Further to the water taxi theme. NYC has yellow water taxis as well as the on road version.
There is no IKEA store in Manhattan but there is one in Brooklyn. IKEA subsidises a water taxi from lower Manhattan at the foot of Wall Street to Red Hook Brooklyn where their store is. If you purchase more than $20 in goods and hand in your $5 ticket they take $5 off the purchase price and showing the receipt boarding the return ferry it's free.
On a nice day it's a great ride seeing the lower Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty.
Two of the attached show the Water Taxis at their Brooklyn dock.
Continuing the boat theme like a lazy Monday sail, I did something special on Saturday.
I watched two TV programmes with my nearly-two-year old Grandson that I watched as a kid in the 1960's! Now that's the power on the interweb and in particular You Tube [watching old programmes on VHS with kids was a similar experience back in the 80's and 90's].
The two programmes [or parts - he got bored!] were Tales of the Riverbank and Trumpton.
I adored Tales from the Riverbank as I was and still am a nature nut. All those mice, hamsters and rats was a no-brainer. Throw in Johnny Morris's elastic voice and I wuz hooked! Hammy Hamster ruled!
Here's the short episode I chose for Moonbase Junior, GP's Medicine, which we watched full-screen on my phone no less!
They sail round in it in a beautiful little motor boat. Anyone any idea what it was? A toy? A prop? Its a lovely looking thing and the whole show was a complete delight. I think Moonbase Junior liked it.
For some reason I recall Tales from the Riverbank being in black and white rather than colour. I will never forget the gorgeous theme tune though. Anyone know who wrote and played it?
Did you like Tales of the Riverbank readers? Black and White or colour series?
Earlier in the year Terranova47 took his new toy Police Rescue Boat to Connecticut. He explains:
"Close to sunset, while the bugs were active I went over to the community pond to try the police launch. The discovery was that it's a pool toy as the pond scum and floating petals and leaves foul the propeller which is very small and not that fast moving. This was fun, I think I shall have to try out r/c boats.
Terranova47
USA"
Did you or do you try your boats on ponds and pools readers? Or those remote controlled boats at the seaside which you paid for popping a coin in a slot? Or life-size coin-operated boats you sat in?
We spent a day in the Yorkshire city of Leeds in Northern England. Being the nearest city to Moonbase, we visit a few times a year.
One of its hidden gems is its Water Taxi, a free boat ride along the river Aire into and out of the city centre from Leeds Dock.
The two boats are bright yellow .... like New York Taxis!
Along the river the Skipper gave us a really interesting fact: the world's first moving pictures were made on Leeds Bridge, a Victorian bridge we went under! The Skipper said the very short film of traffic crossing the bridge is on You Tube!
And so it is! Frenchman Louis Le Prince's black and white flicker of horses, carts and early cars ... in 1888!
As with all world firsts there's competition. Louis Le Prince appears to have shot another earlier film also in Leeds. This is on You Tube as well and is known as the Roundhay Garden Scene. Roundhay is an area of Leeds. It was also shot in October 1888 but earlier than the Leeds Bridge scene.
Reading further I noticed mention of real controversy surrounding these films or more particularly the film-maker himself. It appears that Louis Le Prince simply vanished in 1890.
Rather darkly there appears to be some suggestion that he was kidnapped by powerful forces emerging during the lucrative birth of motion pictures. There are many articles on the net and this is just one I chose at random. I have no views on this myself as I have only just come across this mystery. Maybe you know more?
After suggesting he show his unusual and original Grosvenor Films photos of the Telegoons to the Goon Show Preservation Society's Telegoons Merchanodise page*, Terranova47 received this great reply and a 1st proof of the relevant 'letters' page of their Newsletter, number 160. Terranova's short 'letter' and photo are printed in it - pictured above.
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Dear B,
I thought you might be interested to see what we have done with your fabulous Telegoons photos. It's amazing that after nearly 60 years The Goon Show is still so popular, and we have difficulty finding space for all the stories, articles and photos waiting to go into our quarterly newsletters.
Many thanks again for the photos. One of the original puppeteers, Ann Perrin, was thrilled to see them.
Best wishes,
John Repsch
The Goons Show Preservation Society
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* Telegoons Merchandise website featuring an excellent cover gallery of TV Comic Annuals, which many of you will recognise and know.
