Road Trip 1936 _"The Negro Motorist Green Book"

Yep,that title is correct! By 1936, many people including African Americans(Negro or Colored then) were on the road with shiny new cars,hoping to experience the freedom of the open road,to see the world for business or pleasure.Although,many would be able to stop at nice restaurants for a meal,get nice lodging,with freedom to explore the area_some could not. Most people associate the South in America with segregation.The truth is in all areas of the United States,African Americans faced segregation,humiliation,danger and hardships in the years of legal segregation. To the rescue_

     1936 The Negro Motorist Green Book created by Victor Green

                                                         1940 Expanded Edition

When I first learned of this book a couple years ago,I was amazed at the creativity and humanitarian cause of Victor H.Green."He saved many lives of African-Americans during this Era".Mr.Green was a Harlem Postal Worker and Civic Leader.He first published in 1936_updating until 1964. With this book African-Americans could safely drive the highways and byways on "Road Trips" by referring to the State of travel for various services and accommodations.Here's an example:

Now,it is a fact that Southern States_ as opposed to anywhere else_were more notorious under the system of legal segregation from post Civil War Reconstruction years until the triumphs of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950's and 1960's.Interestingly,under this system both blacks and whites had to adhere to a strict legalized code called_"The Jim Crow" laws! Of course,for blacks it was demoralizing with swift & brutal punishment,physical assault,and often death at the hands of white law enforcement.What I didn't know_was that if whites violated Jim Crow Laws_they were ostracized,assaulted,their business boycotted or destroyed and sometimes killed! And,in most states if African-Americans traveled through a town/city_"The Sunset Laws" said they had to be out of the city limits by sundown! I can't breathe right now_so,check out some of these photo's from the past_

        Memphis Tenn...."For Coloreds"only on side glass

Durham,N.C_Separate doors for entry_Whites(left)_Blacks(right)

                        Restaurant Sign

                                      Tourist Cabins in South Carolina_WTH?????

                                     No picnic here....

View more Library of Congress photos here_ http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/085_disc.html

Now that I've gotten my regular breathing back...had to call on the "ZEN WITHIN" me_let's continue.The thing is "The Green Book" provided African-Americans with a way to plan a trip,ensure shelter,meals,auto services and anything else needed for the enjoyment of their trip! Now this fellow could "Filler-Up" just about anywhere he wanted_

African-Americans did not have those choices! A big thumbs up to "ESSO" service stations back then_as they allowed African-Americans to  franchise gas stations across the land. Mind you it made good business sense! So when ,you saw an "ESSO" sign coupled with a sign that said "Blacks Welcome Here"_you were Good to Go!

                                                 God Bless Scotty's Service Garage!

                                        Vintage 1912  South Carolina ESSO

By the way_after you finished filling-up_check out the in store display of Maps & purchase your copy at 25 cents of "The Negro Motorist Green Book" at your friendly ESSO station....

..then take in a movie where you were WELCOME!

                                                                    Waco,Texas

This is a really "Special" ESSO station!!..just sayin...

Being a small child on one of these "Road Trips" with parents or relatives_left the child perplexed I'm sure."Mom why can't we stop there","Dad,I need to use the bathroom","Mom,I'm hungry!!!!",etc...Having a Chat with a good friend and Soror Karen the other day_we talked about these issues! She reminisced about her "Road Trips" to East Texas..where a basket of fried chicken and other goodies were available for those moments of hunger.I don't recall alot of "Road Trips" as a youngster_but late 60's my Dad would drive me back to college & always stopped for breakfast at the same restaurant where people of all races ate peacefully together! By that time we'd experienced many moments in history like this one that was 47 years old yesterday!

 LBJ signing Voting Rights Laws_August 6,1965_with MLK & other Civil Rights leaders

Calvin Alexander Ramsey has written a book called "Ruth and the Green Book" to give a historical fictional overview of what those journey's may have been for young children.

Read about his story here_
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/books/23green.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

If you'd like to download a PDF file of the complete book,"TheNegro Motorist Green Book"here's the link_

http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Race/R_Casestudy/Negro_motorist_green_bk.htm

Even though we've come pretty far,here's a "Modern Take" on The NEW Green Book codes_

http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2012/07/the-modern-guide-to-blackness-negro-motorist-green-book-inspired-list/


Regardless of the circumstances for African-Americans during this time_it was still time with family and friends,lots of good food to eat,games being played,laughable moments,kisses and hugs, and tears of farewell when it was time to part,time to..... "Get On Down The Road"....."Memorable Road Trip",indeed it was!


"Road Trips"...thank God we don't face some of those issues today! Watch for more "Memorable Road Trips" for August blog posts!

~How would you feel traveling with the limitations that faced African-Americans in those times on your "Road Trip"?~

~Memorable Road Trips ~ Part 1~

Well, folks I've been planning my next "Road Trip"! They are always packed with lots of stuff to see,lots of food to eat, and loads of fun.It is no secret that my favorite form of transportation is _"The Train". I love trains!As a Hospital/Medical Sales Rep.,I grew tired of feeling like just another sardine jammed packed on an airplane _jittery about the takeoffs,in-flight turbulence and the landings...were always a "Charmin Tissue Moment",indeed! Although,I will fly on occasion_for Road Trips_it's the Train,Baby! My dream trip is from London to Venice,then to Tuscany....I'm gonna make that happen on this beauty_The Motherload" of all trains..."The Orient Express"_

                                                           "The Orient Express"

This is the first post _the first of several_on my Memorable "Road Trips" .This one was with a friend that flew from DFW to Nashua,NH in June 2001...to go trekking with me!This will be a classic Over-the-Road Driving Trek! My husband and I were moving back to Texas in August 2001.The agenda was jammed packed...so all aboard for this ride!

Pam & Harriet's 2001 Adventure
Tea,Tour and Lecturer (Isabella Stewart Gardner Impersonator) at The Beauport Sleeper-McCann House in Gloucester,Ma. Here's my Road Buddies_

                                     That's me in Blue Hat,"Impersonator" & Harriet

Ann,Harriet,and Danielle_Ann & Danielle are two more friends that joined us from NH.for Tea.

This was one of my favorites rooms _"The Golden Step Dining Room"_windows open to Gloucester Harbor,check out this 8 ft ship model on a Chinese funeral table with grinning dragons.Take a Photographic Tour here_ http://www.historicnewengland.org/historic-properties/homes/Beauport/photographic-tour

After driving across Massasschuetts from Gloucester into Connecticut,finally reached my dear friend
John Harney of Harney & Sons Teas.  http://www.harney.com/

He was right we got lost in Salisbury,Ct...seems I passed his home twice! We had a lovely Dinner around the table with his family,conversations galore,hugs & more hugs,John teaching me how to eat an Apple New England -Style,his lovely wife making a most wonderful pot of Verbena Tisane,and  my favorite guest room ready for slumber!John made us breakfast next morning ,and we're off to visit his facility.Note** John became my Mentor for the Tea business I started in 1994_"Let's Talk Tea"..we've been friends since!

                                                    Pam, John Harney at Tea Shoppe  

                                        Harriet,John Harney in backyard of....

                                            John's Family 1800's Home..simply beautiful

 Headquarters of Harney & Sons_(photo taken on another trip in Fall 2006) 

After a delightful morning,we headed off to Lenox ,Ma with a few stops in between.Our first stop

New Canaan,Connecticut_good thing I was driving my truck_found a whole bunch of "must have stuff",including a 1940's Sleigh bed w/ back board beading stamped with Rhode Island makers mark!Whoa!...RI was known in the early history of America for it's furniture making.."An Antiques Roadshow Moment"!

From there we headed to our next stop_"The Norman Rockwell Museum" in beautiful picture perfect Stockbridge,Ma. Strolled through admiring his work and visited his cottage where he painted_with things as he left them.

                                           Norman Rockwell Museum,Stockbridge,Ma.

                                              Norman Rockwell's Painting Cottage

Next on our agenda_a place I've visited four times_"The Mount",Lenox,Ma..My first tour during initial stages of restoration of this most beautiful home of  "MY ALL TIME FAVORITE" author,Edith Wharton!

I've read just about all of her written word and other books about her!Think...Age of Innocence,The House of Mirth,Ethan Frome,The Custom of the Country,Old New York,The Buccaneer's,In Morocco,The Decoration of Houses.....LOVE her writings! We toured _yet_ again!They had a display of "The House of Mirth" clothing on third floor which had just been restored.After the tour & "The Mount" brand tea_we walked the grounds in AWE!..saying..."we are not worthy to be in such a beautiful place_let's ask if we can stay"....

                                          The Mount home of Edith Wharton

With much screaming& hollering  over having to leave_we headed to our next night's rest.The Knoll Bed and Breakfast Inn,Northampton,Ma.It is a spectacular 1910_12 room Tudor designed home in Florence,a suburb of Northampton.Ma.We did a driving tour of the area colleges, Smith, Amherst,Mt.Holyoke,U of Mass. & Hampshire_never seen so many college students in my life!!! We called it an evening....really,really tired!

                                                     The Knoll Bed & Breakfast Inn

                    Breakfast was lovely next morning in the Dining Room_pleasant stay!

So,we're headed North_but decided to pop in on Historic Deerfield & Yankee Candle.

                                                   Historic Deerfield Village

                                                    Yankee Candlemaking Museum

Continuing on_driving the highways and byways of the beautiful state of Vermont,passing through Brattleboro (one of the towns in my Medical Sales Territory),on to Dublin,NH_just had to pop in my favorite place to visit my friend Linda_"Yankee Magazine"...

                                                                 Yankee Magazine

                                      My friend Linda hard at work_Yankee Magazine

Finally,back to Nashua,NH! What a wonderful Road Trip. It seems as if it were yesterday.Until next time...plan a Road Trip or two....


"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page".
                                 ~ St.Augustine~

~When You Wish Upon a ...Stray Eyelash~

Stray Eyelash! Seriously,that's a new one for me.While watching the movie "Iron Lady" with Meryl Streep as (Margaret Thatcher,PM of UK,for years & years,& years....)_there's a scene where her daughter(Carol) offers up a fallen eyelash to her_ MOM_to make a wish on. REWIND..okay,yes...she just said make a wish on this stray eyelash that had fallen from the intricate hairs that grow at the very edge of the eyelid.

This,right here>>>>

Eyelashes protect the eye from debris and perform some of the same function as whiskers do on a cat or a mouse in the sense that they are sensitive to being touched, thus providing a warning that an object (such as an insect or dust mite) is near the eye (which is then closed reflexively). The follicles of  one's eyelashes are associated with a number of glands _aka_"The Glands of Zeis" & "The Glands of Moll"...sounds like some Greek or Roman God or Goddess standing guard at my eyelids...keeping "Evil" at Bay from my delicate eyes!

In many Cultures,long eyelashes are considered a sign of femininity! I think they are "Sexy" on a man! Presently, some women seek to enhance their eyelash length artificially..sounds kinda like ED_no pun intended_Eyelash Dysfunction. Even more exciting for  some are "Eyelash Extensions"yea..just to finish up the look w/ my hair...do they come in colors,um,maybe streaks,how long can I get them,so many questions..!

On the other hand,the "Hadza women" are known to trim their own eyelashes! The Hadza people,an ethic group in North Central Tanzania_are not "genetically related" to any other people in the World! Amazing...I'm thinking maybe the women trim their eyelashes to either keep the smoke in or out?of their eyes while indulging in their cultural habit of smoking cannabis..just sayin'. What's that song..."Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"..(a 1933 show tune)_so a little trim here,there,nip/tuck kinda stuff...

Kohl(ancient eye cosmetics) has been worn as far back as the Bronze Age to protect and enhance lashes. In Ancient Egypt,the wealthy & royalty used Kohl to protect their eyes from the sand, dust, and bugs. Modern eye makeup includes_mascara,eyeliner,eye putty,eye shadow,false eyelashes used with eyelash curlers or mascara shields,permanent eyelashes,eyelash transplants,Latisse(2009 drug for eyelash growth),eyelash conditioners........and did I say there's a boom in Eyelash Fashion....

I'm just about worn-out thinking about eyelashes right about now! Seems a stray eyelash is seen as a wish maker,much like a wishbone."If a stray eyelash falls upon your cheek, place it on your finger, make a wish, then blow the eyelash away." Since,I had to stop using mascara years ago_because of my allergy eyes and the fact that the microscopic "critters" that live on mascara brushes scared the living Hell out of me! Although,most lipstick,brushes,makeup sponges,face powder all have these critters_the thought of being blinded by critters in my eyes just didn't sit well with my psyche!

Did I say that lashes,being hair, are found in mammals as in Horses,Cows,Ostriches,and some dogs. Eyelash Viper_as in snake_have a modified scale over the eyes which look like eyelashes...remind me never to run into one of these critters...as I'm terrified of even a picture of a snake in a book! The tropical bird called Hornbills have prominent feather eyelashes-a very uncommon feature in birds!Take a look..

Now,that's a "Sexy" bird..I'm naming him Magic "Mike"Hornbill..I'm to Sexy for my eyelashes.

                     BUT...the "Most Sexy Eyelash Award"...envelope please ...the Winner is......

You know U like me.."Camel-Face"...Long,thick...no mascara needed! I heart the camel....except their bad habit of spitting on you!If they want you to STOP messing with them..they will shower you!

So people,all this from one statement about eyelashes in a movie..I need to stop being curious..NOT!

Here's to wishing on a stray eyelash_of which my eyelashes would be "Green" w/o any additives.....My wish?_ for "World Peace"_One Uni-Verse(one song)..which starts with the person in the mirror..You!


~ "Now,I'm going to put my eyelashes on and stretch my legs out and do a show~ Nana Visitor~

~Sagebook Whisperer Book Review~

I've been called Tutti,PW,Pammy P,Doddley,Sweetlee,Hubba Bubba,"Hyacinth BUCKET" as in..

one of my favorite British Comedies_"Keeping Up Appearances"...um,I need to add that to my list of reading..."Keeping Up Appearances:Book of Etiquette for the Socially Less Fortunate" by Roy Clarke...But back to the name calling.I just consider myself a "Voracious Reader",indeed! So,I've decided to share book reviews as I complete my readings on the Summer/Fall Reading List 2012_(list near bottom of page).

I finished  "The Creoles of Louisiana"by George W.Cable_which was published in 1884 as a historical look at the unique culture of the white descendants of the early French and Spanish immigrants born in the New World_America. As opposed to the "Gens De Couleur" of French & Spanish & African descend. I wrote several Blogs on "The Third Race" in February 2012.....
http://sagebookwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012_02_01_archive.html.

The fact that the state was considered a European destination_right here in America was a different perspective that never occurred to me.The difficult thing was learning how the mindset of the "Creoles" (stubborn & proud & in denial) caused many of the problems that arose_and still exist today.We all remember Hurricane Katrina! The book was centered on New Orleans.The flooding issue because of the geographical makeup of NO being built on a thin crust of mud,the raw sewage problems,no desire to educate the young,the year's of Yellow Fever,Asiatic Cholera & the annual digging out/cleaning of the canals which lead to more Epidemics that continued from 1776 to 1853.In 1853 on one day August 11_203 people died,by August 20th the weeks mortality was 1,534 dead_and over a 24 hour period  August 22_ 283 deaths_every five minutes a person would die.Now,I know why the graves are above ground in NO because it's built on a thin crust of mud.!

Yet,the newspaper and The City Father's refused to print any information or Quarantine the city.They did NOT want to alarm the citizens.I think if that many people are dying per day,per minute...a normal person might say..wait a minute,something is wrong! The fact that early "Creoles" did not take to & ignored the Northern states development/investments in manufacturing,expansion of the railroads,building larger ships to handle commerce,education,etc.hurt the progress of the city immensely. Rather the powerful "Planters/Plantation Owners" of the time,favorite investment was land & the cruel labor of slaves.Creoles became known as the "do-nothing people"..just wait it out..we'll see what happens!

In conjunction with reading the above book_I read "The Feast of All Saints"by Anne Rice.I saw the movie in Feb.2012 while researching information on the "Gens de Couleur" the Free People of Color. It was a great movie_but I knew the book had more.It did not disappoint. Before the Civil War,a unique people descended from African slaves,& the French  and Spanish settlers. Anne Rice writes a dazzling account of  several families intertwined with privilege,pain,passion,love,oppression and all kinds of issues.She walks one through this amazing time period....it's as if you're apart of the written words.

The symbiotic relationship between these two books was amazing!Each enlightened and created a   mutually beneficial effect.

So,I'll continue on this reading journey_I've made Annual List for some 10 years now! And,I'll share with you the journey by blogging a "Book Review" from time to time.Next up is an interesting double read_"The Scarlett Contessa:A Novel of the Italian Renaissance"by Jeanne Kalogridis + "Scandalous Women,The Lives & Loves of History's Most Notorious Women"by E.Mahon.

Guess I need to get busy....but as a final thought on name calling...I'm setting the record straight.I've got a name..I like_

~Soooooooo,get Your Sexy On,READ!~
                                     ~The Sagebook Whisperer~

~The Notorious Bettie Page~Nice & Naughty~

That's right PEOPLE! In the 1950's Bettie Page was the "Queen of Pinups"with jet black hair,blue eyes and trademark bangs that has influenced many artist on the scene today! It is said that Bettie was photographed more than Marilyn Monroe or Cindy Crawford in her heyday. Now,I remember this popular hair-style_I've worn it a couple of times! But not much about Bettie Page.So join me on this journey to explore this woman aka ..."The Notorious Bettie Page".

Bettie's early life consisted of divorced parents (she was 7 yrs.old),lived in an orphanage,was molested,traveled around the country while her mom looked for job stability,learned her mom's trade of hairdressing & makeup as a teen,learned to sew even making her own bikinis,on the debate team in high school,voted "Most Likely To Succeed",graduated in 1940 as Salutatorian with a scholarship,enrolled at George Peabody College to become a teacher_but decided to study acting to be a Movie Star,got a first job as a typist,married her high school classmate in 1943 and graduated with a BA in 1944. Now,this is where it gets so gooooood......

Following her divorce in 1947,Bettie decided to move to New York in hopes of finding work as an Actress.Meantime,she worked as a Secretary.While strolling along Coney Island Shore,Jerry Tibbs (a Police Officer) asked if she'd be willing to take some pictures_he liked Photography_yea,right! She said yes,he took pictures and put together her first PINUP PORTFOLIO...and the rest is history!

BUT...let me explain something here! In 1940's America_"Camera Clubs" were formed to get around the laws that restricted the production of nude photos.Their objective was to promote "artistic photography"_in reality,many camera clubs were the fronts for the making of pornography.

Soooo,Ms.Bettie entered into the field of "Glamour Photography" as a popular Camera Club Model without "any inhibitions in posing" in her birthday suit_which made her an icon in erotic photography! By 1951,her image appeared in men's magazines such  as,"Wink","Titter","Eyeful".I kid you NOT ,that's the names of the magazines! All at the local Magazine stand..circa 1950's,who'da thunk that!

It gets even juicier...from 1952-1957,she posed for Photographer,Irving Klaw for mail-order pinup photos,bondage,or sadomasochistic themes,making her the first bondage model_"Woo-hoo"! Other words captured by Klaw's photags included black & white"specialty"films,lingerie,leather,high heels,domination,slave-training,helpless victim...WHOA...you get the picture..which led to several roles on stage &.... television...kinda KimK-ish!

                                        "Many Shades of Black or NOT"!
Bettie Page Quote:
"The only person I did bondage for was Irving Klaw and his sister Paula.Usually they would shoot four or five models every Saturday.He wouldn't pay for the regular pictures unless we did some bondage.So I did bondage shots to get paid for the other photos."
Is it me?_that just sounds so wrong...to hold a person's wages in bondage!
FYI: for more information_ http://bettiepage.com/

At one of the yearly "Artist Ball" Contest in New York_Betty won when she wore 2 real Telephone Dials,a Suggestion Box with Black net-stockings..that is all!_aka "The Dial Doll"..one of the photos shows one of the Judges dialing her number..bahahaha....talk about being creative!!!

Okay,I'm getting a little to wordy,to deep,to involved,to amazed,etc...to continue.I refuse to show any of her most popular photos on my blog_there's lots to be seen on the World Wide Net. However,this  Swimsuit Pinup photo,...Um..well..enough said..I like the color red!

Bettie went on to become "Playboy Playmate of the Month January 1955","Miss Pinup Girl of The World","The Queen of Curves","The Dark Angel" and even gave expert guidance to the FBI regarding the production of "flagellation and bondage pictures in 1957! Seems she disappeared from the modeling scene after the "Kefauver Hearings" of the US Senate Special Commitee.It was rumored a young man died during a session of bondage which was inspired by one of her bondage images...again Whoa!

Many believe she disappeared from the scene because she became a Born-Again Christian in 1959.She worked for various Christain organizations before settling in Nashville in 1963.She worked full time for the "The Rev.Billy Graham".I wonder if he did a background check...In 1979 after moving to Southern California she had a nervous breakdown(diagnosed w/acute schizophrenia)_spent 20 months in a state mental hospital, was arrested again for assault and was placed under state supervision for eight years.

In the 1980's_ a cult following/renewed interest in her pinups/lingerie modeling_rather than the sexual fetish stuff_gained her status as a Pop Icon. Dave Stevens,"comic book artist" in the early 1980's based a female character on Bettie Page(The Rocketeer,his girlfriend).In 1987,Greg Theakston
created a fanzine called the "Betty Pages"_below is issue #1_a collector's item.

Bettie Page never talked about her life..she considered herself in the 90's to be penniless and infamous.She did a couple of interviews_(links to follow)_but never wanted to be photographed later in life_she wanted her early years to be the image remembered.When she died on December 6,2008_Lawyers were helping her recoup some of the profits made of her likeness...i.e.,Katy Perry,Madonna's Sex book/bondage gear,Rihanna's obsession with all things leather,lace,Uma Thurman's Pulp Fiction depiction,The Pussycat Dolls,the entire career of Marilyn Manson's ex-wife Dita Von Teese,_all would not have been possible without Page! Even Beyonce has appeared in the image of Bettie Page.We've all seen just about enough of this photo:

                                                Katy Perry

I watched this movie based on her life:

I love this BP web clothes:

http://www.becauseclothing.com/tag/bettie-page-clothing

And here's a few links:
http://www.comicvine.com/the-betty-pages-digest-the-betty-pages/37-152472/

http://weirdscifi.ratiosemper.com/rocketeer/bettie.html

http://www.bettiepagemovie.com/bettie-page/bettie-page-photos.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd252I7A6NE   Trailer for movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0Ynlp7sxZs  Bettie's only Interview

This has been an interesting education on a woman of which I was not aware of until a friend (Jilly P.) mentioned her in conversation one day. I am amazed that the only sex appeal icon_I knew of_was  Marilyn Monroe..and a few others...but did not include "The Notorious Bettie Page".


~I never kept up with fashion.I believed in wearing what I thought looked good on me ~ Bettie Page~
(I wonder if that fashion included nude?..just asking...until next time..)