80-26-14-46

The eagle's wings are blue at sunrise. Bravo Charlie Vector.

First Snowfall Of The Season

Even though it's been a week now since our first snow fell here in Southern Illinois, I thought that by posting these pictures today it would make up for our lack of having a White Christmas! Enjoy the pictures!

White Men Can't Rap

I may have mentioned this before, but I'm nearly 17 years older than my brother. Being born like he was in 1977, he started becoming aware of music about the time that rap music became popular. Naturally, he started rapping on his own, in reflection of this influence. Everything he did, he had to get me interested in, too, and since I was already into all kinds of music on my own, I naturally gravitated toward rap myself. Gravitated a little, that is. It's still not my most favorite musical genre for expression, but it does have it's attractions. So, one thing led to another, and my brother and I began writing and recording our own rap songs.

Now, if you're going to record rap music, you have to be rappers. Or at least sound like you're rappers. And that means you have to have a cool name, one that you definitely wouldn't be christened with at birth. And being as I knew how to run the recording equipment, I got to be the rapper front man and he became what is known in rap circles as my "deejay." And also being as the only white guy I'd ever heard of at the time that rapped, (around 1990, or so) was called "Vanilla Ice," the name I chose was only natural for me. You have to know that I love baking cookies, so I chose the moniker of "Vanilla X-Trac" for my name, taken from the flavoring vanilla extract, only I made it look cool by changing the spelling. My brother's rapper name was Sir DJ Rappafellow.

We recorded several songs back then - I never did really keep track of how many at the time - and they just remained "in the can," so to speak. Well, quite a few years drifted past and by chance, I came across them and thought they would make a nice little Christmas gift if they were all gathered up and burned on a cd. I did just that, and made a cool looking rapper cover and gave them out to family members about 3 years ago for Christmas. Of course, I had to play it for the whole family gathering! Everyone got a kick out of it, because they were mostly recorded in a funny matter. Some were serious, but most were not.

Therefore, it is with pride that I offer one of the songs from our album for download: X-Trac's The Man. And as a bonus, I'm including another track, one that I hadn't located in time to make it on the album, so you get a rare unreleased song, too! Here are Shook Up and X-Trac's The Man as recorded by Vanilla X-Trac and Sir DJ Rappafellow. Pictured below is what the album cover looked like:

As always, comments are quite welcome, but please take into consideration that these tracks were recorded in fun and are not meant to rival Tone Loc or Young MC in any way!

Hawaiian Heat

Download the opening of the show here: Opening.avi.

Download the opening theme of the show here: Theme.mp3.

Does anybody remember the tv show that was on ABC back in 1984 called Hawaiian Heat? Probably not, since it was only on for 11 episodes before it got cancelled. Well, I loved that show and saw all 11 episodes. (I still have the last two on videotape.) It was all about two Chicago cops that got tired of the wind, snow and cold weather and transferred out to the Islands, where they were on the police force there. They were played by Jeff McCracken and Robert Ginty. Both of them shared a beach house with 5 beautiful women, who all led fascinating lives and had fascinating careers, (wouldn't you just know it!). One of the roommates which had a bigger part on the show was played by Tracy Scoggins. Their superior at the police headquarters was portrayed by Mako and would always be gruff with them. "Mac," played by Ginty, drove a 1965 Cadillac convertible and the two actors played well off of each other. On the whole, I've always liked shows that were set in Hawaii - Hawaii Five-0, Magnum P.I., The Byrds Of Paradise, Hawaii, etc., and this one was no exception. If only the executives at ABC would have given it a little more time. You'll remember that that was also the year Miami Vice came out and was a smash hit after awhile. So, police/detective shows set in sunny climes was a popular background in which to set a series right then. I would mention that ABC has cancelled another show I like, which I felt was before it had been given enough time, called Cavemen, but that's a topic for another time.
If anyone remembers this show, feel free to post a comment about it. And if anybody happened to tape the movie-length pilot episode or any of the rest of the hour-long episodes, other than the last two, Maybe we can get together for a swap of some kind. I sure would like to see that show again from the beginning because it will probably never be released on DVD.

Here is an advertisement picture for the show that ran in TV Guide. It's just the artwork, without the blurb for the current week's episode plastered all over it:

Episode list:

Episode 1: Pilot

Air Date: September 14th, 1984
Download link:  Pilot Episode
Episode 2: Ice Cream Man

Air Date: September 21st, 1984
Episode 3: Wave Of Controversy

Air Date: September 28th, 1984
Episode 4: Inherited Trait

Air Date: October 12th, 1984
Episode 5: A Different Kind Of Justice

Air Date: October 19th, 1984
Episode 6: Missing In Hawaii

Air Date: October 26th, 1984
Episode 7: Yankees vs The Cubs

Air Date: November 2nd, 1984
Episode 8: Ancient Fires

Air Date: November 9th, 1984
Episode 9: Old Dues

Air Date: November 16th, 1984
Episode 10: Andy's Mom

Air Date: November 23rd, 1984
Download link:  Andy's Mom
Episode 11: Picture Imperfect

Air Date: December 21st, 1984
Download link:  Picture Imperfect

Alternate link to download or watch these episodes online:
Pilot
Wave Of Controversy
Inherited Trait
Yankees vs The Cubs
Andy's Mom
Picture Imperfect

Hawaiian Heat Episodes on the Internet Archive.org

February 19th, 2008 update:

I have been contacted about this series and by working out a trade, I can now add the original pilot to my collection - the movie-length episode that began the series! Keep these episodes coming and maybe all us dedicated viewers can assemble a complete set. If so, I hope to be able to have them all on one set of DVD's, so stay tuned!

Here is how the Hawaiian Heat DVD Project stands at present:

1. Pilot (Acquired)
2. Ice Cream Man (Still looking for)
3. Wave Of Controversy (Acquired)

4. Inherited Trait (Acquired)

5. A Different Kind Of Justice (Acquired)

6. Missing In Hawaii (Acquired)

7. Yankees vs The Cubs (Acquired)

8. Ancient Fires (Acquired)

9. Old Dues (Acquired)

10. Andy's Mom (Acquired)

11. Picture Imperfect (Acquired)

I'll keep updating this as things change, so stay tuned!

January 27th, 2009 update:

I will have information soon about acquiring episode #2 Ice Cream Man, so stay tuned. (This just in - I have located episode #5 A Different Kind Of Justice, and will have an update soon!) For now, the cover art I created for this set looks like this and if you would like to see a more detailed look, download the cover for Volume 6 here. Here is the cover art:

Here's the cover for the pilot episode:

January 29th, 2009 update:

I have just created an entry for this series on Wikipedia. The Hawaiian Heat page can be found here.

March 17th, 2009 update:

I have been contacted by one of the stars of this show, Robert Ginty, and he has generously agreed to donate the four episodes that he has in his personal collection for this project! So, keep faith, there's still hope for a complete set yet!

January 17th, 2010 update:

Of the four episodes donated by Robert Ginty, namely Inherited Trait, A Different Kind Of Justice, Missing In Hawaii and Old Dues, none of them have the closing credits on the tapes provided. So, if anybody has complete copies of these four episodes, I would like to upgrade them. If I don't come up with any better versions, I'll try to come up with the closing credits and create some kind of sequence to include them on the DVD copies I make, just so they're as complete as possible. One person was looking for one of the needed episodes in his collection, but he hasn't found it yet. That episode was Ice Cream Man. If he does find that episode, that means only three episodes are still needed to complete the set! These three episodes are Wave Of Controversy, Yankees vs The Cubs and Ancient Fires. So, if anybody has copies of any or all of these missing shows, please contact me. It's getting very close to being completed and I know there are still a lot of fans out there who would like to see this show again! So, keep the faith!

Robert Ginty sent me the episodes he had and I'm certain he knew he was dying when he did so and this was his way of giving his blessings to the Hawaiian Heat DVD Project. Let's help keep the memory of this great actor alive by completing the set and making it available for all his fans.

 April 14th, 2014 update:

I have updated the list above of the episodes I now have for the collection.  As you can see, all that's missing are the two episodes Ancient Fires and Ice Cream Man.  I had a line on Ice Cream Man, but apparently it didn't work out.  So, if anybody knows the whereabouts of copies of these two episodes, please let me know by leaving a comment or e-mailing me at haarfager872@kenharrelson.com

June 5th, 2017 update:
Looking through the tapes that Robert Ginty sent me a little bit closer, I have now found out he sent me 8 episodes instead of the 4 he mentioned.  That means I now have the pilot and all the episodes except the first one, namely Ice Cream Man.  The episode entitled Wave Of Controversy was acquired from a fan and contact in Texas.

March 27th, 2018 update:
I have added download links to the episodes I have had digitized, and they include the Pilot, Andy's Mom and Picture Imperfect.  I figured that I needed to start getting these episodes out there somehow.

June 8th, 2018 update:
My internet service provider has dumped me off on to another company, so I've had to get a new e-mail address.  Please use this new one for any correspondence.  It is:  haarfager872@kenharrelson.com.

June 15th, 2018 update:
David Scott, from Brisbane, Australia recently wrote me to inform me of some potentially good news for all us fans of Hawaiian Heat.   He had contacted Sony Entertainment and this was what he had to say.  He kindly gave me permission to repost it here:

"I have a DVD set here amongst my collection of DVDs.  Blue Thunder also was an ABC program in the early 1980’s and only lasted 11 episodes.   I looked at the DVD packaging and it was released on DVD by Sony Pictures.   I placed a call to their Customer Service line to ask about Hawaiian Heat; and if that could be produced for DVD release.    They have confirmed they have had other phone calls, requesting Hawaiian Heat for DVD, and will pass this onto Senior Management.  I guess it don’t hurt to ask does it?  I also showed them your project page, to give them further proof; of how popular the show is amongst fans."

August 15th, 2019 update:  Just to clarify, I have copies of all the episodes but one, namely, Ice Cream Man.  I have updated the title screen picture at the top of this blog and the Wikipedia article with a clearer version.  And be sure to check out the download links above and the Internet Archive.org page I created for this series.  At the Internet Archive, you can download the episodes, in different formats, or just watch the episodes from your online browser.  The link can be found here:  Hawaiian Heat Episodes  I am also about to send the tapes I do have off to get digitized, so there should be more episodes soon!

August 16th, 2019 update:  I have added a couple more episodes to the page I created for Hawaiian Heat on the Internet Archive.org.  These three new episodes are Wave Of Controversy, Inherited Trait and Yankees vs The Cubs.  From the above link you can now download or watch the Pilot and five different episodes.

An actual promotional photograph used by ABC Television for the show:

That Touch Of Skunk

Dateline: Skunkageddon.

It is hard for me to write these words. Not because I can't think of anything to say, but because of a certain scent in the air. And, no.... it's not the smell of mistletoe from on high. Apparently, a skunk has decided to move into my backyard and take up permanent residence. I smelled him the other night and went out the back door to investigate - only to spot him coming around the corner of the house, a scant five feet away. Needless to say, I beat a hasty retreat back indoors. Well, tonight it seems he let loose with his funky cologne and from the concentration of the odor, it looks like he sprayed the front porch with a heavy dousing. It was so close that it's penetrating into the house even as I compose these words. Here is what the culprit looked like:

Artist's representation

I went online to see if there was any way to rid your house of a skunk and found several suggestions. The only problem seemed to be that everybody had a different suggestion, and that it didn't seem to work for anybody else. So, who do you believe? I think further research is called for. Somebody said mothballs would do the trick. Others suggested that if you boiled vinegar, it would get rid of the smell. I'm going to cut this blog short while I go hunt up some mothballs and heat up the stove.

Of Cabbages And Kings -or- History 101

My mother has always been big on the genealogy of our family, and to a certain extent, so have I. And I know of at least one other relative in my family that has worked extensively to trace our roots. It was "Uncle" Ralph Harrelson who came up with the realization that we were descended from hearty Nordic stock and had, in fact, been Vikings. Now, I don't know about the regular readers of this blog, but I'm mighty proud of my heritage. In fact, for the last census, I registered as a "Viking-American." I figured I'd be the only one to do so, but found out later that there was around 50 other kindred souls who registered the same way. Now the truth can come out.

Tracing our ancestry back, it was found that we were related to the first Viking King to unite all of Norway, and he did so in the year 872. His name? Harald Haarfager. The name "Haarfager" translates to mean "fair hair." Back in those days, sons were named after the father, usually by just tacking on the moniker son to the end of the name. Therefore, one of his relations became known by the name of "Haraldsson." That was the first beginnings of our name in how it looks today - "Harrelson."

Pictured from a 14th century Icelandic manuscript known as Flateyjarbók, you see the young Harald:

Harald receives the kingdom out of his father's hands

Harald's father was named Halfdan the Black and controlled a few areas in the southeast portion of Norway. But it was actually Harald who united all of the country and become it's first true ruler. One fascinating story surrounding Harald happened before he was crowned King. There was a princess he loved and he vowed to never cut his hair until he could have her hand in marriage. This went on for ten years and he became known as Shockhead for awhile. When she finally consented, he had it trimmed and from then on, was known by the more familiar name of Fairhair. As you can see in another picture of Harald, his hair was indeed "fair":

Harald prepares to slay another enemy

Harald ruled his country wisely until he grew old. By then, his favorite son had acquired his own nickname, Eric "Bloodaxe," by killing 7 of his 8 brothers, so he inherited the job of King of Norway. What better person to turn the kingdom over to? Harald lived until the year 933, when he was 84 years old.

The Viking Age lasted until the mid-12th century when, by that time, they had mostly been converted over to Christianity. Their pillaging and plundering way of life became a thing of the past and Vikings settled down to be farmers or herders. I prefer to think that there are still a few of us left out there. And one day, the Vikings will rise again! (Mwaahhaahhaahhaa!)

I Think That I Shall Never See

As a photographer, some projects turn out to be more satisfying than others. There is one project that I've been working on for almost 30 years and counting. And each year that passes, it pleases me even more. Let me go back to the beginning.

In 1978, I acquired my first good 35mm slr camera. I loved it and used it a lot. The following year, when Autumn arrived, I happened to use it to take a picture that has become a big part of my life every subsequent year at that same time. Who doesn't like to see the Fall colors arrive, with the leaves turning their rainbow hues? Well, I can't see all the shades, but can certainly tell when the leaves on the trees start turning. That photograph I took in late October 1979 is this tree pictured below:

It turned out to be an epochal event for me. There was just something about that particular tree and location that struck me as being.... right. It's symmetrical relationship with the sky and ground; the sidewalk running lazily alongside it until it disappears in the distance; the tree's look of strength and permanence. All of these things came together for me and made it most memorable. I went back another year and another, until I realized that I had to go back each year at the end of October or when the leaves had turned to their fullest potential and capture this moment in time for posterity. And, I still go back there each year to this day. The fact that it is at the edge of the small town I live in makes it somewhat easier to do, but there have been times when I lived elsewhere and had to drive back home just to get the picture. It has become something special to me when it gets to be time to take this annual picture. I highly anticipate it as soon as the heat of summer breaks and the nights begin to grow cooler. Suffice it to say, it's something I never miss.

Now that it's well into November and I have my shot for 2007 in the can, I can gather up my collection of shots and compare them side by side. And rather than post one here for each year since 1979, I have instead opted to just pick one from every now and then. Enough to show the progression "my" tree has taken through the years. Please scroll down through them and enjoy them like I do!

1982

1985

1989

1993

1995

2002

And lastly, 2007