I just wanted to let everyone here know I published an in memoriam piece on Gerard for Memorial Day along with three guest posts (his last two plus a memoir he wrote about his mentor Thom Gunn that he back-posted discreetly for me to read, so I don’t believe others have seen it):
There are some lovely comments in appreciation of Gerard and his writing there, and I invite you guys to add your own memories there if desired. Since American Digest is supposed to go away within two years per his request, this will be a way of preserving these three posts by Gerard as well as any words you wish to share about him.
It was my honor to share Gerard’s poetic soul and profound words, Phil. It is a testament to his impact that you and others continue to visit American Digest after his tragic and untimely departure. It saddens me to think this will one day go away. I only hope people will take the time to archive it page by page at archive.ph before that happens.
Casey KlahnJune 2, 2023, 8:36 PM
Thank you for doing this, Margaret. I will have a look.
Love the photo of RainDog! A nickname climbers gave it back in the day. I spy the exit of the Fuhrer Finger, the Disappointment Cleaver, and the top of the Nisqually Wall.
Hi Casey, isn’t that Adams? I’ve been on the big R three times, three sides, that pic doesn’t look familiar. I looked at pix on the internet for Adams, that looks closer to this pic. Adams was always too far away and not enough gain for my limited vacation time.
Casey KlahnJune 5, 2023, 10:26 AM
Similar though they are, this one is distinctively Rainier. Look at Disappointment Cleaver on the far right skyline.
I once traversed Adams; up the North Ridge and down the standard route. Also have skied it, although we got weathered off after couple of days. Adams is famous for getting weathered off of, but we always wanted it under snow so always went before June.
Yes, it’s a long drive from Seattle.
ghostsniperJune 3, 2023, 8:43 AM
Remember when you were a little kid and your mother gave you a small plastic cup with Hawaiian Punch in it and it tasted divine? It came in them big cans back then.
Leo’s Hawaiian Punch was created as an ice cream topping syrup in 1934 by A.W. Leo, Tom Yeats, and Ralph Harrison in a converted garage in Fullerton, California. It originally contained 5 fruit juices: orange, pineapple, passion fruit, guava and papaya—all imported from Hawaii. Although customers later discovered that it made an appealing drink when mixed with water, Hawaiian Punch (with “Leo’s” name omitted) was only available wholesale in gallon glass jugs to ice cream parlors and soda fountains. The original company was named Pacific Citrus Products.
In 1946, Reuben P. Hughes purchased the company and renamed it the Pacific Hawaiian Products Company and quickly set about making Hawaiian Punch Base available directly to consumers in 1 quart glass containers. The immediate post-war period saw the introduction of ready-to-serve Hawaiian Punch in 46 oz tins (1950) & frozen concentrate (1955). Sometime around 1954, the brand was expanded to a second flavor, Sunshine Yellow. The original red Hawaiian Punch became the “Rosy” flavor. At that same time, a sixth fruit flavor, apricot puree, was added to the formula. The Sunshine Yellow flavor omitted the orange juice of the original and replaced the original red food coloring with yellow. By 1955, Hawaiian Punch had become a national brand.
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company bought Pacific Hawaiian in 1962 and later transferred it to its newly acquired Del Monte subsidiary in 1981. Procter & Gamble bought Hawaiian Punch from Del Monte Foods, spun off from RJR Nabisco in 1989, a year later. Procter & Gamble sold Hawaiian Punch to Cadbury Schweppes in 1999. Dr Pepper Snapple was spun off from Cadbury Schweppes in 2008. In 2018, Dr Pepper Snapple merged with Keurig Green Mountain to become Keurig Dr Pepper.
In 1961, the Atherton-Privett ad agency created a 20-second TV commercial to advertise Hawaiian Punch drink. The commercial was produced by John Urie and Associates in Hollywood. Jean Guy Jacques was the director; Bob Guidi and John Urie designed the two characters, Punchy and Oaf. Ross Martin (Jim West’s side kick on “Wild, Wild West” TV show) did Punchy’s voice, “Hey! How ’bout a nice Hawaiian Punch?” and John Urie did Oaf’s line, “Sure”. Rod Scribner animated the commercials. Sam Cornell also worked on the later versions. Oaf never learned to say “No” and he was always punched. The commercial ended with Punchy leaning on a can of Hawaiian Punch, saying, “Wasn’t that a refreshing commercial?” The commercial won many awards. The Punchy and Oaf characters were used in the product’s commercials well into the 1980s, and again for a period in the early 1990s.
The dood that they named Ft Benning, Georgia after I always understood to be just a 2 bit local yokel who made it to brigadier general in the Civil War. He was the closest character to the city of Columbus and the fort and so they named it for him. It seemed quaint to me; he was otherwise unremarkable, at least as far as I understood when I served there.
Served there! I found the Lord Jesus Christ there, and got saved (aged 17). I turned blue twice (no jokes). It was my deployment station, and I guess I had three separate musters to Ft Benning; one as an enlisted man and two as an officer. You might say I’m unimpressed that the army is changing the names of Southern forts from confederate honorees to spiffy new names approved by progs. I guess they ain’t honoreez anymore. I hope as the confederate dead roll over in their graves, that they flip off the Left as they do.
FFS, Robert E Lee is no longer a hero in Virginia! Maybe next it’ll be Washington himself they want to shitcan. I even hear they’re changing the name of Ft Polk to Fort Woke. I wrote elsewhere that in keeping with the disinterment of all things South, I strongly suggest that they rename the Democrat Party. After all, it’s the slave-owner party, and the seat of the KKoK. My new name for the dems is: National Socialist American Workers Party. Nothing wrong with that, huh? It fits them perfectly.
Something that I keep rolling around upstairs, at what point toes the US become unfit for normal human habitation? I keep thinking that I’ve positioned my wife and I fairly well and believe we can avoid most of the nonsense going on. Then, just this morning I see the item at the link below. Bloomington is a massively prog town 25 miles west of here, home of IUPUI college, a place I avoid like the plague. And now this. How long can we continue to stay out of the fray? https://www.wbiw.com/2023/06/02/mayor-hamilton-calls-on-city-council-to-pass-resolution-supporting-driver-cards-for-undocumented-indiana-residents/
Casey KlahnJune 5, 2023, 5:52 AM
I never had much use for people falling out of planes. I mean, was the plane broke? Sheet.
That picture of Washington made me do a spit take with my coffee.
Licensing wetbacks? What could possibly go wrong there? Watching a short vid this morn of driving around San Fran: thin auto and foot traffic downtown. Near Omega Man like.
There will need to be a black market, or underground, economy for: chicken, beef, gasoline, diesel, ammunition, electricity (maybe – I believe they need you receiving orders and propaganda so maybe they’ll only out your power periodically), what else? In Ireland, they are preparing to slaughter 200k of cattle. It’s for the environment. I think the Dutch already did a cull. In Germany their version of the FDA has told the populace to eat only 1 gram of protein a day. Next is the US I guess.
There will either be a total turn-around (which leader will bring this about? Pence? Kennedy? C’mon…you know who will. Say his name).
If you’ve ever been in a corporate environment, and I mean school, military, industry, or whatever, you should have a little understanding of leadership. Trump’s a leader. Fuck anyone who says he’s too mean. If they say “tone it down,” they’re utterly bone-headed. This ain’t a schoolyard – it’s for all the marbles.
I can’t go back to the stuff I used to do before the lockdowns. It’s one thing to be a medical or government entity, and call the question of vaccination into play, but if you’re a private organization, and you opt out of whole cloth to require people to be vaxed, you’re exactly what the Naughtzees were. Bullies. Control freaks. Immoral. Requiring the vaccine of your associates was immoral, plain and simple. I avoided the negative news about vax fallout for a long time, but I did read one the other day where the greater number of boosters you got, the higher incidences of Covidz occurred. When I joked how people were interested in, or “liked the Covid,”, I was actually onto something there.
rant/ off
Mike SeyleJune 4, 2023, 4:28 PM
1. Thank you Margaret.
2. I was wondering the other day why I bothered with planting cabbage (talk talk, type type, typical blather). Cut to end: It’s better’n store-bought; I found what I need in worm control; maybe some day it’ll be the only thing left to sustain us. But as a prepper said a long time ago: You gotta’ start early to learn this stuff ahead of time.
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
I just wanted to let everyone here know I published an in memoriam piece on Gerard for Memorial Day along with three guest posts (his last two plus a memoir he wrote about his mentor Thom Gunn that he back-posted discreetly for me to read, so I don’t believe others have seen it):
• “Remembering Gerard Van der Leun: Bon Voyage, — Mon Semblable, — Mon Frère!” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/remembering-gerard-van-der-leun-bon)
There are some lovely comments in appreciation of Gerard and his writing there, and I invite you guys to add your own memories there if desired. Since American Digest is supposed to go away within two years per his request, this will be a way of preserving these three posts by Gerard as well as any words you wish to share about him.
Margaret–Thank you.
It was my privilege to share Gerard’s poignant words on the 20-year anniversary of the original publication of “The Name in the Stone.”
Thank you for this Margaret Anna Alice. Gerard will live in our memories for a very long time. What a gift to have found American Digest.
It was my honor to share Gerard’s poetic soul and profound words, Phil. It is a testament to his impact that you and others continue to visit American Digest after his tragic and untimely departure. It saddens me to think this will one day go away. I only hope people will take the time to archive it page by page at archive.ph before that happens.
Thank you for doing this, Margaret. I will have a look.
Love the photo of RainDog! A nickname climbers gave it back in the day. I spy the exit of the Fuhrer Finger, the Disappointment Cleaver, and the top of the Nisqually Wall.
Thank you, Casey! Grateful to welcome you.
Hi Casey, isn’t that Adams? I’ve been on the big R three times, three sides, that pic doesn’t look familiar. I looked at pix on the internet for Adams, that looks closer to this pic. Adams was always too far away and not enough gain for my limited vacation time.
Similar though they are, this one is distinctively Rainier. Look at Disappointment Cleaver on the far right skyline.
I once traversed Adams; up the North Ridge and down the standard route. Also have skied it, although we got weathered off after couple of days. Adams is famous for getting weathered off of, but we always wanted it under snow so always went before June.
Yes, it’s a long drive from Seattle.
Remember when you were a little kid and your mother gave you a small plastic cup with Hawaiian Punch in it and it tasted divine? It came in them big cans back then.
Leo’s Hawaiian Punch was created as an ice cream topping syrup in 1934 by A.W. Leo, Tom Yeats, and Ralph Harrison in a converted garage in Fullerton, California. It originally contained 5 fruit juices: orange, pineapple, passion fruit, guava and papaya—all imported from Hawaii. Although customers later discovered that it made an appealing drink when mixed with water, Hawaiian Punch (with “Leo’s” name omitted) was only available wholesale in gallon glass jugs to ice cream parlors and soda fountains. The original company was named Pacific Citrus Products.
In 1946, Reuben P. Hughes purchased the company and renamed it the Pacific Hawaiian Products Company and quickly set about making Hawaiian Punch Base available directly to consumers in 1 quart glass containers. The immediate post-war period saw the introduction of ready-to-serve Hawaiian Punch in 46 oz tins (1950) & frozen concentrate (1955). Sometime around 1954, the brand was expanded to a second flavor, Sunshine Yellow. The original red Hawaiian Punch became the “Rosy” flavor. At that same time, a sixth fruit flavor, apricot puree, was added to the formula. The Sunshine Yellow flavor omitted the orange juice of the original and replaced the original red food coloring with yellow. By 1955, Hawaiian Punch had become a national brand.
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company bought Pacific Hawaiian in 1962 and later transferred it to its newly acquired Del Monte subsidiary in 1981. Procter & Gamble bought Hawaiian Punch from Del Monte Foods, spun off from RJR Nabisco in 1989, a year later. Procter & Gamble sold Hawaiian Punch to Cadbury Schweppes in 1999. Dr Pepper Snapple was spun off from Cadbury Schweppes in 2008. In 2018, Dr Pepper Snapple merged with Keurig Green Mountain to become Keurig Dr Pepper.
In 1961, the Atherton-Privett ad agency created a 20-second TV commercial to advertise Hawaiian Punch drink. The commercial was produced by John Urie and Associates in Hollywood. Jean Guy Jacques was the director; Bob Guidi and John Urie designed the two characters, Punchy and Oaf. Ross Martin (Jim West’s side kick on “Wild, Wild West” TV show) did Punchy’s voice, “Hey! How ’bout a nice Hawaiian Punch?” and John Urie did Oaf’s line, “Sure”. Rod Scribner animated the commercials. Sam Cornell also worked on the later versions. Oaf never learned to say “No” and he was always punched. The commercial ended with Punchy leaning on a can of Hawaiian Punch, saying, “Wasn’t that a refreshing commercial?” The commercial won many awards. The Punchy and Oaf characters were used in the product’s commercials well into the 1980s, and again for a period in the early 1990s.
Thank you Margaret. You are the One . . .
Aww, thank you, Terry 🤗
The dood that they named Ft Benning, Georgia after I always understood to be just a 2 bit local yokel who made it to brigadier general in the Civil War. He was the closest character to the city of Columbus and the fort and so they named it for him. It seemed quaint to me; he was otherwise unremarkable, at least as far as I understood when I served there.
Served there! I found the Lord Jesus Christ there, and got saved (aged 17). I turned blue twice (no jokes). It was my deployment station, and I guess I had three separate musters to Ft Benning; one as an enlisted man and two as an officer. You might say I’m unimpressed that the army is changing the names of Southern forts from confederate honorees to spiffy new names approved by progs. I guess they ain’t honoreez anymore. I hope as the confederate dead roll over in their graves, that they flip off the Left as they do.
FFS, Robert E Lee is no longer a hero in Virginia! Maybe next it’ll be Washington himself they want to shitcan. I even hear they’re changing the name of Ft Polk to Fort Woke. I wrote elsewhere that in keeping with the disinterment of all things South, I strongly suggest that they rename the Democrat Party. After all, it’s the slave-owner party, and the seat of the KKoK. My new name for the dems is: National Socialist American Workers Party. Nothing wrong with that, huh? It fits them perfectly.
Hadn’t heard about Benning yet. I did 3 long weeks there in Oct 74, then got assigned to Bragg. Speaking of which, see this:
https://westernrifleshooters.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ba15949a94352556.jpeg
Regarding George Washington, it might be in the works.
See this:
https://westernrifleshooters.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/image001.png
Something that I keep rolling around upstairs, at what point toes the US become unfit for normal human habitation? I keep thinking that I’ve positioned my wife and I fairly well and believe we can avoid most of the nonsense going on. Then, just this morning I see the item at the link below. Bloomington is a massively prog town 25 miles west of here, home of IUPUI college, a place I avoid like the plague. And now this. How long can we continue to stay out of the fray?
https://www.wbiw.com/2023/06/02/mayor-hamilton-calls-on-city-council-to-pass-resolution-supporting-driver-cards-for-undocumented-indiana-residents/
I never had much use for people falling out of planes. I mean, was the plane broke? Sheet.
That picture of Washington made me do a spit take with my coffee.
Licensing wetbacks? What could possibly go wrong there? Watching a short vid this morn of driving around San Fran: thin auto and foot traffic downtown. Near Omega Man like.
There will need to be a black market, or underground, economy for: chicken, beef, gasoline, diesel, ammunition, electricity (maybe – I believe they need you receiving orders and propaganda so maybe they’ll only out your power periodically), what else? In Ireland, they are preparing to slaughter 200k of cattle. It’s for the environment. I think the Dutch already did a cull. In Germany their version of the FDA has told the populace to eat only 1 gram of protein a day. Next is the US I guess.
There will either be a total turn-around (which leader will bring this about? Pence? Kennedy? C’mon…you know who will. Say his name).
If you’ve ever been in a corporate environment, and I mean school, military, industry, or whatever, you should have a little understanding of leadership. Trump’s a leader. Fuck anyone who says he’s too mean. If they say “tone it down,” they’re utterly bone-headed. This ain’t a schoolyard – it’s for all the marbles.
I can’t go back to the stuff I used to do before the lockdowns. It’s one thing to be a medical or government entity, and call the question of vaccination into play, but if you’re a private organization, and you opt out of whole cloth to require people to be vaxed, you’re exactly what the Naughtzees were. Bullies. Control freaks. Immoral. Requiring the vaccine of your associates was immoral, plain and simple. I avoided the negative news about vax fallout for a long time, but I did read one the other day where the greater number of boosters you got, the higher incidences of Covidz occurred. When I joked how people were interested in, or “liked the Covid,”, I was actually onto something there.
rant/ off
1. Thank you Margaret.
2. I was wondering the other day why I bothered with planting cabbage (talk talk, type type, typical blather). Cut to end: It’s better’n store-bought; I found what I need in worm control; maybe some day it’ll be the only thing left to sustain us. But as a prepper said a long time ago: You gotta’ start early to learn this stuff ahead of time.
inneresting
ABSOLUTE ANIMALS: THE ROYAL MENAGERIE AND THE ROYAL LABYRINTH AT VERSAILLES
https://ageofrevolutions.com/2021/07/19/absolute-animals-the-royal-menagerie-and-the-royal-labyrinth-at-versailles/