h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Webb City, Missouri – 4 July, 2006

Hypatia has organized a great H2G2 meet, unlike any other. The day begins with her southern-style biscuits and sausage gravy.

We tour her new library in the morning. She has beautifully restored the old historic building and added a large new wing that blends tastefully with the old building. This is a project that will proudly remain after we are all gone.

We stop on the way back from the library to see “Sucker Flat” (the remnant of an old mine) and the town amphitheatre and a student’s art project called “praying hands”. Hypatia says she made a basket instead. The H2G2 group predictably spends and hour debating the history and characteristics of amphitheatres.

The afternoon is spent with backyard croquet matches and “beer-can” chicken for lunch. The Ozark rules require you to wear a “funny hat” if you play out of turn. We decide that artificial objects such as trampolines and tents can be moved if they interfere with play.

Hypatia has three bearded cousins. About 6PM we all drive to the home of one who has organized a wonderful picnic including watermelon, hot dogs, burgers, home-made ice cream, baked beans and fresh corn.

The cousins pull out all the stops with water balloons, marshmallow guns, and a home-made potato cannon. Potato cannon propellants include Right Guard deodorant, hairspray, automotive starter fluid (ether), Lysol spray, and Faultless Spray Starch. The cousins are very friendly and interesting they show me how to build my own spud launcher using a bar-b-q gas grill igniter to set of the charge.

The cousins put on a spectacular fireworks display after dark. We say our real time goodbyes to Hypatia and her other H2G2 guests. On the twelve mile ride back on the motorcycle in the darkness, it appears that every resident of Webb City is still setting off explosives.

Her are the photos:
http://community.webshots.com/slideshow?ID=551967101

You missed the dunking!

Good pix...the remaining group here stood by for the slideshow.

Great fireworks shots!

A belated Happy Independence Day to you Phred..

I loved the fireworks. Setting off fireworks is strictly controlled this side of the pond.

Nice boiler room!

Xantief, Sometimes the photographers mind disconnects...I should have caught the dunking...

WP, Thanks for the wishes...this is a very special holiday thanks to a special present from our Supreme Court...the wheels grind slowly but surely.

The Supreme Court has decide Friday that a President cannot make up laws on the fly such as suspending due process and habeas corpus and that our prisoners in Guantanamo are entitled to some semblance of a trial under our statutory laws. Who knows what they may decide next? Perhaps they will ban torture of prisoners or the unilateral invasion of other countries contrary to international law. It’s a good sign. Living under the rule of law rather than dictatorship is comforting. The decision comes despite the recent court-packing and even young Justice Roberts has had the good grace to abstain. The decision is read by the oldest member of the court…a WWII navy veteran…this seems to silently say that even President Roosevelt had to live within the laws passed by Congress and so do you. The decision is a perfect 4th of July gift to the people.

Indeed.

for taking us who lives far away to the hillbilly meet. .

Can we have names on the group photo, please?

From Photo # 72, l-r:

Xantief, Phred and Princess Firecloud, Jim MagicHands and HealingMagicHands, Bagpuss (with Sam Adams Summer Ale), President Hypatia (in hat), Lord Chattingly behind, then Broelan, Lady Chattingly, Afgncaap5, Spy.

Hi Xantief,

Those shots of the Web City Library are splendid. It seems a light airy modern environment, very pleasant in which to sit and study. Hypatia must really enjoy her daily life in her new office.

Phred, and all of your party seem to have enjoyed every minute of your time there. All 90 of those pics give us the flavour of the meet (even the flavour of the meat!). All rounded off with that firework display after croquet on Hyp's lawn...It would have been nice to be with you all!

On a more sombre note, what the heck do you think we (the international community) are going to do about North Korea? (and Iran for that matter).

Xantief -

I'm not in a sombre mood, yet, and therefore will not attempt to answer, frontiersman.

Yes, a good time was had by all, and friendships were both forged and reinforced.

In re Iran and the PRK...if you remember the speech in which the Brat Prince referred to them and Iraq as the 'axis of evil', I would suspect those two had become mighty nervous. As a rational earthling, I would, in their situation, try my damndest to develop a deterrent against what passes quite well as an Evil Empire....

A simple solution would be to get rid of the idiots (a large task, to be sure), abandon the preemptive-strike foreign policy, and take steps to assure Iran and North Korea that they are not under threat.

The DC village idiot made probably the worst diplomatic gaffe ever in that speech. It's safe to say that he started it. Rapprochement, at this point, would not cost anybody anything.

Truly, I wish I could have been there with the rest of you in Webb City!

The photos are a fine record of what happened and what you saw.

Oh, man! You all had so much fun. I'm sorry I was unable to join you all.

I don't think I care much what North Korea does...and what are they doing that the US and UK have not done before them anyway? But anyway.

OK...What is "beer-can chicken" you may ask?

You take a fine plump chicken and insert an open can of beer into the posterior cavity....next place the chicken(s) on the bar-b-q (sitting upright) and close the lid to prevent flame-up....the beer heats and cooksd the chicken from the inside...heat to 180 degrees Farenheight and eat....your friends will be impressed....

Yes it was great fun...if you missed it, you have my sympathy...

WIsh I could have been there. Bob's rock is still as majestic as I recall!

It all looks and sounds grand. Now y'all have a safe journey home

What are the spices covering the chickens? Or was that coal dust and pine needles?

Someone else may know the answer...I just ate them...good chicken!

No photo of Annie?

Dare I ask... where did those hats come from?!

Who was dunked?

Fireworks are regulated in NY too - officially, Macys is the only one allowed to set them off on the 4th in NYC (I think I want to be a billion dollar department store when I grow up) - but you'd never be able to tell from the noise and lights erupting from every street corner.

(Granted, Macys's show is the best of them all - they have the neatest designs. But it's really ridiculous the way the cops go around arresting kids with jumping-jacks.)