got remarried. Christmas orgy with Ewwww-deena? I don't think so. Karen was the only one of us still living at home. The rest of us were in college or beyond. We're getting a little old for that kind of stuff. No Christmas orgy in 1974:See above.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-86651094283255773582011-04-26T22:15:00.000-07:002011-04-26T22:18:15.929-07:00

I was looking through the Awkward Family Photos and thought that we probably have some contenders. I got inspired to try to find something in the next batch of pictures. I got out the next carousel of slides and scanned away. I didn't find anything terribly awkward. In the post-Christmas, 1972, slides we get to see the family standing around my telescope. You might remember my mirror blank I

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-29215182491601303502011-04-26T01:00:00.000-07:002011-04-26T01:00:04.705-07:00

A turquoise ID badge holder. Thanks, Poss.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-78794060588876757392011-04-19T01:00:00.001-07:002011-04-19T16:45:55.114-07:00

So, these aren't tchotchkes in our house. They're not even tchotchkes. But they are chelonian. And they live nearby. So they count! Watch it in HD if your Internet connection is fast enough. You'll be glad you did. Read more about it at The Barista's Cut.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-1301578660811380522011-04-12T01:00:00.000-07:002011-04-12T01:00:08.538-07:00

Chopstick rest and sushi dipping dish (from Maui, thus surely from Karen). The spoon has a fish carved into it.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-3653346760717914542011-04-05T01:00:00.000-07:002011-04-05T01:00:00.190-07:00

Little chimes (four of them!). Maybe from Karen  A ceramic bell we got in Taos Don't know where this came from Probably from Karen from a trip to Hawaii They don't get much wind so the only time they tinkle is during large earthquakes. Thanks for the theme idea, Jerry!

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-23777243066652668042011-03-29T01:00:00.000-07:002011-03-29T01:00:00.572-07:00

A cast stone Meditating Turtle from Designer Stone. His back. The tag tells us: Meditating TurtleThose who connectwith this Zen Creation areEnvironmentally Conscious,Determined, & Loving in Spirit...or they just love turtles The tag translates words on his robe as "(May your life be filled with) Longevity."

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-80248059839182142252011-03-25T20:56:00.000-07:002011-04-26T22:20:03.992-07:00

Picture torture time again! I'm burning a vacation day even though I'm rather busy at work. I'm not going to donate my hard-earned vacation time back to the company. It's a wet day so the outdoors aren't calling me. I did a little tidying up around my computer desk and found a scanner under the mess! That made me remember all the slides we have yet to see. Here's Carousel 21! We're still stuck

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-54968909353139208002011-03-22T01:00:00.000-07:002011-03-22T01:00:07.210-07:00

A porcelain turtle from Russia whose shell comes off to reveal a little storage compartment.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-65026961990309823152011-03-15T01:00:00.000-07:002011-03-15T01:00:12.841-07:00

A turtle made of plastic to look like it's covered by mosaic tiles.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-30032446919807879312011-03-08T01:00:00.000-08:002011-03-08T01:00:09.151-08:00

"Emergence Story" by Randy Chitto. (If you click on this link you need to scroll the page up to see the picture at the top.) This has shown up in the background of our story of an accident.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-64494354791761918692011-03-01T01:00:00.000-08:002011-03-01T01:00:06.043-08:00

A turtle made of a stone that looks like solidified smoke. I think Poss gave this one to us. Maybe Poss can tell us what the stone is.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-19859090010699221022011-02-22T01:00:00.000-08:002011-02-22T01:00:07.123-08:00

A garden stake (in a pot of mother-in-law's tongues). A gift from Mary, Jerry's mother's neighbor.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-17408141036400713422011-02-15T01:00:00.000-08:002011-02-15T01:00:11.861-08:00

A Jay Strongwater turtle that Santa dropped off at Christmas. (The middle one, Santa left the others in earlier years.)

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-71127410440346357732011-02-08T01:00:00.000-08:002011-02-08T01:00:01.215-08:00

A little fellow standing on his hind legs. Signed "Liana." Front Back

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-84560420893281787572011-02-05T11:06:00.001-08:002011-02-05T11:57:46.050-08:00

Blogger came out with an Android app. So here's my first attempt at using it. Jerry and I are hiking on the mountain near work. Here's a view of the Teradata campus from halfway down the hill. I don't know where in the post the picture is placed. And I don't know if the location I'm posting from is published. I hope it is. (Well, it didn't.)

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com5San Diego Health insurance, 17240 Via Del Campo, San Diego, CA, United States33.023468 -117.095504tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-12492517082043751472011-02-01T01:00:00.000-08:002011-02-01T01:00:13.106-08:00

A marble (?) turtle emerging from its egg. If someone remembers giving this one to us, let us know.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-51144282706020992011-01-25T01:00:00.000-08:002011-01-25T05:47:30.666-08:00

A galimoto from Zimbabwe. (This one you have to click on!)

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6624522757704155370.post-33467636852778749362011-01-18T01:00:00.000-08:002011-01-18T13:55:47.803-08:00

A little bronze from Ivory Coast.

Chuckberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04175136677296869758noreply@blogger.com3