31 December - General Asboth & York


Brigadier General Alexander Sandor Asboth and York
Carte-de-visite by Charles D. Fredricks & Co., New York

Here's another in our series of treasures from the Museum's collections, a portrait of Brigadier General Alexander Sandor Asboth and his dog York. Asboth was born in Hungary in 1811 and served as an engineer officer in the Austro-Hungarian army. He served under Kossuth in the 1848 revolution, and came to the states in 1851 when the revolution failed. Asboth was the commander of the 2nd Division at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas (March 7-8, 1862). After the war, Asboth served as U.S. minister to Argentina and Uruguay. He died in Buenos Aires in 1868. His body was returned to the U.S. in 1990, and was buried at the Arlington National Cemetery. Here's a nice engraving of Asboth, his staff, and York at Pea Ridge:

General Asboth and staff at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Ark., March 6th-8th, 1862. The gallantry displayed by General Asboth in the victory of Pea Ridge gives great interest to the spirited sketch of himself and staff which we present to our readers. Among the officers in the sketch were Acting Brigadier General Albert, Brigade Quartermaster McKay, the young commander of the Fremont Hussars, Major George E. Waring, Jr., from New York city, formerly major of the Garibaldi Guards, and the general's aids-de-camp [sic], Gillen and Kroll, etc. Among General Asboth's most constant attendants was his favorite dog, York, a splendid speciment of the St. Bernard species.

From Famous Leaders and Battle Scenes of the Civil War. Other sources describe York as a setter. The engraving also seems to show Asboth in the same gorgeous cloak he wears in the photograph - nice. Speaking of foreign officers in the Union service, and the dogs that love them, a gent at the Animals Aloft signing at the Udvar-Hazy Center told me about an incident at Antietam: Captain Werner von Bachelle of the 6th Wisconsin was killed during the fighting - the Federals retreated, but von Bachelle's faithful Newfoundland refused to leave his master's body. Later, the Wisconsin troops retook the position, and found von Bachelle's body, and the dog lying across him - killed while defending his master. Oh! Here's the story, and a wonderful statuette of the dog, available for purchase! I'll have to acquire one, unless some dear Friend of the Museum would like to donate one to the Janus Museum. Oh! Here's another page on Civil War mascots - it mentions Old Abe, the 8th Wisconsin's heroic eagle - our database claims that the Janus Museum has a carte-de-visite of Old Abe - will have to try to locate it.

30 December - Celebratory Firing


Gus celebrating.

A fascinating new blog,

A lot of people think that retired army General JS Hatcher’s book, called Hatcher’s Notebook is probably the most complete treatment of gun facts ever written. Hatcher describes several studies conducted to figure out just how dangerous this practice is. Bottom line of these studies, says he, is that the terminal velocity of your typical bullet coming back down varies a lot but is normally more than 200 feet per second.

And, other writers on the subject (there have been quite a few) say that tests on cadavers show that skin is punctured and underlying organs messed up (my words, not theirs) at bullet velocities that exceed 180 feet per second. And, since falling bullets typically strike people in the head or shoulders, this appears to me to be a very dangerous practice...

30 December - Hazards of Catwalking


Deer tick (Ixodes scapularis), actual size.

I found a tick on me, sucking my life's blood; probably acquired it during a recent catwalk. Since there's been at least

Fever, chills, sweats; weight change (loss or gain); fatigue, tiredness; unexplained hair loss; swollen glands; sore throat; testicular or pelvic pain; unexplained menstrual irregularity (can scratch that one, anyway); irritable bladder or bladder dysfunction; change in bowel function; constipation; shortness of breath, cough; heart palpitations, pulse skips, heart block; joint pain or swelling; twitching of the face or other muscles; headache; neck stiffness; stiffness of the joints or back; facial paralysis (mouth is crooked on one side when you talk in front of a mirror - Bell's Palsy); eyes/vision - double, blurry, pain, increased floaters (specks in front of vision); ears/hearing - ringing, buzzing, ear pain; dizziness, poor balance, increased motion sickness; light-headedness, wooziness, difficulty walking, clumsy bumping into objects; tremor; confusion, difficulty in thinking, difficulty in concentrating, difficulty with sticking with task; difficulty with concentration or reading; decreased short term memory; disorientation - driving past your turn, getting lost, going to wrong place; difficulty with speech; mood swings, irritability, depression; disturbed sleep - too much, too little, early awakening - goes through cycles sometimes too much; exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol; slowed pulse; testicular enlargement; nodules on earlobes; stomach distension; breathing with mouth open; eye lesions; nasal stuffiness/restriction; shortness of breath; hypersensitive olfactory organ (sensitive to the slightest odours/smells); feeling drunk without drinking; no desire to do anything - including favorite hobbies; too slow a pulse when resting; rapid pulse with slightest exertion; profuse sweating - soaking wet if you go snow skiing; muscle pains, cramps or charley horse; pains switching from one side of the body to the other; enlarged lymph glands; stiff aching neck; changes in vision; limbs - especially arms feel heavier than normal; diminished or absent reflexes; brain fog; poor coordination/ataxia; decreased ability to spell correctly; poor word retrieval/Aphasia; anxiety; obsessive-compulsive symptoms; panic attacks; changes in cerebral blood flow/brain waves... (list somewhat abridged)

I pointed out to Barney that I usually have at least a dozen of the symptoms, and so I finally got to actually see the doctor - everyone admired my tick - and now I'm on antibiotics - Doxycycline, which has these side effects:

diarrhea or loose stools, nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting.

Maybe I'll survive. 'Sblood, I feel another brain fog a-coming on...

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29 December - Chauncey and Rowdy Greet You


Chauncey and Rowdy, Beijing c.1920. Photographic postcard, Janus Museum Collection.

There are some very nice things in some of the Museum's small photographic collections, which I've been working on lately. This picture is from a photo postcard sent from Beijing to a lady in Dayton around 1920. Here's the caption:

May the new year bring you all joy in your life of service. Chauncey & Rowdy greet you for all the Pettuses.

Could Chauncey actually be

27 December - Cthulhu and the End of the Talkies

26 December - Christmas Catwalk Cancellation Cancelled



The rain stopped and the sun came out after all yesterday afternoon, allowing a quick Christmas catwalk. Natasha attended -

25 December - Christmas Catwalk Cancelled


Leroy (left) and Natasha on yesterday's catwalk.

The annual Christmas Catwalk had to be called off because of heavy rain. Fortunately, we got in a nice one in yesterday, it being sunny and warm.

The Washington Post had

24 December - Modified Holiday Wishes


Cat Tucker, waiting for Santa Claws, Christmas 2004.

The last of the damn fruitcakes have been shipped, and the final bus tour to view the Janus Museum's illuminations is this evening, so I think that we can finally slow down a bit and catch our breaths. We'll be having our traditional showing of

In winter, no smell of cinnamon blossom -
But squid, pisco,
And snow in the air.

En Invierno, ausencia de aroma de canela
Solo calamares y pisco
Y en el aire, nieve.

23 December - Cat Photography Continues Unabated



Friend of the Museum Lisa Grossman

21 December - More Winter Cats



And now, for your viewing pleasure,

20 December - Tarzan's Advice to Bloggers


Hemant Birje and Kimi Katkar in Tarzan (1985)

This site usually attracts only 5 to 10 troubled loners a day, so I was surprised to see that the traffic was up to 150 page views by noon today - that's a monster day for us. Looking at our stats, I saw that nearly everyone was coming through a Google Images search on the picture above, a still from Tarzan, a Bollywood hit of 1985, that

19 December - Continued Catwalk Coverage



There's nothing like a brisk catwalk on a cold Sunday afternoon, then returning to the carriage house with the smell of stew already cooking in the old crockpot, and then maybe a nap.

17 December - Winter Cat



On a Night of Snow

Cat, if you go outdoors, you must walk in the snow.
You will come back with little white shoes on your feet,
little white shoes of snow that have heels of sleet.
Stay by the fire, my Cat. Lie still, do not go.
See how the flames are leaping and hissing low,
I will bring you a saucer of milk like a marguerite,
so white and so smooth, so spherical and so sweet —
stay with me, Cat. Outdoors the wild winds blow.

Outdoors the wild winds blow, Mistress, and dark is the night,
strange voices cry in the trees, intoning strange lore,
and more than cats move, lit by our eyes' green light,
on silent feet where the meadow grasses hang hoar —
Mistress, there are portents abroad of magic and might,
and things that are yet to be done. Open the door!

Elizabeth Coatsworth

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17 December - Scott Reiss



There's very sad news

17 December - More Maternal Cephalopod News


Gonatus onyx and her kids

I've been pretty busy with the hideous crush of Janus Museum fruitcake orders, but I did want to mention this touching story, so appropriate for the season, of the devotion of mother squids of the species Gonatus onyx. According to

12 December - Book Signing III


Gus contemplates at the "signing"

Yesterday's book signing at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center was a nice opportunity for three hours of rest and quiet contemplation - mainly, I contemplated that scheduling an event to take place during a Redskins game was ill-advised. But Friends of the Museum came and cheered us up -

While walking around the museum, I found the cute little parachute harness that

11 December - Dime Nation



Very sad news - Baltimore's

10 December - Fahrradsoldat



Still cataloging

6 December - News and Reviews


Tail Wind with Collyer and Mears, 1928.

There was

"Tail Wind the dog, looking relaxed and confident at the start of a 23-day round-the-world flight in 1928 ..." is a typical caption from "Animals Aloft: Photographs From the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum" (Bunker Hill, $22.50). Allan Janus woofs and purrs it, but the critters rule this charmer, from airship aviatrix Titina, a fox terrier who flew over the North Pole (with human help), to Lafayette Escadrille mascot lions Whiskey and Soda, who have enhanced many a happy hour between kills.

Ever though of taking your dog for a plane ride?

Probably won't be a problem as long as you don't let him or her hang out the window (open cockpits excepted). But forget housecats.

We took our dog Cherokee over to Catalina once and she curled up on the floor behind me and went to sleep and soon as we took off. Once we arrived, she had that same confused look on her face as she did when she got of an elevator.

But she adapted, as dogs do, and didn't make a fuss about it. Cats, on the other hand, don't travel all that well (at least, ours don't)..

I imagine that should we manage to load Buck and Jules into our plane to attempt an air trip, we'd be unable to communicate with ATC for all the howling that would be going on.

Nevertheless, there have been plenty of animal connected to aviation and the Smithsonian has put together a hardcover book from their archives of some great photos of planes and animals, dating all the way back to 1798 (okay, that one's a painting), but it shows a man on a horse under a balloon, Pierre Testu-Brissy, who made the first balloon ascension on Oct. 16, 1798.

(Unfortunately, the horse got nosebleed.)

A richly illustrated documentary tribute to American animals and other "foreign nationals" in flight, the author introduces an all star cast, from the Montgolfier brothers' first balloon born menagerie (a sheep, a rooster and a duck), to Kiddo the first cat to try crossing the Atlantic by air (pity his pilot), to Lord Brabazon's flying pig and a host of horses, dogs, lions, goats, military pigeons, airborne cows and parachuting dogs.

"A unique tribute to our animal best friends and unfailing companions, Animals Aloft will delight and intrigue readers of all ages, from aviation history buffs to animal enthusiasts to anyone who enjoys the experience of flying, whether in the air or through armchair voyaging," said the publisher, and we tend to agree.

Author Allan Janus is a well-known photographer whose work is included in the National Museum of American Art, The Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Baltimore Museum of Art. He also works at the archives of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum where he maintains the archives' balloons and airship files.

If you know someone who loves animals and aviation, this is their cup of kibble. For more information contact Bunker Hill Publisher at (603) 272-9221 or see their website at www.bunkerhillpublishing.com

Tell them who sent you.

5 December - No Child Left Behind Barbed Wire



Unintended irony at the headquarters of the Department of Education. They have a very decent staff cafeteria at headquarters, though. Try the chicken tenders and the macaroni and cheese, if you can get through the Educational security. Later, snow fell and it got all picturesque and stuff:



Curiously, the Capitol police failed to apprehend me for

4 December - Cold Comfort Catwalk


Cat Natasha, warmly dressed

Mighty brisk for a catwalk today, out in the Janus Museum Forest Preserve. It became more of a catjog, as the wind penetrated the thin cheap ragged coat that is all that I, a poor museum grunt, can afford. Why didn't I listen to my old Dad and get into something more lucrative than the museum biz, like

4 December - Book Signing II



Yesterday's book signing at the

Gus shares a moment with Barbara Weitbrecht of the National Air and Space Museum. Barb's also a fine writer and

There's a good old Child Ballad feel to some of them - Griping in the Guts - Stopping of the Stomach, and Rising of the Lights. I wondered what Quasie or Quafie could possibly be? Insanity caused by an overdose of bad Elmer Fudd imitations? Friend of the Museum Ed McDevitt of the excellent new blog Overtones says it's probably quinsy.

Well, we've all got to go sometime, and somehow. As for me, I just hope I die peacefully in my sleep, as my grandfather did; and not screaming in terror, as his passengers did - old pilots' saying, that.

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2 December - Cat Rescue News



This is Bucky, a young feral cat befriended by Friend of the Museum Trish Graboske in nearby Rockville, Maryland. According to Trish, Bucky was part of a family of ferals in her neighborhood. Most unusual for a feral cat, though, young Bucky wasn't shy - would sit in Trish's lap and purr. Trish kept him fed and took him to the vet for his shots, but was unable to adopt him, 'cos her own cat had taken an unaccountable dislike to the poor fellow. But Bucky's found a home with another Friend of the Museum, David Gant. David reports that he's settling in, getting used to being inside.




Meanwhile, up by the waters of Babylon, New York, Friend of the Museum Lisa Grossman is fostering the cat seen above, named Love Monkey by her previous custodian - gaah... Lisa suspects that with a name change (possibly to Isis, or Queenie, or Morgan, or...) the foster may turn into a full-fledged adoption. Meanwhile, in Circle Cat social notes: