After the trip to Berea for Mombo’s celebration, Marty came home with us in preparation for his all-night “lock-down” at The Stadium. He had a good time, connecting with two of his old chums from Bate, but was ready to promptly crash upon his return this morning. When he woke up in the afternoon we talked about Josh for a while, got on the subject of Iwo Jima, which was fought exactly 60 years ago, and discussed how the new movie currently in production might be structured. We ended up at a site devoted to medal recipients from the battle, and after reading a few descriptions, both of us concluded that if some of these true-life sacrificial exploits were brought to the big screen, many people would think they were too unrealistic to have actually occurred. Case in point: Douglas Thomas Jacobson, USMC (born the same year as Mombo).
Archive for the ‘Mombo’ Category
Gallant fact vs believable fiction
Monday, February 21st, 2005There once was a Mombo
Sunday, February 20th, 2005My Mom celebrated quite a milestone today, even though her actual 80th birthday isn’t until Thursday. Nineteen of us were there at the Boone Tavern and Hotel, including Bob and Carol, who came from Hot Springs after driving from California. The food and atmosphere were perfect, once we all got inside out of the wind and rain. It was comfortable, yet uncommon enough to make it a very special event. It almost felt like we had the huge historic place to ourselves, and we got to have a portrait taken at the staircase. Joan wrote and read a heartwarming, poetic tribute, and Bob got us started on a nostalgic look at the contrasting decades of Mombo’s life. He repeated the old saying that “Dixon Men” don’t usually amount to much, but they’ve always known how to choose strong, amazing women. And so my mother upholds a long line of matriarchs, adding her unique creativity, optimism, and faith to the family tradition. We love you, Grammo!
Various & Sundry, part four
Thursday, February 3rd, 2005— Over nine thousand objects large enough to be tracked and catalogued? To a galactic neighbor, our planet must look like one of those Kentucky back-road junk heaps.
— Many, many years ago, when we were first allowed to operate the Sony reel-to-reel recorder, we taped numerous television theme songs and incidental music from our favorite shows. We became so familiar with the tape that each musical introduction seemed a natural part of the one to follow. We committed to memory lyrics and melodies, including those from obscure, ill-fated shows that we never even watched. Years later, Mombo surprised me by transferring that strange collection to audio cassette. To this day I occasionally pop in a tape when driving alone and I must admit that very few things in my life, including pop music contemporary to the time, will provide me such a visceral connection to my quirky adolescence. Love on a Rooftop, Mr. Terrific, The Shady Rest, Jean Gaston-Andre, Judd for the Defense, T.H.E. Cat, David Vincent, Rango, The New Number Two… I guess you had to be there. (“Ask the butler to lend you a buck, my dear!“)
— Before Mack went back into the hospital he was kind enough to look at my old Conn C-Melody saxophone (the one that used to belong to Uncle Luke), and became excited about taking it with him to Lexington for a discussion with his sax repairman. Turns out it needs very little attention to be perfectly playable, even after 25 years of storage. He had a setback in his healing not too long after that, but not before I had the opportunity to shoot his combo when they played at the open house for the new Community Arts Center in downtown Danville. I made a montage for myself and all of his friends as a focus for our positive thoughts and prayers for recovery.
