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MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
Note: I'm telling of my experiences cuz I'm writing a childrens book at the moment and needed another break....I need an illustrator by the way. Mine died.
Curacao is an island off the coast of Venezuala in a group of islands formerly called The Netherland Antilles. It is a very interesting place with floating produce markets and a draw bridge that floats to the side rather than rising. It has a history of pirates and revolution with an old pirate fortress that was turned into a resort that is very cool and the architecture is very Dutch. The diving is great and it was or likely still is a popular destination for cruise ships. If you do go one thing that use to be sought after is the square nickle they minted there. I believe it may have been the only square coin, we use to get them after buying one scoop of ice cream for 95 cents and we'd get those durn nickles for change. Amstel has a big brewery there. Great place. I pulled into Curacao just prior to the 4th of July in 1982, into Willemstad, and like everyone else on my destroyer (tin can) was looking forward to hitting the town. The booze was expensive but the big draw was what was called 'the compound', a common term for an official brothel area. The girls were not the prettiest you would ever find but still, any port in a storm, and the beer was cheap and cold. To be honest I stayed in the bar and the big sport was cheering on the girls who brought in the most customers as our shipmates spent their money for an hour of rest and relaxation. One plump peroxide blond was the big money winner with the fellows and we kept tabs on who she took to her room so that we could inform all of them the next day just to cause trouble. It was the best of times, it was the...well, it was a pretty dang good time. That isn't the interesting part of our visit to this exotic and balmy island. The officers 4th of July reception was the most exciting part. The govt that ran Curacao as was typical when the top American military officer, my boss, for the region was in port threw a party in his honor and invited all the officers on board our ship. Since the command wasn't throwing the bash I was not there because I worked our parties as a bartender while the state ran parties were staffed by their own people. The admirals wife was in town, she flew to certain ports where the parties were mixed, but the other officers wifes and girlfriends, if they had them, were not there. Problem. The party was for couples and in Latin culture to have these officers show up stag would not have been a great idea because it wouldn't represent the machismo of the American officer. What to do? Well, the person running the party sent a messege that there would be dates for all the officers and not to worry. The officers were very excited and imagined these lovely young Latinas, many with Dutch blood in the mix, eagerly waiting to spend the evening at a nice official function with them. Yeah....lovely young things.... What happened was they hired 20 women from the compound, the worse money earners, to be the dates! So our officers spend the evening with a pack of hookers who were trying to augment their nightly salary by charging the officers for every dance and, of course, extras if they wanted. Good times indeed! |
critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts |
I can draw really amateurish cartoons!
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
Perfect!
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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
Santa, your story does not sound very appropriate for a children's book. I hope that story is not its subject matter.
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
Noooo. I'm writing a story that is roughly the history of the area from the perspective of a little donkey that lives near me. This little donkey is cool, he goes to the end of his field and, as what happened today, the wild horses hang out just over the fence. So I sit in the car and watch this little tiny, by comparison, donkey feet away from these big mustangs and I imagined that he would want to be part of the herd. You have to see it to get it but it seems to me the donkey and horses are pals. I must have seen 20 mustangs today. So the idea is the story will give a bit of info on Virginia City and the pony express and mining, all that good stuff. I think it is a good way to teach history to kids (I was a history major). Hey....I could have the donkey go to the brothels! No....wait, that has been done in TJ.
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kcg5 Inner circle who wants four fried chickens and a coke 1868 Posts |
I would love to read this book! Put me on the list.
Nobody expects the spanish inquisition!!!!!
"History will be kind to me, as I intend to write it"- Sir Winston Churchill |
MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
No problem. I'm wondering should I go with photos mixed with illustrations? I can do bad water color but I was thinking more cartoony looking for the donkey would work.
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critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts |
Like the Shrek donkey?
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
Kind of but more donkey looking. I was thinking and wondered if imposing the donkey into real photos would be a good idea.
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critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts |
Like the Cottington Fairies?
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
Like a sailor tattoo.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
Perfect!
I had to look up the shrek donkey and that actually is pretty close, which irritated me, so I'm going more real yet cute donkey. |
critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts |
I'd try to draw something for you but I would have no idea how to get it from the paper to here.
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
Me either....I use Balducci when ever I'm confused, which is often.
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critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts |
I used to do some comics for a couple of local free 'zines. Pud'L face was a strip that I used as a sort of soundboard against discrimination, mostly having to do with gays. I also did one that was a total rip-off of Charles Addams, but with more of an Edward Gorey or Tim Burton drawing style.
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
My donkey friend may be gay, never asked. My problem is I can draw something once, then when I do it again it looks different, then more different, I've no consistancy.
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ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-03-08 01:01, MagicSanta wrote: Sounds a little bit like the Budweiser commercial with the donkey wanting to be part of the Clyesdale (sp) team.
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
Only this donkey is real and the wild horses really do hang out at the fence with the lil' guy. It is right there in Stage Coach Nevada on the East side of the highway, come on down and I'll show you. It also sounds like the movie about the zebra wanting to be a race horse, or the great dane that wanted to be a dachsund, or the etc etc etc etc etc.
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