Desert Folly
by Pasadena Adjacent
“The English word ‘fool’ is derived from ‘folies,’ a mid-1600s Portuguese dance where one twirls until dizzy and loses control of all senses”
Frank Escher
Lucy: patented by James V. Lafferty, Margate New Jersey 1881
In the year 1513 Pope Leo X, on the occasion of his coronation was presented with a “white elephant.” The pachyderm became the pontiff’s favorite pet and was buried in a tomb designed by Raphael. By the mid-18th century, Europeans had come to regard the elephant as a fabled creature. Not always so in the States where the terms “white elephant” and “folly” took on negative connotations. Need I remind you of Thomas Edison in his quest to prove alternating current over direct current? Poor Topsy. Then again it’s worth noting that the Romans killed off an entire subspecies of North African elephants for the purpose of entertainment. Poor Loxodonta Africana.
On to Claude K. Bell, who started his career making figures of gold miners and minuteman at Knott’s Berry Farm. He had been highly influenced by a childhood visit to see the supersized elephant Lucy. It resulted in a two decades long folly beginning in 1964 with Bell’s purchase of 76 acres in the desert community of Cabazon. From here the 67 year old Bell would embark upon his $300,000 creation of Dinny and Rex. For those who take interest in arcane information, Dinny is not a Brontosaurus. He’s actually a Apatosaurus with a Camarasaurus head. A classic case of artistic license.
“The virtue of a folly is that it provides the freedom to explore without rules.” Ada Louise Huxtable
Claude Bell died in September, 1988, at the age of 91. He had dreamed of a giant woolly mammoth and saber-tooth tiger to join his prehistoric menagerie but it was not to be. What has come to be is the Seven Day Theorist pursuit and purchase of dinasour themed road side attractions. We’re putting evolutionists on notice: We’re taking the dinosaurs back,” said Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis, a Christian group who’ve built a $25-million Creationist Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky.
“Primordial soup, to the zoo, to you, is evolution true?”
creationist Folly-ers
………….
Installment Nine of Pasadena Adjacent’s series examining the “Secret, Feral and Concrete”
Desert Folly: a subspecies of the “secret and feral” based on a recent visit to the museum show “Folly-The View From Nowhere” at the Pacific Design Center, Darwin at the Balboa Museum of Natural History and a visit to “Elephant Odyssey” at the San Diego Zoo
LikeLike
Riding horses down the Arroyo back in the day!? Man, you’ve lived a great life.
And more people in the world need to be like Claude K. Bell.
LikeLike
I kinda wish we had more dinosaurs besides politicians and elephants.
LikeLike
PA – one of your ‘connections’ best. I bet you use to love watching Burke’s ‘Connections’ on PBS…you’ve got the knack.
I sort of remember reading about Lucy – I wonder if it was in Devil in the White City…and she made it to the Chicago World Fair. … we’ve actually stopped 2 years ago to see Mr. Bell’s creations – ate our In&Out there. Love the last line… evolution, of course it’s true.
LikeLike
What comes to mind for me is “The Fool Card” in the Tarot deck. This card is the zero (0) – the beginning – full of potential, which is potent.
It is a very good card for artists, having to do with trust and with intuition. It is a beginning.
I love the relation to the word folly! It is doing something not because we are supposed to do it, but because we trust possibility.
LikeLike
God bless folly. It lost some of its impact hidden behind the fast food restaurants. The last time I was there, the inside of Dinny was a gift shop. Sorry Mr. Bell, Knott’s ain’t what it used to be either.
LikeLike
I recognize the top photo, Lucy the Elephant, an architechural folly located in New Jersey. I think they should build an out-building to accompany her, another folly, this one shaped like a pile of dung. Another great post.
LikeLike
Fascinating. I remember as a kid, our family vacations would take us zooming by roadside attractions, and this one sounds familiar. Can’t say for certain because my dad would never ever stop. Not even for the two-headed chicken.
LikeLike
Very scholarly, PA. AH: My dad never stopped either, not even for fresh cherries.
LikeLike
Is the souvenir shop no longer in Dinny’s belly? I remember it, too.
The creationist website mentions “the 7 C’s of History.” Anybody know what they are? The 7 centuries? 7 thousand years? Or does C stand for something else? (Christians, Countries, Cool Things, Candycanes…)
LikeLike
We regularly folies, the trick is not throwing up – or crashing into furniture. Or each other. Actually, my dog Ranger is a natural foliesta. There’s a video opportunity.
I communed with my leaf blower today. It was very spiritchul. Tomorrow, the driveway. I can’t wait.
LikeLike
Wow! what a great looking mecha-derm. It does look like a lighthouse inside. Can you believe how well it’s preserved and that it was a land sales lure? Thanks a bunch for the video treat.
LikeLike
Hope you had a Happy Festivus, PA!
LikeLike
WHen I was in my 20s and took a lot of cross-country road trips (and, sigh, lived in the spirit of folly, ah youth…) I would stop at every one of these places. The Thing. The World’s Largest Ball of String. Somewhere in Iowa, I think, that had giant penguins, 100s of motel rooms and rows of deisel gas pumps, every ghost town I could find… but I never saw dinos! Dang. I missed out.
Happy Christmas to you and Mr. V, PA. XOXOXOXOXO
LikeLike
I’ve never seen a construction photo of Dinny and seriously weird about the creationist museum. Next time I’m in Kentucky I’ll have to drop in.
Merry Christmas PA
say hello to Mr V
LikeLike
Merry Christmas PA! Can’t wait to see what adventures you have in 2010…
LikeLike
“Everyone I know has a big but…”
LikeLike
About this post and all the ones after it — I’m dumbfounded. What can I say?? You have and you find the weirdest things in California!
I’d love to hear more about the epiphany . Any chance?
LikeLike