Archives for the day of: February 19, 2017

JOHN W. HILTON – Renaissance Man

February 19, 2017 //

hilton_john_w_red_chilies_on_a_blue_plate_mid

John W. Hilton 1904-1983
The life of John W. Hilton was extraordinary. He was born in China, the son of missionaries, was raised as a pastor’s kid in the American heartland, and then set his course in life on his own terms unencumbered by formal education. Driven by a deep sense of curiosity, he became an expert gemologist, botanist, geologist and miner, zoologist, advisor to General George S. Patton, friend and fellow painter of General / President Eisenhower, master of guitar and song, a very good writer, and of course, he wasn’t bad with a palette knife or paint brush either. John W. Hilton made his home in the Mohave Desert, living near but never actually in Palm Springs. He preferred the desert. Early in his career, he ran an off-the-beaten-path gem shop and gallery across the road from his landlord Russell, who sold date shakes at his “Valerie Jean’s” Date stand. Part of the deal was John could run his gem shop as long as he didn’t sell date shakes. With a date shake in hand, desert travelers would stroll across the road and into John’s gem shop. Some showed interest in a few of his displayed artworks, and some of the more artsy visitors helped advance John’s painting talents.

Source: http://www.bodegabayheritagegallery.com/Hilton_John_W_.htm

I have his biography listed on eBay right now if anyone is interested click here

~~dru~~

Categories eBAY

OFF YOUR LAP

February 19, 2017 //

I wish you luck

in keeping off your lap

that silly cat

that’s come to chat

~~dru~~

image source: https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2273/3552877411_201b7747fe_z.jpg

Categories CATZ

ROALD DAHL

February 19, 2017 //

” Roald Dahl was a spy, an ace fighter pilot, a chocolate historian and a medical inventor.”

dahlportrait

He was also the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda,The BFG, and a treasury of original, evergreen, and beloved children’s books. He remains for many the world’s No. 1 storyteller.

Born in Llandaff, Wales, on 13th September 1916 to Norwegian parents, Harald Dahl and Sofie Magdalene Hesselberg, Dahl was named after Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian who had been the first man to reach the South Pole just four years earlier. A heroic start in life. But his early years were blighted by the tragic deaths of his older sister, Astri, and his father.

Wanting the best for her only son, his mother sent him to boarding school – first to St Peter’s, Weston-super-Mare; then, in 1929, to Repton – where many bizarre and memorable events would later be recounted in Boy. Pupils at Repton were invited to trial chocolate bars, a memory that stayed with Dahl throughout his life, inspiring Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Schooldays happily behind him, Dahl’s lust for travel took him first to Canada, then to East Africa, where he worked for an oil company until the outbreak of World War Two. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force at 23 years old.

In September 1940, Dahl received severe injuries to his head, nose and back when his Gladiator crash-landed in the Western Desert. After six months recovering from his injuries in Alexandria he returned to action, taking part in The Battle of Athens. Later, after a posting to Washington, he supplied intelligence to MI6.

In 1953 Roald Dahl married the American actress, Patricia Neal, with whom he had five children. They divorced after 30 years, and he later married Felicity “Liccy” Crosland, who has furthered Roald’s legacy through the foundation of Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity and The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre.

In 1960 Roald helped invent the Wade-Dahl-Till valve, prompted by the need to alleviate the head injuries endured by his son after an accident in New York.

Source:https://www.roalddahl.com/