The Cracker Jack Bears -- Part IV [1907]

From John's old postcard collection ...

Numbers 13 - 16 of the 16 Cracker Jack Bears cards from 1907 ...

No. 13

The Cracker Jack Bears  No. 13
[Click on any image for larger view.]

This is the home of “Cracker Jack”

Where business never does grow slack

We work away from morn till night,

To make our sweets and make them

                           right.

No. 14

The Cracker Jack Bears  No. 14

Here’s where we make our “Cracker Jack.”

In no appointments do we lack,

Our cooks are competent and skilled

And every order’s quickly filled.

No. 15

The Cracker Jack Bears  No. 15

Oh Mr. Teddy drop your gun

For us such business is no fun

So please don’t keep us on the rack

‘Cause we’re the bears with “Cracker Jack.”

No. 16

The Cracker Jack Bears  No. 16

Then next they flew away to Mars,

That lies high up among the stars,

And there they found a great demand

For “Cracker Jack” on every hand.

The back of all 16 cards is the same.  Here is an example ...

Back of the Cracker Jack Bears postcards
One cent postage!
Published 1907
Rueckheim Bros. & Eckstein, Chicago, U.S.A.

The card that got us started on collecting the Cracker Jack Bears was number 15 which shows U. S. President Teddy Roosevelt and the bears near Yellowstone National Park. We were collecting Yellowstone memorabilia when the card showed up on eBay. This is our favorite of the 16 cards. The top bear says, "Oh! Don't shoot Mr. President. We're the Cracker Jack Bears." The other bear says, "Yes, we met you at the White House in Washington. Don't you remember?" A sign below the bears says "30 Miles to Yellowstone Park."

Please check our archive for the earlier posts showing the full set of Cracker Jack Bears postcards and giving the full background.

Linking up with Eileen's Saturday's Critters. Thanks, Eileen, for hosting my Cracker Jack Bears again! Lots of excellent critter photos at the link!

Other Stuff from John's Island ...

A Postcard for the Weekend ... 

We've been linking up with Maria's new Postcards for the Weekend. Each weekend there is a different theme ... this week's is Museum/university/library. Once again, we had little in the collection to choose from and hope we aren't stretching the envelope too much with the card below. :-)

Antique Auto Musem
of Arizona

Back of the unused card.
Photo by Jim Sexton.

Here is the description on the back of the card ...

ANTIQUE AUTO MUSEUM OF ARIZONA
One of the West's most outstanding collections of antique and classic automobiles is located on South Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale, Arizona. The whole family will enjoy a tour through this unique museum.

If you enjoy postcards be sure and check out Maria's Postcards for the Weekend.  OK, Maria, how about that for a Museum? :-)

Still more stuff from John's Island ...

We wonder if anyone might be looking for easy and safe snow removal?  We hear there is a lot of new snow piling up in the Eastern USA.

The Snow Burner
A New Scheme for Clearing Snow from Sidewalks
1920s?

The Burner uses Calcium Carbide
USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

What do you think about The Snow Burner?

Device distraction ...

We are concerned with the current trend toward distracted driving due to texting, how about you? In that regard, we happened to see the following picture on line that kind of sums up device distraction ... look what you might be missing! In this case it's something pretty big ...

Are you concerned about device distraction?

How about some music ...

Ever heard of a gayageum?   Wiki says: "The gayageum is a traditional Korean zither-like string instrument, with 12 strings, though some more recent variants have 21 or other number of strings. It is probably the best known traditional Korean musical instrument."  An email from digg.com sent us the following video we thought worth sharing. It is Luna playing Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall' ... tell us what you think!

Many of the blogs we follow feature some links to music. We thought we would throw in a couple ourselves with the full realization that music appreciation is very subjective. We hope you enjoy.

According to an article at Inc.com, neuroscience says listening to the one song below can reduce anxiety by up to 65%.  Will it work for you?

Lastly, a variety of recent snaps ...

Rainbow over Elliott Bay Marina
Nov 22nd  7:37 AM

Linking up with Skywatch Friday. Thanks to Yogi, Sandy, and Sylvia for hosting. Lots of excellent sky photos at the link!

Looking across at Bainbridge Island
Nov 21st  9:20 AM

Rare sub sighting!
Nov 25th  3:24 PM

Fresh snow on the Olympic Mountains.
Looking over the neighborhood to the west.
Nov 23rd  7:44 AM

Another look at fresh snow on the mountains.
Plus a little bit of rainbow.
Nov 25th  9:04 AM

A NOAA research vessel near Pier 90
Nov 22nd  9:02 AM

Rough water but the ferry rolls on.
Nov 19th  7:22 AM

The yacht club as seen from our place.
Nov 21st  8:41 AM

Traffic on the Sound.
Nov 19th  1:29 PM

Contrail at sunset.
Nov 21st  4:21 PM

Closing thought ...
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
     Confucius

A Warm Thanksgiving Greeting

A special postcard for you from our collection ...

A Warm Thanksgiving Greeting
Design by John Winson, 1912

Back of the unused card.
You can see the embossing on the card.
One cent postage!

Happy Thanksgiving from John's Island! And, if you are not celebrating Thanksgiving Day, anywhere, all around the world ... Have a great day!

Closing thought ...

Do one thing every day that helps someone else.

     Kareem Abdul Jabbar

The Cracker Jack Bears -- Part III [1907]

From John's old postcard collection ...

Numbers 9 - 12 of the 16 Cracker Jack Bears cards from 1907  ...

No. 9

The Cracker Jack Bears  No. 9
[Click on any image for larger view.]

Away to southward then they

                             flew

Where many acres of peanuts

                             grew

From there went many a heavy sack

Of peanuts grown for “Cracker Jack.”

No. 10

The Cracker Jack Bears  No. 10

Next to the husking bee they went

On happiness and good times bent

And there the corn in many a sack

Was ready to make into “Cracker Jack.”

No. 11

The Cracker Jack Bears  No. 11

The circus with its oilt

                      array

It’s sawdust, tinsel

         and display

Is not complete if it

      should lack

The customary

       “Cracker Jack.”

No. 12

The Cracker Jack Bears  No. 12

We’re a great success

         upon the field

And with effect the

       bat can wield,

But playing ball grows

      rather slack

When we can eat good

       “Cracker Jack.”

For the full background and first 8 cards, please see our previous posts here and here.  We will shortly be posting Part IV for the remaining cards in the series. Question: Card number 11's poem starts, "The Circus with its oilt array" ... Any thoughts on what "oilt" means or could it be a misprint?

Card No. 12 reminds us Cubs (bears) are big winners in 2016.  In honor of the World Series Champions here we have crowd sourced Go Cubs Go. Please be careful ... this thing can get stuck in your head! :-)



More from John's Island ...

One for the weekend ...

The theme this week for Postcards for the Weekend is "Books/reading/authors" and, once again, although a part of our daily routine, not much to draw from in the postcard collection! So, we hope Maria will allow us to stretch the envelope once again for the First Day Cover below.  Question: Who was the author of the first telegram ever sent?

First Day Cover
Samuel Morse Sends First Telegraph Message
May 24, 1844
Cover Postmarked May 24, 1978

Back of the Cover with Info on Stamps Used

The link to Postcards for the Weekend is here.  Thanks for hosting, Maria!

Halloween Havoc ... or, Kitty Go Nap ...

While on my daily walk, October 29th, I had to stop and snap a pic of this kitty decoration for Halloween. It was quite a lot for this home. Impressive! Wouldn't you agree?

Kitty on Oct 29

Then, on the night of October 30th, we had a little wind/rain storm here in Seattle. So, on my walk on the 31st, which, of course, was actually Halloween day, the kitty had taken a tumble ...

Kitty on Oct 31

The really hilarious funny part is that the kitty had a little electric motor in its head that turned left and right very slowly. Even on the ground the head was still turning! I did not have an opportunity to check back and see if the kitty was on all four in time for Trick or Treat!

If you like the Cracker Jack bears and the kitty above, you will enjoy Eileen's Saturday's Critters. Be sure and check it out here!  Thanks, Eileen, for hosting!

More from the walk ...

November 9th  3:05 PM
Crisp, sunny afternoon ... Great for a walk!
Big trees in the center have lost almost all leaves
in just a couple of weeks.

A few more recent snaps ...

Nov 14th  8:36 AM
Yang Ming Container Vessel
A break in the overcast was like a spotlight on the ship
as she moved southward in the Sound.

Nov 12th  4:48 PM
Almost dusk.
Cosco Container Vessel arriving in Puget Sound.

Nov 12th  4:40 PM
Unusual sunset highlights.
Perfect height, in some places, for reflections.

Nov 12th  3:13 PM
A stormy afternoon.
Bainbridge/Seattle Ferries passing on their route.

Nov 10th  1:22 PM
Auto Ferry about to enter fog bank.
Fog was slowly burning off since early morning, but still
thick over by Bainbridge Island.

Nov 10th  1:24 PM
A couple minutes later ... Ferry disappeared into the fog.

A few more SKY pics for good measure ....

Homes to the west with perfect angle for reflecting the setting sun
seen in the next photo.
Nov 17th  4:22 PM

Nov 17th  4:21 PM
Orange sky at night, sailors delight?

 November 3rd ... a colorful evening ...

Nov 3rd  5:46 PM

Nov  3rd  5:59 PM

Like sky photos? We are linking up with Skywatch Friday  Lots of neat sky photos there! Thanks to the hosts Yogi, Sandy, and Sylvia.

Nov 3rd  6:01 PM
Looking southwest over Alki Point
Vashon Island in the distance.

Nov 3rd  6:00 PM
Olympic Mountains to the west

Closing thought ...
Always remember that the future comes one day at a time. 
    Dean Acheson

Thanks for stopping by John's Island.  Join us next week for the last of the Cracker Jack Bears cards!

Cracker Jack Bears - Part II [1909]

From John's old postcard collection ...

Numbers 5 - 8 of the 16 Cracker Jack Bears cards from 1909  ...

No. 5

Cracker Jack Bears  No. 5

To Coney Island, home of fun,
The faithful airship quickly spun
Once there, the people flocked
                           to buy
And "Cracker Jack"
              became the cry

No. 6

Cracker Jack Bears  No. 6

The "Cracker Jacks" to
            New York went
Their hearts were full
           of good intent,
While there they found
           each candy stand
Sold Cracker Jack
           on every hand.

No. 7

Cracker Jack Bears  No. 7

"Delighted" said our
             nation's head,
For many years your
            sweets have led
All the confections of our
             land,
Congratulations - here's my
             hand.

No. 8

Cracker Jack Bears  No. 8

On ship board off Virginia's shore,
The "Cracker Jacks" have made
                      a score;
And every one at
                      Jamestown Fair,
The prize for them will
                       sure declare.

Back is the same for these cards. Here is an example ...

Back of Cracker Jack Postcards.
This one postmarked Jan 27, 1908
One cent postage!

For the full background and the first 4 cards, please see our previous post here.  We will shortly be posting Parts III and IV for the remaining cards in the series.

Linking up these bears with Eileen's Saturday's Critters.  Check it out!  And thanks, Eileen, for hosting!

One for the Weekend ...

The theme this week for Postcards for the Weekend is "Coffee/tea/pastries" and, although a part of our daily routine, not much in the collection. However, we did find this one, which, of all things, includes a bear! (not a Cracker Jack bear, as far as we know!) ...

Sleepy Time!
A postcard by Sleepytime Herb Tea
Artist:  Beth Hay, 1979

Unused card back.

Thanks to Maria for hosting! Be sure to check out others who linked up with Postcards for the Weekend here.

Recent Skies ... all photos below are taken from our deck, looking out over Elliott Bay and Puget Sound toward the west. The Olympic Mountains are in the distance.

October 28th  6:15 PM
Looking across Puget Sound
to the Olympic Mountains in the distance.

October 29th  5:32 PM

October 29th  5:42 PM

October 29th  5:56 PM

October 30th  8:32

November 3rd  5:46  PM

November 3rd  6:08 PM
"Bulk Carrier in Silhouette"

Linking up with Skywatch Friday! Check out the link for more sky photos. Thanks to Yogi for hosting!

Today is November 11th and, once again, we say Thank You to all Veterans on Veteran's Day. We featured a postcard for this day last year here.

Closing thought ... 
In all things it is better to hope than despair.
     Johann Wolfgang von Goeth

Thanks for stopping by John's Island.