MY PILGRIMAGE:. Bad news and good news.
Good news: I found, nestled quietly and cooly in the middle of a
teeming and sweltering LA, Franklin Canyon Reservoir, and our precious
Meyers Lake.
Bad news: I couldn't pinpoint the *exact* location where Andy and
Opie walked in the opening credits of TAGS. This was partly, perhaps,
due to my own lack of trained noticing, and partly because I was
accompanied by a friend who had left his wife at home with two robust,
high-spirited, and potentially yowling kids and was slightly anxious
to return home to relieve her. Thus my Fife-like sleuthing was
compromised.
But it was pretty darn cool. I saw many locations where Andy and co.
*could* have walked, if they didn't walk in fact. I saw the game
wardens house.
I saw lots of Mayberry-esque flora and fauna, namely many evergreen
trees, hungry ducks (which Barney and Thelma-Lou must have surely
viewed, in between kisses), and swimming turtles.
I also saw some distinctively non-mayberry-esque flora, namely one
giant cactus, one biggish redwood, and and a few palm trees. (The
palms would have been at home in SC, but not NC).
Finally, I saw a group of decidedly non-Mayberry folks enjoying a very
Mayberry activity: a group of Hasidic Jews having a picnic.
I yearned to join them but we needed to leave so I, sadly, bid adieu
to Frankllin Canyon. But not forever. To steal the phrase of a very
Non-Californian Californian: I'll be back!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I used to have, in fact still do have, unless he's changed his mind, a
friend who used to say things like "Do you want to go 't the store."
Notice where I placed the apostrophe. He didn't say "Do you want to
go t' the store."
It's hard to reproduce phonetically, but what it sounded like he was
saying was "Do you want to go *at* the store." but shortened, of
course. So I think our friend from the digest is onto something.
Of course I'm on the plane and have had two complimentary scotches, so
that might have somewhat diluted my otherwise clear sleuthical
linguistic skills.
I've heard, I believe, Andy Taylor use similar parlance, mostly, I
think, in season one or two. I'll try to hone in on a specific
instance.
One thing: People from the chesapeake bay/ norfolk, va talk
different. You can hear a little bit of it in Pat Buchanan's speech.
A kind of brogue. For instance, he says "aboot" instead of "about,"
like a canadian., almost.
Anyway, I myself try to keep my *at's* and *to's* pretty straight and
would much rather talk *to* somebody than *at* them, though I probably
do more of the latter than I'd like to admit.
Cheers!
Jason
_______________________________________________
WBMUTBB mailing list
[email protected]
http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
