The Hunt For Apple 8-Track Stereo

What is more rare than Beatles records on vinyl? Try finding mint condition, sealed Beatles recordings distributed on 8-Track cartridges. Yes, the icon of the 1970s can often fetch a few dollars more than similar traditional vinyl.

Today in 42N country's Dubuque, Iowa a local thrift store provided this well worn 8-Track sleeve minus a cartridge. Oh there were other 8-Tracks present but no Beatle cartridges. Knowing that the packaging alone will increase in value from the 50 cents spent, I jammed a non-relevant 8-Track into the Apple container since the sleeve alone was not for sale. I chose the Beach Boys Endless Summer cartridge. The label says its equivalent to 2 8-Track cartridges.

The hunt for Beatle 8-Tracks continues with the knowledge that the market is increasing for 1970s music material coupled with the sheer novelty of the 8-Track format. Nothing like listening to a song, have it fade out mid-tune, automatically click over to the next channel, fade-in and continue playing - a key selling point and the reason why the format did not survive. Know that.

This Way to BallyK

Its almost St. Patrick's Day and a pint is in order. Look no further than Fitzgerald's Pub in Ballykissangel, Ireland. From 1996 to 2001 the BBC broadcast a fictional drama of the same name featuring many scenes from real-life Avoca, a small town located south of Dublin. Today the town is a magnet for BallyK fans to see the pub, bridge, stores, and church prominently featured in the six seasons of the show. While sheep (and a few cut-out sheep) graze in the area, Eamon Byrne sadly no longer tends the flock and Brian Quigley no longer builds his BallyK pipe dreams. Know that.

Quatermass' Martians At Hobbs End

Digging a London Underground station expansion near Hobbs End in 1967 led to an unearthing of a craft containing the remains of its long expired occupants. Was it a V weapon from World War II or something else? Better call Bernard Quatermass of the British Experimental Rocket Group. He'll figure this thing out.

Spoiler Alert: 5 Million Years to Earth was the US title of Quatermass and the Pit (UK) movie released in 1967 as the third in a series of Quatermass serials. The premise centered on the thought that creatures from another planet, Mars in this case, arrived here million of years ago to enslave early humans. The creatures accomplished this through telepathic means but ran into a problem. Along the way clues of their identity were tied to what was considered evil. Interesting concept.

Watch the 1967 trailer here.

This movie fuses several interesting elements - world war ii, martians, anthropology, old religious traditions and beliefs. Perhaps that's why this 42N blogger loves it. Know that.

Winter is Almost A Third Done

Winter blew into 42N country during the first week of December with lasting snow coverage and extreme cold. January has been no different. We await the vernal equinox.

The snowy farm (above) was photographed on St. Steven's Day last month. The property overlooks the Cedar River. This week while the river produces ice jams the City of Cedar Rapids is considering ways to manage the flows. Know that.

Nile Kinnick and the 1939 University of Iowa Football

Nile Kinnick and the 1939 Hawkeyes are remembered for a number of University of Iowa football accomplishments. That year the Hawkeyes finished at the No. 9 spot in the final AP rankings. During the 1939 season Nile Kinnick was associated with 107 of the 130 points Iowa scored, played 402 out of 420 possible minutes and set 14 school records.

Kinnick's awards from the 1939 season included being named a consensus first team All-American, the Big Ten MVP, the Walter Camp Award winner, the Maxwell Award winner, AP Male Athlete of the Year, and the Heisman Trophy winner - the school's only Heisman winner to date. The 1939 Heisman Trophy is currently on display at the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame.

Besides the larger than life statue of student Nile Kinnick dedicated in 2006 at the stadium bearing his name, is this team autographed football. The 1939 Hawkeyes penned their names on the ball (double click on the photo to see a larger version) which is on display at the University of Iowa Football offices just a block to the northwest of Kinnick stadium. Know that.

Baby in Red Chair - A New Year Begins

The beginning of any new year is often characterized by an image of a baby being welcomed by an old bearded adult from the previous year. Keeping this tradition alive is today's January 1st post of Baby in Red Chair, an oil on canvass painting attributed to an unknown artist possibly from Pennsylvania during the period 1800 to 1830.

Baby in Red Chair is an example of American folk art. Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, was a pioneer in the realization of this art form as both creative and historic. She spent much of her time and family's resources to collect and preserve art. Today her expansive collection can be seen at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum in Williamsburg, Virginia. While the painting is just one example of many, the plans for the museum includes expansion of the neighboring DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum in 2010 and 2011 allowing for possible more room for the Rockefeller collection.

Baby in Red Chair is one of the most popular paintings in this collection. However visitors will also recognize other works of early American life displayed in the exhibit. Abby's foresight to preserve folk art allows the two hundred year old "baby" to both welcome the viewer into the past and also into the present with a timeless pose. Know that.

Tracks Under the Lincoln Highway

Two Union Pacific tracks reach towards the west in 42N country in this snowy scene taken last week. Passing overhead is modern portion of the Lincoln Highway as it winds through Linn County, Iowa. The bridge from which this photo was taken is actually the original Lincoln Highway bridge built in 1915 in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.

Not far from this spot is the seedling mile experiment site (just a few miles west of this location) where the benefits of a concrete highway were first demonstrated in Iowa on this highway. Up until this time the dirt roads were the norm and axle deep clay mud thwarted Model Ts as they tried their luck navigating the early highway road.

My high school French teacher once explained how some regional transportation paths developed. First the paths along waterways (rivers, creeks, streams) which were created by animal trails or local natives were discovered. Sometimes wagon trails widened these paths, then rail service was built along these paths - often with teletype wires overhead. Finally auto roads were built nearby, distances shortened and modifications were made.

This is why along some of the older roads in the country, such as pikes and former tollways you can see this pattern applied. Know that.

Rocketing 42N Observations to Number One

42N blogging reached the one year milestone two days ago. Along the way a few technical enhancements have improved topic presentation. Several posts of note garnered attention by other blog/web sites while traffic from news organizations increased following the reporting of weather incidents, haunting stories, military convoys and Buddy Holly's last concert anniversary. Other high traffic getters were the two articles about artist Grant Wood's burial location and his Indian Creek painting.

Style wise the site falls somewhere between retail blogs, nocturnal neurotics fueled by liquid lunches of Red Bull and vodka blogs, "mommy" blogs and journal travel blogs. This site is closer to an educational, historical, travel and whatever else is on my mind blog. The 42N experiment continues. Know that.

Welcome Aboard the Pearl Button, Miss Turner

Take some fresh water mussels (clams) from the Mississippi River, discard the meat, wash the shells and you have the raw materials that helped put 42N city Muscatine, Iowa on the map in the mid-1800s. Clams were harvested, brought to shore, cleaned, shells drilled, blanks polished and packaged for the emerging American clothier market. The ride lasted until the 1960s when synthetic material (plastic) replaced organically produced pearl buttons.

At one time there were several factories in Muscatine that produced upwards of 1.3 million buttons a year. Surprisingly labor associated to make a single button involved up to 31 human touches per single fastener - that was extremely intensive. Above is a close up shot of thousands of mostly natural pearly colored buttons, some perfect and some with imperfections. The button process story is told well by the Muscatine History and Industry Museum. Know that.

Late Autumn in Muscatine, Iowa

Along the ridge just a few blocks south of downtown Muscatine, Iowa (41.42N, 91.04W) sit an impressive collection of mansions overlooking the Mississippi River. These 42N area homes were once owned by the captains of industry in the river front town. Specifically the Weed Mansion and many other historic homes dating back to the mid-1800s are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (West Hill area.) The view this evening was one of a clear sunset low in the southwest. To complete the Muscatine profile is a steamboat sailing below and the shine from pearl button manufacturing. Know that.