Episode № 83 Ephemeral Sounds
Welcome back everybody!
Lady Jupiter Podcast is the audio accompaniment to LadyJupiter.com a lifestyle blog where I write about my family’s military life, our home life, and other tiny details that I just like to share. I’m happy that you’re here with me.
And speaking of “here with me” also Kid Jupiter is in the booth, and we’re just going to go with it.
In this episode I’ll share an update on our life as affected by the U.S. military, then continue with a blog update, and wrap up with something domestic.
Today in our military-affected lives I have nothing significant to update.
It’s back to school week for most school-age kids, and back to work week for Mister Jupiter.
We had a great staycation, and we’re ready for normal life to pick up again. I know he’s eager to get his inbox back under control…while also flying with the students. I helped by being his meal prep sous chef, and later, I made margaritas.
For today’s LadyJupiter.com update…the site is still up and running.
And lastly, something domestic.
Last week we did two new things. One - was both getting a little sunburned in Hot Springs at the water park (just us adults though, Kid Jupiter is just as pink as he was previously). And two - we drove down to the Arkansas Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff.
Kid Jupiter was obsessed with the space. It was a huge building that used to be a machine and fabrication shop for the Arkansas railroad, and has been standing since the 1890s. Now it’s an open air museum full of static displays of different engines and cars. Their big display is the Cotton Belt 819 - a northern type steam locomotive. Not only is it the official state locomotive of Arkansas, but it was also the last locomotive built in Arkansas, in addition to being the last engine built by the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (affectionately called the Cotton Belt).
I was fond of the historic railroad snow plow, it was huge and kind of scary. It is a 74,000 lb. wedge plow that was built in 1953 for the US Army. The Army used it until 1990, when it was donated to the museum. It’s very large and imposing.
Anyhoo, I wanted to get you something, but I wasn’t sure what you would like - so I got you some ephemeral sounds. You might only listen once or twice, but at least they won’t get dusty or be bulky to move! These sounds were from the museum’s collection of railroad era technology - well, the ones that were available to touch. Some of the pieces were too fragile, and more were behind glass. But these were available:
I got you some tippy taps from a telegraph machine.
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Then, a typewriter made my finger strength feel inadequate.
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Then we found this little gem - it’s a test generator slash analyzer.
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No, I don’t know what it does either, but this very nice board full of switches, knobs, lights, and a lot of dirt was made by the now-closed Nu Data Corp. in the 1970s. I really liked the switches, they were the kind of tactile that makes you want to get up in the morning to go touch stuff.
Near this collection of yesteryear’s technology were a few train tables with different scale model trains running. Kid Jupiter was absolutely enamored with the Lionel engine - and the museum had a conveniently placed bench, so that little rail enthusiasts could get super close with little effort. Also they had a Brio toy set that was available to play with.
So we had a very intense choo-choo day. We walked in vintage train cars and touched real life engines. We watched model trains with our noses just inches away, we played with toy trains while listening to model trains, in the same room as the retired trains. A certain three-year old DID NOT want to leave.
There were tears upon exit, but he felt better pretty quickly. We grabbed lunch before heading home, and Kid Jupiter was happy and quacking before we were back in our own garage.
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And that’s it for today’s episode - but stick around for the very end to hear those ephemeral sounds again.
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I will talk to you when I can record next - Until then, here are those ephemeral sounds again, in the same order.
Telegraph, typewriter, and Nu Data test generator slash analyzer. A test set model 922-B, built by Nu Data (that’s spelled n-u space d-a-t-a corp. from Little Silver, New Jersey 07739. These are the ephemeral audio souvenirs that I picked up for you in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
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Bye for now!