The Vogels of Artesia, New Mexico 2

   

Another hand franked postcard from "Pvt. Roy R. Vogel, 346th Air Base Sgdn., Municipal Air Port , Memphis, Tenn, Barrack 411 S."  Well, now we know Roy's middle initial and his barracks assignment.  Once again it's mailed to "Miss Dorothy Vogel, Artesia, New Mex, Box #632."  Spelled out a bit differently, but the same recipient. And the message, "Dear Dot, I received a letter from you and one from Jane a week or so ago so will send this on to both of you as I have so much waiting to do.  The pictures are just like the animals in the zoo.  It is the second largest in the world.  I am feeling all all right.  I will be closing for today.  Your cousin Roy."  Well, not too detailed, and I have my doubts that the Memphis Zoo was the second largest in the world, but how much can you get on a postcard, and how much honesty can you expect from a young private who was probably away from home for the first time in his life.

  The postmark is "MEMPHIS TENN, DEC 3, 8 PM DE SOTO STA. 1" The caption, "Scenes from the Memphis Zoo, one of the finest in the world."  Click on The Vogel Collection in labels to bring up the rest. 

Killing Baby Seals

Yes, I admit it.  This is kind of an unpleasant image.  It's not, however, a celebration of seal hunting.  While it was never mailed, it is addressed to "Right Honorable Pierre Elliot Trudeau Prime Minister of Canada House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario Canada KIA OA2."  And the caption, "A Canadian sealer, with club poised, prepares to bludgeon the 10-day old baby harp seal at his feet.  This brutal episode was repeated more than 180,000 times last year."  Clearly this postcard was meant to protest the annual harp seal hunt. 

At the Zoo

Written on the back, "Taken at the Continental Divide."  Those of us of a certain age can remember when it was possible to travel the country, going from one roadside zoo to another.  Most of them were pretty much like the one in this photo.  Wooden pens, dirty, and way too small for the animals being exhibited.

Views of the World, Bull Fight, Valencia, Spain

My apologies to the Spanish, but torturing animals as a form of entertainment,  I'm not impressed.  And yes, I do eat meat, wear leather shoes, and understand why people would think me hypocritical.

Click on Views of the World in the labels section at the bottom of the post to see the rest of the postcards in the collection.

At The Zoo

No animals can be seen in this photo, nevertheless, it's a zoo.  I can remember a childhood visit to The Pittsburgh Zoo, with it's iron bared cages.  Eventually, Pittsburgh updated things with "humane" enclosures like the one in this photo.  Open air, concrete levels, and moats replacing bars to keep the animals confined.  I've mixed feelings on zoos.  I like to hike and backpack, and after seeing large animals in the wild, (Including a mountain lion in Griffith Park) it's hard to watch a bored grizzly bear pacing back and forth like some sort of deranged mental patient.  On the other hand, I suspect that, eventually, most large animal species will go extinct in the wild and zoo stocks will be it.

According to the caption, these three people are "Verne, Ed, & Betty."  I can't think of a woman's name that would be shortened to Verne.  But, I went to high school with a girl we all called Charlie.  I always assumed that it was short for Charlotte.  I latter found out that her father wanted a son and when he didn't get one, he named his daughter Charles.

Views of the World, The Chicago Stockyards

I've still got a lot of cards from the flirtation collection to go, so I shouldn't, but I'm going to start another, once in awhile, probably take more than a year to post, collection.  I've had the postcards in this lot since I was in high school, and for those unaware, I'm  just a few months away from my sixtieth birthday.  Yes, I've been picking up old photos and postcards that long.  The numbered images top out at 48, but I am missing numbers 6, 7, and 45.  Every so often I go on EBay, specifically, to look for those three missing cards, but I've never found them.  None of these cards have ever been used, and no publisher is listed.  I'll put views of the world in the labels section at the bottom of the post for all cards in the collection.

I already knew a fair amount about the Chicago Stockyards before posting this image.  I new that the stockyards weren't owned by the big packing companies, but by railroads looking to create a single, central location to ship animals, ready for slaughter.  Chicago had become the main rail center for the United States because the Illinois congressional delegation had pushed Chicago as the terminus for the major American railroads, and congress had that power because the federal government had subsidized early railroad construction.  What surprised me was that the Chicago Stockyards also were a major tourist destination, with viewing platforms built so that people could look over the thousands of animals waiting for death.  I'm always amazed what people are willing to gawk at.  I'd criticize, but if the stockyards were still in business, I'd take a look if I were in the area.

Now, about The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.  I read it in high school, and reread it just a few years ago.  Every American should read this book, and any school that doesn't assign it as mandatory reading, isn't doing it's job.  Do public schools still buy into the great books theory of education?  I hope so, though I doubt it.

Oink

The human tongue can detect four basic taste sensations. Sweet, sour, bitter and salty.  Umami, the savory sensation from meats is sometimes included on the list.  Among the basic food groups, only bacon appeals to all the basic taste sensations, and that's why people love it so much.  Other basic food groups include, peanut butter, Kentucky Fried Chicken, ice cream, peach cobbler, chocolate, and potato chips.  And that's why America has the healthiest people in the world!

There's a stamp on the back of the top photo.  "BARD'S DRUG STORE IS THE ONLY AGENCY FOR RICKEY'S QUALITY KODAK FINISHING.  PRINTS 3 CENTS EACH.  FREE  ENLARGEMENT WITH EACH ROLL."