Sade gets word from her sister Bess that Euncie is having a piano recital in Carberry; she going to play The Aurora Borealis Elegy and Gallop (which was composed by San Francisco.)It's not easy, but Sade finally pins down all the men in her life to go to Carberry. However, there seems to be a last-minute change of plans...
________________________
Uncle Fletcher once again complicates matters; if nothing else, you get a sense that over the last 6 or 7 episodes that Sade - though she loves him - is frustrated by him.The episode is a tour-de-force of interesting Uncle Fletcher stories.
Trivia:
+ Putting 2 and 2 together, we can assume the unnamed gas station mentioned in an earlier episode is actually Miller's Gasoline station, which was mentioned by name for the first time. Uncle Fletcher likes to hang out down there and "work."
+ Uncle Fletcher added another friendly reminder to anyone who would listen that a train conductor enjoys any snack that you may care to give him. He basically said the same thing is a previous episode.
+ Uncle Fletcher tells the story of Tracy Flankers from Belvidere. Had a secret hiding place for his money up against the roof of his mouth; it had a leather strap close to his tonsils and a wire hooked to his wisdom teeth. It would baffle any burglar in the country.
+ Uncle Fletcher tells of H.D. Glack from Belvidere who moved to San Fancisco, just to spite his father-in-law. He married either Ivy Stover or Opel Spunk. Crowley Soft married whichever girl that Glack didn't. Uncle Fletcher never liked Glack, Ivy or Opel.
+ Uncle Fletcher tells the story of Arch Van Geekrock who traveled from Yellow Jump, North Dakota to Dismal Seepage, Ohio by train. He wanted to get on the good side of the train conductor that he gave him a silver watch, a derby hat, #2 in cash and introduced him to his 22 year-old niece. The conductor put on the watcher, slammed the hat on his head, bought candy and cigars with the two dollars and married the niece. Vangeekrock claimed it was the most pleasant train trip he ever took in his life.
+ Uncle Fletcher tells the story of Otto Heepler from Sycamore who used to be pretty good on the piano. He made a piano out of corn cob, bailing wire and horse hair. When he was 40, he married a woman who was 36.
+ Euncie backed out of the recital due to an injury to her wrist; she sprained it scraping her finger along the white keys of the piano.
Uncle Fletcher says he bet that Euncie broke a toe stomping on the white keys as he keeps confusing the "stomping of the loud pedal" with "stomping on the keys."
Download the complete commercial-free, sound-improved episode!
In addition to confirming Carberry is in Illinois, this episode offers a couple clues as to the location of Carberry, contrary to Bernadine Flynn's assertion that it's really Carlyle, IL. Sade mentions taking the "IC" to get there; IC stands for the Illinois Central Railroad. She also mentions heading "up" to Carberry.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Peoria, IL, just west of Bloomington (Paul Rhymer's home town). Whenever we mentioned heading "up" somewhere in the state, we meant we were headed north. "Down" meant south. To get to Carlyle, IL from Bloomington, you'd go "down" to Carlyle. Also, there was no Illinois Central line to Carlyle. However, if you headed north northeast on the Illinois Central "Bloomer Line" that once passed thru Bloomington, you'd eventually pass thru the town of Cabery, IL on the way to Kankakee.
I believe Rhymer was thinking of Cabery, IL, rather than Carlyle. The Illinois Central thru both Bloomington and Cabery has been gone for many years, but its right-of-way can still be traced on Google Earth.
I love pinning down all the locations in Vic and Sade's world. I think you have it exactly right.
ReplyDelete