The Ham in Hamlet

Over this past semester Dudeboy has been participating with several other home-schoolers in a class devoted to the study of Shakespeare's Hamlet.  The kids read the play in full.  They watched, and discussed several filmed productions.  Dudeboy wrote a paper analyzing Kenneth Branaugh's Hamlet.  And they memorized several scenes.  All of which culminated in a short production of snippets of the play.  It is probably unnecessary to relate that Dudeboy thoroughly enjoyed the class.  Above . . . Dudeboy as Fortinbras, who reigns supreme at the end of the play (mostly because everyone else is dead).    

The Old Simpson County Jail

The Old Simpson County Jail located in Franklin, Kentucky, which now houses the Simpson County Historical Society & Archives.  In the picture above, the Old Jailer's Residence is the brick building on the left.  Sections of it date back to the early 1830's.  The old county jail (right) was built in 1879.       

While most of the cells are currently used as storage areas for the archives, this cell has been retained as  an example of what the originals looked like.  Note the hole in the floor.  Of course it is what you are thinking it is, but what is telling is the placement . . . front and center!  No rest for the wicked, and, apparently, no privacy.     

A museum dedicated to the history of Simpson County is located in the Old Jailer's Residence.  On the second floor is a wonderful collection of Civil War era graffiti etched into the walls, as at times the Old Jailer's Residence was also used as a jail.  There is speculation that the drawing above is of John Hunt Morgan.

I should note that there is also an exhibit on the Mantell UFO incident.  As described by Wikipedia . . .

The Mantell UFO incident was among the most publicized early UFO reports. The incident resulted in the crash and death of 25-year-old Kentucky Air National Guard pilot, Captain Thomas F. Mantell, on January 7, 1948, while in pursuit of a supposed UFO.

The Paranormal Encyclopedia exclaims that the "Mantell UFO Incident is one of the most significant UFO sightings of all time."  Our young and erudite docent would have none of it (much to the chagrin of the older volunteers).  As she stated, "I am a skeptical person."  We certainly need more youngins like her.

Backyard Bugs . . . Red-Banded Leafhopper

 Graphocephala coccinea

Common name . . . Red-Banded Leafhopper

BBQ and the Night Lights

Pa holding the flag on the Veterans' float in the Fountain Run BBQ Festival. 

While at Mane and Pa's, Dudeboy and I (with the help of Dr. J and Uncle Vic) did some light painting photos.  Above is the ancient pear tree at the end of the field in front of the house.

In the woods at night . . .

Kingdom of Fife Videos

Because I am such a dumb-bunny, I somehow deleted our youtube account.  I have now re-uploaded most of our videos to a new account on Vimeo.  I hope some of you enjoy these projects as much as Dudeboy and I did making them. 

12

In celebration for V-E Day we headed south to Nashville for the day.  We went to the exhibit Fairy Tales, Monsters, and the Genetic Imagination at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.

 Then we ate lunch at a restaurant/aquarium.  More for the atmosphere than the food.

And then we went to the Nashville Adventure Center.

While we were there, we got to see the 360 degree sky dome film Natural Selection: Darwin's Mystery of Mysteries.

11th Annual ASSES RRG Weekend

This weekend Dudeboy and I joined the rest of the A.S.S.E.S. (Arch Seekers of the SouthEastern States) for Larry's 11th Annual Red River Gorge Weekend. It was a fairly strenuous few days of hiking, but it was worth it for the sites visited and the camaraderie. Here is a sampling of what we saw.