Natlyons' Blog

Epigram

natlyons — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:47:38 +0000

It speaks for itself:

“You never know what will happen.”

So don’t stop going.

Metaphysics

natlyons — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:12:22 +0000

“Eyeing the goal, we ran to the giant slide, climbed the 24 tall, narrow steps of the metal ladder, holding tightly to the rails as we climbed. Like conquerors at the top we’d place wax paper under our butts and slide like a maniac to the bottom and then fly off the end.”

Characteristically, my response to a challenge is to conquer it. A new road is a new opportunity. In wide-eyed wonder I’m giddy for the journey. Danger or sadness may slow me down, but will not stop me from taking the next step.

You have to take a step to get anywhere.

Mood

natlyons — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:06:23 +0000

Exhilarated: adj. The state of being refreshed, stimulated or elated.

Given that the journey of life involves tough decisions, scary places, sadness, speed and excitement, how could I feel anything except exhilaration?

Physical Attributes and Atmosphere

natlyons — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:55:39 +0000

Roads symbolize the journey of life and the decisions made along the way. My Mystory contains rocky roads, dusty roads, stone trails, German hedgerows, the Autobahn, and an interstate system. Metaphorically, it also contained the tall ladder that led to the top of a giant slide.

The road I have chosen to picture for my logo is a trail between hedgerows. A blue feather, symbolizing hope and new life ahead, lies between the ruts waiting to be discovered. The hedges hide danger, but danger’s presence was never forgotten by the soldier who strode or rode along this trail. The trail keeps going, but to where it is not obvious because of the bend and the fog.

The Material Prop

natlyons — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:02:06 +0000

The most obvious material prop juxtaposed across all parts of Mystory (Community, Family and Entertainment) was a road. The important ingredient in each story was the need to take a step and keep going. It was pointed out to me that all of the roads in Mystory contained some element of violence.

In my Northern family memory, we walked a rocky road to get to the giant slide and on the way home we found the injured baby bird along the road. But there was also treasure to be found along the road. My community story is built on a massive road system: the Eisenhower Instate System. In order to understand how that system came to be it was helpful to look at Eisenhower’s life as it related to roads. My entertainment story also involved roads on which serious decisions needed to be made.

Image of Wide Scope

natlyons — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:22:28 +0000

MYSTORY

WIDE IMAGE

EMBLEM

FAMILY

— >

Northern Memory: The Giant Slide

MOTTO

Go for it!

MOOD

(My Feeling)

< —

Exhilarated

COMMUNITY

— >

Dwight David Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways

METAPHYSICS

< —

You have to take a step to get anywhere.

ENTERTAINMENT

— >

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

EPIGRAM

You never know what will happen.

MORALITY

(My Conduct)

< —

Wide-Eyed

Eisenhower’s Legacy

natlyons — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:42:37 +0000

A lot about the Interstate system is debatable, but there is no debate about the fact that the Interstate system has changed the face of the United States. There has not yet been a cause for the U.S. Military to test the system, but their bases are located close to the highway and it is wide enough to accomodate the modern military machine. The effect of the Interstate system has reached beyond defense, though. The availability of its nearly 50,000 miles of road has effected our lives in a myriad of ways. Our vacations, our cities and towns, indeed, our very economy has been shaped by the National Highway Defense System that Eisenhower willed into place.

In honor of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s vision, in 1990 President George W. Bush renamed the highway system the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower

natlyons — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:49:05 +0000

In 1953, newly elected President Eisenhower started to push Congress to fund the national highway system. Finally, 3 years later, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 was on his desk and ready to be signed.

It took 27 years to finish the Interstate Highway System. The first stretch was laid in Topeka, Kansas, in 1956. The last stretch was laid in Los Angeles, California, in 1993.

General Eisenhower

natlyons — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:23:22 +0000

Still a work in progress, construction of the Autobahn began in Berlin in the 1920’s. In the 1930′s, Hitler used 100,000 men to work on the highway, and it was during World War II when General Eisenhower became familiar with this infrastructure the Germans used to move their troops and supplies. After D-Day, pushing toward Berlin, the allied forces faced a difficult and harrowing traverse through the hedgerows. Once they reached the Autobahn, they broke free. This is when General Eisenhower realized the value of a two-lane highway system.

The Convoy

natlyons — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:38:02 +0000

Leaving Washington, D.C. on July 7, 1919, was the first automobile caravan the U. S. Military sent cross country. World War I had ended just months before the first wheel of the caravan struck dirt.

With the 34 cargo trucks was everything the leaders imagined they would need, including: water tanks, a gasoline tank, a machine shop, a blacksmith shop, 4 kitchen trailers, and a caterpillar tractor. They even had a mix of motorcycles. Not only ruts in the road, but deep gouges were made in the memory of young Captain Dwight D. Eisenhower who rode along for all 62 days and 3,251 miles. On the way they destroyed vehicles, bridges and culverts and learned an important lesson: there was no efficient way to transport men and vehicles coast to coast across the United States.