Memorial Day

Memorial Day is just around the corner - the unofficial start of summer, but what can not be lost is the meaning of this very special day and who it commemorates. 

We at, J and L Research believe this remembrance should be year round - not just destined for one day each year.

The name Memorial Day would not be used until After World War I. Prior to that, the day honoring all those who had perished while serving in the United States Military was known as Decoration Day. It was started during the Civil War.

It was a day when citizens would place flowers on the graves of the brave men and women who had given up their lives while fighting for the freedom and very soul of this nation.

After World War I, the day was designated as Memorial Day, to honor all those who had died in all wars being fought in the name of the United States.

John Adams once stated - "Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives."

So many lives have been lost to uphold what our founding Fathers desired. A homeland that welcomes all, gives opportunities for all, and respects all, no matter our individual backgrounds or places of origin.

During a recent outing, while researching for my weekly Beyer's Byways column, I ran across a gentleman by the name of Ray.

Ray had escaped China and obtained his immigration papers in 2014. He became a United States Citizen in 2021.

"I am so proud," he told me. "To be a citizen in the most free country in all the world. You know, my friends who are still in China wear baseball caps that have Los Angeles on them. They all want to join me in this land of the free."

I simply nodded.

"You know," Ray continued. "We do not have freedoms in China like you have here."

"I know," I responded.

And on this Memorial Day, let's all bow our heads and give thanks for those soldiers of all branches who willing gave their lives to allow us the chance to live in this wonderful country. 

A country that the likes of Ray choose to live in.

Winslow, Arizona - Where the Eagles Landed

My lovely spouse Laureen and I were driving somewhere. Not sure where, since we drive a lot, usually with a purpose, when suddenly a tune began to play on our vehicle’s radio which I hadn’t heard in quite a while. The Eagles were suddenly belting out a song with front man, Glenn Frey singing about taking it easy. 

“Wow, you know where I’d like to visit?” I asked Laureen.

And soon after we found ourselves in Winslow, Arizona, and I was standing on the street corner next to a metal piece of art. Actually, the art was a full-sized bronze sculpture of Jackson Browne. Laureen had sauntered off to stand next to a metal representation of Glenn Frey, about thirty feet away from the corner of Route 66 and North Kinsley Avenue.

Laureen Beyer with Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey co-wrote the famous song, ‘Take it Easy’ back in 1972. Actually, Browne had started writing the lyrics in 1971, but was in a bit of a pickle on how to complete it.

The rumor is that Browne had been working on his first album and had these words stuck in his head – “Well, I’m a-standin on a corner in Winslow, Arizona . . .” – and that is far as he had gotten.

The story goes on to suggest that Browne had been stranded in the town of Winslow when his vehicle had broken down. At some point, a woman in a pick-up truck had driven past Browne and lent a helping hand. 

Laureen Beyer standing by the red pick-up in Winslow

We all love legends.

It turns out that Glenn Frey and Jackson Browne resided in the same apartment building in Los Angeles, and being struggling musicians, had started up a friendship in the club – ‘Starving musicians and actors guild of greater Los Angeles.’

Browne played the beginning of the unfinished song and Frey nodded.

“Man, let’s put a woman or women in it, and then we’ll have a hit record,” Frey may have suggested.

So, the following lyrics were born - “Such a fine sight to see. It’s a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin’ down to take a look at me.”

Browne liked the sound, Frey liked the sound and the Eagles released the song on their debut album, cleverly entitled: Eagles.

That is pretty awesome, since the song never would have been written in the first place if Browne hadn’t known Frey when they were struggling musical artists.

In fact, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, out of Cleveland, Ohio, the song – ‘Take it Easy’ released in 1972 actually helped shape the sound of rock and roll as we know today.

But, for such creative minds, couldn’t the band had come up with something a little more original for their debut album? Something like:

‘The Eagles have landed.’

‘Fly like a bunch of Eagles.’

Or, ‘We can play great songs but can’t come up with a name for our first album except the name of the band.’

In all transparency, according to my research, it may have been that Browne had been stranded at a Der Wienerschnitzel in Flagstaff, rather than the quaint little town of Winslow.

But, I can’t even imagine the lyrics of that song.

‘Well, I’m a-standin on a corner in Flagstaff, Arizona with a chili dog and fries. My shirt a mess, and such a fine sight to see, a car hop with a handful of napkins.’

Nope, wouldn’t make it in the top billion hits. We’ll stay with Winslow, Arizona for this column.

So, after doing the touristy kinds of things – posing next to the statues for photos, standing in the middle of the street for photos, asking people to take photos of us, taking photos for them, and then taking a bunch of selfies – we were exhausted.

It was time to truly take it easy, and we did.

We were staying at the La Posada Hotel in Winslow and believed an adult libation while sitting in one of the many beautiful gardens would be a resplendent way to take it easy.

Welcome to the La Posada Hotel

It was.

La Posada Hotel was built in 1930, by Fred Harvey of the famous railroad Harvey House chain, and designed by one of his favorite architects, Jane Colter.

In fact, it was Fred Harvey’s vision to create the first restaurant chain, and used that chain and the railroad depots they were situated by, to draw huge groups of tourists to the Southwest. 

This hotel was to be a shining example for all to see and experience, and Harvey spared no expense on his dream. Well over two million dollars was spent on the hotel and the grounds when it was built in depression era 1929 – that is well over a zillion dollars in today’s money.

Main entrance to the La Posada

And Colter had the run of the whole operation, from the design, to the gardens, the linen to be used by the diners, and even the uniforms the staff would be wearing. Colter believed it to be one of her most glorious achievements, and today, La Posada is considered one of the most impressive and beautiful buildings in the entire Southwest.

With the construction of super-highways and the lack of railroad travelers, the hotel only lasted twenty-seven years before it was closed to the public. Most of the interior furnishings were auctioned off in 1959 and by the early 1960’s much of the hotel had been gutted – being used a bit here and there by the Santa Fe Railway as offices.

In fact, in 1994, the railway decided to abandon the property all together and have it demolished.

Those railroad kingpins – where is their love of history?

But, after the National Trust for Historic Preservation learned of the possible demolition by the Santa Fe, the eighty-thousand square foot building was placed on the endangered list.

“Tear down La Posada? Never!” Allan Affeldt may have exclaimed to his wife, the internationally recognized artist, Tina Mion.

“But, Allan, we don’t know anything about running a hotel, let alone renovating it,” Tina likely responded.

“Well, it’s a really cool building, so let’s see what we can do to preserve it,” Allan may have been overheard replying to Tina.

And preserve this architectural marvel they did. 

It took three long years of negotiating with the railroad before Allan and Tina were allowed to purchase the run-down hotel. They moved in on April 1, 1997.

Though it was April Fool’s day, the couple knew it was no joke and a lot of work was ahead of them. Then came along their third partner, Daniel Lutzick who took the role of General Manager.

What they accomplished in restoring a building which had been virtually abandoned since 1959 and fallen into almost complete disrepair, is stunning.

Today, La Posada is one of the most sought-after hotel destinations in the United States. It has been rated in the top twenty for hotels in the Southwest by Conde Nast Traveler, and has received numerous other awards marking this as a worthwhile place to visit.

Besides a first-class hotel and with a tasty restaurant, The Turquoise Room, La Posada is also a showcase for unique artwork, much of which was created by co-owner Tina Mion. In fact, the entire complex is a living museum, with artifacts from the early days when Fred Harvey owned the hotel, to Native American history, as well as the history of celebrities who had spent time there in the early days of the hotels creation.

Such early big names such as: Gene Autry, Howard Hughes, Charles Lindbergh, Dorothy Lamour, Clark Gable, just to name a few.

It was the place for the rich and famous to plop down after a long day’s drive along Route 66 heading east or west.

But getting back to the town of Winslow –a small town located in Navajo County, Arizona with a population of nearly ten thousand citizens.

The famous corner in Winslow, Arizona

It boasts a main street which brings back the nostalgia of the early days of Route 66, with businesses lining both sides of the street. There is a homey feel to the downtown area, with restaurants and brew houses within walking distance from just about anywhere.

Downtown Winslow, Arizona

“I like this town,” I stated to Laureen, while we sauntered down the sidewalk.

“You like any town with a local brewery,” she responded.

I nodded. “You gotta have your priorities.”

Winslow is also the gateway for so many outdoor activities – Meteor Crater, the Homolovi Ruins, the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, the Apache Death Cave, and so many other places lie within a short drive.

There is a lot to do in this little berg.

Just be careful in Winslow, as John Beyer learned

One such place brought a tear for both of us. That was the 9-11 Remembrance Gardens. It is just on the outskirts of town, heading east on Route 66. A flag which was flown at the Pentagon flutters not far from two large steel beams from the World Trade Center, twisted and broken. These were donated to the town, and the park which was built around the beams, was dedicated on September 11, 2002. 

The city of Winslow paying their respects

Actual beams from the tragedy in New York City on 9/11

These beams are the largest entrusted to any community in the nation, and it is the community of Winslow who truly got behind the effort to create this memorial. Everyone from elementary and ROTC students, to local business owners, volunteered to pitch in to build and maintain this garden.

These beams stand tall and strong in that place for all to see – and for all to never forget.

That alone, is reason enough to visit Winslow.

Even John Beyer had to get into the act

Robert and Francis Fullerton Museum

 

The world of ancient Egypt never really interested me while growing up. I was more interested in American history, since that was where I lived and it was a lot cheaper to travel to Topeka, Kansas than to Cairo, Egypt.

“That’ll be forty bucks for the Greyhound,” a ticket person would state. “Or five gazillion dollars to fly across the world to a land of the never-ending desert.”

I already lived in a desert, so I chose the bus to Topeka.

It was not until I viewed a documentary about Egypt that my attention turned around in considering the ancient Egyptians as some of the most advanced folks that have ever populated this earth.

The year I watched the documentary is not important, plus it ages me, but I will never forget the impact it had on me from that point on.

Professor Steven Martin stood on a stage and sang a song about the ancient Pharaoh Tutankhamun – the boy king. Tutankhamun died at the age of 18 years old and his tomb in the Valley of the Kings went undiscovered for over 3,000 years. The treasure-laden tomb was located in 1922 by Howard Carter, an esteemed and wily archaeologist. 

One poignant moment in Professor Martin’s televised lecture was when he sang, ‘How’d you get so funky – did you do the monkey?’

That had a major impact on me with regard to ancient Egypt.

“There’s an Egyptian exhibit at the Robert and Francis Fullerton Art Museum at Cal State, do you want to go?” I asked Laureen.

This Cal State was the California State University of San Bernardino – in case anyone was confused since there are 23 such campuses spread up and down the state of California.

“What sort of exhibit?”

“I guess they have a bunch of stuff dating back a longtime ago in Egypt,” I replied. “A lot about the Egyptian afterlife.”

“You’re not going to dance, are you?”

I thought of Professor Martin, and hoped he would not be disappointed. “No.”

The ancient Egyptians, from my research put a lot of thought into what happened when they died.

Laureen Beyer studying a cartouche

The ‘afterlife’ was really a part of their ‘present life’ since so much thought was put into when they would pass from this realm and into the next.

According to something I read in some Australian archeology magazine: ‘The ancient Egyptians believed that when they died, their spiritual body would continue to exist in an afterlife very similar to their living world. However, entry into this afterlife was not guaranteed. The dead had to negotiate a dangerous underworld journey and face the final judgment before they were granted access.’

That sounded rather ominous to me.

“Yeah, it’s just like your current life, but when you die you gotta travel though all kinds of nasty things with big teeth trying to eat you or getting squirted with a green Jell-O like substance.”

The British Museum had an exhibit referred to as, ‘Ancient Egypt: Secrets of the Afterlife’.

Which really is not much of a secret since it stated that ‘the exhibit would cover everything from the process of mummification and ancient canopic jars used to store the different organs of the body, to mummy masks created only for the wealthiest, which helped a person’s soul find their way back to their body in the afterlife.’

In all transparency, Laureen and I have visited the British Museum, the Louvre, the Museo Egizio, and other places that house ancient Egyptian artifacts. It was all very interesting, but my main point in visiting these museums was to have my photograph taken next to an embalmed Egyptian, so I could ask, “Are you, my mummy?”

For the sci-fi nerds like my wife, that reference was from an episode of ‘Doctor Who.’

The Robert and Francis Fullerton Art Museum is located in the northeast section of the University of California, San Bernardino. A short walk from the parking lot to the west, and if you get there at the right time and correct day, you won’t have to pay for parking.

There is nothing special to the building, a large windowed cement block structure but what it lacks on the exterior is made up for in the interior.

This whole Art Museum is a treasure trove of not only the ancient Egyptian thingies we went to look at but there are rooms full of modern art work, some from the very students who attend the university currently.

There were paintings of this and that; a couple of metal horns facing each other and giggling, a pair of sunglasses on a red background, a blank canvass with a red a tie, a green light bulb attached to a board, a guy with no head and so much more. 

It was enthralling and quite the experience.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Art,” Laureen replied.

And I thought Picasso was hard to understand.

The Egyptian exhibit came into view, and what a view.

Glass case after glass case holding objects that were lost for eons, and here they were now for everyone to see.

Well, for everyone to see if that meant the Inland Empire.

Getting a person ready for burial in ancient Egypt was not for the timid. Usually, the whole mummification process took 70 days to complete and was reserved for the rich. After the person died, they would receive all kinds of attention, like having their innards taken out and stored in ‘canopic’ jars, which would be placed near their sarcophagus.

I did learn something that was really cool. A video at the museum explained which parts of the innards were reserved for the canopic jars after death.

It was not a hit and miss slitting and sliding out of organs and tossing here and there. Nope, there was a method to this measure.

The video referred to it as ‘SILL’, Spleen, Intestines, Lung, Liver. These were the organs the ancient Egyptians carefully removed from the deceased and placed gently into the ceramic canopic jars. 

Brains were tossed to the wayside, since the early Egyptian doctors had no idea what the brain was utilized for.

Sounds like some of our politicians, but I digress.

The heart, it was left in the body since the Egyptians believed this was where wisdom and love emanated from.

‘My heart belongs to you, but please leave it within me since without it I will be an unfeeling doddering and drooling old ghost in the afterlife.’

That was supposedly carved into a cartouche on a pharaoh’s cartouche around 1,300 BC.

We wandered the rooms full of ancient treasures.

There were cartouches, sarcophagus lids, jars full of ancient food items, burial items from small buttons to sew on the outer clothing of the deceased to large beautifully hammered metal chest plates.

Items to adorn a tomb or mummy

Being in this room, with pieces found in ancient tombs was really a sobering experience for both Laureen and me. 

Here were items that had once adorned folks that had died eons ago, and now were we walking from glass case to glass case in wonder at the unbelievable craftsmanship that took place in creating these pieces. 

Items found in various burial sites

A pair of 3,000-year-old playing dice made of wood stared up at us. It was as if a dealer in Las Vegas could use those very dice today, since the numbers were so distinct. What appeared to be a pawn from a modern chess piece sat beside them. I could imagine losing to Laureen at that moment utilizing that piece in my demise.

Rolling the dice

One item I found fascinating was a severed hand of a mummy. I am sure the mummy, if it were around and could speak, would counter my fascination.

“That’s my hand, and you have no business having it in a museum without the rest of me. All I want is my hand to make a handstand, and wouldn’t that be grand?”

Even the rings that bejeweled the severed hand are on display, on the hand itself.

Mummified hand with rings

Laureen bypassed that exhibit.

But one she did not bypass was the one of ancient Egyptian jewelry. Two glass cases revealing marvelous examples of delicately stringed jewelry for the neck and the wrists – along with a few rings.

Some nice jewlery

“You know, Mother’s Day is coming soon,” she said.

There was a large cartouche, hope I have that right, showing a parade of Kings walking into the afterlife. Each pharaoh looked pretty happy, or pretended to be, walking behind each other into the uncertainty of the life after death.

John Beyer pondering the line of Pharaohs

I pondered that a moment or two. 

The entire museum is worth a visit if a person is into ancient Egyptian artifacts. But, who is not with such hits as Indiana Jones, the Mummy, or John’s Hesitancy for Marching into the Afterlife.

This is a place to explore – and don’t forget to dress the part, it will do the soul a lot of good.