[thechat] Coconino?

Luther, Ron ron.luther at hp.com
Fri Feb 4 08:38:38 CST 2005


So ... the wife and I are huddled over the laptop ... she's "driving" ... 
and we're working out the details for our next 'run away and hide from 
the kids for a bit' escape.

[These kinds things used to be called 'vacations' ... but in today's 'truth 
in advertising' environment, I'll call it like it is.]

Last night we were checking out lodging options for an upcoming 
'Southwestern adventure' escape. 

[Insert as many jokes as you like about *needing* to wear your sunglasses 
at night in order to deal with 'Southwestern "style"!' Hmmmm ... Maybe 
earplugs too. Goodness - some of that stuff is 'loud'!]

It looked like an even split ... every B&B in Arizona seems to run either 
a 'Western' theme - complete with 'Maverick' and 'Miss Kitty' rooms, or 
a 'Southwestern' theme - where local laws seem to require that they all 
have 'Kokopelli' and 'Anasazi' rooms.

We're enjoying a good laugh at the decor in one of the 'Southwestern' 
B&Bs ... when I notice that they have a 'Coconino' room!  

Somewhere in the dusty recesses of my mind a rusty door cracks open a bit. 

I recognize the name immediately. ... the texture is familiar. I can feel 
that it has pleasant associations. I can tell that I like 'Coconino' ... 
But I can't figure out why. 

<goddess presses her 'memory zapper' MiB device in Ron's general direction /> 

Nope. No clue.

.
.
.

This morning, naturally, it comes to me like a brick out of the blue. 
				<heh> 
'Coconino'! Of Course!  

(The subconscious does funny things like that ... or at least mine 
does anyway.)


I feel relived.

Unfortunately, I also feel a need to immediately 'share' this 
information with my wife. 

"Hey Hon! Remember that 'Coconino' room last night? I finally remember 
where that's from!"

{that's nice.}

It kinda went downhill from there.  Maybe it was my approach? Or maybe 
6am was a bit early in the day for this?

"Remember the 'golden age of newspaper comics'? You know ... back 
around 1915 when each comic in the newspaper took up a full page 
of print?"

... somehow, some sixth 'jungle' sense immediately informs me that 
the ... "you know" ... portion of the above didn't help my cause here ...

"There was this comic strip called 'Krazy Kat'?
... with a brick-throwing mouse named Ignatz?
... Lil' Angel?

Well anyway ... the action takes place in this hypothetical place called 
'Coconino County' ..."

{1915?!?}

<sigh />


Oh well.  At least *y'all* 'member this stuff! 

Outstanding artwork!



RonL.

Factual Correction junk:
[Yeah - I double checked this morning and discovered that 'Coconino 
County' actually is a _real_ place. <shrug /> Who new?]

[The strip ran from 1913 to the mid 1940's ... so my '1915' guess 
wasn't too bad. The strip was running 'full page' by 1916.]


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